The Organic Home Garden

Autumn is here but not the rain! It is still very dry here in Perth and the Organic Gardener needs to keep on his toes if plants are to keep growing. This week saw a few cooler days and nights and a little moisture on the lawn on a couple of mornings! Heavens above I could almost say it was cool one morning – 12 degrees!

Anyway enough on the weather – can’t change it so have to live with it!

Next Months Crops Go in Now

The cooler days do allow me to get out and get the next set of seedlings in the ground and well established before the predicted 35 degrees on 3-4 days next week. I put in some more cucumber and beetroot as well as some leek.

The board is there for me to tread on when I check the seedlings or remove weeds – it spread my weight and minimises compression and compaction of the soil. It is hard enough for young plants to survive the weather without hard sod for their little baby roots to try to drill through.
A light fluffy soil structure allows better water penetration and access for air.

The last crop of lettuce did not fair too well thanks to the slaters and some seriously hot weather. Of the 12 seedlings I planted maybe 6 are left and likely to make it to the table.

I did a little thinning of the carrots this week and we had a nice feed for dinner last night. The carrots are proving quite successful this year despite the harsh temperatures. This encourages me to set up a few more larger scale carrot rows. They are largely pest free and need little attention other than thinning, feeding and a little water.

We are still getting a few of the last of the summer crops. Cherry toms and capsicum are still growing a little and the egg plant are thriving.

Garden Bed Renovation

I was eyeing off the broccolini patch this morning and thinking that they are past their best now and the cooler weather may be a good chance to dig over the bed and get some fresh manures and compost in there before the rains start.

I will possibly plant spinach, silverbeet and some turnip in the bed next since I cannot follow the broccolini with cauliflowers since they are of the same family of plants (brassicas). I may even sneak in a row of carrots since this bed is quite clean and I should get nice straight roots.

The cucumber may still give a few more fruit so I will wait another week before I start digging the bed over. Not that I really dig the beds much now – I usually top them up with a well mixed load of manures and compost, wetting agents and rock minerals.

The capsicums in that bed are now two years old so they are going for sure – I would be lucky to get another year of fruit from them.
Speaking of fruit here is the last fig for 2010 – I ate it straight after I took this little snap!

A New Toy err Tool

The Organic Gardener finally found time to get out and buy a new lawnmower this week for my landscaping business.

It’s a beauty and has a neat trick – turns grass into a fine mulch that can be pushed back into the lawn as you mow. This puts nutrients back into a lawn and helps keep the nutrients handy for the grass. What I like is that the 4 blades produce a fine cut that I can use in the compost heap. I also run the mower over shrub prunings and trimmings and it turns them into fine mulch as well which I then pick up by putting the catcher on after the mulcher has done it’s job.
The fine clippings are like dynamite in the compost heap and really get things moving a lot quicker.

This is the magic device that turns a regular mower into a mulching genie!

It is designed to fling the cuttings back around and into the blades for a second third or fourth cut!

Here is the back of the mower – normally the catcher is attached here and the cuttings exit!

With the insert in place the clippings go around for another chop before being thrown down into the lawn.

Weird Organic Vegetables

Let me finish this week with a couple of strange vegetables I picked!

Mr Eggplant Head

The Foetal Carrot Baby

In The Organic Garden This Hot Summer Week

Well here we are past the mid point of January and several weeks of very warm weather with today being the second day in a row over 42 degrees celcius. Tomorrow promises to be around 37 and it might even rain – the first time in 57 days!

We have broken some records this month on the summer temperatures and rainfall front. Normally this spells disaster for the vegetable garden but this year I seem to have had a win! My plans and preparations have saved the day and I have suffered minimal losses in the garden. A few lettuce plants got fried, a few capsicums burnt but generally all is well.

This zucchini plant has a little stress (as seen by the white fungal infection which I will treat with milk)

Beetroot and spring onion doing fine under the shade cloth. Oh yeah, that’s Dill growing in the front there!

Tomatoes doing fine, little sun damage and nice and plump.

The eggplant are thriving and we are enjoying them on and off the BBQ!

The next round of Cucumbers doing very well and a few lettuce in between them and the broccolini.

Will pick our first ever grapes tomorrow if it rains other wise the next day it cools down.
The cloth is to cover them on the hottest days, otherwise they are raisins!

Picking and Preserving the Corn Crop

Last week we picked the first of the corn to have cooked on the BBQ for Margit’s birthday. Today I picked half of the remaining crop to preserve for eating in the winter months. It seems so far away right now, but warm buttered corn on a cold winters day is some fine comfort food! The following photos demonstrate the procedure for preserving them in the deep freezer.

A very successful crop of corn this year it was 42degrees when I took this photo – corn was quite happy!

A sharp broad knife makes cutting the corn much easier.

Strip the cobs of the leaves and the filaments.

Cut into convenient bite sized cobs.

I had a big pan of water coming to the boil and ready to go as I finished chopping. The corn goes in for 5-6 minutes only to just partially cook them. (This stops freezer burn)

This bucket has a little ice and cold water ready to cool the blanched corn cobbettes.

The corn is bagged in lots of 6 for a dinner serve, dated and placed in the freezer. There is some lovely organic beef and free range pork sitting next to them!

That’s it, all ready for the coming winter. The rest of the crop we will eat raw and BBQ – and also give a few away to some lucky neighbours and friends!

I wish the best for the rest of the week – we expect more hot weather in the mid-30’s this weekend so the heat is on in Perth!

Take care,
The Organic Gardener

Heating Up

The summer weather has been mixing it up a bit – cool days (24C) and hot days (38C) and lot’s of in between days as well!
I know that the summer is yet to really heat up so I am already seeing the problem of the high temperatures on the delicate plants. My umbrellas have been working but the winds are challenging some days so I have followed a friends example of building a shade over the top of the beds.

Shade Cloth

Today I have built my first shade over the two hottest beds – they get sun nearly all day so can get very dry unless I pour in more water. Water is restricted now in most cities and Perth is no different. The shading should cut down water loss and allow me to keep to my rostered days.

So here is the process I followed:

Some tall start pickets on the four corners and a brace across the ends and the middle.

I used old PVC to strut and support the posts and shade cloth. It’s light and cheap!

This is 50% shade cloth.

The cucumbers were a lot happier this afternoon so I believe we are on the right track!

Veges in the Garden This Week

Here is a quick update on the veges this week!

Apples are starting to grow!

Siamese Twin Cucumbers!

Eggplant

Zucchini

Spring Onion

The Corn Forest! Over 1.5m high now!

This weekend will be over 37C so that should a big test for my shades and I will let you know how it all performs!

Until next week, have a great week!

The Organic Gardener

This post may seem a little out of time! You see my last post was to be published at the start of November but I got sick and was too ill to publish on time!
I have just got back to the keyboard today to find the unpublished post! However, this is no drama since it shows the dramatic growth over the last 4 weeks. You won’t believe the way my seedlings and seeds have rocketed into the world!

Anyway, here is the update for the first week of December – weather has been strange – some very hot days now and then, rain and thunderstorms and then some very mild and thoroughly amazing days – 23-27 degrees with a cool breeze…. the best of Perth’s climate!

Let’s start with the corn –

It is so thick and lush and I am delighted with it’s progress – could be the best we have ever grown!

The cucumbers are just about to start their mad rush up the fence and supply us with a dozen or so fruits a week!

We should be able to pick 6-7 by the next weekend!

Oh yeah here is one of the lettuce I planted in the corn bed between the rows – it clearly loves this location.

Here is one of the 8 or so eggplant I planted!

The Zucchini are also near bursting with fruit and by the weekend we will be picking 5-6 of those as well!

This is our first bunch of grapes growing up over the patio!

Also let us not forget the carrot seeds and leeks I planted in the refreshed bed.

The board is for me to step on so I don’t compact the bed – each garden bed has something for me to stand on without compacting the soil to encourage good root growth and water absorption when it rains.

Beetroot, eggplant and onions here are doing very nicely indeed!

Let me finish off with one of the many delicate flowers growing around the yard right now!

Have a great week – I can feel a stirfry coming up this weekend – zucchini, coriander, spinach, carrots……..

Heritage

You may recall me speaking about the decision I made this year to grow tomatoes from seed and particularly sow heritage varieties. Well here they are and doing very well thankyou!

That is self sown lettuce in the background – it’s like weeds at the moment!

In the Organic Garden This Week

Everything is thriving in the garden right now. The warm days with regular showers means amazing conditions – if you are a vegetable or a fruit tree!

For example the mulberry tree is in full leaf now and covered with yummy fruit!

The vegetables are racing along and we are enjoying carrots and brocollini and lots of spinach.
I expect to harvest 10 heads of brocolli this week so some lucky friends and relatives will be given a feed.

The Headless Carrot Man

It looks weird doesn’t it! A product of some scientific experiment! No! Just what happens when carrots find rocks or hard ground in their beds! I have a had a few deformed carrots this week and the lesson is to sift the soil in these beds a little better next time!

Anyway good for a laugh!

See you all next time!

Well the rain has disappeared for few days and we have a hint of the summer that is ahead. The organic gardener worked on a limestone wall yesterday and felt the heat of the sun for sure! Today we are several degrees warmer and almost clear blue skies as far as the eye can see!

Lawns Are Stirring

I fertilised the lawns this week since I was expecting the warmer days and the grass will take off very soon. I have also been busy weeding – getting them out before they set seed! This is more for preventing next years crop of weeds as tidying up the yard today.

We planted Sir Walter last year after I dug up our old fashioned buffalo lawn. The Sir Walter stays nice a green in the winter and needs less water in the summer. These are two useful features in Perth – our summers can be very hot and dry and of course water restrictions will be in force again this year. We actually had a sprinkler ban in winter this year – which seems odd but people actually forget to turn them off in the winter and so need reminders!

Still More Flowers

I checked the strelitzia yesterday and we now have two lovely flowers – the front yard is blooming and is so bright it almost shimmers with colour.

If you only had smell-o-vision! These smell unbelievable in the early morning and add to the many sweet smells of spring flowers.

Vegetables Going Strong

A few days ago I went through the garden with a knife and bagged up a large amount of parsley and Silver Beet. Most of this I gave away since we still have heaps left and just pick it as we need it. My friend Greg scored a big pile of carrots, turnips, Silver Beet since we are having a few days down south next week and I like the vegetables to be eaten fresh and hate storing it too long after harvest. His wife was delighted with the free organic vegetables.

We will have a few more feeds of winter vegetables for the next few weeks but after I return from the short holiday I will start preparing beds for the summer crops. Tomatoes, beetroot and lettuce rank high on that list. I wont need to plant many lettuce since they self seed all over the garden! I may just move a few seedlings to more convenient spots.

We had a few meals with the broccoli this week and it tasted yummy. I get out most mornings to check for snails since they are the major competitor for the broccoli. There will be a few more caterpillars this week I am sure with the heat improving so I may need to go get some pest oils ready but for now we are managing without them.

That’s it for this week!
Have a great week.

The Organic Gardener

The weather is still quite rough here in Perth at the moment but this has not hampered the plants. The spring flowers are bursting out in all their glory as I type!

This is a fine example the first buds on the apricot tree!

Bulbs still pressing on into the early spring heat!

Flowers Amongst the Organic Vegetable Beds

One of my tricks is to grow a range of flowering plants for the benefits of the bees and friendly insects. Ladybirds and wasps etc can hide amongst the bushes and get a feed on the unsuspecting grazers and visitors to my flowers.
This does two things, firstly it keeps the control insects in my garden longer during the year and also provides them with habitat to shelter from the weather at this time of the year.
This is all part of my pest management routine.

Colourful Vistas

The second purpose of the flowering shrubs and ground covers is simply aesthetic!
The yard looks a great deal nicer with lots of colour.
The following is what can be seen out the kitchen window for example.

Ornamental Plum

Jasmine, Bottle Brush, Daisies, Roses

This is my latest success my Strelitzia is about to flower in the little tropical corner I have out the front yard.

Update: the flower has opened and here it is in all it’s glory!