Author Topic: Australian Gardening Thread  (Read 144750 times)

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #600 on: December 15, 2017, 01:32:40 AM »
Wow GT, you made that happen fast, very impressive and it looks great!

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #601 on: December 15, 2017, 01:33:52 AM »
The things I learnt today:

Currawongs love cherries.
Currawongs like sitting on the deck railing or on the deck itself when they eat cherries.
When birds eat cherries, they make a mess similar to that made when they eat mulberries.

Note to self: next year pick every cherry before taking the net off the tree, even if you decide you have picked more than you will use.

Bet they regurgitate/poop lumpy purple ick everywhere

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #602 on: December 21, 2017, 08:10:37 PM »
I've found a fantastic substitute for spinach. Kang kong, or water spinach, is a vine from South East Asia that grows well in boggy soil but will thrive in raised beds as well. Cooked, it tastes very much like the traditional spinach. I have been using it with feta cheese to make spinach-and-feta pastries. They're very good.

Generally speaking, I'm finding Asian greens and vines to be more suited to the Brisbane climate than European things like the brassicas.

Astatine

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #603 on: December 22, 2017, 12:35:54 AM »
Our ornamental plum tree is tall (2 storeys high? something like that) and some branches (laden with plums) keep banging against our colour-bond fascia/gutters every time there is wind. So we borrowed one of those secuteurs on a long pole with string (I have NFI what they're actually called) from friends who were a bit sceptical that it would work on branches that high. But! Success! DH has managed to cut back all of the branches that were touching the house. Huzzah!

Now we just need to get our mulcher back from the same friends so we can deal with all the off-cuts. (they've had our mulcher for at least a year but we haven't needed it til now)

Fresh Bread

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #604 on: December 22, 2017, 01:38:09 AM »
Good to know about the water spinach. I wonder if it's similar to or the same as Warrigal greens which is like spinach but needs to be cooked.

Here are some finger eggplant, grown from last year's plants that were relocated to an empty spot. 

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #605 on: December 22, 2017, 01:40:33 AM »
Warragul Greens is Australian native.

PDM

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #606 on: December 22, 2017, 01:49:08 AM »
Good to know about the water spinach. I wonder if it's similar to or the same as Warrigal greens which is like spinach but needs to be cooked.

Here are some finger eggplant, grown from last year's plants that were relocated to an empty spot.

Similar but different? I think Warrigal greens are toxic if eaten uncooked whilst kangkong/water spinach can be eaten raw but is typically cooked to make it taste better?
Both probably good for sub tropical climates? I've never had much luck with proper spinach. Then again haven't really tried these alternatives.

Astatine

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #607 on: December 23, 2017, 07:29:11 PM »
Nectarines are starting to ripen. Omg YUM!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #608 on: December 27, 2017, 01:51:48 AM »
Jealous of your stone fruit in Canberra. Too hard to grow here.

Astatine

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #609 on: December 27, 2017, 01:57:53 AM »
Jealous of your stone fruit in Canberra. Too hard to grow here.

It's a lot of work! I haven't had to do pest management but the fruit has nearly broken the tree. And the ripe fruit has all come at once, when we're on Christmas shutdown so we can't off load kgs to colleagues.

That said, it is pretty yummy. And a friend made nectarine jam from our fruit today :D

GT

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #610 on: December 27, 2017, 09:16:24 PM »
Took the first harvest off the beans this week.



Shared them around with the neighbours.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #611 on: December 27, 2017, 10:11:00 PM »
Nice, GT!

One friend made nectarine jam from the bag of nectarines we gave her on Xmas day and another friend will also try making some.

Our nectarine tree is near our bedroom window. Late at night (well after sunset) we could hear a big flappy thing in the tree. Couldn't see what it was but I am intrigued. Maybe a flying fox? There is a colony in my city but it's a reasonable distance away. Anyway, whatever it was didn't damage the tree.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #612 on: December 27, 2017, 11:56:47 PM »
Took the first harvest off the beans this week.



Shared them around with the neighbours.

Yum!!

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #613 on: December 28, 2017, 03:29:17 AM »
Nice one GT!

So my only veges are volunteers from the compost heaps we inherited. So there are several pumpkins going crazy, and they are up to producing female flowers. Unfortunately some are butternut shape and some a regular pumpkin shape. I've tried pollinating (aka flower sex) but I can't really tell if the male flowers are coming fro the same plant as the female. So nothing has "taken" so far. I also have a handful of cherry tomatoes. In another bin are more tomatoes, but no fruit so far, and another curcubit...?cucumber or zucchini...lots of flowers but not  fruits yet (or ever?).

There are mystery flowers shooting up from an area I would actually prefer to be lawn/clear....think they might be dahlias, from the early look at the buds/flowers.  Hate to pull them out, but I don't want them where they are. Maybe let them flower this season for fun and them remove.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #614 on: January 01, 2018, 03:34:48 AM »
Is anyone else sweating through this Brisbane heat right now? All build-up and no rain, it's completely unfair.

My squash seedlings are loving it - they've turned into monstrosities producing yellow button squash larger than my fist. I had one that made me an entire dinner tonight with bacon and cheese!

I'm about to pull out the entire bed of water spinach. It's gotten too old, and the leaves are tough and bitter, so I'm going to pull them all up and pickle the stems the way they do in the Philippines. The ex-chicken-pen has a few zucchini plants, but I'd also like something else in there until April, when the tomatoes are due to go in. Any ideas for something that will thrive in this muggy heat? Sweet potatoes and pumpkin are not options, unfortunately.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #615 on: January 01, 2018, 04:08:53 AM »
Those squash sound delicious. So jealous!

We went away for 10 days and I expected everything to be dead when we got back. Luckily our house guests had been busy watering and most things are doing exceptionally well. The basil has gone wild and we have tomatoes coming through. There were 3 ripe strawberries waiting for us and a big eggplant. I put a few passionfruit in wire cages for protection - one had ripened and fallen to the bottom of the cage and it's been hollowed out by some cheeky critter reaching through. We have had one fruit ourselves but should get more if we are on the ball. 

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #616 on: January 05, 2018, 06:40:23 AM »
I planted a few things in pots a couple of months ago, some of them have thrived (the capsicums/chillies/tomatoes) and others have struggled (the oregano and coriander didn't last long).

It seems that no matter how often I water the tomatoes, the leaves still appear limp and shrivelled. Given it's going to be 42 here tomorrow (today now), I might have to put extra water on. It feels like they're not getting enough water even when it rained heavily in late November-early December.

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #617 on: January 05, 2018, 01:25:10 PM »
Tomatoes like lots of water. The more you give them the better they grow. And they like consistent water, otherwise they split.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #618 on: January 05, 2018, 01:40:53 PM »
Dean, my oregano comes back from the dead sometimes, I'd keep watering and see. With the tomatoes, they might want some shade. And really soak them daily if they are in pots.

GT

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #619 on: January 05, 2018, 03:35:46 PM »
Not sure what to plant now my beans are finishing off.  It's still too early in summer to plant something like brassicas?  Got the February heat to think about.

Maybe a second round of beans?

Astatine

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #620 on: January 05, 2018, 06:29:55 PM »
How are cherry tomatoes in Brissie? That could be an option. And easy to deal with any excess - give away to friends, coworkers or chop in half and freeze for chucking in a soup or stew in winter.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #621 on: January 05, 2018, 06:51:30 PM »
How are cherry tomatoes in Brissie? That could be an option. And easy to deal with any excess - give away to friends, coworkers or chop in half and freeze for chucking in a soup or stew in winter.

Reminds me I need to change my location, currently living in Melbourne :)

Astatine

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #622 on: January 05, 2018, 06:55:49 PM »
How are cherry tomatoes in Brissie? That could be an option. And easy to deal with any excess - give away to friends, coworkers or chop in half and freeze for chucking in a soup or stew in winter.

Reminds me I need to change my location, currently living in Melbourne :)

lol! Well, Melbourne might be ok for cherry tomatoes too. I suggest cherry tomatoes over normal sized tomatoes because it's faster to get a crop (the growing season where I live can sometimes be a bit short, depending on when the first frost hits).

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #623 on: January 08, 2018, 03:53:06 AM »
Also cherries have less issue with pests and diseases.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #624 on: January 08, 2018, 04:07:15 AM »
I planted up a bunch of volunteer tomato seedlings (from worm castings). I have three huge out of control plants that all have different looking fruit which is pretty cool. Will see how it ripens.

We've eaten our own passionfruit this week which was incredible, never thought I'd see the day. And our 2 yr old eggplants are going crazy. I did drown some stink bugs though. Who'd a thunk they like eggplant?

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #625 on: January 10, 2018, 03:33:29 AM »
My unproductive ornamental garden has issues. Any idea what's causing these hard white growths and how to get rid of them?
« Last Edit: January 10, 2018, 03:35:08 AM by Anatidae V »

deborah

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #626 on: January 10, 2018, 02:10:41 PM »
Is it salt?

Remove salts and hard water deposits from the potted soil once a month by flushing the potted plant with lots of water, about a gallon for a one-quart plant. Keep the water in the bottom of pots or terrariums to a minimum.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #627 on: January 11, 2018, 05:23:39 AM »
It does look like salt or something similar. I will try that, thanks Deborah!

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #628 on: January 11, 2018, 05:01:35 PM »
I think we're about to head into our third glut of this growing season - I can see some red cherry tomatoes! There are so many many green ones that I suspect within a few weeks we'll be at the stage of giving them away to people. (I love giving away homegrown produce :))

Funnily enough each of our gluts are all red: strawberries, then nectarines and now red tomatoes.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #629 on: January 11, 2018, 06:14:48 PM »
How many tomato plants do you have, At?

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #630 on: January 11, 2018, 06:18:22 PM »
How many tomato plants do you have, At?

Two this year.The other tomato plant is a roma tomato. The green fruit look like baby pears!

 We weren't going to do any growing food this year (except from pre-existing herbs and fruit trees) but did a couple of impulse buys. We bought one from a fundraiser fete and the other from a proper garden nursery.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #631 on: January 17, 2018, 11:20:03 PM »
Will my rhubarb plant go dormant / die back to a crown, like asparagus does?

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #632 on: January 17, 2018, 11:32:29 PM »
Probably - depends how cold it gets in Perth

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #633 on: January 18, 2018, 12:33:57 AM »
FFS the maximum in the shade temperatures for the next week are:
35 (today)
39 Fri
39 Sat
39 Sun
39 Mon
36 Tue
33 Wed

As much as I hate watering plants, we now have the hose on the tomato plants, the nectarine and strawberry plants out the front (they get full north sun) and the new screening plant I forget the name of (it's in the pittosporum family, possibly from NZ, possibly something tarata? tatara?).

Tomorrow we'll need to water the hydrangea so it won't die in the 4 days of 39C.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #634 on: January 23, 2018, 02:58:40 AM »
Before this week, I would have said that Cockatoos like peaches. But I now know that they absolutely adore hazelnuts.

GT

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #635 on: January 25, 2018, 06:24:38 PM »
Added some hanging pots of semi-cascading petunias to the back porch.





Neighbour John gave me two left over tomatoe seedlings, so I planted them out, one already has fruit, the other looks like it's struggled.

And the dwarf bay tree finally got potted out into a bigger pot from the plastic one it arrived home in.

Also worded up John we were planning on popping a passionfruit on the fence between us out the front, in case it was an issue with it growing over onto his side.  No problems for him and he offered us some trellis for it to climb on.  As it will be in a pot, I'll grab a grafted Panama Red as it's our preferred fruit, and the graft should help it survive the colder Victorian weather.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #636 on: January 25, 2018, 06:35:47 PM »
Those hanging pots look gorgeous GT! I like hearing your creative ways of gardening in a rental.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #637 on: January 25, 2018, 06:42:56 PM »
My pineapple sage has died, so I will replace that at some point soonish. I think I left it for too long in a tiny pot, then didn't water it diligently enough when I transferred it to the garden.

I have ordered a fig, babaco and pomegranate. There's an empty garden bed waiting for two of them (I think the fig and pomegranate) and the other will be potted. A few of my large self watering pots will become available within the next few months as annuals meet their maker, and I think we will use them to construct a planned 'green screen' of dwarf apples along the side of our front porch.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #638 on: February 01, 2018, 04:17:38 AM »
Will my rhubarb plant go dormant / die back to a crown, like asparagus does?

Mine didn’t.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #639 on: February 01, 2018, 04:19:47 AM »
Will my rhubarb plant go dormant / die back to a crown, like asparagus does?

Mine didn’t.

Thanks englyn!

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #640 on: February 01, 2018, 10:31:35 PM »
Surprise flowers! I pulled some out before they flowered as I thought they were weeds. But no, Dahlias! took these photos a couple of weeks ago - there's more now and a deep red one.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #641 on: February 01, 2018, 10:33:06 PM »
They're gorgeous @happy !

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #642 on: February 01, 2018, 10:35:28 PM »
Has anyone here kept homegrown garlic to use as seed garlic? I can't decide whether to separate out the cloves for storage or leave the heads whole. The internet is not being helpful (different sites say different things).

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #643 on: February 01, 2018, 10:42:11 PM »
I don't know either but I was waiting for a bulb I have to sprout and have left it whole. They've sprouted like that before. Since you've already googled - when do I plant them ideally?

happy

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #644 on: February 01, 2018, 10:54:59 PM »
@HappierAtHome Yes I have. I usually keep the heads whole, just because I am always late planting it - i.e. I start to see some shoots and this finally gets me into gear to do it. I suspect it probably doesn't matter.

@Fresh Bread - April is good.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #645 on: February 01, 2018, 10:56:28 PM »
I don't know either but I was waiting for a bulb I have to sprout and have left it whole. They've sprouted like that before. Since you've already googled - when do I plant them ideally?

The rule of thumb on one of my FB gardening groups is "just before Anzac Day".

HappierAtHome

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #646 on: February 01, 2018, 10:57:08 PM »
@HappierAtHome Yes I have. I usually keep the heads whole, just because I am always late planting it - i.e. I start to see some shoots and this finally gets me into gear to do it. I suspect it probably doesn't matter.

Thanks!

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #647 on: February 01, 2018, 11:07:31 PM »
Nice flowers, Happy, you must be chuffed.

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #648 on: February 01, 2018, 11:52:48 PM »
Gorgeous flowers, Happy!

I've got some fruit on my lillypillys! My succulent groundcover is also flowering, to DS's delight as he rips it out delicately between his fat baby fingers. Getting ideas from this thread as to what tasty food to plant at the house we just bought.

We've got a heap of paving to rip up, and I want to replace a large swath with grass to start with. Any recommendations on type and when to plant it?

GT

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Re: Australian Gardening Thread
« Reply #649 on: February 02, 2018, 03:13:54 AM »
Sir Walter Buffalo, anytime up to early winter for you in Perth.