I don't believe my garden has ever been so challenged by summer before! Days of 40 plus heat (we are talking Celsius in Australia) really put it to the test. I started planting the summer crops in early October and right away the heat hit. This year I opted not to use umbrellas as I really wanted to see what would withstand the heat. I am pleased to say that all but the capsicums came through with flying colours. The capsicums however, after a great start in life, had a case of sunburn and were attacked by a plague of grasshoppers and virtually stripped overnight.
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| Capsicums in foreground just after planting |
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| After a night of being attacked |
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| Some of the salvaged capsicum from larger bushes helped with the artwork! |
I did manage to nurse them forward providing us with a number of good
sized fruits as seen in the arms of this fellow, but they never really
flourished as in past years.
Tomatoes were and still are my favourite vegetable (or to be correct, fruit), to grow in summer along with cucumbers. I planted Tommy Toe and Sweet Bite for ease of growing and use. They are quite resistant to bugs and are heavy 'fruiters'. In the same bed went Beefsteaks, Burke's Backyard Italian and Mortgage Lifter. December and January have been filled with luscious toms with my new favourite being, the juicy Beefsteak. I also put in some Organic varieties but they seemed to suffer greatly from the heat and were very slow to grow. Beneath all my seedlings, I tossed in a handful of No Frills Fertiliser's 'Rock Dust' and also heavily composted the soil (from our own bin and sheep, chicken and cow poo).
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| 4th October |
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| 5 weeks later and already large tomatoes can be seen |
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| Sweet Bite 5 weeks after planting |
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| Burke's Backyard Italian well on their way |
The next eight weeks saw us eating tomatoes every day and the neighbours on the receiving end as well. Some of the tomatoes had a burn marks but their taste was sensational, especially the beefsteaks!
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| Beautiful, big Beefsteaks! |
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| Tommy Toe and Sweet Bite jostling for space |
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| 25th Dec pickings |
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| 27th Dec pickings |
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This whole bed is still producing although the small variety tomatoes aren't quite as sweet and we tend to roast or fry them now. I planted more in other beds three weeks ago and others just last night as I feel this summer weather will continue well into autumn.
Cucumbers have also been replanted with our first 4 plants giving up about 50 small Lebanese babies. Crunchy and with few seeds they were a staple on the table each day. The second batch should be ready to pick in two weeks so next year I shall make sure I try to get them in a little earlier so we don't have a lean period. The only problem I foresee with that plan is that I will once again be trying to work out where to fit them in! I really need an acre to do this properly!
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| Give cucumbers a frame or logs to climb over. |
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I always put plenty of frames in the garden for the cucumbers to climb up and over as it keeps the fruit off the ground and away from predators such as slaters and also helps keep the leaves free of moisture which helps mildew growth. This year I have been fairly lucky, considering the amount of humidity in the air but as an added precaution, I also planted basil amongst the beans, cucumbers and eggplant which I read helps to keep the mildew in check. I sprayed just once with chamomile tea and also Eco-Fungicide which really helped.
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| Basil freshly planted amongst the vegetables to help the fight against mildew. |
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| Salad and breadcrumbed eggplant was on the menu that night! |
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| Mallee roots provide excellent trellises |
Both our blueberry and chilli plants thrived in the hot weather with the blueberries not even making it to the kitchen some mornings - they were just too good to share!
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| Beautiful Blueberries |
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| Coming out of winter and starting to fire up! |
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Remember to pick your chillies once they are red and store in the freezer until needed. And don't forget to keep them well watered in the heat, especially if they are growing in pots. They love a good drink!
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| My chilli self-seeded so I have planted the seedlings and will give them to others. | | |
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Our eggplants have been in since the first week of October. I originally planted 3 but lost one to a couple of giant grasshoppers about 5 inches long! In one night, they ate it to the stalk. The other two consistently have produced one fruit a week each which is plenty for a family of four. They are still going strong and don't show any signs of slowing down.
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| The two surviving eggplants are on the left |
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| Fruit are always a great size with lovely skins. |
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This year I decided to try rockmelons and with just 4 plants in a 3m x 1.5m container with ample trellising, I was sure we'd have plenty of room. How wrong could I be??!!
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| Just planted with the first of the trellises - two old bedheads |
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| Five weeks later and they've taken over! |
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| A full size rockmelon |
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| Baby rockmelon forming |
Mildew has been the only problem and I have used Eco-Fungicde twice which helped. Now though, most of the vines are dying off although there is plenty of new growth and melons forming. A few days ago I went to feel the ripest of the fruits and the stalk came away in my hand. Voila! It was ready to pick and didn't the end smell sweet (a sure sign it was ripe)!?
In a July post, I spoke of our Cumquats we had been given, that were nutrient
deficient. I'm glad to report that they are a picture of health and
covered in fruit. Looking forward to more Cumquat Chutney this year!
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| Now a healthy cumquat |
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| Lush green leaves |
Of course we have grown lettuce, silverbeet and all the usual herbs this summer (using oregano as a groundcover in the only ground level garden on the side where the composter is) and a few other vegetables but the only other major one has been beans. I grew the dwarf bush variety as I find them easier and more prolific than climbing beans. I planted 12 bushes at the end of October and we were eating them by mid December, lots and lots and lots of them! Fabulous plant that I hope to grow masses of next year so I can freeze for later.
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| Bean seedlings protected from slaters, in drink bottle plastic, while they establish themselves |
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| Fast growing, the beans were prolific |
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| Every day without fail, these little beauties visit and get pollinating! |
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| A little bit of water goes a long way and I am always repaid with the Red Wattle Birds going on 'bug patrol'. Between them and my Eco products, my veges survive pretty well! | |
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"One must ask children and birds how strawberries and cherries taste."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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