Hot, Hot, Hot

It started on Friday with 36C yesterday was 38C, New Years Eve and Day are set to hit 40C followed by some relief down to 37/8C but back to 40C by next weekend.
Early morning starts are called for in the garden and with light at 6am and 21C that's the time to be out there. By 9am it's getting hot and 10am it's way too hot at 36C to be outside.

This morning I emptied the chook pergola of another load of chook mulch and spread that around the garden to help the plants survive another sweltering day.

This meant refilling the pergola area with a bag of shredded paper and a bale of straw, the chooks happily scratch their way through this to get to the damp earth below where all the bugs and worms live.

I needed to top up the fish pond, again, with tank water and have put up shadecloth on the western side to cut down the sun's evaporative force. At least the fish are happy!

The newly planted carrots have been covered with an old curtain and it's helping to keep the soil moist while they germinate. I found another piece of curtain to cover the lemon tree that is coping well in the heat but I don't want it to stress too much.

The Silverbeet and Cucumbers love their 70% shadecloth cover on Bed 3 and are thriving on only two waterings per week...although they might need more with the heat this week!
I've added yet more shadecloth to bed10 where newly planted Beetroot seedlings needed extra shade.

It's weeks like these, although early this year, that are a trend of our summers after the solstice. This is why we have so many shadecloth structures. From the first over the Tank Beds in the Dog Pen area to the new gourd wicking-worm bed this year!

Despite this additional pieces of shade cloth still get put up on these hot days. In the Dog Pen Garden beds where the Sweetcorn was battling the western afternoon heat and as an emergency cover for a tray or two of cuttings.

Garden Log: 30 Dec 07

Last garden log update for 2007!!

As we head into another heatwave this week we've had no rain. Christmas weather was pleasant and it has gradually warmed up during the week.

Main planting this week was on Bed 4 Tip Top Carrots. This is a late planting this year and probably ill timed with this heatwave coming but they are in non the less. They have been covered with an old curtain to keep the sun off.
In the half of Bed 10, where the tomatoes were removed, I've planted some purchased Beetroot Globe seedlings and some 5 Coloured Silverbeet seedlings I had growing in the shade house.

I potted up some Thyme and Greek Basil seedlings I purchased and some Greek Oregano pieces I dug up while I tidied the side of the pergola garden bed.

On Wednesday I made up a mixture of compost, coir-peat and loam to top up the wicking-worm beds...they seem to need more depth of soil as the temperatures increase but are still producing well.

I also re-built the worm farm removing all the bedding, castings and some worms and added these to the wicking bed top-up too. The worm farm has been re-made with fresh bedding (coir-peat), molasses soaked shredded paper and saved worms.

So far I haven't need to spray the tomatoes with anything stronger than water-seaweed solution in a hand mister concentrating mainly on the backs of the leaves. The new growth so far looks OK.

On Friday I made up a batch of plum sauce from a bucketful of Santa Rosa plums. Go Here for the recipe. The wattlebirds have discovered these plums and although not quite ripe they are eating them!! They must be hungry this year!
Since Wednesday I've mainly spent my time hand watering and topping up ponds in anticipation of the coming heat.

Garden Log: 23 Dec 07

On Friday the lightning started at 3am...by sunrise it was raining...not as heavy as some other areas in the state but a very welcome 14mm.
Friday night a cool change came in and it continued to be drizzly and windy on Saturday, almost wintry.
On Saturday (22 Dec 07) our Summer Solstice occurred so we have passed our longest day and the daylight hours will now become shorter. The next couple of months are our hottest.

Planting:
Monday was green leafy crop planting so the following from Phoenix seeds were planted:
Brussels Sprouts - Seven Hills
Kale - Morton's Mix
Senposai - a Japanese hybrid of cabbage and mustard spinach
Cabbage - January King
Cabbage - Red Drumhead
Corn Salad - Valerianella locusta
Shiso - Perilla frutescens - Red and Green the seeds of which were put into the fridge for a few days before planting.


On the fruit planting days I planted these seeds for trees to add to the chicken forage areas.
American Elderberry - Sambucus canadenis
Siberian Pea Tree - Caragana arborescens
The seeds of both these plants needed to be pre-soaked overnight in lukewarm water to break their dormant tendencies.


Also planted, from Diggers, some:
Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumbers
Yellow Tommy Toe Tomatoes

I've also sown some Alyssum seeds:
White annual - Carpet of Snow
Yellow perennial - Evergolden
These went into cell trays as I need to plant more flowers to encourage insects as they seem reluctant to fly into the 'darkness' under the shade structures.

I've found a supplier of white 50% shade cloth and this will very soon be sewn up to replace the 70% cloth on most of the beds. The 70% cloth will be re-used in the new Shade House we are building these holidays.

On Friday I removed half the tomato plants in Bed 10 as they had Tomato Russet Mite.

Sticky Yellow Traps

Yellow Sticky Traps

Used to attract and capture pests including white fly and mites are available commercially but you can make them at home.
Using a yellow plastic ice cream container lids:

• Cut lengths roughly 20 x 10 cms or left complete
• Punch a hole in one end for attaching wire or string to.
• Smear a fairly thick layer of petroleum jelly mixed in equal quantities with household detergent or horticultural soap.
• Tie near affected plants, with the sticky side facing away from the sun.

These won't last as long as the commercial ones but are easily washed and the petroleum jelly layer re-applied.
They can also be made out of ply-wood or even glass and painted bright yellow.

We Have A Problem!

Tomato Russet Mite

I have discovered a major problem with my Tomatoes this year. I now realise that this is also the reason for the main crop failure last year. Although I did notice this problem earlier I didn't realise what it was and how bad it had affected the plants until this week.

Know Your Enemy: Tomato Russet Mite:

• they are sap suckers
• they live on the underside of the leaves
• they are microscopic, so you can't see them
• they thrive in dry conditions
• lower leaves brown off first and die
• fruit will be effected if not treated
• plants will die

Things To Try - Early

• keep plants actively/healthily growing
• apply seaweed extracts for plant health
• remove affected leaves early
• remove badly affected plants and destroy them
• mist plants during dry weather
• companion planting with garlic/onion tribe
• encourage predator insects - ladybugs, lacewings
• use yellow sticky traps to catch the mites

If This Doesn't Help

• If you wish consider sprays - soft options first by the time this pest is evident the plants will be fruiting and any pesticides will have withholding periods that will inhibit using the fruit. Carefully read the labels on commercial products and use according to the instructions.
• Keep in mind that any sprays including misted water and seaweed extracts must cover the backs of the leaves where these creatures live.
• milk spray equal milk and water
• garlic spray
• soap or oil sprays in cool weather only

If This Still Doesn't Help...
Consider Pyrethrum but remember to use this very carefully as it will harm the beneficial insects, earthworms and soil microbes that you try so hard to encourage into your garden.

What I'm Doing
I have already made a second planting in a different area of the garden.
I'm doing the 'early things to try' including:

• Misting with a hand pump-spray (as we can't use a hose anyway) with a very dilute seaweed extract daily unless it's raining.
• I've planted a clump of Society Garlic near each plant - garlic doesn't grow in summer here, the onions have finished and I had 2 big pots full of society garlic that had been rescued from another bed earlier.
• Keeping a careful watch on the new plants.
  
• I have removed the worst affected plants from bed 10 (all the Pacesetters and some Black Russians) the remaining ones I have trimmed all affected leaves from and am starting these early intervention ideas. The Society Garlic is in pots here.
  
• I have some Pyrethrum and 'Beat-a-Bug' (a commercial pre-mix of pyrethrum, garlic and chilli) on hand to try if needed.

Sources
The Australian Organic Gardener's Handbook by Keith Smith
The Organic Garden Problem Solver by Jackie French
Carrots Love Tomatoes

Celpar

Celpar

AKA Parcel, Leaf Celery
Apium graveolens var. Secalinum

I prefer to use the name Celpar as it has a strong celery flavour and Parcel sounds more like a package (try 'Googling' parcel and see what I mean!)

It's actually a form of wild celery with a parsley like growth habit. Today's celery was developed from these wild forms.
Gives the flavour of celery to salads and cooking at the same time as garnishing.

It's said to have similar health properties to celery; diuretic and anti-inflammatory.
It is sold through the Herb Herbert range as a plant (Parcel). Download a fact sheet on it here.

I have found that seeds kept from these plants grow well if picked when fully ripe and stored carefully.

It enjoys moist rich soil but I have found it does well in a large pot or tub much the same as parsley and survives on much less water than celery does.

Garden Log 16 Dec 07

This week the weather has been 'mild' with only one day above 30C. We had a minimum of 5.8C on Monday but by Friday the min was 20C and max 34C but that's just summer here!
It even rained on Saturday morning but only very lightly.

Many of last week's seeds have germinated
and are growing incredibly fast.

I've planted seeds for continuation plantings of Black Zucchini, Yellow Egg Tomato, Lemon Cucumbers and Delicata Squash. Some of these have already germinated too.

On Monday, into the garden Bed by the back gate, I planted a well grown San Marzano Tomato and a self fertile, smooth skinned Kiwi Fruit, Issai (Actinidia arguta 'Issai') on the trellis.

Into Bed 4 went more Lebanese Mini Cucumbers and some San Marzano Tomatoes from their second sowing.

My latest seed order from Phoenix seeds arrived during the week so on Saturday I planted a few:

• Broccoli - Green Goliath
• Cauliflower - Mini (free seed from Diggers)
• Motherwort - Leonuris cardiaca

The brassicas were planted as a trial early planting this year, others will go in this week. It's 2 weeks earlier than I started planting autumn greens last year and I will also be planting more in a months time which will be 2 weeks later than last year.

This year seems quite 'advanced' as far as growth goes with early fruiting tomatoes, zucchini and greens and herbs running to seed quickly.
Even the fruit ripening on the trees has been 2-3 weeks earlier.
I'm not sure what this means but will 'cover my bases' and plant early and late crops for autumn and winter next year.

Inside I've been preserving more Apricots from the second tree; another bag of dried and 10 'bottles' are in the pantry, along with some stewed for the freezer. These join those harvested from the first tree which are already away in the pantry/freezer and not forgetting Doc's Apricot Wine that's gurgling quietly away in the lounge room.

Around the garden:

Bed 3 Lemon Cucumbers and Silverbeet

Doc's Gourds are thriving in their wicking water bed.

And so far the Basil and Greens boxes
haven't needed extra watering
although they have had a couple of light showers of rain.

( BTW the empty box here is for Ninja

so she doesn't need to sleep on the greens!)

Minute Moments Pottering

Nothing is particularly hard

if you divide it into small jobs.

- Henry Ford

Strawberry Bed Tidy

Last weekend the cool change made working out in the garden quite pleasant. I had about 30 minutes spare.
Something I'd been putting off was tidying the Strawberry Bed. The recent heat had knocked them around and the Feverfew seemed to be taking over a bit.
So off with the bird netting and I started trimming.
As the Feverfew is grown for it's insecticidal properties I mulched (by chopping them roughly) the trimmings around the strawberries.The strawberries themselves had dry leaves and fruit remains so these got a good chop too with this debris being removed from the bed.

This will encourage new, healthy growth.Later in the cool of the evening I gave them a liquid feed of Seaweed extract and Fish emulsion to boost them along.
A quick top up of mulch and they will be ready for new growth and hopefully another crop of yummy strawberries.

I'll leave the netting off for a while to allow the chooks and birds to scratch around on the ground and get some bugs.
Also I'll be able to spot any lurking snails that have been hanging around with this showery weather.

Garden Log: 9 Dec 07

A spectacular thunderstorm on Thursday night left me with 5mm in the rain gauge and cooler weather for the weekend.

This morning Doc and I removed the netting from the Stella Cherry Tree and picked a small but very yummy crop of cherries. No preserving them in Rum this year just some sweet fruit for breakfasts and dessert for a few days.

This weekend I've planted seeds of herbs to go into a new Herb Bed I'm planning for Medicinal and Tea Herbs . Actually it will be a re-vamp of the Pergola Garden area.

Into Punnets:
Borage - Borago officinalis from Select Organic seeds
Caraway - Curum carvi from a herb packet from the shop.
Tooth Ache Plant - Spilanthes acmella from Isabell Shipard
Small Flowered Willow Herb - Epilobium parviflorum from Eden seeds
Dill - Anethum graveolens from Select Organic seed
Florence Fennel - Foeniculum dulce from Greenpatch Organic

Into Cell Trays:
For planting as living mulch and also in the Herbal Tea Bed.
Lucerne 'Sequel' - Medicago sativa from Green Harvest
Red Clover - Trifolium pratense from Green Harvest

Also into Loo Roll Holders to allow planting at a stage when they will be able to withstand bug attack, but not too big. These are for the chooks.
Sunflowers Giant Russians from Edens and G in Victoria.
Sorghum White African - Sorghum bicolor from a seed saver via SSN

I've pulled up most of the White and Red Onions on Bed 4 and have left them to dry for a few days before storing away.

French Sorrel

French Sorrel

Rumex scutatus

Family Polygonaceae
Grows 20-50cm tall.
Propagated by seed or cutting...I don't allow my plants to flower and set seed as it could create a weed problem. The chooks love the flower stalks.

Uses:
A Tea made from the leaves can be soothing if applied to sunburnt skin also makes and antiseptic mouthwash to aid mouth ulcers.
An infusion of leaves in vinegar can sooth itchy skin.
Sorrel produces blue and green dyes and the boiled root a red colouring.
Leaves and stems have been used to replace rennet to curdle milk in cheese making.

For edible use the leaves should be picked young and tender.
If grown in the shade leaves are larger and more tasty.
In my garden it doesn't die back through winter but only grows slowly.
Contains oxalic acid so care taken for those sensitive to oxalates. Par boiling or blanching the leaves can reduce the oxalic acid content.
There are recipes aplenty for Sorrel Soup using cream or milk to address the bitter taste but this recipe from Isabell Shipard's book How Can I Use Herbs in My Daily Life? looks tempting:

Sorrel and Tomato Soup
4 large handfuls of finely shredded sorrel leaves
1 cup diced tomatoes
600ml chicken stock (home made)
2 tablespoons butter
Cook sorrel in the melted butter for 1 minute
Add tomatoes and cook 5 mins
Add chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste and simmer 5 mins.

Source:
How Can I Use Herbs in My Daily Life? by Isabell Shipard

Hot House Conversion.

Problem:
Summer is here and the temperatures seems to rise more everyday. The little plastic hot house (See here how it was built) was getting way too hot inside. The thermometer I've put inside only registers to 50C so I've no idea just how hot it was getting.

Solution?:
Earlier in the season I put a cover of shadecloth over the roof leaving the plastic in situ.
Now I have removed the front and rear panels of plastic and replaced them with leftover pieces of shadecloth.
I chose the lighter colour for the front to keep light levels up but in the rear where light wasn't so important I've used a black piece I had.

Result:
Already the temps have dropped to a more bearable level with the flow through of air this now allows.
I can now continue to use this house as a propagating area as well as continuing to grow the boxes of Basil that are enjoying the consistent conditions and the bug free environment.

Winter Blog Carnival???

In December???

Today Emma from Fluffius Muppetus up in the Northworld
is having a 'Winter Blog Carnival'
since it's hot as outside here at the moment
and I didn't want to be left out...

...I sent her this link to a post about FROST from back in June.

So why not go to the Fluffius Muppetus blog
and catch up on the other Winter Blog Carnival posts as well!!

If you're down here in Australia
it might just help to cool us down a bit!!

Rechargeable Solid Water!!!

The latest water saving strategy I'm trialling this year is a product
called Rechargeable Solid Water.

They are small bags of a non-toxic, biodegradable polymer substance that weigh 6 grammes when dry which after 5 to 10 minutes of "charging" in water hold 300mls of water.
These are buried (must be or they will breakdown if left in the sun) near plants in the garden or in pots.

Put them on a 45 degree angle and cover them with soil and mulch.
They will water the plants for 20 to 30 days!

The bag is then re-charged with water, I'm using cut down soft drink bottles to get the water to the bag, but even rain will do the trick and they will last another 30 days. They are said to remain intact 2 years.

The testing has been carried out by the CSIRO (Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation).

I shall keep you posted on how they perform!

Healthy Gardens

From her book 'Backyard Self-sufficiency' :

Jackie French's Rules for a Healthy Garden are:

1 Don't Dig the Soil
- Disturbs Micro-organisms, Worms.

2 Grow Flowers and Vegetables Together
- Companion Planting, Guilds, Bio-diversity.

3 Don't Plant Too Early in Spring
- Allow Time for Predators to Build up their Numbers.

4 Let Best Plants go to Seed
- Flowering Vegetables Attract adult Predators, Seed-Saving.

5 Plant Nitrogen Fixing Plants
- Green Manure, Mulch with their Foliage.

6 Keep your Garden to a Manageable Size
- Start Small.

Jackie's rules in Bold my notes in italics

November 07 Journal Notes

" The Value of Keeping Records"

A little trouble taken to keep notes of garden operations, the season, rainfall, time of sowing, planting, blooming, ripening will return in the course of a few years an amount of information which will prove invaluable, therefore we suggest that every beginner make a few notes from month to month; this will enable him rapidly to improve his methods and become an expert gardener."
-Yates Garden Guide 1933

In keeping with this advice I post a summary each month from my Garden Journal. That is the word processor version of my scribbled notes I write by hand into a notebook.

Friday 2nd November Min 10.9°C Max 15.4°C
42mm Rain
8 Eggs
After work I planted out come Golden Rod, Mirabilis, Petunias, Scented Geranium and Daisy plants into the edge beds in the Main Vegetable Garden
After dark went out with torch in hand on Snail Scrunch Patrol.

Saturday 10th November Min 11.8°C Max 29°C
10 Eggs
Raked up mulch from chook pergola. It was still damp from the rain last week, it was used to mulch Beds 1 & 4
Hoed up Potatoes in Bed 2.
Dug some soil from beneath the mulch in chook pergola and used this 'compost' to add with coir and potting mix for some potting-on mixture.
Filled 12 growing-on pots ready for San Marzano Tomato and Lebanese Mini Cucumber seedlings to be potted up later in the week.
Filled 3 boxes for potting up Basil seedlings tomorrow.
Potted up some Tomato plants that had out grown their growing pots: 1 San Marzano, 1 Pacesetter and 5 Ida Golds.
Made shade cloth cover for a water container.

Sunday 11th November Min 12°C Max 30.4°C
9 Eggs
Planted Basil in the waiting boxes 2 containing mainly Sweet Basil will stay in the Hot house where they are enjoying growing without pest attack and 1 box of Purple Basil was put under the back pergola.

Potted up some cuttings and plants for garden club later in the week. Some Cream Daisies, Yellow Euryops, Ivy Geranium, Scented Geraniums, Santolina, Orange Peel Thyme, Pink Rosemary.

Also potted up some Grapevine cuttings I'd taken earlier in the year:
2 x Thompson Seedless Table Grape
5x Pink Lady Finger Grapes

Friday 16th November Min 16.3°C Max 34°C
10 Eggs
Hammered star pickets into the edges of Beds 1, 2 & 4 ready for attaching more shade cloth to tomorrow.

Used trampoline frame to attach shade cloth to for shade over Bed 3 as was not possible to hammer in star pickets far enough.

Saturday 17th November Min 13°C Max 35°C
8 Eggs
Sewed hems on and attached shade cloth to beds 1, 2 and 4.

Friday 23rd November Min 9°C Max 26.1°C
9 Eggs
Cleared plants from Pergola Bed ready for a new wicking water beds for some gourds for Doc.

Saturday 24th November Min 8.6°C Max 30°C
7 Eggs

Doc dug soil out for his Gourd bed. We built a wicking water bed because this area of the garden is very hot and dry and also has gum tree roots in it.
I intend to use mainly grey water for this bed as we will not be eating the gourds. Waiting seedlings were planted, some Bean Gourds and some from seeds form a previous crop of gourds so there may be some surprising shapes this year!
Used an old wire bed frame to act as a trellis for the gourds to grow up and over the 'tank' shed.

Sunday 25th Min 11.4°C Max 30.8°C
8 Eggs
Attached a piece of shade cloth over the gourds to further reduce evaporation.
Full Moon so the chooks had crushed garlic and ground pumpkin seeds added to their morning mash.
Made up more potting mix to fill some salad boxes and large pots for planting later this week.

Tuesday 27th Min 12.9°C Max 33.1°C
9 Eggs

Planted into salad boxes and pots under the back pergola:
Mints- Ginger, Egyptian, Moroccan, Chocolate.
Bergamot
French Tarragon
Parsley
Lebanese Cress
Lettuce Mixed Loose Leaf
Chives

Wednesday 28th Min 14.5°C Max 31.7°C
8 Eggs
Put Mesh back onto Bed 10 as a trellis for the growing Blue Lake Beans to climb
Fitted hose connections back to Strawberry Beds to enable both tap (when permitted) and container watering.
Pinched out Basil flowering tips to encourage bushier growth.

A summary of Egg totals and Weather details:
254 Eggs from the new girls, approx (??) 25 from the old girls.
Lowest Minimum Temp was 4.9°C The mean minimum was 11.4°C
Highest Maximum Temp was 37.8°C The mean maximum was 15.4°C
Rainfall total was 60 mm for the month with the average for November being 25.3mm.

'Map' Out Your Future ....

....but do it in pencil.

~Jon Bon Jovi~

Em from The Dance of Small Things left a comment this morning that her 5 year old loved looking at my maps but wanted to know where my house was.

So I decided to renew my rough map...linking back to this post from way back last year (my 4th post!!) was an option but it was still difficult to decipher.



As I have separate maps of the Main Vegetable Garden and Dog Pen Gardens I'll put these up separately so more details can be added

Dog Pen Gardens

The Garden Bed area including the Mixed Herb Bed and Wicking-water Beds are shaded by an old Almond tree, Tagasaste trees and a rather large Gum tree.
The Tank Beds have a Poly Pipe shade structure over them

The Main Vegetable Garden

All but Bed 6 now have shade cloth cover/structures over them for this year's summer season. What is growing in the beds is described in these posts and the Fruit trees are listed here.

Just a note that the propagation area on the old map is about to get a re-vamp these holidays.

Thank you Son of Em for making me sit down and re-do that rough old map which I had hand drawn over a year ago.
It was about time I drew up a proper map.
I hope you can work out just where my house is now!