After the drama of the 'great flood' of last week it's back to normal around the garden. This meant some weeding around the veggie patch and applying organic fertiliser and the fortnightly application of diluted seaweed and fish emulsion. I felt a bit silly 'watering' the plants considering how damp the soil is after the deluge. The rain this summer has been amazing. In previous years we would have been well into the fire danger period, hot days on end without rain and the grass browned to a crisp. The lush green of now is a far cry from the horror conditions of two years ago that brought Black Saturday and a few weeks later a large fire right here in the neighbourhood that threatened homes in Upwey, Belgrave and Belgrave South.
However, the rain has brought cooler conditions which is great for bushfire safety but not so good for the tomatoes. I planted Apollo tomatoes which I've learnt are an early season variety with fruit that sets in cool conditions. Perfect for the cool nights and mornings in the hills and last year they performed really well. They've have been fruiting for a while now, there are lots on the plants and lots more on the way. But I've yet to see a single one ripen yet - in other years I'd be picking them from mid January. The way they're going we'll be eating the sweetcorn before the tommies. On the other hand, I 'm hoping the long maturation period will deliver superior fruit in quality and flavour then patience will be truly rewarded!
Meanwhile, I'm already thinking about giving some other tomato varieties a go this spring. On the web I came across the Greenfingers site that has a comprehensive list of tomato varieties. So many to choose from, but give me a home grown tommie anytime, even if I have to wait!
Cheers.
Showing posts with label apollo tomatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apollo tomatoes. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Too much of a good thing?
Since my last posting I think we've all been knocked sideways by the scale of disaster that hit south east Queensland nearly two weeks ago, the killer 'inland tsunami' that literally swept towns away in the Lockyer Valley to the inevitable flooding of Brisbane suburbs by the river. The weather system that caused all this destruction has affected the entire eastern seaboard bringing high humidity and record flooding rain to northern New South Wales, northern and western Victoria (an area previously hit hard by more than a decade of drought) and Tasmania. Alas, that's nature - were it brings destruction it also gives life.
The rain bucketed down here for two days in Belgrave and a week of warmth and high humidity triggered a massive burst of growth in the veggie patch. The first cucumber has been picked, the first harvest of dwarf green beans a day away. The tomatoes have started fruiting but it'll be a long way off before they're ready. It's great to see rain this far into January and it's keeping the risk of bush fires at bay, yet it can bring fungal problems like black spot to plants. It's a relief that some warm dry weather has arrived with light showers next week.
Planted another batch of regular cos lettuce and some mini cos too. I planted out a pot of rocket, looks like rabbit food but it's considered a herb. I must admit I never used to be a fan of rocket until I tried it teamed up with other things, most notably the wonderful fried calamari with aioli and rocket at Reel Cafe, 1628 Burwood Highway, (next door to the local institution Cameo Cinemas) here in Belgrave. So, I'll give it a go growing it in the garden and look forward to trying it out in ... well whatever really!
There's not a lot else to do in the veggie patch at the moment apart from a bit of weeding and an application of an organic solution of seaweed and fish emulsion via the watering can which always seems to give the plants a real boost.
Please take the time to have look at the photos below, you'll agree there's been a big change in a short time. And what about that spider? Beats me what that one is, but I'm sure it's doing its bit for the garden.
Cheers.
The rain bucketed down here for two days in Belgrave and a week of warmth and high humidity triggered a massive burst of growth in the veggie patch. The first cucumber has been picked, the first harvest of dwarf green beans a day away. The tomatoes have started fruiting but it'll be a long way off before they're ready. It's great to see rain this far into January and it's keeping the risk of bush fires at bay, yet it can bring fungal problems like black spot to plants. It's a relief that some warm dry weather has arrived with light showers next week.
Planted another batch of regular cos lettuce and some mini cos too. I planted out a pot of rocket, looks like rabbit food but it's considered a herb. I must admit I never used to be a fan of rocket until I tried it teamed up with other things, most notably the wonderful fried calamari with aioli and rocket at Reel Cafe, 1628 Burwood Highway, (next door to the local institution Cameo Cinemas) here in Belgrave. So, I'll give it a go growing it in the garden and look forward to trying it out in ... well whatever really!
There's not a lot else to do in the veggie patch at the moment apart from a bit of weeding and an application of an organic solution of seaweed and fish emulsion via the watering can which always seems to give the plants a real boost.
Please take the time to have look at the photos below, you'll agree there's been a big change in a short time. And what about that spider? Beats me what that one is, but I'm sure it's doing its bit for the garden.
Before (dwarf beans, Vietnamese mint, sweet corn, parsley and tomatoes) about 3 weeks ago.
After (like this morning).
Apollo variety tomatoes beginning to fruit.
Guardian of the potted mint.
Parsley, sweetcorn, basil (sweet and lemon), tomatoes.
Cheers.
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