I have about 8 perry pears—making the pear version of cider. They suffer terribly from fungus—this is a humid area. Not much growth happening. I spray with organic fungicide but still—a LOT of spraying.

So I am thinking of lifting them. Might try an experiment: take say 3 cuttings from each tree and if they strike will grow them and plant them somewhere—have a strip of ground will do. These then will be trees growing on their own roots, not grafted. Will do this in spring.

Any sort of dwarfing really does weaken the resistance of a tree so will see, a little experiment.

It is a lamentable pity that Heritage Fruit Trees, Vic, no longer sends plant material to Tas & WA—red tape! They sell trees on natural roots, noit dwarfed. Close planting so root competition keeps trees small, summer pruning for size, espaliering etc all keep tree sizes 2m high or less. Do NOT need dwarfing for that!

In place of the perry trees—raspberries and blueberries growing in acidic soil (note for lees—this is acidic soil not alkaline soil acidifying  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ) in raised beds and maybe see if something else could be added, native fruits for example.

If a raspberry cane leans over until it touches the ground it sets roots and a new cane grows from that spot.

So need to set up wires or netting around a bed of raspberry canes. Might pay to kill the grass around and cover with gravel.

Don’t think rabbits will be a problem with raspberries  ;D

Need to look up how to look after blueberries.

Ag Dept info sheet:

https://nre.tas.gov.au/Documents/WfW-Blueberry-factsheet.pdf

Have plenty well-draining topsoil, will buy some bags azalea mix to acidify it.

No problem with chill hours here  ;D ;D ;D

Frost might be a problem, might plant them in the garden bed running along the back of the house or in the courtyard between two sheds. Or put them in pots, move out into the open after the last spring frost.

OK, to break claysoil you need to dig it up coarsely and spread lime thickly on the clods. Of course, I have a bit more land than the average homeowner, so I used a bigger spade:

---

Good work, yes, a bigger spade would work well

In the space between Trees 1 & 2 and the depth of the 11 rows of apple trees the soil was dug more finely and I will plant several packets of broadbean seeds.

In spring the broadbean canes will be cut at ground level, generous gypsum, compost and sheep manure will be dug in and tomatoes planted. Between trees 2 and 3 I will plant sweetcorn, french beans and melons.

Space between trees is 4m and there are 11 rows 2m apart so 20m deep.

Winter next year the space between trees 3 & 4 and 4 & 5 will be planted, the other spaces some green manure then dig the ground up coarsely and spread gypsum again, gradually breaking up the clay and turning it into loam.

Somebody want a dog, hardly used? Bitch been annoying me and I am annoyed to begin with—am working!

Got the best part of three shallow trenches dug, do about 6 I reckon. Then spread with blood and bone, gypsum, some soil, broadbean seeds then soil, water lightly.

All this was supposed to be done April‚ bloke got called to the mainland for 6 weeks. Hopefully, will still get some nice beans to harvest and if it is mainly green manure so be it.

In Adelaide I planted broadbeans in May—never got the huge long stalks that broke with any sort of strong wind blowing, stalks were short, didn’t break. Thought maybe here April might be the month. Will see.

3 trenches 6m long dug, gypsummed etc and planted with broadbean seeds—three and a half packages of seeds.

Well, I was worried about nothing—looked at the back of the packet.

OK, Adelaide sow late autumn and winter.

Tassie—sow autumn to late winter. So planting them at the right time after all tho April would have been good too.

Four packets broadbean seeds planted so far. Another 3 or 4 to go.

Sure I got some already but everything keeps getting moved as renovations and now painting moves from room to to room. What am I babbling about?

Packets of seed of collard greens—a brassica, the leaves taste like spinach.

Dig in tons of compost and sheep manure and some gypsum, plant the seeds. Another way of improving the soil.

Haven’t seen any cotyledons from my broadbeans yet, so carefully dug one up—was a stem growing up so just a matter of time.

Need to get the rest planted, been busy with the house.

Going to get a huge crop, assuming I can keep the bloody rabbits away! Can freeze some, preserve some, keep a dozen plants going, not picking beans, until the plant and the pods die and dry—seeds for next year.

Lost count of HM packets of broadbean seeds I have planted. About half of one packet left.

Ordered a bigger heating pad to keep the soil I will plant tomato seeds in warm.

In Adelaide I planted the seeds 1 July each year. Here I will plant them late July/early August—will be planting them later due spring frosts.

Lots of work first—spread gypsum, compost, blood and bone and sheep manure, work that in to the soil <Oh my aching back!>

Be good.

Mostly San Marzano sauce tomato, a couple cherry tomatoes and some moneymaker eating tomatoes.

Just hope I do pick the last spring frost—if I pick the second the last I will lose a lot of tomato seedlings  ;D

FINALLY! The earliest lot of broadbean seeds I planted started pushing the cotyledons through the top of the soil (if I can use that word for 100% clay  ;D )

Slowly getting gypsum spread, will do another couple of bags today, will likely need another 10 bags at least, I think.

I have carrot seeds I could plant—into clay? Onions too—might be OK if I dig a trench and use the bought soil to fill the trench in. Maybe the carrots too that way, hmmm. Use gypsum instead of sand to mix the carrot seed with?

Ordered some more types of vege seeds, incl Seneca sweet corn:

https://tassieseeds.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/img_9922-400x400.jpeg


Quote:

Seneca Corn $4.95/15 seeds A rare selection from research projects, beautiful coloured corn can be used for flour, boiled into hominy or parched also used as an ornamental corn for coloured beads etc. Plant grows about 1.5m tall cobs form late January and mature by end February. Sow after last expected frosts, mid Nov – mid Dec. Plant in blocks 40cm apart, 2 cm deep, in rows about 1 m apart, 2 seeds per hole. Harvest when silks turn brown and husks are plump. 75 days.

https://tassieseeds.com.au/shop/vegetable-seeds/corn/seneca-corn/

Am also getting some more conventional corn.

With the corn a LOT of composted manure will be needed also fair bit of water so the get the most out of the expense of manure and water I will plant 2 Scarlet Runner runner beans by each corn plant—get two crops! Might even plant rockmelon and honeydew melon just inside the corn patch on the north and eastern sides. Plant lots, interplant for more robust garden.

https://seedsofplenty.com.au/products/climbing-bean-scarlet-runner-phaseolus-coccineus

Hmmm reading the fact sheet of the Northland blueberry:


Quote:

Blueberry Northland A blueberry with particularly large fruit, starting to ripen as early as christmas and cropping through until late summer. Blueberries in general produce a shrub with new branches suckering up from the base. They require chill, and leaves turn a lovely crimson colour in Autum. The fruit are prized eaten fresh, and can be stored well frozen or cooked in pies, jams etc. Can be self fertile but yeild will be better when pollinated by another variety.

https://www.woodbridgefruittrees.com.au/berries/478-blueberry-northland.html

The highlighted bit suddenly struck me, also I remembered that while raspberries come in a pack of ten canes blueberries come singly in pots with soil.

So I increased my order—were still some blueberries for sale.

Ordered another Northland plus two each Blueberry Blue Rose and Blueberry Sunshine Blue. All three varieties of blueberry start ripening in December so I imagine the flowering times would at least overlap if not be almost identical, giving me lots of large berries.

So I have six blueberry bushes, be enough for eating fresh, jams, freezing plus melomels and country wines—plenty for me to do! I can’t brew anymore but I can damn well make mead and wine and cider and perry! Lots of reading and learning to do! Fun!

Some info re growing blueberries:

Bunnings:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/garden/planting-and-growing/how-to-grow-blueberries

Australianblueberries,com.au:
https://australianblueberries.com.au/is-good/grow-your-own/

• Organic matter to lower pH—not in clay soils

• Aluminium sulphate

• Sulphur—slower than aluminium sulphate

PlantNet:
https://plantnet.com.au/plant-care/growing-blueberries/

Quote:

For the most optimum potting mix for your blueberry, combine 50% pine bark with 50% of a premium quality Camellia/Azalea potting mix. This provides a well aerated potting mix which will extend the life of your blueberry in a pot considerably. A 5- 10 mm layer of fine gravel added to the bottom of the pot to assist with drainage is a good idea.

Will buy a couple more bags of azalea potting mix, see if anywhere sells pine bark.



Hmmm—have the perfect spot in mind for my blueberries! Sunny, protected from prevailing wind and on a slope—drainage no problem!



One bit of advice in all blueberry advice pages—net your plants! Birds and possums absolutely LOVE blueberries! A cage with wire mesh the best, I think, won’t kill any birds.

I added a damson (small plum) to my orchard. Great in jams etc, also settle lingering doubts about pollination.

Cool, the big warming pad will be here “today” which means Wednesday  :) and sparky will be here Fri to connect my cooktop and wall oven and relocate the kitchen light switch. Will get him to install a double power point in the front porch then next week start planting tomato seeds.

Some time this week or early next, depending on the weather—pick up my tree order. Trees will go into pots.

The blueberry plants will go into their permanent large pots. Winter and until end of flowering they will spend behind the house where they are protected from frost but will get all the chill hours they need, then go to the sunny spot be perfect from them inside a permanent metal cage to protect the fruit from birds and possums.

When it comes to chill hours: frosts and temperatures below zero do not count to towards the chill hours total—weird eh?

My pomegranate lost all its leaves quite early and I was afraid a frost had killed it. My pomegranate back in Adelaide never lost its leaves.

Later I read somewhere that pomegranates can be deciduous and felt a bit relieved.

Yesterday I looked at my pomegranate—new leaves were forming! It is OK!

Popped down to the nursery to pick up my (probably last) tree order. lIttle trip of 250Km each way. Socks was in the car of course—would fret and stress and cry and whine etc if I left her home. We did a half hour walk after picking up the trees and a shorter walk each way in Campbelltown, half way mark.

Now, Tiffany was a tiny dog, a mere 2.5Kg. She was really really good, very impressive for a tiny dog. Socks is not tiny, is more than ten times Tiffy’s weight.

Given the length of the trip you will understand why I had to lower my window twice.

Heh—went past the Puddleduck winery again on the way back.

I got my washing off the line and decided to have a look at my broadbean patch.

Wow! The first half of the patch I planted has pretty much all sprouted, the second half likely will poke its seed leaves above the ground next week. This is all proceeding much slower than it did in Adelaide.

In Adelaide I planted my broadbeans in May and a week later the seed leaves were peeking out the ground. In winter the short stalks did not tend to break in winter gales. Planting in early March sees metre and a half stalks that break in winter gales.

Here our friendly pollinators will become active later than on the mainland so the later planting and slower growth don’t matter as much. The plants won’t be very tall and so will survive winter quite well.

Oops!

Wasn’t my pomegranate sprouting leaves—was a plant in a pot tucked into the pomegranate. Still confident tho, pomegranate will be fine.

I thought I couldn’t grow a lemon tree here: lemons like all citrus are a subtropical plant—be plenty around Unsub’s way. But a neighbor has a mandarin tree growing. . .still alive but showing nutrient deficiency. Told my neighbor to clear grass and weeds then spread around a bag of composted sheep manure and a tsp potassium sulphate. If that didn’t fully address the issue—trace elements.

Jovial Monk wrote on Jul 23^rd, 2024 at 11:51am:

I got my washing off the line and decided to have a look at my broadbean patch. Wow! The first half of the patch I planted has pretty much all sprouted, the second half likely will poke its seed leaves above the ground next week. This is all proceeding much slower than it did in Adelaide. In Adelaide I planted my broadbeans in May and a week later the seed leaves were peeking out the ground. In winter the short stalks did not tend to break in winter gales. Planting in early March sees metre and a half stalks that break in winter gales. Here our friendly pollinators will become active later than on the mainland so the later planting and slower growth don’t matter as much. The plants won’t be very tall and so will survive winter quite well.

Well done.
I planted a mix of seeds (eggplant, purple beans and zucchinis) in 4 of my wicking buckets.
Some are now coming up but I don't know what they are.
Should have planted all of one seed in one bucket and marked it.
Ones with big first leaves are coming up - could be egg plants.

I have several packets of tomato seeds, sweet corn seeds, chili etc etc seeds. Some time next months will start planting the seeds in egg cartons sitting on top of heat mats.

Mid Nov should be safe enough to plant seedlings into the ground—after the “big spade” smooths out the huge chunks of soil it dug up a couple months ago. Dig in LOTS of compost, sheep manure etc plus gypsum where the tomatoes will go—plenty calcium so don’t get blossom end rot.

Look good—big patches sweetcorn, row after row of tomato with capsicum, chili, eggplant (must get some seeds!) and rockmelon, climbing beans planted by the sweetcorn. Be great!

Once soil improved by the gypsum, compost etc—plant cabbage, broccoli etc, turnip and swedes and carrot and onions. . .

What was going to be my vege patch will become more a berry patch:

Couple cherry trees

White, red and black currants

Raspberries (early and late)

Blueberries

Strawberries and,

Rhubarb, OK not a berry!


I have two young pepperberry trees—use the berries, dried, as a condiment also make metheglin, spiced mead.

Jams and jellies—pectin jellies, flavor gelatin jellies (and gelato!) plus stewed rhubarb with strawberries or plain, preserved for year round enjoyment.

Melomels—meads flavored with fruit

Country wines—made with fruit other than grapes

Could add mulberry—nah. Could add elderberry but think I bought my last trees now. Apple, pear, peach, cherry, pomegranate, quince, plum, currants, raspberries and blueberries. Plus veges.

Definitely want to add chooks—eggs from your own birds fed a wide variety of food are 1000% better than any store bought eggs.

A couple degrees below zero right now—I am not in Adelaide anymore  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

No frost on the “eastern” side of the house, not even where the pomegranate is. Building a bit of a wall around the pomegranate to soak up sun during the day, radiate the heat at night. Will paint the bricks black.

Been looking at frost records—reckon the blueberries will be OK in spring especially up near the garage, the eastern side of the garage. So they will likely go into the ground.

First lot of broadbeans all up, pretty much, I reckon. The second lot, planted a bit later than the first starting to push seed leaves above the ground. In 2-3 weeks I will weed both patches.

Going to start estimating the area I need for my tomatoes (half a dozen packets of seeds San Marzano sauce tomatoes, Moneymaker eating tomatoes and cherry tomatoes some of which will be sun dried) and sweet corn + runner beans plus small patch of lettuce, capsicums, chilis & egg plant and herbs. Also plant peas as a green manure.

Will mark out the areas, move compost and sheep manure to each area, make sure I have enough. Sheep manure has more potassium and phosphorous than cow or chicken manure which are very high nitrogen and that’s about it.

The compost I use is not available from hardware stores but is a high grade compost I buy from a landscape supplies sort of place.

Hopefully all the soil treated with gypsum then compost + manure and cultivated etc will be improved, less claylike. One space I did not treat with gypsum (ran out of gypsum and time) so will make sure it will be the first space treated with gypsum next fall.

In late april I planted a batch of tulip bulbs and was getting discouraged because there was no sign of the plants growing.

Had a look this morning—some tulip leaves had thrust above ground level! Hallelujah! About time!

Still got some unplanted. Gonna wrap in wet paper towels inside a freezer bag and pop into crisper. If roots grow—plant the buggers!

But at LAST! Hiiiihaaaahh!!!!

Found in the car this morning—packet of green manure seeds.

Too late to plant now, will plant in spring after the very rough dug soil is smoothed down in a space in the orchard where I won’t plant anything. ANYTHING to get the solid clay to turn to clay loam.

Been thinking about the tomatoes and sweetcorn—don’t want to shade the fruit trees so will plant just behind a “column” of trees, that will be just south of the trees, leave a metre in front of the next “column” of trees, can plant the green manure there or short crops–basil, thyme, parsley, lemon balm, sage etc etc.

Space between trees is four metres, lots of room.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 8^th, 2024 at 12:21pm:

In late april I planted a batch of tulip bulbs and was getting discouraged because there was no sign of the plants growing. Had a look this morning—some tulip leaves had thrust above ground level! Hallelujah! About time! Still got some unplanted. Gonna wrap in wet paper towels inside a freezer bag and pop into crisper. If roots grow—plant the buggers! But at LAST! Hiiiihaaaahh!!!!

That is inexplicably exciting.
Well done

Planted another half dozen bulbs. Will dig up more “lawn” tomorrow and plant another half dozen. Bit cold out now with a nasty wind. Looks like rain—ground will be softer tomorrow.

Geez, nice and warm outside which I HATE in Aug!

Early blossomers will blossom, we get a frost (likely until early Nov) and the blossoms will be killed or fruit damaged.

Took a picture of the broadbean patch, jeez you would never think this is two months after I planted the first 3 rows!

Might apply a side dressing of blood and bone or rockdust, add some gypsum too, have one bag left of it.

Young broadbean plants can be transplanted so I will remove plants from overcrowded parts of the rows and plant where seeds didn’t germinate.

Hope to get a decent crop but this is mostly an attempt to improve the soil. When the plants die back I will cut the stems at ground level and leave the roots in the ground.

---

Dunno why the rows are so raggedy, the seeds were planted into straight little trenches—clay does move a lot as it wets and dries and this is untreated clay soil.

The warm weather in the last few days should see them grow a bit faster.

Good news, thanks.
I planted out a wicking bucket this morning as it showered and more rain is expected.
Put 6 different seeds in there in marked rows. Can transplant them later .

Beetroot, silverbeet, eggplants, beans, zucchinnis, cucumbers

I have several packets of San Marzano sauce tomatoes and some eating tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, also some chili etc seeds. Once I have transplanted the San Marzano seedlings from the egg carton to peatpots I can start chili, eggplant etc etc seeds.

But I want to plant bulk tomatoes—make sauce, sundry cherry tomatoes etc and dig in bulk compost to keep on working on improving the soil. Side dressings of gypsum will also help modify the clay soil. Tomatoes crave compost not manure so much.

I can make enough sauce for a couple of years—adding 1/4 tsp citric acid per 500ml jar will keep the sauce good—until it starts to decompose  ;D

Was at the hardware store yesterday, bought some seeds for a bit later in the year. Also bought two more packets of broadbean seeds!

Looking at the broadbean beds I saw I could fit in one more row. I can plant them until late winter which is what it is now. Not so much for more broadbeans but whatever crop I will get will be gratefully received. No, will plant the extra row mainly to work that soil.

Will side dress the existing rows with some blood and bone and gypsum, then spread some compost and gypsum between the rows and lightly work that into the soil.

Think I have enough bulk timber to make one raised bed for the five or six blueberry plants I got.

Raspberries can just go into the soil—will spread so need to spend bit of time once or twice a year and dig up new seedlings, plant them where they will be good—patch of land not used for anything right down the back of the yard be good for that. Raspberry jam, sauce, melomel etc.

Gawd, gardening is hard work!

Chop ground, follow with trenching shovel to dig the shallow trench. When that done, spread some blood and bone in the trench.

Got a bag, last one, of gypsum. Bloody gypsum is rather wet, be a PITA to spread it. Bit late in the day, run the weepy hose down the trench, turn tap on.

Tomorrow spread gypsum, cover with soil, plant seeds, rake soil over so seeds are like 2cm under the ground.

Ugh, near the side fence is that yellow clay that is rocklike when dry. Swapped hoe for pick there! Going to really work on that yellow clay for the rest of the year.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 13^th, 2024 at 7:15pm:

Gawd, gardening is hard work! Chop ground, follow with trenching shovel to dig the shallow trench. When that done, spread some blood and bone in the trench. Got a bag, last one, of gypsum. Bloody gypsum is rather wet, be a PITA to spread it. Bit late in the day, run the weepy hose down the trench, turn tap on. Tomorrow spread gypsum, cover with soil, plant seeds, rake soil over so seeds are like 2cm under the ground. Ugh, near the side fence is that yellow clay that is rocklike when dry. Swapped hoe for pick there! Going to really work on that yellow clay for the rest of the year.

Gardening is very hard work.
It requires a lot of planning, a big effort, ongoing application, measuring, estimating, you are outdoors in the elements, experience, you have to cater to many variables, contact during the whole season and some luck.

It is one of the better activities you can do for yourself.

Yeah, should get some deelish broadbeans to eat and better soil.

The tomatoes be hard work too, LOTS of them HEAPS of compost to be dug into the soil, plus chilis etc and quite a bit of sweet corn and runner beans.

Plant the new trees and berry plants.

Then all my trees to be weeded then fertiliser added in spring.

Next year the soil should be easier to work!

This pH tester has helped me for the past year or so.
Most plants prefer a slightly acidic soil, about pH of 6.5ish.
Mine was a bit alkaline, more than 7.5 pH.

I get the pH right in the compost tumblers. It has a faster effect there and is not yet in my wicking pots/forest. If one tumbler goes wildly wrong, I can dump it all.
I use the tumblers way before they are 'ready'.

Sulphur powder to acidify it, lime to make it more alkaline.
A big warning - do it just a little bit at a time.
Do all your calculations, then use 1/4 the amount you think you need.



https://www.bunnings.com.au/brunnings-3-in-1-soil-meter-moisture-ph-light-_p0246660?store=8210&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiOy1BhDCARIsADGvQnBQNdbfT6zB76OEY0_SSzyQOP6BIWfMd8GadROl6ay8Zhupklns01IaArOTEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Especially be careful with sulphur—it will kill beneficial fungi in your soil!

OK, one long row of broadbean seeds planted!

1. dig shallow trench

2. spread some blood and bone on bottom of trench

3. spread some gypsum (clay soil in my case, more clay than soil!)

4. spread soil on top of B&B and gypsum

5. plant seeds 20cm intervals, cover up with soil & water the seeds.

Next item I want to do—a batch of blood orange marmalade.

Recipe I use recommended cinnamon for more flavor. Tried it twice, didn’t like it. So now I make it with a bit of vanilla—aaahhhhhh yum!

Need to find the cookbook with the recipe and that means moving more foodstuffs to the new cupboards {groan}

Going to plant  thyme, sage and parsley around my perry pear trees and also perennial alliums—help a bit to keep fungus etc at bay and start to build a guild around each tree. First fungul spray will be done this week, really reduce the amount of fungus on/around the tree.

Also do stuff to boost tree health—applying a lot of nitrogen just gives sappy soft growth ideal for fungal infection to take hold in.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 14^th, 2024 at 12:56pm:

OK, one long row of broadbean seeds planted! 1. dig shallow trench 2. spread some blood and bone on bottom of trench 3. spread some gypsum (clay soil in my case, more clay than soil!) 4. spread soil on top of B&B and gypsum 5. plant seeds 20cm intervals, cover up with soil & water the seeds.

I did a similar thing 2 days ago

regards Sulphur, yes, I don't like to use chemicals.
Will only do it when required.

Yeah

Will put planter mats under the trees, catch most of the copper I will be spraying then the sulphur (have to spray or the trees will die, fungal infection of the pear trees is that bad! Apples hardly affected) then will remove and get rid of those mats so reducing copper and sulphur reaching the soil.

Had another look at the broadbean patch. See where another long row could be planted. Not going to do that.

Next week another planned shopping trip. Will buy another couple bags gypsum (am out of gypsum) then make 3-4 short rows between three trees at the edge of the orchard—these trees seem to be struggling so improving the soil around them may help. Plus I DO have a spare packet of broadbean seeds eh?  ;D

If I get a humongous crop of broadbeans I will preserve the crop:

1. Lightly steam the podded beans for 5 minutes, bag them in portion sizes and freeze them.

2. Use my pressure canner to can the beans to have “heat and eat” portions.

But if I get a measly crop I will still be happy—the soil in that part of the orchard will be richer. Reckon I will do OK but rabbits might eat the young plants or whatever. Had some rain overnight, today will be nice, maybe a bit overcast and this will go on for a few days—just hope rain won’t cancel the fun run Saturday. Good conditions for my plants.

The tulips I planted late April have nearly all pushed leaves above ground level, think I will plant the bulbs I didn’t plant in April into pots, just don’t have the time or energy to plant them 20cm deep in the heavy clay soil of my garden.

Been going through the packets of seeds that I have.

Dunno where the Scarlet Runner bean seeds are {Oops!}

Have a buttload of tomato seeds esp the San Marzano sauce tomatoes. Have some capsicum and habanero and jalapeno chillies, plenty of herbs.

Want a nice melon, want eggplant seeds of a couple of types, cucumbers etc.

Lots compost and manure to be dug in, $$$ but will improve the soil.

Herbs will be planted in a herb patch but the bulk, plus onions (and perennial alliums) will be planted around the perry pear trees, the cherry trees and wherever. Hopefully will reduce fungal load.

Raining now but when it stops will spray copper (Mancozeb) on the perry pears then peach and cherry trees then other pears then very early blossoming apple trees. This will reduce fungal load.

I am going to buy a lot of spinach seeds to plant in my garden.

Leafy greens are good for your brain.

I will develop a more normal vege garden eventually with spinach etc but for now I am concentrating on improving the soil in my orchard etc.

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 18^th, 2024 at 10:15pm:

I am going to buy a lot of spinach seeds to plant in my garden.

Good idea

Don’t eat spinach/silverbeet more than once or twice a week—can use endive as another green. Spinach and silverbeet contains oxalic acid.

Just put in an order for more vege seeds, cucmbers, eggplants, zuchini and some heirloom beans.

Will plant heirloom beans with heirloom corn varieties and plant them as far apart as I can manage, see if I can save seeds from bean and corn. Hell, could plant some on the nature strip—it is like 10 metres wide, has no footpath on it and the homeowners have to maintain it!

Four plum trees will go on the nature strip opposite the empty block of mine—why not? It is like 15m wide there!

Fruit trees help keep bushfires away from the house, so do deciduous hardwoods like my decorative trees. With suitable powerful sprinklers should be OK but I will do more—AGW makes the fire danger more real decade by decade.

No need for feast or famine with your vege garden.

How to store capsicum for over 12 months!

https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/grow-and-store-a-years-supply-of-capsicum

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 18^th, 2024 at 11:53pm:

Don’t eat spinach/silverbeet more than once or twice a week—can use endive as another green. Spinach and silverbeet contains oxalic acid.

I bought a heap of spinach seeds to plant in my garden to try to desalinate the garden.  It only cost me $14 for 4 bags. Those seeds that germinate will help reduce soil salinity. The actual plants (such as the wattle tree) I am going to grow, will be planted by December/January.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 19^th, 2024 at 11:21am:

No need for feast or famine with your vege garden. How to store capsicum for over 12 months!

was there supposed to be a link or something with that?

Oh shit, sorry. Yes.

Link: https://www.growveg.com.au/guides/grow-and-store-a-years-supply-of-capsicum/

I put this here not food because it is focussed on the vege patch and no recipes provided for using the processed and stored capsicum.

Tomatoes, which really can produce a glut real easy is also easy to store:

1. Make passata—does require use of a tomato machine turning tomato flesh into liquid and separating it from skins and seeds. Add 1/4 tsp citric acid per 500ml jar.

2. Can peeled whole tomatoes—skin the tomatoes, fit into jars shoving in enough tomatoes to fill the space between the tomatoes with juice. Add 1/4 tsp citric acid per 500ml jar. Seal, waterbath for 1 hour.

3. Sundry or otherwise dessicate cut up tomatoes or whole cherry tomatoes fill into jars with olive oil, basil leaves, garlic cloves, bay leaves or whatever the fuck herbs etc you want.

I use cardboard  a lot in my gardening.

It is a very good insulator and is free.

Cardboard is a good weedmat until it breaks down.

My broadbean plants are doing OK but gosh growth is slow compared to Adelaide!

Plenty of cardboard around here. I was using them to cover the windows of the southside of my home. The blankets I had available could only do so much coverage. Winter is over here. It is now spring.

HA! My two quince trees are in budbreak!

---

One month from now, the tree will be planted.

Next week, plus 2 ornamental trees (Jap maple, Golden Ash) and four plums: Damson, Greengage, Robe de Sargent and Angelina.


Need to do some measuring then drag out some lengths of thick hardwood and create a raised bed, fill it with azalea potting soil and pine bark and plant my five blueberries. Or use big pots.

Gonna be good!

Damn it. I forgot to water my garden.

UnSubRocky wrote on Aug 23^rd, 2024 at 12:19am:

Damn it. I forgot to water my garden.

Gardening is very hard to do successfully

Break it into small tasks, keep deadlines (arrival of spring, last spring frost etc) in mind and do the small tasks with a break in between each. Work out what you need—lime, fertiliser, mulch etc etc—and buy in advance. So much easier and satisfying when what you need is at hand. In Tassie and WA—keep all invoices for plants and seeds bought and striking cuttings documented incl photos.

Can buy irrigation controllers to do the watering.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 23^rd, 2024 at 2:16am:

Break it into small tasks, keep deadlines (arrival of spring, last spring frost etc) in mind and do the small tasks with a break in between each. Work out what you need—lime, fertiliser, mulch etc etc—and buy in advance. So much easier and satisfying when what you need is at hand. In Tassie and WA—keep all invoices for plants and seeds bought and striking cuttings documented incl photos. Can buy irrigation controllers to do the watering.

Yes, it takes a lot of planning, timing has to be right, weather right, soil right, humidity right, pH right, fertiliser right, seeds right.

Not much can be wrong.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 23^rd, 2024 at 2:16am:

Break it into small tasks, keep deadlines (arrival of spring, last spring frost etc) in mind and do the small tasks with a break in between each. Work out what you need—lime, fertiliser, mulch etc etc—and buy in advance. So much easier and satisfying when what you need is at hand. In Tassie and WA—keep all invoices for plants and seeds bought and striking cuttings documented incl photos. Can buy irrigation controllers to do the watering.

I have all the gardening tools I need under the house. My grandparents left them for me to use. Even last night, I was caught up in trying to fix my computer that I STILL did not go and water the garden. Does not matter, though. I can water the garden before I go to work tonight.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 23^rd, 2024 at 3:04am:

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 23rd, 2024 at 2:16am: Break it into small tasks, keep deadlines (arrival of spring, last spring frost etc) in mind and do the small tasks with a break in between each. Work out what you need—lime, fertiliser, mulch etc etc—and buy in advance. So much easier and satisfying when what you need is at hand. In Tassie and WA—keep all invoices for plants and seeds bought and striking cuttings documented incl photos. Can buy irrigation controllers to do the watering. Yes, it takes a lot of planning, timing has to be right, weather right, soil right, humidity right, pH right, fertiliser right, seeds right. Not much can be wrong.

It has to be dry, and in the afternoon for me to water the yard, let alone the garden. At 5pm, the temperature is cool enough for me to throw a couple of buckets over the garden.

Not just the quince are flowering—my currant bushes are beginning to break bud. And by the front of my (north facing) house:

---

My front tree is about to bloom very soon. Maybe in a couple of weeks.

I think, as my younger sis suggested, that those flowers are jonquills. Anyone know for sure?

Some info re the San Marzano tomatoes:

https://www.succeedheirlooms.com.au/heirloom-vegetable-seed/heirloom-tomato-seeds/tomato-san-marzano.html

https://www.succeedheirlooms.com.au/images/stories/virtuemart/product/tomato-san-marzano.jpg

LOLOLOLOLOLOL!

The little puke must have gotten jealous about me talking about my garden because he stole my link to Heritage Seeds. What a bloody wanker!  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I doubt he has a garden with his little flat.  :-/

A detailed description of growing tomatoes:

https://tassieseeds.com.au/shop/tomato_varieties/all-tomatoes/san-marzano-roma/

Probably applicable to any indeterminate tomato, like this delicious sounding cherry tomato:

https://www.happyvalleyseeds.com.au/products/tomato-black-cherry

A modern not an heirloom variety—call it modern heirloom:
https://tassieseeds.com.au/shop/vegetable-seeds/tomatoes/blue-cream-berries/

Look different:
https://tassieseeds.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Blue-Cream-berries-wm.jpg

What is the 'attraction' to heirloom tomatoes?
A friend has one to give me soon.

I like romas.

Heirlooms ae tomatoes that have stood the test of time. They are open pollinated—you can save seed and plant them and the same tomato will grow from the seed. They tend to taste better and last longer when picked than hybrids which are crosses to make the seed seller more money.

I have like 400 San Marzano tomato seeds and intend to plant them all. Probably discard the weakest 10%.

Thinking of using two tall stakes per plant and maybe make cages for the Cherry Cocktail, Black Cherry, Double Rich, Blue Cream Berries and Moneymaker tomatoes.

LOL! The little puke copied the crap about tomatoes, stolen from here, into the sewer. Idiot STILL thinks copying stuff from here is the way to make the sewer look. . .errrr. . .different from here! Yup, that is how stupid the pansy is!

deleted. [For the purpose of not letting Bobby flip his rocking chair in anger]

My two Bendigo Beauty peach trees have started opening their buds!

Hope I  get a crop this summer, just a few juicy sweet tasty peaches will do ooohhhhhhh!

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Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 24^th, 2024 at 12:30pm:

Heirlooms ae tomatoes that have stood the test of time. They are open pollinated—you can save seed and plant them and the same tomato will grow from the seed. They tend to taste better and last longer when picked than hybrids which are crosses to make the seed seller more money.

so heirlooms are sort of a 'pure bred' of the tomatoes?

the modern ones are bred for a purpose?
I get lost of tommies coming up from the compost tumblers or by squishing a few I want under foot.
Bought some 'solanatos' to grow the seed, they are going well

My currant bushes are also breaking bud. We had a light frost here but hasn’t harmed the buds.

The Antoinette cider apple trees can’t be far from budbreak but August is WAY too early, still frosts to come! Damn this warm weather!

In later years once the trees have grown and are bearing fruit I need to  arrange shade from the afternoon sun to delay budbreak.

The Antoinette apples come from Normandy, make a fine bittersweet cider on their own and are one of the apples used to make Calvados.

Calvados, “apple brandy” but has like 40% pears go into the crush  ;D


I  have  two  Beurre Bosc pears, one is close to the Antoinette trees—the pears will stay hard, the Beurre Bosc in the favored spot on the eastern side of the house will become soft and juicy when ripe. Beurre Hardy and Beurre D'Anjou will also go on the Eastern side of the house. Fruit from the Beurre Bosc near the Antoinette trees will go into the Normandy cider crush.

Beurre Hardy
https://spectrees.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/11320-002aef11-bb94-4086-a503-b8838f23283f/conversions/Pyrus-Beurre-Hardy-small.jpg

https://plantura.garden/uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/09/beurre-hardy-fruit-1024x683.jpg


Quote:

‘Beurre Hardy’ pear flesh is yellow-white, juicy, melt-in-the-mouth and refreshing, with a fine tanginess. No wonder it is considered one of the best dessert pears in the world!

https://plantura.garden/uk/fruits/pear-varieties/beurre-hardy-pear

Pollination:
Beurre Anjou, Beurre Bosc and Doyenne du Comice will pollinate the Beurre Hardy and these are/will be on the east side of the house—no problem with pollination!

It is said to have a rosewater flavor.

Beurre Anjou:
https://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/imagelibrary/products/beuanj.jpg


Quote:

An excellent old pear variety still grown commercially. Melting white flesh with delicious flavour.

Pollination partners: Beurre Hardy and Packham’s triumph, both on the eastern side of the drive.

https://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/searchpolpartner.aspx?id=BEUANJ

One more pollination partner: Williams also known as Bartlett.
https://thomasfruittrees.eu/pollinationchecker.aspx?c=15273

The three Beurre trees will help pollinate the other pears on the east side of the house. Gonna be great!

YES! Looked at my pomegranate tree/bush whatever. That had lost all its leaves in the fall and I was worried it might have died.

Nope! Just where I planted ir there is cold enough it is a deciduous plant but not that much cold that it dies!

I saw LOTS of tiny bright red buds over all the branches! You beauty!

I have put bricks around it in a low wall to catch the sun and reradiate warmth at night, adding to the high brick footings of the house not far away. I also put a big dark stone within the brick enclosure.

Yum, pomegranate juice, pomegranate arils over salads/fruit salads, excess pomegranates can be turned into syrup, mead, country wine etc. Oh yeah, be great!

I will put brick walls around the pear trees in the eastern drive that are furthest (about 3metres) from the house, helping the delicious pears (Comice du jour and the Beurre pears) ripen into soft, juicy delicious fruits. Surplus pears will be preserved for year-round enjoyment and some shared with neighbors—exchange of favors is how things work in the country.

Black currant juice and the pomegranate juice can be preserved as syrups—high vitamin and fibre syrups, great over icecream, great as a drink with Sodastream™ fizzy water etc.

Time to plan the layout of the vege patch—currant bushes and the blueberries will go in there as well and make the raised beds. However, veges will be planted in the orchard for the next 2-3 years to improve that lousy clay soil. Broadbeans, tomatoes and sweetcorn will likely keep being planted in the orchard because they take up a lot of room.

Been emptying the front porch and emptying the trestle table in BR2 of all the spices and pantry items etc—that table will go into the front porch, heat mats installed and tomato etc seeds planted. Spring is nearly here!

I can likely only plant 200 tomato plants in the orchard, maybe another 200 in the nature strip, 100 plus a dozen or two cherry tomatoes in the vege patch, start working on that soil.

I recently sold* the garden shed I had had dismantled when the “ornamental” trees were cut down and some other rubbish removed so can work on that patch to make it ready for the tomatoes. Soil does need to be worked on but OH MY ACHING BACK!

Thinking of buying a 10KL rainwater tank early next year, one that can be fed from the garage and house—reserve of water for fire fighting and irrigating my trees. A decent pump is only like $300.

Will look up what parts of the house and garage roof could feed the tank and where it will be best positioned and calculate the amount of water that will be collected each year. Will have some smaller tanks for drinking water and to irrigate the trees in the eastern drive—will also act to keep the trees there a bit warmer.


* Sold by word of mouth only, not through eBay, GumTree or FB Marketplace. Sold some other stuff that way too.

Jovial Monk wrote on Aug 26^th, 2024 at 8:05am:

.............  I saw LOTS of tiny bright red buds over all the branches! You beauty! .........  Oh yeah, be great! ............ ............ helping the delicious pears ripen into soft, juicy delicious fruits. Surplus pears will be preserved for year-round enjoyment and some shared with neighbors—exchange of favors is how things work in the country. ............. ........... Broadbeans, tomatoes and sweetcorn will likely keep being planted in the orchard because they take up a lot of room. ......... Spring is nearly here!..........

The Joy of Gardening

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 26^th, 2024 at 9:53am:

The Joy of Gardening

Nearly got heat stroke mowing the lawn at midday. Lesson learned.

Always wear a broad brimmed straw hat when working during the day.

Anyway, Thursday was very light wind so I sprayed the trees that had budburst or were about too with an immune boosting spray:

Unpasteurised Neem oil^* 50ml
Pure liquid soap 3ml
Charlie Carp 100ml
Dried kelp 5g
Unsulphured molasses 35ml
Effective microbes 100ml

Make up to 5L with water.

The liquid soap is to emulsify the neem oil and the molasses are to feed the essential microbes.

Note there are no systemic insecticides


* Heat neem oil to 25°C to make it thin and runny.

Fish Hydrolase is better than Charlie Carp

A tip I saw somewhere seems good: to keep fungal spores from infecting leaves and fruit spray the tree with sodium bicarbonate. This keeps the pH on the surface of the leaves too high for the fungal spores to split and grow.

Worth a try—I bought a kilo box of the stuff and when the perry pears are growing leaves and blossoms I will make up a bicarb spray. Less dangerous than copper which can also kill symbiotic fungi in the soil.

Also plant leek and onion around those trees—anti fungal.

There is one “column” in my orchard that I did not get around to treating with gypsum. I will plant it with a green manure crop and some nasturtium.

Today, at Bunnings I got another idea: I bought three bags of Nicola seed potatoes. Will get the guy with the little earth moving machine to dig two trenches and I will plant the seed potatoes in the trenches, the trenches say 20cm deep—that should help to break up the clay soil. Will put some gypsum in there too.

Potato plants create new potatoes at the level the seed potato was planted. Might get some peastraw or similar to cover the seed potatoes with, get some organic matter into the soil.

Be cleaning the kitchen, fridge etc tomorrow and make another batch of Seville Orange marmalade. Then spend half a day in the front garden, weed and fertilise the tulip beds, clear around the Japanese maple, Golden Ash and Lilac trees and spread some compost around them, plant three correa plants I bought (encourage honey eaters) and two bushes, windbreak for the eastern drive aka my nursery patch. Then prune and strike cuttings from my lavender plants.

Soon be time to start tomato, chili, eggplant etc seeds going.

Jovial Monk wrote on Sep 17^th, 2024 at 5:41pm:

Be cleaning the kitchen, fridge etc tomorrow and make another batch of Seville Orange marmalade. Then spend half a day in the front garden, weed and fertilise the tulip beds, clear around the Japanese maple, Golden Ash and Lilac trees and spread some compost around them, plant three correa plants I bought (encourage honey eaters) and two bushes, windbreak for the eastern drive aka my nursery patch. Then prune and strike cuttings from my lavender plants. Soon be time to start tomato, chili, eggplant etc seeds going.

Well done, that is a lot of good work you are doing

LOL I WON’T mention the toll this is all taking on my poor joints!

But be all good when it is done tho!

Some spuds I can sell through the local s/mart and later apples too!

I need to mark out where the raspberry canes will go. Also need to plant the currants—red, black, white and gooseberries.

In a couple of years—syrups, jellies, country wines and meads, so much goodness!

In a few months—a huge broadbean harvest—will show the many different ways they can be prepared and preserved! If I get only a paltry harvest I will still be happy thinking of how the plants improved the soil. I must say tho—in Adelaide I would be harvesting beans already while here the plants are only like 20cm high at best! Tassie is NOT Adelaide!

Poor Socks! I wanted to go to Bunnnings and stock up the car so left her at home this morning. Poor dear has high separation anxiety tho I have managed to reduce that.

Anyway, off to Bunnings.

Bought two bags of seed Kennebec potatoes—there is a LOT of space in the “columns” between the trees: 4 x 22 = 88sqm. Enough for three trenches 1m apart = 66 linear metres of trench. Plenty of places to plant surplus seed potatoes to start improving and loosening the soil. Toss some manure and/or compost in there as well, anything to get organic material into the soil clay.

Bought five bags of sheep manure. Not just a nitrogen bomb like chicken manure, sheep manure has more phosphorous and potassium than other manures. Been positioning one bag of manure and one of compost by each row in my orchard, todays purchase will mean I have one bag of compost and one of sheep manure by each row in the orchard with some leftover to be used for the tomatoes, eggplant, chilis, capsicum. The sweet corn and rhubarb will get chicken manure—they need the nitrogen.

Each tree will get two shovels of compost and one of sheep manure plus a handful of blood and bone and a teaspoon of potassium sulphate, having cleared the weeds and grass from around the trees first then the organic matter lightly dug in then watered with a seasol solution. Should see them off to a good start!

As far as I can tell I have not lost a single tree over the winter, even the one damaged by those bloody cows that got loose from somewhere. I have had sheep and wallabies (wallabyshit everywhere!) in my backyard—after the chicken coop and run is built fencing is next—high fencing with shade cloth to provide a nice windbreak for vege patch and orchard.

Ummm, cleaning up the patch I want to plant my raspberry canes in I had to clean up young branches from the old fruit trees I had had cut down.

No point trying to do anything with them—this is the rootstock sprouting, not the peach or whatever they were so no point trying to strike cuttings. Then I noticed something.

Some of the branches had long thorns with leaves sprouting on the thorns.

I reckon these are sloes, tiny very tart plums mostly used to make sloe gin.

I struck two cuttings using the technique Sprint described. Because it has the thorns it is not a branch sprouted from a rootstock and you wouldn’t graft sloe anyway, not needed, it isn’t a huge tree, more a shrub.

See what happens! Probably wouldn’t eat them but mead and country wine be good, add some zing!

A picture of the sloe—the thorn in the picture is exactly like the thorns on the branch sprouted from the stump left when all the trees were cut down (there is a gum tree near one fence I would love to have cut down.)

Be nice if the two cuttings I took strike roots!

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Jovial Monk wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2024 at 6:55am:

A picture of the sloe—the thorn in the picture is exactly like the thorns on the branch sprouted from the stump left when all the trees were cut down (there is a gum tree near one fence I would love to have cut down.) Be nice if the two cuttings I took strike roots!

Good work, nice pics.
Some names I have never heard of before - sloe !

I did some work on the compost tumblers this morn.
added some newspaper, water and cardboard to one.
That one should be good.

Some soil, paper and phosphorus to another. This one is not so good. Will see what happens

When all the big things are in place—trees, currants, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb and asparagus will start a vege patch—greens, beans, peas, brassicas, fancy lettuce etc etc. Then I will buy tumbler composters—not a compost heap which attracts mice which attract snakes—black tiger snakes included!

The tumblers create compost quicker than any other composting method.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2024 at 10:43am:

Jovial Monk wrote on Sep 22nd, 2024 at 6:55am: A picture of the sloe—the thorn in the picture is exactly like the thorns on the branch sprouted from the stump left when all the trees were cut down (there is a gum tree near one fence I would love to have cut down.) Be nice if the two cuttings I took strike roots! Good work, nice pics. Some names I have never heard of before - sloe ! I did some work on the compost tumblers this morn. added some newspaper, water and cardboard to one. That one should be good. Some soil, paper and phosphorus to another. This one is not so good. Will see what happens

Sloe is a tiny wild plum from Europe. The flesh is just a thin skin over the stone. People used to prick the skin in several places then put them in a big jar and pour gin all over them. After a few months the gin would be decanted and sugar added—sloe gin.

An easier way—put the sloes into the freezer overnight.

Phew! Dug two holes and planted my Cape Gooseberry and one of my white currants, can dig a smaller hole and plant the white currant I bought this year then the red currants.

Hard work with clay soil—and about 20cm down there is a hard clay layer. In the end I got through it by hammering a star dropper in there then moving it to break up the hard clay.

At the “top of the hill” or the bit of my land between back and side fence that is the highest bit of my land there is a layer of yellow clay. This clay when dry looks exactly like rock. I think the layer I hit where I was working today is the same layer as the one higher up but not yellow because it is covered? Still very hard tho.

Of course I forgot to put some gypsum in the holes—got plenty liquid gypsum so will add some of that to the water in the watering can so be OK.

As I lengthen the row of Ribes sp there is an element of danger: somewhere the buried power line to the garage crosses the line along which I am planting the currants ZZZttt!

Tulips in flower:

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Broad beans—plants small but  have flowers:

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Jovial Monk wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2024 at 3:13pm:

Phew! Dug two holes and planted my Cape Gooseberry and one of my white currants, can dig a smaller hole and plant the white currant I bought this year then the red currants. Hard work with clay soil—and about 20cm down there is a hard clay layer. In the end I got through it by hammering a star dropper in there then moving it to break up the hard clay. At the “top of the hill” or the bit of my land between back and side fence that is the highest bit of my land there is a layer of yellow clay. This clay when dry looks exactly like rock. I think the layer I hit where I was working today is the same layer as the one higher up but not yellow because it is covered? Still very hard tho. Of course I forgot to put some gypsum in the holes—got plenty liquid gypsum so will add some of that to the water in the watering can so be OK. As I lengthen the row of Ribes sp there is an element of danger: somewhere the buried power line to the garage crosses the line along which I am planting the currants ZZZttt!

You must be getting quite fit and strong.
Gardening is a very good activity

Yeah, good activity, outside. Sometimes strenuous, always satisfying.

Was going to work inside today but will change that to outside—the weather is going to deteriorate markedly from later today.

Digging the hole for the second white currant, got to the yellow hard clay again.

Notice that no grass roots emerge from the body of that clay?

---

Did a pH test: 5

A bit too acid so some dolomite will be bought and spread over the top of the soil, maybe worked into the soil a bit. A pH of 6–7 is ideal for currants.

Better than a pH of 8 tho, obviously—currants like a bit of acidity.

pH readings must be taken below the root zone, takes a bit of digging.

From back to the front:

1. Gooseberry (it is a Ribes sp)

2. White currant x 2

3. Red currant

I have one more red currant. Think I will buy 2 more on Saturday (Harvest Farmers Market in town.)

I have one new black currant plant and one old plant.

I have one black currant Magnus:

Quote:

Ribes nigrum ‘Magnus’ ‘Magnus’ is an extremely hardy, upright bush with large fruit, high in Vitamin C. • Pollination Group: self-fertile so other pollinators not needed • Uses: eating, cooking, preserving, freezing, juicing, cordials, jams, tarts, wines, syrups • Harvest: December to January • Features: great flavour: great source of vitamin C

https://www.heritagefruittrees.com.au/magnus-black-currant/

There is a large black currant variety, https://www.heritagefruittrees.com.au/goliath-black-currant/

I had bought four of this large–fruit black currant. Three are dead, RIP!

One plant has one small green leaf. Since I can no longer buy from Heritage Fruit Trees, only supplier AFAIK, I am going to try growing this one plant then strike cuttings. I will do the same with the Magnus. I do like heritage varieties.

---

All four ribes I planted are fine, so far at least. I don’t anticipate any real trouble—these are sturdy, frost hardy plants.

Had another look at the Goliath black currant plants. One definitely has sprouted leaves. Think the other three plants be OK too.'

I might grow these, expand then in a year or three be able to sell cuttings—Goliath is an old variety and has the biggest fruits of all black currant as well as superior flavor.

Going to the Harvest Farmers Market on Saturday (leaving the dog home which will make me as popular as a pork chop in a synagogue) and buy three of some more blueberry varieties. One of these is frost hardy, useful where temps on winter nights can get as low as -4°C. Then to Bunnings for a heap of gardening stuff: sheepshit, tomato stakes, very large plastic pots etc etc.

Planted the old red currant plant, so now have five Ribes varities planted:

Cape gooseberry
White Currant
White Currant
Red Currant
Red Currant

Will buy two more red currant plants on Saturday and one more black currants and three of a different variety of blueberry. And a couple more rhubarb and asparagus.

When I dug the holes for the two red currants I did not come across the layer of hard yellow clay. I suspect some footings for some old outhouse stood there at some time or something like that was done to remove that clay. Next two holes for the next two red currants I bet I will find the yellow clay again.

Yeehaa!!!

I took cuttings of various currants late last summer—some of these are breaking buds and, after removing one cutting from the soil seem to be developing roots!

These are all Ribes varieties—two of the gooseberry and more of the Magnus and Goliath black currants.

Here is hoping! Will move them to the eastern drive which is my frost–free “nursery” as well as place for French/Belgian pears—they grow luscious and soft there.

Bloody wallabies are eating my tulips, the tulip flowers I mean, not the leaves etc. Dammit!

Don’t want a fence, maybe a row of oleanders with lots of basil and parsley under and around the oleanders? Oleanders are fire resistant plants so would serve two purposes but blah.

Dig a hole for the Magnus black currant—the yellow clay layer was there but it was red! Well, partly red.

Used up all the wire in the grass trimmer—no idea how to put new wire in, completely different to the way it was done with the petrol trimmer I had in George Town (where the hell is that gone, anyway?)

So to town tomorrow, get shown how to do it and what wire to use. Big relief for a klutz like me!

So the Magnus will get planted and likely the other black currant too.

Took a new cutting of the gooseberry and two from the red currant and put those in the appropriate pots.

Several of the Magnus and Goliath cuttings from early this year will make it—have to keep the water up, add some Seasol to the next lot.

Exciting—but bloody hard work tho!

The Goliath I said had leaves lost those but there is another leaf so some hopes. Also some of the old cuttings looking OK!

Planted the Magnus black currant, might plant the “black currant” tomorrow, depends on when I get back from town.

Guy with the “big spade” came back, smoothing the soil he dug up in the fall—reckons the clay has broken down really well. Started the creation of terraces which will facilitate irrigating several rows at once—if I left the ground slopy I could only irrigate 1-2 rows at a time.

He dug out my raspberry patch to be, Thursday I will create mounds with the bought soil, add some Azalea potting mix to increase the acidity and start planting the raspberry canes.

Of to town tomorrow.

The guy with the little earth moving machine smoothed the soil between the trees. In the central “column” that had not been gypsumed two trenches were dug. Tomorrow or Friday I will spread gypsum and blood and bone, then cover that with a bit of soil and water it in.

Need to find some mulch, unfortunately Bunnings and sugar cane mulch will be it. Then plant seed potatoes and cover with mulch and a thin layer of soil. As the potato plants grow will fill in the trenches with mulch and compost etc—get some organic matter into that soil.

Not really that interested in a big crop, more interested in improving that soil.


Was cutting woody shoots—realised I was looking at a sloe tree—trimmed off the dead parts, see how it goes.

Tomorrow the black currant plant will be planted.

Next thing—the patch cleared by the earth moving machine will be turned into a raspberry patch, have summer and fall fruiting varieties.

Then a mound with lots cow manure be created and the rhubarb planted. Blueberries be repotted into bigger pots filled with acid azalea potting mix.

Then a number of fruit and decorative trees to be planted.

That should see the orchard finalised. Bloody better be!

Stop inhaling the insecticides and herbicides.

I don’t use those.

Used the pick and lopper to remove woody bits sticking out of the soil where the raspberries will go.

Then started cutting down shoots from trees cut down months ago.

Guess what? I found a sloe tree, trimmed that to get rid of dead branches and give it a bit of a shape. See how that goes. Free tree!

Oh yeah, talking to the guy who did the work around my trees for me he said the time broadbeans are picked here is January!

Was carting soil to make mounds for the raspberries and rhubarb but acid reflux got too painful so drove to the chemist and got medication for that and put away the wheelbarrow and long–handled shovel.

Pain is a little bit less.

Tomorrow might work on the potatoes, putting gypsum, blood and bone and compost in the bottom of the trenches. With the long handled trench shovel not too much bending over will be involved. Plant the seed potatoes the same way and cover up with a layer of soil and one of compost—this is primarily an exercise of getting organic matter into the soil clay. Water in. As the plants grow will repeat the gypsum-compost-soil. Might buy some sugarcane mulch my next trip to Bunnings and use that to help cover the potato plants.

Some harvest of spuds will be nice but not the main aim: improve the soil clay. The spuds will break it up a bit and the gypsum and organic matter will start turning the clay into clay loam.

I had the trenches dug for one reason: the plant only sets new potatoes at the level of the seed potato or higher—planting the seed potatoes shallowly would not do much work on the soil.

I have LOTS of cardboard, never threw away the packin g boxes.

One GREAT use for it—protecting my asparagus plants from frost! Both during the dormant stage over winter and spring-Christmas day against frost! Some bricks to keep the cardboard from flying away.

The acidity of my soil is great for potatoes. I have Nicolam Kennebec and Dutch Cream seed potatoes, will cut them to have pieces with 2-3 eyes and plant them directly.

Planted my vegetable garden, the other day. Will post photos of whatever sprouts.

We can play a game of "Guess this vegetable" in a month's time.

Laugh till you cry wrote on Oct 2^nd, 2024 at 5:41pm:

Stop inhaling the insecticides and herbicides.

Sorry. But, my yard is infested with mosquitos.

Lot of stuff happened in my garden.

All described in the relevant part of my fine forum.

Won’t post in here again, not to describe happenings and changes anyway, for a couple of  months.

UnSubRocky wrote on Oct 7^th, 2024 at 4:04pm:

Laugh till you cry wrote on Oct 2nd, 2024 at 5:41pm: Stop inhaling the insecticides and herbicides. Sorry. But, my yard is infested with mosquitos.

Put in a pond with native fish—they will eat the mosquito larva.

Things happening, talk about it Feb 2025.

Rhubarb is thriving! Only four raspberry canes sprouted, six were dead when I planted them. Oh well, planning on ordering two bundles of summer–fruiting raspberries.

Will move the raspberry plants out of the mostly rhubarb bed, plant another 3-4 rhubarb plants in their place. I tell you, the plants look REALLY good, lovely clean deep-red stalks.

Won’t harvest this year, plants have to be given time to build the “crown” of roots.

Next year tho I will start harvesting! Stew the rhubarb, with strawberries and preserve most of it.

In the drive on the eastern side of my house I now have nine asparagus plants thriving!

(Thought I had lost one but nope, a defiant green sprig pushed out of the soil!)

Again, no harvest this or next year  :'( then can start harvesting a few spears.

My next project is two blueberry beds plus a new, bigger raspberry bed. So the space between the house and the drive on the western side of the house will become not the vegetable patch but the small fruits patch.

Blueberries require acid soil, preferred pH between 4 and 5. Now, I have bought a few bags of “Azalea potting mix” which has the acidity blueberries prefer. That is expensive and acid soil is not available in bulk (my clay soil means raised beds are necessary so I have to buy extra soil.)

Is there a way to acidify soil? Some were suggested, the main one: pine needles.

Plenty of pines here so pine needles are there just for the raking up. Great!

Do a bit of googling: it is a myth pine needles acidify soil. Damn! Same for coffee grounds. Oh well, pine needles make great mulch.

So I will use sulphur, either elemental or some compound, e.g. https://www.yates.com.au/yates-soil-acidifier-liquid-sulfur/

Blueberry plants grow wider so LOTS of space is needed:

1.5m plant spacing

2.5m row spacing

This is fairly intensive spacing!

Of course, the land where the blueberries will go is sloping so will have to level it a bit, leaving some slope for drainage. Then measure and mark out where the beds will go and start heaping up soil, creating a raised bed 50cm high, adding sulphur as I go. The bags of Azalea soil I have I will use in the planting holes.

The climate of Tasmania is ideal for berries, the summers, cooler than on the North Island ;D allow long slow ripening during which flavor concentrates. Might even put a shadecloth over the berries, slow the ripening even more.

Bird netting essential, of course.

I have several varieties, helps pollination.

Time to plant blueberries is late winter to early spring so plenty of time to create the beds.

The “small fruits patch” will have currants: gooseberries, white, red and black currants, blue berries and raspberries. Will relocate my cherry trees to the back of that patch.

In the 15m wide (!) nature strip as well as ornamental (Golden Ash and Japanese maple) trees I will plant four plum trees.

Next month will start the planting of broadbeans, plant two lots each month until September. Not just the boring kind of broadbeans—are some radical variants:

https://tassieseeds.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Scarlet-cambridge.jpeg

and:

https://tassieseeds.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Red-epicure.jpeg

Will buy two packets of each plus some commercial packets—aquadulce etc. The heritage varieties I will plant some early and some late.

In between the rows of broadbeans that will grow to maturity I will plant another row of commercial seed then hoe that into the ground when it flowers—green manure. It is only green manure if you dig the plants in BEFORE they set fruit, before pods start appearing. Full flower is fine but dig the plants in then without delay. These extra rows will also help plants weather any winter storms.

Don’t use nitrogenous fertilisers where you plant your broadbeans. Like all legumes broadbeans will form nodes in their roots that fix nitrogen. If you have alkaline soils a bit of superphosphate could be applied sparingly or crushed phosphate rock if you have neutral to slightly acid soils. Very acid soils dig in dolomite lime.


Talking of winter storms—it is CRUCIAL not to plant broadbeans too early! You plant broadbeans in Feb or Mar then your plants will be a metre or metre and a half tall in winter and winter gales will break the brittle stems! In cooler Tassie I can start in April.

Plant broadbeans in May, short stems planted closely in squares will suffer little to no damage from winter storms

Jovial Monk wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2025 at 8:12am:

My next project is two blueberry beds plus a new, bigger raspberry bed. So the space between the house and the drive on the western side of the house will become not the vegetable patch but the small fruits patch. Blueberries require acid soil, preferred pH between 4 and 5. Now, I have bought a few bags of “Azalea potting mix” which has the acidity blueberries prefer. That is expensive and acid soil is not available in bulk (my clay soil means raised beds are necessary so I have to buy extra soil.) Is there a way to acidify soil? Some were suggested, the main one: pine needles. Plenty of pines here so pine needles are there just for the raking up. Great! Do a bit of googling: it is a myth pine needles acidify soil. Damn! Same for coffee grounds. Oh well, pine needles make great mulch. So I will use sulphur, either elemental or some compound, e.g. https://www.yates.com.au/yates-soil-acidifier-liquid-sulfur/ Blueberry plants grow wider so LOTS of space is needed: 1.5m plant spacing 2.5m row spacing This is fairly intensive spacing! Of course, the land where the blueberries will go is sloping so will have to level it a bit, leaving some slope for drainage. Then measure and mark out where the beds will go and start heaping up soil, creating a raised bed 50cm high, adding sulphur as I go. The bags of Azalea soil I have I will use in the planting holes. The climate of Tasmania is ideal for berries, the summers, cooler than on the North Island ;D allow long slow ripening during which flavor concentrates. Might even put a shadecloth over the berries, slow the ripening even more. Bird netting essential, of course. I have several varieties, helps pollination. Time to plant blueberries is late winter to early spring so plenty of time to create the beds. The “small fruits patch” will have currants: gooseberries, white, red and black currants, blue berries and raspberries. Will relocate my cherry trees to the back of that patch. In the 15m wide (!) nature strip as well as ornamental (Golden Ash and Japanese maple) trees I will plant four plum trees.

Just watch the PH on your water for the blueberries, using a soil with a low PH is good but if you are watering the plants with water with a PH of 7+ will soon increase the PH of your soil. Maybe look to use a pool acid in your watering can to maintain the correct PH.

I'm growing some blueberries in a shadehouse, I don't get a lot but my Granddaughter loves them and seems to get them all.

I have a few fruit trees that I planted over the last 25 years, plum, apricot, peach, 3 varieties of orange, limes, apple, avocado, guava, almond and mandarin. I also grow vegies like tomato, beans, pumpkin, onions and strawberries.

Good point about the pH of the water. Could use malt vinegar I guess to acidify the water in the watering can. Will buy a pH meter and will keep a close eye on soil pH.

Tassie climate is ideal for berries and malus sp.

Next year be good: veges, some apples/pears/peaches/cherries.

Will add a lemon tree: neighbor has an orange tree in the middle of his lawn, not bothered by the -4°C night last winter.