Are there any backyard veggie gardeners here?

[keiramax]

We have also been out in the veggie garden this weekend.  I also live in a cold climate so can't really plant much until the frosts are over.  I'm also a member of diggers and love growing some unusual veg.  This year it will be spaghetti squash.

I'm still eating berries, beans, zucchini, garlic and pumpkins stored from last season.  Have rocket, silverbeet, herbs and rhubarb in the garden. 

Dashingden, don't let the chooks eat the rhubarb leaves as they are poisonous and if they eat too many will die.

Will be growing lots this year.  I'm trying to grow enough veg for the year.  For a recent birthday we were given a heated seed raising tray so will be trying it out soon.

Hopefully will be searching the forum for recipes to preserve the excess for later use.

Happy gardening everyone 

[Nikkit]

We have 5 vegie bins filled with horse poop and un-eaten hay, rotting/mulching away on their own. Having 30 bags of sheep poo delivered this week (some for veges and some for rose garden) so once that is done we'll start getting serious about planting.
Am thinking tomatoes, beetroot and no idea what the kids keep writing on the list of things they want to plant!
Oh, Miss 10 planted some spuds in some old tyres about 3 weeks ago, nothing showing yet.

[Jude59]

Just checked my broccoli seedlings, which I have on a barrel on the decking... they have all been up for a few days but today their little heads have been nibbled off.  Just knew we should have covered them.  They weren't quite big enough to transplant to the cage... grrrrr can't really blame anyone but ourselves... must have looked like come get me to the critters!

Keirmax - how long does it take for berry bushes to really get going?  I planted blue berries last year as small plants, hoping they will be prolific before long.  Good on you still having so much produce to get you through.  I have quite a bit of rhubarb in the freezer from last season and made a stack of crumble in the TMX, which I bagged and froze too.  Great to have instant deserts.  This weekend I used some of my frozen lemon curd in sweet pastry cases and it defrosted really well.  I'm going to crank some more out this week while there are plenty of lemons around.  The TMX sure makes this sort of thing a breeze

[keiramax]

Jude59 not sure about blueberries, I have raspberries and last season I harvested about 10 kg, I have about 3 square metres on canes.  It was the first year I had netted them so I got more than the birds.  They have taken about 2 years to establish.  We also have an area of blackberries which I picked about 20kg from last season.  We are trying to get rid of these but it's a big job but at least we have them contained.

Limes seem to be plentiful this year so have been making lemon and lime cordial. 

My rhubarb is out of control, it never dies down, it gets a little less over winter but doesn't completing die down.  I would have thought with our frosts it would go dormant but it doesn't.  I don't know the variety as I got the plants from a school fete.  I now have a bed 1.5 x 3 metres and I need to divide the crowns again.

I'm trying to rescue my orchard which we planted in the wrong area as it is too far away from the house and the kangaroos/deer/cockies attack it.  So trying to shift the remaining trees closer to the house.  Big job as some of the trees are well established.  I rescued the citrus 2 years ago and this year they have really taken off.

[astarra]

I have been thinking of planting some sort of fruit tree in memory of our son in heaven, but not sure what to plant... we have a lemon tree, apple tree, plum tree and 2 cherry trees already. Also we have a blueberry bush. Any ideas?

[Halex]

What a lovely idea.

Kaffir Lime, you can use the fruit & the leaves

 

[achookwoman]

Astarra, a Crab Apple tree would be nice.  Beautiful blossoms and fruit for jelly.  Great idea. DH planted a tree for each of our GC.

[Cuilidh]

... then when the crabapples are ripe you can make crabapple and raspberry jelly - Chookie suggested this to me earlier this year and it makes a lovely red jelly (by the way, Chookie, I've still got a jar here for you next time you are down our way!).

[Emme]

I have been thinking of planting some sort of fruit tree in memory of our son in heaven, but not sure what to plant... we have a lemon tree, apple tree, plum tree and 2 cherry trees already. Also we have a blueberry bush. Any ideas?

A lovely idea.
What about a nut tree, there are Walnuts, Almond, Hazlenuts.  If you ask at your local nursery they might be able to suggest something suitable for your area and also something that has a long life span.  We have a Walnut (small variety) and planted out Hazlenuts last year which are more of a shrub than tree.  We did have Almonds but they started to grow too big for the area and sadly we had to pull them out. 
Our Blueberries took about 3 years before they really got going.  I think I read somewhere that you are supposed to not let them fruit the first year.  Ours did fruit, but we had our best crop last year and the blueberries were lovely.  I think they like an acid soil.

Marie   

[Cuilidh]

Whereabouts do you live, Emme?  I would love to grow hazlenuts but not sure if our climate is appropriate.  Would also love blueberries, but you are right about the acid soil - I will have to check ours to see whether it is acidic enough.

[obbie]

I love my lemonade tree, and my macadamia tree.

[Emme]

Whereabouts do you live, Emme?  

North East Tas.
We feed our blueberries Azalea food.  You may need two hazlenuts to cross pollinate, we are thinking of getting another one to replace the Almond trees.

Obbie, I wish we could grow macadamia here.

Marie

[obbie]

Its easy Emme, they just keep going good, kids pick them and I crack them open.

[astarra]

Whereabouts do you live, Emme?  

North East Tas.
We feed our blueberries Azalea food.  You may need two hazlenuts to cross pollinate, we are thinking of getting another one to replace the Almond trees.

Obbie, I wish we could grow macadamia here.

Marie

North east tas? wonder if your soil is like ours here in Deloraine??!

[medusa]

Hally, does your kaffir lime lose all it's leaves over winter?  I don't remember mine being as bare last winter but I am hoping it hasn't died (although that is how it looks right now).  I had it at my parents whilst we moved house (it's in a pot) and when I got it back every leaf had gone.  I am hoping it is a winter thing??