We have probably already harvested and eaten 5 kg of potatoes from the garden and this photo represents about 12 kg or so more. It's not a year's supply by any means, but I do like growing them and I didn't have any more room!
My son absolutely loved harvesting them with me as well, which is half the joy of gardening for me - seeing my kids enjoy it too.
Pumpkins are self fertile, meaning that you only need one vine to produce fruit (unlike the passionfruits!), although they still rely on bees or insects to pollinate the flowers. Flowers are either male or female, with the female flower having the embryo pumpkin at the base of the flower (bottom flower in the picture).
At the beginning of the season I always like to hand pollinate to ensure that I get some pumpkins produced. To do this you can take a soft paintbrush and dab it in the pollen from the male flower and then dab it in the pollen of the female flower. I have very helpful children who paint all different flowers in the garden for me, and are pretty good at painting 'matching' flowers and not tomatoes with pumpkins, which doesn't do anything much other than keep the children busy for a bit.
My preferred method is to just break off the whole male flower with some stalk for a handle, remove the petals and leave the pollen covered stamen in place. Gently dab the male stamen on the female stamen to mix the pollen and you're done. If you do this with a young flowers of the same variety that haven't opened properly yet, then you can tie closed the female flower and tag the pumpkin for seed saving.
Cucurbits cross pollinate very easily and although it doesn't effect the current year's harvest, if cross pollination has occurred seeds saved will not be true to the vegetable they have come from. That's how my compost pumpkins form, cross pollinated seeds of last years pumpkins coming up from the seeds thrown into the compost.
If you are wanting to seed save, you'll need to hand pollinate and protect flowers. If you are not concerned then grow different varieties of pumpkins, zucchini, cucumber and zucchini without a worry and enjoy your home grown produce!
So many possibilities and so many thoughts. Unfortunately I think practicality must win here. Just like I know that some things simply don't grow in our climate, I need to realize that we do only have a suburban block and it does have its limits!
I did get around to seaweed fertilising, but of course it just about time to do that again. This time was with the watering can and much easier with great little helpers, so even though it took longer I think it is the better option.
The seeds that were sown a few weeks ago in the kid's garden and in the vegie patch have sprung up quite nicely and I'm feeling successful at seed sowing again.
I have learnt the hard way about chickens in the freshly sown seeds, as the eat the seeds and have a dust bath in the soil... So temporary chicken wire went up around the beds and milk bottles over the seeds to protect them from snails. It seems to have worked a treat!
I have had such trouble getting baby corn/ popping corn to grow, with a combination of seed tray drying out, snails, chickens and I suspect some rotted in the ground with all if that rain that we had a little while ago. But my last attempt was a success! Finally, and just in the nick of time too, last chance to get corn in so it matures before the frost may have already past.
In Canberra we generally think the first frost will lay around ANZAC day, although last year I think it was a few weeks later, if memory serves me right.
To me, this rain is watering my garden and filling my tank. But to so many others in other parts of our country, this rain is devastating. Lives and livelihoods have been lost. Homes, possessions and irreplaceable things, memories, lost.
We helped my in-laws recently with the flood damage on their 'hobby' farm. Their house was not damaged, they lost none of their cattle, or any of the animals agisting on their land. Their fences where knocked down and covered with mud and hay, their bridge was damaged and their road washed apart. They were very lucky. They have a big, time consuming and costly job ahead to restore their farm to proper working order, but what they have lost is very little compared to other flood victims.
These floods are almost incomprehensible. My heart goes out to all people effected by them. I am normally restrictive in the number of charities that I give to, but I think here I will make an exception and support something new in addition to my regulars. This is a time where we all need to help each other out, however we can.
PJG
I trimmed the strawberry runners, all bar a few which had already taken root in the grass. They had gone to all the trouble for growing into their own little plants, why not give them a chance? Whether or not they grow and produce, at least they'll keep the edge of the lawn and garden bed neater in that hard to mow spot... They may well be a talking point like the self sown lettuce in the lawn last year. Later in the season I will allow some runners to grow and place a pot of soil under them to grow up a few replacement plants, or plants for friends. Sadly strawberry production has slowed right down, and the chickens are getting most of what there is, but to compensate we have a been getting some nice blueberries.
I thought I might bandicoot, or pick some potatoes before the crop is mature and the whole plant picked, which I did. I was very impressed with the size of the potatoes and they tasted delicious.
I think I go through a cycle when plants come to harvest stages. At first I am so excited about the flavour and special-ness of harvesting the first of our home grown produce that I like to make meals or dishes that showcase the vegetable or fruit. As the season goes on and we have more and more of it, it becomes just another ingredient in our meal.
We had our first artichokes this week as well, so another showcase preparation. I'm glad that I bought some fresh artichokes a while ago to give me some practice before preparing the very special first three home grown ones. While one had past eating point and was just about ready to burst into flower, the other two weren't too bad.
The tomato plants also got a tidy up and I sowed a repeat crop of beans and corn, which should give us corn and beans right up until the first frost.
I didn't seaweed fertilise but will this week, which will be better in the wetter weather any way.
I am still in awe of seeds and will probably find somewhere to sow some more seeds too. I have a collection of milk bottles with the cap off and the bottom cut off to use as closhes or mini greenhouses, but mainly as snail and chicken protection, so I can safely sow something...
My sister sent seeds as part of her present to my littlies as well, so now we have a few different seeds to sow in the bare patches of their garden beds. This needs to be a staggered process because we need to have a few lattes and milkshakes first- I need the milk bottles to make covers for the seeds! I have discovered how vulnerable seeds are to attack by the chickens and how the new shoots are quickly gobbled up by the snails and slugs... A plastic bottle with the lid removed and bottom cut off placed over the top helps, and sprinkled crushed egg shells or coffee grinds help with the snails, but not chickens.
Seed sowing needs to be done in the cool of the evening and we planted out a few last night, but have saved some to sow later when we have more covers.
This week we also tasted our first home grown raspberries! Yum! Oh, and I finally sowed another lot of beans, "Blue Lake" this time.
I also tidied up a bit in the garden, pruning and weeding, etc. Good to get some done, but there is plenty more to go. I keep putting off pruning off the strawberry runners, not for any reason really, just it hasn't been at the top of my list. I'd better put it up there and get it done.
This week's list...
- Prune strawberry runners to discourage energy into new plants and encourage further berry production.
- Tidy tomato plants, big rambling plants are more prone to diseases, so I'll tidy them up a bit.
- Seasol again as it's growth time.
- I might harvest a few potatoes thus coming week (bandicoot them!)
- and to pick and eat my first home grow artichoke!
Happy gardening.
