Japanese Turnip 2010

Japanese Turnip (Hakurei)

What: Yates Seed.
Where: Medium black pot
When: 24th April 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 6-10 days.
Actual Germination: 5 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6-10 weeks.
Actual Maturity:

30th April 2010

These suffered a lot from over-watering while I was away on holidays and some aphid damage but seem to have bounced back with some TLC.

May 2010



15 June 2010

I thought I'd get another lot going:

What: Yates Seed.
Where: Medium black pot
When: 6 June 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 6-10 days.
Actual Germination: 7 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6-10 weeks.
Actual Maturity:

15 June 2010

Chinese Pickles

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
3 medium carrots
20 radishes, skin scrubbed, cut in half and then sliced very thinly
1 ½ telegraph cucumbers cut into quarters lengthways, seeds cut out, sliced thinly
1 ¼ tsp salt

Method

1. Heat sugar with vinegar till sugar dissolved. Cool.
2. Combine all sliced vegetables, sprinkle with the salt and gently toss with hands. Sit in a colander in fridge for three and a half hours.
3. Wash off salt and gently squeeze out excess liquid, pour over vinegar mixture and refrigerate in a glass jar for at least two days.

THANKS POH!!!

Carrots 2010

Baby Carrots

What: Seed (Grower's Pride Baby Carrot).
Where: Large Rectangular Self-Watering Planter.
When: March 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix at a depth of 6mm.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 10-21 days.
Actual Germination: 16-18 days.

Advertised Maturity: 10-12 weeks.
Actual Maturity:

I didn't have a lot of luck last year with these but I have put them in a sunny spot with some cucumbers and hope to at least get a few good bunches of carrot tops to use for tempura.

10 April 2010

These are plodding along VERY slowly.

May 2010

Buk Choy vs Pak Choi

I've grown both individually in the past but as I use them for the same recipes etc I thought I'd just see how they went together in the same container. Previously I've planted all of my choy/choi seeds in their own container or spaced apart and as a result always end up with huge leaves very loosely bunched.

This time around I planted a heap of Buk Choy and Pak Choi seeds in the same container in order to keep the bunches more tightly packed and so I can 'cut and come again' with small leaves.

The Buk Choy and Pak Choi seed packets have very similar germination and maturity guidelines, however the Buk Choy seeds sprouted 5 days ahead of the Pak Choi seeds and have raced away as you can see:

In future I don't think I'll bother with Pak Choi.

Rocket 2010

Rocket
What: Seed (Mr Fothergill's).
Where: large rectangular self-wateringcontainer.
When: March 2010.

Sown in:Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 6-10 Days.
Actual Germination: 5-7 Days.

Advertised Maturity: 4-5 weeks.
Actual Maturity: 5 weeks.

10 April 2010

After first harvest (Ruby Chard on the left).

These have been picked quite regularly however some of the leaves have gotten a bit too old to be good for a salad. I might do a big harvest and make some potent pesto from the older leaves.

29 April 2010

These were decimated by caterpillars while I was away on holidays, the END....

Try Again.

What: Seed (Mr Fothergill's).
Where: large rectangular self-watering container.
When: 6 June 2010.

Sown in:Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 6-10 Days.
Actual Germination: 8 Days.

Advertised Maturity: 4-5 weeks.
Actual Maturity:

15 June 2010

Cucumber 2010

Lebanese Cucumber

What: Seed (D. T. Brown).
Where: 20L Bucket modified to a self-watering container and large rectangular self-watering container.
When: March 2010.

Sown in: recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface.

Advertised Germination: 6 - 10 Days.
Actual Germination: 6 days.

Advertised Maturity: 8 Weeks.
Actual Maturity: 10 Weeks.

10 April 2010

You wouldn't think that the plants in the container and the bucket are the same age:

29 April 2010

Obviously I'm going to pull the pin on the ones in the bucket and have a go at something else....

The plants on my trellis did OK but suffered heavily from being over-watered plus being decimated by caterpillars while I was away on holidays. I ended up getting about a dozen cucumbers in the end.

May 2010

Radish 2010

Radish

What: Seed (Yates Radish - Gentle Giant).
Where: Square self-watering planter.
When: March 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 5-8 days.
Actual Germination: 4 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6 - 8 weeks.
Actual Maturity: 5 weeks.

10 April 2010

I’ve read a lot of posts regarding the best spacing for radish and how you shouldn’t plant them too close together or it will stunt bulb growth etc.

I have to call Bull Shit on this however.

I planted these radishes to try a new pickles recipe I came across. The recipe called for 20 radishes so I decided to plant 2 seeds in each of 12 holes in an area the equivalent of 60cm x 5 cm around the edge of the container and well the results speak for themselves:

Lots of good growth and healthy looking leaves:

No problems at all with adjacent bulb growth:

A massive harvest from an area of 60x 5cm in just 5 weeks:

The end result:

I've put in another run of radish (24 April 2010) at the base of my Reggae Roma Tomato and have tried 3 seeds per hole to test the limits.

29 April 2010

These were over-watered to death while I was away on holidays, the END...

Time to try again!

What: Seed (Yates Radish - Gentle Giant).
Where: Rectangular self-watering planter.
When: 6 June 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: 5-8 days.
Actual Germination: 6 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6 - 8 weeks.
Actual Maturity:

15 June 2010

Buk Choy 2010

Buk Choy - White Stem.

What: Seed (Yates ).
Where: Large self-watering container.
When: March 2010

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of blood and bone 100mm below surface.

Advertised Germination: 7-10 Days.
Actual Germination: 6 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6-8 Weeks.
Actual Maturity: Picked as young leaves from 5 weeks.

10 April 2010

Have already produced two big loads of leaves for the dinner table and below is after the second harvest. No signs of Aphids yet but I have killed a few caterpillars......

29 April 2010

These were decimated by caterpillars while I was away on holidays, the END....

Silverbeet - Ruby Chard / Swiss Chard 2010

Silverbeet - Ruby Chard

What: Seed (Yates ).
Where: 1 x large rectangular self-watering container.
When: March 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of blood and bone 100mm below surface.

Advertised Germination: 10-14 Days.
Actual Germination: 8 Days.

Advertised Maturity: 11-12 Weeks.
Actual Maturity: Picked as young leaves after 5 weeks.

10 April 2010

Rocket on the right.

I've harvested leaves several times for salads.

29 April 2010

These were decimated by caterpillars while I was away on holidays, the END....

Coriander 2010

Coriander
What: Seed (D. T. Brown).
Where: Small black pot.
When: March 2010

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface.

Advertised Germination: 18 - 24 Days.
Actual Germination: 16-20 days.

Advertised Maturity: Not shown but previous experience was 10 weeks.
Actual Maturity: 12 weeks.

10 April 2010

29 April 2010

These seem to be going nowhere since the cooler weather has set in....

15 June 2010

Mini Mama Capsicum 2010

Mini-Mama Capsicum

What: Seed (First generation from seeds from above seedling).
Where: Large square self-watering container.
When: March 2010.

Sown in: Re-used Seed Raising Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of Blood and Bone 100mm below surface.

Advertised Germination: Unknown but past experience was 14 days.
Actual Germination: 13-15 days.

Advertised Maturity: Unknown but past experience was 10 weeks.
Actual Maturity:

After the poor attempt last time I went overboard and planted a heap of seeds and am hoping to get at least one of them to fruit.

10 April 2010

I've culled off a lot of the smaller seedlings and am waiting for 1 or 2 good ones to rise above!

29 April 2010

Well I jinxed myself didn't I! I wanted at least one of them to fruit and that's what I got, one to fruit with one mini-capsicum.......

May 2010

Pak Choi 2010

Pak Choi
What: Seed (First generation seed from Floriana Easy Grow Pak Choi ).
Where: Large rectangular self-watering container.
When: March 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: Unknown
Actual Germination: 12 days.

Advertised Maturity: 6-7 weeks.
Actual Maturity: Picked as young leaves from 5 weeks.

10 April 2010

Bok choy on left and Pak Choi on the right as shown.

Have already produced two big loads of leaves for the dinner table and below is after the second harvest. No signs of Aphids yet!

29 April 2010

Returned home from a ten day holiday to find these decimated by caterpillars, The END.....

Basil 2010

Basil
What: Seed (optained from plants at work).
Where: Small black pot
When: April 2010.

Sown in: Recycled Potting Mix.
Fertiliser: Thin layer of RICHGROW: Organic Blood and Bone + Trace Elements & Sulphate of Potash 100mm below surface. Weekly application of YATES: Multi-Nutrient Plant Food with Seaweed at 5ml/L.

Advertised Germination: Unknown.
Actual Germination: 14 days.

Advertised Maturity: Unknown.
Actual Maturity: From 12 weeks.

I've gone all out again in an attempt to get an early feed of pesto.

29 April 2010

Looking good so far.

May 2010



15 June 2010