Garden share collective, wrapping up July

Time to share our gardens again! - here is the link .  Our wrap up will now be at the end of the month, although I will be a little late for the end of August as I will have family from overseas visiting..
July has been a good month in my little tropical garden.  I have been working really hard to make sure that we have something to harvest.
Cucumbers: We had tons of rain which some of the garden liked, but the cucumbers which had been doing well got downy mildew, so they had to be ripped out before it spread to the other new cucumbers I had planted.  I am not sure if they will have fruit by the time August 18th rolls around.

Tomatoes: The two tropic tomato bushes that a friend gifted me have been overloaded with fruit and the cherry tomatoes are also doing well, so I think this month will be all about the tomatoes.
 Eggplant:  The eggplant went through a bit of a slow phase, but then when I cut back the barbados cherry and they got more light they took off.  here are the round Thai ones and I accidently left one to get quite big and it was lovely and tender.
 I also have the long purple ones.
 I bought a punnet of silverbeet on the clearance rack and they are looking quite nice and healthy - unlike the ones I grew from seed.   This plant in the front is watercress
 I also have lots of peppery rocket, and also a new to me plant - amsterdam celery - which is a great addition to salads.
 Choko:  The choko vine is growing, but no sign yet of any fruit.
 Blue lake beans:  The vines look healthy and I have seen a few flowers but no beans yet.
 Snow peas:  Snow peas are travelling up their trellises, but sure taking their time to fruit as well.  Once again maybe I am just being impatient.  In front of them is darwin lettuce which seems to like this climate.  It is similar to a romaine, although the leaves are soft and floppy.
Lettuces and greens: Something started chomping on my red leaf lettuces, so I got out my chili garlic spray and shood them away.    Tatsoi and bok choy have been planted but not growing that fast.  I suppose since I start from seed it seems to take forever, but I just love the whole process.

Sweet potato:  Volunteers are popping up all over the place, and that is fine I reckon they are growing under the lettuces so maybe they can have a symbiotic relationship!  I seem to have another round of coffee beans starting up.  I didnt do anything with the last ones, but the birds sure enjoyed them!

Pawpaw: I picked the first of our red papaya, and there are lots more on the tree - yum.  It is not as red fleshed as some that I have seen.

To do:  I have been spreading out a bit of chook manure and blood and bone and watering in well and then have also mixed up a foliar spray of charlie carp and sulphate of potash and will continue to keep that and the mulch up to date.  Regular watering is sometimes hard as I have been leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark. If it doesnt rain I get the hubby to turn on the soaker hoses once or twice a week.


Comments

  1. Lovely summery things. I wish I was still up your way. Loved the weather and the produce.

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    Replies
    1. This is the best time of the year here. Once it gets hot and humid we wonder why we live in this climate!

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  2. Your garden is looking wonderful, I thought the rains would of eased off for you as it is winter? It has been very wet for us down the bottom end of Qld too which is very unseasonal. Good for some plants when it comes in small doses though. Enjoy your time with the family.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Lizzie,
      It is supposed to be our dry season, but the wet season seemed to carry on later this year. Your new garden looks lovely, and little Isla is so cute....

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  3. It all looks wonderful! Sadly my choko vine died so I envy yours. Our snowpeas are taking forever too :)

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    1. Gosh I have had choko vines die before and everyone says they grow like weeds. I still dont have chokos so am holding my breath!

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  4. You have an amazing array of vegetables Gill. Great garden!
    We've had loads of rain in Perth too, our mandarins have actually become a bit watery and tasteless due to it, as before the rains they were quite sweet.

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    Replies
    1. Oh gosh Sami, how frustrating, you think you want a bit of rain and then it is too much! This year is the most succesful my garden has ever been, although I still have difficulties.

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  5. That tomato bush looks so healthy. Are they a special breed for the tropics? Everything is producing well I could see you pawpaw tree in the background too. It's laden. I agree - winter is the best time for vegies but the hardest to look after them with shorter days. The days have started to get longer now though.

    Your choko vine reminded me, Mum had one along the back fence which produced so much over such a long time that I swore I'd never each chokos again. It thrived on neglect. Never got watered and grew in sandy soil.

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    1. Yes Roz, this is the first time I have grown tropic tomatoes, and I think I will grow them again! That is supposed to be a red pawpaw, but I was a bit dissapointed with the taste - it certainly didnt have red flesh! Oh I hope my choko grows like that.

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  6. Your garden is really beautiful!

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  7. A beautiful array of produce you have going there Gillian. Enjoy your family visit.

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    Replies
    1. thank you Kyrstie, I have been working hard this year and it shows!

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  8. Your garden it looking great with lots of produce on the way, haven't heard of Amsterdam celery before I am going to check it out :)

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    1. I cant grow regular juicy thick celery stems here, but this has a lovely flavour and seems to grow well. I bought it as a little growing herb in the supermarket!

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  9. When I grow up I want to be just like you with a fruitful and bountiful garden.
    The drought and the heat took a toll on my garden.
    Now that the rains are showing up I can now start out again....you have inspired me...thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Virginia,
      Awww. some years are good, and this year we started out with lots of rain which was clearly a good thing. It sounds as though you have perfect timing!

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  10. wow, you really can grow food all year round! i'm envious of the choko. that always reminds me of my childhood as we grew them when we lived in NSW. can't grow them here in Tassie and hideously expensive when they make a rare appearance in the shops. piping hot with butter and salt and pepper... ah, vegie bliss :-)

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    Replies
    1. E,
      It seems as though choko are one of those veggies that you either love them or hate them. I do find the white one has a softer skin which i like. I am still holding my breath though until I see the fruit.

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  11. Best of luck with those cucumbers - mine were late this year too and then I had loads of them. Your tomatoes and eggplants look very happy (something to do with that smelly fertiliser ;) ).
    Isn’t mulch the best? Your garden looks so organised and that trellis frame for the peas looks fabulous! Your post has left me dreaming about papayas. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Frog,
      The new batch of cucumber plants also have downy mildew - drat! Yes I think the smellier the better much to hubbys disgust! I think that fine sugar can mulch is worth investing in for the veggies.

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  12. AA your garden is looking amazing, You are making me feel very slack.

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    1. Fiona,
      Well you have been rather busy lately! I am sure looking forward to seeing what you set up in New Zealand!

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  13. Hi Gillian, what an impressively productive garden you have.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Sue, and also thank you for your donation for the 40 hour famine. Yesterday my lunch consisted of rocket, tomato, pickled cucumber all from my garden. Wrapped up in a home made wrap and sprinkled with home made feta! awesome.

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