Tomatoes

I think that I’ve learnt a bit more about growing tomatoes over the last year which was one of my toughest.

• Water to field capacity, fill all pore spaces, water should run out the bottom of the pot and be consistent.

• Limit pruning, I over pruned and they developed a bit of sun scald, also as they need to produce a lot of energy, there was simply not enough leaves to photosynthesis properly. I also got a fungal/bacterial spot which destroyed a large number of leaves.

• Good soil preparation, add some blood and bone, worm castings, well rooted compost to fresh potting mix/soil, don't fertilise too much, this can cause fruit drop and not necessary if soil preparation was good. Although regular weak applications of a liquid manure is needed for potted tomatoes.
  
  Follow Peter Cundell's advice, see Garden Australia's website. Keep nitrogen levels low compared to phosphorous and potassium.

• Add extra calcium either Dolomite/gypsum, so sprinkle a handful around seedlings.

Common problems:

• Tomato seedlings when first planted can develop Early blight, a fungal disease. I use a baking soda spray every two weeks and continue until they stop being productive.

• Whitefly, I have no control for these, sticky traps don't reduce numbers, it is more of a monitoring tool.

• Loopers/caterpillars, I use Dipel as these guys can cause a lot of damage in a single day and they are good at hiding. Spray alternate weeks to baking soda spray, otherwise each week.

• Potted tomatoes need regular weak applications of an organic fertiliser, I use Charlie Carp/worm wee as nutrients are lost when plants are watered.

• Fruit slow to ripen. I've added some extra potash to help (weak 10g to 9 litre can). I was a bit sceptical but it seemed to work but be careful too much can cause blossom end rot (disgusting black bottoms) and Potash (Potassium) competes with calcium uptake.
• Don't let smokers touch your plants, I've read that the tobacco virus may spread this way. Although no real evidence but I do live with a smoker and my plants did have spots. Thrips also carry a lot of different types of virus which affect tomotoes, consider using Natrasoap.

My red Russian and beef steak where not productive last year, a soil fungus may have been the culprit.

Projects: Wooden planter box

I thinking of trying to simplify my backyard and replace the many pots I have with a single large planter box. It would reduce water wastage, raise the plants off the ground for better drainage and light and reduce the clutter.

My poor lemon tree desperately needs some help, it is growing very slowly and leaf colour is good for now and not producing a lot of fruit. A planter box might also give me a chance to grow some more vegetables as well.

Hopefully if my poor partner can stand me making another 'mess' I start working next weekend.

Riding Lady Carrington Drive

This is an easy ride, about 21km return, through the Royal National Park. I felt a bit guilty by driving there. I usually catch the train and run in from Loftus train station but cannot do that anymore as my ankle cannot take it.

The day was perfect, there was a slight winter chill but the sun was out.

Newtown to Olympic Park

What a fabulous ride, 34 km from Newtown along the cycleway. A perfect day.

I coudn't make up my mind what I wanted to do last Sunday, I miss the Royal National Park and Lady Carrington Drive. I used to run along this track when I was training for the Gold Coast marathon about six years ago. So hopefully next Sunday.

This weekend I hope to get to Clovelly Saturday morning, its great place to swim especially in the middle to winter, lots of fish with a water temperature of around 19C.

Things to do over the next three weeks:

• Kayaking at Spit Bridge
  
• Bush walking in the Blue Mountains
• Trail riding in the Blue Montains/Royal National Park
  

Lawns: environmental necessity

I am an environmentalist but love my garden and our natural bushland however what I do for my garden does have an effect on the environment. I am reacting to another blog and some misguided opinions on the value of lawns and whether there is a negative impact on the environment. A grassed area can play an important role in reducing/slowing run off, absorbing pet wee and poo and reducing general pollution.

Faster moving water flowing over paved and hard surfaces picks up larger amounts of silt, dissolved nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants including pet wastes which enter storm water drains and waterways. The movement of water is also faster and more destructive. A small patch of grass will also cool a hot area especially a small courtyard.

In terms of maintenance, cracks between pavers tend to open up over time, pots spill their potting mix and encourage weeds. One of my clients has an enormous paved area which extends from the driveway to the entire backyard. Every three weeks I use my petrol two stroke brush cutter to knock down the weeds then follow up with a herbicide (another source of run-off).  Her lawn is a lot easier to look after.

Old mowers are terrible polluters but I use a push mower when possible (no emissions) and there are many new rechargeable electric mowers on the market. Some homeowners have been using these mowers for the last five years! Victa mowers produced an electric mower about 10 years ago but stopped production for some reason. Now they produce a machine for around $500-600 which is well out of range of the average lawn mower budget of $400.  If I had a small patch of lawn, I’d use a little rotary push mower with the brush cutter if needed.

Couch lawns are terrible, needing constant care and are still brown in December in  Sydney. Buffalo lawns grow faster but can be kept longer, are green all year round and need nothing special to keep them green.

Lawns and pastures could have a big impact on carbon reduction in the future. There is some research that indicates that lawns and grasses can take on more carbon dioxide then trees. That might have some impact on land management programs and global warming in the future as the research becomes more established.

Basically to avoid the known issues associated with lawns which have lead to the bad name:

• Avoid fertilisers with high phosphorus content and super phosphate 
• Clean up spilled potting mix/soil
• Install silt traps between your property and storm water drains
• Keep lawn aerated, increase water absorption rate.
• Don't use fertilisers on lawns, use a mulcher mower instead which drops clippings back onto the lawn
• Avoid fertilising or using chemicals if rain is expected
• Use natural remedies to control pests and diseases, biologicals, Natrasoap. If you need a help, go to a nursery, find an expert who can recommend safe products. Only use chemicals as a last resort. Dipel (biological control) is safer than Confidor (chemical control) but if you ask at Bunnings or Mitre 10 for something to control caterpillars they are most likely to recommend Confidor.
• Grasses have a dormancy period, either late summer (cool season grasses) or winter (warm season grasses) and are not meant to look good all year
• Know which grass you are growing, its cut height changes with the seasons
• Don't dump grass clippings/garden prunings in bushland, its too valuable in your own garden. Start a compost bin
• Be wary of 'green washing' do your own research, top versus side loading washing machines is a great example along with 'green' laundry detergents.
• Plan your house/garden from the beginning to have a minimal impact on the environment.

My shed

I've now finished my shed, just a small zincalum 'lean-to' from Bunnings which will hold my gardening tools. I did think it would look awful in my small yard but it fills a void and all my tools are out of sight. It sits on a timber base, not ideal, but I couldn't put down a concrete base as we rent.

I took some photos when I was building the base but there was a bit too much swearing going on in the in between stages and I was occupied with getting it all straight and stable. But here is a picture!

Building the base:Finally complete:

My planting calender

As I don't have a lot of space this is all I can realistically grow this year. I'll keep planting salad greens till the end of the year and try a few pots of potatoes and tomatoes when the weather starts to warm up in September.

All year

• lettuce
• rocket
• salad greens
  

September

• Chilli
  
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes

October

• Basil
  
• Parsley
• Other herbs
  

No more competition

I love cycling, running and swimming and to get better one of the best motivators is to race. So every ride, run and swim I did became a training session with a race objective. Getting out of bed on Sundays at 4 am to go to a beach, park or track for a 7.30 am race start, in the dark was not that much fun.

I need challenges but the need to train was taking the fun out of riding and ocean swimming. The recent shark scares around Sydney set off a lot of paranoia with poor sharks being caught and killed. That was enough for me to quit, not my fear of sharks but rather the reaction from the media and pressure the NSW Government into doing something stupid.

Hopefully soon I will do a nice long, slow solo ride, South Coast or Southern Highlands.

My lillypilly

What a sad case, I found this Lillypilly (Syzygium) dumped in a lane way and left for dead. What a horrible waste!

After two years it now looks great. Originally it would have cost someone a fortune it had simply run out of root space and seemed to be suffering from fertilizer burn.

It's now growing in the ground and doing well after two years, still a long way from full recovery but in a few years will look wonderful. Someday when we leave our rented house someone else will hopefully appreciate it.

Chickens

There is nothing better than watching Mum's chickens run around her backyard, scratching the soil for grubs and having dust baths. Even these very small chickens produce enough eggs for a small family if properly cared for. They are so cute to watch and kids love them.

It is possible to have chickens in Sydney however roosters are banned although Mum has Henry (below). The only other requirement relates to keeping the chicken house clean and not positioning it under the neighbours kitchen/dining room window.

My Garden: Summer 2009 Backyard

Poor Buddha is even beginning to sag. I've made a few changes in the garden over the last week, my lillypilly is now in the ground surrounded with Japanese buxus.

I don't have digging space so I'm trying to fill the space along the fence with pots. Will try some Bird of Paradise, gardenias and a climber of some kind to cover the fence.

This mini rose is a gift from a friend, such a great feeling to see it doing well despite the heat.



Herbs such as sage and parsely are doing well. They love hot and dry.

My water source in the background (left), I just need to add a tap and put a mozzie proof cover on top. I'm not rushing we've not had any rain to save over the last two weeks and none predicted for the remainder of February.

Cute little Euphorbia, Brett's choice.