L'orto di Bruno [Bruno's Vegetable Garden]

2008/2009 Tomato Harvest Summary

2010-01-11T13:29:00.001+10:30

As I do each year, I kept track of the tomatoes picked in the 2008/2009 season. For various reasons, I haven't had the chance to report the yield results until now. In total, I picked 945 "good" tomatoes this season, weighing in at just under 57.5 kg. The table below summarises the "good" crop.

In addition to numbers picked, I've included the total weights of fruits picked from the individual plants. I didn't bother keeping track of the "bad" fruit - i.e. those that were diseased and thus picked early and discarded.

"Good" Tomatoes
Plant ID	Total Weight (grams)	Number picked	Average Weight (grams)
A1	745	10	74.5
A2	2235	18	124.17
A3	2090	18	116.11
A4	2325	25	93.0
A5	4050	42	96.43
B1	1645	21	78.33
B2	5115	44	116.25
B3	620	48	12.92
B4	4545	42	108.21
B5	5235	44	118.98
C0	109	9	12.11
C1	4035	37	109.05
C2	4710	55	85.64
C3	274	24	11.42
C4	4490	112	40.09
C5	2755	71	38.8
D1	1030	14	73.57
D2	2830	24	117.92
D3	1346	96	14.02
D4	3720	103	36.12
D5	3590	88	40.8
TOTAL	57494	945	60.84

This season was my second best so far in terms of total yield. At 57.5 kg, the yield was not quite as much as the yield for the 2006/2007 season (61.4 kg). The total number of tomatoes picked (945) fell well short of the total in the 2006/2007 season (1312). However, the average yield per plant was much better: in 2006/2007 I planted 42 seedlings, producing on average 1.46 kg of tomatoes per plant, while in 2008/2009 the average yield for the 21 seedlings was 2.74 kg. It's unfortunate that the heatwave in late January/early February 2009 brought the productive capacity of the plants to a premature end.

Various Seeds Planted

2008-10-14T14:30:00.000+10:30

Today I planted various seeds in the bed #1 (refer map).

Specifically I planted the following:
* Capsicum
* Strawberry
* Chives
* Dill
* Basil

I'm using a technique that seems to have helped germinate the cherry tomatoes. After popping the seeds into the ground and watering well, I covered the area with plastic wrap - the standard food type. This should help keep the moisture in and allow me to see if/when the seeds germinate.

Planted Tomato Seedlings for 2008/2009

2008-10-08T20:10:00.003+10:30

Today I planted tomato seedlings for the summer season of 2008/2009. I put in 20 tomato seedlings. Here's a rough plan of the tomato plants in bed #2 (refer map).


   [South]
[East] [West]
   [North]

      +-----------------------------------------------+
      |                              {Olive Tree}     |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row D |     D1       D2       D3       D4      D5     |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row C |     C1       C2       C3       C4      C5     |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row B |     B1       B2       B3       B4      B5     |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row A |     A1       A2       A3       A4      A5     |
      |                                               |
      +-----------------------------------------------+

Legend
Variety	Location(s)
Big Cherry	B3, C3, D3
Costoluto di Marmande	C1, C2, D1, D2
Grosse Lisse	A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, B2, B4, B5
Roma	C4, C5, D4, D5

Actually, this year I'm experimenting with sowing the "Big Cherry" plants directly from seed in the soil. The seeds were saved from fruit from a very productive plant from a couple of years ago. If they don't sprout "in situ", I'll probably replace them with seedlings raised separately.

All seedlings were purchased from the nursery section of my local hardware store.

I also sowed two groups of basil seeds at each end of the space between rows B and C.

2007/2008 Tomato Harvest Summary

2008-04-07T20:56:00.003+09:30

As I did last year, I kept track of the tomatoes picked in the 2007/2008 season. So far, I've picked 542 "good" tomatoes this season, weighing in at about 33.8 kg. The table below summarises the "good" crop.

In addition to numbers picked, I've included the total weights of fruits picked from the individual plants. This year I didn't bother keeping track of the "bad" fruit - i.e. those that were diseased and thus picked early and discarded.

"Good" Tomatoes
Plant ID	Total Weight (grams)	Number picked	Average Weight (grams)
A2	36	6	6.00
A3	20	4	5.00
B1	80	1	80.00
B2	555	17	32.65
B4	4	2	2.00
B5	51	5	10.20
C0	75	1	75.00
C1	1245	17	73.24
C2	1190	16	74.38
C3	455	12	37.92
C4	4315	78	55.32
D1	265	8	33.12
D2	185	5	37.00
D3	1670	29	57.59
D4	2125	37	57.43
E1	395	4	98.75
E2	3270	22	148.64
E3	2745	17	161.47
E4	2595	14	185.36
E5	270	6	45.00
E6	3020	35	86.29
F1	1445	43	33.60
F2	1870	46	40.65
F3	1177	40	29.43
F4	1038	26	39.92
F5	880	10	88.00
F6	2120	21	100.95
G1	25	1	25.00
G2	225	7	32.14
G3	420	12	35.00
TOTAL	33766	542	62.30

This season was quite a bit shorter than both the 2004/2005 and 2006/2007 seasons. The 2005/2006 season was a write-off (see earlier posts for more details). By early March I had removed all but one plant. Despite the shortened season, the total weight of edible tomatoes picked was more than 2004/2005. However, it fell well short of the bumper harvest of last season (2006/2007).

2004/2005 Tomato Harvest Summary

2008-04-07T20:32:00.002+09:30

I've finally got round to summarising the tomatoes harvested back in the 2004/2005 season. The weights were written down on paper, but I hadn't entered them into my computer for analysis.

The summary is nowhere near as detailed as that for later years, since I didn't keep records for each plant. Instead I just recorded the weights and the crop. As a refresher, here are the two crops I planted back in 2004/2005:

* Crop 1: Zio Pasquale's seedlings, (15: mixed beefsteak, grosse lisse, whatever) planted in September 2004
* Crop 2: Costolato di Marmande, 5 seedlings, planted in January 2005

Also I should mention that I didn't start weighing the tomatoes until a few weeks into harvesting, so I had to estimate the number picked and assume were the average weight of the weighed tomatoes.

"Good" Tomatoes
Crop	Total Weight (grams)	Number picked	Average Weight (grams)
Crop 1: Zio Pasquale's seedlings	23968	125	191.74
Crop 2: Costolato di Marmande	1960	28	70.0
TOTAL	25928	153	169.46

The average yield for each plant in crop 1 was a bit over 8 tomatoes, and 1597 grams. The average yield for each plant in crop 2 was 5.6 tomatoes, and 392 grams. The combined average yield: 7.6 tomatoes and 1296 grams per plant.

Comparison with recent years is a little distorted, due to the different varieties that made up the crops.

It's also worth noting that the harvest period went from late December to early May. This is very similar to 2006/2007, which is the best season to date on all counts: total number of tomatoes, total weight and length of harvest.

Tomato Plants - 2007/2008 Season

2008-01-20T15:00:00.001+10:30

This season (2007/2008) I've planted about 30 tomato seedlings. Here's a rough plan of the tomato plants in bed #4 (refer map).


   [South]
[East] [West]
   [North]

      +-----------------------------------------------+
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row F |   F1      F2      F3      F4      F5      F6  |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row E |   E1      E2      E3      E4      E5      E6  |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row D |     D1         D2          D3          D4     |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row C |     C1         C2          C3          C4     |
      | C0                                            |
      |                                               |
Row B |     B1       B2       B3       B4      B5     |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row A |     A1       A2       A3       A4             |
      |                                               |
      +-----------------------------------------------+

Legend
Variety	Location(s)
Apollo	E1, E2, E3, E4
Big Cherry	A1, A2, A3, A4, B3, B4, B5
Costoluto di Marmande	E5, E6, F5, F6
Grosse Lisse	B1, B2, C0, C2, C3, C4, D1 D3, D4
Pink	C1, D2
Roma	F1, F2, F3, F4

The Big Cherry (for want of another name) seedlings were grown from seeds saved from last year's fruit. The Grosse Lisse seedlings, apart from D3 and D4, were provided by my uncle (Zio Pasquale). All other seedlings were purchased from nurseries.

The seedlings were planted in three stages: Zio Pasquale put in about nine seedlings on September 29, 2007. I put the bought seedlings in on October 22. The Cherry tomato seedlings were planted in late November/early December.

A few extra seedlings were also planted in bed #3, but we'll see how well they go. I'll be concentrating on looking after the plants in bed #4.

I've been using the same basic techniques as in previous years. For information about soil preparation, staking, pruning, fertilizing and mulching, refer to posts in past seasons.

2006/2007 Tomato Harvest Summary

2007-05-05T17:45:00.000+09:30

For analysis purposes, I kept track of the tomatoes picked in the 2006/2007 season. All up, I picked 1312 "good" tomatoes this season, weighing in at about 61.4 kg. The first table below summarises the "good" crop, excluding the tiny Cherry Ripe tomatoes.

In addition to numbers, I've included the total weights of fruits picked from the individual plants. I also kept count of the number of "bad" fruit - i.e. those that were diseased and thus picked early and discarded.

"Good" Tomatoes
Plant ID	Total Weight (grams)	Number picked	Average Weight (grams)
A1	270	3	90.00
A3	3395	14	242.50
A4	1900	7	271.43
A5	905	7	129.29
A6	2310	19	121.58
A7	835	5	167.00
B1	6180	71	87.04
B2	5335	61	87.46
B3	3325	47	70.74
B4	1363	51	26.73
B5	460	18	25.56
B6	1520	57	26.67
C1	425	16	26.56
C2	4125	270	15.28
C3	535	20	26.75
C4	920	29	31.72
C5	1835	61	30.08
C6	420	3	140.00
D1	4003	96	41.70
D2	2073	62	33.44
D3	2364	100	23.64
D4	2060	48	42.92
E1	410	5	82.00
E2	3810	46	82.83
E3	495	16	30.94
E4	370	8	46.25
E5	465	15	31.00
G1	800	3	266.67
G3	700	2	350.00
G4	920	4	230.00
H2	675	2	337.50
H3	1010	3	336.67
H4	885	4	221.25
H5	1600	5	320.00
H6	1100	3	366.67
I3	1325	20	66.25
TOTAL	61123	1201	50.89

I've excluded the Cherry Ripe details since they would distort the average too much. More importantly, I couldn't weigh each individual tomato accurately enough anyway, since the fruit was so small. I ended up picking 111 of the tiny cherry tomatoes. Assuming an average weight of 2.5 grams, that would make the total yield 277.5 grams, which is only slightly more than the average weight of a single beefsteak tomato from plant A4!

"Bad" Tomatoes
Plant ID	Count
A3	2
A6	1
B1	12
B2	10
B3	2
B4	1
B5	1
B6	3
C2	24
C3	6
C4	7
D1	5
D2	10
D3	21
D4	5
E1	3
E2	4
E3	37
E5	1
G1	1
H1	3
H3	1
H6	1
I3	1

Mulching and Other Maintenance

2006-12-17T14:15:00.000+10:30

Yesterday I finally took the time to apply mulch around the tomato plants. This should help keep the soil moist and cool, and help limit weeds. I also did a bit of pruning and tying of the plants that needed it.

The hot weather has helped the tomatoes mature. In the past week I've picked 7 tomatoes. I will keep a summary of tomato pickings for this season. I hope to prepare some statistics later on, and maybe compare the yield to the reasonably good harvest of the 2004/2005 season.

Plan of Tomato Plants in Bed #2

2006-12-17T13:15:00.000+10:30

Here's a rough plan of the tomato plants in bed #2 (refer map).


   [South]
[East] [West]
   [North]

      +-----------------------------------------------+
      |                                               |
      =                                               =
      |                                               |
Row E |  E1          E2         E3       E4       E5  |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row D |  D1          D2            D3             D4  |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row C |  C1      C2      C3      C4       C5      C6  |
      |                                               |
      |                                               |
Row B |  B1       B2       B3     B4      B5      B6  |
      |                                               |
      |                                       A6      |
Row A |    A1     A2      A3      A4      A5      A7  |
      |                                               |
      +-----------------------------------------------+

Legend
Variety	Location(s)
Beef Steak	E1
Tickled Pink	E2
Super Roma	E3, E4
Pot Roma	E5
Acid Free (Roma)	D1, D2, D3, D4
Grosse Lisse	B1, B2, B3
Costoluto di Marmande	A1
Unknown/Various (supplied by Zio Pasquale)	C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, B4, B5, B6, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7

Rockmelon and Basil Seedlings

2006-12-04T17:00:00.000+10:30

This morning I transplanted some rockmelon seedlings that I had grown from saved seeds. I put three seedlings in the middle of bed #5 (refer map).

Some similar looking seedlings have already been growing in bed #5. I didn't deliberately plant them, and I can only assume they have grown from discarded food scraps. I eat a lot of watermelon, so hopefully I can get some "for free" soon :)

I also transplanted three punnets of basil seedlings that I had started from seed in October into garden beds #3 and #5.

Tomato Seedlings, Part 6

2006-11-23T16:00:00.000+10:30

Another week another transplantation of tomato seedlings :) Today I transplanted four more in the middle of bed #5 (refer map).

I also planted two more in the narrow beds along the eastern fence, near the apricot tree.

I'm hoping these seedlings will produce fruit late in the season. The first seedlings that I planted in September are already producing fruit, and so I hope to have fresh tomatoes from late December until March.

Tomato Seedlings, Part 5 and Aubergine Seedlings, Part 2

2006-11-16T13:14:00.000+10:30

Today I transplanted four more of the tomato seedlings that I had started from seed on September 23. I put them at the eastern edge of bed #5 (refer map).

Some of the aubergine seeds planted on September 23 also germinated. The seedlings were ready to transplant so I put four of them in a row in the middle of bed #3, parallel to the row of capsicum and aubergine seedlings that my uncle gave me a couple of weeks ago.

I also did some more pruning and other maintenance of the existing tomato plants in bed #2. Yesterday we had a blast of Antarctic air, but fortunately my plants were largely unscathed. I made sure they were securely ties to their posts. I fed some potash dissolved in water to the plants this morning. I've been giving them regular feeds of seaweed solution.

Due to drought conditions, South Australia has been subjected to water restrictions. Fortunately my rainwater tank is reasonably full so I've been able to water my plants whenever they've needed it. The recent rain should help keep top-up the tank.

I did a quick count and 18 of the 27 tomato plants in bed #2 have fruit. The cherry tomato plant growing in the pot also has tiny fruit.

Tomato Seedlings, Part 4

2006-11-13T13:04:00.000+10:30

Today I transplanted some tomato seedlings that I had started from seed. On September 23 I planted the seeds near the middle of bed #3 (refer map), and to my surprise quite a few seedlings emerged. I put four seedlings at the northern end of bed #5, and two seedlings in the narrow beds along the eastern fence, near the apricot tree.

Tomato Plant Maintenance

2006-11-04T14:00:00.000+10:30

Today I did some maintenance on the tomato plants. I pruned some of the lower branches, prepared the trenches between the plants and finished tying the plants to the stakes.

I also transplanted the Cherry Ripe tomato seedling from its little container to a larger pot.

Capsicum and Aubergine Seedlings

2006-11-01T16:30:00.000+10:30

Today my uncle brought be some capsicum and aubergine seedlings. We planted them in the middle of bed #3 (refer map).

More Seed Planting

2006-10-24T18:04:00.000+09:30

Today I reused some of the tomato seedling punnets to try growing a few more plants from seed:
* "Alpine Delight" Strawberries
* Oregano
* "Costoluto di Marmande" Tomatoes

A couple of weeks ago I'd planted some basil seeds in punnets and they've germinated.

Most of the tomato plants in the garden bed have flowers, and a couple have already started bearing fruit.

Tomato Seedlings, Part 3

2006-10-15T17:47:00.000+09:30

My local garden supply and hardware store had some tomato seedlings on sale, so I thought I'd add a few more to my garden. I got a mixture of varieties again:
* 2x Super Roma
* 3x Grosse Lisse
* 1x Cherry Ripe

Today I planted all but the Cherry Ripe in bed #2 (refer map). I filled in some gaps where my uncle's seedlings had not taken.

So now I have 27 seedlings in bed #2 (from north):
* row 1 has 6 seedlings from my uncle
* row 2 has 3 Grosse Lisse plus 3 from my uncle
* row 3 has 6 from my uncle
* row 4 has 4 Acid Free seedlings
* row 5 has 1 Beef Steak, 1 Tickled Pink, 2 Super Roma and 1 Pot Roma

I'm holding the Cherry Ripe over to either fill in a gap in bed #2, or possibly try growing it in a transportable pot.

Slideshows from Spring 2004 Season

2006-10-15T12:55:00.000+09:30

I had a bit of time last year and came up with web-page slideshows of the progress of some of the plants I grew in Spring 2004. There's a page on my main site that explains this:

http://homepage.mac.com/bruno_andrighetto/Garden/index.html

You need a JavaScript-savvy browser. And since there are a lot of images, high-speed internet access would help. You can set the slideshow to loop automatically through the photos, using a timer. Or if you prefer, just select photos manually from the mini-preview.

Here are direct links to the slideshows:

Tomato Plants

Beanstalks

Basil

Spring Season, 2005 - A Sad Retrospective

2006-10-15T12:15:00.000+09:30

It's been well over a year since I last posted to this blog. The main reasons were a lack of time and not much to say.

After the success of the Spring planting season in 2004, I had high hopes for 2005. I'd grown my own tomato seedlings from the seeds saved the previous year. And my uncle once again gave me some tomato seedlings. These were planted, but failed to grow properly. I followed the advice of planting in a different area. The plants grew to less than half the height of the previous year's crop, and very little fruit emerged. My uncle experienced a similar problem, so perhaps the seedlings were diseased, or the varieties were not hardy enough. Ironically the best tomato plants in my garden last season had actually grown "in the wild", possibly from seeds scattered by birds or the wind.

More success was had with the Basil plants I grew, but without home-grown tomatoes it was rather moot. Parsley and spinach seemed to have very little problem propogating by themselves.

I'm trying again this Spring. I should have a bit more time this year, and I hope to post more often to this blog. But I doubt that I'll be taking any photos unless I buy a new digital camera. The old one (an Apple QuickTake 150 from 1998!) still works but the process of transferring them to my primary computer is too time consuming.

Tomato Seedlings, Part 2

2006-09-28T17:41:00.000+09:30

I saw some seedlings at the supermarket and decided I'd buy a few as insurance in case my uncle's seedlings suffer the same fate as last year's. I bought a mixture of varieties:
* 1x Roma
* 1x Tickled Pink
* 1x Beef Steak
* 4x Acid Free

Today I planted them in the middle of bed #2 (refer map). I spaced them out a bit more too.

Tomato Seedlings, Part 1

2006-09-27T17:35:00.000+09:30

Today my uncle, Zio Pasquale, brought over some tomato seedlings. I'd already prepared bed #2 (refer map) by removing grass and weeds, tilling the soil and mixing in some "blood and bone".

Three rows of seedlings, approximately 21 plants, went in at the northern end of the garden bed. Some looked a bit withered, so I may need to replace them later if they don't take.

Various Plantings

2006-09-23T17:29:00.000+09:30

Today (Sep 23) I planted various seeds in bed #3 (refer map).

Specifically:
* Basil
* Dill
* Chives
* Lettuce
* Tomato
* Aubergine
* Oregano

I'm not expecting them all to germinate, so anything that comes up will be a gift.

Plantings - Early September

2006-09-02T17:04:00.000+09:30

I'm going to start using this blog more like a simple diary of plantings and other major events. Entries may be back-dated to the time of the events, to keep things in chronological order and to facilitate comparison in future seasons.

"Today" I planted some seeds directly into the ground with very little special preparation. Specifically: basil, oregano, dill and chives seeds were scattered randomly in garden bed #3 (refer map) underneath a peach tree.

My Garden Beds

2006-09-01T17:14:00.000+09:30

I have several garden beds in my backyard. Below is a simple overview diagram, with South at the top (I live in Australia :)


+---------------------------------------------------------------------
|{Fig Tree}| {Olive Tree}|             |{Persimmon}  |{Mandarine}  |
|          |             |             |             |             |
|          |             |             |             |             |
|  BED #1  |   BED #2    |   BED #3    |   BED #4    |   BED #5    |
|          |             |             |             |             |
|          |             |             |             |             |
|          |             | {Peach}     |             |      {Lemon}|
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|                        {lawn}
|  {Apricot Tree}
|
|                                        {Plum Tree}
|
|
|{Olive Tree}
|
|
|  +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
|  |                                                                 |
|  |         H O U S E                                               |
|  |                                                                 |

While on Winter Hiatus

2005-07-31T17:12:00.000+09:30

During winter, I helped my uncle and our cousin pick olives.
The fruit trees were pruned. Spinach and parsley grew by themselves.

On Hiatus Over Winter

2005-05-15T10:00:00.000+09:30

This will be the last regular weekly post to my gardening blog for a little while. Work and other demands mean that I won't be able to spend as much time in the garden as I'd like :( . Therefore I won't have much to write about.

Hopefully I'll be able to get back into my gardening (and this blog) in time for next Spring.

In the meantime, I may occasionally post reflective entries looking back at what's gone on in my garden in the past few months.

Bye for now, and thanks for visiting.

Tomato Plants Uprooted!

2005-05-08T11:30:00.000+09:30

In the past week I finished the slightly sad task of uprooting the remaining tomato plants in the garden. One solitary "Costoluto di Marmande" plant is left growing in a pot. Soon I will have to start buying tomatoes from the grocery store again.

The capsicum plants still look healthy. I picked a couple last week.

In other garden news, the mandarines are starting to ripen. Some lemons are also coming along. Birds have almost wiped out my persimmons. And the lack of rain has meant very few feijoas this year.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The space formerly occupied by the tomato plants (week 33)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 27 after transplanting)

The Last Days of the Tomato Plants

2005-05-01T10:45:00.000+09:30

The unseasonably warm April continued almost until the end of the month. In some ways I don't regret not planting any winter crops yet, because it still feels like summer.

Yesterday I began pulling out the tomato plants growing in the main garden area. The plants lasted about seven and a half months, so I can't complain. They produced fruit for four months, yielding about 120 tomatoes, averaging one per day. I guess that means one less photo to take each week. Hopefully the two remaining "Costoluto di Marmande" plant growing in pots will keep going for a little while.

The capsicum plants are still looking healthy and producing fruit. The aubergines. on the other hand, look like a lost cause. They aren't producing much fruit, and when they do, insects attack before the fruit matures. Next year I think I'll stick to tomatoes and capsicums.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 32)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 26 after transplanting)

All Quiet on the Garden Front

2005-04-24T16:00:00.000+09:30

Nothing much to report this week. The weather has been on the warm side again, with no rain in sight.

The original tomato plants have almost reached the end of their productive lives. It's likely that I'll pull them out over the next week or so. Any fruit left on them will have to ripen using the trick I learnt last week from ABC TV's Gardening Australia program. Meanwhile, I've left just one "Costoluto di Marmande" plant growing in the ground. That plant has a few almost-ripe tomatoes, and will probably be pulled out this week too. That will leave just two plants growing in pots. Despite the withering state of the plants, I managed to harvest eight tomatoes of the "Costoluto di Marmande" variety.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 31)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 25 after transplanting)

A Return to Normality

2005-04-17T17:30:00.000+09:30

The weather finally settled down to "normal" autumn conditions after the unusual heat of the past two weeks.

As can be seen from the photos I've let the tomatoes go a bit. Grass has been growing between the plants. I will probably pull the plants out soon. I saw a useful tip on ABC TV's Gardening Australia program: if the plants have dried out with fruit still growing, pull the plants out and hang them upside down to let the fruit ripen. I've done that with some of the "Costoluto di Marmande" plants, and will probably do the same for the remaining plants from the first batch of seedlings planted in September. Meanwhile, this week I harvested eleven tomatoes of the "Costoluto di Marmande" variety, and two from the original plants.

I picked a couple of capsicums this week, with several more maturing quite nicely. Unfortunately my aubergines aren't looking so good, thanks to attacks by insects. I don't want to use any pesticides, so I'll have to see if there's an organic way to deal with the problem.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 30)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 24 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 14 after transplanting)

Equal. Hottest. April Day. Ever.

2005-04-10T11:10:00.000+09:30

More unseasonably warm weather again this week. Believe it or not, yesterday's temperature matched last Saturday's, which was the highest April maximum on record: 36.9 degrees Celcius. Maybe those people talking about global warming might be onto something ;)

Another paltry tomato harvest this week: just one edible tomato from the original plants. Soon I'm going to have to decide when to pull out those seven month old tomato plants. Meanwhile I did get four tomatoes from the "Costoluto di Marmande" plants. As I mentioned previously, the new tomato plants probably won't last much beyond their first (admittedly bountiful) harvest.

I didn't pick any capsicums or aubergines this week, but I should have some in the next week or so.

In general, it's probably going to get rather quiet in the garden. I haven't had space (or time) to grow anything for winter, so I'll have to make do with the product of the various fruit trees in the garden: mandarines, persimmons, feijoas and lemons.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 29)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 23 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 13 after transplanting)

Hottest. April Day. Ever.

2005-04-03T10:10:00.000+09:30

The weather this week started out nicely, but ended up decidedly nasty, culminating yesterday with the hottest ever April day in Adelaide on record: 36.9 degrees Celcius. Fortunately we got some much-needed rain this morning.

The unusual burst of hot weather could be the final blow for the original set of tomato plants. I watered them every day, but I didn't expect it to get so hot, and made the mistake of not putting up the shadecloth. Last week I harvested only one tomato from the original plantings.

Last week I picked the first of the "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes. It tasted very good, but it wasn't as sweet as the other varieties in the garden. But that could be because I picked it a bit early.

The capsicum plants are now firing on all (five) cylinders: the fifth plant has finally started to bear fruit. Meanwhile, I made some peperonata last Monday using the first two capsicums harvested, and it tasted great. Also of note, there's a capsicum plant from last year still growing, and it looks like it's fruiting too. It will be interesting to compare the taste.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to pay as much attention to the plants lately, so I hadn't noticed that some insects seem to have attacked some of the fruit on the capsicum and aubergine plants. I may have to throw away a couple of capsicums, but I will save the seeds at least. I've already saved tomato and aubergine seeds.

I haven't mentioned the basil plants for a while. They are still growing fine. I've left the plants that are growing in the ground go to seed, in the hope that they will self-propagate. These are the ones that I've been taking photos of, but I'm going to stop including pictures due to the lack of visible changes. Meanwhile, the basil plants growing in pots are also growing well, and I've been using the leaves from these plants for eating.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 28)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 22 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 12 after transplanting)

Easter 2005

2005-03-28T14:05:00.000+09:30

Another week of fabulous autumn weather. The only downside was that I had to water the garden a bit more often.

Last week I harvested eight more tomatoes from the original plantings. Since these plants are still relatively healthy, I won't be able to plant any crops for autumn/winter yet. But I don't mind much as long as they keep producing nice tomatoes :)

The first of "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes are almost ready to harvest. It will be interesting to see how the taste of these tomatoes compares with the others.

I harvested the first capsicum this morning, and look forward to making some peperonata tonight. If you're interested, here's a link to a peperonata recipe.

I also harvested an aubergine this morning. I'll probably use it later in the week.

On Saturday morning I resumed feeding the plants with seaweed solution. Depending on how the plants go, I will probably feed them with the solution once every three weeks, rather than each fortnight.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 27)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 21 after transplanting)
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil plants (week 20 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 11 after transplanting)

Third Week of March

2005-03-20T11:30:00.000+10:30

This week we got some nice autumn weather - warm but not too hot.

While some of the tomato plants have lost most of their foliage, others are still holding up well. In fact some continue to flower. Last week I harvested six tomatoes. Also of note, I've started preparing seeds for next year.

As I mentioned last week, the "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants with fruit seem to be struggling a bit with their load. A couple of the plants had lost a lot of foliage. But this week they seem to have stabilised.

I'm still waiting to harvest the first capsicum, but it's turning a nice red colour, as can be seen in the photo (link below). The other three capsicum plants with fruit are still progressing well. I haven't given up on the fifth plant, which is stuck at the flowering stage.

I should be harvesting a second aubergine, this time it should be edible. Now I have to decide what to do with it. I've found some recipes on the net.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 26)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 20 after transplanting)
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil plants (week 19 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 10 after transplanting)

Second Week of March

2005-03-13T20:15:00.000+10:30

A hot finish to the second week of autumn. Summer may be officially over, but it's effects are still likely to be felt for a while.

It's now been six months since the initial set of tomato seedlings were transplanted. Last week yielded another twelve tomatoes. But I doubt the plants will be producing fruit for much longer. Also of note is that a couple of plants are producing a different variety, similar to the "vine ripened" tomatoes I've seen in supermarkets. Meanwhile the "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants are making mixed progress. All the plants have fruit, but those that I transplanted to the general garden area are still quite small and are struggling to cope with their load. My plan was to have these plants producing tomatoes long after the first set had stopped, but the new plants may not last as long as I'd hoped. I probably left it too late to transplant them, so they haven't had enough time to grow properly. In contrast the two plants I've kept in pots are visibly bigger, and look more capable of supporting their fruit. If these plants produce lots of tomatoes, then next year I might keep more of the late season plants in pots rather than in the ground.

The first capsicum is almost ready to harvest. The fruit on the other three capsicum plants continue to mature. Another week has passed and still no sign of fruit on the fifth plant.

I also harvested the first aubergine. I probably left it too long on the plant, but it's skin was damaged anyway. It was an early starter so the fruit was touching the ground as it grew. I might keep it for seeds. The other plants are still doing well, and I should be harvesting more fruit over the next few weeks. Judging by the smallness of the fruit, I think they are of the "Lebanese" variety.

I ran out of seaweed solution and didn't get the chance to feed the plants this week. I may switch to three-week intervals, or even once a month feeds.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 25)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 19 after transplanting)
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil plants (week 18 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 9 after transplanting)

Start of Autumn

2005-03-06T10:15:00.000+10:30

The first week of autumn has been mild, with some showers late in the week.

The old tomato plants are still producing fruit. Last week I harvested another ten tomatoes. Meanwhile the "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants continue to make good progress. All but one plant have started to produce fruit. Unfortunately some wind gusts on Friday night damaged a branch of one of the plants that wasn't tied up securely.

The four capsicum plants with fruit continue to make good progress. A couple of the capsicums are starting to turn red. Still no sign of fruit on the fifth plant.

There are now three aubergine plant developing fruit.

I've thought a bit about whether to plant anything new for autumn. I probably won't, since the existing plants will keep me busy. I also have various fruit trees to look after, including figs, mandarines, persimmons, feijoas and olives.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 24)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 18 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil plants (week 17 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 8 after transplanting)
A potted "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plant and more basil, with a bit of oregano in the other pot

End of Summer / Last Week of February

2005-02-27T15:55:00.000+10:30

The heat returned for a couple of days in the middle of the week. However the soil now seems to be maintaining higher moisture levels than it did earlier in the summer. The extra mulch I applied last week probably helped, as well as the fact that the days are getting shorter and the sun's angle is getting lower.

Nine tomatoes ripened last week. The recent heat will probably mean another decent harvest next week. The plants are now over five months old, and have been producing fruit for two months. So far those initial 21 plants have yielded over 80 tomatoes. The plants will hopefully be viable for a few more weeks.

Meanwhile all four "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants that I transplanted have fruit. The two plants left growing in pots are actually larger in size, but they're still at the flowering stage.

The four capsicum plants with fruit continue to make good progress. Hopefully the fifth and final plant will also start producing fruit soon.

A second aubergine plant has finally started to bear fruit, five weeks after the first plant.

On Friday night I gave the plants their regular fortnightly feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 23)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 17 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil seedlings (week 16 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 7 after transplanting)

Mulch Time, Again / Third Week of February

2005-02-20T10:50:00.000+10:30

Another week of reasonable weather. A couple of very warm days early on, but milder days for the rest of the week. And we got some rain at the end of the week.

Most of the old tomato plants are still holding up okay. Understandably those with the most direct exposure to the sun have had more of their branches dry up. Only four tomatoes ripened during the week, including the smallest one yet: 25 grams! But next week looks like being more "fruitful". Meanwhile the "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants continue to make good progress.

Four of the five capsicum plants now have fruit. One plant has three little capsicums, while the other plants have one each.

There is still only one aubergine plant developing fruit. Perhaps it got a head start?

On Friday I refreshed the mulch around the tomato, aubergine and capsicum plants. When I got to the old tomato plants I ran out of pea straw, so I used some lawn clippings to finish off the mulching.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 22)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 16 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil seedlings (week 15 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 6 after transplanting)
A potted "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plant and more basil, with a bit of oregano in the other pot

Second Week of February

2005-02-13T16:20:00.000+10:30

Somewhat milder weather this week. We got some rain early in the week, and temperatures generally in the mid-twenties (celcius).

Some of the tomato plants have seen better days. I've been pruning away the branches as they dry up, and as the photos show the plants are losing "volume". There are still plenty of green tomatoes growing (about thirty) so hopefully there's still a few more weeks of produce to come. To supplement the first set of tomato plants I will have the younger "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants, and couple of those are already starting to bear fruit.

The aubergine and capsicum plants are still going quite nicely.

On Saturday morning I gave the plants their fortnightly feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 21)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 15 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil seedlings (week 14 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 5 after transplanting)

Strange Summer / First Week of February

2005-02-06T17:35:00.000+10:30

It looks like this is going to be a summer of extremes. After the heatwave last week, this week was cold and wet (again). The rain is always welcome, but the cold weather doesn't help the plants. After a period where I was harvesting about two tomatoes a day, last week I only picked five, and most of those at the start of the week.

The three capsicum plants with fruit are growing nicely. I've noticed a couple more flowers have transformed into fruit.

The sole fruiting aubergine plant also continues to make good progress. There are now two other plants with flowers.

Apart from the four "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants that I transplanted a few weeks ago, I have another couple growing in separate pots. By keeping them in pots I can move them around depending on the weather. It will be interesting to see how they go. I've included a photo of one of the potted tomatoes, next to another pot containing a few more basil plants.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 20)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 14 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil seedlings (week 13 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 4 after transplanting)
A potted "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plant and more basil

Return of the Shadecloths

2005-01-30T18:10:00.000+10:30

The shadecloths made another appearance this week due to yet another mini heatwave. The heat is causing the tomatoes to mature more quickly than I'd like, whereas my lemon tree has not produced any lemons for weeks.

The two capsicum plants with fruit are making excellent progress, and it won't be long until I'll be able to harvest them. A third plant has also started to fruit.

There is still only one aubergine plant with fruit, but it is making good progress. A second plant has started to flower.

The four "Costoluto di Marmande" tomato plants that I transplanted a few weeks ago look like they're settling in to their new home. Starting with this week I'll be keeping a photo log of those plants too.

On Saturday morning I gave the plants their fortnightly feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 19)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 13 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil seedlings (week 12 after transplanting)
The "Costoluto di Marmande" tomatoes (week 3 after transplanting)

Finally Some Rain

2005-01-23T11:15:00.000+10:30

The weather was milder this week. Some much needed rain fell on Wednesday night.

Lately I've been picking two or three tomatoes per day. Last post I mentioned that I picked one tomato, "Big Red", that weighed in at 600g. Today I've included a photo of that tomato, along with a few smaller ones for comparison. I've started saving tomato seeds for next year.

A couple of the capsicum plants now have some fruit growing. The largest aubergine plant also has had it's first flower turn into a tiny eggplant.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 18)
Big Red, with some smaller siblings and other objects for comparison
The aubergines and capsicums (week 12 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant with tiny fruit
A capsicum plant with fruit
The basil seedlings (week 11 after transplanting)

Second Week of January

2005-01-16T16:50:00.000+10:30

The week started with another mini heatwave. I guess I'll have to get used to it. The plants seem to be able to cope, as long as I have the shadecloths up when it gets too hot.

The aubergine and capsicum plants, which are starting to flower, seem to be growing a bit better now. Perhaps now that they no longer have to literally live in the shadow of the beans they can take advantage of the extra light.

The basil plants were starting to develop flowers. To prolong the life of the plants it is recommended to pinch off the tops to remove the buds. However to help the plants regenerate in future seasons I will leave the buds on a few of them. Hopefully I'll get the balance right.

I transplanted four tomato plants which I had grown from seed in a pot. According to the seed packet they are an Italian variety called "Costoluto di Marmande". I'm hoping they will mature so that I can continue having fresh tomatoes after the main plants have stopped producing. Speaking of which, the established plants are now starting to produce more fruit than I can eat. I've started weighing the tomatoes, with most ranging from 75 grams to over 200 grams. Last week I harvested a whopper: 600 grams! While in the past my family (like many other Italian families) would make tomato sauce using the excess tomatoes, I'm not to keen on it. Instead I will probably start giving away any tomatoes that I can't eat myself. The plants themselves are starting to look a little worse for wear. From the photos you can see that some of the smaller branches are drying up.

While shopping last week I noticed that some shops sell borlotti beans in their continental section. A 500 gram bag, around the amount I harvested from my plants, didn't cost that much, so I'm sad to say that I don't think it's worth the effort of growing my own. I haven't tried the bought variety, but they are beans after all and I'm not much of a bean eater. I prefer eating teghe - fagiolini or young green beans - pod and all. Next season I might try growing those, just to see how they turn out. Tomatoes on the other hand are definitely worth the effort, because I eat them every day and there is a noticeable taste difference between home-grown tomatoes and those sold in shops.

Last night I gave the plants their fortnightly feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 17)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 11 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 10 after transplanting)

A Windy New Year

2005-01-09T20:00:00.000+10:30

On Tuesday morning gusty winds caused a few problems for my tomato plants. Some of the plants are now taller than the stakes supporting them, so their tops were bent by the wind. And to make things worse one plant almost snapped near the top when I tried to straighten the plants out. I guess I got a bit complacent and didn't tie the plants up as high as possible, so I've fixed that.

On Friday I shucked the "mystery" beans. It turns out there were three types of beans: khaki-coloured kidney beans, white kidney or "cannellini" beans, and black beans. After shucking I have about 160 grams of the first type of beans. 100 beans weigh about 25g, so I have 640 beans in total. I have 100 grams of cannellini beans. At around 60 beans every 25g, that makes it about 240 beans. Finally, I got a hefty 10 grams of black beans. Since there were so few, I counted all 63 of them. I've included a mediocre photo of the various shucked beans.

In hindsight the khaki-coloured beans could in fact be "teghe" beans, which are usually harvested before the beans mature, and are eaten with the pod. I thought I would be able to browse the internet to find photos of various beans and what they're called, but in the case of the khaki-coloured ones I haven't been able to find anything conclusive.

The other major development of the week was that all of the capsicum plants, while still quite small, are now starting to flower. One aubergine plant has also started to flower.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 16)
The shucked beans - clockwise from top left: borlotti, black beans, cannellini, (out of focus, why do I bother?)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 10 after transplanting)
An aubergine plant flowering
A capsicum plant flowering (overhead shot, out of focus - who hired this photographer?)
The basil seedlings (week 9 after transplanting)

Last Week of December

2005-01-02T19:45:00.000+10:30

I mentioned last week that the tomatoes were beginning to ripen. I've already eaten 4 tomatoes myself, and shared a couple of others with friends. I now remember what tomatoes are supposed to taste like. The skin is soft and the flesh is delicate, unlike the ones you buy in shops.

Early in the week I shucked the borlotti beans. All up I have about 600 grams of usable borlotti beans. I was tempted to count each individual one, but that would be too pedantic even for me :) So I compromised and worked out that 120 beans is 50 grams, so 600 grams should be about 1440 beans (incidentally this is not far off my initial estimate based on the number of pods harvested). Not a bad yield for the 70-odd beans that were used to start the whole thing off.

The other "mystery" beans will have to wait before shucking. I haven't identified them conclusively, but it turns out there are two different types of beans: one white variety and another light brown variety.

On Tuesday night I gave the plants another feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 15)
My first batch of tomatoes, ready for eating (forgive the quality - the camera has no manual focus)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 9 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 8 after transplanting)

First Tomatoes Ripen

2004-12-26T18:30:00.000+10:30

I got a nice Christmas present this week: the ripening of the first tomatoes. Today I picked five plump tomatoes, and used one to make a bruschetta for lunch. Obviously it's very satisfying to literally enjoy the fruits of my past three months' labour. The only sour note is that birds have also noticed the ripening tomatoes and have taken a few pecks at a couple. I don't mind them devouring the excess plums, but the tomatoes are a different matter. I will need to investigate ways of keeping the birds at bay.

After the bean harvest and a couple of hot days mid-week, the beanstalks don't look like recovering. On Friday I started dismantling the trellises and clearing out the withered stalks. There's not much point including any more photos of the beanstalks. As for the harvested beans, I laid out the pods for a few days to dry out in the sun, and will shuck them in the next few days.

The basil plants are now starting to give off a nice, strong aroma. While possibly a bit young to start harvesting too many leaves, I will use the odd basil leaf to accompany the ripe tomatoes.

Also this week I planted some lettuce seeds and transplanted the remaining basil seedlings to a pot.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 14)
A tomato plant with some ripening fruit (week 14)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 8 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 7 after transplanting)

Harvesting the Beans

2004-12-19T20:45:00.000+10:30

This week I harvested the beans, which was a pretty satisfying experience. I haven't mentioned that there are three rows of beanstalks: two rows of borlotti beans (aka cranberry beans, notable for the bright majenta streaks on the pods and the beans) and one row of a "mystery" bean (grown from some beans I found in the garage). I took the borlotti beans off the stalks on Thursday. The two rows yielded 478 pods (roughly), and with each pod averaging three beans, that's over 1400 beans! I won't be eating all those in a hurry, so after letting the pods dry out I'll remove the beans from the pods (technical term: shucking) and put them in the freezer. The single row of "mystery" beanstalks (I'll let you know what they are when I find out) yielded about 171 pods, and assuming an average of six beans per pod that's just over 1000 beans. Again, after shucking I'll freeze them.

As a result of the harvesting this week's photo of the beanstalks looks pretty sad. Apparently beans can reflower after harvesting, but I think the short burst of hot weather towards the end of the week has almost dried the poor plants out. I have more than enough beans anyway, so at some stage I will pull out the plants and dismantle the trellises. And there won't be much point taking any further photos of the beanstalks. But I have included closeup photos of some of the beanstalks just before harvesting.

The tomatoes continue to grow. One of the plants must be on steroids because it's almost overflowing with fruit. I'm worried the branches won't be able to support the fruit. The rest of the plants are also making steady progress.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 13)
A tomato plant with some fruit (week 13)
The beans (week 11 - post harvest)
Borlotti bean pods growing (week 11 - pre harvest)
Harvested borlotti beans (in pods)
"Mystery" bean pods growing (week 11 - pre harvest)
Harvested "mystery" beans (in pods)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 7 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 6 after transplanting)

Second Week of December

2004-12-12T11:45:00.000+10:30

Another week of strange weather. Overcast and very humid early in the week, with a severe thunderstorm and much-needed rain on Thursday evening. The mulch applied last week has helped maintain moisture levels in the soil.

All the plants continue to make good progress. My uncle visited this morning and was pleased with the progress of the beans. Apparently they're almost ready to harvest.

I transplanted seedlings of a different variety of tomatoes to a pot. I want to see how they grow in the pot for a while. I also transplanted a second batch of basil seedlings to another pot.

Friday night I gave all the plants their now-regular fortnightly feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 12)
The beans (week 10)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 6 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 5 after transplanting)

Start of Summer

2004-12-05T18:25:00.000+10:30

Summer officially started this week. The previous week's heatwave did end on Monday as forecast. I removed the shadecloth as the temperature cooled.

The tomato plants really enjoyed the warmer weather, and are starting to thrive. The basil seedlings that I transplanted a few weeks ago are now starting to grow well. And the aubergine seedlings are also getting bigger. A confession is in order: for the past few weeks I've neglected to mention that while the photos show two rows of plants, only one row is in fact of aubergines. The lefthand row (closer to the fence) is actually a row of capsicum plants. I've just been too lazy to relabel the photo links for the past postings. I'll get around to doing that eventually.

During the week I bought a big bag of pea straw mulch. On Friday I cleared out weeds growing in the channels between the rows of tomatoes and beans. The channels had become shallow so I made them deeper, taking care not to damage the plants' roots. Then I laid the mulch into the channels as instructed, and watered.

A couple of weeks ago on a whim I planted some seeds from a rockmelon I bought, and to my surprise a couple germinated in the past week. I'll leave them in the pot they're in for now, and if they continue growing I'll transplant them to the main garden area.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 11)
A tomato plant with some fruit (week 11)
The beans (week 9)
The aubergines and capsicums (week 5 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 4 after transplanting)

Fourth Week of November

2004-11-28T16:50:00.000+10:30

Several tomato plants are starting to produce fruit. Most of the beanstalks now have pods growing. The basil and aubergine seedlings are making some progress.

The weather turned a bit nasty this week, ending with a mini-heatwave. Today is the fourth consecutive day of temperatures in the mid-30s (centigrade), and it's not even officially summer yet! Hopefully the cool change predicted for tomorrow evening comes in. I've had to give the plants a thorough watering every evening. Luckily I have a large rainwater tank to reduce the need for mains water. I hooked up a standard hose fitting to the tank's tap and the water pressure is good enough to water the plants.

To protect the tomato plants from the sun's harsh rays I've put up some shadecloth. Coincidentally, I was watching The Godfather on DVD on Wednesday, and late in the movie there's a scene where the Don is playing with his grandson among tomato plants in the garden. What looked like old bed sheets were nailed to the stakes to protect the Don's tomato plants from the sun. In my case I draped some old lace curtains over the tomatoes and fixed to the tops of stakes. Shade from nearby fruit trees provides some respite for the other plants.

This week I will probably get some straw to use as mulch. Admittedly I don't remember my father ever using mulch, and my uncle hasn't mentioned it either. But I'll start using some to help maintain the moisture level during what could be a very hot summer. Mulch should also help prevent weeds growing around the plants.

Friday night I gave all the plants another feed of seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 10)
The beans (week 8)
Bean pods growing (week 8)
The aubergines/eggplants/melanzane (week 4 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 3 after transplanting)

Third Week of November

2004-11-21T11:40:00.000+10:30

I didn't do much to the garden this week. The biggest task was setting up a removable shade cloth to help protect the tomato plants for a very hot day last Wednesday. Other than that, I had to water the plants a little more than usual as there wan't much rain. I took the opportunity to check the stakes were firmly in the ground and that the beanstalk trellis was stable.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 9)
A tomato plant with some fruit (week 9)
The beans (week 7)
The aubergines/eggplants/melanzane (week 3 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (week 2 after transplanting)

Second Week of November

2004-11-14T11:00:00.000+10:30

In the second week of November I noticed that some of the beanstalks are flowering. I forgot to mention that the previous week a couple of the larger tomato plants were also flowering. And this week some tiny fruits started appearing.

The weather has been changeable again, with above average rainfall (which is good, I guess), but occasional gusty winds (not so good). The extra rain has meant I haven't had to water the plants as often.

This week I transplanted some of the basil seedlings I had been raising in containers in the garage. Hopefully they will cope with the move to the main garden area. I will keep the rest of the seedlings indoors for a while just in case. I've got some lettuce and oregano seedlings started in the garage, and may transplant them when they're big enough.

Last night I gave all the plants another spray with seaweed solution.

To view the latest photos, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 8)
A flowering tomato plant (week 8)
The beans (week 6)
A flowering beanstalk (week 6)
The aubergines/eggplants/melanzane (week 2 after transplanting)
The basil seedlings (after transplanting)

First Week of November

2004-11-09T15:20:00.000+10:30

In the first week of November the tomato plants had grown large enough to need tying to the stakes. A good thing too, because that week the weather was very windy and threatened to blow my plants away. I had to do some minor repairs to the trellises for the beans.

At the end of the week I took some more photos. To view them, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 7)
The beans (week 5)
The aubergines/eggplants/melanzane

Late October

2004-10-31T15:10:00.000+10:30

In late October my uncle brought over some aubergine/eggplant/melanzane seedlings.

I finally got the brainwave to take some photos in the last week of October. To view them, click on the links below:
The tomatoes (week 6)
The beans (week 4)

I hope to take photos on a weekly basis to keep a visual record of the progress of the vegetables.

Stakes and Trellises

2004-10-16T15:00:00.000+09:30

After a couple of weeks of watering and general care, the tomato seedlings began growing quite nicely. The beans also started shooting. It was interesting to watch them break through the soil. Again I wished I'd taken photos, or if I had the resources, some timelapse movies.

A couple of times I soaked the soil with seaweed solution to help stimulate root development.

In early October my uncle helped me stake up the tomatoes to help them grow upright later on. He also set up trellises for the beanstalks to slowly latch onto and wrap themselves around.

First Plantings

2004-10-02T14:50:00.000+09:30

In late September my uncle, Zio Pasquale, brought over some tomato seedlings. He showed me how to plant them and look after them in the first few weeks. He also planted some beans.

I hadn't envisioned this blog at that time, so I didn't think to keep track of the exact dates. Nor did I think of taking photos as a visual record :(

Around the same time I planted some basil and oregano seeds in some small containers. Once they're big enough I'll transplant them to the main garden, or perhaps to portable pots.

Initial Preparations

2004-09-25T14:40:00.000+09:30

Before I could start my garden I had to get rid of the weeds that had threatened to take over the backyard.

I started pulling out weeds in late August, and spending an hour or so every day I had the job done within a week. I wish I'd taken photos to enhance the before and after effect, but you'll have to take my word for it that the weeds were everywhere.

There are already several useful plants and trees in the garden, so I decided to keep them. Parsley, rosemary and spinach have managed to survive quite well with little maintenance. There are also several established trees: olive (2), lemon, mandarine (2), plum, apricot, persimmon (3), fig and peach (3).

While removing the weeds I uncovered some potatoes. I didn't plan on growing potatoes, but I decided to keep a few around.

Once the weeds were removed the next step was to till the soil. I found some "blood and bone" in the shed, so I mixed thatin. By mid-September the garden was to ready to go.

A note for first-time visitors

2004-09-19T14:35:00.000+09:30

An issue I have with the blogging format is the insistence on putting the latest posts first. This makes it difficult for someone to start reading an established blog, especially when some blogs only really make sense when read forwards in time.

I'll be experimenting with possible fixes, such as having a link to the Introduction at the top of the page, and listing previous items in forward chronological order in the sidebar. If you are new to this blog I suggest you start reading from the Introduction onwards.

Introduction

2004-09-18T14:30:00.000+09:30

Welcome to my garden weblog.

With Australian spring approaching I decided to take up a hobby which has been in both sides of my family for centuries: growing vegetables in the backyard. There is a lot of satisfaction from growing your own food. If I end up saving some money, then that's a bonus.

The title of the blog "L'orto di Bruno" means "Bruno's vegetable garden" in Italian. I chose that title for several reasons. Firstly, the word "orto" is shorter than "vegetable garden" or even "vege patch", meaning the url containing it would be shorter. The title also lends itself to the type of things I'll be growing, which are typical for an Italian vegetable garden.

The purpose of this blog is to document the progress of the vegetable garden, allowing friends and former work colleagues to be kept informed. I intend posting weekly updates, but I will mostly rely on photos.

I'm still learning the ropes. My uncle, Zio Pasquale Furina, has kindly offered to help me get things started with seedlings and beans. He will also provide ongoing advice.

Plant ID	Count
A3	2
A6	1
B1	12
B2	10
B3	2
B4	1
B5	1
B6	3
C2	24
C3	6
C4	7
D1	5
D2	10
D3	21
D4	5
E1	3
E2	4
E3	37
E5	1
G1	1
H1	3
H3	1
H6	1
I3	1

Plant ID	Count
A3	2
A6	1
B1	12
B2	10
B3	2
B4	1
B5	1
B6	3
C2	24
C3	6
C4	7
D1	5
D2	10
D3	21
D4	5
E1	3
E2	4
E3	37
E5	1
G1	1
H1	3
H3	1
H6	1
I3	1

Plant ID	Count
A3	2
A6	1
B1	12
B2	10
B3	2
B4	1
B5	1
B6	3
C2	24
C3	6
C4	7
D1	5
D2	10
D3	21
D4	5
E1	3
E2	4
E3	37
E5	1
G1	1
H1	3
H3	1
H6	1
I3	1