Author |
Topic Search Topic Options
|
happymumma
Senior Member
Joined: 06 June 2007
Points: 848
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Topic: Fruit / Vege gardening Posted: 22 September 2010 at 10:15am |
I always have celery, spinach and silverbeet in the garden and over summer will add lettuce and tomatoes. I'm tempted to try peppers but have heard varied reports on how easy they are to grow - my aim is to be able to make salads easily without buying anything. If I get my other vege patch up and running I'd be keen to add potatoes and carrots.
In terms of fruit I have two blueberry bushes, strawberries, lemon and mandarin trees (although these are very young so I'm guessing I won't get much fruit if any yet).
What fruit / veges do you grow and what do you think are the most cost effective to grow rather than buy? And does anyone have tips on feeding citrus in pots??
|
|
Sponsored Links
|
|
|
Jacobsmumma
Senior Member
Joined: 03 October 2008
Location: Aussie in Auckland
Points: 555
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 September 2010 at 2:42pm |
I don't have a vege garden yet, but am planning on doing one soon. I'll come back here later for some tips
|
(9lbs 6ozs)
(11lbs 4ozs)
|
|
jazzy
Senior Member
Joined: 16 January 2009
Points: 8858
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 September 2010 at 3:17pm |
We don't have one either but we do have somewhere we could start one. We were looking at doing things in pot or planter & get the kids to have one each & grow stuff. Need to do some weeding first
I would like to know what can you plant in the summer...like around Dec
|
|
happymumma
Senior Member
Joined: 06 June 2007
Points: 848
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 September 2010 at 10:38am |
Jazzy you ought to be able to plant lettuces, celery and spinach at that time. And probably plenty of other things depending upon where you are. And don't worry about too much weeding! Just weed a small patch and start from there. Then it becomes easy because you have a reason to go out of check your veges - you can pull out a few more weeds each time.
|
|
heaf3
Senior Member
Joined: 12 September 2007
Location: Whangarei
Points: 3092
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 September 2010 at 11:05am |
Courgettes, cucumbers, pumpkin, tomatoes, beans etc all grow well in summer.
DH has just built us another raised vege garden to add to our one from last year, so now we have celery, pak choi, mini cauli & cabbage, red cabbage, herbs (chives, sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, dill & coriander), spring onions, garlic, some red onions, leeks, silverbeet/spinach, tomatoes, climbing beans, brocolli/cauli/cabbage mix, some brocolli stuff that looks like cauliflower, a pumpkin & cucumber. not all planted at once though! and in another garden we have some potatoes and strawberries and a rhubarb plant.
DH built himself a little plastic house so he has been growing a lot from seed which is cool.
we have a big plum tree that goes mad every year and we get buckets of plums, a couple of orange trees, a mandarin and a lime and lemon that havent started producing yet, planted a cape gooseberry bush last year, hasnt fruited yet, and a couple of tamarillos.
all this on a not that huge section in the middle of town!
just make sure you feed everything well, liquid seaweed fertiliser is really good.
|
|
|
_SMS_
Senior Member
Joined: 11 March 2009
Points: 2251
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 25 September 2010 at 6:58pm |
I always have a good vege garden over summer, i slack off over winter because veges seem cheap enough from the supermarket.
In spring/summer/autumn we grow, silverbeet, spinach, capsicums, spring onions, leek, lettuce, tomatoes.
We have had no problems growing capsicums. They are alot smaller than the ones in the supermarket. But much cheaper tan $2 each
Spring onions are very easy to grow. They are great for salads.
Im going to try snap peas this year. Hope they turn out good.
|
|
|
myonlineself
Senior Member
Joined: 10 April 2009
Points: 1353
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 25 September 2010 at 7:38pm |
woah I'm all inspired. I love the idea of weeding a small patch and just starting.. I am always put off by the thought of having to weed the whole lot before I start. I'm so going to just stick some stuff in the small bit I already weeded (after I weed it again since it was a couple of weeks ago, sigh)
|
|
|
happymumma
Senior Member
Joined: 06 June 2007
Points: 848
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 25 September 2010 at 8:40pm |
heaf3 is there anything special you need to do with pumpkins? The last time I grew them they didn't really get past very small green things. They had grown from pumpkin seeds I'd just thrown into the garden - which is what I'm kind of planning to do this time but any tips would be appreciated.
I'm also going to try capsicum from seeds. Fingers crossed it works - I figured I might as well try it and see what happens.
Myonlineself that's my style of gardening!! I have such a big section that was very porrly maintained before I moved in so I'm doing a mixture of planting bits and pieces and cutting back all sorts of things. There are huge piles of weeds and overgrown trees everywhere. I put a couple of tomatoes in today - a bit early but they did pretty well last year at this time. - over the week I weeded enough space to pop them in! Next job is to remove all the crap from the place I want to create my compost bin.
|
|
JoJames
Senior Member
Joined: 11 August 2008
Location: Te Puke
Points: 1089
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 25 September 2010 at 10:31pm |
We moved in last year and it already had a large strawberry patch, that didn't grow too well, I think due to overcrowding, but we have dug them all up separated them and now have our strawberry patch ( 4m x 2m) and two big pots plus heaps of little pots filled, I'm hoping for a bumper crop and also I figure mature fruiting plants should make good christmas presents.
Dh finally dug up our failed vege patch from last year and last week planted tomato plants (early I know), some brassicas, peas, radishes, lettuce (which got eaten) Maori potatoes, spinach and my herbs.
We've also planted in the last year fejoia tres, lemon, mandarin and lime trees. Blueberry, raspberry and some other berry, and we have a grape vine. Apparently we are going to live here forever Our section isn't large only 700sqm, my theory has always been throw it in and see what happens.
DH has the bug he is growing seedlings and checks on them every day. He is also trying to propagate a plum tree from branches we cut from a tree at his childhood home.
I think anything you grow from a $5 packet of seeds is going to be ridiculously cheaper than buying, Dh has been using egg cartons to raise seedlings, then just planting the whole thing in the ground.
|
|
|
jazzy
Senior Member
Joined: 16 January 2009
Points: 8858
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 September 2010 at 9:15am |
DH wants to do raised planters so I asked him if he would make some...NO he said...not good with a hammer, brilliant with a computer ha ha. But he will get out there & clean up the area I want to use...next weekend
|
|
happymumma
Senior Member
Joined: 06 June 2007
Points: 848
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 September 2010 at 9:36am |
haha Jazzy. Where are you? If you were in Wgtn I'm sure we could build something together. All you need is the wood cut to the size you want and then a stake to pop in each corner to secure them to the ground and each other (according to a friend who has done it). I'm keen to make one but can't afford the wood at the moment - plus then I'd have to fill it and I think my aim ought to be filling up the one I have first!
|
|
mummy_becks
Senior Member
Joined: 01 January 1900
Points: 14931
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 September 2010 at 7:25pm |
I have a greenhouse and that currently has in it, tomatoes, cucumber, courgettes, beans, chillis, capsicum, basil and a few other ramdoms things like an eggplant.
Outside I have carrots, spring onions, peas, silverbeets, cabbage, beetroot in already and a few things are almost ready.
I ahve 2 grape vines, a raspberry, bosenberry, 2x passion fruits, lemon, lime, orange, manderin, tangello and fejoia trees in as well.
I still have a few more things to do before we can plant everything out.
|
I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived!
|
|
heaf3
Senior Member
Joined: 12 September 2007
Location: Whangarei
Points: 3092
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 27 September 2010 at 1:54pm |
happymumma wrote:
heaf3 is there anything special you need to do with pumpkins? The last time I grew them they didn't really get past very small green things. They had grown from pumpkin seeds I'd just thrown into the garden - which is what I'm kind of planning to do this time but any tips would be appreciated.
|
well all DH did last year was to pop some seeds that we had saved in some seed raising mix, covered it for a week or however long it took to germinate and then popped them in the ground when they were big enough. frequent watering and fertiliser. the plants went mad!! completely took over the corner of the garden haha. we had heaps of pumpkins on the couple of plants we had, but most of them didnt come to anything. we did get 2 pumpkins off the plant in the end. just kept watering them (while we could seeing as there was a drought lol) and you have to wait until the plants die down before you can harvest the pumpkins or else they won't be ready.
that probably didnt help a hang of a lot....but good luck with your next attempt!
|
|
|
MummyFreckle
Senior Member
Joined: 08 February 2007
Location: Auckland
Points: 4120
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 27 September 2010 at 2:15pm |
The only thing I found with growing peppers (capsicums) was that the birds got into them pretty quickly, so its worth sticking net over them. I have had great success with apple cucumbers too, they are tasty in salads and grow with no assistance!!! I am gutted - we just moved house and I had to leave our vege garden and fruit trees behind. I dont have room for one here, so am just going to stick some herbs and lettuces in pots!
Any ideas what else grows well and easily in pots?
|
|
|
fire_engine
Senior Member
Joined: 03 November 2007
Points: 6260
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 27 September 2010 at 2:41pm |
I've had no luck with capsicums. I do tomatoes and lettuces every year. Last year added beans, cucumbers, spring onions, carrots, capsicums and celery. Celery isn't really doing anything, carrots - well not helped by DH pulling them out, capsicums were a fail. Beans and cucumbers worked really well.
Job for this week is to plant some seeds. DH's job (not that I've told him) is to weed the vege patch!
|
Mum to two wee boys
|
|
mummy_becks
Senior Member
Joined: 01 January 1900
Points: 14931
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 27 September 2010 at 10:37pm |
Tomotoes do Freckle. You can grow almost anything in a pot.
|
I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived!
|
|
Rachael21
Senior Member
Joined: 01 January 1900
Location: New Zealand
Points: 4700
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 September 2010 at 12:03pm |
Yay I was so glad to see this thread! I am a complete gardening beginner I know nothing so can anyone recommend a site or book that tells me when to plant what? I have just weeded a patch and have planted potatoes and strawberries and what to plant more but I have no idea when!
|
|
Mucky_Tiger
Senior Member
Joined: 26 January 2010
Points: 1649
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 September 2010 at 1:20pm |
our Gardens are growing nicely.
we have 3 raised beds and one green house and some pots.
in one gargen we have mint and rhubarb.
in one we have beetroot, carrots, cabbage, cauli, broc, silverbeet, and lettuces, spuds and yams
in the last garden it has 2 distinct boxes and has strawberries, parsnips, a lemon tree and we are going to put in a lime tree too.
in the greenhouse we have 3 tomato plants, 2 courgettes (until it warms up then they go outside- in their pot) and a cucumber plant.
in the pots we have spuds and yams.
and we have an apple tree too.
and we have an albany suprise grape vine and even though we live in dunedin we get heaps of grapes off it, and we dont fertalise it but prob should as the grapes are quite tart.
we also seem to grow pumpkins each year as we compost the seeds and they grow.
all we did last year was moved the plant to the front of the vege garden and let them go for it.
once the pumpkins grow on the vines we sat them on a board so the lawn didnt rot them.
they did well and of the 5 plants we had we got 22 medium sized grey crown pumpkins.
we never fertalized them as the dirt they are in was pure horse poo and compost from the bin.
the only care we did was pick out runners and shorten the vines so they didnt get too wild
Edited by Mucky_Tiger
|
|
Mucky_Tiger
Senior Member
Joined: 26 January 2010
Points: 1649
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 September 2010 at 1:52pm |
Photos from last year - they should all be small i have resized them:
Peas and pumpkin plants:
Grapes before they ripened up:
Cucumber (in the greenhouse):
Tomato Plants:
(we had 4 plants last year and got about 15kg of tomatoes off them - i made ALOT of tomato relish and we gave alot away to the neighbour)
Broccolli (the 2nd head that regrew after we removed the original one):
|
|
jazzy
Senior Member
Joined: 16 January 2009
Points: 8858
|
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 28 September 2010 at 4:17pm |
looking good MT
hmm growing things in pots that might be more my style
|
|