There's something very off-putting with persevering with watering my plants by hose (no sprinklers allowed) over the long, hot summer only to be attacked by sandflies every time I go down there to chop off the odd zucchini or tomato.
Maybe swathes of concrete around each plant will reduce the number of hiding spots for the little critters. Either that, or I'll have to dress in very thick clothing, including gloves and goggles.
When I first sprouted the seeds, I imagined I could just nip down to the vege patch to get something to add to dinner, but I find myself not wanting to because of the bites. Three this time. Three too many, if you ask me.
Maybe swathes of concrete around each plant will reduce the number of hiding spots for the little critters. Either that, or I'll have to dress in very thick clothing, including gloves and goggles.
When I first sprouted the seeds, I imagined I could just nip down to the vege patch to get something to add to dinner, but I find myself not wanting to because of the bites. Three this time. Three too many, if you ask me.
Hi lucyna. I have grown tomatoes in gum boots! Next year get some funky containers and grow them by the back door.
ReplyDeleteIt is worth it Lucyna - do persevere. I grow lots of veges and it is very rewarding - not to mention environmentally friendly and healthy. Bit late for zucchini maybe? I have harvested mine, but then I live in Auckland.
ReplyDeleteHave a look at Jamie Oliver's Jamie At Home book - lots of good gardening tips and recipes for homegrown produce.
1. first person to say "sustainable" has to post their petrol use for the last year!
ReplyDelete2. vege gardens never look as good as they do on TV and did you notice that in Jamie Oliver's last cooking series you got to meet his gardener.
The tacit message is that you need to be serious about gardening to grow more than the amateur's irregular crops of spuds and tomatoes.
3. what happens when your local crop fails as tomatoes have done this year? So much for eating locally!
4. It's a physical law that compost requires as much attention as the dog. It knows. Any less and it fails to work as seen on TV.
5. Whatever happened to "Dig This"? At least Eion was realistic about vege gardens and showed all the hard graft that goes into them instead of poncing around plucking fennel, rocket, and basil and 'throwing something together'!
Ruth, unfortunately I suffer from a lack of time, so my veges are surrounded by an advancing sea of Kaikuia grass, not to mention other weeds. Maybe next year I can get more organised earlier. My flower garden is in a much better state.
ReplyDeleteBB, I don't know about the asthetics of growing tomatoes in a gumboot, but I do like the idea of keeping them close to the house, preferably surrounded by netting to keep the shield bugs off.
Greg, yes, you do have to be serious about gardening. I was amazed at how much time I was able to spend gardening over January and my garden still looked overgrown!
Maybe that's why so many retired people are into it. They don't have kids to look and tidy after (and school).
"Whatever happened to Dig This?"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.digthis.co.nz