Max Farmer

Anyone grow Caigua?
I planted this yesterday. I’d appreciate any advice.
Thanks Max

Hi everyone
Recently I  sprayed my kale with dipel -bacillusthuringiensis. It’s supposed to be organic friendly. I’d been picking off 8 or 9 caterpillars a day but haven’t found any for a week.
Even better about an hour ago I noticed a spider on the kale eating a adult white cabbage moth.
Smiles Max

Thank you everyone for your excellent advice. What is annoying is this is a new raised bed garden built up with soil from the local garden centre. They had 3 soil blends and I bought a mix of all three. And the plant was bought at a hardware store. It has taught me that purchased soil is not always safe. I suspect it was mined soil bereft of good biology so I added good amounts of manure and mulched with sugar cane mulch. I hope the other tomatoes in the bed stay safe. The bed also has chilli, basil, thyme, beans, yakon, sage, eggplant and peanuts. If they survive I’ll rest it with cabbage in winter and sweet potato next year.

Hi team
I just removed a tomato plant with early signs of wilt. Space is a premium in my garden. I’d rather not leave an empty space. Is there a food plant or plant family that doesn’t get wilt that I could plant to rehabilitate the space? Thanks Max

Hi Paul
I tried to change my name. Not sure if it’s worked yet.
First large tomatoes with basil today, simple pleasure. Marmande is my first tomato most years. It’s a parthenocarpic tomato: that is it doesn’t need to be fertilised to produce fruit. So it can produce tomatoes when it’s too cold for pollen disbursal. Often the first few tomatoes are seedless for this reason. Not this year though as I started later.
Smiles Max

Hi Thomas
I live in Australia. Along with normal veg, I try to grow any unusual vegetable I can find, if only for a year or two to try them out. I’ve been searching for where I bought the 4 tubers but can’t find it yet. Only 2 came up and are yet about 2cms high. I wonder if I accidentally have rotundifolius but the leaves have a pointed end. As they grow I will be able to discern better. When I track down the source I’ll let you know.
Any advice on growing them?
Max

Anyone growing Livingstone potatoes? African native potatoes. Mine have come up but are just sitting there.

‘The best preserved food is one you will use, however you preserved it.’

Love this. I’ve wasted a lot of preserved food by not eating it. Lol.

I’ve had lots of excess veg this year but managed to give it away. Not exactly preserving but perhaps the goodwill with neighbours and friends is a store for the future.

G’day everyone.
I live on ten acres near Taree NSW. At 70 I’m slowing down and now focus most of my effort into a large veg garden approx 450 sm. It’s too dark just now to pace it out.
I try any new veg I can at least once for a growing and taste test. I probably have 100 plants or varieties in the patch which I service each day. Right now Spring 2021 I have too many plants seeding and am antsy to harvest the seeds so I have more space. I allow multiples of each plant to seed to encourage genetic biodiversity. I’m trying a lot of new things this year including staples from other cultures.
Looking forward to getting to know you all.
Max

Mike

Have you looked at plants from other cultures. I’m finding a lot of veg from other cultures also have great pharmaceutical qualities. I live in Australia so my sources probably wouldn’t help you. I try not to walk on my beds. A 3m by 3m square would be difficult for me to service without walking on it. My favourite tool when I need to loosen my beds up is a French broadfork. It loosens the soil without turning it over.

Good wishes for your garden. It’s great fun.
Max