13 Sep 17 PETER B HART (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Please can anyone in your organisation assist and guide me. I live in Sydney Australia. I am looking for information on vegie plants and herbs.
I have a lot of time as a retired person. I also have space to grow vegies. However for the last two years I have failed.
Along the brustic fences I have prepared beds of 1.5 mtrs x 6 mtrs. Good super soil as called by the supplier, was put in to the beds for a depth of a foot. I also have my own compost bins and put in a lot of effort in mixing etc through the year. So this compost of 40 : 1 Brown and Gtreen matter, is also added. the plants start well and for all the effort i get about 3 cucumbers and other beans, Oakra, capsicums etc grow halfway and then die. Presently in spring they get partial sunlight, but not a lot of direct sunlight. Could the neighboring tree roots be responsible for this problem.
I love my gardening and spend at least 4 hours or more a day.
PLeeeeese can anyone help me or can I talk to someone. A Horticulturalist might help me.
Thank you so much in anticipation.
Warm regards
Peter
14 Oct 17 christiaan (Australia - temperate climate)
hi peter - sounds like your plants might not be getting enough sun. If you are trying to grow things like tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis bean etc, they typically need at least 6 hours direct sunlight in Sydney. Unfortunately, there's not often much you can do to rectify this, other than moving the bed.
Some veggies will grow with less sunlight, including green leafy veg like basil, rocket and some lettuces. But the growth rate will probably be fairly slow
Sorry, I realise theres not much good news here
17 Sep 17 Margaret (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Peter, I have had a similar problem with tree roots invading my vege beds. I put so much effort into making my soil rich and friable and next door's Pittosporum trees enjoy it all!!!! I have 4 raised vege beds and I have had some success with digging out all the soil, lining the bed with weed matting and then replacing the soil. It was very hard work though, so I have only done 2 beds so far. It has worked reasonably well, so I plan to do the other 2 beds this year. Another option is to grow all your veges in pots, so the tree roots don't invade. Good luck.
Hi Peter. How frustrating for you. I, too, love my garden, especially growing food crops and harvesting the produce. It is hard to know your circumstances without more information about your site. The roots of neighbours trees can be problematic, sucking out much of the moisture and nutrients, especially during the hot weather. I keep my veg beds 1-2 metres away from the boundary fences, and thoroughly dig over the beds closest to the fences and neighbouring trees prior to planting, to break up the invading tree roots, which helps for a while, but come late summer, I have to abandon at least one bed as the plants become water-stressed. It is not uncommon to have one particular crop fail in any particular year because of the vagaries of the season, but you should be able to still harvest others. Are you able to grow leafy greens? and what about winter crops? Lorraine
Each different area of Australia has its particular requirements to be successful.
This info is generalized for growing veggies.
1. All day direct sun is best - things just don't grow without it.
2. Good soil and replenish with compost or manures etc. each year. Give your soil a break from crops for a few months each year and add the compost and work it in. Dig it over a few times.
3 Regular watering - small plants - light, regular watering - bigger plants - fewer waterings but more volume of water.
Then you need to know which plants to plant each season. I plant beans in April and the bean fly kills the young plants. I planted about 2 1/2 mths ago and have great plants now - just starting to pick them now. I have trouble with Zucchini and Capsicums some times of the year. Capsicums need a certain temperature to pollinate I recently read. I have trouble with my Zucchinis - no bees to pollinate. I am doing it by hand at the moment. Next year I'm going to plant some flowers in my other gardens to attract the bees. I explained in a post the other day to go to The Seed Collection website and print off the Sowing Chart. It is a guide for different climates. Go on the internet and type in "How to grow ------" and read up about it. Look for Australian websites. Gardening Australia etc. Look up seed selling companies and read about how and when to grow different veggies. I'm going on a holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks - will have my computer with me. Email me if you like. [email protected]. When I come home we can talk on the phone.
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