I let my daught put the beetroot seeds in and she dropped and entire packets worth into one line. They are sooo closely packed I think they cant grow. They've been about 1cm high for a month now.
Gardening
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Each seed is also a cluster of about 3-4 seeds. Just thin them out cutting the ones you don't want away with a pair of scissors.
They do also seem to take a while to get going as plant at the start before eventually taking off.
We'll I did the dipel on the eggplants and zucchini. Also put on a pyrethrum spray for everything else. Getting zucchinis off now. Capsicums are growing, tomatoes are on the vine...it's all going very well. Garden is looking a treat this year.
Lilly Pillys are such a pain in the arse. Never get them.
We move into an established house 3 years ago which had 4 on the left fence line and 3 on the right. One of the first things I did was tear out the 4 on the left, along with the rest of the rubbish plants they had and fill that garden with Australian natives from Lulfitz. Went to pull out the ones on the right and the neighbor talked me out of it...
Ripped into them last night. Going to take a few bin collections to get them all out but they are gone. Had enough of them.
Thinking of throwing a few fruit trees in there. Maybe a lime, orange and some native bush fruit if I can find one.
We move into an established house 3 years ago which had 4 on the left fence line and 3 on the right. One of the first things I did was tear out the 4 on the left, along with the rest of the rubbish plants they had and fill that garden with Australian natives from Lulfitz. Went to pull out the ones on the right and the neighbor talked me out of it...
Ripped into them last night. Going to take a few bin collections to get them all out but they are gone. Had enough of them.
Thinking of throwing a few fruit trees in there. Maybe a lime, orange and some native bush fruit if I can find one.
Try a finger lime...
Got a CSIRO finger lime in about a year ago. It's growing well and produced some nice looking flowers a few weeks ago but too young to fruit yet. Hopefully in a few years time.
Little kids used to run through the garden between my front door and path all the time breaking my proteas. Chucked the finger lime in the middle, few kids got stuck with the thorns and never had a problem again.
The small joys of being a grumpy old man. (not that old).
Little kids used to run through the garden between my front door and path all the time breaking my proteas. Chucked the finger lime in the middle, few kids got stuck with the thorns and never had a problem again.
The small joys of being a grumpy old man. (not that old).
Want to plant a couple more cucumbers but for the life of me I can't remember where I left the seed packet..
Reginald Perrin
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What's wrong with lilly pillys? They are fruit trees.
Yeah those thorns were designed by bastards incorporated
Boooooooooo. Boooooooo this man.
Unless you want your entire garden bed taken over with the same looking small green leaf in a 4m high bush with the occasional purple berry, they are more trouble than they are worth. Root systems are a pain and go everywhere. Take a reasonable amount of maintenance to keep under control.
Not a fan of hedges like that I guess.
Rather have variety of foliage, flowers and fruit.
Reginald Perrin
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Too many of anything can be a problem. Must also have something wrong if it's only the occasional berry. I've only had single trees but fruit was always plentiful.
I think their hardiness is one of their best properties, but all plants need to be suited to the climate you want to grow them in.
To be honest they do produce a lot of berries. Just being a w***er about it because that's all it does besides piss me off.
If I had a larger property, I wouldn't mind them to be honest. Just in my situation they are a waste of space that could be used with nicer or more productive plants.
If I had a larger property, I wouldn't mind them to be honest. Just in my situation they are a waste of space that could be used with nicer or more productive plants.
Interested what people think about the Woolworths ad that was pulled ?
I am not 'outraged' at being called a freak. It was an advertising campaign that simply got it wrong, but strange decision for a company that calls itself "The fresh food people" to take aim at people growing their own fresh food.
I read an article that claims it is impossible to grow food cheaper than buying it, based on this campaign and thought that was a bit simple. Sure some food cannot be grown cheaper on a small scale, but some foods must be possible ?
What do you reckon ?
I am not 'outraged' at being called a freak. It was an advertising campaign that simply got it wrong, but strange decision for a company that calls itself "The fresh food people" to take aim at people growing their own fresh food.
I read an article that claims it is impossible to grow food cheaper than buying it, based on this campaign and thought that was a bit simple. Sure some food cannot be grown cheaper on a small scale, but some foods must be possible ?
What do you reckon ?
Link to story?
The majority of stuff I guess would be cheaper to buy, but stuff like snow peas grown in winter for a $3.50 pack of seeds and minimal effort it's well worth growing them yourself for savings as well as enjoyment.
Also I live in the country where there is only one place to buy veggies and although quality they are generally very expensive with their monopoly which evens things up a fair bit. I'd say I'd save a reasonable amount going to the effort of growing my own beetroot.
Reginald Perrin
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Growing your own food isn't about cost, it's about quality and enjoyment. For one thing, the "fresh food people" don't sell fresh food. Some of their fruit is in cold storage for months before it lands "fresh" in the store. Even the stuff with a shorter shelf life that has to be sold quickly has a storage and/or transportation delay involved. Home grown you pick yourself just before you eat it. Other products like lettuce and tomatoes are grown hydroponically and just don't have the flavour of home grown equivalents.
Big stores specialise in selling average products for the masses.
Big stores specialise in selling average products for the masses.
http://www.crikey.com.au/2015/11/10...ir-own-food-are-freaks/?wpmp_switcher=desktop
I understand all the other aspects of growing your own food. That cost is not the motivating factor for most people, but I believe it is cheaper for some products, yet this article claims it is not possible. Anybody able to put forward arguments to the contrary ?
Lach72 - You operate at both levels. What do you think ?
I understand all the other aspects of growing your own food. That cost is not the motivating factor for most people, but I believe it is cheaper for some products, yet this article claims it is not possible. Anybody able to put forward arguments to the contrary ?
Lach72 - You operate at both levels. What do you think ?
Can be cheaper if you don't put a monetary value on your own labour.
Take a radish for instance: Professional grower can get seed etc cheaper and if you use chemicals/fertiliser they get that massively cheaper.
Seeding/spraying/harvesting has to be done by hand or by a staff member on a machine, they have to sort and grade to specifications which results in a lot of wastage and the staff again have to be paid. Refrigeration and transport and packaging costs factored in along with QA compliance costs.
Home gardener is James and son, wandering through the field (back garden) while having a coffee, pulling the radishes, giving them a quick rinse, marvelling at all the defects and weird shapes (that growers have to grade out) wrapping it in a shopping bag that cost nothing from Coles and popping it in the fridge
I figured something like that. I don't charge for my own labour, I have no profit motive.
Generally drink tap water while working in the garden too, so even saving on coffee !
Yeah. So the pleasure of gardening is the thing. Start writing yourself an invoice for 20 bucks an hour and then work out what the veg costs...let alone factoring in your water costs, electricity, seed etc.
As Reg said above, freshness is the key, being able to walk out to your garden and cut something is a great pleasure. And where in retail land can you always find lemon basil, or variegated sage or a tomato left on the bush until almost too soft but tasting so good?
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"The fresh food people" is the biggest laugh of a slogan. The vegies from supermarkets always start to go bad within a week.
I buy most of my vegies from the Sunday farmers market in Vic Park purely because they last so much longer. I've kept heads of broccoli from there in the fridge for over 3 weeks in a plastic container and they still look as fresh as the day I bought them. If I tried to keep broccoli from the supermarket for 3 weeks it would look like compost by the time I opened it.
I buy most of my vegies from the Sunday farmers market in Vic Park purely because they last so much longer. I've kept heads of broccoli from there in the fridge for over 3 weeks in a plastic container and they still look as fresh as the day I bought them. If I tried to keep broccoli from the supermarket for 3 weeks it would look like compost by the time I opened it.
Few years back now but when I lived in Kalgoorlie one of the worst things was the rubbish standard of the vegetables up there. Not great when you are already living unhealthy knocking off a carton or 2 a week.
- Mar 2, 2007
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Growing your own is beneficial for programming kids to enjoy eating fruit and vegies too.
They've done studies in Australian schools and kids in schools with F&V gardens displayed a greater willingness to taste vegies and their taste ratings were generally higher than kids from schools with no garden.
I don't grow veggies for the savings..I grow it for the intrinsic value of teaching my girls about where food comes from, being prepped for the zombie apocalypse, posting photos on instagram and to feel smug when discussing a healthy lifestyle with friends and family*.
*could be the red wine talking.
*could be the red wine talking.
Just collected about 30 tonnes of broccoli 
But think I'll have to do 2 per week next time.
But think I'll have to do 2 per week next time.
