Well the 3 metre bed is planted out and the seedlings have adjusted, the red Russian kale initially struggled I think the soil may have been too rich in places I lost one seedling which actually turned blue?? Should have gotten a photo. They seem to have grown a little and looking good again. Now to keep the water up and watch out for pest out breaks the weather is muggy still and I find this time of year is notorious for bug and caterpillar population explosions I have already had a lot of aphid and white moth issues to date in other beds in the yard.
In other beds around the yard we have some more mature kale absolutely getting massive, we will have to start eating it before the caterpillars move in. The smaller red Russian leaves will be used as a salad green the bigger leaves can be sautéed with garlic and fresh herbs or ginger and sweet soy as a side or put through a curry or pasta. Kale is an incredible versatile and nutritious vegetable we all should be eating more of. I have a few early turnip growing really well at the moment, I am going to use these in a vegetarian curry with home grown sweet potato. Turnips are ideal in stews and curries as they suck up so much flavour, I am also not growing enough to get sick of them variety is after all the spice of life.
This last photo is of a very old and lessor grown Kale/ Collard called Chou Moullier more cabbage leaf then Kale but I am hopeful it will do OK here.
Growing a few giant kohlrabi this Autumn/ Winter, apparently they can get as big as ten pin bowling balls and stay crisp without getting woody? I kind of just want to grow a really big one..
So far they are looking good, the only issue is every bug and grub known to gardeners seems to think they are delicious. I'll see how these progress as they get bigger.
This year I have signed on for a plot at the Sandgate PCYC community gardens. Its a good plot gets great sun and the soil although a little under worked looks ok. I added some mushroom compost and some slow release organic fertiliser called organic link made locally by Plant of Health.
I will be planting Morado maize in the bed in October but had no real plans for it until then so I figured I might plant out a green manure crop. I had done some reading on green manure crops particularly legume nitrogen fixing plants like lucerne and red clover. After doing a little more reading I jumped online and ordered some red clover and lucerne and some specific Rhizobia inoculant from Green Harvest in Maleny. Rhizobia are nitrogen fixing bacteria that become established in the root nodules of legume crops.
A couple weeks ago I sowed the seeds and raked them in, making sure to keep the water to them while they established and now I have a tiny mat of what looks mostly like red clover and the odd Lucerne and a sprinkling or weeds and volunteer plants. I will let the crop grow until the point of flowering and then top it and let it grow back again. In September I will turn the lot over and let it break down before I plant out my maize in October. There is a bit of nut grass and what not coming up in the bed but at this stage it is imperative to let the clover establish and once it takes hold it will smother out most weeds. I'll keep the photos of the bed updated as I think this is a fantastic way to rest and improve soil structure and quality.
Seedlings are planted out in a our 3 metre challenge bed and look over the stress of transplant the Red Kale has gone a very deep purple, not sure if the soil may be responsible of this very late hot weather. It has been a truly cruel Summer for gardeners.
We also have a few other beds with various brassicas doing well, Early purple turnips and Chou moullier kale and more established Red Russian kale leading the way.
The gutter garden is starting to produce some nice little radish. Great flavour very happy with how they taste. I will just have to watch my watering as I had one split from uneven watering. Regular watering radish will stop splitting as they grow very quickly.
For the last 6 months of so the Sandgate PCYC community gardens have had access to a space generously offered for their use on the Deagon racetrack. We are slowly implementing a workable structure and business plan so as to provide not only a space for people to learn about, organic principles gardening and sustainable living but also eventually to run the site as a viable and profitable market garden. We will endeavour to produce some home grown goodness on a semi commercial scale. Here's some pics from today's effort. Getting some beds up to scratch after such a hot summer and planting out fresh cool weather crops is my goal at the moment. I only get out there one day a week but we are making an impact and its positive.
Soil health is the backbone of organic gardening, but most backyard beds have deficiencies that, for all our hard work in preparing our dirt, limit how well our veges grow. There are also crops like corn and other heavy feeders that do much better with a regular top up of NPK (don't forget Ca and Mg but that a different post). I am a firm believer in putting in a fertiliser program to get the greatest yields from my garden. Foliar spraying fertilisers is a great way to get the best out of your plant and your fertiliser. Always use organic and follow the manufacturers recommendations. Remember to fertilise in the cool of the day and always spray the top and bottom of the leaves. Plants absorb nutrient better through the bottom of their leaves.
