Doing the 'Crop Rotation' tango!

Left: Truss tomatoes ... Right: Grape tomatoes

Two examples lead on to the 'issues' that I am trying to cope with in this first foray into veggie gardening since 1959-1960. First example, is one I have mentioned before. I stuffed both carrots and peas. The carrots were all twisted and gnarled, whereas the peas did not bear more than about three examples of fruit. Second example, is that my tomato vines have turned into a dense, twisted jungle which I despair will ever ripen any fruit.

So, what are the broader issues? First, the soil must be tilled adequately, 'friable' I believe is the term'. No sticks, no stones, but lots of organic matter. And the tilling must be much more than surface deep, one foot in depth even! Second, Not all plants make good neighbours. Some will happily coexist, while others must either precede or follow.

So, I need a rotation plan. 'Gardening Australia' recommends FOUR BEDS X FOUR YEARS. So, this I will incorporate into my forward planning. Requires much thought, as my choice of vegetables - the ones the family is happy to consume - are so at variance to that which GA has chosen.

Left: What is the mongrel eating my raspberries? ... Right: When do I harvest this bounteous supply of capsicum?

Left & Right: This cucumber is looking a treat with about 8 cuwies nearing harvest.

And finally, a rockmelon. I have never grown them before, but think the fruit is just below, but separate from, the flower. Shall be interested to see if I am anywhere close!

Here endeth the grubbing out

I started removing the fringe of rocks, and the excess gardenias in the first week of March, meaning we had been in our new house for four weeks. Darren cut in the curve for the grassy amphitheatre on 24th March, and has worked solidly each weekend since then, seven weeks in total, and probably upwards of 100 hours. Here is the best I can manage as an AFTER & BEFORE show. I wanted to lead with an image of what the veggie patch looks like now, so the After shot is the first of each pairing.

This is where the bulk of the hours were sucked up: mattocking, chiseling, chain-sawing, and shoveling in this little area, known colloquially as 'The Orchard'. The previous owners had repeatedly had trees and shrubs hacked off at ground level, leaving stumps and roots to resucker. Not any more they wont. Quite a few massive female funnel web spiders were encountered, readying to launch an assault. Not any more they wont. Hard to believe they are the same area. On the left of the After photo is the orchard, and on the right of the After photo is the utility area - water and gas meters.

Along this fence line were a series of resuckering stumps, which have all been either removed or chased down to the fenceline and poisoned. What is left now is an area to construct a trellis for climbing things like peas'n'beans. More on this in my next post. I have the first lot of compost ready to go. I have Hamish primed to unload some chook poo on me !!). And we have a discussion to navigate to determine what to layer the walkways with. Darren wants some sort of blue-metal, whereas I am after something softer for little kids' feet, and less dangerous if picked up by the mower. I will look to see what Bunnings offer as alternatives.

Still to come is the rainwater tank.