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Showing 4951 - 4980 of 13854 comments
Tomato 19 Mar, Kaycee (Australia - temperate climate)
I live in a temperate climate and have an area to container plant ( wicking beds) that is reasonably protected. Is it possible to raise tomato seedlings in wicking beds now, and later transplant them into a green house that is not ready yet? Thank you for taking the time to let me know.
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Tomato 19 Mar, Jo (Australia - temperate climate)
Raised beds such as wicking beds will still be warm so if the seeds germinate you could rise them and then transplant them to the greenhouse. The window for germinating tomatoes outside is nearly closed so I suggest you put the seeds in small pots and sink them up to the neck in the beds so you can move them up and re-pot them with minimal disturbance ready for the greenhouse.
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Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 19 Mar, Ron (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi i am growing rock melons at work and have not had the experience of knowing when to pick them several friut are changing slightly to a lite shade of beige with slight yellow parts on the top side the stems are still green and no give where the stork joins the melon many thanks for any advice
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Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 15 Oct, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I live near Bundaberg in Qld. They use to grow a lot of rockies here years ago. They would start picking late Oct so probably planted seedlings in August (no frosts here). I worked on a farm during the picking season one year (late 1980's). When to pick the melons - they would start to turn from green to yellow and the melon would come away from the stalk/vine easily. They would fall off with a gentle tug. They seem to pick them a few days too early these days - they are green on the outside color and very firm flesh to eat. A melon ripened properly, will be softish and have a good melon smell.
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Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 21 Mar, Joanna (Australia - temperate climate)
They are ready to pick when the stem attaching them to the vine starts to die off. They sweeten further if you keep them at room temperature for a few days after pic,inf.
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Rockmelon (also Canteloupe) 19 Mar, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)
When rock melons are ripe you will see a small crack start to appear where the stalk joins the fruit. The stalk will come away easily from the fruit when you gently attempt to pick it.
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Tomato 19 Mar, (Australia - temperate climate)
Tomatoes in Gippsland Vic. I had a bad crop of Tomatoes this year. The tomatoes ripened with a yellow blotchy appearance. What would be causing this?
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Tomato 20 Mar, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
Sorry to hear about your bad run with tomatoes. I also live in Gippsland (Vic) and had the same problem with some of my tomato varieties last year but not others. I understand it is called Tomato (or Tobacco) Mosaic Virus. It is soil-borne and can also be transmitted by smokers when handling plants. I would look for virus-resistant varieties for next season and don't plant tomatoes, potatoes or capsicums in that spot for 3 seasons. We planted 'Tommy Toe' this year and have had an abundance of fruit with no disease. TT is a golf-ball sized tomato that bears heavily and has a great flavour.
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Tomato 27 Mar, Meredith (Australia - temperate climate)
Thank you for this information. I fear I have spread it without knowing although I am not a smoker. What is the best way to discard the diseased plants now. I have been composting and I guess this helps to spread the virus. Meredith
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 19 Mar, (Australia - temperate climate)
First time growing okra. plants about 15 cm tall but seem spindly.New leaves and growing.Do they need staking?Howhigh do they grow?
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 20 Mar, mick cunningham (Australia - arid climate)
I grow them in Newcastle and they grew spindley I didn't realise until I grew them here in Tamworth it must have been lack of sunshine as here shorter more dense and prolific fruit. Possibly sunshine is issue
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 20 Mar, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
I have had Okra plants 2 metres high. They were in a block and were unstaked
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Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo) 19 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Okra needs a long hot season to perform at its best. I planted it one time in January and there just wasn't enough season left. The plants were flowering and I did get a few but the main crop didn't grow and ripen because the weather had cooled down. try planting the seed in small pots earlier so that they can be planted out in late October or early November to achieve a long growing season. In the southern states the soil temperature often doesn't reach 15-17 degrees till about then.
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Rocket (also Arugula/Rucola) 19 Mar, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
A company called Seed Collection sells a lot of seeds. $1 a packet generally. Any thing from 20 to 400 seeds. $2 postage - free if buying $20 or more. The rocket at the moment is germinating in 72 hrs. Snow peas in 72 hrs.
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Beetroot (also Beets) 19 Mar, Michael Tierney (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
My neighbours and I are having trouble growing beetroot with the same results. We both have tried seedlings and seed but same result. The beetroot grows very nice and bushy but the bulb does not want to grow to more than a large marble. Could you give us a tip to what we are doing wrong.
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Beetroot (also Beets) 20 Mar, John (Australia - temperate climate)
Sounds a bit like an oversupply of Nitrogen as this will result in large tops and small roots. Beetroot is probably best planted following a fruit crop such as beans, tomatoes or zucchinis. Ideally they would have followed a leaf crop such as cabbage, lettuce or silver beet. This succession reduces the amount of nitrogen in the soil and allows the roots to grow bigger with less top. As a consolation beetroot and silver beet are botanically the same plant so go ahead and eat the leaves! It is best to manure or compost your soil then follow with a leaf crop followed by a fruit crop then a root crop.
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Beetroot (also Beets) 22 Mar, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
I fallow my ground during the summer. Add residue of plants and grass clippings to the soil during the summer. Turn it over 3 times (a month apart) add a bit lime and fertilizer and plant up in March (now). You need good rich soil through the top few inches as beetroot don't have long roots. I don't add anymore fertilizer while growing. Produce beet from golf ball to small rock melon size. I'm working on it but I think the important thing is to have an evenness of rich soil so that beet grow the same roughly. As stated too much nitrogen - all leaf and little beet.
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Strawberry Plants 18 Mar, Di (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi I grew some strawberries in styrofoam boxes late year. Can't remember the name but they were small and delicious. Unfortunately, they did not send out runners and eventually died off. Do some do this or have I done something wrong. I have just bought a couple of punnets from Bunnings and they already have runners. How do I propegate if no runners set? Thanks Di
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Strawberry Plants 26 Apr, Mardi (Australia - temperate climate)
Hi Di, I think the Strawberries you had are called Alpine Strawberries they do not have runners and are very sweet. I have just sown some seeds (Yates) which I bought on the internet but pretty sure Bunnings have them. I just have to hope they will germinate.
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Strawberry Plants 20 Mar, Ken (Australia - temperate climate)
The Diggers Club on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne list a non-running variety called 'Temptation'. This may be the one you are looking for.
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Garlic 17 Mar, Dianne (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi I have tried growing garlic a couple of times now. Generally I plant on the 23 March and harvest 23 June. First few times garlic was small except for a couple decent sized ones. Last year, I ended up with one large bulb only, on each plant; almost like a small onion. What would cause this to happen?
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Garlic 19 Mar, Verena (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi Dianne I am in a sub tropical area too and I plant late April/May and harvest in November when leaves start to die down. Perhaps you are harvesting to early?
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Ginger 17 Mar, Nikki (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Hi, I have just bought a ginger plant and was wondering if I should plant it now or wait until spring? Any special treatment I should give it over winter? I suspect it is to small to harvest
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Ginger 17 Mar, Jonno (Australia - temperate climate)
If your area is frost-free you could plant it but ensure drainage is good as it may rot in the colder soil. As ginger will be dormant over winter you may be better to save it for spring planting.
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Ginger 17 Mar, Nikki (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Forgot to mention I live in Perth
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Ginger 19 Mar, Jonno (Australia - temperate climate)
Should be able to plant ginger then. Perth drainage is good (sandy soil). The risk of rotting very low.
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Strawberry Plants 15 Mar, Osone Layer (Australia - temperate climate)
When is the time for buying strawberries
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Strawberry Plants 15 Mar, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)
Strawberry plants are normally available from late autumn through winter from nurseries, garden centres, bigger hardware stores, etc. They come bare rooted or packed in damp sawdust in a plastic bag.
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Asparagus 15 Mar, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)
Keep the seeds in a cool dry place. I kept watering my asparagus all the way into July last year - spears kept coming up. When I did cut them in August, new spears appeared in week or so. I gave my 3 plants a big hair cut a week ago. I have 4 x 6' posts at the corners of the garden bed and cord running around the post to support the ferns. The ferns grow to 6-8' high. I only cut spears for 1 month last year (2 yr old plant). In hindsight I could have cut them for another 4-6 weeks. The crowns are now about 15" in diameter (2.5 yrs old now). The little seedlings I planted out in Sept are still growing - the shade cloth cover did the trick. The last 2.5 mths have seen the temp in the 32-34 degree area (3 d above average). Have grown quite well in this rather hot weather. Looking forward to August - November to having a great feed off them.
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Asparagus 15 May, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
All my asparagus grew really well in April especially the new little plants (6) from seed planted Sept last year. Although I keep trimming the older plants back they just keep growing - the warm weather - 26 C here today and nights 14-16 C. Looks like another warm winter coming.
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Showing 4951 - 4980 of 13854 comments
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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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