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#16
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Tomatoes
"Ed Adamthwaite" wrote in message
Hi Farm1, it's been a disaster season here in the Dandenongs east of Melbourne for tomatoes. Early on we had a plague of aphids sucking the life out of everything green. Applications of white oil hardly made a dent in their attack. Then we had practically no rain and weren't allowed to water them more than twice a week. The white oil residue nearly suffocated the plants and it was only the new growth that kept the plants going. The old leaves died and had to be cut off. Once the aphids died out later in the summer the new growth managed to get ahead and flower. I have had less than 5% of the harvest that I had last year. The one redeeming feature is that the tomatoes that have ripened so far have few seeds and liquid but have more than 90% flesh. They are the best flavoured tomatoes that I have ever had. If only had enough extra to put into the dehydrator.... Regards, Ed. Geeze Ed, although you sound like you have had a rotten year for toms, you've actually managed to cheer me up considerably. We haven't had nearly your run of incidents - just not up to par or as good as they should be. I hope you got compensatory better returns for other crops like we've done with cucumbers and strawberries. |
#17
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Tomatoes
"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message What's happening with tomatoes around the country? We've had limited numbers of decent ones ripening and tis seems to be common according to what others I've spoken to locally have said. i'd agree with that, & my tomatoes are shite too! even the ever-reliable cherry varieties just aren't ripening (we've had a grand total of SEVEN cherry toms & that is all). :-)) I went to a 'fibre day' at la weaver's place one road further to the east from you and the lady there had good toms growing. I hasten to add that she had rigged up a couple of poly pipe arches with plastic over the top and had all her veg growing in there, so I noted that just in case we end up living nearer to where you are. I suspect tha realy reason for the arch was to keep of the wildlife but ti also worked for evening out the climate extremes and being on her own, she didn't need a big crop of anything, just fresh stuff instead of supermarket stuff. the romas this year are just a dud - i've stopped watering them & lost all hope for them this year. tomatoes give me the shits anyway, i don't know why i bother. Literally the shits or metaphorically? my cucurbits have been truly awful (& have friends saying the same about that as well). we finally have a few cucumbers happening at long last, but NO pumpkin, potimarron, spaghetti squash etc AT ALL, and, (wait for it!) only two zucchini so far!!!!!!!!! this is unheard of!!!!!!!! Good Lord! Zucchini and cucumber doing the proverbial strangling of us in our beds and Golden Nugget pumpkins being given away in copious quantities. Zucchini cake, zucchini fritters, zucchini loaf.....How long till the first frost? Perhaps the only good reason to hope for a frost. i haven't seen much bee activity for quite a while & i wonder what is going on there. we've had bees out the wazoo all year round since we came, but not lately. at my house, it's just been an awful season - too cool to start with, then an unbelievable heatwave, now it's been too cool again & at no stage has there been enough rain. hopeless. my basil this year has been all right though for the first time ever (probably because i stopped trying to companion plant with tomatoes). then again, the carrots have been very good as well - i seem to have conquered my carrot problems! I suspect if we get a rotter of a season for one thing, then we get compensation for another. A bit like life I guess |
#18
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Tomatoes
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
... :-)) I went to a 'fibre day' at la weaver's place one road further to the east from you and the lady there had good toms growing. I hasten to add that she had rigged up a couple of poly pipe arches with plastic over the top and had all her veg growing in there, so I noted that just in case we end up living nearer to where you are. I suspect tha realy reason for the arch was to keep of the wildlife but ti also worked for evening out the climate extremes and being on her own, she didn't need a big crop of anything, just fresh stuff instead of supermarket stuff. keeping the wildlife out would be a BIG motivator, i suspect! we're in the process of making tunnel-like covers with shade cloth on top (not sure if shade cloth is ideal or not, but the first ones are intended for brassicas to keep out the c.w. butterflies.) other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, and a new invasion of choughs just today. i could just scream some days, but i'm learning to take it more philosophically. sort of. it is nice to live amongst bushland in this area but some days i feel its not worth it! the romas this year are just a dud - i've stopped watering them & lost all hope for them this year. tomatoes give me the shits anyway, i don't know why i bother. Literally the shits or metaphorically? :-) i just can't get interested in them. i like eating them, but i'm not a tomato-growing nut & never will be. anything that has to be staked, propped, wired, or whatever just drives me crazy. so i haven't staked the cherry toms because in my experience they simply do not care either way!! (also, eating tomatoes makes my finger joints hurt - someone told me they cause arthritis flare-ups & perhaps this is the first sign!!) in this same way, the very idea of growing fruit trees bores me to sobs. if they go well on their own, that's great. otherwise, i just don't give a shit, it's too much trouble. i thought i was interested in fruit like i'm interested in veg, but apparently i was wrong. I suspect if we get a rotter of a season for one thing, then we get compensation for another. A bit like life I guess this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) |
#19
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Tomatoes
0tterbot wrote:
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... :-)) I went to a 'fibre day' at la weaver's place one road further to the east from you and the lady there had good toms growing. I hasten to add that she had rigged up a couple of poly pipe arches with plastic over the top and had all her veg growing in there, so I noted that just in case we end up living nearer to where you are. I suspect tha realy reason for the arch was to keep of the wildlife but ti also worked for evening out the climate extremes and being on her own, she didn't need a big crop of anything, just fresh stuff instead of supermarket stuff. keeping the wildlife out would be a BIG motivator, i suspect! we're in the process of making tunnel-like covers with shade cloth on top (not sure if shade cloth is ideal or not, but the first ones are intended for brassicas to keep out the c.w. butterflies.) other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, and a new invasion of choughs just today. i could just scream some days, but i'm learning to take it more philosophically. sort of. it is nice to live amongst bushland in this area but some days i feel its not worth it! the romas this year are just a dud - i've stopped watering them & lost all hope for them this year. tomatoes give me the shits anyway, i don't know why i bother. Literally the shits or metaphorically? :-) i just can't get interested in them. i like eating them, but i'm not a tomato-growing nut & never will be. anything that has to be staked, propped, wired, or whatever just drives me crazy. so i haven't staked the cherry toms because in my experience they simply do not care either way!! (also, eating tomatoes makes my finger joints hurt - someone told me they cause arthritis flare-ups & perhaps this is the first sign!!) in this same way, the very idea of growing fruit trees bores me to sobs. if they go well on their own, that's great. otherwise, i just don't give a shit, it's too much trouble. i thought i was interested in fruit like i'm interested in veg, but apparently i was wrong. I suspect if we get a rotter of a season for one thing, then we get compensation for another. A bit like life I guess this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) Crickey youre in as mood today. Time for a soothing lavender bath... |
#20
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Tomatoes
"jonno" wrote in message
... this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) Crickey youre in as mood today. you're not wrong there, sunshine!!!!!! Time for a soothing lavender bath... firstly, baths make me pass out; and secondly, whilst i have two bathtubs, one contains water chestnuts & the other is my grey water system. and thirdly, the lavender's not flowering again yet. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS??! *^#%$!!!!! g :-))) kylie (isn't a morning in the garden meant to be a soothing experience?) |
#21
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Tomatoes
"0tterbot" wrote in message ... "jonno" wrote in message ... this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) Crickey youre in as mood today. you're not wrong there, sunshine!!!!!! Time for a soothing lavender bath... firstly, baths make me pass out; and secondly, whilst i have two bathtubs, one contains water chestnuts & the other is my grey water system. and thirdly, the lavender's not flowering again yet. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS??! *^#%$!!!!! g :-))) kylie (isn't a morning in the garden meant to be a soothing experience?) I guess it would be wasted to say like the seppos. Have a nice day................. |
#22
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Tomatoes
On Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:16:13 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote:
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... :-)) I went to a 'fibre day' at la weaver's place one road further to the east from you and the lady there had good toms growing. I hasten to add that she had rigged up a couple of poly pipe arches with plastic over the top and had all her veg growing in there, so I noted that just in case we end up living nearer to where you are. I suspect tha realy reason for the arch was to keep of the wildlife but ti also worked for evening out the climate extremes and being on her own, she didn't need a big crop of anything, just fresh stuff instead of supermarket stuff. keeping the wildlife out would be a BIG motivator, i suspect! we're in the process of making tunnel-like covers with shade cloth on top (not sure if shade cloth is ideal or not, but the first ones are intended for brassicas to keep out the c.w. butterflies.) other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, Ahhhh Free meat for the pot..... Yummmm ! and a new invasion of choughs just today. i could just scream some days, but i'm learning to take it more philosophically. sort of. it is nice to live amongst bushland in this area but some days i feel its not worth it! the romas this year are just a dud - i've stopped watering them & lost all hope for them this year. tomatoes give me the shits anyway, i don't know why i bother. Literally the shits or metaphorically? :-) i just can't get interested in them. i like eating them, but i'm not a tomato-growing nut & never will be. anything that has to be staked, propped, wired, or whatever just drives me crazy. so i haven't staked the cherry toms because in my experience they simply do not care either way!! (also, eating tomatoes makes my finger joints hurt You're supposed to stop chewing when you get to your fingers and only eat the actual tomatoes.... - someone told me they cause arthritis flare-ups & perhaps this is the first sign!!) in this same way, the very idea of growing fruit trees bores me to sobs. if they go well on their own, that's great. otherwise, i just don't give a shit, it's too much trouble. i thought i was interested in fruit like i'm interested in veg, but apparently i was wrong. I suspect if we get a rotter of a season for one thing, then we get compensation for another. A bit like life I guess this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) |
#23
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Tomatoes
"0tterbot" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message keeping the wildlife out would be a BIG motivator, i suspect! we're in the process of making tunnel-like covers with shade cloth on top (not sure if shade cloth is ideal or not, but the first ones are intended for brassicas to keep out the c.w. butterflies.) Have you tried makign fake ones out of an old 2 Litre milk container? Cut them to shape of a CW in flight and put some black spots on them and then put them on satay skewers near brassicas. I'm quite convinced that they work to keep off the real CW flutterbys. other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, No nearby Jack Russell to lend a hand? We've noticed the numbers of buns had started building up here too but the 2 JRs are going off and spending half an hour out of sight doing something. I suspect it might be a bit of rabbit destruction as we se the odd bits of fur around and less signs of live buns. and a new invasion of choughs just today. i could just scream some days, but i'm learning to take it more philosophically. sort of. Snort! Pull the other one, it chimes! it is nice to live amongst bushland in this area but some days i feel its not worth it! We've spent a bloody fortune in hugely wide bird netting as it's the only way to get produce from our fruit trees. Now Himself has retired, there is no way Mr Frugality is going to let a simple bird beat him. He's never given up on anything, or backed away from anything difficult or 'impossible' in the past so a sodding bird is not going to defeat him. I just wander along behind him doing what I'm told and shoving the broom head up where I'm told under the bird wire. It sort of works out OK till I get the Tom Tits over something and remove myself in a state of high irritation :-)) Gotta say, the apples and nectarines have been well worth the effort of beatign the birds. the romas this year are just a dud - i've stopped watering them & lost all hope for them this year. tomatoes give me the shits anyway, i don't know why i bother. Literally the shits or metaphorically? :-) i just can't get interested in them. i like eating them, but i'm not a tomato-growing nut & never will be. anything that has to be staked, propped, wired, or whatever just drives me crazy. so i haven't staked the cherry toms because in my experience they simply do not care either way!! I guess I also couldn't be described as a fnatic about the stakign and tieing up, but I don't mind the other care of them. Himself liked to do the bondage thing to the toms. (also, eating tomatoes makes my finger joints hurt - someone told me they cause arthritis flare-ups & perhaps this is the first sign!!) Yep. My father found that toms made his arthritis flare like crazy. in this same way, the very idea of growing fruit trees bores me to sobs. if they go well on their own, that's great. otherwise, i just don't give a shit, it's too much trouble. i thought i was interested in fruit like i'm interested in veg, but apparently i was wrong. Hmm. Interesting. In what way don't you like it? I get the same sort of thrill from watching my trees as I do the veg. I like to see them respond after pruning and when given food and water etc. I suspect if we get a rotter of a season for one thing, then we get compensation for another. A bit like life I guess this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) Didn't notice any swearing. I just noticed technical descriptions commonly used by gardeners. |
#24
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Tomatoes
wrote in message
On Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:16:13 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote: other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, Ahhhh Free meat for the pot..... Yummmm ! Dunno about that. I suspect farmed rabbits are the way to go. Himself shot one on our back lawn and handed it to me to skin, gut and cook. I figured it wasn't too dissimilar to a chook so managed the gutting and skinning OK. Bloody thing got its revenge by being as tough as an old boot once cooked. I should have just cut it up with some secateurs and given it to the dogs. |
#25
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Tomatoes
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... wrote in message On Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:16:13 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote: other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, Ahhhh Free meat for the pot..... Yummmm ! Dunno about that. I suspect farmed rabbits are the way to go. Himself shot one on our back lawn and handed it to me to skin, gut and cook. I figured it wasn't too dissimilar to a chook so managed the gutting and skinning OK. Bloody thing got its revenge by being as tough as an old boot once cooked. I should have just cut it up with some secateurs and given it to the dogs. Feral rabbits soak overnight in salt water. Removes the strong gamey taste that may be offputting to some. Myself I have not been able to skin & gut the blighters since going thru puberty, me not the bunnies. B4 being 13 I used to keep the family in underground mutton. Then the smell of warm flesh made me throw up, but not enough to become a vegie. |
#26
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Tomatoes
0tterbot wrote:
"jonno" wrote in message ... this is very true, & one of my sole consolations :-) kylie (who seems to have included a good deal of swearing in this post!) Crickey youre in as mood today. you're not wrong there, sunshine!!!!!! Time for a soothing lavender bath... firstly, baths make me pass out; and secondly, whilst i have two bathtubs, one contains water chestnuts & the other is my grey water system. and thirdly, the lavender's not flowering again yet. Yeah you could say youre priorities are wrong. Baths are for people. And last years lavender though not as good, would help you and youre not prepared for anything. You could always buy a sachet at a market and breathe in deep... Orright! ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS??! *^#%$!!!!! g All done with... :-))) kylie (isn't a morning in the garden meant to be a soothing experience?) It is if its planned right. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail! The magpies in my garden reckon the others who joined the the other night don't belong so its an all out battle at the moment. So much for peace in the neighbourhood garden. Another few weeks and they will disappear for a few weeks, dispersing their young. Bees missing, still some Damn european wasps about. Dont they kill bees too? |
#27
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Tomatoes
"SG1" wrote in message
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message wrote in message On Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:16:13 GMT, "0tterbot" wrote: other than that we are having/have had big problems with furry creatures & now the ****ing rabbits are back, Ahhhh Free meat for the pot..... Yummmm ! Dunno about that. I suspect farmed rabbits are the way to go. Himself shot one on our back lawn and handed it to me to skin, gut and cook. I figured it wasn't too dissimilar to a chook so managed the gutting and skinning OK. Bloody thing got its revenge by being as tough as an old boot once cooked. I should have just cut it up with some secateurs and given it to the dogs. Feral rabbits soak overnight in salt water. Removes the strong gamey taste that may be offputting to some. It wasn't a strong gamey taste that was wrong with it, it was jsut as tough as a boot. I dont' mind gamey flavour. Myself I have not been able to skin & gut the blighters since going thru puberty, me not the bunnies. B4 being 13 I used to keep the family in underground mutton. Then the smell of warm flesh made me throw up, but not enough to become a vegie. Know what you mean about that warm flesh smell. There really is nothing that smells quite like it. |
#28
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Tomatoes
In article 49b36eb9$0$4231$5a62ac22@per-qv1-newsreader-
01.iinet.net.au, ask@itshall says... Know what you mean about that warm flesh smell. There really is nothing that smells quite like it. Yeah, quite distinctive. As long as theres a breeze, or at least some airflow, it ain't too bad. And if it needs to be said, the sooner you gut an animal, the better. I must be lucky, havent had a bunny with tough meat here as yet. |
#29
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Tomatoes
"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message ... What's happening with tomatoes around the country? We've had limited numbers of decent ones ripening and tis seems to be common according to what others I've spoken to locally have said. My veggie garden has been poor this summer as well here in Gippsland. Tomatoes have been late, poor sweetcorn crop, no cucumbers to pick yet. Oddly some of my fruit trees (apples, plums, nectarines) are flowering again now. |
#30
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Tomatoes
On Sat, 07 Mar 2009 17:43:14 +1100, FarmI wrote:
Bloody thing got its revenge by being as tough as an old boot once cooked. Slow cooking. If you have a few, you could always try the chook softner technique; give them chateau le cardboard to drink, or so I'm told. |
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