Great vegetable growing season

[Walter]

I'm not sure how everyone else is going, but this round of growing vegetables etc has been a bumper season.

This was just this morning. 

So far since early December 2021, I've donated tomatoes and green capsicum to all of my neighbours, and friends far an wide during lockdowns.

All of my crops are fertilised with worm tea from my worm farm, and a bit of blood and bone fertiliser.

Oddly, I didn't have to dust the tomatoes, so no insecticides this year either.

Lettuces aren't shown today, they are also doing well, though I had to net them after the butterflies got at them the first time. Seems like the butterflies know exactly when to arrive, and they came on-masse.

Cherry Tomatoes

So, my Vanilla Ice Cream tree facts here

has gone gangbusters.

Last year it learned how to make the beans, but this year, there are truckloads of beans.  If it follows the pattern of last year, these bean pods will be ready for picking from mid February, and this time, most of them are a LOT bigger than last years efforts.  As they ripen, they swell up, straighten, and fill out, and they can be quite heavy.  

@KatieC  FYI. amazing plants I think out of the blossoms, I'm getting about 15-20% fruit, which seems reasonable.

And I haven't touched on the Strawberry Guava or Boysenberry, which are coming along nicely.

No Olives this year, which was my one failure, because the scale infestation took a while to sort out.

[KatieC]

Incredible stuff @Walter!

You'll have to show us what delicious dishes you make from your garden too

I've been reading up on Worm Tea and it seems as if it were a miracle "drink" for plants! 

Do you think the scale issue with your olives under control now? 

Katie

[Walter]

@KatieC 

"Do you think the scale issue with your olives under control now? "

Yes, that was a combination of baby shampoo diluted in water, and eco oil

Regular weekly spraying over a month made all the difference, but I would say 8 weeks till all the leaves lost the black dusty fungus, and no further evidence of scale.   

I've also introduced flowers and plants that attract ladybugs, and that's been successful, as I've seen a few of them in the garden. I read that ladybugs are great for pest control.

There is now no appearance of scale, but I'm checking regularly now.

 I barbecue a lot of the time (and expect to do more once the back deck is completed).

Expect another recipe post about lamb rotisserie kebabs, I use garden grown vegetables where I can for this, and I've actually got some onions growing, so within a month this will be on the barbecue

Tonight I'm doing a rack of ham (yes, ham), which should be interesting.

[EricL]

Hi @Walter

Thanks for the baby shampoo formula for removing black dusty fungus. I've just started my tomato plants this year, so we'll see if I get a good harvest. I'm looking forward to seeing your barbecue ham. That really sounds very interesting, please make sure to post an update.

Eric

[KatieC]

Hi @Walter 

Thank you for your black fungus tip! 

You are very creative coming up with that combo and it wonderful you have ladybugs to be your assistant. 

I look forward to your recipe posts, especially how you achieve your rack of ham!

Katie

[Walter]

@KatieC  My Vanilla Ice cream bush is ripening. 

Part of this mornings crop.

I have hundreds more on the tree, some are 30 Cm long.

When you open them here's what you get:

The pulp is juicy and has the texture of candy floss, and tastes..... like vanilla ice cream.

[KatieC]

Hi @Walter,

I am SO JEALOUS! Your harvest looks incredible. Do you think you'll continue to eat them straight or make a dessert with them?

Katie 

[Walter]

@KatieC 

You can certainly eat them straight. 

In parts of South America, you buy them straight from the market, often more than a metre long.

You carry them on hikes, and they are a perfect snack on the walk.

I'm eating them straight from the tree, but  I may try to use them to flavour a custard or something.

Interestingly, this page suggests roasting the seeds, and I will be collecting the seeds and trying out that.

I won't be chewing the beans and spitting the mixture into a vat to produce a fermented drink 😛😝