Post by: Green rv on September 18, 2015, 07:30:21 AM
and its kicking ass. atm.
doing things a little different this season
bulk planting
i will end up with an overabundance of stuff but share it with the neighbours and friends
will get some pics of the rest of the yard maybe in the arvo so it not so gleary
in these boxes i have
broccoli
lettuce
beetroot
rocket
silverbeet
snow peas
+ something else but can't remember ???
the middle box was at times a fish pond with barra and bass + some others
and a turtle pond
it also has solar on the roof for charging 2 x 120 ah batteries for the camper
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Vitara_JaycoSwift_Outback on September 18, 2015, 08:00:11 AM
Post by: Azz on September 18, 2015, 08:05:04 AM
Post by: dales133 on September 18, 2015, 08:07:56 AM
nice garden.Reminds me i better do some planting.
All the herbs i planted lat year that were a bit dormant over winter have lept back into life.
Hopefuly its a good season
Post by: D4D on September 18, 2015, 08:24:14 AM
I like your retaining wall too!
Post by: Green rv on September 18, 2015, 09:34:07 AM
Looks great, I must get some planting done soon.
I like your retaining wall too!
what a mission that wall was
built it during the 2011 floods so was held up a lot. the whole wall weighed about 35 tons.
its amazing what 2 men and a shovel can do. actually i bought a engine crane and two hand trolleys. welded the hand trolley wheels onto the engine crane, to move them about the yard. at least 1 of the boulders weighed in at 750 kg
still haven't finished it just a few meters left, ran out of rocks.
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Steffo1 on September 18, 2015, 09:59:57 AM
We have a slightly different arrangement but still some raised beds. Our main problem is not caterpillars or the like but our resident possums. They must be the healthiest in Qld. Our oranges come under attack from Rainbow Lorries which peck a hole through the skin big enough to get their head in & eat it from the inside. Quite a few times we've thought there has been a few fruit on only to find it's a hollow husk!
Some of our recent produce.
Post by: Green rv on September 18, 2015, 10:43:26 AM
good variety of fruit & veg.
i have a resident possum too.
i must get in and clear the back out so i can grow some melons.
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Trailer Bloke on September 18, 2015, 10:54:58 AM
Post by: Jeepers Creepers on September 18, 2015, 02:05:23 PM
All those edges and crap to mow around..... ffffttttt.
Post by: WilSurf on September 18, 2015, 02:19:07 PM
We are thinking of getting an aquaponics system.
Post by: plusnq on September 18, 2015, 02:20:07 PM
Post by: jayjay on September 18, 2015, 03:03:06 PM
Looks good Adam, nothing like getting your hands dirty and enjoying the rewards of your labours!
I am doing a major revamp of my patch- brand new raised sleeper beds, all ready for full-on attack.
Am thinking of doing the no-dig newspaper/ straw/compost thing rather than straight soil- with wicking underneath, to eliminate the need for daily watering (so we can go camping for a few days in warmer weather :D and the garden not dehydrate too much).
Any swaggers out there with any experience or stories to tell re this??
Am trying to post a pic - but having lots of trouble, so apologies if it's not there......
Post by: jayjay on September 18, 2015, 03:04:45 PM
Post a pic, that is! :D Not bad for a dinosaur!!
Post by: Green rv on September 18, 2015, 03:06:14 PM
Geez Adam, from a mower man's point of view...... are you friggin crazy. ;Dhaven't finished yet at some stage i will get some deco and put a mow strip along the wall and around the patches.
All those edges and crap to mow around..... ffffttttt.
still as is only takes 1/2 hour to mow and snip.
Nice.
We are thinking of getting an aquaponics system.
i was trying that myself,
when i had the fish pond 2000ltr in the middle it had a watering system to water the veggie patch. but i kept getting bad algae plumes, so i put the roof on to reduce the light, to no avail.
had that system running for over 3 years, and the fish got quite big 30+ cm (4-7cm when i got them)
most of the system ran off 12v solar but also added a 240v bilge pump on a timer.
this added heaps of oxygen and flow to the water and the fish seem to like it too.
i then derigged that and turned it into a micro eco system, with turtles and fish but a lot less water about 800ltr.
had that running real good, then someone pinched one of the turtles (would tell the kids it was hiding)
it had a water plant filter that ran down a waterfall , then ran through a gravel filter and water the plants.
in both systems as i watered the plants i would then top the pond back up.
i do believe the aquaponics system you buy / make, would be a lot less maintenance compared to what i had.
but mine was more about the visual than practical.
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Green rv on September 18, 2015, 03:19:34 PM
Great thread- especially at this time of year!!
Looks good Adam, nothing like getting your hands dirty and enjoying the rewards of your labours!
I am doing a major revamp of my patch- brand new raised sleeper beds, all ready for full-on attack.
Am thinking of doing the no-dig newspaper/ straw/compost thing rather than straight soil- with wicking underneath, to eliminate the need for daily watering (so we can go camping for a few days in warmer weather :D and the garden not dehydrate too much).
Any swaggers out there with any experience or stories to tell re this??
Am trying to post a pic - but having lots of trouble, so apologies if it's not there......
Thanks JayJay
i wish i had spent the extra and got some nice looking sleepers like yours
im not into the no dig system
my gardens now look like soil but started as wood chip mainly
i always make mounds to plant in and fill the divots with sugar cane mulch
after each year i dig in some extra mulch and pine bark chip(soft fall) this helps keep air pockets in the soil and retain moisture.
this year i added too one of the patches as it was getting low
1/4 meter of mushroom compost
1/4 meter soft fall
1/2 bag of sugar cane mulch
bit of worm compost
(note that if you want to grow from seed this mix may be a bit coarse but will be ok next crop)
i dont normally need to add this much, norm is 1 x bag soft fall 1/3 bag sugarcane per year per patch
other half a bag of sugar cane to mulch the top
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Steffo1 on September 18, 2015, 04:20:19 PM
Great thread- especially at this time of year!!I got 2 ton of mushroom compost ( where the mushies in the pics came from) & mixed it with soil & our own compost.
Looks good Adam, nothing like getting your hands dirty and enjoying the rewards of your labours!
I am doing a major revamp of my patch- brand new raised sleeper beds, all ready for full-on attack.
Am thinking of doing the no-dig newspaper/ straw/compost thing rather than straight soil- with wicking underneath, to eliminate the need for daily watering (so we can go camping for a few days in warmer weather :D and the garden not dehydrate too much).
Any swaggers out there with any experience or stories to tell re this??
Am trying to post a pic - but having lots of trouble, so apologies if it's not there......
Our soil here is very shaley & so difficult to turn but has a lot of nutrients so fair's fair I suppose. I found that to get a good compost going moisture content is the key. Too much or too little & it won't break down as it should. We're on tank water so I have to be a bit careful with my water use. I have a sheet of clear elsonite which I cover the bins with in heavy rain.
We just keep topping up the raised beds with the mix & mixing it with the natural ground in the other gardens.
I make up 2 x 44 gal drums of Seasol for the fruit trees. It can be a lot of hard yakka but the fruits of the labour are worth it.
Good Luck
Steve
p.s. the plastic garden edging is not successful!
Post by: Green rv on September 18, 2015, 04:37:16 PM
p.s. the plastic garden edging is not successful!
good to know i have been thinking of doing that
what's the plant in the last pic? will take a guess finger lime vanilla bean
and your cheating your yards a bit bigger than your standard block
but very impressive
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Bird on September 18, 2015, 05:05:32 PM
Post by: Steffo1 on September 18, 2015, 06:22:53 PM
good to know i have been thinking of doing thatThey're broad beans & we lost a few to..............................our kookaburras! They would strip the shell off & eat the innards. We chased them off a few times but to no avail. Fake owls don't work either!
what's the plant in the last pic? will take a guess finger lime vanilla bean
Adam
Photo shows aftermath.
Post by: fishfinder on September 19, 2015, 07:45:04 AM
If I have problems with birds I will get some reo bar, poly pipe and some netting to stop them and in the colder months replace the netting with clear plastic to turn it into a
On the instructions on the back of the seed packet it says to feed them ??? Me thinks they mite starve as my wife is not much of a cook.
Post by: WilSurf on October 29, 2015, 11:53:47 AM
Last Saturday we filled up the grow beds, washed she dust off, did the plumbing.
Earlier this week we filled up the 1000 liter fish tank and tested the plumbing: no leaks.
Yesterday the fish went in, 20 baby silver perches. If you look very closely you can see them.
Post by: Steffo1 on October 29, 2015, 12:15:55 PM
Please keep us posted on the results.
Steve
Post by: Green rv on October 29, 2015, 12:23:20 PM
interested how long it takes the fish to get some size to them
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: WilSurf on October 29, 2015, 12:42:56 PM
As I am not a great fish eater (those bones has put me off when I was little) we haven't gone for Barramundi / Trout.
Next Saturday we will try to get some nice koi as well.
Post by: Green rv on October 29, 2015, 12:47:38 PM
They say round 18 months to plate size.
As I am not a great fish eater (those bones has put me off when I was little) we haven't gone for Barramundi / Trout.
Next Saturday we will try to get some nice koi as well.
that's not bad i had a few in my pond 7cm to 38cm in two years
Post by: WilSurf on November 25, 2015, 01:09:09 PM
Only 2 casualties. We bought 4 nice little koi's and 10 bigger silvers.
Two of the new silvers died within 2 days, probably from the shock.
They love the food, every time they come to the surface when you show up around feed time.
Some of the plants are doing well, some others are struggling. But I think the system is still cycling so not up to its potential yet.
My wife sowed some seeds and they were sprouting quickly.
Now to make a cover for the fish tank as the sun is heating up the water and a shade cloth doesn't look nice.
Post by: Green rv on November 30, 2015, 08:06:32 AM
raised all the citrus trees in the front garden and pulled a few weeds along the way
the before pics
Post by: Green rv on November 30, 2015, 08:07:40 AM
in there you should now be able to see most plants
on the fence a grape
then lemon, orange(early),another orange (late) and a mandarin at the end (around the corner a little bit more is a blood orange)
scattered under the citrus is pineapples and have 9 in fruit atm (ummo)
last week i also had a lime, passion fruit and a bottle brush tree in the same area but are now firewood
both had borers and couldn't be saved
the passion fruits time was up
most of the trees are about 7 years old and this was their first prune,so hopefully wont have to do anything to them for a least 2-3 years
started off with removing all the lower branches, to give the raised effect, then removing some of the branches to open up the canopy a bit
while pruning i also use some black past to seal the wounds and stop infections
i think i did ok
Post by: Green rv on November 30, 2015, 08:25:52 AM
i have a macadamia, paw paw, more pine apples, peanuts, and something else but that will have to remain a mystery till it fruits as i forgot
also her is Paige's teardrop cubby/shop with swag flag
Post by: Steffo1 on November 30, 2015, 08:43:23 AM
My wife has nearly perfected "Her Method" for boiling our peanuts. We have a crop which is probably ready to be picked so she may try soon. Also, keep an eye on them as they will run amok if unattended.
Steve
Post by: Green rv on November 30, 2015, 08:55:25 AM
Looking good Adam. Watch the pine apples seeing you have possums. One of our furry little friends did this in one night!
My wife has nearly perfected "Her Method" for boiling our peanuts. We have a crop which is probably ready to be picked so she may try soon. Also, keep an eye on them as they will run amok if unattended.
Steve
yes i now cover my pineapples with wire mesh (shaped like a cone ) that i slip over when they are getting close to ripe
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: scarpsD40 on November 30, 2015, 10:31:57 AM
Post by: D4D on November 30, 2015, 11:17:27 AM
Post by: Green rv on November 30, 2015, 11:49:07 AM
With a garden like that you must have European heritage, 'If you can't eat it don't grow it' :)
slowly weeding the non edible trees out.
i've taken out about15 trees by hand and also had 4 x 40 ft palms trees removed.
i have two mock orange left beside the trampoline. one has been marked to go asap
and three lilli pillies down beside the macadamia tree. one has asked to go asap, starting to interfere with the nut tree. the other two are wanting a haircut, starting to touch the house.
do it mostly for the kids. they love their fruit and veg especially direct from the garden.
actually in 2004 when we bought the place i started doing a native garden. you can still see some native plants here and there in the garden but most struggled to grow, then did a complete back flip into the edible garden
would love to start a co-op type thing with others close in my area,
grow and share with others doing the same
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: D4D on November 30, 2015, 12:23:17 PM
do it mostly for the kids. they love their fruit and veg especially direct from the garden.
Yep, me too. It's good to get them interested in it and understand what it takes to produce food.
Post by: Green rv on November 30, 2015, 12:39:02 PM
Yep, me too. It's good to get them interested in it and understand what it takes to produce food.yep if there's nothing in the fruit bowl there's a whole garden of food outside
they also get some pocket money for helping weed the veg patches.
its funny sometimes what people don't know about the food they eat
i get so many comments on the pineapples as there right at the front fence
"OH i didn't realise that pineapples grew above the ground" (OMG where have you been)
most think they grow like potatoes under the ground
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Steffo1 on December 17, 2015, 10:18:34 AM
Steve
Post by: GQMacca on December 17, 2015, 10:37:55 AM
Wifey ordered 10m³ of mulch the other day which was successfully delivered yesterday arvo. Guess what I'm doing?
Steve
Better you than me! Bloke a couple of doors down from me can supply me with mulch, so I asked for half a truck load. I didn't realise how much mulch half an 8 tonne truck can actually carry.. :-[
On the gardening side of things, my corn is a dismal failure this year. The last few years they've all been 6 foot plus - this year they're about 3 foot high and not getting any bigger. ??? Capsicum and Chili's are going banana's though!
Post by: WilSurf on December 17, 2015, 11:38:30 AM
Capsicum and Chili's are going banana's though!
Something is very wrong there.......
Post by: Green rv on December 18, 2015, 07:36:01 AM
found a native bee hive the other day at work, so atm im trying to duplicate it so i can have a hive at home.
seems to be working as planned so far.
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: D4D on December 18, 2015, 08:19:00 AM
Wifey ordered 10m³ of mulch the other day which was successfully delivered yesterday arvo. Guess what I'm doing?
Steve
Get yourself one of those plastic scoops they use to muck out stables, much easier/quicker than a shovel.
(https://2ecffd01e1ab3e9383f0-07db7b9624bbdf022e3b5395236d5cf8.ssl.cf4.rackcdn.com/Product-800x800/2a090756-7080-4ce7-841a-8d941b41f71b.jpg)
Post by: Steffo1 on December 18, 2015, 11:53:22 AM
Get yourself one of those plastic scoops they use to muck out stables, much easier/quicker than a shovel.It's a bit funny really. I've developed a pretty good production line. A 4 in 1 bucket on the tractor so I just sit on it, pick up a bucket o' mulch, dump it where she wants it & her and a friend do the raking & spreading..................................well they can't operate the machine now, hey.
(https://2ecffd01e1ab3e9383f0-07db7b9624bbdf022e3b5395236d5cf8.ssl.cf4.rackcdn.com/Product-800x800/2a090756-7080-4ce7-841a-8d941b41f71b.jpg)
Post by: Green rv on December 18, 2015, 11:58:06 AM
It's a bit funny really. I've developed a pretty good production line. A 4 in 1 bucket on the tractor so I just sit on it, pick up a bucket o' mulch, dump it where she wants it & her and a friend do the raking & spreading..................................well they can't operate the machine now, hey.
thats cheating
Post by: Steffo1 on December 18, 2015, 12:03:30 PM
gotta love the mulch, but 10m3 that's gonna take a lot of beersAdam, this is a setup I've got for the native solitary bees. I had to get rid of a fallen gum so cut a piece to fit a bit of 250 Ø pvc pipe I had lying around.
found a native bee hive the other day at work, so atm im trying to duplicate it so i can have a hive at home.
seems to be working as planned so far.
:cheers:
Adam
I drilled 8 mm Ø holes around 100-120 mm deep. It's placed over the bird bath for water access. The natives are great for pollination.
Steve
Post by: Green rv on December 18, 2015, 01:15:04 PM
Adam, this is a setup I've got for the native solitary bees. I had to get rid of a fallen gum so cut a piece to fit a bit of 250 Ø pvc pipe I had lying around.
I drilled 8 mm Ø holes around 100-120 mm deep. It's placed over the bird bath for water access. The natives are great for pollination.
Steve
hey that looks alright
might make something like that too
we quite often see blue banded bees in the patch
the ones i trying to get now are stingless native bees. will be a painful 10 weeks to see if they take up residents in the new hive.
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Steffo1 on December 18, 2015, 03:15:44 PM
Steve
Post by: Green rv on March 21, 2016, 08:48:09 AM
was originally 600mm higher before i attacked it with the shovel
this area had been causing a few drainage problems
next weekend the pergola comes down to be followed by some turf
Post by: Steffo1 on March 21, 2016, 10:12:41 AM
I hope this humidity buggers off for you.
The pics are after we cleaned out the vegie gardens near the house. Rattus rattus must have resented the lack of fresh tucker & paid a house visit, chewing through the kitchen window screen.
In it's defence we only picked the pawpaw that evening & it did have a wonderfully delicious aroma.
The fresh dug peanuts must have been the entrée.
Got the invader last night!
I'm a bit surprised that we had a rat near the house as I put a carpet python into the roof in early Feb & we normally have 3 or 4 hanging around the place. Ask Broncos11 about that :)
Steve
Post by: Green rv on March 21, 2016, 10:32:12 AM
Pity I'm going away over Easter.....................................now!:)
I hope this humidity buggers off for you.
Steve
Oh ship so am i
might have to do some work on it during the week (take the roof sheets down)
saturday was the killer day worked on it from 12-7pm then moved onto :cheers: o'clock
sunday humidity wasn't as bad spent 9.30 - 5pm then some :cheers:
had some down time also on sunday waiting for the rapid set to go off in the last post hole
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Green rv on April 04, 2016, 08:19:58 AM
lets see how long it takes to do the last 10%
pics from last weekend and this weekend
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Steffo1 on April 04, 2016, 04:25:50 PM
Steve
Post by: Steffo1 on April 26, 2016, 12:42:59 PM
Paw paw, passionfruit & navel orange diet.
Steve
Post by: Steffo1 on April 26, 2016, 12:45:51 PM
hey that looks alrightHey Adam, how are your bees going?
might make something like that too
we quite often see blue banded bees in the patch
the ones i trying to get now are stingless native bees. will be a painful 10 weeks to see if they take up residents in the new hive.
:cheers:
Adam
Steve
Post by: Green rv on April 26, 2016, 01:50:48 PM
but there not doing as the instructs said they should.
the bees were building a nest in a crack in the wall.
instead of building their new nest in the box they have decided to build in the tube
so i will leave it and see if the nest becomes big enough to also move into the box.
see what happens i spose.
besides the possums, your fruit trees are looking good
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: Steffo1 on May 20, 2016, 10:52:07 AM
Steve
Post by: MDS69 on May 20, 2016, 12:47:15 PM
My sweet corn planted from seedlings took off till it got to about 2ft tall and seems to have stopped. The head grew a few kernels and it looked to have a corn grow out from down low but it has stopped as well.
Snow peas are going nuts but no fruit yet
Strawberries appear to be a failure but the tomatoes have heaps of golf ball size or bigger fruit but waiting to ripen
Post by: Steffo1 on May 21, 2016, 08:04:19 AM
After some help/advice.A bit hard to say with not knowing your weather but I can say that, with regard to the corn, we would be thinking of planting/sowing now.
My sweet corn planted from seedlings took off till it got to about 2ft tall and seems to have stopped. The head grew a few kernels and it looked to have a corn grow out from down low but it has stopped as well.
Snow peas are going nuts but no fruit yet
Strawberries appear to be a failure but the tomatoes have heaps of golf ball size or bigger fruit but waiting to ripen
Good luck with it.
Steve
Post by: MDS69 on May 21, 2016, 09:41:57 AM
No frosts yet. The days have been unbelievably warm for this time of the year ie low to mid 20's. Nights are only in the last week or so starting to get cool but not single digits yet when I leave for work in the morning at 5.00-5.30 it is anywhere from 13 to 17 degrees.. No rain but they are being watered.
Post by: WilSurf on June 21, 2016, 10:09:01 AM
We have lost almost 50% of our fish so far.
7 on Saturday, 7 on Monday and 4 this morning.
All of a sudden they are slow reacting and turn over. They look healthy without any defects.
We have started to run the pump 24/7, increased the flow rate of the aerator and stopped feeding as there was food on the bottom of the tank.
We also have replaced 20-25% of water on Saturday and yesterday.
My wife will buy ammonia and nitrite test kit and test the water for those.
The PH was 6.8-7.2.
Post by: Burnsy on June 21, 2016, 10:48:16 AM
It's a sad few days.Where is your water coming from Wilco? Hopefully not from a galvanised rainwater tank or off a galvanised roof, if you have it is probably zinc poisoning.
We have lost almost 50% of our fish so far.
7 on Saturday, 7 on Monday and 4 this morning.
All of a sudden they are slow reacting and turn over. They look healthy without any defects.
We have started to run the pump 24/7, increased the flow rate of the aerator and stopped feeding as there was food on the bottom of the tank.
We also have replaced 20-25% of water on Saturday and yesterday.
My wife will buy ammonia and nitrite test kit and test the water for those.
The PH was 6.8-7.2.
That pH is fine, just need to check your ammonia levels, how many fish in how many litres and what volume of grow beds? Best advice is usually, keep up aeration/pumping, leave the water alone and stop feeding. Every time you do a partial water change it causes more stress so don't do it unless you have too (high ammonia).
Post by: WilSurf on June 21, 2016, 10:58:01 AM
We had 38 fish in 1500 liter water tank and 2 growbeds of 500 liter each.
Post by: Green rv on June 21, 2016, 12:33:39 PM
i use to use an algaecide in my pond to control string algae and gave them a overdose by accident and killed a few fish
besides algae problems i never had an issue with water quality
is high ammonia caused by high nutrients.. ie are too much nutrients coming back through the grow beds ?
:cheers:
Adam
Post by: WilSurf on June 21, 2016, 01:14:42 PM
Post by: Burnsy on June 21, 2016, 02:44:55 PM
Post by: WilSurf on June 21, 2016, 03:35:55 PM
Nitrites: 0 ppm,
Nitrates: 10 ppm,
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm,
Ph: 7.3
Water temperature: 14.5.
So it seems that all values are fine.
Post by: WilSurf on June 28, 2016, 01:58:54 PM
Left: 4 koi and 7 silver perches.
Dead: 25 silver perches.
Post by: Steffo1 on May 30, 2017, 08:59:38 PM
Sorry about the photo quality.
Steve
Post by: WilSurf on May 31, 2017, 11:24:16 AM
We have a second system up and running after a colleague gave away 6 koi.
They were too big (the largest over 50 cm) to join the silver perches so a new system was ordered and delivered.
Post by: WilSurf on July 25, 2017, 11:41:27 AM
The lemon tree is overloaded with fruit, so I have started to make my own lemon marmalade. It is not bad at all.
Post by: Steffo1 on July 26, 2017, 01:24:23 PM
I may have come up with a way to stop our fruit being eaten! ;D
Post by: DrewXT on July 26, 2017, 01:30:08 PM
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Post by: Steffo1 on August 02, 2017, 07:32:37 PM
Steve