Bits & Pieces

Tomatoes sown at the winter solstice have been potted up. There are 5 vareties—Green Grape, Yellow Pear, Black Russian, Grosse Lisse & San Marzano. They’re still inside at the moment but being exposed to a weak late winter sun for a few hours daily. I’ll probably put them out in the polyhouse in a week or so. Next batch will be sown at the spring equinox. By sowing two batches, I’m hoping to extend the season and be eating tomatoes well into autumn next year.

Seed catalogues came in—from Diggers, Green Harvest and Edens. I ordered seed from Green Harvest & Edens, which has already arrived, and will probably take a run down to Diggers as it’s only a half hour drive away. As well as seed, I want to get some plants and seed potatoes.

Last year I ordered from Green Harvest a sample lot of various fruit protection bags to try, and this year ordered an extra lot of the ones that worked well last year (by keeping the parrots off). They had a new product this year, a natty little nylon elastic sock for putting around apples and pears. They’re supposed to protect the fruit from codling moth, but I’m hoping they’ll fool the birds too. I’ll try them around the pepinos as well. I bought a box of 100. If they work, we’ll be eating more apples next year.

About the only harvest we’re getting from the garden at the moment is carrots and lots of greens—kale, bok choy chinese cabbage, silver beet, and self-sown rocket and lettuce. I’ve dug up the oca and yacon (which hadn’t quite died back) and got a feed or two out of them, but will keep most of the tubers for replanting. Many of the yacon tubers were split—this is supposed to be due to irregular watering, so I’ll watch that next time. The oca was disappointing—a yield of sorts—but expected, as most of the foliage rotted away at the base during summer. Don’t know the reason, so will keep trying.