The potatoes are not looking as good any more, suspected late blight. Probably caused by the humid weather last week and my watering of the leaves with the watering can. Late blight only affecte potatoes and tomatoes. Lucky so far it is only on the potatoes and the tomatoes are planted about 20m away. I cut off the most affected stems and added more compost and straw manure. Will stop watering from the top, but only target the roots of the plants. I also pulled out the pumpkins and added them to the compost, some I even put directly under the straw mulch on top of the potatoe heap.
I found out that potatoes only grow above the seed potatoes that you planted. So I added a lot more compost around the base of the plant. The potatoes were struggling in the hot wind. Good that our compost is getting ready quickly, I even used a bit of the compost that I only put on a week ago, it had already turned into earth, smelled fine and was no longer hot, but that might have been a bit early.
Both compost barrows now share the mixture that was too heavy for one. I also added a lot more leaves to balance the veggie scraps from the market. Looking better and no longer smelly too.
The other day I put some more potatoes into my new garden bed just because I had them, and they were no longer eadible. They are already showing leaves. I have put an old bathing skivy from my boy on an old clothes rack over the leaves to protect from the sun. Re-use, reduce and recycle! It's amazing how far you can go with what you have.
I also noticed more yellow leaves on my tomatoes patch and gave them a magnesium mixture this morning, just a few spoonful of epsom salt or magnesium sulfate mixed with rainwater in the watering can. I also cut the yellow leaves off generously. There is plenty of green and I want them to put their effort into making fruit. The dead leaves went straight into my rubbish bin, no good for the compost.
I found out that potatoes only grow above the seed potatoes that you planted. So I added a lot more compost around the base of the plant. The potatoes were struggling in the hot wind. Good that our compost is getting ready quickly, I even used a bit of the compost that I only put on a week ago, it had already turned into earth, smelled fine and was no longer hot, but that might have been a bit early.
Both compost barrows now share the mixture that was too heavy for one. I also added a lot more leaves to balance the veggie scraps from the market. Looking better and no longer smelly too.
The other day I put some more potatoes into my new garden bed just because I had them, and they were no longer eadible. They are already showing leaves. I have put an old bathing skivy from my boy on an old clothes rack over the leaves to protect from the sun. Re-use, reduce and recycle! It's amazing how far you can go with what you have.
I also noticed more yellow leaves on my tomatoes patch and gave them a magnesium mixture this morning, just a few spoonful of epsom salt or magnesium sulfate mixed with rainwater in the watering can. I also cut the yellow leaves off generously. There is plenty of green and I want them to put their effort into making fruit. The dead leaves went straight into my rubbish bin, no good for the compost.
I have pulled out more pumpkins and have removed all but one that have come up from compost near the potatoes as I read that pumpkins and potatoes do not go well together.
Also the rock melons need more space. Two plants grow in the front left of the picture in a stand that my good friend Dick made some years back out of an old garden hose, some wire and four stakes.
The third rockmelon plant grows close to the fence on a thin bamboo stake. I hope the plant likes the lofty spot, so far no fruit has set, but they are in full flowers now.
I decided to make the second patch a dedicated pumpkin patch. But I also put in a tomatoe that needed a home as its pot was invade by slaters.
Looking at the garden in a holistic way, I would like to make it more attractive to good insects, this means planting a few flowers. I have been reading about companion planting recently. Marigold as is one of them. I also want to seed some chamomille and still have a few dodgy red potatoes left. Where shall I put them?
Tomorrow we will put the garden beds into the proper spots and screw bother sides together for good. We will use bitumen paint to seal the side that has been cut. I am thinking about making one bed a no dig garden bed and filling the other one in a more conventional way. There is plenty of time until summer is over.
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