My veggie garden over winter in Brisbane

[thewayes]

They are growing well for some reason

Geoff

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

They all look very healthy! Definitely looks like you're doing something right

Did you make those net cages yourself?

 

[thewayes]

Yes Mandy and thanks they are healthy just lucky I’d say

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Don't be afraid in taking pride in successes. It looks amazing

 

[thewayes]

Time will tell if I can repeat it all year round but thanks.

Geoff

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Different seasons may have different needs, but so far so good from what I can tell.

Don't forget - if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[thewayes]

Thanks Mandy I’ve been growing veggies and fruit trees for well on 20 years and the fruit trees not a problem always in great shape and produce far more than we need so I give them away. We juice around 80-90L a year and freeze it so it will last us. Bris is a great place to grow stuff. The veggi gardens are ok to good but since making my own compost things are looking better.

Geoff

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

That sounds great! What fruit trees have you got going? I have currently got a small lemonade tree going. You had mandarins, oragnes, lemons and... mangoes.. right?
I have been thinking about growing a mango tree, but I doubt I'd be able to keep up with the produce.

I've been wanting to compost but I'm worried I'll attract more unwanted pests (think wild pigs, bandicoot, mice, etc) as we already have the odd bandicooot and plenty of skippies hanging around. Mice are sadly not too uncommon here either, though we have traps for those. How do you combat that problem? Or is it really not all that bad?

 

[thewayes]

I have around 25 fruit trees from memory
4 navel, 5 seedless Valencia, 3 joppa oranges,
2 Emperor, 2 Honey Murcott, 3 imperial mandarins
3 mangos
1 peach tree
1 lime tree
2 Eureka lemon trees

I dont have wild animal problems but I do have rat problem from time to time why I don’t know. I don’t think it’s the composting doing it as I don’t see any rat holes around them but I do have chickens so most likely them. I have a few rats now that I’ve been trying to kill off for the past month and I think I’m down to one left. I have a night camera so it takes videos and photos during the night where they are active. I use a number of different methods but the best is poison by far but does take time.
if your compost doesn’t smell then you should be ok I don’t place any meat stuff at all in it so when I do put food in I turn it over to cover them up.
Geoff

 

[DanRicho]

Brilliant use of PVC pipe for the netting! I've done something similar the keep the nasties off my patch. Not a fan of spraying chemicals (probably because i'm a lazy gardener!)

 

[thewayes]

Brilliant use of PVC pipe for the netting! I've done something similar the keep the nasties off my patch. Not a fan of spraying chemicals (probably because i'm a lazy gardener!)

Hi Dan,
good job at least most of it is protected but watch out for snails as they will and do climb the sides and will go under the netting were it’s loose and get in I’ve watched them do it at my place that’s why I now have the very large rubber band around the raised colourbond gardens on the netting as you will see on one of them and I now have it on both. I was in the process of making it when I took the photos.
Geoff

 

[DanRicho]

Thanks for the info, Geoff,

I don't seem to have much of an issue with snails as I do with the flying buggers. Cucumbers would get stung by fruit fly, tomatoes would get a green bug (highly descriptive...) that would fly in and have a chomp and, as is your case, mice and rats would help themselves. I picked up a 10L drum of wax baits for about $130 from my local produce store to deal with them as they're quite bad in my area (they just love my other upright compost bin...). Nothing worse than watching your navel oranges ripen to find them hollowed out from behind where the rats got to them. Did the same thing to my passion fruits. Pretty sure they were nesting in the vine.

Gardening; the battle is real...

 

[thewayes]

Ok you do have a battle on your hands I have one or two flying foxes but because I have so much fruit i still do ok and I just can’t stop them without sitting in the trees all night every night. Thankfully they don’t touch the veggie gardens. With rats i don’t have a problem in the veggie garden with them.