New to forum, 1 season in on gardening

[TimelyBehaviour]

Since yours look like indeterminate varieties, you need to pinch off the new fruiting stems which emerge at the leaf bases. Keep it to 3-5 fruiting stems per plant and let them run high and thin.

Mark did a vid on it a while back:

Will be watching it tonight

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

I like to stake my tomatoes as I find that it's easier to see what's going on - and easier to harvest. I also find that flopped over tomatoes that touch the ground tend to be more subsceptible to soil-borne diseases.

It's really a matter of preference at the end of the day, but I do recommend staking them. Make sure it's something sturdy, as fruiting tomato plants tend to get quite heavy, especially depending on it's species

Yeah, my issue was I purchased too many tomato seedlings for the space I had. I grew them too close together because I had no idea and didn’t stake anything. Because why not right?

Now I am going to learn from my mistake but damn. I’m of half a mind to pull them all out and start fresh with another variety. If I start now they should be strong enough by winter?

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

@TimelyBehaviour I start and grow them year-round without issue. Just note that tomatoes won't be as productive and take longer to mature and ripen during Winter.

For most things gardening I would definitely say, just try. You don't really know if you don't try. Everyone's situation is different, heck, this year the weather can be different to last year. And if you have the seeds, just try, either way you'll learn something.

I would refer to myself as an experimental gardener. I don't expect results for most of my plants growth-wise as I am simply experimenting and learning along the way. It's so much fun! And that way you don't feel upset when something does die. I just shrug and go "ah well, guess that didn't work" and learn. I'm basically experimenting to see what does and doens't work as both things teach me tons. For my particular area I've learnt that most of my potted plants absolutely love being waterlogged during the Summer. Even plants that are normally drought tolerant. It sometimes contradicts everything I can find online or in books, and I guess it's just the way my area is as I live in a valley between mountains in a sub-tropical climate, close-ish towards tropical.
I love to learn, I love to experiment. I can start most anything from a cutting nowadays, and my next step is trying to grow larger things like trees from cuttings. And someday I hope to learn how to attach cuttings to one another and see what results they would bear. That'd be so cool! I don't know if it's possible but imagine growing roses and berries from the same plant! I get that that's most likely a very far stretch, and possibly impossible... but I want to try anyway!

 

[JP 1983]

I prefer to start my tomatoes in winter so they can go gangbusters in spring because theyre already big

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

I prefer to start my tomatoes in winter so they can go gangbusters in spring because theyre already big

That’s makes sense

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

I might keep this thread as my own evolution of my garden thread.

So today we planted butter beans, broad beans and peas. Next week we will be planting pumpkin.

My main hobby is watch collecting and watchmaking so I couldn’t resist a photo .

Also I went and got one of these.

So much easier. Thanks Mark for the tip on the army shovel.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Yeah why not! It can be lots of fun to see where you've been and where you're at now. Kinda wish I took more pictures early on! I started with just some tomato plants and green beans. And I've still got some of the plants growing from way back (mostly chives and oregano). Never had to replace those, and only topped up the soil a couple weeks ago as it'd sank in the pots quite a bit.

If you like watches, why not

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

How handy are these shovel/picks? Bloody good tool.

Yeah I might just keep this as my thread. As long as the admin team allow it.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I don't have one myself, but I sure wish I did. I've only heard good things about them. When I get raised beds I'm intending on getting one!

Yes, of course! We keep all threads, provided they aren't spam or anything, but we usually just remove the spam post(er). I actually love scrolling through old threads to see how one's grown. @DThille actually has one going for quite a while, at least 2 years I believe. And I love looking back and forth between the old and new. He's on a little less frequently as he's doing studies on the side now, but the occasional show is quite fun.
@Lunai has one too, though it's relatively fresh. I love seeing the progress they make as well.
There are more members, if you look around, but those are the two that immediately sprung to mind

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

So I have a garden update, we have capsicum!!!! This should turn out to be the yellow variety but let’s see.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Looks pretty good!

 

[Grandmother Goose]

Whenever anything viney gets too tall for me (which doesn't take long), I firstly try to see if I can find a way to train it to grow sideways, such as along a string line or over an archway, or make a "roof" type structure for it to grow across first. Tomatoes will grow up, sideways, and upside down with sufficient supports and hanging space.

 

[DThille]

Whenever anything viney gets too tall for me (which doesn't take long), I firstly try to see if I can find a way to train it to grow sideways, such as along a string line or over an archway, or make a "roof" type structure for it to grow across first. Tomatoes will grow up, sideways, and upside down with sufficient supports and hanging space.

Are you trying to say you're vertically challenged?

 

[Grandmother Goose]

Are you trying to say you're vertically challenged?

Yes, vertically challenged is one way to word it. Gravity hasn't been kind to me.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Gravity isn't kind on me either, perhaps because of how tall I am I fall harder

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

I just caught up on the comments you ladies are hilarious.

So I have an update.

I planted some cherry tomatoes to grow wild as an experiment. This is the result.

There are so many tomatoes now I couldn’t pick them all. There is about 10 times the amount I picked still on the vine. I’d say I’ll never have to worry about cherry tomatoes again.


Got myself a couple of cute little eggplants too.

I have plenty of mandarins, Roma tomatoes , capcicum and chilly on the way.

I have broad beans, butter beans and peas growing at the moment on a bit of a fence .

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

Garden photo update

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

That looks awesome!
I've seen those raised beds on legs in Bunnings, I'm surprised they are actually holding. I was very tempted at one stage, but thought the legs looked very flimsy and that it'd buckle
What is your experience with them?

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

That looks awesome!
I've seen those raised beds on legs in Bunnings, I'm surprised they are actually holding. I was very tempted at one stage, but thought the legs looked very flimsy and that it'd buckle
What is your experience with them?

They are good unless you do what I did with one and force it. That’s why one is shorter. I had to put them in upside down on it. Otherwise if you follow instructions they are pretty good. Good drainage too.

 

[TimelyBehaviour]

Todays harvest, there was more but I’ll have to make time tomorrow.

My cherry tomato bush has grown very large. I don’t think I’m running out of them any time soon.

We have peas and broccoli growing now. Pumpkin is showing its face too.