Studio Village Community CentreOrganic Vegetable and Flower GardenHints and Tips S.V.C.C 2/7/2013 Contents Corn Watering Tips Page 3 Garden Progression Pages 4-11 Lettuce Seeding Page 12 Pests and Remedies Pages 13-14 Pumpkin Pages 15– 17 Rain and Wind Damage Pages 18-19 Safety Page 20 Squash Page 21 Tomatoes Pages 22-23 When to grow Specific Plants Pages 24-37 Corn Watering Tips Below are pictures of our corn growing in the community garden. Make sure you water the bottom of the stalk of the plant so the water can be absorbed into the root system. This is a very good idea because if you water the corn themselves or water the pink/purple “strands/strings of the corn” called the silks, shown in the bottom two picture, this will result in unformed corn kernels. Each individual strand is an individual kernel and if you water these, the pollen will be washed off and stop the kernel from germinating. This will result in an absence of the corn kernel forming in the ripened corn. So remember to water the roots/ base of the plant and not the corn themselves so we can grow all the corn we possibly can! When the strands die and fall off this is a sign that the corn is ready to be harvested. Our Garden Progression Photos showing our gardens progression throughout the weeks. November 20th – Photos taken before any planting, but after the initial workshop to help kick start the garden. January 10th – Garden has grown significantly, appears to be healthy and growing fine apart from cabbage which is being eaten by pests. January 15th – More Growth, although tomato plants dried up, due to low amounts of water, blossom end rot setting in on the fruits indicating stress from reduced watering. The Cabbage plants were eaten further, possibly indicating pests as a problem? Corn is sprouting now. January 17th –Still signs of inadequate watering, tomato plants still ‘burned’ due to lower amounts of water and fruit still blistered from blossom end rot due to calcium deficiency because of low watering. We need to water more, for longer to allow uptake of calcium and water through the root system. We need to spend more time watering each plant at the base of the plant so it can absorb more of the moisture. January 22nd – The garden is still growing, more watering and better watering is taking place although it appears that the blossom end rot has already taken its toll on a lot of the tomatoes, therefore we need to remember for next time to water a lot while the plants are still young. Pests have been spotted on the cauliflower and grasshoppers were found in the garden. Thursday 24th January we picked all the ripened squash that was in the garden, the lettuce is flowering and therefore we will be able to collect the seeds soon to save to grow at a later date. Tuesday 29th As seen, the garden has been affected by the wind and rain and therefore strategies need to be formed to allow some protection from the wind. Thursday 31st of Feb, garden is still growing despite damage from wind and rain over the weekend. Tomatoes look a little poor. Lettuce plants are still growing even after being knocked over. Tuesday the 5th of February, Corn is starting to wither and die, as it was heavily damaged. Tomatoes are dying, not enough water, sprawled over ground. Pumpkin is growing really well; lettuce is still growing as is the watermelon. The squash are still growing constantly on the vine and therefore have to be picked every week. More plants were planted in the garden, rosemary; basil and parsley were planted in the garden. 7th February and the garden growing even further, corn is damaged, everything else seems to be growing fine apart from the tomatoes which should be lifted off the ground to reduce rotting of the vine and allow it to spread out. The pumpkin is spreading out quite a bit and has numerous flowers on it. This should attract insects to start pollinating the female pumpkin flowers so pumpkins can be produced on the vine. Our Lettuce Plants are Seeding! We plan to let our plants go to seed, following we will collect the seeds to store away or plant, so we can grow more of the same variety further down the track. This will help with our sustainability of our garden so we can keep growing a natural organic garden. Feel free to pick the leaves as this will encourage the plant to grow new ones and therefore more edible lettuce leaves. But, if you see our plants seeding, let them, we will collect the seeds when they are ready to be collected. Pests and Remedies Our cabbage plants have been eaten by insects, although we are letting them. This is so the other plants in the garden are not affected by the insects. Looking at websites points to the possibility of cabbage loopers (Sarae C, 2012). These insects leave irregular shaped holes throughout the leaves and inbetween the veins of the leaves. It is suggested to use neem oil, or hot pepper wax to ward off cabbage loopers (Sarae C, 2012). Carol Sarao, September 2012, What to do When Bugs are eating your Cabbage Plants in the Garden, http://www.ehow.com/way_5885813_do-eating-cabbage-plants-garden.html Extremely Green Gardening Co, Hot Pepper Wax Insect Repellent, http://www.extremelygreen.com/Product.cfm?Name=Hot%20Pepper%20Wax%20Insect%20Repellent On Tuesday the 22nd of January these little critters were found roaming on the rubarb in the garden. These little grasshoppers will eat the plants!! There are natural ways to keep the grasshoppers away. Bird Pirches and cloth covers to the garden are ways to protect it from grasshoppers (Pleaseant B., 2009). Birds are natural predators for grasshoppers and therefore having them around will reduce the numbers found in the garden and therefore reducing the number of damaged plants.Cloth covers covering the garden will be a physical barrier to stop the grasshoppers from getting to the garden. Barbara Pleasant, August 29 2009, Grasshopper Control: Expert Advice, http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Grasshopper-Control-Kill-Grasshoppers.aspx Grasshoppers are attracted to the colour yellow (Michaels F.). Therefore you can make traps out of yellow coloured objects that can either capture or kill the grasshoppers. Chilli spray is another way described by Frances Michaels in a way to deter grasshoppers. By mixing ground chilli with water and spraying the leaves of the plants, it will create a natural barrier. This same method can be done with garlic. Once again natural protection from birds is advised in the article. Frances Michaels, Grasshopper Organic Control Information, http://www.greenharvest.com.au/PestControlOrganic/Information/GrasshopperControl.html Horehound, Cilantro (Corriander) and calendula (Marigold) are all herbs that repel grasshoppers as reported by K. Emmerson. She states that you can build a natural wall of defence around the garden by planting these herbs along the border. So corriander is a very useful herb and could be used in many kitchen dishes, while Marigold flowers are beautiful flowers to have in the garden. Therefore these two would be the preferred plants to have line the garden with. Kassidy Emmerson, March 10 2010, How to Keep Grasshoppers out of your Flower Beds without using Harmful Pesticides, http://voices.yahoo.com/how-keep-grasshoppers-out-flower-beds-without-5605866.html So there are many ways in which the garden can be protected from grasshoppers. Pumpkin With regards to the pumpkin vines growing in the garden, we are going to let it spread out as much as possible. Pumpkin naturally shoots out runners and spreads over a wide area, and there are runners going down the side of the hill. We are going to let the pumpkin vine continue to grow wherever it wants within reason (see Bob). By letting the pumpkin vines grow out and expand, we will encourage it to produce more pumpkins for consumption. So even if there are vines wandering all over the place, as long as they aren’t interfering with any other plant in the garden, let them grow as much as they can. The more the vine spreads the more flowers it will produce, but do you know which flower is which? There are two different types of flowers growing on the pumpkin vines. These are the male and female flowers. The difference is as follows: These are the male flowers. They usually grow further from the vine and grow on thin stalks as shown in the above pictures. The pictures above are of female pumpkin flowers. These flowers grow closer to the vine and therefore have thicker stalks. The main distinguishing feature is the presence of a very small juvenile pumpkin growing between the stalk and the flower shown in the above pictures. And here is one of the pumpkins growing in the garden after germination of a female flower by the pollen produced by the male flower. It is important for the female flowers to be properly germinated by insects or bees; if this isn’t the case the pumpkin can wither and die or be rejected by the vine if the flower isn’t germinated properly. (Pumpkin Nook, 2013) But with our natural garden, we should have plenty of insects thanks to the absence of any pesticides. This means we should have germination naturally from bees or butterflies and other insects and won’t have to worry about self-germinating our plants to grow the fruit. 2013, Pollination, Pumpkin Nook, http://www.pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm Rain and Wind Damage The garden was damaged by all of the rain and high winds that we experienced from Friday the 25th to Monday the 28th. Some of our plants were uprooted and knocked over and the tomato bushes are looking worse for wear. The garden wasn’t sheltered from the high winds we experienced. This might have to be considered when looking after the garden for next year. What ways can we shelter the garden from the high winds? Possible Solutions: Attaching climbers to wooden stakes, or tomatoes to hardy structures, maybe a strong trellis firmly attached to the ground. Hardy trees for use as wind breaks around the garden areas to stop the damaging wind from reaching the fruit and vegetables. LifeStyle Home, Protect your garden from wind damage, http://www.lifestyle.com.au/gardening/protect-your-garden-from-wind-damage.aspx Wind can also cause plants to dry up, even if they have damp soil. (Stan C, 2011) If this is the case it is imperative to make sure that the garden is protected from the wind so less damage can behold the garden. The strong wind can also cause the lop-sided and stunted growth as seen in our garden due to the strong winds. A mixture of shrubs and trees will help as it will create a wind break to stop the flow of wind (Stan C, 2011). Trellises are strong and hardy and work well if there is limited room for trees (Stan C, 2011). Therefore if we build trellises in the garden for some of the climbing plants this should help provide protection and strength for the root systems of the plants and give some protection to our garden. Any windbreak will provide protect to twice its height, but decreasingly the further from the windbreak (Stan C, 2011). Therefore to give more protection trees or shrubs could be placed around the garden and increase protection. Cristian Stan, September 30 2011, How to Protect your Garden from Wind Damage, http://article-niche.com/launch/How-To-Protect-Your-Garden-From-Wind-Damage.htm Safety With our Garden Safety is needed when tending to our garden. Simple common sense things should be followed so we can stay safe while looking after our garden and no injuries occur. We should always put the tools away in the shed in the right place; this is to reduce tripping hazards if tools or equipment are left lying around. If we leave rakes or shovels lying around someone may step on it and could injure themselves. Therefore we all should take care when using and putting away tools. Please roll up the hose after use, this will ensure that it is restricted to the coil and isn’t sprawled across the entire shed, causing danger to fellow gardeners. There are first aid kits inside the community centre and there should be someone else here during the day if anything happens, although as long as we take care we shouldn’t have to worry about first aid procedures. Squash With regards to the squash growing, we need to regally pick the squash before they get too big. The above pictures are a more ideal size to pick, as they have the best overall flavour and texture. Unlike the yellow variety in supermarkets, our squash stay this colour and therefore won’t turn the yellow colour. This just means that when they big enough (about the size of a 50 cent coin) make sure you pick them so more can grow in its place. The above picture is of a giant squash that was grown in the garden. When they grow to this size the flavour isn’t as pleasant and the texture can be stringy and less desirable. If we can pick them at the smaller size we can get the squash with a better flavour and texture so we can enjoy them more. HELP! Our Tomatoes Are in Danger!!! Below are some photos taken from our garden here at Studio Village! Shown above are examples of tomatoes with brown scabs or markings noticeably of the bottom. This Condition seen above were photos taken from our community garden and is called Blossom End Rot. This is where the plant fails to take up enough calcium due to the lack of water and therefore, this dark scab forms on the end of the fruit on the opposite side to the stalk of the plant. The tomatoes may look fine and healthy from the top as shown in the first picture, although this is a real problem we are facing in our garden! To fix this problem we need to spend more time watering our precious plants as to allow the plant to take up more nutrients from the soil with the aid of the moist soil around the roots. More time should be spent watering when the flowers are starting to bloom to allow the best fruit possible to grow. Research from: Marie Iannotti, About.com, Gardening, http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/f/BlossomEndRot.htm So when you water the garden, take your time and make sure you spend a lot of time on each individual plant so that the water can penetrate deeper into the soil to the roots. This will allow the plant to take up more nutrients and allow the tomatoes to grow bigger and stay healthy! On another note in regards to tomato plants, on the 24th January the plants were starting to wilt towards the ground and start to fall over. For future references the tomato patch should be supported by strong trellis so the tomatoes can grow up the trellis and be supported to stop them from falling over and therefore producing less fruit. Anna White, March 23 2012, Back to School Spring Outdoor Projects, http://ana-white.com/2012/03/spring-outdoor-projects The Mulch, 2008, “Supports for Tomato Plants”, http://www.themulch.com/component/kunena/Fruits-Nuts--Vegetable-Gardening/730-Supports-for-tomato-plants?start=6 Some ideas shown above of trellises, show how tomato plants can be spread apart to allow the fruit to grow separately, this will allow for better yield and hopefully lowered loss of plants. Seasonal Plants - When to Grow Here is a list of possible plants to start growing in our sub-tropical region of south-east Queensland. Each month has a separate page in which the possible plants are listed that can start to be grown in that month. A rough schedule for possible harvesting times after planting is also available after the plants for that month. References used to find the information provided, are listed in the reference list at the end of the document. January - Page 25 February - Page 26 March - Page 27 April - Page 28 May - Page 29 June - Page 30 July - Page 31 August - Page 32 September - Page 33 October - Page 34 November - Page 35 December - Page 36 All Year Round - Page 37 References - Page 37 January: Basil - (Harvest anytime) Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) February: Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Parsley - (Harvest 9-19 weeks) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) March: Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Onion - (Harvest 25-34 weeks) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Parsley - (Harvest 9-19 weeks) Peas - (Harvest 9-11 weeks) Rhubarb - (Harvest when necessary) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Spinach - (Harvest 5-11 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) April: Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Garlic - (Harvest 17-25 weeks) Onions - (Harvest 25-34 weeks) Parsley - (Harvest 9-19 weeks) Peas - (Harvest 9-11 weeks) Rhubarb - (Harvest when necessary) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Spinach - (Harvest 5-11 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) May: Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Garlic - (Harvest 17-25 weeks) Onion - (Harvest 25-34 weeks) Parsley - (Harvest 9-19 weeks) Parsnip - (Harvest 17-20 weeks) Peas - (Harvest 9-11 weeks) Rhubarb - (Harvest when necessary) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Spinach - (Harvest 5-11 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) June: Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Garlic - (Harvest 17-25 weeks) Onion - (Harvest 25-34 weeks) Parsnip - (Harvest 17-20 weeks) Peas - (Harvest 9-11 weeks) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Spinach - (Harvest 5-11 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) July: Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Garlic - (Harvest 17-25 weeks) Parsnip - (Harvest 17-20 weeks) Peas - (Harvest 9-11 weeks) Potato - (Harvest 15-20 weeks) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) August: Basil - (Harvest anytime) Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Mint - (Harvest 8-12 weeks) Parsnip - (Harvest 17-20 weeks) Potato - (Harvest 15-20 weeks) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) September: Basil - (Harvest anytime) Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Fennel - (Harvest 14-15 weeks) Mint - (Harvest 8-12 weeks) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Parsnip - (Harvest 17-20 weeks) Rhubarb - (Harvest when necessary) Potato - (Harvest 15-20 weeks) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) October: Basil - (Harvest anytime) Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Carrots - (Harvest 12-18 Weeks) Celery - (Harvest 17-18 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Fennel - (Harvest 14-15 weeks) Mint - (Harvest 8-12 weeks) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Potato - (Harvest 15-20 weeks) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Shallots - (Harvest 12-15 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) November: Basil - (Harvest anytime) Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Mint - (Harvest 8-12 weeks) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) December: Basil - (Harvest anytime) Beans - (Harvest 2-3 weeks after flowering) Capsicum - (Harvest in about 12 weeks) Chilli - (Harvest when ripe) Chives - (Allow plant to establish – wait about 8 months before harvesting) Corn - (Check 2 weeks after flowering, silk strand will shrivel when ready, milky substance when kernels pierced) Cucumber - (Cut from vine after about 8 weeks) Eggplant - (Harvest before the skin dulls before 3 months) Oregano - (Start to harvest after plant spreads out to about 20cms) Pumpkin - (Harvest after 12 weeks) Rockmelon - (Harvest 12-14 weeks) Squash - (Harvest 10 weeks) Swedes/Turnips - (Harvest 4-10 weeks) Tomatoes - (Harvest when starting to colour) Watermelon - (Harvest 10-14 weeks) Zucchini - (Harvest after 6 weeks) All Year: Plant Anytime Beetroot - (Harvest 8-10 weeks) Cabbage - (Harvest 4-6 Weeks) Lettuce - (Start picking leaves in a few weeks) Radish - (Harvest 3-6 weeks) Silver beat - (Pick off leaves at about 3 weeks) References 2012, ‘Plants’, Gardenate, http://www.gardenate.com/?zone=3 2011, ‘The Vegie Guide’, Gardening Australia, http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide/ Heaton, David and Kay, 2012, ‘Organic Gardening From Down Under: Planting Times’, http://members.iinet.net.au/~msheaton/Organic%20Gardening%20Down%20Under/Planting%20Times.htm Studio Village Community Garden0Page 2