Vegetable Growing: A guide for home gardeners

The next series of pages have evolved from the original post made. Please feel free to have a look through because there are some very good links to some very solid information not commonly found in one place. It is easy to get poor advice for your garden but finding the good stuff is just a few pages away Enjoy the read

Molasses and how to use it found here...
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=15058


This is a link to the amazing resource of the WA Ag Dept.
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/

Household garden notes
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/PC_92833.htm ... c=PC_92833

*******Ok the link has now changed to this so use this page for now and I'll update links with details when I have more time.
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/action/ATOZ? ... %20growing

This book used to be in print but is now made freely available by way of a few PDF downloads.
The first covers chapters 1-5
Chapter 1, Planning a garden
Chapter 2, Avoiding diseases and discouraging pests
Chapter 3, Soil Preparation and fertilisers
Chapter 4, Irrigation
Chapter 5, Weed control
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/hort ... _part1.pdf

Chapter 6, A-G of veggies
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/hort ... _part2.pdf

Chapter 6, H-Z of veggies
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/hort ... _part3.pdf

Chapter 7,Insect pest and their control
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/hort ... _part4.pdf

Chapter 8, Vegetable diseases and their control
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/hort ... _part5.pdf


Happy reading folks and hope this helps.
It's based on WA info, but like I reckon, "If you are a good gardener in WA, You'll be an amazing gardener anywhere else in the world"

Now this should get you fired up to turn your land into something that will give back in immeasurable ways
It gives me goose bumps when I watch the Welcome to Country.
Costa's Arnhem Land Odyssey
http://www.sbs.com.au/shows/costa/episo ... 2/season/3

and this man transformed his entire yard into something his whole family can live off!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4AcmaGb ... re=related

*The WA Ag Dept has recently updated it's website. As a result some of the above links may or may not work. Either way, all the information is available through any working links now

This will also aid those attempting a veggie garden.

Again freely available to the public thanks to the WA Ag Dept.
Common insect pests and diseases on vegetables in the home garden.
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/pw/g ... in4624.pdf


...and for those here in WA, the Great Gardens team do these free entertaining workshops.
http://www.greatgardens.info/Whathappen ... ardens.php
Find out when they are on here http://www.greatgardens.info/events.php

Also there is this free pdf from one of WA's most respected Horts, Jackie Hooper.
http://www.zanthorrea.com/info/Sustaina ... dening.pdf

Wicking Beds:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=62849&p=978705#p978705

Great links Fu
...can I also say, it is a good time to sow some seeds for the new moon.

Can I also suggest googling "moonphases" or
http://www.moonphases.info/moon_phases.html
for an interesting read.
I sow,cull and harvest by the moon phase and have very good results.

Oooh ta Fu! I will try to take a look at these later today

Thanks! Perfect timing. Just starting to think about planning and planting. I have a lot to learn... Would love a vegie and herb garden and some fruit trees. Lemon and lime for drinks is very important.

WOW.. Thanks Fu....

Will have a look later ,,, at work now!!!!

I don't really understand it myself but too many people swear by it to ignore it. It really does go into human history a long long way. It is how agriculture was developed.

Thank you Fu I will try that book!

how about hydroponic plants?

That is an area of expertise all on it's own! As is the better system of aquaponics. Have a search, there is a thread already on aquaponics

OK the following is an excerpt from one of the best garden books you will buy. Written by Kevin Handrek, Gardening down under.
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=NFd ... 4#PPA38,M1
it outlines much of the basic things that are forgotten about when planting out veggies.
Of course much of this applies to the regular parts of your garden too
Thanks to Kexkez for finding this particular link. Available through CSIRO publishing
http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/18/bcid/33.htm

I found this PDF sample you can save as well
http://www.publish.csiro.au/samples/GDU.pdf

Too true Fu
Hope everyone has been planting out their gardens with traditional
seed stock, so then you only buy it once...

The full moon will help root crops, rhizomes and bulbs.
If you haven't, bang them in now
(the waning moon sends it's energy into the soil.
It is said 'The sap is no long rising and growth in the root ball is vigerous.)
My 2cents
Yay for aquaponics


http://www.backyardaquaponics.com

Don't forget the


If I could find two things that are easy to get anywhere and did the same thing or better I'd mention them. Just amazing on veggie gardens That is from experience

Worm castings and the liquid from worm farms are incredible too as is making teas from manures

Molasses as well for soil health also will help with a healthy crop of any veggies

Fu,
Do you know how long usually before Asian Green is ready to harvest from seeds? This is the first year I tried green veggies.

Regards, Ari

Well they will germinate pretty quick for you in Darwin. maybe 3-4 days or faster in your temps right now. Normally 7-9 days for Southern areas. 3-6weeks will be harvest. 3 weeks you'll get small plants mature enough to be harvested and around 6 weeks you'll get bigger plants. the younger ones will taste better. So best to sow large amounts of seed and harvest smaller plants.
Stopping things going to flower might be tricky for you. The temps are still very warm there. tatsoi though is one that you want to go to flower as that is when it is best eaten

Stuff like rocket, well they don't call it rocket for nothing

Remember feed the soil, don't feed the plant "worm wee" and "worm castings" are excellent as is a bit of seasol and powerfeed, blood and bone and molasses

I don't recommend much of the processed mineral fertilisers on veggie crops because they contain heavy metals like cadmium, lead, mercury. (They should have that printed on the containers or bags somewhere where you can find it if you are looking for it )

Also let me know how you are getting on because growing veggies in the tropics is much harder than in Mediterranean and temperate climates.

I'll check the gardening Australia website for a link because Leonie grows veggies pretty well there in Darwin.

Succession Planting
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2601551.htm

Thanks, Fu.

It has taken 2 days for my seeds (bok shoy & pak choy) to germinate. I have Leonie's book as my bible but it doesn't say how long it will take before I can harvest them... I would've started them earlier (since we can only grow them in the dry season), but my husband sprained his ankle so it took him a while to finish the veggie patch. We did a 'no dig garden' method.

I don't have rocket down yet... I might have to try them too. It is so exciting growing my own veggies. The tomatoes, capsicum, and cucumber are doing well.

Regards, Ari

You didn't do it earlier because your husband couldn't do it
I like that




... sorry

He has to be good for something... .

Regards, Ari

Fu,
It has been a month now... My bok choy, pak choy, and cos lettuce are powering along. Hopefully I can harvest them in the next few weeks. My cucumbers are growing like weeds. I should've put it on trellis... 'Doh!! The rocket and tatsoi are growing well (they are the last one to go in, so they still need a while yet).

I harvested about half a dozen of the yellow cherry tomatoes the other day, and the kids were so happy picking them. My capsicum, black tomatoes and 'normal' red tomatoes start to flower. I guess it is a start... hopefully it will be better next year. I only have a few weeks of dry season before things start heating up and everything dies... but at least the bed is ready for next year and I can plant corn and peanuts in the mean time.

Regards, Ari

There is a heap of further info available here
http://www.greenlifesoil.com.au/factsheets.htm
All very sound information I can assure you