Rhubarb flowering

Busy day and I'm Buggered.

Busy day and I'm now more than buggered. But plenty was achieved.

I planted the Dwarf Sunray Jerusalem Artichoke that I rode all the way to Brisbane to see Jerry Coleby-Williams open garden for.

Helianthus tuberosus
 
(Dwarf Sunray Jerusalem Artichoke)

I prised a small chunk off my rhubarb some months ago and put it in a pot to hopefully grow on which I'm happy to say it has.

 So today was planting day.

A bucket of  'Witches Brew,' a hole, mix it up a bit and bung it in. Job done.

Just need to mulch it up and we're done.














The coldest and frostiest winter aroung here for years and I decide to try and over winter tomatoes.

Needless to sat they copped a hiding and aren't looking to good at all.

But with the weather slowing warming up a touch of fertiliser and a good watering I thing I'll get a good start on some tomatoes during spring.

I gave a handfull of Rooster Booster fertilised to the Lisbon Lemon I planted a few months back.

Added some mulch and gave it a good drink.

It shouldn't need much more than a regular drink from here on in. Then around the beginning of Autumn I'll give it some more Rooster Booster.

I also placed an order with The Seed Collection who were talking themselves up big on facebook so I thought I'd give them a go.

Turns out they walk the talk and I had my seeds within two days. Very efficient, I must say.

Of the seeds I ordered I only managed to get a few Red Amaranthus and some Red Cabbage planted.

But hey, It's a start.

The BoM is talking up some rain for us here on Saturday and Sunday so fingers crossed I'll get to hear the sound of rain on my tin roof this weekend and get my rainwater tank filled again.

Saturday 16 August

Cloudy. Very high chance of rain. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. Light winds becoming east to northeasterly 20 to 30 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening.

Also did fair bit of liquid fertilising, mulched up some prunings, fixed a gutter that had a hole in it and the rain wasn't getting to the tank.


Cheers and I hope you get some rain

Stewart.

Time to Get Cracking

I'm pinching New Gippsland Seeds facebook post here but it's good advice and I'm sure they won't mind.

You'd better get cracking though, you're running out of time if you want to plant any of these bare rooted.

Post by New Gippsland Seeds.

Cheers

Stewart

When I'm Feeling Blue

I'm feeling a little blue today. After weeks of fabulous late Autumn weather things have turned cold for us here.
And after a miserable overcast day yesterday that only managed to deliver us a grand total of four mils of rain I've decided to cheer myself up with a heap of photos that I took of the garden last Tuesday.
These were taken at around 11:00 am and the weak, late Autumn sunlight, was simply marvelous for taking photos.

 Spinach is just getting going. Made a nice spinach spaghetti with them the other day.

Two tubs of lettuce is keeping me going.

A Lisbon Lemon tree I planted on Tuesday. I've got a video to edit on planting it and then you'll be hearing a lot more about this

Might be my last strawberry now until the weather warms up again. They are still flowering but I suspect the cold will take care or that for a while. 

Same for my chilli

And tomatoes. This is a late planting of tomatoes in the warmest part of my garden in an effort to see if I can get tomatoes to fruit here during winter in Toowoomba.

More lettuce. Never too much lettuce. What I don't eat the chooks (chickens) will take care of.

Silverbeet going gangbusters 

 as is the garlic.

Peas are powering and I've sown some old purple podded pea seed I found while tidying up and they are sprouting up out of the ground too.

I came out of hospital in early July last year and was greeted with mandies from my tree so I'm looking forward to a big mandy feast very soon.

Broad beans are growing strongly.

 Biggest and best parsley I've ever grown.

This might finally be the end of my Basil too.

Rhubarb's getting ready for winter.

And sage.

I feel better now or at least not so blue.

Cheers

Stewart.

1910 Rhubarb Chutney

1.5 kgs of Rhubarb cut up and ready to be turned into chutney

And an hour and a bit later.

My Rhubarb's growing well and I saw a recipe for rhubarb chutney so as they say one thing lead to another.

I didn't dissolve the sugar enough and most of it sunk to the bottom of the pan and toffied itself there but it still turned out alright.

I've only had a small taste and with 1 teaspoon of extra hot chillie powder it certainly has a nice kick to it but you don't lose the rhubarb taste or the sweetness from the sugar.

I'll leave it for a month or so and give it a good taste test but I think this will be a keeper.

Here goes the recipe

1910 Rhubarb Chutney

• 1.5kgs chopped rhubarb
• 500g onion' chopped
• 500ml vinegar
• 750g sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tsp nutmeg
• 1tsp mixed spices
• 1tps ground cloves
• 1tps cayenne (optional)
• 1tps curry powder

Method

1. Combine all ingredients and boil for one hour, making sure all sugar is dissolved before you reach boiling.
2. Bottle and seal in sterilized jars
3. Leave for a month or two to mature before use.
4. And that's it. Here is a link to the recipe I used. 1910 Rhubarb Chutney from Best Recipe's

Cheers

Chutney Stewart

Apple and rhubarb sponge pudding

Apple and rhubarb sponge pudding

 I made it. The very first harvest of my Rhubarb went into making my very first effort at Apple and rhubarb sponge pudding and while it wasn't a photo perfect finish it still tasted divine. There's plenty left so I'm thinking some custard with it for desert tomorrow night.

I also managed to pickle some eggs. I've never tried them before so I have no idea what to expect but in the latest copy of Grass Roots Magazine there was a recipe for pickled eggs and I had a few getting a bit old. So I'm thinking nothing ventured nothing gained. If they turn out alright I can take a couple to work for lunch or somkeo.

If you want to give them a go I can post the recipe or you can pick up your own copy of Grass Roots Magazine

Plenty of other stuff went on today but I'm getting way to tired to go on about it tonight.

I did post a few updates on my new My Veggie Garden facebook page through out the day, so you can pop over there and see what I got up to today. There is a nice photo of my newest toy that I put to some good use today.

Cheers for now

Stewart.

6, 7 or 8 tips on planting Rhubarb

Here's a little video on me planting Rhubarb 'Ever Red'.

1. I started with a previously used bed. Cleaned out a few old plants and loosened up the soil with a fork.
2. I then added about 10l of compost and forked that through. Cleaned out a few twigs
   
3. Then I simply scratched a hole big enough to accommodate the Rhubarb division I'd purchased from Green Harvest
4. Back fill and lightly firm down the soil. You don't want to go too deep or shallow here. You just want the top of the division covered so as when you water it in the soil is washed away so as to just expose the top of the division.
5. Watering. This is the most important part. I like to really soak the ground to saturation and then not water for another week. I also add a fish emulsion and seaweed extract to the water as well.
6. Mulch, but not too thick, just enough to help stop the top soil from drying out to quickly.
7. Cross your fingers and hope it takes a liking to it's new surroundings.
   

House Keeping

Long term readers here at 'My Veggie Garden' will know that about this time last year I planted some 'Sydney Crimson' rhubarb. I'm sad to say it failed miserably.
Why? My guess is I planted it in a very sunny, hot and dryish part of the garden. While it did grow it was always wilted and no matter how much I mulched and watered it, it never thrived, until it finally succumbed to our summer heat.
This new planting of 'ever red' is in a more protected part of the garden with some afternoon shade so hopefully I'll have a better outcome this time around.

Cheers and happy gardening

Stewart

The week that was.

A mixed week for my veggie garden. The weather has been varied ranging from plesant to showers, rain (10/12mm) and even warm (22C) for this time of the year.

Ordered and received

I placed an order with Green Harvest (my favorite online mail order company) on late Wednesday and to my surprise it arrived Friday lunch time (damn they are good).
Included in the order was;

• Potatoes; Ruby Lou 1kg
• Lupin
• Lucerne Sequel
• Tomato Oxheart
• Tumeric Madras
• Rhubarb Ever Red
  

Planted

• Rhubarb Ever Red
• Lupin
• Tumeric
• Carrots
• Radish
• Leek
• Potatoes
• Garlic

Sprouted

• Spring onions (just)
• Beetroot

Growing

• Strawberries are flowering
• Self sown wheat has seed heads maturing
• Radish are getting there.
• Peas are a bit slow but getting there
• Self sown potatoes are powering along. Must remember to plant my seed potatoes earlier next year. They seem to like the early start.
  

Chooks

• Still 2/3 eggs a day.

That's was the week that is from the veggie garden this week;

Cheers and happy gardening

Stewart

It's Rhubarb not Brain Surgery

Edit 8/8/2010 New planting of Rhubarb 'ever red'

That's right, planting Rhubarb is as easy as falling off a log.

A/ Gather what you need. In this case a digging fork (I use a fork rather than a spade because I don't want to cut any of my wormies in half), 20l bucket of compost, 10l bucket of bulls*&T (cow manure) and two recently purchased Sydney Crimson Rhubarb plants.




B/ Spread the compost and cow manure evenly over the soil surface and turn in to the soil using the digging fork.

C/ Dig yourself a little hole the same depth as the plant you have. You can test it buy sitting the pot in the hole and see if it's to deep or shallow.






D/ Knock the plant out of its pot sit it in the hole and back fill to the same height as the potting mix it came in. Firm down into the soil gently (but not to much) to help the plant adjust to its new surroundings.

* I won't be adding any fertiliser at this stage. I'd like the plant to begin establishing a root system first and then apply a half strength fertiliser.
Maybe even a week liquid fertiliser in about four weeks time.
The main reason for this is I don't want to take the risk of having any new developing roots being burnt by to rich a soil base.




E/ And finally some recently raked out of the chook pen straw mulch and a good bucket of water each and Bob's your Auntie, Rhubarb planted.


Till next time, cheerie bye and happy rhubarbing.

Stewart

RHUBARB - Sydney Crimson

Thank you for placing your order with Greenpatch Organic Seeds.
Your order, which appears below, will be processed as soon as possible.

Date : 17 Jun 2009 - 03:38
Order ID : 7904400



Arrived 24 Jun 2009 - 02:16

Cool, thanks for the great service!!

RHUBARB - Sydney Crimson (Rheum rhubarbarum) Organic
Perennial to 90cm, plant in rich well drained soil. Stalks cooked for pie, savoury or sweet. Leaves are poisonous, used as spray for the garden. Available all year.




As you might be able to tell by now I ordered 5 Rhubarb plants from Greenpatch and I'm more than happy with their service and the quality of the plants that arrived.

When making my order I found their web site easy and straight forward to use.

Also as you can see they were securely and firmly packaged and arrived in tact.

Three thumbs up!!!  


Ummmmh, I can taste the jam and pies already, which probably means I'll have to exercise more or get rounder.

6, 7 or 8 tips on planting Rhubarb

Cheers and Happy Rhubarb gardening,
Stewart.

So much to do so little time.

I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment so I need to look at getting myself underwhelmed.
1st off the weather has let me down with little (.04mm) rain falling, but some still being predicted for mind week.
Spring being spring there is lots of soil prep, weeding, watering, mulching and planting to do, plus I'm trying to clean up other areas of the garden that I have let fall into neglect.
I collected seed from a Passionfruit I bought a few days ago so they will need to be planted.



Seedlings of Lettuce (iceberg, see the cute little fella an the left) and Cabbage (sugarloaf) have been planted.
I divided two Globe Artichokes into four a month ago and they are going well.
My Rhubarb is starting to form leaf. I can taste Apple and Rhubarb pie already.
What else is there. Arr yes, turning soil/preparing small area for sweet corn which I'll plant from seed in about three weeks. The second sowing will go in where my Broad beans are at the moment.




Earlier sowing of lettuce.

I'm also going to try growing climbing beans in with the corn this year so I'm looking forward to trying that.
Rocket, spring onions and spinach I planted direct by seed 3/4 weeks ago are growing well as is the beetroot which will need follow up plantings some time this week.

Harvesting
I gave seven lettuce to my wife to take to work (Myre) with her and they were all gone within a matter minutes.







Spring onions, spinach, garlic chives and Cauliflower I picked will make it to dinner tonight.












Here are some Cabbage seedlings planted about 4wks apart as part of my continuous cropping plan. The two on the left I planted today, the tow in the middle I will plant in 2/3 wks and I'll need to plant 2 more seeds to keep the whole thing rolling.
I find it really hard to plant just two of things. I'd rather plant a hundred and have a good old go. Maybe I have a repressed farmer inside me somewhere.



Here are some about seven weeks old.