22 Feb various

Tomatoes; still being massacared. Have resorted to cutting away bad bits and using the rest.

Beans; fruiting! Well hidden though so I didn't realise until I saw them through the garage window. I think some have been left a bit past optimal picking.





Beetroot; still picking first batch. New batch coming along. Will plant one more lot on next few days.

Caulis; totally decimated by horrid caterpillars.

Lettuces. Most bolted. Iceberg still doing well.






-- Post From Sandra's iPhone

Pests and fertilising

Horrid little hump backed caterpillars are eating my tomatoes.




No idea what to use to stop them. Have had to cut off a bunch of damaged fruit.



But yay. Fruit is ripening!




Have also discovered I'm supposed to fertilise biweekly. Luckily there was some tomato food in the shed so they just got their first food post planting.

Notes for next time:
Plant earlier! Late September perhaps.
Fertilise regularly and the plants might not be half dead.
Figure out organic control for nasty humpback caterpillars!
-- Post From Sandra's iPhone

** Ok apparantly the control for the mini beasts is digital (squish) which is no good as they can do too much damage before being found.  Or Bacillus thuringiensis (or Bt) spray which is only harmful to caterpillars BUT takes 3-5 days to work, in which time they can do some serious damage :(  Oh well.  Needs must.

Tomatoes Feb 2010

I planted 4 tomatoes.
2 money maker and 2?? that I got from an old guy outside Safeway in Mordialloc.
He said lots of poo and 2 metre stakes.  Well I did the lots of poo but left the staking until too late.
One day they were tiny and the next they were huge and unweildy.   I've staked as best I can but they are a bit dodgy.
Right now they are looking a bit sick. I think it's a combo of lack of water and lack of fertiliser. I remedied the former last night and I shall remedy the latter today.  Lots of tomatoes on them though!
There are also a couple of self seeded tomatoes growing with the beans up the netting.  I think they will be cherry toms. I've pulled a bunch of self seeded ones too.

For the future
Stake at the beginning
Prune regularly
Fertilise regularly