Spring's comin' a callin' - Page 3

Spatzbear · September 5, 2006

30mm up here. We need more rain. Everything is a lot drier than it usually is at this time of the year. Summer could be a real worry with bush fires.

We are on rainwater, thank goodness. The tanks are full. The dam could do with more water, though.

Grub · September 5, 2006

Sounds encouraging Spatz. I remember that great pic you took last year —★or was it the year before — of the flooded paddocks out yonder, leaden skies, bows weighed down with water, creek bursting forth behind the herb garden.

Made me want to hunker down with a cake and cuppa. And I can taste the difference between a smooth cuppa made with tank water and a rough cup on tap water. So lucky you. Being a country bumpkin I bet you can bake.

Big storm building here...

Forecast for Thursday
Showers, tending to rain near coast. Strong to Gale Force southwest
to southerly winds

Precis: Showers. Strong to gale force S winds
City: Min: 11 Max: 16
West: Min: 6 Max: 17

Friday Showers. S winds
City: Min: 11 Max: 17
West: Min: 5 Max: 18

Saturday Showers.
City: Min: 11 Max: 16
West: Min: 6 Max: 17

Sunday Showers / rain.
City: Min: 11 Max: 15
West: Min: 8 Max: 16

Monday Showers easing.
City: Min: 11 Max: 17
West: Min: 5 Max: 18

Tuesday Shower or two.
City: Min: 11 Max: 20
West: Min: 5 Max: 19

Lucky I put manure and mulch under all the hedges and stuff. I could feel it coming in my bones, the left shoulder in particular.

Mantis · September 5, 2006

Looks good for you up there eh. The rains finshed here but there might be some more over the catchments.
I am going to have to put in a tank to catch the laundry water cause I don't think the 5000 litres of fresh tank water will last the season.

Grub · September 17, 2006

Spent all Friday doing first transplants. Am very grateful for Mrs Grub's assistance. Unquestionably, the most successful seed-raising season yet. Very strong little guys with first true leaves. Going to have a lot of spares that I will endeavour to give away.

Grub · October 3, 2006

Tomatoes are tearing away now. About ready to transplant.

Peppers and eggplants throwing first true leaves and opening up to their new life Down Under.

Spatzbear · October 3, 2006

Looking very good, Grub! Glad you shared your piccies with us.

Have taken some for you, too. The tomatoes have never looked so good at this time of the year. Normally they are about half the size. Amazing things. They are on the balcony at the moment (too early to plant out). The chicken wire over the boxes is there so that I can pull the clear plastic over them during the night.

Toms on the right, overwintered chillies on the table, box of chilli & capsicum seedlings on the left, and 2 boxes of tom & chilli runts in the front.

Close up of tommie teenagers:

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Spatzbear · October 3, 2006

Oh,forgot to treat you to the view of the hill from my balcony today (late afternoon), Grub.

Mantis · October 3, 2006

Great looking plants folks.
We have just started stage 4 water restrictions here. Bucket or watering can from the tap only, no hoses. No washing cars except windows and mirrors. No watering of lawns at all, (about time they bought that one in).
I wonder how the tommys will like the washing machine water ???

Grub · October 3, 2006

I love your fairytale view Spatz
Thanks for the postcard. Now I'll dive in.
And I agree. Your seedlings look heaps bigger this year. It must be the warm covering at night. That's my theory at this end anyway.

Amazed at the size and health of your chillies.

Overwintering is go, eh?

Full Moon · October 3, 2006

Very good looking plants guys!

Spatz, you've got a magical place there. Well done.

All but 4 tomatoes are in. Planted the ones in the bed on saturday. The ones in pots have first trust of flowers. I need to figure out how to post pictures.

Peppers, chillies and eggplants went in on saturday as well.
Grub, I read that your Jimmy Nardellos were "no show" sorry to hear that. I have three plants in so if I'm lucky I could sent you a little care package later this season.

I just can't wait to eat a fresh tomato!!!

Grub · October 3, 2006

Full Moon,

I'd love some Jimmy Nardello seeds. The feedback here was excellent. Productive and tasty. And I made a paella last night, sweating a pile of yellow frying-type peppers, onion, gammon, etc. So more power to the peppers.

Posting pics here is a snap.

1.Put the image or images (jpegs) on your desk top.
2. Open up the thread here where you want the image to appear.
3.Open up another www window and go to a free image hosting website like, say, www.freeimagehosting.net
4. Press upload.
5. Choose image from you desktop.
6. Press upload.
7. A new window will appear with various URLs or addresses. Copy the one that says "post a thumbnail link to a bigger image" or "post original image straight into forum."
8. Copy the URL and post in the forum window.
9. Click preview to check the image is there.
10. If not, paste the URL, highlight it, and click the Img button at the top of the message page. That will put a [img] and [/img[ either side of the URL. This program will recognise it as an image. Click preview and you should see the image.
12. Post as many images as possible. We want those NHers to drool.

Hope I'm making sense.
Cheers, Grub.

Mantis · October 7, 2006

Things are really starting to take off in the greenhouse
New Big Dwarfs going strong

Juanne Flamme loading up and about to change coloUr

Aunt Ginny

Brandywine X College Challenger (hopefully)

Stump of the World

These are four big pots that I have had in the greenhouse until yesterday. Being in the greenhouse has given them a real head start eh
From left to right, Bush Whopper(looking like it will be very prolific), Opalka, Arkansas Travellor and Momotaro

Full Moon · October 8, 2006

Woohoo Thanks Grub! That was easy.

Mantis fantastic pictures. Jaunne Flammée is going to be on your plate in no time by the looks of it.

After reading hundreds of posts on starting seeds, potting mixes, caging, staking, raised beds, composting, foliar feeding, etc, etc, this is what I've come up with.

Ok here we go, (drum roll) some of my FIRST heirloom tomato plants.

Planted these Sept. 10th amongst them:
Green Grape, Camp Joy, Jaune Flammée, Blondkopfchen, Black Cherry, Canabec Super

Those went last week while DH was watching Grand Final

Mystery PL, Cherokee Green, Fritsche, Cherokee Purple, Montreal Tasty, Cuostralee, Prue, Plourde

Make sure to remind me to send you some seeds Grub.

Tom...Tom....Tom, you're in for a looooooong winter lol!

Grub · October 8, 2006

Mantis,

You're off to a flying start again. I hope the Stumps get bigger. The Jaune Flammees look great. As you like a tart one these should hit the spot.

Full Moon,
Those beds look awesome. Looks like you've got yourself a really great setup. I can feel a mighty harvest coming on. Hopefully, the weather is compliant.

About half my newly planted babies in the beds got fried in 30C+ yesterday. They will survive but have lost a few leaves. Will need to harden them off a bit more next time.

Spatzbear · October 8, 2006

All looking very good! Great stuff, people!

Will be interesting to see how things turn out. My tomatoes are still in pots, hopefully I can plant them soon. Frost is still a danger around here.

(And now I know who you are, Full Moon! *LOL*)

September 5, 2006	#32
Grub Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,722	Spring Rains Sounds encouraging Spatz. I remember that great pic you took last year —★or was it the year before — of the flooded paddocks out yonder, leaden skies, bows weighed down with water, creek bursting forth behind the herb garden. Made me want to hunker down with a cake and cuppa. And I can taste the difference between a smooth cuppa made with tank water and a rough cup on tap water. So lucky you. Being a country bumpkin I bet you can bake. Big storm building here... Forecast for Thursday Showers, tending to rain near coast. Strong to Gale Force southwest to southerly winds Precis: Showers. Strong to gale force S winds City: Min: 11 Max: 16 West: Min: 6 Max: 17 Friday Showers. S winds City: Min: 11 Max: 17 West: Min: 5 Max: 18 Saturday Showers. City: Min: 11 Max: 16 West: Min: 6 Max: 17 Sunday Showers / rain. City: Min: 11 Max: 15 West: Min: 8 Max: 16 Monday Showers easing. City: Min: 11 Max: 17 West: Min: 5 Max: 18 Tuesday Shower or two. City: Min: 11 Max: 20 West: Min: 5 Max: 19 Lucky I put manure and mulch under all the hedges and stuff. I could feel it coming in my bones, the left shoulder in particular.

October 3, 2006	#35
Grub Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,722	Update Pics Tomatoes are tearing away now. About ready to transplant. Peppers and eggplants throwing first true leaves and opening up to their new life Down Under.

September 5, 2006	#31
Spatzbear Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Adelaide Hills, Australia Posts: 349	30mm up here. We need more rain. Everything is a lot drier than it usually is at this time of the year. Summer could be a real worry with bush fires. We are on rainwater, thank goodness. The tanks are full. The dam could do with more water, though.

September 5, 2006	#33
Mantis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 1,241	Looks good for you up there eh. The rains finshed here but there might be some more over the catchments. I am going to have to put in a tank to catch the laundry water cause I don't think the 5000 litres of fresh tank water will last the season.

September 17, 2006	#34
Grub Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,722	Spent all Friday doing first transplants. Am very grateful for Mrs Grub's assistance. Unquestionably, the most successful seed-raising season yet. Very strong little guys with first true leaves. Going to have a lot of spares that I will endeavour to give away.

October 3, 2006	#40
Full Moon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Montréal, Canada Posts: 347	Very good looking plants guys! Spatz, you've got a magical place there. Well done. All but 4 tomatoes are in. Planted the ones in the bed on saturday. The ones in pots have first trust of flowers. I need to figure out how to post pictures. Peppers, chillies and eggplants went in on saturday as well. Grub, I read that your Jimmy Nardellos were "no show" sorry to hear that. I have three plants in so if I'm lucky I could sent you a little care package later this season. I just can't wait to eat a fresh tomato!!!

October 7, 2006	#42
Mantis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Oz Posts: 1,241	Things are really starting to take off in the greenhouse New Big Dwarfs going strong Juanne Flamme loading up and about to change coloUr Aunt Ginny Brandywine X College Challenger (hopefully) Stump of the World These are four big pots that I have had in the greenhouse until yesterday. Being in the greenhouse has given them a real head start eh From left to right, Bush Whopper(looking like it will be very prolific), Opalka, Arkansas Travellor and Momotaro

October 8, 2006	#43
Full Moon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Montréal, Canada Posts: 347	Woohoo Thanks Grub! That was easy. Mantis fantastic pictures. Jaunne Flammée is going to be on your plate in no time by the looks of it. After reading hundreds of posts on starting seeds, potting mixes, caging, staking, raised beds, composting, foliar feeding, etc, etc, this is what I've come up with. Ok here we go, (drum roll) some of my FIRST heirloom tomato plants. Planted these Sept. 10th amongst them: Green Grape, Camp Joy, Jaune Flammée, Blondkopfchen, Black Cherry, Canabec Super Those went last week while DH was watching Grand Final Mystery PL, Cherokee Green, Fritsche, Cherokee Purple, Montreal Tasty, Cuostralee, Prue, Plourde Make sure to remind me to send you some seeds Grub. Tom...Tom....Tom, you're in for a looooooong winter lol!