Ahhh January, I miss you already. Well I would do if we weren’t having a nice warm start to Feb, or indeed if Miss 5 wasn’t happily packed off to school, or if January wasn’t synonymous with the gradual death of many of my tomato plants.
At the start of the month they were looking full of promise, lovely and bushy:
But then as they month went on they gotten sadder,
and sadder, and sadder
until the Broad Ripple Currant died completely.
The month wasn’t all bad though, some things looked happy and healthy throughout the month:
And some were looking much happier at the end of it than they were at the beginning:
Plus we had lots of good harvests. As well as the potatoes which some would say I’ve already documented to death, January produced: the shallots, the first of the capsicums (from an overwintered plant) and more than a few cucumbers. In fact I became inordinately interested in cucumber growth during the course of the month. Here is the development of a cucumber over a 10 day period.
It was, of course, harvested a few days later and went on to become salad.
January also had its share of pests an annoyances, citrus leaf miners on the potted citrus, black aphids on the garlic chives and most annoyingly what seems like thousands (about 5 in reality) of baby blackbirds practising their scratching skills wherever they can. Any number up rooted lettuces later and I deployed the trusty cages to protect the most vulnerable of my plants.
But finally check out what’s hopefully in my future (last year they all went missing during February), oh I do love Tamarillos, but they will make me wait – these should ripen in about May.
So, was it the Blight that put paid to your tomatoes, or was it simply “super-annuation”?
I like the look of your anti-Blackbird cages. I might have to try something like that, because I have a similar problem.
Super-annuation I think, we don’t really have ideal growing conditions. I don’t have any areas of full sun and it just gets a bit too hot and humid in my vvery sheltered garden. Also it hasn’t really rained for about 6 weeks so that doesn’t help….. The blackbird cages are unsightly but great, I move them around as things gets established and it works quite well. Not having any blackbirds (whoever introduced them to Australia has much to answer for…..) would help considerably more of course….
My gardening POD friend Mick has similar cages to protect things from birds.
My crops just have to take their chances!
The blackbirds are just soooo irritating as they expose the plants roots all the time. You must have tough plants.
I need to make cages like that in my chook run. Then, when they grew I could let the chooks at the. My tomatoes are finally ripening but the ones down the bottom are either rotten or eaten by something. Tamarillos – never tried one!
I think Tamarillos taste a bit like a cross between a passionfruit and a tomato. I love them, partner hates them but also hates passionfruit and fresh tomatoes…. I can send you some to try in May if they make it to ripening stage – hopefully I will have many!
Your tomarillos look very promising with heaps of fruits. We seen lots of death in the garden this January. All of a sudden, the temperature drop a lot this week. Would you like to try and see if you prune your broad ripple currant tomato leaving only the healthiest parts will it bounce back. Tried before and sometime I got lucky. Can’t guarantee it though.
Ah – that is a good idea – I think I will try that with a couple of my other plants – that one is too far gone and see how I go. It is going to be much cooler here this week too and I think they will appreciate it. We haven’t had any real rain for about 6 weeks now and I think all the plants are feeling it.
I wondered about blight too but your problem seemed to develop too slowly.
Warm February? Two words that definitely don’t go together here with snow forecast for this afternoon!
I actually don’t think they are diseased – well not with the really destructive diseases anyway, I think its basically that they’ve had enough hot weather and irregular watering and they are taking their bat and ball and going home so to speak.
Look at all those tamarillo! Too bad about broad ripple currant – mine are still going although fruit slow to rippen and they split more than my other varieties.
Nice long cayene!
And I too love watching cucumber develop – ah one of the benefits of Sydney’s rainy summer – rapidly thickening cucumber!
Cucumbers do seem to appreciate a good amount of water. I am so excited about the Tamarillos – the only negative being that when they are ready is when we are heading into winter – oh well you have to take the good with the bad I guess….
Your tomato plants look the same as mine.
My friends (well those who grow tomatoes anyway) plants look the same too, I have green tops on most of mine but they seem to be setting too much fruit.
Hey hey! I have nominated you as a Versatile Blogger! So come and collect your Versatile Blogger Award at Roots and Shoots: http://rsandss.blogspot.com/. 🙂
Thanks Shroom – thats very kind of you.
Tamarillos, now they certainly look interesting…never heard of that fruit before. I had to look it up and read about them, sounds like a wonderful fruit and from the looks of yours a very productive one as well.
I absolutely love them – I just hope the possums & fruit bats don’t get to them before I do.
Hi Liz,
Greetings from a snowy and icy South Wales! Love hearing about your tomatoes-whatever state they are in…I can’t wait for summer here!
I do struggle with cold weather, so I can’t say I’m envious of your winter.