The Garden of Woz...

[Whwoz]

@JayneR13 , I grow as much of what we eat as possible, seasonally it would approach 100% of vegetables and I do preserve/freeze a lot also.

Those beets are so tall because they are running up to seed. Stems upto 5 feet high are possible from a large root.

[Whwoz]

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Picked the scapes off the Turban garlic today and noticed two other things, one a lot of them are side shooting and two RUST. Going to have to lift all the turbans and porcelain garlics which are showing rust even though the porcelains haven't started to scape.

May have to stick to the Elephant Garlics for a couple of years

[JayneR13]

Garlic rust bummer! I've had to dig potatoes early for similar reasons. I've received a smaller harvest but that's better than no harvest at all! Is there nothing you can do to stop the rust?

[Whwoz]

Garlic rust bummer! I've had to dig potatoes early for similar reasons. I've received a smaller harvest but that's better than no harvest at all! Is there nothing you can do to stop the rust?

I am not aware of anything that will control this fungus unfortunately. We had it for the first time last season, which was a lot wetter than this one and I can only hope a season or two without true garlic will eliminate the spores from our soil. Not sure where it has blown in from. fortunately it does not appear to be infecting any other alliums at this stage

[bower]

Any chance you could contain it by snipping off all the affected leaves?
I realize you have many other garlic varieties to save if you can, but it seems such a shame to pull the plants just when they are coming up to bulbing time.

[Whwoz]

Any chance you could contain it by snipping off all the affected leaves?
I realize you have many other garlic varieties to save if you can, but it seems such a shame to pull the plants just when they are coming up to bulbing time.

Hadn't considered doing this @bower, will have a better look when I get home, it maybe possible to do so, or a combination snipping off leaves and digging the most badly infected

[bower]

The fungus depends on cool and humid conditions, so perhaps if the weather cooperates, you could nip it in the bud.
https://gardenbetty.com/grrr-garlic-rus ... w-to-deal/

[Mark_Thompson]

@JayneR13 , I grow as much of what we eat as possible, seasonally it would approach 100% of vegetables and I do preserve/freeze a lot also.

Those beets are so tall because they are running up to seed. Stems upto 5 feet high are possible from a large root.

Speaking of beets, it’s been my experience that the people of your land don’t pronounce that word quite like the people from my land do. Not sure if that’s an all of Australia thing, but maybe you could share with us the alternative pronunciation of beet root?

[Whwoz]

@JayneR13 , I grow as much of what we eat as possible, seasonally it would approach 100% of vegetables and I do preserve/freeze a lot also.

Those beets are so tall because they are running up to seed. Stems upto 5 feet high are possible from a large root.

Speaking of beets, it’s been my experience that the people of your land don’t pronounce that word quite like the people from my land do. Not sure if that’s an all of Australia thing, but maybe you could share with us the alternative pronunciation of beet root?

Beetroots are Beetroots to me, nothing fancy or different.

[Mark_Thompson]

Does it sound like beet root, or like bee chroot?

[Whwoz]

Does it sound like beet root, or like bee chroot?

Say What???????

[Mark_Thompson]

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronun ... h/beetroot

Cambridge says it better than I do. In the US we simply call them beets, but if we say beet root, it sounds different from yours. When I was down there I thought it was hilarious (I was fairly young and fairly stupid though)

[JayneR13]

Po-TA-to, poTOToe, it’s all the same in the belly!

[Whwoz]

Jupiter Purple Snow Peas

The plants are basically at the end of their productive lives, with time restrictions preventing me picking as often as I should have. Plants have only grown to about half height, but have stopped flowering. Picking the last of the peas inbetween thundery showers today, most will be frozen, although they do hold well. No signs of disease on the plants, so will do a grip rip and replant as weather permits.

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Some of today's pick, mature pods full of large peas.

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Rinsed ready to top and tail

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One of the mature pods cut in half to show peas inside. No finer at all in pods, even at this stage.

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Topped and tailed, ready to freeze.

[Whwoz]

Green Jupiter Snow Peas

One plant of Jupiter Snow Pea grown this year has lost 80+% of the purple colour in its pods. Tasting seemed to indicate that the pods may be a touch sweeter than the typical purple pods, so the decision was made to try green sowing the peas out of these four pods

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Two pods had 6 peas, the other two 7 peas with all peas looking mature enough to germinate. They are in small pots so time will tell

[JayneR13]

Those are some mighty fine peas all right! I love to munch sugar snaps right out of the garden, or use them in stir fries. I've also noticed some of my purple pods were actually green, though I've no idea why.

[bower]

The partial anthocyanin on those pods is typical of an F1 cross between antho pods and green ones. I had something similar on pods of an F1 with Sugar Magnolia parent.
You should get a mix of purple, partial, and green in the next generation.... nice!!
Those Jupiters look really good.

[Whwoz]

The watermelon seedlings that I planted have taken off, unfortunately so has the weedy sedge that's a problem around here, so I got to work last night and weeded around the watermelon seedlings then mulched around them with cardboard underneath the mulch. Looks much better and should keep the weeds at bay for a while.

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There are some beetroot seedlings around the watermelon, should be able to harvest a few as baby beets within a couple of weeks, also lots of sedge visible that I will have to weed out properly otherwise it will most likely regrow. Need to get my pumpkin and squash germinated in pots to plant in a line cut into the cardboard/mulch which will be laid over the weedy area

[JayneR13]

I've tried to grow watermelon so many times! Of course I was trying to grow in containers, and usually got BER and no melons due to the potting mix. I've tried a few times in my raised beds only to be stymied by rabbits. My farmers must sit out there with pellet guns to keep them at bay!

[Whwoz]

@JayneR13, I have been able to grow watermelon successfully here in the past in previous attempts. The only problem that I have is determining when they are properly ripe for picking