Growing Tomatoes Down Under: Part 1

Time to start Tomatoes Down Under (Australia that is)

After nearly 2 weeks away from home I was really thrilled to see that some tomato seeds that I had planted some time ago had finally germinated.

There were 3 different methods that I tried and amazingly they all have started to germinate at the same time.

Mini Greenhouse, Plastic Cover Removed

One group were started in small pots with seed-raising mix, started in mid-July and placed in my small greenhouse with the hope that enough warmth would be provided to get them started. After several weeks of no action they were moved into the shed near a north-facing window that has several hours of sunshine (when the sun is shining, of course) each day. Still no action, despite making sure that the pots did not dry out. I was about to give up on these so I set up another couple of trials.

Another group were sown in a small wicking bed, and a transparent plastic meat tray placed over top to act like a mini greenhouse. These were sown in mid-August, and nothing appeared to be happening by late September, when I was away from home for about 2 weeks.

The other group were sown like the first group, in small pots and kept in the small greenhouse. They were also sown in mid-August. They also had not germinated by late September.

The results:

Wicking Bed Seedlings
Small, but germinated at last!

When I returned home on 13th September all 3 groups had started to germinate. The group in the Wicking bed had the best rate of germination, the pots left in the shed had dried out a bit, because they could not be watered while I was away, but 1 seed had germinated. The 3rd group had a couple of germinating seeds.

What next:
The seedlings that have already started will be nurtured so that they can be planted out when the weather warms up a little, and after the last frost.

I will keep some of the plants in the wicking bed, because I want to check how they go in there, and also because it can be moved around the yard into the best position to help with growth.

I have been surprised how much the simple act of growing a few vegetables has excited me, and that is the perhaps the prospect of having fresh and nutritious food to eat when they mature.

Progress reports should follow in the next few months. I might even have some extra tomatoes to share.



Small Tomato Seedling



Change Or Perish

That was the headline that greeted me yesterday morning from the local newspaper.

The article went on to tell us that South Australians need to change the way we grow plants or face a backyard wipeout.

The local expert being interviewed pointed out that with climate change and water restrictions gardeners need to adapt to those conditions.

Further into the newspaper there was an article suggesting that backyard gardeners used raised beds and shadecloth to combat the problems mentioned. That is going to be great for the manufacturers and suppliers of raised beds and shadecloth. 

The article also suggested ways to improve soils in the raised beds, which would also mean making your own compost, or buying it in from elsewhere. Another boost for a sector of the gardening supply industry.

There are some compelling arguments and handy tips about using water wisely. One thing that is not mentioned is how the use of wicking beds can be a great tool for sensible and conservative water use. Most raised beds advocates still have the bed build on soil or other stuff that will allow water to drain away, while a wicking bed retains that water, to be circulated around the root system of your plants.

In a post of a few days ago I outlined how I made a small wicking bed, and planted some seeds. Those seeds are now starting to raise their heads now.

Rocket Seedlings in a Wicking Bed

 The newspaper also is running a promotion where they are offering little packets of seeds, available for a small cost with a coupon from the newspaper. Now that not just an effort to raise circulation is it? Or am I being a bit too cynical linking the doom and gloom headline to the seed offer?