Hi I am on the Gold Coast too and lost 2 avocado trees before finding success. I have found they are very fickle when young. I grew mine in a pot until it really got going before transplanting into the ground. My soil is also clay so l grew on a slightly raised mound. Doing really well now year 4 with lots of fruit. Good luck
My potatoes were a failure this year. They got some sort of bight. I noticed the same on someone elses in a few streets away. Dug them up and there were lots of mini spuds and tasted delicious smothered in butter. Gold Coast.
Oh no! Mine weren’t great, i planted more in seed than was able to harvest, they got cooked on that last day of winter which is my own fault as I did neglect them.
Hi Nicki. Love the tour. My husband watched the video. He thought you sounded a bit discouraged by all the bugs. 😒. I think your garden is amazing. It is really very challenging growing veg in Summer in our heat. Mostly I give up. It's a good time to work on all the jobs that prepare things for next year. I'm hoping to have 2 wicking beds ready for planting in April. Maybe even 4 if I can get myself organised. Your videos are an encouragement to me. 😅
Shits me to tears how some ppl can just get an abundance of fruits and vegetables!! Yet when I get something...I feel like I have to work hard to protect it to get something out of the garden!! Sucks doesn't it?? LOL!! Cheers!! From Adelaide - South Australia!!
It is my first time on your channel and I have just subscribed. Wow, your garden is looking so great 😊Thank you so much for sharing. Keep up the good work. All the best on this journey.
Hi, I created that IBC planter box that is cut off and in contact with the ground, I only took off one rung/rows, but I will take off two next time, too much dirt to fil it up and it is a little bit high anyway. My wife got it though, she always wanted a flower garden, now she has one. 🤣
I didn't even get out to do any Spring planting, since this year's 'Summer' started back in Winter. 🙄 I might try to plant some flowers in my beds, or something to just have them in use.
I don’t really do seasonal planting just a new bed every month to avoid the gluts as I hate processing excess. It also means I’ve always have something coming out of the garden and less risk of losing everything. Summer is hard though, at least the sweet potatoes will be fine.
@loveofdirt my sweet potatoes have taken over most of my yard, I haven't bothered trying to keep them in check. My Atherton Raspberries are doing the same - both planted in raised beds, but escaped (under & over). 😂 I have Rosella popping up EVERYWHERE, too! Some of my tomatoes are still growing from last year (same plant, not a new one that popped up!) even though they are in a pot and no fertiliser the entire time, just water when I remember. My yard is insane, but could be so much better if I put in just a touch of effort!! 🤦♀️ We don't get to eat much, too many bugs (that I never bother to take care of). But, I watch channels like this for motivation to get back into gardening. ☺️💖
I had terrible trouble with Zucchinis as well. Mine got some sort of leaf disease. I wasn't sure if it was mosaic virus or powdery mildew. I grew it this time last year. I agree this hot humid environment is difficult.
Usually powdery mildew doesn’t hurt them too much so it might have been something else. It’s not fun this time of year, I am hoping the loofahs will work as a good replacement for the zucchini.
I tried beating the summer with some tomatoes and I can say I only half succeeded which isn't failing I guess. Tomato grub was the real problem for awhile with my slicer tomatoes but the cherries did super well! I couldn't stay completely organic though, had to use some Liquid Copper since bacterial blight was getting out of control, and some pesticide to keep the all the bugs away since neem oil didn't work in the slightest against them. No fruit fly for me luckily, even though I have traps for them I haven seen a single one!
Thanks for the update! Love your monthly garden tours. Bummer about the overwatering 😢. Also how annoying is that cucumber fly! Hopefully your hard work with the exclusion meeting and hand pollination pays off 🤞
I hope so, I’ve missed a few already but I am pretty happy with the watermelon strike rate. Although they’ll probably split from too much rain before I get them.
Funny it’s really cooled down here 🤦♀️ ah the opposite side of the world Nicki so it’s to be expected 👍. Hope everything goes smoothly with keeping things happy and thriving, Ali ☔️☔️🇨🇦
Our block is 700 sqm but it’s mostly house- I think it’s around 30sqm dedicated to food growing (actual bed space, probably double if you count paths). I’ve got 15 raised beds (4 out of action as we rejig) plus the 4 aquaponics beds that aren’t doing much at the moment.
Hi Nick - I have the exact same issue with silver beet (chard) but I am using NFT hydroponics, Bok Choy and similar in the same nutrient flow is doing very well. The Silver beet leaf shriveling issue I have not resolved so interesting you have the same issue in soil. It initially looks like heat but I had the same issue with that chard variant through the winter also - so, scratches head, dunno !
I first noticed in the aquaponics a while back, I always thought mites but and after leaving irrigation accidentally overnight it came on very suddenly, I wondered if it was too much water. I’ll have to see if I can get a magnifying glass on them. Need to figure it out as it annoys me!
I think it's mites on your kale. It's affecting new leaves and making them curl up and die which sounds a lot like mites to me. I get them all the time on my chillis, some kind of broad mite. They're very small, you need a magnifying glass to spot them.
@ no worries. Love watching your videos. I’m not getting much of this rain lately. But the garden is still doing well with the ground water harvesting I’m playing around with. I one step ahead of the climate with my design at the moment.
Yeah we only got last nights storm which was 20mm, unfortunately our water tanks are out of commission at the moment as we’ve just moved things around. I’d love to have the space to do more ground water harvesting.
It’s called a Flexi frame, I got it from their website. This one is the tall one, does a bunch of configs and super easy to move I had it over the stone fruit tree before. I’d recommend getting the stakes if you’re in high wind area though as the legs like to wander.
Yes, a bunch of varieties but I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen the blue banded bees on those. I do see them on the cornflowers though and also see them on the tomatoes a lot. They also love the jicama flowers.
Sure do, mostly over seedlings that I’ve just planted out, I have a section of 30% that I throw over if it’s predicted to be super hot. The white exclusion nets also offer a bit of protection too. But I do try to position things with the sun in mind as well.
Thankfully I haven’t had downy mildew only the powdery. The one so am growing aren’t the greatest for that, I love the suyo long cucumber in summer, also maketmore and burpless. Rockmelons are a struggle for me, but hales jumbo isn’t terrible.
From my understanding downy is more a cold climate issue and it is more destructive as it’s hyphae attach internally to the plant rather than powdery that’s just surface level. Usually downy is host specific eg. Roses, grapes each have specific types of fungi. I guess it looks similar but downy is usually found on the underside of foliage and the topside usually look mottled. Honestly I’ve not had to deal with downy so I’ve never really researched it further.
@loveofdirt ive had it on 2 different blocks of corn now. When I say cobs aren't forming, I mean no more than a little bulb. I'm on bribie, so still roughly same area as you
@ I’ve expected a lot of pests the first couple of seasons until I can attract more predators. I refuse to use anything not organic. I’m sure as time goes on things will balance out
Cucurbit fruit fly ruined us last year and haven't bothered growing any cucumber, pumpkin or zucchinis this year. I think your approach of netting them and hand pollinating could be the answer but it requires work. We do hydroponics along with soil growing stuff but I love the idea of aquaponics for the protein source but I think I remember a video of yours saying how it's a lot of work to keep on top of things 😅 How much sqm would you say you have in front and back? Thanks for the vid, I will have to look into the raised wicking bed’s. Do you guys build them yourselves?
There are some cucumbers that self pollinate, I might try to get them next year. I’ve never seen those fruit flies this bad. The amount of males in that trap was insane. Aquaponics is pretty similar to hydro I think our system just needs an over haul and it’s just finding time to iron out issues. We’re taking time to consider its design this time. I think I’d like to get it running as hydro first and then work the fish back in. Actual bed space including aquaponics I use is probably just under 30sqm. Excluding fruit trees which I shove wherever they fit.
@@loveofdirt going to take a look at the vid now, thanks! Two years ago we didn't have that many issues with the cucumbers, we did see their handiwork with the brown streaks within but last year was bonkers. Keen to see how you develop the layout for the aquaponic/hydroponic area as I'm also trying to plan it all tetris-like
We also planted 2 avos in clay soil, raised half a metre. A lot of gypsum before planting, twice year application and heaps of organic matter around to help bring in the good guys to break things up. Ours are two and a bit years old and they have flowered and have fruitlets. Not sure if ours are old enough to say we're in the clear though
Hi
I am on the Gold Coast too and lost 2 avocado trees before finding success.
I have found they are very fickle when young. I grew mine in a pot until it really got going before transplanting into the ground. My soil is also clay so l grew on a slightly raised mound. Doing really well now year 4 with lots of fruit.
Good luck
Oh thank you for the tips!
My potatoes were a failure this year. They got some sort of bight. I noticed the same on someone elses in a few streets away. Dug them up and there were lots of mini spuds and tasted delicious smothered in butter. Gold Coast.
Oh no! Mine weren’t great, i planted more in seed than was able to harvest, they got cooked on that last day of winter which is my own fault as I did neglect them.
Hi Nicki. Love the tour. My husband watched the video. He thought you sounded a bit discouraged by all the bugs. 😒. I think your garden is amazing. It is really very challenging growing veg in Summer in our heat. Mostly I give up. It's a good time to work on all the jobs that prepare things for next year. I'm hoping to have 2 wicking beds ready for planting in April. Maybe even 4 if I can get myself organised. Your videos are an encouragement to me. 😅
I am good promise! Totally used to the bugs this time of year, It was just really hot when I was filming 😂
Shits me to tears how some ppl can just get an abundance of fruits and vegetables!! Yet when I get something...I feel like I have to work hard to protect it to get something out of the garden!! Sucks doesn't it?? LOL!! Cheers!! From Adelaide - South Australia!!
😂 the joys of organic gardening! thankfully I don’t put all my eggs in one basket so we’re still getting plenty.
It is my first time on your channel and I have just subscribed. Wow, your garden is looking so great 😊Thank you so much for sharing. Keep up the good work. All the best on this journey.
Thank you ☺️
Hi, I created that IBC planter box that is cut off and in contact with the ground, I only took off one rung/rows, but I will take off two next time, too much dirt to fil it up and it is a little bit high anyway. My wife got it though, she always wanted a flower garden, now she has one. 🤣
Someone else who commented did the same, good idea. Ours have to be disconnected from the soil because the trees nearby get into them.
I didn't even get out to do any Spring planting, since this year's 'Summer' started back in Winter. 🙄
I might try to plant some flowers in my beds, or something to just have them in use.
@@AussieWinter it’s never to late. I still sowing seed. Especially vine and climbing crops like pumpkins beans.
I don’t really do seasonal planting just a new bed every month to avoid the gluts as I hate processing excess. It also means I’ve always have something coming out of the garden and less risk of losing everything. Summer is hard though, at least the sweet potatoes will be fine.
@loveofdirt my sweet potatoes have taken over most of my yard, I haven't bothered trying to keep them in check. My Atherton Raspberries are doing the same - both planted in raised beds, but escaped (under & over). 😂 I have Rosella popping up EVERYWHERE, too! Some of my tomatoes are still growing from last year (same plant, not a new one that popped up!) even though they are in a pot and no fertiliser the entire time, just water when I remember.
My yard is insane, but could be so much better if I put in just a touch of effort!! 🤦♀️
We don't get to eat much, too many bugs (that I never bother to take care of).
But, I watch channels like this for motivation to get back into gardening. ☺️💖
Sounds like a typical subtropical summer garden, honestly this time of year is challenging. The diseases and bugs are always getting more than me.
@@loveofdirt I’ve got a large area so trying to set it up for nature to balance it out.
I had terrible trouble with Zucchinis as well. Mine got some sort of leaf disease. I wasn't sure if it was mosaic virus or powdery mildew. I grew it this time last year. I agree this hot humid environment is difficult.
Usually powdery mildew doesn’t hurt them too much so it might have been something else. It’s not fun this time of year, I am hoping the loofahs will work as a good replacement for the zucchini.
Bought some of your seeds and have had excellent success with them.
So glad to hear!
Look great Nicki. Sounds like you've got a lot of jobs to keep you busy! xx
my list is probably a little ambitious 😬
I tried beating the summer with some tomatoes and I can say I only half succeeded which isn't failing I guess. Tomato grub was the real problem for awhile with my slicer tomatoes but the cherries did super well! I couldn't stay completely organic though, had to use some Liquid Copper since bacterial blight was getting out of control, and some pesticide to keep the all the bugs away since neem oil didn't work in the slightest against them. No fruit fly for me luckily, even though I have traps for them I haven seen a single one!
Oh you’re lucky with the fruit flies they are breaking me! And Half succeeding is pretty good for this time of year.
Thanks for the update! Love your monthly garden tours. Bummer about the overwatering 😢.
Also how annoying is that cucumber fly! Hopefully your hard work with the exclusion meeting and hand pollination pays off 🤞
I hope so, I’ve missed a few already but I am pretty happy with the watermelon strike rate. Although they’ll probably split from too much rain before I get them.
Oh ! I am in Sunnybank area - same climate.
Glad you’re here!
Mark from Self Sufficient Me has had success with putting his avocado in a raised birdy bed, he’s on heavy clay soil in SE QLD too
Yeah just up the road, I’ll have a look.
Funny it’s really cooled down here 🤦♀️ ah the opposite side of the world Nicki so it’s to be expected 👍. Hope everything goes smoothly with keeping things happy and thriving, Ali ☔️☔️🇨🇦
Thank you!
Still cold in Victoria, looking forward to warmer days.
Hopefully soon for you, I’d gladly send it down if I could 😂
I'm in central QLD, it's crazy how hot it is here.
Are you due for the rain this week? It always seems to bypass central QLD
@@loveofdirt apparently Thursday, but yes it'll probably go around us as usual lol
Typical
Hi Nicki, am in SEQ too. How big is your garden? Your channel has given me the inspiration to start to grown fruit and veggies
Our block is 700 sqm but it’s mostly house- I think it’s around 30sqm dedicated to food growing (actual bed space, probably double if you count paths). I’ve got 15 raised beds (4 out of action as we rejig) plus the 4 aquaponics beds that aren’t doing much at the moment.
Hi Nick - I have the exact same issue with silver beet (chard) but I am using NFT hydroponics, Bok Choy and similar in the same nutrient flow is doing very well. The Silver beet leaf shriveling issue I have not resolved so interesting you have the same issue in soil. It initially looks like heat but I had the same issue with that chard variant through the winter also - so, scratches head, dunno !
I first noticed in the aquaponics a while back, I always thought mites but and after leaving irrigation accidentally overnight it came on very suddenly, I wondered if it was too much water. I’ll have to see if I can get a magnifying glass on them. Need to figure it out as it annoys me!
I think it's mites on your kale. It's affecting new leaves and making them curl up and die which sounds a lot like mites to me. I get them all the time on my chillis, some kind of broad mite. They're very small, you need a magnifying glass to spot them.
That was my thought but then I wondered if it was excess water. I’ll get a magnifying glass and confirm, thanks!
Good stuff. Fantastic 😊😊😊
Thanks
@ no worries. Love watching your videos. I’m not getting much of this rain lately. But the garden is still doing well with the ground water harvesting I’m playing around with. I one step ahead of the climate with my design at the moment.
Yeah we only got last nights storm which was 20mm, unfortunately our water tanks are out of commission at the moment as we’ve just moved things around. I’d love to have the space to do more ground water harvesting.
your favorite bird in background at start lolz
We’re back to being friends ☺️ Also did you see the baby? It’s a cute little fluff ball.
@@loveofdirt missed it. going back for a second watch a lot to take in on that tour
It’s on the fence when I am talking about my potatoes
@@loveofdirt ah I thought that was the other adult . they grow up so fast lol
They do! It was as big as the adults, just the fluffy feathers around the head and its clumsiness gave it away.
Thanks for the video!! Where did you get that green poled net covering from? Cheers
It’s called a Flexi frame, I got it from their website. This one is the tall one, does a bunch of configs and super easy to move I had it over the stone fruit tree before. I’d recommend getting the stakes if you’re in high wind area though as the legs like to wander.
@@loveofdirt thanks
Do you have any salvia? I have a herd of blue banded bees who love them, the blue and purple in particular.
Yes, a bunch of varieties but I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen the blue banded bees on those. I do see them on the cornflowers though and also see them on the tomatoes a lot. They also love the jicama flowers.
35 degree days have been challenging hey! We are getting heaps out of your content living just up the road (Cabo Sth). Keep going with it 🙂
And a very wet week ahead is going to be fun!
Do you ever use green shade cloth over your garden
I just did that makes a huge difference in 33-35 degree days lately
St Burnett region
Sure do, mostly over seedlings that I’ve just planted out, I have a section of 30% that I throw over if it’s predicted to be super hot. The white exclusion nets also offer a bit of protection too. But I do try to position things with the sun in mind as well.
Are there any varieties of rockmelon and cucumbers that grow well in the humidity where you live? Downy mildew is such a problem 🥹
Thankfully I haven’t had downy mildew only the powdery. The one so am growing aren’t the greatest for that, I love the suyo long cucumber in summer, also maketmore and burpless. Rockmelons are a struggle for me, but hales jumbo isn’t terrible.
@ Thank you. What is the difference between downy mildew and powdery mildew?
From my understanding downy is more a cold climate issue and it is more destructive as it’s hyphae attach internally to the plant rather than powdery that’s just surface level. Usually downy is host specific eg. Roses, grapes each have specific types of fungi. I guess it looks similar but downy is usually found on the underside of foliage and the topside usually look mottled. Honestly I’ve not had to deal with downy so I’ve never really researched it further.
Maybe try growing your avo in a big pot, you keep the PH at the right level.
Yeah I was thinking a square raised bed
Brissy Spring = Summer 🥵
I know the Challenge watering & finding garden goodies before the critters & bugs...
Fun times 😫
@loveofdirt sadly noooo!
My corn cobs aren't forming and I'm getting kernels on the male flowers. So frustrating 😫
That’s strange! I’ve never seen kernels on the flowers before
@loveofdirt ive had it on 2 different blocks of corn now. When I say cobs aren't forming, I mean no more than a little bulb. I'm on bribie, so still roughly same area as you
If the ear is small they might need more fertiliser and water they are super heavy feeders.
@loveofdirt I've been fertilising and watering like mad. Also hand pollinating. I'm not giving up yet lol
I fear the rain will stop mine from becoming pollinated, should have planted earlier!
I’ve got a big problem with tiny grasshoppers eating everything at the moment
I’ve seen a few this year too, but I think the birds are keeping them mostly under control.
@ I’ve expected a lot of pests the first couple of seasons until I can attract more predators. I refuse to use anything not organic. I’m sure as time goes on things will balance out
Cucurbit fruit fly ruined us last year and haven't bothered growing any cucumber, pumpkin or zucchinis this year. I think your approach of netting them and hand pollinating could be the answer but it requires work. We do hydroponics along with soil growing stuff but I love the idea of aquaponics for the protein source but I think I remember a video of yours saying how it's a lot of work to keep on top of things 😅
How much sqm would you say you have in front and back?
Thanks for the vid, I will have to look into the raised wicking bed’s. Do you guys build them yourselves?
There are some cucumbers that self pollinate, I might try to get them next year. I’ve never seen those fruit flies this bad. The amount of males in that trap was insane. Aquaponics is pretty similar to hydro I think our system just needs an over haul and it’s just finding time to iron out issues. We’re taking time to consider its design this time. I think I’d like to get it running as hydro first and then work the fish back in. Actual bed space including aquaponics I use is probably just under 30sqm. Excluding fruit trees which I shove wherever they fit.
And yes did the wicking beds ourselves th-cam.com/video/f-uEiyDBm4E/w-d-xo.html
@@loveofdirt going to take a look at the vid now, thanks!
Two years ago we didn't have that many issues with the cucumbers, we did see their handiwork with the brown streaks within but last year was bonkers.
Keen to see how you develop the layout for the aquaponic/hydroponic area as I'm also trying to plan it all tetris-like
We also planted 2 avos in clay soil, raised half a metre. A lot of gypsum before planting, twice year application and heaps of organic matter around to help bring in the good guys to break things up. Ours are two and a bit years old and they have flowered and have fruitlets. Not sure if ours are old enough to say we're in the clear though
Oh good to know! I think raising will be key here
You’re not wrong. The heat’s been stifling.
I always question my choice to live in this climate when the heat hits
@ yeah I like colder climates too but I guess we have a larger growing season here
Good to see that the butcher bird has stopped bombing you
he stopped that first week of October 🙌 the baby had been hanging out with me now
Good Farming gardening to survive to Mankind .
Yep
i do not envy your bug issues.
Yeah it’s not fun