I started this post last week and with all the news of the bushfires, kind of ran out of puff to finish writing it. Now, I'm finding the need to try and focus on day to day life a little more. It's not that I want to be callous or uncaring about what is happening in Victoria. It's just that I'm finding it so upsetting that I need to try and focus on life (rather than death). If you've been affected by the fires, please accept my deepest sympathies. It's a tragedy that no-one in this country will ever forget.
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I'm really putting my garden through the paces at the moment. Not only has it had quite a nasty heatwave to withstand, we also went and left it for 4 days. 40+C heat without water for 4 days would make even the toughest plant want to curl up and die.
So, what plants survived such difficult conditions the best?
Corn
The corn was already looking quite damaged from the heatwave so I went ahead and picked most of it before we went away. 4 days without water in the heatwave seemed to finish it off. Obviously not one of the hardier plants to grow.
Tomatoes
Those on the top side of the bushes have some sun damage and the plants themselves fell over a little more (we've learnt a new technique for staking them which we will employ next summer). They're still fruiting well and all in all, I'm quite proud of my tomatoes (and enjoying the harvest - yum!)
Squash
The plants pretty much all lay over but the actual crop survived well. I think we're nearing the end of these but I'm more than happy with the yield.
Cucumber
The one cucumber plant that I actually managed to get to maturity is looking a little sad and hasn't fruited at all over the hot weather. We may not get anymore from it.
Pumpkin
I have a couple of butternut pumpkins growing on the vine which aren't looking all that crash hot. Time will tell. No more flowers have appeared but the vine itself looks healthy enough. Whether we'll get more from it remains to be seen.
Strawberries
I don't think my strawberries would have survived another hot day. They were so dry and parched even with lots of water. They're hanging in there though we did lose all the fruit that was on them when the heat wave started.
Beans
I have tried so hard to get beans to grow and finally had one seed reach a decent seedling size. It didn't survive the heatwave. :(
Zucchini
My one zucchini plant that has survived pest attack is still alive. Not very large yet though.
Parsley
The parsley is no more. I'll have to start again with that.
Shallots and Garlic Chives
I'm not sure anything will kill these. LOL. They are looking a little browned off on the tips but other than that, they look as healthy as always.
All in all, we're hanging in there. My garden this summer isn't quite as successful as it was last summer. But still worth doing I feel.
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2 comments:
Hi wow you are a jack of all trades! I too am an ex-city chick who has just moved to 2.5 acres. I have grand plans to get stuck into a veggie garden this year so I will check back for all your tips.
Well done!
Tip prune the pumpkin and cucumber, it may help. Anything else that survived the heat may pick up when the cooler temperatures come. Plant more beans at the end of February, but wait until the moon is in a growing phase, growing towards a full moon. March might seem hot but beans should do okay. I'm not surprised your corn carked it. It does rely heavily on water.
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