Welcome! I have recently moved to Far North Queensland - the wet tropics. This little blog will document my attempts at vegetable gardening in this somewhat difficult climate. I've read many books and websites on growing vegetables but none really take into account the tropical climate. As my new home already came with a vegetable patch squared off I thought I'd try my luck and see what will work.
The garden was extremely overgrown and it took a good while to remove the weeds and old growth. Unfortunately, in my haste to get started I removed a tomato plant. I tried to replant it but it did not survive the process.
Already in situ was a chilli plant. I have let it be and only time will tell if it bears fruit.
In just two short weeks I have had great success with lettuce. Okay, I cheated and bought seedlings but they have quadrupled in size since then and we are already eating the leaves in our dinner salad. They are simply delicious. The heat of the day and the extreme humidity takes its toll on the lettuces and they are quite wilted by midday however return to their perky state by late evening. Likewise, my carrot seedlings suffer then recover. I have just a few seedlings so far.
My other success is corn...well, we haven't had corn from them yet but from baby seedlings planted on Dec 5, they are now measuring over 60cm tall. I separated the seedlings but due to the limited space, they aren't quite spaced out as far as is recommended. Again, we'll have to wait and see!
On the not-so-great side is strawberries. I planted these out last week and I could see them going down hill every day. Tonight I knew if I didn't take action they would be dead by morning. I dug up the little plant and put it in a pot again. I'll only let it have a few hours of morning sun and see if it cheers up a bit. If it comes back I might repot it to a larger container and leave it there. Perhaps my soil was a contributing factor? I don't know what kind of soil is in the garden, it doesn't look like it's anything special though.
I also attempted to grow lettuce from seed. I was very disappointed when not a single one sprouted! I planted them just as the wet season really started and it rained day and night for three days so I stopped my regular watering. It was only when the rain stopped that I realised that the seeds were planted in a spot that may not have received the rain, I can't be sure so after a week of no sprouting, I decided to replant more seeds in the same row. I did that yesterday and I will be sure to water them or check that the rain is getting them.
The outstanding winner of my first vegetable garden is definitely my cucumber. I planted seeds 10 days ago and by day 2 every single one had sprouted and they are now a good 20cm tall! I have high hopes for these fellas!
I know this is a long first post but I wanted to document what has happened so far. If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know. I'll try and take some photos tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone!
The garden was extremely overgrown and it took a good while to remove the weeds and old growth. Unfortunately, in my haste to get started I removed a tomato plant. I tried to replant it but it did not survive the process.
Already in situ was a chilli plant. I have let it be and only time will tell if it bears fruit.
In just two short weeks I have had great success with lettuce. Okay, I cheated and bought seedlings but they have quadrupled in size since then and we are already eating the leaves in our dinner salad. They are simply delicious. The heat of the day and the extreme humidity takes its toll on the lettuces and they are quite wilted by midday however return to their perky state by late evening. Likewise, my carrot seedlings suffer then recover. I have just a few seedlings so far.
My other success is corn...well, we haven't had corn from them yet but from baby seedlings planted on Dec 5, they are now measuring over 60cm tall. I separated the seedlings but due to the limited space, they aren't quite spaced out as far as is recommended. Again, we'll have to wait and see!
On the not-so-great side is strawberries. I planted these out last week and I could see them going down hill every day. Tonight I knew if I didn't take action they would be dead by morning. I dug up the little plant and put it in a pot again. I'll only let it have a few hours of morning sun and see if it cheers up a bit. If it comes back I might repot it to a larger container and leave it there. Perhaps my soil was a contributing factor? I don't know what kind of soil is in the garden, it doesn't look like it's anything special though.
I also attempted to grow lettuce from seed. I was very disappointed when not a single one sprouted! I planted them just as the wet season really started and it rained day and night for three days so I stopped my regular watering. It was only when the rain stopped that I realised that the seeds were planted in a spot that may not have received the rain, I can't be sure so after a week of no sprouting, I decided to replant more seeds in the same row. I did that yesterday and I will be sure to water them or check that the rain is getting them.
The outstanding winner of my first vegetable garden is definitely my cucumber. I planted seeds 10 days ago and by day 2 every single one had sprouted and they are now a good 20cm tall! I have high hopes for these fellas!
I know this is a long first post but I wanted to document what has happened so far. If you have any comments or suggestions please let me know. I'll try and take some photos tomorrow. Merry Christmas everyone!
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