Your comments and tips

14 Sep 17, lorraine (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Peter. How frustrating for you. I, too, love my garden, especially growing food crops and harvesting the produce. It is hard to know your circumstances without more information about your site. The roots of neighbours trees can be problematic, sucking out much of the moisture and nutrients, especially during the hot weather. I keep my veg beds 1-2 metres away from the boundary fences, and thoroughly dig over the beds closest to the fences and neighbouring trees prior to planting, to break up the invading tree roots, which helps for a while, but come late summer, I have to abandon at least one bed as the plants become water-stressed. It is not uncommon to have one particular crop fail in any particular year because of the vagaries of the season, but you should be able to still harvest others. Are you able to grow leafy greens? and what about winter crops? Lorraine

Reply or Post a new comment

14 Sep 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Each different area of Australia has its particular requirements to be successful. This info is generalized for growing veggies. 1. All day direct sun is best - things just don't grow without it. 2. Good soil and replenish with compost or manures etc. each year. Give your soil a break from crops for a few months each year and add the compost and work it in. Dig it over a few times. 3 Regular watering - small plants - light, regular watering - bigger plants - fewer waterings but more volume of water. Then you need to know which plants to plant each season. I plant beans in April and the bean fly kills the young plants. I planted about 2 1/2 mths ago and have great plants now - just starting to pick them now. I have trouble with Zucchini and Capsicums some times of the year. Capsicums need a certain temperature to pollinate I recently read. I have trouble with my Zucchinis - no bees to pollinate. I am doing it by hand at the moment. Next year I'm going to plant some flowers in my other gardens to attract the bees. I explained in a post the other day to go to The Seed Collection website and print off the Sowing Chart. It is a guide for different climates. Go on the internet and type in "How to grow ------" and read up about it. Look for Australian websites. Gardening Australia etc. Look up seed selling companies and read about how and when to grow different veggies. I'm going on a holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks - will have my computer with me. Email me if you like. [email protected]. When I come home we can talk on the phone.

Reply or Post a new comment

18 Jun 17, Merv (Australia - temperate climate)

After the growing season do I have to wait until the vine turn brown before cutting them down

Reply or Post a new comment

19 Jun 17, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

As soon as you have picked all the beans you can pull them down or let them die off if you want to. A suggestion either way you do it, put them on the lawn and run over them with the lawn mower - will chop them up into small pieces. Use as a mulch or compost them.

Reply or Post a new comment

21 May 17, Lynne Corkin (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Hi I am revamping my scarlet runner frame this year. I also have a fig tree which I would like to espalier on the same frame. Would they survive together?

Reply or Post a new comment

22 May 17, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)

The competition for water and nutrients between a fig tree and scarlet runner beans would be very strong, the fig being the likely winner as it would have the stronger root system. If you could keep up the nutrients and water it might work.

Reply or Post a new comment

25 Apr 17, Mandy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

When do green beans ripen

Reply or Post a new comment

24 Feb 17, filippo italiano (Australia - temperate climate)

in pert w a can i plant climbing lama beans or other beans

Reply or Post a new comment

26 Feb 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Climbing or pole beans do not set beans in hot weather. This happens even in South-eastern Australia where it is cooler. Climbing beans are generally very good yielders so as a consolation you could just grow bush beans, a few seeds at a time to extend your harvest. Someone else may have some ideas for growing pole beans in Perth. Trust this helps.

Reply or Post a new comment

06 Mar 17, Kim (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi....I live in Perth WA and have found blue lake beans reliable croppers(even in summer). They have been affected when prolonged heat, but in general do ok. I have very rich soil which is constantly mulched and have added 20kg per sq m of kaolin clay(soil solver) which is one of the best things I have ever done to improve my soil. I also grow snake beans through out spring summer also. Cheers

Reply or Post a new comment