Why do my Tomato plants turn purple?

A tray of our Funky Fresh Kitchen Tomato pots, College Challenger I think.  Getting a little "hard" i know.

We walk a fine line at this time of year, we lost the first two batches of Basil before even sending them out. The demand is so crazy that we have to try to have them available but it doesn't take much to put them off.

I've also had inquiries this week about Tomatoes losing colour. Perhaps more accurately taking on the hue of a three day old bruise, purple and yellow. This colouring is a symptom of the plants being hungry. Especially for nitrogen and phosphorus.  Tomatoes are a great crop, we have significant demand and they are relatively easy to grow except for the fuss of staking them. There are two issues that we have to watch for: stretching and black spots (haven't seen any yet this year!). To protect the plants from the winter and early spring elements we hold the plants in a poly house. This ensures the plants can grow without stress but encourages them to grow very tall and skinny and if the foliage is too soft the black spot bacteria can infect the plants easily. We try to control this culturally by deliberately under watering them and by supplying only just enough fertilizer to keep them green but not enough to grow like crazy. Another trick is to use what is often called a 'native plant' fertilizer that is very low in phosphorus, this encourages strong cells and inhibits 'stretchy' growth.

When the plants get too hungry they start to change colour: yellow foliage indicates plants need more nitrogen and the purpling is a sign that a little phosphorus is needed. In fact in the nursery this colouring is quite a good sign because we know we can generally turn these plants around very quickly with a little extra liquid feed. But here's the down side, when we are managing plants so closely they can start to look very hungry very soon after leaving our loving care. Now that the weather is warming we can take a calculated risk and move plants outside sooner, this hardens them up naturally and allows us to start applying a little extra fertilizer. In the garden centre a weekly application of complete, liquid fertilizer should help maintain colour and shelf life but I understand that this is not always possible.

For gardeners, a little yellow and purpling is not at all a bad thing.  Once plants hit freshly prepared soil or quality potting mix they jump away, I'd suggest much more reliably than plants that go into the garden too soft. Just make sure it's purple shading, not small dark spots.

Hope this helps, please don't hesitate to call if I have only raised more questions.

Why does my Spinach bolt to seed?

I was talking to Deb at Frankston recently and she said "that Peter Cundall doesn't like seedlings does he!".  Um. errr. I don't know. Deb is a dead keen, practical gardener and she was looking for advice on vegie growing, including Spinach. Old Pete has a regular column with the Weekly Times and he knows what he is talking about having practiced the fine arts of gardening for a lot longer than I've been breathing.

Here's a great, simple recipe for preparing fresh spinach.

Anyway, Pete has published an article on growing Spinach full of practical information. Timely of course because Spinach is one of my favourite vegetables at it loves cold weather. The flavour and texture are much more subtle than Silverbeet which I find can taste like dirt. (How do I know what dirt tastes like? I'll let you decide). Spinach also has that wonderful feature: continuous cropping. But here's the thing! "By the way spinach seedlings, even tiny ones, can rarely be successfully transplanted. They may look lovely and healthy but cannot stand even the slightest transplant shock. They don't just die, merely bolt to seed even after a few weeks so are a waste of space".  WHAT!!!

One might say that Mr Cundall is a bit of a zealot, at least a purist. Yes Spinach will bolt to seed at the slightest shock, that's why it is so difficult to grow outside of the cold months (Spinach likes hot weather as much as I do... not at all). But have you ever tried to germinate the stuff?  Spinach seed is as temperamental as Spinach seedlings. It can 'come up like hair on a cat's back' as Uncle Robert would say or it can easily go dormant. Chilling for a few weeks is the standard dormancy breaker but I find it is far from fool proof. As with Carrots I think a novice gardener is more likely to be successful with young seedlings than with seed, we just have to make sure they understand the basics of minimizing transplant shock and how to avoid stressing their plants. I think next week I'll have to type out my garden club talk about minimizing transplant shock.

So keep planting Spinach at least until the end of July for tasty vegies that will flourish through 'til the end of September. Try sowing your own seed it really is very rewarding but growing your vegies from seedlings is nearly as fulfilling and just a little more reliable (if you handle them with care).

Why are my carrots all twisted?

Now Peter, I have a problem, Attached is a photo of the carrots I managed to grow, my first ever attempt. I know carrots like a sandy soil and not to be over fed. I thought growing mine in my magic square would be easy. I used very good potting mix and everything grew fantastically and still is apart from my 'deformed carrots'.  What went wrong? or am I starting a new trend? these might look really good on Master Chef.

Cheers,

Christine

I Have a confession. This problem is 90% my fault. Christine's carrots were transplanted as seedlings, not sown directly into the soil. In the nursery industry we tend to use the term 'seedling' rather carelessly, of course it means a plant grown from seed. So what is the distinction?

Well in this case carrot seed sown directly into well prepared soil will germinate and fire a 'tap' root straight down into the soft and loving earth, and a shoot takes off in search of sun. Christine's carrots on the other hand were sown into a small pot or a punnet and then transplanted into her Magic Square Garden. And you can see what has happened... the roots were bent, twisted, folded back on themselves during the transplanting process and continued to grow in this rather sad, contorted and well Tortured position. They still taste great... carrot is a flavour that really does stand out when picked fresh from your own garden, but they are never going to win prizes at the garden show.

I did the guest spot with Jane Edmanson on the radio one Satuday morning and she took me to task over growing carrots in punnets. My rather lame defence is we resisted the temptation for a number of years but once carrots became a regular seedling line in nurseries we just had to supply what our customers were asking for. There is no doubt they are popular, whenever we do potting days for kids carrots are the most popular vegetable by far.

Anyway, there are good reasons to plant seedlings in preference to sowing seed.  Most obvious is the process of germinating seed is possibly the most challenging skill in horticulture. Those involved in striking cuttings or budding and grafting will probably beg to differ but raising seed is my favourite part of being a nurseryman. Challenging and satisfying. Now if you are a novice gardener wouldn't you rather have someone simplify the tricky bits? Another benefit of buying a seedling is that at least 4-6 weeks of growing time is saved and don't forget there's the issue of having to thin plants out because you have sown them too close together.

So you have decided you want to grow vegies from seedlings, not directly from seed. What do you need to do to avoid being labelled a carrot torturer for the rest of your life? Take a little extra time, especially with root vegetables. With carrots I like to dig a little trench, deep enough for the roots of your carrots to stretch out nice and straight (say 5-10cm).  Dig the trench with the soil you remove collected on one side, I tend to pull the soil towrds me. Keep in mind that is just hand digging our using a trowel. You will find the roots of young carrots surprisingly fibrous so just separate them carefully and lay them along the opposite edge of the trench to the collected soil. In well worked soil you will find that shaping a relatively smooth, sloping surface on one side of the trench where you can lay the plants is pretty easy. Once the plants have been placed backfill the trench gently covering the roots, it's a bit like tucking them into bed. This is one situation I don't recommend firming the plants into place vigourously, that's likely to bend the roots further. Just smooth the soil over and water them in. It's unlikely they will all grow straight and true but they'll be straighter for the bit of extra care given when planting.

Carrots are a great vegie to plant at any time of year, they easy to grow and very rewarding even if they are not all show quality.

By the way did you catch Italian Food Safari last night?  Fantastic recipe for Ravioli with a Cavolo Nero sauce. Yum!

Winter Vegetables - Kale!

I'll start this week with a big thank you.  I have been so overwhelmed with responses to last week's musings on Values that I have not been able to respond to everyone personally. So Thank you. The response has been extremely positive, helpful and gratifying. To be honest I nearly didn't send that newsletter because I worried that it was off topic. To those who replied that they would like a job at Scotsburn please keep in mind that Values are something we strive to achieve, consistency of execution is another challenge altogether. Of course quality people who share our values are welcome to send CV's....

Anyway, It has been genuinely miserable in Melbourne. Real winter weather had set in by Mother's day and I've had a filthy cold that refuses treatment. Think of something positive!  Broad beans! I wrote about Broad beans this time last year. Kale.  Now there's a terrific vegie. We have been harvesting fresh vegies from the Magic Square Gardens that returned from The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. Beautiful Broccoli, lots of Chard & Silverbeet, Parsley & other herbs, Cabbages just heading but I noticed that the Kale has been worked around. We have both Cavelo Nero (Black Italian Kale) and Red Russian Kale in the gardens but no-one was picking these so I cut some young fresh Cavelo Nero leaves on Friday. Kaye's first question was "what do you do with it"? and this was repeated when I took them home. So now I know why the Kale is being avoided.


Cavelo Nero, freshly harvested.

This is a shame because these are fantastic winter vegies that love cold weather and are very easy to grow. Cavolo Nero has a "strong nutty" flavour and can be used in any way regular Cabbage is. The deep crinkles are especially good for catching salad dressings, just Google Cavelo Nero recipes, there are too many for me to start making suggestions. The great thing about Cavelo Nero is it is an open headed variety so leaves can be picked as required rather than picking and storing a large head, it's also easier to ensure slugs and ants have not made cosy homes between the tightly packed leaves.

 
Russian Red Kale.

If possible Russian Red Kale is even tougher and more cold tolerant than Cavelo Nero... "Oh those Russians".  It is also an open headed variety making it easy to pick the youngest freshest leaves as required.  Russian Red does have quite tough, chewy leaves making them a little more challenging than some other Cabbages but they are very tasty sauteed, or cooked in stews and soups as you might imagine. In fact both these kales are from a "Soup Box" we produced for the Flower Show. Carrots, Cavelo Nero, Red Russian Kale, Parsley and Ruby Chard.  How's that for hearty?

Yes Cavelo Nero and Russian Red Kale are both available Now and will be through winter in our Funky Fresh Kitchen 100mm pots. Cavelo Nero is also available in our My Vegie Garden punnet range. 

How do I prepare soil for my raised garden bed?

The Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show is over for another year.  I had to step back from our commitment to The Great Victorian Hanging Basket Competition (follow this link for a list of all the winners) this year, it is just getting too big. I have to say that letting go and getting a broader range of input was the best thing I could do.  Congratulations to Don & Jennifer Rickerby and their hard working RHSV team, especially Rod & Kevin. Thanks also to James Wall, Gardenworld and Andrew Jones, Poynton's of Essendon for the work they put into a spectacular display.

Although we reduced our commitment, the Hanging Basket Competition was still the focus of our own representation at the show. We supplied 6 Magic Square Gardens to dress the display along with 3 other gardens for the Tree and Shrub Growers of Victoria's "Kitchen Garden".  The response at the show and since has been enormous! Lots of enquiry and web hits. Plus a few questions that came up consistently, especially "What soil should I use in my raised garden bed?".

My immediate response is "this is a big pot so the ideal growing medium is potting mix". Quality potting mix is carefully formulated to manage water and air availability for your plants. We offer potting mix filled Magic Square Gardens but for many people working on a budget this is prohibitively expensive. I have seen top soil from garden supplies used quite regularly, but I have also been disappointed with the plant growth. Garden supplies spruik their favourite top soil but I worry that it is hungry and prone to holding too much water for vegie growing. So what is the best answer?

No Dig Gardening! Mix the top soil up with layers of straw and animal manure to create and ideal vegetable growing media in a box. So what do you need? One Magic Square Garden holds 1m3 of soil  so here's a suggested recipe for filling your bed on a budget and still getting a great result.

Quality Top Soil.               2/3 - 3/4m3
Sugar Cane mulch           1 Bale
Horse Poo                        1 Bag
Composted garden clippings and worm castings... if you have these available, use them liberally.
 I have chosen Sugar Cane mulch because it is available everywhere in convenient bales, lucerne hay is apparently the pick of mulching materials.  I chose horse poo because there is plenty of agistment arond here and bags of cheap poop available. Dynamic Lifter is very good and available everywhere. 



We're going to produce a layer cake in a box. Start with the mulch, put about 1/3 of the bale in the bottom of your box and add 5-6 hand fulls of manure. Fill the box to about half way with top soil then add another layer of mulch (1/3 of the bale) & manure, it's a good idea to water the layers at this stage to help settle them in. Use the rest of the soil which should leave about 10cm to the top of the box from the soil surface.  Plant your vegies in this soil and dress around them carefully with the remaining mulch.  Don't use any more fertilizer in this last layer, too much manure too close to the plants can cause burning problems. Osmosis and root systems will draw the goodness up so the plants can use it. You can side dress with maure once the plants have matured and they are looking for additional food while they put energy into flowering and fruiting.

Let me know how your garden grows so I can update this information.



Thanks also to Rosie Appleton and the Berwick Viewfinders Camera Club for the great pics from the Flower & Garden Show.

Broadly Speaking

My Grandfather used to bring a brown paper bag of broad beans to the nursery when I first started working here.  "Uncle Dave" had long since retired from active nursery work but he came in weekly, as long as he wasn't warming himself at Broadbeach and tidied around the office.  This included a little mowing and gardening.  I never quite understood his passion for his 'Beefsteaks' but I have come to realize that broad beans are a real marker of genuine vegie gardeners.

My Grandfather "Uncle Dave" Wood with my daughter Emma.  Emma is in year 11 now, she won't thank me for using this pic.

And while I still can't get excited over a plate of boiled beans (and let's not even think about baked beans from a can) I have learned that broad beans are an extraordinarily versatile vegetable.  Kerry mushes them up with Mediterranean spices to make magnificent falafels and I once had a fava bean paste as a butter substitute at a fancy restaurant, I can't remember how they made it but I guess it wasn't much more than beans, olive oil and seasoning.... to die for!  I think the name fava bean is more common in the US than broad bean (Hannibal Lecter liked then with liver, but we won't go there), broad bean is seriously uninspiring as names go but at least it's better than horse bean.  All of these are the same thing.


From a gardeners perspective the great thing about broad beans is you can plant them now!  Timing is ideal, the plants will develop through the winter and set their fruit (the pod is the fruit, the bean is a seed) while they do all that manic growing in spring.  This is important if you want to produce tender beans in that odd period where we are busy planting but not much else is ready to harvest.


The other great thing about broad beans is that they are very quick and easy to grow.  There is very little that Melbourne weather can do to upset them unless it gets very wet and miserable which can encourage fungal diseases.  The recommendation is to space them at least 15cm apart and a good 40cm between rows to allow air to circulate and prevent the disease getting established.  Watch our for Aphids in spring they just love succulent growing tips.  Of course soil needs to be thoroughly prepared or they can be grown in large containers with premium potting mix.  We grow a variety called Cole's Dwarf which grows to about 1m tall making it easy to harvest and great for containers.

Harvesting?  Beans should be ready in about 10 weeks from planting.  Picked very young (little finger sized or smaller) they can be cooked and eaten pod and all. More commonly they are shelled and eaten fresh or they can be dried.  A good tip is to pick your beans while the membrane attaching them to the pod is still green, once it starts to change colour the beans will be too mature and they start to get hard and chalky.

Either way, it's time for planting.

A nasty stain

Hi Peter

I have some more problems in my vegie garden my beetroot is all leaves there is nothing growing or developing below the ground.

I have sooty mould on my bean leaves & little white insects as well, it is also starting to effect our basil.

I hope you can help

Regards

Maureen

 

My mum has a passion for Beetroot.  She actively tried to pass it on but only partially successfully.  I like Beetroot but I don't get that excited.  As usual though, home grown or at least home prepared is extra special.  Tinned beetroot is perfectly flavoursome but Beetroot is such a fantastic raw material for pickling, flavouring and cooking it is really worth having a go. Besides that, Beetroot is generally pest free and easy to grow.

These are beetroot we harvested this week from the Magic Square Display Garden we prepared for the flower and garden show. No additional fertilizer added, that's the value of a large volume of potting media for containerized vegies.

So what could prevent Maureen's Beetroot from developing a nice fat root? Generally the explanation is too much nitrogen encourages leaf development at the expense of root growth.  Of course this is one of my favourite topics, ensure your plants get abalanced diet.  Many commercial preparations over emphasize nitrogen because it makes plants look shiny and healthy easily but really it is junk food.  Chicken manure and chook pellets are also heavily weighted towards a quick shot of nitrogen.

My other mantra is "prepare soil thoroughly and if you are growing in containers use a premium potting mix".  The structure of the growing medium (soil or potting mix) is really important when growing root  crops such as beetroot because the root needs to expand and grow into the medium.  Poorly drained, soggy soil and hard compacted old dirt just don't cut it with root vegies.

At Scotsburn we have traditionally sold Beetroot seedlings year round in Melbourne although the text books generally recommend against sowing through the winter.  Experience says they will plant out quite happily, they just grow more slowly adding a few weeks to the standard 10-11.  There is an argument for direct seeding all root vegies as it prevents root damage during transplanting, of course from my perspective starting with seedlings takes away the problems of germinating seed.  Careful transplanting of seedlings also removes the need to thin out direct seeded plantings that have been over sown.  We sow Beetroot 'seed pods' directly into punnets and pots so each of these clusters can be thinned as you plant them.

OK so a little bigger than my recommendation, but they grew faster than we expected.  These were planted from advanced Funky Fresh Kitchen pots a couple of weeks prior to the Flower Show so that's about 9 weeks in the beds. Where did these beetroot go you ask?  So did I.  I believe Debra schanffled them.

Don't be afraid to pick small sweet leaves for salad mixes this should encourage more growth and ensure that the shoulder of the bulbous root is covered with soil as it matures to protect it from cracking when exposed to the weather.  And please pick your Beetroot before the bulbs reach cricket ball size.... taste sweet!

By the way.  Basil season is ending, getting too cold for Basil now.  Little white insects?  White fly.  White fly love beans and tomatoes.  They are sucking insects so treat them the same way as Aphids.  White fly doesn't generally create a lot of damage itself but it can carry viral diseases.

My Broccoli has gone all fuzzy and other Autumn stories

It's raining outside.  Tumbling town.  Not a thunder storm.  Not drizzle.  Quality, soaking rain!  Oh wow!

It is a blessing of course but the humid weather leading up to this cleansing has been somewhat trying.  I'm prepared to guess that from now on we are moving towards winter.  It reminds me of one important tip for Autumn growing.  Warm days and cool, still nights are shockers for fungal diseases on the foliage of plants.

I'm particularly thinking of powdery mildew, downy mildew and a miserable spotting caused by a fungi called Alternanthera. These are all quite different diseases caused by different fungi and if you choose to treat chemically will each require a different poison.  That's three separate treatments for one plant... Pansies and Violas are certainly susceptible to all three so I would prefer to avoid the diseases altogether.
    

Downy Mildew on Broccoli                 Alternaria Spots (Geranium?)  

 
 Powdery Mildew on Pansy

This is one situation where water restrictions have been thought through effectively because the easiest way to avoid these diseases is to water early in the day to make sure the foliage is not wet over night, especially those cool clear nights that will be frosty in a few months time.  Easy!  And seriously, no watering after 10.00am (yes I know Stage 3 restrictions dictate 6am-8am but you might have tanks or use grey water).

Enjoy your long weekend.  Get into the garden the ground is still warm.

Leeks on top of the heap!

I was talking to an ex customer recently.  Let's call him Michael.  Michael was a cut flower grower and cut flower growing just got too tough. Too many problems and not enough profit. You should have heard the problems he had with water supply! Michael gave away cut flower growing for growing vegetables??? who am I to argue?

I'm not really a pushy salesman but I don't let an opportunity pass by either so I asked if Michael wanted me to grow any Capsicum or Tomato seedlings for him.  "Thanks but no, I'm doing easy stuff like onions, carrots, silverbeet, spinach. Just sow the seed directly into the rows.  But I might get you to grow some leeks."  Leeks?  Don't you direct sow them just like onions?


Shows how much I know.  It turns out that to get that nice white and tender base to the stem the Leeks need the soil to be mounded up around the stem once the young direct sown seedlings have established.  This is a fiddly, time consuming job so it is more practical to purchase well established plants and plant them deeper.  Not the spindly little punnet sized plants that we have always assumed were suited to retail nurseries (young plants give better shelf life) but tough wizened old things; if the tops of the leaves go a bit brown, that's fine just cut them off.

A great planting suggestion is to use your rake handle and dibble holes about 15cm deep.  The idea then is not to firm the plants in as I usually recommend but to water them in and allow the water to gently wash back into the planting holes.  It all sounds quite mystical really.  We recommend planting 15-20cm apart as this allows good air flow between the individual plants which minimizes the chance of fungal infections which is one of the few pests to trouble Leeks.

Sticking with the theme of producing tender, white stems I will also change my regular fertilizer recommendation.  Chook poo is ideal for Leeks  because it provides lots of Nitrogen for rapid, soft growth.  I suggest you don't change the standard soil preparation especially for a crop of Leek, just apply the Chook poo as a side dressing.  Start doing this about 6 weeks after planting and repeat every three weeks.


Planting Leeks now (April) should produce a harvest in August which is just about ideal for the sort of comfort food that Leeks are best suited to. Don't wait for the leaves to start folding over like other onions, they'll be getting to old and woody by then (I think the ones in the photo are probably a little past ideal a 2cm stem is about perfect). That said Leeks are like Spring Onions and can be planted pretty much any time of year.  I also think that we have noticed a significant increase in their popularity which I link to all the modern cooking shows that use Leeks in new and interesting ways including "Barbecuing and Grilling" which significantly expands their usefulness and seasonality.

By the way, I was threatened with Brussels Sprouts for dinner through the week, I'm much happier with the idea of that pasta sauce with Pumpkin and Leek with a few pine nuts and some shaved Parmesan. Yum!

Don't forget Mother's Day is just around the corner, Sunday May 9th.  Have you considered a Living Gift? 

Brusseles Sprouts.... Do I have to?

Hi Peter

I really enjoyed reading the news letter.
I would like some advise on growing Brussels sprouts, every year I try as yet with no luck. They either look like a stem with leaves at the top or they don't close properly when they do grow up the stems.
I want to plant some soon so if you have any tips I would really like to hear them.
Regards
Maureen
Let's start with a confession. When it comes to Brussels Sprouts I'm a very naughty child. I have tried, but Sprout is a flavour I just can't stand. Kerry loves 'em, says I'd get over it if I just tried them cooked with a little sugar to take away the bitterness. I have been known to raise the subject of lipstick and pigs at this point, which of course just gets me into more trouble. I'm not a fan of honey with carrots either. So I hope you'll understand that my suggestions here are almost entirely theoretical, with very little practical experience. I'd love some feedback and tips if you have any Sprout growing experience.

I'm surprised how difficult it is to find a pic of a full sprout plant.

Many years ago I went hunting for the best home garden vegetable varieties and advice for seedling growing. My chief concerns were downy mildew and grubs, the answer to these problems turned out to be discipline and benches.  Amongst the people I asked however was a technician from Henderson Seeds in Templestowe.  Henderson Seeds was one of the few companies breeding and producing vegetable seeds here in Australia.  They are still located in Lower Templestowe but I think are now owned by a multinational company and I don't know if we still have a local breeding program.  Anyway I think you get the message that this was credible source of information.

What sticks in my mind from this 20 year old conversation is his horror that I wanted to sow Brussels Sprouts in the Autumn.  I wanted to talk about varieties and growing techniques, he just wanted to talk about seasons.  There was no problem with sowing other Brassica vegies (Cabbage, Cauli, Broccoli) in Autumn, just Sprouts.  Now this is where we loop back to my opening statement.  Sprouts weren't an important seller for us and I had hang ups about them anyway so I just went (and still do) with the flow and continued producing all our brassicas through the same season-Autumn/Winter.  To get the best results Brussels Sprouts should be planted January-March, No later.  I admit we continue to sell seedlings beyond this period because there is demand and there are growers who know just what they are doing in there particular environment. For the less experienced gardener this can be a trap because many retail nurserymen and many gardeners assume that if the plants are available they are appropriate to plant.  Usually this is the case but some local knowledge is very important which is why a quality retail nursery is invaluable.

Why is it so important to plant Brussels Sprouts so early?  They have a long, slow growing season, around 140 days.  Broccoli on the other hand can be grown and harvested in only 100 days depending on the season and variety,  that's nearly a month and a half difference.  Broccoli, Cabbage and Cauli also have cultivars that can be harvested pretty much year round but Brussels have their season and that's it.  Grow them in the warmth of Summer and harvest in the cool of late Autumn and Early Winter.  Sorry Maureen, I think you are too late.

I like this pic with the tiny sprouts just forming, it also shows very clearly the leaf axils.

All of that said, Sprouts are said to be the easiest brassicas to grow.  Many of the usual Vegie planting tips apply

• Plant them deep. We sow Brassica vegie seeds directly into punnets so thewre is usually a good inch (25mm) between the top of the root system and the first leaves. Bury the stem right up to that first leaf axil this will help anchor them particularly once they start getting tall. 
• Fertilize heavily. Brussels Sprouts like plenty of tucker. 
• Mulch well and try to keep watering consistent. 
• Some growers recommend lopping the 'top sprout' off the developing plants. This will encourage development of the sprouts on the stems by stopping the production of additional sprouts. Your choice. I think this is more of a commercial practice to encourage the plants produce a single crop, at home you are more likely to want to continue picking over an extended period. 

I've just read a suggestion that sprouts be stir fried with nuts, now even I might try them cooked like that!

Year 8 History, Medieval Crop Rotation

I haven't had much response to last week's request for suggestions on crop rotations except for Laurie who plans to grow his Toms in 500mm pots next season because his soil is infested with either Fusarium or Verticillium.  Follow the link if you want more detail on either of these diseases but for our purposes the symptoms are very similar.  Fusarium is more noticeable in warm conditions, Verticillium when it is cool. Both of these fungi enter the plant through the roots and damage the stem of the plant choking off supply of water and nutrient to the foliage causing wilting and eventually plant death.
        
Fusarium wilt symptom and a pic showing damage to the plant stem.
Picture from Plant Pathology on line
A common solution, in fact the ancient solution is to rotate crops.  That is, avoid growing Tomatoes (or Potatoes and possibly Capsicum & Chilli as they are all related) in the same soil year after year.  Laurie has been using a 3 year rotation for his Tomatoes but has found that even this is not enough... I still remember 3 field rotation systems from year 8 history.  'Barney' Rundle made a great deal of this fact, I have no idea why.   Any way the crop rotation idea is that the fungal spores will eventually die after a few seasons if they don't find a host plant to grow and reproduce in.  But spores and seeds are fantastic plant survival agents and can survive terrible conditions for remarkable periods, just look at the wild flower shows in Central Australia (I hear the Todd river is in flood so we should see news reports of the "desert in bloom" in the next few weeks).  As we learned from Mr Rundle the three field system, one year with one crop, one year with another and the the third fallow was both inefficient and eventually unsuccessful in controlling disease.

From my reading most vegie gardening books recommend disease resistant cultivars.  This brings us back to the old question of Heirlooms vs. Hybrids.  Laurie's favourite Tomato is a classic Heirloom, Brandywine.  Half Kilo fruit if you believe him, pink skinned and solid fleshed.  Actually Laurie if you're growing fruit like that why change your system?  From my experience disease resistant varieties only offer a limited defense against heavily infested soil.

Brandywine Tomato pick from tradewindsfruit.comFollowing last week's newsletter note the cracking on the shoulder of this fruit.
Now there is one other method for protecting your garden plants from soil borne diseases: Fumigation.  Yes it is as bad as it sounds.  When we cleared out my grandfather David's garage I found a 4' tall cylinder of  Methyl Bromide.  This is filthy stuff that used to be used to kill every living thing in the soil for commercial vegetable and flower growers.  Clearly Dave had brought some home.  Well you know, he loved his flower beds.  Any way I'm sure Methyl Bromide has been banned altogether now.  Interestingly because potting mix can be "picked up" it can be steam pasteurized killing most harmful organisms but leaving the "media" inoculated with helpful bugs.  This is a bit beyond the home gardener.
So back to Laurie's original suggestion. Grow Tomatoes in big pots.  I think it's a great idea but not cheap.  If you use pots you must use good potting mix and Laurie is proposing pots twice as big as Kerry used at home this year so that's a lot of potting mix.  Of course you will remember that Kerry's 250-300mm pots just weren't big enough to supply enough nutrient or water to advanced Tomato plants.  And since we're talking about crop rotations the potting mix needs to be replaced for next year's crop or the benefit will be lost and don't forget that the big pots need to be washed out with disinfectant to ensure that all the fungal spores are gone.

That feels like a lot of reading today, see you next week I've got a great idea about attracting Lady Birds and other insect predators.
Oh and Happy Birthday to Laurie who turns 81 on Wednesday.