Fruits of Our Labour - Farm Up-date

These are the vegetables that Issy and I planted when she was visiting earlier this year. As can well be seen they are like Topsy, and have just grown and grown.




In the recent years we have taken to growing our vegetabls in these raised gardens in cut down old water and molasses tanks. This achieves two main objectives, the first of which is to protect them from the bandicoots which dig them up in search for worms. The second is to protect them from grazing animals, such as wallabies and kangaroos, as well as the neighbours cattle. And surprising as it may seem, that although these animals could easily reach them if they wished to, as they graze at ground level, they do not seem to notice our succulent vegetables at this higher level, and are thus protected.

Here are some photos of some of our trees which are now flowering and/or setting their first crop of fruit, which in the case of the citrus tree will be available to harvest about this time next year. And in the case of the mangoes it will be from just prior to Xmas till February.

This is a Tangerine.




The Pomelo, a giant tropical grapefruit, comes, as with the other varieties of grapefruit, in both pink and white, and to my palate, much tastier.This tree has already set its fruit, and as can be seen, is loaded with clusters of fruit.




This is the pineapple guava, and it too is flowering profusely. As any gardener will know, this does not necessarily presage a good setting of fruit, or a large crop, as this is dependant upon many factors, prime amongst them are the necessary insects and bees for pollination to occur. Ants also can play their part in this very important phase.





The mandarine tree promises also to provide us with quite a substantial crop for such a small tree.






We see here the first of the mango crop to be setting. For it to be successful in the setting of its fruit, the mango tree not only requires as I mentioned earlier for the other trees, the presence of bees, insects, and perhaps ants, but weather which is not rainy, as the rain can wash out the pollen and stop the setting of the fruit. It also requires weather which is not too windy as the wind also can effect the setting, by blowing the flowers from the tree.

For all the trees and plants, another very important factor that is necessary to ensure a successful crop, is soil moisture, for if there is insufficient moisture, then the trees will either drop their crop, and/or even though it is set, it may well shrivel and dry up on the tree.

Another very important factor to be considered, if we wish to have food which is both tasty and nutritious, bearing in mind also that flavour is very closely connected with nutitional content. For food which is low in nutritional value, usually has poor flavour, even to the point of no flavour. Or as is the case with many vegetables, bitter in flavour.

As a closing comment, I would like to point out that we have very little problem, if any, with insects or slugs etc., attacking our vegetables, a situation which we claim is due to our method of farming, which is purely organic, in which we use only natural fertlisers, and mulches and do not dig, with no artficials, or poisonous sprays. It is only when the weather conditions become too inclement for their growth, such as being too hot, or wet, that problems may occur.