Full Wet Season

It has been raining just about every day. The Wet is - without a doubt - finally here.

The buckets I have strategically placed about the garden are doing their job and I have plenty of rainwater to water the undercover plants with.

The passionfruit trellis has sufferred a setback; the vines are so vigorous they have collapsed the archway! Hmm... I'll have to motivate myself to do something about it soon, but have been busy entertaining a visitor from south.

A strange thing has been happening to the capsicum plants. The capsicums are growing and ripening, but when picked, they are soft and rotten. I have a feeling it may be the Neem oil I have been spraying to deter mealybugs, which are everywhere in the garden.

Although deemed organic and has been used for centuries, Neem oil is also harmful to certain plants. It seems to kill mealybugs ok, but may also be responsible for the rotten capsicums. So I have stopped spraying Neem and am now just waiting for a good capsicum. If I'm wrong about the Neem, then it must be a rotting disease - heaven forbid!

Oh, and the zucchini plant has well and truly died. It had blossom end rot. The rot starts at the flowering end of the fruit and spreads, rendering malformed lumps on the fruit and eventually the whole fruit decays - from the inside. The zucchinis looked almost normal except for the external lumpiness. I guess the rot spread throughout the rest of the plant and the leaves started wilting and eventually the whole plant died.

I REALLY hope this is not the same thing happening to the capsicums... The chillies are going strong though. Brilliant yellow colour. When will they turn red? It's been at least 6 weeks already...

Here Comes the Rain

It rained today. For the first time since round about April. Locals have remarked on how this has been one of the poorest dry seasons up here in the North the last few years. In my three and a half years up here, I must say this last 'Dry' has been quite humid and warm!

In a way I AM happy that the Wet is on its way. Why delay something which is inevitable? But I also hold fears for the new seedlings. Hopefully they will find their way and not be drowned by the watershed that is sure to come.

In a sad turn of events, the cherry tomato plants are looking a little bedraggled. Most of the ones in the middle bed have been afflicted by some sort of wilt. I'm guessing there is something in the soil which isn't agreeing with the tomatoes. I have put in potash, fed them with Liquid Powerfeed and chicken poo. Nothing seems to have made the soil to their liking. Though there is fruit on the tomato trusses, they are not growing noticeably bigger. All of the fruit is still quite green and minute.

Two of the Grosse Lisse plants in the large bed are also affected. It's a matter of time before the wilt spreads to the rest of the healthy plants. Most of the Grosse Lisse haven't even flowered yet, and are unlikely to. The plan is to leave the affected plants until the sorry end, then removal.

Luckily the rest of the plants are still holding up. The zucchini plant has sprung up like never before, although no fruit as yet. The eggplants are powering on, and I'm proud to say we have a Lebanese cucumber growing longer and thicker than my middle finger!! So now I know that my hand pollination has been successful and will keep up the good work - as I have yet to spot any bees to do the job.

EGGPLANT FLOWERS

LEBANESE CUCUMBER

BIRD'S EYE VIEW (Middle Bed)