No dig potatoes

To finish off planting the solanums for the season, the potatoes finally went in the ground. Well, they went on the ground as I decided to use the no dig method. This is a method that has many fans, including the inspiring Peter Cundall, because it is so easy.

First we marked out the area, sprinkled sheep manure over the grass and then laid coffee bages over the garss and manure.

A little manure and some coffee bags to start

The tomatoes finally go in

Garden folklore in Victoria says you should plant your tomatoes on Melbourne Cup Day, which falls on the first week end of November. The same can be said for many other solanums (plants in the Solanaceae family) like capsicums, eggplant and chilli. This year that was never going to happen, but it's better late than never, hey! This week I've been planting nothing but solanums, the eggplants and capsicums are all in and today the tomatoes went in. 

With tomatoes, every year it is the same story, I get completely carried away and propagate hundreds of plants of every variety that I get my hands on. In fact, this year was probably worse because I have my own big garden to plant out. 

So many plants...

So with 120 tomato plants (over 15 different varieties), Steve and I set out to get on with planting.

Garden update

I'm starting to settle into a nice routine coming out to Malmsbury twice a week to check on things and to dig new beds and plant them out.

The latest seedlings to be planted out were the beans and peas today. I sowed them in punnets a couple of weeks ago as a result of impatience, planting them out today I've started to think that I should have waited and sown the seeds direct. But what's done is done, so I'll just hope for the best.

Little bean and pea seedlings