Thread: What's on your farm/small holding?

Originally Posted by Troy

Meanwhile, the cucumbers have established themselves in the three new fields:

Last year I planted half a dozen or so cucumbers. Thought it would be interesting to experiment. Three grew, a little, not even so high as yours already are. Then they all faded away. They are so cheap in the market that I abandoned the whole idea.

^ The wife brought over tomatoes from Europe in the hope of growing them in the garden. They got to the fruiting stage before wilting from the bottom and dying. I am pretty sure it was a fungal infection that took them.

There are several different fungal infections and you really need seeds that have been treated against them. It is also important to water at the base rather than from above to ensure the leaves don't get wet. Cucumbers don't like getting too cold at night either but this year was pretty good weather wise.

You're right, at B20/kilo it hardly seems worth growing them but they always taste better from the garden.

First pickings from the cucumber fields...







They managed to pick 400Kg today and are well pleased. I was sent the photos with the usual plea for me to buy them a tractor.

Good effort!

nice, do they spray.

^ No-one up here would eat them if they were sprayed...

Originally Posted by Troy

^ No-one up here would eat them if they were sprayed...

Troy
Nice looking crop. If they don't spray how do they control the pests?
When We've grown them here, in the garden only, they get attacked by little flying bugs that are orange in colour and look similar to Ladybugs. The MIL always goes for the spray to get rid of them.
Say "No" to the tractor, its cheaper to get a contractor in to do the work. Off course if you decide to move here permanently then you will need one to have some fun but don't let them loose on one on their own.

^ & ^^^ My apologies. The plants were sprayed when the were young and every two weeks until they flowered. Once flowering they aren't sprayed again.