What was growing
With predictions of a wetter than normal spring that didn't come to fruition we had a slow spring. Next year I will definitely keep to the 'dry' spring plantings.
Front yard mandala
The front yard mandala always struggles at this time of year. It gets a lot of sun. Maybe too much sun. This November we have been managing an epidemic of root knot nematodes along with some serious russet mites infestations. I also have a feeling that neighbouring tree roots have discovered this garden and are hence sucking all life from it.
Font yard – the stage
The stage I've been trying to wrangle into a little more order. Now we've finished the timber raised beds in the back yard I've moved the birdies beds out here in an attempt to somewhat contain the sweet potatoes. Yes that is probably a lost cause but you can see how much they took over last year here.
I am also trialling out thinning vs non thinning beetroots to see what is better.
Aquaponics
Argh what a mess this is. Every time I plant something it gets eaten. Not sure if it's snails or rats or cutworms or even the ever present epidemic of slaters. I am avoiding it for now, Nathan was going to rejig it but he's stick stuck in internal renovation land so that might be a next spring thing now. I would love to have it sorted before Autumn crops though as it is a great producer over the cooler months.
Back raised beds
Our back raised area went great guns with high production of lettuce and zucchinis. The rain we did get last month completely wiped out our zucchinis (I have a feeling our tank water went a bit funky and infected the bed with a bacterial disease - total assumption as it collapsed pretty quickly).
The Vegepod
The vegepod has been infested with russet mite on our tiny Tim Tomatoes and rust on our beans from the bit of rain we got last month and hasn't really recovered. I've bought in some predatory mites to get the mite infestation under control. The rust I've just been tidying it up and making sure I don't plant too closely.
The food forest
Our food forest is slowly creeping back to life. The pawpaw which I thought was done for looks to have bounced back and is now got 3 fruit on it. The banana has produced an offspring so I am hoping it flowers soon.
The hydroponics
We only have the capsicums in here and they are fruiting - I am patiently waiting for red ones because they are our favourites (but obviously take forever!).
What I planted in November
Not much! I did replant some cucumbers and succession with the lettuce but now is when we start to think about winding down before the rains come and it gets too hot.
If you're looking for inspiration on what to plant in November in the Subtropics you can find my full list here.
Harvests for November
We harvested a total of 7.5kgs in November mostly zucchinis followed by tomatoes and then beetroots (That excludes greens because I forget to weigh them and I am harvesting those every day).
What we harvested:
- Cucumber
- Zucchini /Tromboncinos
- Tomatoes
- Beans
- Beetroots
- Leeks
- Carrots
- Capsicums
- Eggplant
- Chillis
Pest Watch
We had our visitor Kevin the king parrot going into pigeon peas (I am not too worried as we haven't eaten last years harvest), he's stolen a sneaky tomato here and there but is more into the pigeon peas. I haven't seen any fruit flies yet but I know they are about as the tromboncinos are being stung.
We are seeing loads of shield (stink) bugs hanging out on the tomatoes and we've found a few beetle larvae (curl grubs) around the place.
General Observations
For a spring that was predicted to be wetter than normal, we experienced a very standard dry November with not enough rainfall to register in the gauge (less than 2mm).
Plans for December
December through to early February we wind down in the garden so no great plans until next year. We let the sweet potato and eggplant continue on and most things just go to seed.
If you need some inspiration of what to plant in December you can grab my lists here.
