Your comments and tips

14 Sep 17, lorraine (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Peter. How frustrating for you. I, too, love my garden, especially growing food crops and harvesting the produce. It is hard to know your circumstances without more information about your site. The roots of neighbours trees can be problematic, sucking out much of the moisture and nutrients, especially during the hot weather. I keep my veg beds 1-2 metres away from the boundary fences, and thoroughly dig over the beds closest to the fences and neighbouring trees prior to planting, to break up the invading tree roots, which helps for a while, but come late summer, I have to abandon at least one bed as the plants become water-stressed. It is not uncommon to have one particular crop fail in any particular year because of the vagaries of the season, but you should be able to still harvest others. Are you able to grow leafy greens? and what about winter crops? Lorraine

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14 Sep 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Each different area of Australia has its particular requirements to be successful. This info is generalized for growing veggies. 1. All day direct sun is best - things just don't grow without it. 2. Good soil and replenish with compost or manures etc. each year. Give your soil a break from crops for a few months each year and add the compost and work it in. Dig it over a few times. 3 Regular watering - small plants - light, regular watering - bigger plants - fewer waterings but more volume of water. Then you need to know which plants to plant each season. I plant beans in April and the bean fly kills the young plants. I planted about 2 1/2 mths ago and have great plants now - just starting to pick them now. I have trouble with Zucchini and Capsicums some times of the year. Capsicums need a certain temperature to pollinate I recently read. I have trouble with my Zucchinis - no bees to pollinate. I am doing it by hand at the moment. Next year I'm going to plant some flowers in my other gardens to attract the bees. I explained in a post the other day to go to The Seed Collection website and print off the Sowing Chart. It is a guide for different climates. Go on the internet and type in "How to grow ------" and read up about it. Look for Australian websites. Gardening Australia etc. Look up seed selling companies and read about how and when to grow different veggies. I'm going on a holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks - will have my computer with me. Email me if you like. naish@iinet.net.au. When I come home we can talk on the phone.

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18 Jun 17, Merv (Australia - temperate climate)

After the growing season do I have to wait until the vine turn brown before cutting them down

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19 Jun 17, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

As soon as you have picked all the beans you can pull them down or let them die off if you want to. A suggestion either way you do it, put them on the lawn and run over them with the lawn mower - will chop them up into small pieces. Use as a mulch or compost them.

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21 May 17, Lynne Corkin (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Hi I am revamping my scarlet runner frame this year. I also have a fig tree which I would like to espalier on the same frame. Would they survive together?

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22 May 17, Jack (Australia - temperate climate)

The competition for water and nutrients between a fig tree and scarlet runner beans would be very strong, the fig being the likely winner as it would have the stronger root system. If you could keep up the nutrients and water it might work.

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09 May 17, ali (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Hi, I am looking into growing fardenlosa shiny beans commercially and have found a lot of useful info. However I can't seem to find info and how long these plants will produce a good crop and when to re sow?

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10 May 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Shiny Fardelosa beans take 11-13 weeks to harvest and will bear for 2-3 months. If you are growing them undercover they can be planted all year otherwise plant them in spring up until later in the year.

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24 Sep 17, Mel (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Hi John, I am growing Fardenlosa in pots in a glasshouse (1500)... are bumblebees the best option to pollinate? cheers

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08 May 17, Mary Holland (New Zealand - temperate climate)

Will runner beans give beans for more than 1 year, if left in the soil.?

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