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VARIETIES TO GROW
BRASSICACEAE
****************************** CUCURBITSCucubit is a plant family commonly known as melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumber, squashes, pumpkins, melons and watermelons. CUCUMBERS There is nothing like going out into your garden and picking fresh, juicy cucumbers. The plants are ideal for introducing young children into vegetable gardens. Cucumber seeds will only germinate successfully in well drained, warm soil . Cucumber seeds detest cold temperatures. Spring is the time to start planting the seed. If the season is late, then it might pay to wait a few weeks longer before sowing directly into the ground. Especially if your garden is still suffering from frosty mornings. Another option is to start the seeds in a warm spot (a window of your house) in small pots filled with a Seed Raising Mix, and carefully transplant the seedlings after sprouting. It is best to create a raised-up mound which has been enriched with well-matured compost and add some Munns Organic Garden Booster or Thrive All Purpose Complete Plant Food. These additives should be dug and mixed well into the ground a few weeks before planting, so that the fertilisers have fully broken down. When the seed germinates, the tiny root system can burn off when coming in contact with fresh concentrated fertiliser. To increase your chances of a successful germination, sow three or four seeds into the top of the mound, if they all germinate, the weaker plants can be removed, but leave two of the strongest to grow your seasons crop. Cucumbers, like all the members of the cucurbit family have male and female flowers, but only the females produce fruit. Pollen must somehow travel from the male flower to the centre of the female flower. Bees are the most common pollination agents, but they sometimes need a bit of human help. Do this by using a small brush or a cotton bud to transfer the pollen to the female flower (the one with the incipient fruit at the base). Encourage plenty of bee activity by placing ready available water in the garden nearby. Plant bee-attracting flowers such as lavender or borage. If the tiny fruit wither on the vine, it's usually because they haven't been appropriately pollinated. Make sure to water the cucumber plants around their base so that you keep leaves as dry as possible. Some cucumber varieties are particularly susceptible to the fungal disease, powdery mildew. Keeping their leaves dry will help prevent the disease from spreading over the plant. ****************************** LEGUMESDWARF and CLIMBING BEANS Beans are a warm-season vegetable that with regular picking will crop over a long period. Sow bean seed from spring through to summer. Dwarf and climbing beans can be sown all year round in Queensland. Choose a sunny, well drained position and sow in a depth of 25mm. Add a complete fertilizer for best results. Hill up soil around growing plants for support. Sow beans into moist, well prepared soil after the frost is over and the ground has started to warm up. After sowing water the seed in and and do not water again until the seed shoots appear. Sow dwarf beans in rows 50-60cm apart, spacing seeds 7-10cm along the row. A row 3-5 m long at each sowing is suitable for the average family. Apply soluble fertilizer about 7-10 days when first flowers appear. A good mulching with compost or peastraw is recommended to use in very hot weather. Keep the mulch 5cm away from the main stems to prevent them coming in contact with the micro-organisms which are composting down the mulch. Beans are also susceptible to wind damage so protect them with windbreaks (fences, trellis, tall shrubs or buildings). Protect from snails! Dwarf beans are ready to pick in 8-10 weeks. Pick beans young for maximum yield every 4-5 days. Normally climbing beans take longer to produce, but crop more heavily than dwarf beans over a longer duration. They should have support trellis put in place before sowing. Surplus beans can be frozen for later use. Enjoy your beans hot or cold! ****************************** See the selection of Marlene's RECIPES for cooking your home grown vegetables. ******************************
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Once the seedlings are transplanted into their garden plot, it's important to permit the plant to develop a strong, vigorous framework. The immature flower bud, is the part of broccoli that's is actually eaten,so hence it follows that bigger, better flowers will form on larger plants. In cold districts it's best to sow broccoli seeds in summer, giving the plants time to make maximum growth before the oncoming of winter. When autumn has arrived it's probably wiser for cold climate gardeners to catch up in time by purchasing broccoli seedlings. Transplant into a rich, well-drained garden bed that's been improved with some old organic matter as well as some generous handfuls of Dynamic Lifter. Sprinkle some Organic Garden Booster or Gro-Plus Complete beside the rows to make sure that the plants receive everything they need to produce good growth. After planting, water the broccoli every two weeks with nitrogen-rich Thrive to help form that all-important framework.