Welcome to the Summer 2023 edition newsletter from Vasse Community Garden (VCG). We signed a nominal lease with the City of Busselton in August 2023, securing the location behind the day-care centre, next to the Wadandi track. The Vasse developers will assist with all the earth/site works, along with the engineering plans and it will be lodged with the City of Busselton for development approval soon. Once the development application is approved, building can commence! See pictures below of drafted plans for shed and garden facilities. Rio Tinto has recently come on board as a new sponsor, providing funds for future fencing. Ben Ryan Builders are kindly offering the building services to install the shed, and Belle from Rebelle Agency is now providing graphic design and marketing services. So thankful and very lucky to have received so much support from all our sponsors to help us make all the progress this year. Looking forward to much more in 2024! We held our AGM in October and we have some new faces on the Committee. We would like to acknowledge and thank our outgoing committee members Alana and the two Matts. The incoming committee are: President : Steve Tunbridge Secretary: Junee MacDonald Treasurer: Julieanne Clements Fundraising Manger: Sonya Henderson Social Media Manager: Joy Hu Garden Manager: Duncan Henderson Garden Maintenance: Mac MacDonald Grant Manager: Jo Ryan-Smith Read on for some tips on growing summer tomatoes and lettuce. Merry Christmas! from the team at Vasse Community Garden Solving Tomato Problems Tomatoes are one of the most popular fruiting vegies that people grow at home. Home grown tomatoes are renowned for their flavour and can be picked at their sweetest and tastiest best. Unfortunately, there are some common Tomato plant problems that can occur, but we’ve put together our best tips for keeping your plants healthy and promoting the best possible Tomato crop. When & Where to Grow Tomatoes Tomatoes can grow in all climate zones of Australia. In tropical and sub-tropical regions, they can be grown year-round. In temperate and cool climates, they need to be grown from spring to autumn, when the weather is warm and there is no chance of frost. Tomatoes are not frost tolerant. Tomatoes need to be grown in well-drained soil (or potting mix) in a sunny position that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day. Tomatoes grown in less sunshine will not be as productive. Plant Tomatoes in a spot with good air circulation, as this can help to reduce the development of diseases. Also, space Tomato plants as per the seed packet or plant tag directions, to provide each plant with enough room to grow. Where possible, choose a different location in the garden for your Tomato patch each year. Crop rotation helps to reduce diseases that can be present in the soil. If you don’t have enough space for this, think about growing tomatoes in a pot every second year. 40 cm diameter Yates Tuscan Pots are ideal for growing tomatoes. How to Water Tomatoes Tomato plants need regular watering to promote healthy plant growth. Consistent soil moisture is also important for fruit development. When there’s a lack of water (which affects calcium supply), tomato fruit can develop a condition called Blossom End Rot. The fruit develops a sunken black patch on their base. So, make sure you're watering your plants regularly. In areas with acidic soil (where the soil pH level is less than 6.5), reducing calcium deficiency by applying Yates Hydrangea Pinking Liquid Lime & Dolomite can also help limit the chances of Blossom End Rot developing. Inconsistent watering, particularly over-watering, can increase the chances of fruit ‘cracking’, where the skin can split. So, try to keep the soil or potting mix moist, but not wet, with consistent watering. When watering Tomatoes, water plants gently at their base. This reduces the amount of water (and disease spores) splashing up from the soil surface and onto the leaves. Keeping the foliage dry as much possible also helps to reduce the development of diseases, another reason to limit overhead watering. Using a soil wetting agent, such as Yates Waterwise Soil Wetter, particularly during dry weather, can assist moisture moving down into the soil more effectively. Applying an organic mulch, such as sugar cane or pea straw, around the base of the plants helps to keep the soil moist and reduce disease spores being moved up onto the leaves. How to Feed Tomatoes Feed Tomatoes every 1-2 weeks throughout the growing season with a potassium-rich fertiliser like Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Fertiliser or Yates 500mL Thrive Tomato Liquid Plant Food. These balanced fertilisers help promote healthy leaf growth as well as encourage lots of flowers that will turn into delicious, juicy Tomatoes. How to Prune Tomatoes Tomato plants develop side shoots, called laterals, between the main and horizontal stems. Removing the laterals from indeterminate tomatoes (varieties that are tall growers and fruit continuously over several months) helps to promote healthier plants and more fruit. These lateral shoots can be pinched out as soon as they’re noticed. How to Protect Tomatoes from Sunburn Tomato fruit can be susceptible to sunburn. In areas with hot summers or if a heat wave is expected, it’s a good idea to provide some form of sun protection to help reduce the chance of sunburn and moisture stress. It doesn’t need to be a permanent fixture – a section of 50% shade cloth secured to star pickets or erecting a beach umbrella during hot weather is ideal. How to Control Tomato Pests Tomatoes are susceptible to several common pests. Caterpillars (sometimes known as Tomato fruitworm), Aphids and Whiteflies all find Tomatoes as delicious as we do! These pests can damage either foliage or fruit or both. Some home remedies for tomato plant pests are • Spraying with mild dish soap and water to repel and kill some pests • Boiling rhubarb leaves in water and adding dishwashing soap to make a natural insecticide for aphids and mites • Spraying with a strong jet of water to dislodge and move on insects • Handpicking insects and using gloves • Planting herbs and flowers that protect tomatoes from insects, such as basil, oregano, marigolds, cabbage, chives, parsley, mint, geraniums, and nasturtiums. Tomatoes can also be attacked by Fruit Fly. Affected fruit has small white grubs inside and fruit can rot. If you’re in a Fruit Fly prone area, you will need to protect your plants. Using fruit fly baits or you can also try harvesting Tomatoes a bit earlier, when they’re just changing colour, and bring them inside to complete ripening. Growing smaller cherry Tomatoes is also worth considering, as they are reported to be less susceptible to Fruit Fly attack. How to Control Tomato Diseases Particularly during humid or rainy weather, there is a range of common Tomato plant diseases to monitor for, including fungal diseases like Blight and Powdery Mildew. Infected plants can show symptoms on both leaves and fruit. Early Blight causes Tomato leaves to become distorted and develop dark brown to black spots with concentric circles. You will often find the lower leaves are infected first and in severe cases, the leaves wither, become crispy and eventually die. Brown elongated markings may also be seen on the stalk and are surrounded by a yellow halo. On the fruit, the fungus attacks near the fruit stalk and can cause rotting on one side. Powdery Mildew disease appears as white or grey powdery patches on leaves, which can lead to yellow spots and leaves to drop. Blight and Powdery Mildew, as well as other diseases like Leaf Spot, Downy Mildew and Rust, can all be treated with apple cider vinegar. Mix one to one and a half tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 2 litres of water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray all parts of the plant affected by the powdery mildew or white fuzzy mold. Apply uniformly, ensuring that both the upper and undersides of leaves are covered. Spray your plants every two weeks to help get rid of plant mold for good. During wet weather, more frequent applications may be required. It can also help to remove any yellow infected leaves or leaves with brown spots from the plant, which reduces disease spread. Some viruses that affect Tomatoes are spread by small sap-sucking insects such as Aphids and Thrips. Watch out for these pests, as even though they’re small they can lead to serious virus infections. Boiling rhubarb leaves in water and adding dishwashing soap to make a natural insecticide can be used to control sap-sucking insects like Aphids and Thrips. How to Improve Fruit Set Tomato flowers need to be pollinated to form fruit. Flowers are pollinated by wind or special insects like the Australian native blue-banded bee. Planting lots of flowers in your garden that attract beneficial pollinating insects can help improve Tomato fruit set, as can growing plants in an airy position. You can even try hand-pollination (with a small paintbrush) or gently shaking the plants to help move pollen around between flowers. Cold temperatures can cause blossom drop (therefore affecting fruit set), however once the weather warms up, more flowers will develop and hopefully fruit will follow. In addition, cold weather can lead to a problem called ‘cat-facing’, where fruit develops abnormally and appears dimpled and scarred. Improved weather conditions will result in less cat-facing. Prolonged very hot weather can also lead to blossom drop. Try creating a shade structure to help protect your Tomato plants from harsh sun. Well-fed and watered plants will produce more fruit, so regular watering and feeding is important. Lettuce Why is my lettuce not hearting up? There are a few reasons why lettuce is not ‘hearting-up’ properly, including temperature, soil, nutrients and watering issues. Many Lettuces can be grown all year round, however, they are more prone to bolting (going to seed) in summer, when it can be hot and dry. Ensure your Lettuce plants are well watered – you may need to check on them every morning and afternoon in hot weather. Lettuce loves good soil, so always plant Lettuce seedling in quality soil and feed regularly. Why is My Lettuce Growing Tall? Lettuce growing tall is an indication that the plant is beginning to flower and set seed, and is nearing the end of its life cycle. Consistent watering and feeding with Liquid Plant Food helps delay this happening and prolongs the harvest. Regular picking of the leaves of loose-leaf Lettuce varieties can also help delay the process. Why Do My lettuce Leaves Have Blisters? When the weather is cool and the soil is wet, this can cause the cells in the leaves to burst. This is a condition known as Oedema. The only way to overcome this is to improve availability of light, avoid over-watering and hope for warmer weather.
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