It was a simple plan, dig the ground, plant some seeds and publish anything of merit on the web. Anyone who has visited my blog over the last couple of years will know that its become a little more than a garden blog. I’ve dug over a lot of dirt and squashed squillions of bugs since that morning however Ive enjoyed every moment.

Well almost every moment ….

Like any gardener I’m certainly not immune from the occasional trials and tribulations that nature dishes out.

Firstly there was the case of the mauled and missing potatoes.

It was a lovely sunny October afternoon and surprisingly I had persuaded Fraser to help me plant the potatoes. We had enough seed to plant about seven rows so whilst I dug the holes and applied the blood and bone he placed the potatoes.

After raking the soil back over the spuds and commenting to Fraser that we made a great team I was content with a job well done. Sadly that contentment was to be short lived.

Sunday morning was tranquil and still as I took my ritual wander around the back yard but that quickly changed when I spotted  potatoes scattered to the four corners of the garden. What made matters worse was that many had huge chunks taken out of them. I replanted them the best I could however the resulting rows had a few gaps in them. You can view the complete post by clicking here.

Another amusing incident was when we received an unexpected visit by a runaway weaner pig.

Can laugh about it now but at the time I was more than a “little stressed”. When I was much younger one of my tasks was to feed the pigs and I can vividly remember the resulting chaos when one of us boys forgot to shut the garden gate. Fortunately this little guy didn’t discover my garden but he did cause me a few sleepless nights.

Click here to view “Vegetables under threat from runaway weaner”.

This blog has become much more than a record of my garden as many of my “one of projects” have become a part of the Just Add Worms business.

Firstly there was that tui feeder that every one admired and which has subsequently become one of our most popular products.

The first prototype still attracts tui to our back yard (bottom centre of photo) although it has been refined and improved over the years.

Our latest deluxe version which is already proving to be popular was launched just a few months back (right of photo)

We then got worms (doctor said not to worry) and lots of wonderful juice for the garden.

Next came the bees which have been challenging and fun. Everyone loves our honey and it sold out within a matter of a few weeks. Hopefully we will have more next summer assuming our bees make it through the winter.

Lastly 8 chickens, now hens and they’re all called Jessie. Its so nice being able to collect the eggs every morning plus it reminds me of my boy hood days on the farm.

By the time I’ve written the 200th post if that comes to pass who knows what new ventures I will have taken on. My philosophy is that as long as I’m enjoying it I’ll keep trying or dreaming up new ideas.

If you feel inclined to comment please do so as we love to get feedback.

I must admit that sometimes I ask myself the same questions especially when its time to stake, apply ties, remove laterals, water, feed and of course finally harvest. Tomatoes are relatively easy to grow however when you have in excess of 40 vines it becomes a size-able task.

When asked my reply is always the same, “I just love growing them”.

Doing a little often plus plenty of sunshine, water and a fortnightly helping of worm juice are just some of the ingredients needed for great results.

To the second question … eat as many as we can and then give the rest to neighbours family and friends. Sharing them is the other enjoyable aspect of growing tomatoes.

I’m not on my own in this respect as tomatoes are the most popular fruit /vegetable in New Zealand. Like last year I’ve grown a number of different varieties as I enjoy observing each type take on their own shapes, colours and flavours.

I’m not suggesting that everyone should grow as many tomatoes as I do however you can get a good crop from just a few vines if you follow some simple rules.

The images below showcase my tomatoes from the time of planting back in late October until now.

Above … prepare the soil well and dig in plenty of compost and aged animal manures. Ask about … you can usually get this for nothing. Trademe is a good place to start or talk to your horsey or farmer friends. Use labels and good strong stakes.

Plant seedling deep and right up to the upper leaves which encourages vigorous root growth. A more extensive root system simply means more tomatoes.

Tie up and remove laterals on a weekly basis. Growing prize winning tomatoes is all about fruit growth not foliage growth.

When the tomatoes begin to to ripen cover them with netting or similar to deter the birds. The main culprits in my patch are blackbirds and thrushes. I still lose a few as shown in the photo on bottom left.

Finally it’s harvest time and a chance to show off a little and enjoy the fruits of your labours.

The secret to growing a bumper tomato crop is a little time often spent attending to those all important tasks such as watering, feeding and removing laterals and excess foliage.

A fortnightly helping of our “Worm Juice Plant Booster” also works wonders.

If you’re tired of just an “average” tomato crop perhaps it’s time your tried our magical ”tomato tonic”. Click on the link above or visit our garden shop.

]]> http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/02/23/grow-tomatoes-that-will-turn-your-family-and-friends-green-with-envy/feed/ 2 http://www.justaddworms.com/2010/04/12/composting-with-tiger-worms/ http://www.justaddworms.com/2010/04/12/composting-with-tiger-worms/#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:27:38 +0000 Rodney http://www.justaddworms.com/?p=7587 Over the last year as I blogged about birds, worms and bees I often imagined how much easier it would be if I had a good video camera. No longer would I need to take 30 or 40 still shots to get the images I needed for my next post.

After frustrating almost every camera store owner in Auckland over the last eight months, last week I shocked my family by arriving home with a shiny new camera under my arm. From time to time they unjustifiably accuse me of being over cautious when parting with my hard earned cash when in reality, its just about “being frugal”.

That aside I couldn’t wait to get started so after a quick flick through of the manual it was time to take this baby for a test run.

Sadly, my initial excitement was very short lived as this test run was more like a crash and burn. Upon downloading the first video I soon realised that my new pride and joy was a poor excuse for a video camera.

This camera was in fact “a dog” and a mongrel one at that!

Resolution and colours were grim at best and no matter how I tried to convince myself that “I could live with it”, I knew that I couldn’t.

After several days I decided that the best approach was to contact the retailer and advise them of my concerns. At first I was somewhat hesitant as the camera had been purchased during a store sale and I had been told that it couldn’t be returned.

What the heck, I made the call as already I hated this camera.

Much to my surprise the response was, “certainly Mr Dunn, bring the camera back and we will see what can be done”.

An hour later with my pocket a further $350 lighter I was back from the store with what I hoped would be a better model. Unlike the first this one recorded in high definition so the end results should be better?

This my first attempt features a cast of thousands.

“Was it something I fed them?”

There may have been other reasons why the worms died but my intention here is to summarise their dietary likes and dislikes.

Tiger worms (Eisenia fetida) also known as compost worms, manure worms, or red wiggler prefer a diet of 70% fruit and vegetables with the remaining 30% made up of carbon (eg. cardboard, paper, paper towels, egg carton etc)

Worms like:

Avocados.
Tea bags.
Aged grass clipping and leaves in moderation.
Coffee grinds.
Crushed egg shells.
Aged animal manures ( eg. horse, cow, sheep and rabbit)
Banana skins.
Fruit (not citrus)
Vegetable waste from kitchen and garden (avoid material that may have residues from chemical sprays)
Vegetable peelings.
Hair.
Watermelon.
# Shredded paper and card board (non glossy)
# Paper towels.
# Toilet roll centres.
# Egg cartons.
# Vacuum dust.
# Note …  these items should be soaked in water and then wrung out prior to being used.

Chopping food and other waste into smaller pieces helps to speed up the decomposition process.

Worms don’t like:

Fresh grass clippings produce too much heat and will cook your worms.
Bread & pasta (in smaller stacker type worm farms)
Chicken manure as it’s to potent.
Dairy products.
Flour products.
Kiwi fruit (in excess)
Meat and fish.
Spicy or acidic foods.
Garlic, chili & onions.
Large amounts of cooked food.
Processed food that may have salt and other additives.
Glossy paper or cardboard.
Perfumed or chemically treated tissues.
Treated wood shavings or sawdust.
Pet faeces (risk transfer of disease, better to be safe than sorry)

Feed worms once a week taking care not to over feed as uneaten food will only rot, smell and attract flies.

Adding a handful of garden lime (calcium carbonate) every 3 to 4 weeks will help to maintain a neutral pH level, lower acidity and sweeten the whole mixture. Aerating the contents within your worm farm every month or so also ensures adequate air circulation and reduces bedding compaction.

Ten digits in some rubber gloves is the most effective method as there’s no risk of harming the worms and if you have one damaging the weed mat that lines the inside of a bath tub worm farm.

Worms need air but not light as they are photo phobic.

You can’t go wrong if you treat your worms in the same manner as the politicians treat their constituents “keep em in the dark”.

Finally covering food scraps with dampened newspaper, sacking or old carpet encourages worms to the surface to feed on decomposing matter. This also means that both the bedding and food remain moist and in the dark, just as the worms like it.

If you’re thinking starting a worm farm our Garden Shop is a great place to check out your options.

Interesting worm facts.
Best temperature range for compost worms is 15°C to 25°C.

When I wrote to the NZ Gardener recently to make them aware of my bumper crop of tomatoes I certainly didn’t expect my letter to be made into a full page feature. You could say I almost “fell off my ladder” when the neighbour dropped by to show me their copy (details are on pages 8 and 77).

Since planting my main crop on the 5th of October I’ve spend many hours diligently tending the tomatoes so this article in the “2009 magazine of the year” certainly ended my tomato growing season on a high, excuse the pun.

As the above photo has been reduced from A4 the text is rather difficult to read so I’ve reproduced my unabridged version below.

• I first started growing tomatoes about 30 years ago and along with pumpkins they normally dominant my garden. Not only do I enjoy growing them I also love to eat them. This season I decided to be a bit more adventurous and try some vegetables that I’d never grown before. Normally it’s just Beefsteaks and Money Makers but this year I purchased some heirloom seeds from Kings Seeds. Currently I have about 40 plants including Black Krim, Brandywine, Tommy Toe, Beefsteak and Money Maker. Once the seedlings are planted out I apply worm juice to the root zone every fortnight. I have three bath tub worm farms which produce about 9 litres each week. Worm juice is great as it’s totally organic, environmentally friendly and simple to apply.

• Tomatoes are very easy to grow but to have a good crop you should continually remove the laterals as well as any surplus or diseased foliage. Doing this on a regular basis ensures water and nutrients are directed to the fruit. I use waratah standards for stakes as it easy to attach wooden extensions to them as the tomatoes grow. I drive these well into the ground with a sledge hammer.

• Many of my tomatoes are more that 2.5 meters tall which makes life interesting. Every few days I spend time tying them up with strips cut from truck tyre inner tubes to ensure they don’t fall foul of the wind. Lastly I’m very careful not to overlook the important aspect of watering. Using a soaker hose directs the water only to the roots plus it saves time and water.

The March edition of NZ Gardener magazine hit the stores on Monday so that afternoon I visited our local garden centre to purchase a couple of copies. Whilst doing so I mentioned to several of the assistants that my tomatoes were featured. I think they were impressed until I told them that I had bought the seeds from another supplier.

Looking back I don’t know why I did that?

Perhaps all this celebrity status is affecting my thinking.

Yes that’s the same tomato plant. Amazing what time, a little love and some worm juice can produce.

It was just 365 days ago that I wrote the first post for Just Add Worms, how time flies when you’re doing something that you enjoy. One year and 63 posts later, the blog and garden are both flourishing. The photo below shows the garden as it was back then.

This photo shows the garden as it is now.

Over the last year, a lot has happened to my garden; least of all its gotten bigger, much bigger. Back in November 2008,  it was 50 square metres but now its almost twice that. Looking back over the summer that is coming to an end, I’m more than satisfied with how the garden has performed.

The many hours spent shoveling horse manure and compost has paid big dividends as the soil is now nutrient rich and easy to work. It won’t be long before I’m able to boast about growing prize carrots as we all know that good soil is needed for this. I recently planted a couple of rows so watch this space.

Here in Auckland the season was slow to get going but the weather has been great over the last couple of months resulting in bumper crops of most vegetables. The most notable of these have been tomatoes, best I’ve grown in 30 years, beetroot, lettuces, potatoes and lastly pumpkins. They are still about six weeks from harvest.

The corn hasn’t been as good as last year and the onions didn’t stand a chance as they were jammed in what little space was left over and I’ve been tramping them underfoot ever since. My gardens are never big enough!

Unlike the previous year, I was better organised this year and had the majority of my seedlings underway by September. This meant that the growing season was three months longer and it certainly showed when it was time to harvest. This year I also grew a number of vegetables and herbs that were completely new to me and that has been interesting and lots of fun.

With the addition of the bath tub worm farms seven months ago and more recently a new beehive, its been a busy but enjoyable year in the veggie garden.

My plans for next year are to increase the garden by about 25 square metres and to grow more of those unusual untried varieties. After just a few months I’m addicted and fascinated by the bees, so more hives are on the cards.

“Gosh I’m gonna bee busy” ….  sorry I’m doing it again.

Also, a special thanks to my family for their ongoing help and support during the first year of Just Add Worms.

]]> http://www.justaddworms.com/2010/02/27/happy-anniversary-just-add-worms/feed/ 0 http://www.justaddworms.com/2010/02/16/tomatoes-high-on-worm-juice-part-3/ http://www.justaddworms.com/2010/02/16/tomatoes-high-on-worm-juice-part-3/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:45:03 +0000 Rodney http://www.justaddworms.com/?p=6974 Its been about 14 weeks now since I planted my first tomatoes and at last, they are ripening in reasonable numbers. I picked the first of the tomatoes about 3 weeks ago but they didn’t compare to yesterday’s harvest. I’m tickled pink (as in Brandywine Pink) with the results so far, since these are just the first of the crop. As there are so many, I’m sharing them with family, friends and neighbours.

Amongst those below are Black Krim, Brandywine, Brandywine Pink, Beefsteak, Moneymaker and Tommy Toe. Tommy Toe is a small cherry type tomato. They are great to eat straight from the vine as they are super tasty and sweet.

After all these months, my tomatoes are still receiving a fortnightly feed of worm juice and it’s certainly made a difference. As I have so many plants now, 41 to be precise, I pour the mix around the root zones, since the previous method of spraying was taking too long. Once diluted 10:1, it’s 15 minutes work with the watering can.

The two images below show the beefsteak tomato that has received the worm juice. After picking 3 or 4 tomatoes from it during the past week it still boasts a contingent of about a dozen good sized fruits. The photo doesn’t show it  off very well due to the fact that there are too many vegetables crammed into my garden.

I know it’s not good practice to jam them in like sardines in a can, because plants need space for the air to circulate. But sometimes my enthusiasm gets the better of me.

When time allows, I will make my garden “just a little” larger.

At the 1.4 metre mark.

The beefsteak that has received no worm juice is pictured below and is approximately 1.3 metres in height.

It has a similar number of fruit however they are fractionally smaller and as the photo shows, still rather green.

Even though the two are almost the same height, the tomato plant receiving the worm juice has grown at a much quicker pace with the fruit ripening approximately 17 days earlier. Both plants have produced an equal number of tomatoes, of similar size. The second tomato plant is about a week away from having ripe fruit so I’ve not been able to do any taste comparisons yet.

The rest of the tomatoes are also doing well on their worm juice supplement. Some have grown so tall that I need to use the ladder when tying them up! Out behind the garage, the bath tub farms are producing 3 litres of concentrate each week, so there’s more than enough for the tomatoes and the other vegetables.

If you’re keen on growing great vegetables, my advice is to get yourself a worm farm, because it’s helped to give me the best results I’ve had in 30 years of gardening. I also have smaller worm farms for sale.

Finally, special thanks to my tiger worms for all their hard work … thanks guys, I couldn’t have done it without you. Gosh, hope Rose doesn’t read this as she already thinks I’m half mad.

Back in September of 2009 I made two bathtub worm farms as I needed to increase my stock of tiger worms. Sales of my worms farms via the “Garden Shop” and Trade Me were going extremely well, however the demand had created a major problem.

Simply put, not enough worms.

Most folk don’t want to purchase a farm without worms as that would be akin to buying a car only to discover that the gas tank is empty.

Once the bath tubs had become operational all seemed to going to plan and I believed that any worm production issues would soon be a thing of the past. I had also purchased a third bath tub which would help to further increase the worm population. Little did I know that a few months later things would go totally awry.

The first signs of trouble appeared when the tape I used to secure the weed mat to the sides of the bath started to come away. This happened due to a build up of moisture and hence the worms found their way into the bottom of the bath. Once in this area there was no way they could return to their food source and bedding above.

At this stage I realised that things would need to be changed as the worms were not staying where I wanted them and many were drowning in their own juice.

If you wish to see how the farm was originally put together it’s all detailed in this earlier post. It will also makes it easier to understand what I’m rambling about!

As shown below the problem was solved by using a larger piece of weed mat. This now meant that the upper part of the bath was escape proof.

Now the worms stay where they’re meant to and once again all is well down on “the farm”. Currently the tiger worms are producing about 5.9 litres of worm juice per week, all of which is used in the vegetable garden.

My motivation for writing this post is that others may have made a bath tub worm farm in a similar fashion and be experiencing the same problem. Hopefully this helps to set the record straight.

Now that the Christmas and New Year’s festivities are over I thought it time to see how my two trial tomatoes are progressing. Since my post of the 18th of December all the tomatoes excluding the one below have received another generous dose of worm juice however I’m now applying it with a watering can. Spraying 40 odd plants takes some time so I needed a quicker option.

Since last measuring, the tomato above has grown a further 36 centimetres and now stands at 76 centrimetres. It’s very healthy with a 10 or so flowers but no fruit at this stage which is a little odd as all of the first planted host tomatoes. During the last 10 days I’ve added extra compost to help keep the roots moist and a soaker hose has been installed to automate the watering process.

As much as I love gardening my time down in the dirt is limited as I’m becoming increasingly busy with the Just Add Worms business. In spite of it being the holiday season the orders are still rolling in, which is excellent.

The weather over the last couple of weeks has been sunny and hot with temperatures in the mid 20ies therefore the tomatoes have taken off in leaps and bounds. Some have already grown above the top of the 1.8 metre stakes which in itself creates another interesting challenge. More about that another day.

Trial plant number two that is receiving the worm juice is just under 1 metre in height and as before out performing its counterpart. There are about a dozen flowers and it boasts 4 large tomatoes and a smaller one.

The 8000 tiger worms we have are producing 5.9 litres of juice per week so there’s no shortage of the “magical mixture”. I’m thinking that soon we will have enough tomatoes to start our very own La Tomatina festival.

Hopefully in my next post about using worm juice I can show some big fat juicy luscious tomatoes.

Shouldn’t be long now so don’t forget to check back for part 3.

My post of the 5th November “How to grow bigger and better tomatoes using worm juice“ covered the subject of using this as an organic fertiliser. Since then I have sprayed the liquid in a 10 x 1 diluted form around the tomato’s roots on three separate occasions and it certainly seems to be making a difference. The real test will come however at harvest time when the quality, size and taste of the crop can be correctly assessed.

Will leave passing judgment till then. As they say “don’t count your tomatoes before they ripen”.

In the experiment as described in my November post the trial beef steak tomato plant that hasn’t received any worm juice is approximately 40 centimetres tall and growing well.

By comparison it’s companion that has been receiving the worm juice is 60 centimetres tall. The remainder of the tomato crop is also receiving the mixture and these plants also have substantially more growth. The 50 centimetre mark in the photo below is partially obscured.

It’s too soon to draw any conclusions so in the meantime it’s just a matter of keeping on with the worm juice, tying the plants to the stakes and removing those ever emerging laterals.

If the current growth is anything to go by we should be enjoying some very tasty tomatoes before too long. Itching to taste the heirlooms as I’ve not grown these before. Of the six different tomato types I have planted the Black Krims are the most vigourous growers and are almost at the top of the stakes. They have plenty of flowers but unlike the Money Makers no signs of any fruit just yet.

More photos will be posted as soon as they start to show their “true colours”.