Dave's Gardening Diary

It's possible to have a thriving vegetable garden, even on small plots in Brisbane's inner-city. Good sun is the main thing needed. A fence would help keep dogs and thieves out.
The garden was full of weeds before I moved to this house in July 1996. (A bonus, because I know weed killers, chemical fertilizers etc. had not been used for some time.) The soil was really poor and full of rocks.
There are a heap of Chinese Elms that steal the sun and rain from the garden too. It's taking a long time to get rid of them. I've ring-barked and poisoned them, but they are so hard to kill.
This diary was begun in October 1996, and provides a record of which plants succeeded in my garden at various times of the years since then.
I now use the table above to help as a planting guide, for what is good to plant in each season.

December 2011
Another bizzarely cool month.
Not much happening in the garden.

November 2011
It's been unseasonally cool. Most days are under 25°C.
The seeds planted last month all failed. Only some cherry tomatoes popped up.

October 2011
A cool and wet month.
I planted rockmelon, climbing beans, and sweet corn.

September 2011
Not much happening in the garden.

August 2011
Not much happening in the garden.

July 2011
Not much happening in the garden.

June 2011
Not much happening in the garden.

May 2011
The snow peas failed.

April 2011
Yay! There is some sunshine. It's a bit cooler too. Nice to be in the yard.
I planted herbs in pots. Snow peas were planted too.

March 2011
I was able to mow the lawn and cut back shrubbery.

February 2011
Still lots of rain.
Not much gardening going on. The grass grows well!

January 2011
It rained, and it rained. My house wasn't affected the Brisbane 2011 flood. It wasn't good for the vegetables.
Only some cherry tomatoes gave small crops.

December 2010
It is still amazingly wet and cool. There are widespread floods in Queensland. I still have a doonah on my bed at night!
The cherry tomatoes are fruiting. The beans gave small crops.

November 2010
It rains most weekends. I was able to fit in a lawn-mowing.

October 2010
Another wet and cool month. Not much happening in the garden.
I planted some bush beans and cherry tomatoes.

September 2010
Still wet and cool. I dug up the main garden bed.
A friend cut back the chinese elm branches near the house. Lots of small branches for compost!

August 2010
It's been wet and cold. Nothing much grows.
The fresias and jonquils came up at the end of month.

July 2010
Possums still raid nightly, so no planting this month. It will be time to dig a new garden bed soon.
This is my first year in ages without snow peas....

June 2010
June was relatively dry.
Possums ate all my seedlings. So sad.

May 2010
Good rain continues.
So, I dug up the unsuccessful bean patch and planted snow peas, broccoli, and more beans.

April 2010
The weather is a little cooler. Occasional rain is helpful.
The crops were all disappointing. Corn cobs were quite stunted. Looks like more nutrients are needed.

March 2010
Occasional rain and pleasant Autumn weather helped the plantings from last month.
Slugs attacked the beans.

February 2010
Cyclone season is back! So good storms fell occasionally.
The beans, rockmelons and corn came up. Not so many tomatoes though....

January 2010
Far too hot to be in the yard! It got a bit better at end of month, with some rain.
A large sweet potato was nice. Two broccoli plants struggle on.
I remade two gardens and planted bush beans, tomatoes, corn, and rockmelon.

December 2009
It is still very hot and dry.
The things I planted last month failed. So I took a short holiday in Sydney.

November 2009
Now it's getting hot! Daytimes are often over 30°C.
I planted tomatoes, capsicums, and herbs.

October 2009
Occasional storms helped. It is getting warmer during the daytimes now.
The bush beans came up. Most of the zucchinis withered.

September 2009
I took a short holiday.
The snow peas finished. So, I was able to dig up part of the main garden and planted bush beans.
Zucchini and broccoli are growing slowly.

August 2009
There's not much happening in the garden. Occasional storms ended the worst of water restrictions. I still water by bucket.
The fresias and jonquils were nice, as usual. Small crops of snow peas were good.

July 2009
Occasional rain was good. Hand watering is needed, on the weekend.
The snow peas are popular with possums, but struggle on.. Zucchini are growing well. The broccoli grows slowly.

June 2009
There's still reasonable rain. I had to water the garden for the first time in a while.
The seeds came up. Possums eat them too.

May 2009
The drought was declared over! Good rain has come every week.
I planted snow peas, zucchini and broccoli.

April 2009
One sunny day I got motivated and laid out two new garden beds.

March 2009
Some cooling rain arrived.
I even feel like building a winter garden.

February 2009
A mostly hot and dry month. It rained enough to stop me mowing the lawn.
No serious gardening happening at all.

January 2009
A hot and humid month.
It was too hot to go outside for long. Too hot for computers too.

December 2008
Occasional thunderstorms helped reduce temperatures that were mostly over 30°C during the day.
There are no crops to pick, or plantings. I'm gathering mulching materials to build a new veggie garden for the new year.

November 2008
A series of big thunderstorms brought much rain. Water restrictions are lifted a bit to allow daily bucket watering.
I finally cleared all the fallen tree from the main garden. So, I can think about planting again.
Some sweet potatoes from the street garden were nice.

October 2008
Another mild spring month. There were some thunderstorms.
No planting going on. I chopped up a major part of the fallen tree. One more big bit to go.

September 2008
Spring is back! It's still fairly cool in the mornings and at night. Daytimes reach 25°C. There were some big thunderstorms.
I haven't done any serious gardening. Only a bit of weeding. I mowed the lawn.
The pumpkins didn't come up. The fresias and nasturtiums are still good.

August 2008
Apparently this was the coldest August for several years. There were some rainy periods, but mostly sunny.
I planted pumpkins in the back corner of the garden. The jonquils, fresias, and nasturtiums are pretty.
The fallen tree is still there, waiting to be broken up.

July 2008
Some good rain finally fell. There was even a slight relaxation of hosing restrictions.
The last of the dead elm trees fell over into the main garden. Luckily there were no plants damaged. The tree is large, and fills many rubbish bins.

June 2008
Only a little rain fell. Tempearates range 8-24°C.
I returned from Sydney with some lavender cuttings that took root well. I planted some cherry tomatoes in the main garden. Not much is growing apart from that.
The fresias and jonquils are ok.

May 2008
Not much happening in the garden. It's still mostly clear skies, with cool mornings. Occasional showers helped water any struggling plants remaining.
I knocked down and removed one of the dead elms. (One more to go!)

April 2008
I'm taking a break, so have more time for the garden.
Not much rain early in the month. I began weeding and clearing the main garden.
The fresias and jonquils are coming up.

March 2008
Occasional rain fell again. The main vegetable garden is mostly in shade by 3:00pm. The house is the main shader.
Not much is growing besides marigolds, and some escaped ground-cover plant.
Some tomatoes struggle. Lemongrass in a pot is doing better.
The pumpkin and zucchinis died without regular watering.

February 2008
Some heavy rains finally fell early in the month. The main garden's in shade until 8am. A brief hot spell took daytime temperatures to 40°C.
There isn't much growing in the garden. The zucchinis are looking good. Most of last months' plantings failed in the heat and humidity. The herbs began to flower.

January 2008
The rain continued in the early part of the month. It is hot and humid again.
The only plants looking any good are some herbs. A single tomato plant grew from the November plantings.
I planted bush beans, basil, and sweet potato. Later I planted zucchini, cucumbers, sweet corn, and sunflowers in the main garden, just to fill space.

December 2007
Reasonable rain fell in the last weeks. The weather was unseasonably cool too.
Nothing in the garden looks any good apart from the herbs.

November 2007
It rained a bit each week, but not enough to change water restrictions. There's a cyclone up North. Daytime temperatures reach 27°C.
I planted bush beans and more tomatoes in the middle of the month. Only a few came up.
The old climbing beans are about finished. Asparagus season is over. The pumpkins struggle on.

October 2007
A few heavy storms early in the month helped. I spread some blood and bone around the garden.
Now the snow peas are finished. The climbing beans still give small crops. It's asparagus season again!
The tomatoes and pumpkins grow slowly. The corn didn't come up at all.

September 2007
It's Spring again! Daytime temperatures reach 27°C.
The climbing beans and snow peas give small crops.
I noticed some of the cherry tomatoes I've been planting came up. I planted corn near the pumpkins.

August 2007
The month began a little warmer in the day. Some heavy rain fell for a few days after the Ekka. I went to Port Macquarie for a week, so little watering by me.
I noticed the pumpkins came up. The jonquils began to flower early in the month. Fresias later.
There are small crops of beans and snow peas. The "salad mix" was useless.

July 2007
It's still mostly cool and dry. Insignificant rain. Westerly winds also prevailed.
The climbing beans began to flower. Snow peas grow slowly.

June 2007
I took a short holiday to Sydney early in the month.
It rained a bit while I was away. So, on my return I noticed the fresias and jonquils had all come up.

May 2007
Daytime temperatures still reach up to 28°C early in the month. This has been a very warm Autumn. A few showers after Labor Day helped.
I planted Italian parsley and "salad mix" in pots. Also additional snow peas and climbing beans were planted.
The main garden has done poorly in recent years. I'm planning a move to the area formerly covered by black plastic that gets good sunlight all day. So, it's covered with lawn clippings etc to enrich the soil.

April 2007
There is still little rain. "Level 5" water restrictions began. The days are warm and sunny, but getting shorter. Nights are getting cooler.
Hardly anything grows well at the moment. I have some snow peas and climbing beans struggling. The last 10 year old bush basil died, and I tried so hard to keep it alive.

March 2007
The month started with hot and humid weather. It's been a long time since things have been good in the garden. Water restrictions are going to get even more severe soon.
I feel like starting the garden all over from the beginning.
The first step is getting more grass clippings to use as mulch. From reading past entries in this diary, the best results have been when I've used lots of lucern hay.

February 2007
It's still hot and humid. A few thunderstorms helped water the garden. I spread lawn clippings for mulch.
Cucumbers and even a (usually hardy) bush basil plant died. The cherry tomatoes didn't come up at all. This is a terrible summer!
The climbing beans came up but were eaten by slugs. The only decent plants growing are the rockmelons. Even the asparagus looks sad this season.

January 2007
I'm on holidays, so I dismantled the teepee and made proper trellises again, for climbing beans.
It's hot and humid, but little rain falls. There were some thunderstorms at the end of the month.
The cucumbers flowered early in the month, but withered in the heat. I planted some cherry tomatoes near the rockmelons.

December 2006
It's been mostly fine and warm. Occasional thunderstorms have helped. The garden looks generally poor.
The cucumbers and rockmelons are still growing slowly. I planted some corn, but this did not come up.

November 2006
"Level 4" water restrictions came into force (bucket watering at restricted times). So, I'm really only bothering with the main garden. Fortunately occasional thunderstorms helped the whole yard.
The climbing beans began to give small crops. The cucumbers are growing well. Once again the asparagus has been disappointing. Some rockmelons came up behind the (finally) dead chinese elms.

October 2006
The warm weather has returned. Daytime temperatures are over 25°C most days. There has only been light rain.
The snow peas finished, but tomatoes give small crops. The beans are growing on the teepee. An eggplant fruit is growing!

September 2006
At last some good rain fell for a week or so. Fresias, jonquils and nasturtiums are flowering again.
The snow peas still give small crops. The tomatoes are a good size. The asparagus began shooting spears. I planted climbing beans under the new teepee.
I went to Dad's place and came back with two bags of mushroom compost. I could use a lot more.

August 2006
Again it's been a very dry month. The nights are cool but the days are becoming warm.
The snow peas began to give small crops. Tomatoes are fruiting up, and should be good in September.
I moved the teepee to a sunnier spot. Those climbing beans didn't do very well in the old spot.

July 2006
A little rain fell in the middle of the month.
The zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes are flowering. The snow peas and climbing beans are disappointing.

June 2006
The dry weather continues. Only a little rain fell in the middle of the month. Water restrictions are now "Level 3" (no hosing, day or night.)
So, the garden's much the same as in May. The seedlings grew, but plants grow very slowly in these conditions. No crops to pick at all.

May 2006
I planted the tomato seedlings, more climbing beans, zucchini, and chives.

April 2006
It's been beautiful autumn weather. A few thunderstorms early in the month were helpful.
Climbing beans give small crops. Lots of chillies. The snow peas came up.
New tomato seedlings are growing in containers.

March 2006
The month started with some good rain. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to remove the water restrictions. I'm happy to use a watering bucket. Temperatures range 20-30°C.
Chillies and capsicums are fruiting. Climbing beans climbed and began to flower. The sole eggplant fruit was a bit of a mutant, so we didn't eat it.

February 2006
A bit of rain fell at intervals through the month. It's still around 30°C most days.
The beans are climbing well. Sal found some sweet potatoes growing near the street!
Tomatoes and pumpkins continue in the main garden. Apart from that herbs grow well. Some capsicums and chillies are fruiting. The cucumbers didn't do well in the heat.

January 2006
I'm on annual leave from work. It's too hot to do much in the garden. I did a fair bit of weeding late in the afternoons. The teepee for climbing beans was finally constructed.
I transplanted the eggplant from its pot into a sunny spot in the ground. It took this move very well, and is flowering.
The pumpkins, cucumbers, capsicums, and tomatoes struggle in the heat. The only things giving crops are the chillies and herbs like basil, chives, and rosemary.

December 2005
Another hot and dry month. There were occasional thunderstorms.
The cucumbers wilted and lost their fruit. Cherry tomatoes were the main things picked. The eggplant is growing well in it's pot.

November 2005
It rained lightly most days early in the month. Carnations are flowering!
The cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, and asparagus are looking good. As usual, tomatoes and capsicums are coming up everywhere from the mulch.

October 2005
There was a week of rain in the middle of the month. Water restrictions still apply. It's up to 30°C most days.
The snow peas were finally pulled up. For interest, I decided to try a "teepee" for climbing beans this year. (Instead of the usual trelice design.)
I planted more button squash. Cucumbers and pumpkins are flowering. Small capsicums are everywhere. An eggplant is growing well in its pot.

September 2005
Spring is here again. Only a few brief thunderstorms came this month. Most of the things I planted last month came up. The fresias and nasturtiums are still nice.
It's too hot for the snow peas, and they went mouldy by the end of month. The beans and tomatoes give small crops.

August 2005
There's still hardly any rain. Daytime temperatures reach 24°C. Snow peas and bush beans continue to give small crops. Jonquils, fresias, and nasturtiums are flowering.
I took a short holiday to prepare the spring garden. I planted cucumbers, zucchini, and eggplants. Lots of capsicums and cherry tomatoes grow out of the mulch.

July 2005
It's cool and mostly dry again. Only a few plants are growing well. It's nearly planting time again.
Snow peas and bush beans give small crops. A few tomatoes can be found here and there. I planted zucchini in the main garden.
I spread more compost over the main garden. Fresias, jonquils, and some spring flowering annuals are growing well. The magpies didn't come back this year.

June 2005
The month was still mostly dry. Then it poured for a few days in the last week.
New water restrictions are in place, with hosing only at night. I'll need to use much more mulch in future.
Madagascar beans are growing slowly in the front yard. Snow peas are giving small crops, so I planted more. The new bush beans are growing well.

May 2005
I got a new computer (an iMac G5 17"), so there's more time for the garden! It's still quite dry, with occasional showers.
Spent time spreading compost in the mostly dormant main garden. Only some herbs for crops.
Fresias and jonquils came up again under the elms.

April 2005
Snow peas are growing well. I planted more bush beans.

March 2005
Very little rain fell. The days are getting noticeably shorter.
The cucumbers didn't do well. The snow peas all came up. Bush beans give small crops.

February 2005
Still dry. The climbing beans finished.
I planted snow peas, herbs, and cucumbers at the end of the month.

January 2005
It's hot and dry again. A lot of things wilted.

December 2004
A hot and dry month. The corn doesn't grow very well.
I got a small crop of cucumbers and bush beans.

November 2004
Serious computer problems are taking my time. The garden is looking quite good.

October 2004
Planted sweet corn, climbing beans, rockmelon, cucumbers, button squash, and capsicums.
Some carnations flowered for the first time.

September 2004
A bit of digging in preparation for planting. I've big plans for corn and tomatoes this Spring.
The snow peas finished and were pulled up.

August 2004
Now it's cooler. Only a little rain fell. So, not much happening in the garden.
The Magegascar beans didn't grow well. Snow peas are good again.

July 2004
It's cold in the mornings, but up to 25°C during the daytime.
The snow peas are flowering. I planted a second crop. There are a few tomatoes growing here and there. The climbing beans finished. Madagascar beans in the front yard grow slowly.
Chinese elms are losing their leaves.

June 2004
It was a dry autumn. This month had mostly sunny days too. It's been pretty dry. The main garden is mostly in the shade until 11:00am.
The snow peas, climbing beans, and tomatoes are still growing well. Most of the rose cuttings "took". Fresias and jonquils surfaced again.
There's a family of 6 magpies around my yard every day.

May 2004
Now it's Autumn. The days are noticeably shorter. Temperatures range 9-24°C. The days are mostly clear. The sun has shifted so the umbrella trees shade the main garden in the afternoons. (They'll be going as soon as I can afford a plant removalist.)
Some of the snow peas, tomatoes, beans, and capsicums planted last month came up.
I took a short holiday, and spent the time spreading lucerne hay compost and weeding. I also tried planting rose cuttings from my brother in Victoria.

April 2004
The Winter Garden has mostly been planted. I put in snow peas, tomatoes, baby carrots, climbing beans, broccoli and eggplants.

March 2004
At last it's slightly cooler. A bit of rain fell too. All this helped the plants that survived the summer. I started the month by spreading compost/mulch all around.
The month ended with pulling up the Madagascar beans. They were very prolific, but stole the sun from everything else. Now they'll be good in the compost. Snow peas should grow well in their place.
Climbing beans, chillies, and asparagus give small crops.

February 2004
The days are still mostly above 30°C, but it even got over 40°C for a couple of days. It's really humid too.
There isn't much to pick. Only a few beans and asparagus. Tomatoes were pathetic this season.

January 2004
Mine is definitely a "winter garden". It's been over 30°C most days. Only a few plants can stand these humid conditions. Some big storms at the end of the month kept everything well watered.
I noticed the capsicums began to flower. Apart from that, the beans keep producing small crops. The herbs are good too.

December 2003
A bit of rain fell to keep things relatively cool. Temperatures ranged 20-30°C most of the month.
Not much to pick from the garden. Mostly beans, and occasional asparagus. Corn, pumpkin, tomatoes, and rockmelon are all disappointing. The pumpkin struggles in the heat.

November 2003
Occasional showers fell. It's warmer now. The garden's growing very well.
Sweet corn, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, beans, pumpkins, rockmelon, and asparagus are looking great.

October 2003
A bit a rain and mild weather started the month well. The garden's got lots of tomatoes, pumpkins, and capsicum seedlings from the mulch.Asparagus started putting big spears up at last.
The snow peas finished. I planted cucumbers in their place. I also built a new climbing bean trellice in the main garden. The Chinese Elms are taking forever to die.

September 2003
Spring is here again! A little rain fell to start the month well. I took a short holiday to maintain the garden.
In the garden near the street some rockmelons came up, and a few tomatoes and capsicums from the mulch. The chillies are starting to re-grow leaves. The seedlings I planted last month came up, but were eaten by possums (bastards).
Snow peas and beans are cropping well. We harvested the broccoli heads, but left the stalks for re-growth. Eggplants started to flower. I planted more tomatoes, silverbeet, zucchini, and cucumbers. A new climbing bean garden was made in the front yard.

August 2003
The nights are cold, but the days have been sunny and quite pleasant. I re-dug the main and side gardens. Sal helped make the compost for spreading. We've a good supply of sugar cane mulch and lucerne hay to spread on the spring garden beds. It looks as though ring-barking the Chinese Elm trees will finally kill them. If so, we can plant the areas covered by black plastic.
Fresias, jonquils, and nasturtiums are flowering in various spots. A broccoli flowered too. Apart from that, only the beans give crops to eat. Snow peas will be good soon.
Planted seeds of tomatoes, silverbeet, sweet corn, and more broccoli. The eggplants are looking a bit happier.

July 2003
A little rain fell in the first weeks. Then it got cold and windy. I've got fresias, jonquils, and marigolds growing well under the dead tree.
Some snow peas came up. They should be good to pick at the end of August. The beans are still giving crops. Possums ate the parsley to the ground....
I planted some broccoli in the garden near the street. A sole eggplant struggles on there.

June 2003
A cool, and mostly dry month. Some of the main garden was dug and weeded. I put the remains of sugar cane mulch over part of it.
Not many crops to pick. Even the chillies are giving few fruit. Madagascar beans give small crops.

May 2003
Another quiet month in the garden. It's been mostly cold and wet on the weekends. I ring-barked one of the big Chinese Elm trees near the main garden to get more sunlight. Also had some nearby Umbrella trees cut back.
The only produce is herbs, chillies, and beans. The eggplants and potato vine are still growing. Asparagus is dormant for the winter.

April 2003
It's still a pleasant 25°C most days. Good rain fell at intervals.
Still not much to pick in the garden. Madagascar beans look a lot healthier. The capsicums and eggplants still grow slowly.

March 2003
The days are getting shorter. It's noticeably cooler too, around 27°C during the day. Regular rain was helpful.
Most things are still too small to give good crops. Only a few small capsicums. The madagascar beans finally flowered. Other climbing beans are growing well.
I cut some branches from surrounding Chinese Elm trees to give more sunlight.

February 2003
Some good rain finally fell. The clouds reduced daytime temperatures quite a bit. (Thanks cyclone Beni!)
Still not much to eat from the garden. A pH test showed the soil is pretty acidic. We put some dolomite around the main garden. When it's time to dig it up again, we'll do a better job of it.
Only the occasional bean or asparagus. Chillies and other herbs are pretty good too. Eggplants are still growing. Some rockmelons and new beans came up.

January 2003
A few more days with good rain helped early in the month. The sun is up early, but the main garden is mostly in shade by 3:00pm.
The eggplants and cucumbers started to flower. Still small crops of asparagus, chillies, and beans to pick every few days. Small capsicums are nice, but best picked while still green and small. Small grasshoppers are back.

December 2002
Another mostly hot (30°C) and sunny month. Some good rain fell for a few days around Christmas.
Tomatoes wilted under the conditions, but beans and chillies still produce. New cucumber plants are slowly growing. The capsicums fruit, but some drop off before reaching a good size. Eggplants are healthy, but too small for fruit. Once again, the corn is disappointing. Sweet basil is everywhere.
The ginger in the front yard looks good. The potato died back, but a new sweet potato nearby started to sprout.

November 2002
A hot month. It's been important to keep water up to the plants. Some good rain fell in the middle of the month. I got a brass hose-fitting kit! (Much less leakage.)
The tomatoes, climbing beans, chillies and cucumbers are giving crops. Asparagus gives an occasional spear. Young corn are still growing slowly. The potato and eggplants are growing well too.
The pumpkins died back for some reason. (Probably lack of water.)

October 2002
A mostly hot and dry month. The biggest dust-storm since 1965 affected visibility. A big thunderstorm came to help on the 27th.
Most young plants are growing well. The tomatoes, capsicums and beans flowered well. It's still hard to tell the difference between young corn and other grass coming up. A potato plant came up in the back garden.
Small crops of asparagus, beans, and chillies helped.

September 2002
It got warm quickly, up to 30°C in the daytime. Most of the main plot is still in shade until 11:00am. Some rain fell.
Lots more weeding was done before planting new seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants, and capsicums. Late plantings of snow peas gave good crops before it got too hot. Climbing beans and cucumbers are growing well.

August 2002
The days are getting longer, and a bit warmer while the sun's up. Very little rain until the end of the month. Then it poured!
The snow peas continued to give good crops. The cherry tomatoes weren't so good. The chillies started flowering again.
Planted broccoli, zucchini, rockmelons, cucumbers, and climbing beans.

July 2002
Temperatures range from 6-21°C. A good time for weeding and digging. Dad brought me some horse manure to add to the soil.
Some pumpkins grew out of the compost. The snow peas still produce good crops. Some seedlings grow slowly.

June 02
June also started off with good rain. Then it got cold, dry, and windy again.
Snow peas give good crops. Some tomatoes to pick. Apart from that, only herbs like parsley, basil, oregano, and garlic chives to eat.

May 2002
Some good rain fell early in the month. Then it got cold, windy, and dry.
Snow peas, squash, capsicum, and tomatoes are growing well. Lots of young seedlings came up. I planted a choko vine below the kitchen window. Also planted a "spinach vine" near a trellice.

April 2002
It's still warm in the daytime. Up to 30°C. Nice weather to remove little stones from the soil. A little rain fell at the beginning of the month. Everything is looking a bit healthier.
Snow peas came up but something ate the tops. The baby capsicums look healthy. Planted more beans, squash, and shallots.

March 2002
The hottest summer since 1912 is finally over. It's still up to 30°C in the daytime. Not much rain either. The rockmelons and Madagascar beans couldn't handle it. Sweet corn failed again too.
The cucumbers came up in the first week, but struggle in the heat. Cherry tomatoes revived a bit and have small crops. Sweet basil and some other herbs went to flower.
Planted snow peas, bush beans, and baby capsicums in the main garden.

February 2002
Summer storms finally arrived early in the month. Not enough though. Daytime temperatures still reach 33°C.
Ginger came up in the front yard. Mostly weeding done in the bit gone to fallow in the main garden. Most things have finished. It's too hot to plant veggies.
At the end of the month I planted Madagascar beans, corn, and Lebanese cucumbers.

January 2002
Another hot and mostly dry month. Some things wilted badly in the conditions. The corn failed this time too.
Small crops of beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes were nice.

December 2001
It's too hot to spend much time outdoors in the middle of the day. Temperatures reached 39°C around Christmas time.
Everything is planted, and all I have to do is keep watering, and wait. Now I've got a "soaker hose" in the main garden. There's always some weeding to do once the sun goes down a little.
Amazingly, the new beds are still under black plastic. We've been working on killing weeds here for 6 months now. This area should be ready for spreading with compost soon.
The beans, tomatoes and cucumbers flowered early in the month. I planted more corn and rockmelons.

November 2001
A bit of useful rain fell each week. Daytime temperatures reached 30°C. The new crops have mostly sprouted. Climbing beans, tomatoes, and Lebanese cucumbers are growing well.
The only crops to pick were asparagus and capsicums. Next month will be better.

October 2001
Another dry month. Sal and I dug up most of the main garden. Also pulled down and relocated the trellises. The asparagus is sprouting well again.
Planted new climbing beans, tomatoes, capsicums, corn, cucumbers and eggplants. Lots of things come up by themselves from the compost.

September 2001
It's warmer in the daytime again. Not much rain. Lots of flowers brighten up the yard. Fresia bulbs made a nice border this year. We're also growing zinnias and carnations.
Snow peas and climbing beans gave their last crops. The asparagus started sending up shoots. Some old pumpkin and tomato plants struggle on.
Sal dug up the last big roots of the weeds under the black plastic.

August 2001
A mostly dry and windy month. A little rain fell in the last week. Possums raided nightly.
New snow peas are climbing well. Baby carrots came up too. The pumpkin flowers, but no fruit.
Planting beds were dug over where the black plastic laid.

July 2001
The first crop of snow peas finished, so we pulled them up and planted a second crop. Pulled some baby carrots.
Plenty of digging in the original garden early in the month. Planted more tomatoes, baby beets, and parsnips.

June 2001
Daytime temperatures have reached 25°C. Lots of rain fell early in the month. Not so much in the middle.
Big crops of snow peas began early in the month. Climbing beans and broccoli will be ready in a few weeks. Dad gave me some strawberry plants. There's a few tomatoes come up out of the compost. A pumpkin vine isn't doing much.
A big sheet of black plastic covers most of the weedy bit.

May 2001
Still mostly pleasant Autumn weather. The nights are getting cooler. A few storms kept everything well watered.
The snow peas are climbing well. Planted the tomato and broccoli seedlings. One of the trellises was moved and climbing beans planted. Lots of digging and weed removal in the back corner.

April 2001
It's getting a little bit cooler. Daytime temperatures reach 27°C. A bit of rain helped.
Lots of weeding and digging done. I got a hoe! Planted snow peas, ginger, eggplants, and garlic. Tomatoes and broccoli are growing in punnets.
Picked two good rockmelon, asparagus, cos lettuce, some cherry tomatoes, and some capsicums.

March 2001
A mostly hot and humid month. Strong winds and thunderstorms blew most of the corn down before it was ready. I got a couple of nice cucumbers before mildew killed the plants. Tomatoes and rockmelons fruited. Beans and asparagus still give small crops.
The new garden really needs to be completely recovered with newspaper and mulch again. Lots of weeding done.

February 2001
Torrential rain fell in the first week. Occasional showers kept everything green.
Beans, squash, and capsicums give small crops. The cucumbers climbed up the new trellice. Small tomato plants are appearing in lots of places. The spring onions and baby carrots came up.
Planted silverbeet and more sweet corn in the main garden. The new garden has been disappointing. Mother-in-Laws Tongues and other weeds keep coming back.

January 2001
Some light rain early in the month. Over 30°C most days. I'm glad I have a hose and sprinkler!
Beans, capsicums, and asparagus still give good crops. The corn was a failure. Only one big pumpkin to pick. A rockmelon vine is growing well. Also, a potato plant came up.
The cucumbers and corn planted last month came up. Planted more corn and tomatoes, spring onions, and baby carrots.

December 2000
The hot weather returned. I bought a sprinkler for the hose. Another great leap forward!
The silverbeet finished. Still good crops of beans each week. A few small capsicums too. The corn is growing, but not as good as expected. The asparagus, pumpkin, squash, and cucumbers are doing well.
Sal and I built a new trellice for cucumbers. Also planted more tomatoes, climbing beans, rockmelon and corn.

November 2000
Lots of heavy rain, for a change. Everything's gone green. Small crops of asparagus, beans, and silverbeet continued. Tomatoes finished. I'm not having any luck with the rockmelons. A pumpkin vine loves it.
Did a bit of digging and mulching at the end of the month.

October 2000
The hot and dry weather continued through the early part of this month. It finally rained about the middle of the month. Daytime temperatures reached 30°C. The hose I bought some time ago is much easier than lugging a 10 Litre watering can about.
Lots of tomatoes, silverbeet and beans to pick. Small crops of asparagus too. The things I planted in September look good. Put some rockmelon and capsicum seed in the new bit at the back too.

September 2000
Yo! It's spring in the garden again. Very little rain this month.I finally cleared the back corner and covered it with mulch. Planted lebanese cucumbers, sweet corn, and sweet basil there.
The tomatoes are giving good crops. Also silverbeet, capsicums, and pumpkins. Climbing beans gave handy crops.

August 2000
The weather's cool, with occasional rain.
Climbing beans came up. Also more pumpkin vines. Cauliflowers gave a good crop, one very big specimen. Other crops include silverbeet, baby carrots, tomatoes, and capsicums.

July 2000
Snow peas and silverbeet still give good crops. Tomatoes flowered and began fruiting. Small capsicums are fruiting. Lebanese zucchini and cauliflower came up in the back garden.
The snow peas went mouldy and died. I put climbing beans in their place. Also planted more corn, eggplants, and moved the herb garden to a sunnier spot.

June 2000
The garden looks great! Lots of new plants growing. Good crops of snow peas and silverbeet each week.
I planted more carrots, shallots, parsnips. Corn grew out of the compost.

May 2000
It's now well into Autumn. The days are mostly sunny and warm. Cool at night though.
Lots of seedlings came up. The potato came up too. Pumpkin in the back garden grew out of the compost.
Small crops of capsicum, beans, snow peas.

April 2000
Another month with good rain.
The snow peas, beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes are growing well in the main garden. The newly cleared area was covered with compost and mulch, to be planted later in winter.
I also planted potatoes, silverbeet, eggplants, more capsicums, beans, spring onions, baby carrots, and pumpkins.

March 2000
Temperatures were mostly 20-30°C. Some rain fell at good intervals.
Lots of weeding and mulching done. I'm trying to clear a large area of "mother-in-laws'-tongues" from an overgrown corner of my block. This area gets full sun every day.
Small crops of capsicum, button squash, asparagus, and corn.
Planted Lebanese cucumbers, snow peas, bush beans, eggplants, and tomatoes in the main garden. Pumpkin in the back patch. Celery under the front tap.

February 2000
It's been another rainy month. Most things in the garden have finished. The corn and squash still grow well. Capsicums gave small crops.
I pulled up the old plants and laid new beds of straw etc. Also clearing lots of weeds, and laying new garden beds.

January 2000
The pleasant weather continued until the end of the month. Then 40°C heat struck briefly. The young capsicum fruit wilted in this heat.
The corn and button squash plants are doing well. I picked small crops of beans.

December 1999
It's still unseasonably cool throughout the month. Very similar to last month. Big electrical storms!
Young lettuce, squash, beans, zucchini, and capsicums are still growing. The corn gave several good cobs. Two rockmelons and several green cucumbers are fruiting.
I pulled up the finished beans and tomatoes in the main garden. Planted Lebanese zucchini, more beans, corn, and squash. Lebanese cucumbers in the back patch.

November 1999
Daytime temperatures reached a pleasant 17-27°C most days. Not quite as much rain as last month.
Beans, capsicum, squash, rockmelon, and corn all have crops growing. The pumpkin in the back is still flowering well, but without results.

October 1999
There were big crops of tomatoes and beans from the early crop before I pulled them up. The corn, squash, rockmelon, capsicums, and eggplants are growing well. Asparagus wasn't as good as previous years.
I planted more beans, capsicum, cauliflower, celery, and silverbeet in the main garden.

September 1999
Warm weather returned. Still lots of rain. Both gardens are growing well. Tomatoes and beans have good crops. The corn came up, but not all of it. Also have rockmelon, cucumber, capsicum, and squash seedlings.
The pumpkin now has lots of flowers, but still no fruit.

August 1999
The tomatoes in the main garden look great. Planted eggplant and squash seeds. The snow peas finally went mouldy and were pulled up. Spread poultry manure over this bit before planting the corn and cucumbers.
The tomatoes in the back garden have small crops growing. The pumpkin still struggles on.

July 1999
Yet another month with lots of rain.
The snow peas gave good crops each weekend. They grew so heavy the trellises bent over. The tomatoes continued growing and flowered at the end of the month. The zucchini was eaten by slugs.
The back garden grows slowly, but gets too much shade from nearby trees. The pumpkin looks ok.

June 1999
Winter weather came early this year. Temperatures ranged 5-22°C most days. Not much rain until the end of the month. Then it poured.
I planted tomato seedlings in the new part. They get good sun all day and are growing well. I put some capsicum and silverbeet seeds in punnets. The asparagus was cut to the ground and covered with a good layer of compost.
The snow peas now give small crops each weekend. The pumpkin and zucchini also are in flower, but without results. Two tomato plants are growing in the back garden patch.

May 1999
Another month with lots of rain!
Two zucchini plants came up came up in the main garden, but the snails got one. The snow peas are looking good. The beans gave a reasonable crop. I put more in nearby. Also planted baby beets. The tomatoes look about finished.
Another area has been set aside for extra crops. This'll be good for tomatoes early next month.
The pumpkin in the back still looks a bit sick. Too much shade from nearby trees, I reckon.

April 1999
Typical autumn weather for Brisbane. It's been cool at night, about 25°C during the day. It rained most weekends.
This year, I've planted flowers to grow alongside the vegetables. So far I have marigolds, strawflowers, and some other things growing. I hope the bees come.
The snow peas came up. The beans flowered. I put some capsicum and zucchini seeds into the main garden.
The potato bush in the back withered with all the rain. The pumpkin still struggles on. It's not doing as well as in past years.

March 1999
Again a fair bit of rain in the early part of the month. The nights are a little cooler, but daytime temperatures are still up to 30°C. Almost all of the spring planting has died.
I planted tomato seeds in the back patch. A small pumpkin plant and a potato bush are also growing nearby.
Put some bean seeds in the main garden near the asparagus. Also have broccoli, capsicum, and lettuce seeds in punnets. I'm very proud of my trellice made of garden mesh for the snow peas.

February 1999
There was a lot of rain this month (lots of pesky snails). It is still hot and humid during the day. I mowed the lawn, which gave lots of grass clippings to cover the back garden.
The corn produced some good cobs. Small cucumbers are growing. The tomato plants are nearly big enough to begin flowering. A potato plant and a pumpkin vine are struggling in the back patch.
The expanded main garden is lying fallow, ready for planting in March.

January 1999
I picked two big eggplant fruit. The corn is growing very well in the heat, and there's lots of it. The cucumbers and rockmelons were all planted in the main garden. Some tomatoes are still growing near the corn. Grasshoppers and snails ate the beans.
It's too hot for much gardening, but I remade some of the main garden and plan to widen it. Also bought bales of lucern hay for mulch. This time I'm trying poultry manure instead of the usual Blood'n'Bone mix.
Sal reckons I should forget about the back garden. (Nothing much seems to grow there.) I just put some pumpkin seeds where the gas workers left a sandy spot. They sprouted well.

December 1998
It's getting hotter during the day again. There was a reasonable amount of rain to help water everything when I forgot.
The main garden has eggplants and corn growing well. There are also young tomatoes and beans growing. I picked two big eggplant fruit before pulling the plants up. The asparagus has finished sprouting, and has grown really tall.
Nothing is growing in the back patch right now except grass. I'm leaving it to lie "fallow". I've got some seedlings of cucumber and rockmelon growing. It's so hard to grow anything there this time of year....

November 1998
Some gas workers left all their road barriers on top of the back garden, trampled all the squash, and corn seedlings. There's nothing growing there right now.
In the main garden, the corn is growing well. The eggplants flowered and have small fruit. More beans and tomatoes were planted and sprouted. The asparagus is finished, and allowed to grow "wild".

October 1998
The weather is getting warmer. Daytime temperatures reached 30°C, but the nights got cool. There was some good rain at the end of the month.
The early spring crops of tomatoes and broccoli finished. Now the only producing plants left are squash and beans. Small crops of asparagus are excellent quality. The corn is growing well. I've got some cherry tomato seedlings growing in punnets.

September 1998
The snow peas finished early in the month, but the tomatoes, broccoli and squash have lots of flowers and small fruit. The asparagus has a few good sized spears.
I planted bush beans, sweet corn, more tomatoes, and cucumber seeds near the squash.

August 1998
Another fairly mild winter month. Quite a bit of rain fell to keep everything healthy. The photos of the garden were taken this month.
The tomatoes are growing very well. I'll have stacks of fruit in a few weeks. The snow peas still give small crops. The broccolis also still producing well. The squash in the back garden are just starting to flower.
Unfortunately the tomatoes under the verandah didn't come up. I planted potatoes there instead.

July 1998
The weather's cool at night, but reaches 20°C many days. There was good rain through the month.
I picked broccoli, capsicums, and snow peas. The tomatoes have young fruit growing. Other plants growing include squash, eggplant, carrots, and strawberries. The potatoes died.
I planted tomatoes in the new garden below the verandah.

June 1998
This is a great winter! The temperature range was 11-24°C on average, with a cold snap in the last week. Lots of sunny days. There was some rain, and lots of morning dew. The sun isn't so good in the main garden until 11:30am.
All the plants are growing slowly. The potatoes are doing so well, I planted another garden with them under the verandah, near the main garden.
Flowers started on the snow peas and capsicums, and fruit are growing. The asparagus is dying back, and produces no spears. I'll cut it right back soon.

May 1998
All the digging was done as planned. The earth was covered by straw and lawn clippings (to keep the grass and weeds out).
The main garden is growing well. At the moment, potatoes, snow peas, eggplant, capsicum, broccoli, strawberries, and asparagus are growing but nothing to eat yet. The carrots were disappointing.
I've noticed a potato bush growing in the back garden. I'll plant some beans and tomatoes here later.

April 1998
The cool weather finally arrived! There was good rain for a week early in the month.
The back garden is completely overgrown. I'll dig it up for planting in May. I left it for a while after the zucchini stopped giving fruit. The pumpkin died without producing any fruit at all. I'm going to plant stacks of them for next season.
The young plants in the main garden are doing well. I am especially proud of the potato bush growing in this area for the first time. Some broccoli and tomatoes grew by themselves too. I planted some carrots to keep the mint out.

March 1998
It is still hot, at 30°C during the day. It's been a long summer.
The main garden was dug up, as planned. The soil was turned, and "Blood and Bone" mixed in. Then the soil was covered with grass clippings, old mint clippings, and hay. The only plants left from the old plantings are some capsicum, asparagus, herbs, and strawberries.
The pumpkin is still struggling on in the back garden. No pumpkins at all though.
Seedlings of tomatoes, eggplant, and rockmelon were planted at the end of the month.

February 1998
Another hot and humid month. There was a bit of heavy rain some weeks.
I put some new capsicum, tomato, rockmelon, broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant seeds in punnets. Quite a few of them came up.
In the garden, the capsicum gave a small crop. Unfortunately all the young pumpkins fell off the vine. The asparagus is sprouting shoots like mad.
Most things in the garden are finished for the season. I dug up part of the main garden and covered the ground with straw. The plan is to dig the whole thing up next month.

January 1998
Once again, it's really hot and humid. There was some good rain in the first half of the month but most plants just wilted.
The pumpkin vine is doing well, but no fertilized flowers yet. The capsicums have some small fruit growing too. Some potatoes are still alive. Everything else looks pretty sad.
I'll dig everything up soon, and restart the garden for winter. This worked well last year.

December 1997
Daytime temperatures averaged 30°C, with little rain. Once again, I was slack and some valuable plants wilted. There are also lots more insect pests. Grasshoppers ate my bean plants....
The only plants still cropping are the carrots. The pumpkin vine is growing well, and has some small fruit. Three capsicum bushes are still hanging on. The eggplant and tomatoes were failures.
I'll dig it all up at the end of January next year.

November 1997
It's getting hotter during the days, averaging about 30°C. There was still some good rain about, which cooled the nights with big thunderstorms. There's lots of weeding to keep the grass out of both gardens. The back garden is looking it's best ever!
I pulled most of the broccoli out after it went to seed. The old tomatoes are still alive, but there's no sign of fruit.
The pumpkins are looking great! I'm pulling lots of carrots now. The asparagus still gives small crops. The silverbeet is still growing well too. The corn has a few cobs growing that should be ready in a few weeks....
I planted more beans, capsicum, eggplant, and tomatoes. I'm not sure, but there could be some rockmelons as well. Lots of young plants growing. They're all looking good.

October 1997
The weather is still warm during the day, but mild at night. There was some good rain again this month too.
The broccoli, silverbeet, carrots, and beans produced fair crops. Unfortunately the tomatoes suffered from lack of water during one of my "slack" periods. Most of them died.
The corn is still disappointing, (only a few plants). Two pumpkin vines should be good in a few months.

September 1997
The weather has been generally warmer, but there are still some cool nights. Some good rain fell at the end of the month.
The broccoli continue to give good crops. I've got nine plants, so we won't starve. The silverbeet is also giving small crops. The zucchini in the back patch has just begun fruiting.
The carrots look great, but are still a bit green for pulling. The tomatoes flowered and now have small fruit forming.
I was disappointed with the sweet corn this time. Only a few came up. I guess late August is still too cold for this. I planted more corn seeds late in the month.

August 1997
The first part of the month was sunny and dry (as usual). The "Winter Westerlies" started blowing late in the month.
The snow peas produced three good crops before going all mouldy. I also picked my first small crop of broccoli. These will be good this spring. The silverbeet is just ready for small crops.
I planted more broccoli, spring onions, silverbeet, and sweet corn.

July 1997
A similar month to June. It rained each week, so only light watering was required.
I did some weeding near the potato patch in the back. The broccoli are looking good but the others failed to germinate.
The snow peas gave a small crop each weekend. The beans did well, but some were spoiled by mould (it was damp at times).

June 1997
It's definitely winter now. Luckily there is no frost in the mornings. It rained for two weeks out of four.
A lot of work was done to clean up the back garden which had become overgrown with grass. This was mowed, and the the soil turned over. I then planted some broccoli seedlings, zucchini, and capsicums. They should do quite well here.
The snow peas have grown well and are flowering. The bush beans are also producing small crops.
The asparagus flowered, then turned yellow, so I cut it back to ground level.

May 1997
Someone stole my pumpkin! Now I only have a potato bush in the back garden....
It rained quite a bit early in the month. There are more cloudy days. Daytime temperatures reach 22°C.
All the young plants look good. I now have tomatoes, snow peas,bush beans, carrots, spring onions, asparagus, silverbeet, and broccoli growing. Now all I have to do is water and weed them.

April 1997
It's definitely Autumn now. One last eggplant grew this month.
I pulled up the zucchini plant, as it was invading the tomato area. I put some bush beans in it's place, but slugs ate them...
I put in some broccoli and spring onions too. The pumpkin vine has one great big fruit already.

March 1997
It is a bit cooler in the daytime, around 28°C.
The pumpkin is growing really well. There are lots of yellow flowers, but no fruit yet. The rockmelons didn't come up, unfortunately. I planted even more seeds!
In the main garden the zucchini is still growing well but the fruit are very small. I pulled up a good crop of spring onions. Two tomato plants survived the snails during the recent wet weather. The eggplants gave 4 good fruit.

February 1997
Lots of rain. It is still averaging 30°C during the day.
Most of the beans in the back patch were eaten by snails. I put some zucchini seeds in. The young pumpkin looks good. I'll try rockmelons again, but it might be too late in the summer.
The carrots and eggplant in the main garden are still producing small crops. The spring onions should be ready soon. Seedlings of tomatoes and capsicum are ready for planting out with the winter crop. (Earlier seedlings wilted in the humid conditions.)

January 1997
It is still very hot. The sweet corn produced a few cobs, but these were pretty starchy. I pulled them out at the end of the month. After tilling the soil and fertilizing it, this area will be planted with tomatoes. I like the Grosse Lisse variety best.
I dug up the "back patch", covered it with compost, and left it to rot down. This will be a good winter garden for cauliflower and broccoli. I also planted some pumpkin seeds nearby. These grew well here last year.
At the end of the month I planted some bush beans to "sweeten" the soil.

December 1996
It is very hot now. Daytime temperatures average over 30°C. Luckily there has been some rain. This isn't a good time for planting!
The zucchini still gives a small crop. Capsicums, carrots and sweet corn are producing small crops. The eggplant is flowering, and should fruit soon.
I planted extra tomatoes, capsicums and bush beans in the main garden.

November 1996
The dwarf beans and zucchini are fruiting well. Small capsicums are on their way. Unfortunately the snails got all the lettuce.
The sweet corn, pumpkins, eggplant, beetroot, and carrots are all too young to pick. I planted a rockmelon vine and new tomatoes too. Now all I have to do is wait....

October 1996
I've been living here since June. The first few weeks were taken up with weed removal from a sunny area in the back yard. The first effort at a veggie garden was pretty slap-dash.
It is well into spring. The old winter crops of snow peas, cauliflower and tomatoes have just been pulled up.
This month I planted sweet corn, garlic, and spring onions. Other plants I have growing at this time are mini beetroot, dwarf beans, carrots, capsicum, eggplant, lettuce, zucchini, pumpkin, and potatoes.

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Information provided by David Macpherson
Brisbane, Australia