RAMBLING POTAGER GARDEN – SEASONAL UPDATE – SUMMER 2025-26

Report from the RAMBLING POTAGER garden, February 2026

Successes

Our trial method of growing zucchini plants vertically up tripods was very successful. Not taking up loads of space and they appear to have had less issues with mildew.

The echinacea plants have thrived this year, bursting back into growth after division and sharing of some plants to the kitchen garden.

The citrus trees seem to be growing better this year, with regular small applications of citrus fertilizer each month. Two trees had become infested with pests and ants, probably due to being older specimens – perhaps pot bound as well. After pruning they are bursting back to fresh healthy growth.

The pomegranate trees have more fruit than previous years and netting them appears to have dissuaded people from picking the fruit prematurely. The citrus have also benefited from this strategy.

The banana trees have produced four bunches of fruit, so we are hopefully headed for a bountiful harvest in the next few months.

Some delicious recipes for Madagascar beans were shared.

Challenges

The tomatoes and cucumbers were very disappointing this season. Initial strong growth quickly turned to pest and disease-infested shrivelling leaves. We suspect this may be due to a change in the Ph level of our soil. After several years of our only source of compost being kitchen scraps with loads of citrus, the soil has become more acidic. We tested in several places, and the results showed a Ph of 5. This may mean the plants are unable to take advantage of any available nutrients making them weak and vulnerable to pests and diseases. We have applied some areas with garden lime to try to bring it back into balance. However, we need to purchase more lime for other untreated beds. Janine has emailed Jenny at council to see if they have soil testing resources to investigate which minerals etc our soils are lacking.