How does everyone keep track? (forum)

sserendipityy starts with ...
Hi,
I am new here. So hi to everyone.

I don't know how it happened but recently I awoke with a 'growing fruit' obsession :-)

My collection is very small at this stage and I am growing in containers as I rent.

I studied general horticulture for 18 months at Ryde about 100 years ago. I also worked as a casual garden maintenance worker for the same amount of time, however the gardens we 'serviced' were in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and at that time there was not many fruit or even vegetables to be found.So lots to learn. I am so glad I have found this forum . . . it has more than whet my appetite.

So as I have got started I have realised that some sort of records are going to be vital if I want to give my plants optimum care.

My question is (yes there is one :-)) how do various members keep track of not only their plants and many species but the care regime - fertiliser, fruiting, pests/diseases etc?

Thank you for any suggestions/feedback.




Time: 13th January 2011 6:33pm

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About the Author sserendipityy
south lismore
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Phil@Tyalgum says...
Welcome to the forum, we all have learnt a lot from each others' experiences, mostly trial and error but, by pooling our knowledge,we are usually be pointed in the right direction by one of the members of the team. The moderators also chip in for those questions in the too hard basket. Another website you might like to check out is cloudforest.com
Although most of the members there are based in California there are some well established subtropical fruit growers who post regularly and some Australian based thread as well. Hope you enjoy the features here as you build up your collection of plants.

Time: 13th January 2011 7:16pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
Murwillumbah
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sserendipityy says...
Thanks for the welcome Phil,

Yes I have found a wealth of information here already.

I recently received my Daleys catalogue, a lot to digest.

I just had a peek at cloudstreet and now I am interested in cherimoya - they sound divine.

I have always enjoyed eating fruit, now I will hopefully grow some of my own.



Time: 13th January 2011 8:20pm

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About the Author sserendipityy
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amanda says...
welcome sserendipityy, I actually cheat a little and use my own "My Edibles" section to help me remember stuff ;) I also put notes on my calender when I do major fertilising etc.

I had a grand plan of using one of those note books with an A-Z index on the side - to document the needs of each of my fruit trees and how to prune them and when, growing tips etc...well..I only ever got half way thru that.... :( - but I thought it was a good idea at the time!??



Time: 13th January 2011 8:57pm

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About the Author amanda19
Geraldton Mid West WA
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Violet_Cactus says...
I use a data spreadsheet to keep track of all my edibles. It's great for organising plants into various categories such as where I bought it, when I bought it, the PFAF edibility rating, cultivation conditions etc.
Oh, and the PFAF edibility rating comes from the Plants for a Future website. Highly recommended.

Time: 13th January 2011 9:09pm

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About the Author VioletCactus1
Melbourne
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fruitist says...
To learn a skill, the best way is to become a grasshoper to a master and you may find some masters by joining a club.

Since you are more than 200 years old now, do you happen to know a Mr. Li Ching Yun who lived to 256 years by eating Gotu kola?

Time: 13th January 2011 9:13pm

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sserendipityy says...
Amanda I can relate to the grand plan and fizzling out

Time: 13th January 2011 9:55pm

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John Mc says...
Welcome sserendipityy,
If you are interested in a Cherimoya, there happens to be some grafted White cultivars still available from Daleys. You have to be fairly quick, they sell like hotcakes. I was lucky enough to snavell a Sofia variety of Cherimoya recently before they sold out.


Time: 13th January 2011 10:01pm

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sserendipityy says...
I would really like to try the fruit first - i haven't found a fruit I don't eat except maybe not so keen on Pawpaw but will eat it in things.

My mother who doesn't eat many fruits delighted in buying me all the different fruits when a baby/child available, curious if there was one i wouldnt eat.

Having said that I haven't tried the wide variety that appear here. I will be keeping my eyes out now for different fruits in markets/local stores etc.

Anyone that knows a north coast place that sells the rarer fruits I would be interested to know...

Thanks for the heads up John Mc.

Time: 13th January 2011 10:16pm

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epiphany says...
I use myfolia.com to keep track of my day to day stuff. It's free (although some options are paid-only) & as well as keeping track of all your seeds, plantings, gardens, etc, you can also set it to remind you when to prune, fertilise, etc. Plus you can keep a blog which is great for reading what others in your area are doing & for jotting down your own thoughts. I find it very useful for planning & recording details about my garden. There is a growing Australian community - quite handy for seed swapping :)

Time: 15th January 2011 2:15pm

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About the Author epiphany2
Melbourne
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Phil@Tyalgum says...
Forbidden Fruits at Mullumbimby has a good selection of rarer fruit trees, closed on weekends tho as he does all the local markets.

Time: 15th January 2011 2:33pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
Murwillumbah
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sserendipityy says...
I checked out youngberrys nursery today but i was not impressed with their fruit selection and/or condition. However I did manage to pick up 65 litres of top grade potting mix and sugar cane mulch for a reasonable price.

Are youngberries and the nursery Youngberry related?

I will check out Mullumbimby on a rare week day off. Thanks Phil.

Thanks for the site suggestion epiphany, i like to connect with gardeners from all over but it especially useful to have local gardening contacts . . .

thanks everyone for your suggestions
:-) I still haven't decided how to proceed but I have been pointed in many interesting directions.



Time: 16th January 2011 1:06am

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About the Author sserendipityy
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