The Vegie Patch
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The Vegie Patch

SERIES 21 Episode 30

The seeds Tino planted in the glasshouse are growing well. The kale has germinated but it's still too small to plant outside. He planted three seeds in each cell and now it's time to thin them out. Tino selects the strongest plant and pinches out the others. He ends up with one healthy plant per cell.


Seeds of two lettuce varieties - Baby Oak Leaf and Ruby Iceberg were sown directly into a bed and need thinning out. Tino thins the plants carefully so he doesn't disturb the roots of the plants that will remain growing. He thins so the remaining lettuces are about 10 centimetres apart. When they start to overcrowd again, Tino will harvest every second lettuce to give the remaining plants enough room to grow.

Lettuce seedlings are sometimes grown in a cell tray, with one seedling per cell. The cells each have a small hole in the bottom. To avoid damaging the seedlings at planting time, gently poke the plant out from underneath, through the hole.

Most seedlings however, will be grown in punnet. To remove them simply squeeze the punnet to loosen the soil, and turn it upside down - supporting the seedlings with your fingers. Split the rows of seedlings into individual plants, as gently as possible, trying to minimise root disturbance. Space the seedlings out on the ground while you dig the holes and plant them straight away.

Protecting Seedlings

Frost can be a major problem during spring in many parts of Australia. Seedlings can be protected by using a cloche. Something as simple as a cordial bottle with the base cut off will work perfectly.

To protect plants from birds you might want to consider constructing a bird net tunnel. Use 2 millimetre gauge wire, such as an old coat hanger. Cut it into lengths approximately 50cm and bend it into a hoop. Push the hoops into the ground about every half a metre. Drape a section of bird netting over the row of hoops. Scrunch up the ends and secure them by pinning to the ground.

Another way to protect seedlings is to insert wooden stakes along either side of the row. Attach twine to the stakes in a zigzag pattern, about 12-15cm above the ground. When birds come in for landing to eat the seedlings, they land on the wire and fly away.


Tino's banana experiment has survived another Hobart winter thanks to its protective hessian house. "It's 20 months old and I reckon it's time the plant flowered and bore some fruit, so I'm going to turn up the heat!"

Tino is testing a theory that if the ground is heated it will create a microclimate and convince the banana that it's at home in the subtropics. Hopefully then, it will fruit.

To the soil around the banana Tino first applies two buckets of warm water. Next he puts down the partially decomposed compost under a layer of mulch. This will generate heat as it continues to break down.

Tino says, "I'm really curious to see if this will actually work!"