Bungalow John's Garden: Pots big and small

Growing annuals in pots has been a common theme in the gardens on Cocos and Johns' Garden was no exception. What was exceptional was that everything looked so good and healthy.

Large raised bed with fly screens to protect from pests

 One of Johns' largest pots (more like a garden bed) was caged in with fly screens that could be easily taken off when you needed to get at the vegetables. Johns' soil mix was 75% compost made up of seaweed and all sorts of other refuse.

Within the large caged area he was growing silverbeet, French beans, Zucchinis (which would not set fruit or even open their flowers), Tomatoes, Pumpkins which had their roots in the raised beds then crawled around the garden. Outside in other pots were Cucumbers, Snake beans and more Tomatoes setting plenty of fruit. Daily observation and hand picking of pests was practiced on the vegetables outside the caged area.

John actually had some good pumpkins to show. Many butternuts that we had seen were growing 'Mini' fruits that were 4 inches long. I'm not sure if these were perhaps just not pollinated or if the soil was not right or something else.

The best Pumpkins i observed on Cocos however was on Home island .

The Pumpkin patch - Coconut fronds are used to keep them off the ground

These were all growing in the ground on an area that was used fro burning organic waste. This meant that the soil was full of charcoal and potash. There was probably also some benefit from being grown with a legume which would have set nitrogen in the soil.

Pumpkin growing with a legume (Macroptilium atropurpureum)

I think the variety of pumpkin was also important. It appeared to be a Jap crossed with a butternut. Japs' grow well in the tropical heat and Butternuts have a tough skin to protect them from rotting.