July 2019 Kitchen garden Guide

 There’s been frost, snow, frozen pipes, frozen plants, no wind and too much wind as well as unusually warm days and nights, through June. One thing has been constant in south eastern Tasmania; not enough rain to wet the soil beyond a few centimetres or to fill tanks and dams. Let’s hope things are different during July. Keep watering your celeriac or risk no bulbing.

Frost

Some plants love frost and others hate it. Some plants are ok if they are eased into it but this year it came hard and fast after some very balmy weather. Edible things which hate sudden, hard frosts include my Lisbon lemon tree and most other citrus, hearting lettuce, nasturtiums, and, obviously, warm weather vegetables like tomatoes, pumpkins etc. Even the Meyer lemon and the limes in tubs on my verandah had their tips burnt by that recent, very cold night or two, which has never happened before.

I was once in Japan in late autumn and saw workers wrapping special shrubs and small trees in parks with bundles of straw to keep them safe from the cold. They still looked beautiful as only the Japanese know how! I know from experience that just covering my lemon with either multiple layers of lace curtains or plastic and even surrounding it in bales of hay, stacked 2 high is not enough. I am going to do a full-scale straw wrap, Japanese style, this week before any more damage is done. It does not matter that it will exclude light as very little work is done by tender plants over winter. At least it should survive.

I grow vegetables in every season and both myself and the vegetables I grow revel in a good, hard frost. These include brassicas (broccoli, red cabbage and kales in particular), chard, oniony things, fennel, some loose leaf lettuces, sorrel, garlic, Asian greens such as bok choy, wasabi greens, mustard greens, mizuna, radishes, carrots, parsnips, swedes, celeriac and some herbs such as chervil, coriander, nettles, bay, calendula, chives and parsley. Do you need any more? Sow these in summer and early autumn…. put it in your e-diary for next year.

Chooks

Every afternoon I feed my chooks organic grains that have been soaked at least 24 hours. If I have whey or something else fermented, like kefir or kombucha or yoghurt, I add a bit of that to the soaking water. In winter I include whole sunflower seeds and /or cracked corn (even polenta will do) which are warming and will sit in their crops overnight, helping to reduce cold stress. They keep laying all winter.

Bokashi

You know those big, horrible, black compost bins (a great breeding ground for red back spiders in Adelaide!) that people buy then hate then give away? Well, a friend and I are experimenting using them as massive bokashi bins. Bokashi is a system that breeds lots of wonderful micro-organisms without oxygen, so without turning! Every time you add some garden waste to the bin you squash it down hard and sprinkle with a bit of bokashi inoculated bran (easy and cheap at hardware shops). You never have to turn it and can add stuff whenever you like. It won’t smell yukky either. Once it is full, leave it for a month or so. Delicious. I reckon this is going to be a winner because you can put a bin anywhere in your garden, fill it at your leisure and all the goodies will leach out the bottom too. Bokashi is advertised to be used in your kitchen, for cooking scraps, using special buckets which drain, which I also do, but I reckon outside bokashi is going to be amazing. Once fully composted, dig it into your garden beds and watch your vegetables go mad!

Fermented compost update

(See May 2019 for the intro to this method that I saw being used at Government House).

So, after 2 weeks we removed the tarp as directed and white fungus was everywhere. It was so exciting. We had thought that turning the heap would be difficult because we had added a lot of very long tromboncino/pumpkin vines but already, after only 2 weeks, they had shrivelled and were almost indistinguishable from everything else. Turning was easy peasy. Following the instructions, we sprayed over more microbes, piled it all up, covered with the tarp, trampled it down and secured the tarp so it stays relatively air-free for another 2 weeks. Stay tuned….

Sow in July

Sow now in the frosty garden: Onions (Creamgold, Domenica Sweet), leeks, broad beans, tic bean green manure

Sow now in the hothouse in trays to plant out asap or outside in frost free areas: Coriander, miners’ lettuce, spring onions, Asian veg, lettuce, bok choy, sugar snap peas, lettuce,

Sow now to transplant in spring: Broccoli varieties such as summer purple- sprouting and raab , red cabbage, kales, tomatoes.

July jobs

·         Get started on making fermented compost or bokashi compost.

·         Plant asparagus crowns, cut off old asparagus stalks and add seaweed and compost

·         Divide and replant clumps of chives and other perennial onions, rhubarb, strawberries, sunchokes and mint

·         Plant out deciduous trees and shrubs, bare-rooted fruit trees, cane fruits and grape vines.

·         Sort your seeds for the coming season

·         Get your favourite tomato seeds before they are sold out. Sow later in July.

·         Sow microgreens inside, in shallow trays of compost, for an enzyme hit to keep your immune system pumped during winter. Include fenugreek.

·         Sprinkle fire ash judiciously right out to the drip line of fruit trees

July 2020 Kitchen garden Guide

Water

Managing, rather than draining away, the water that falls on your land and the water that flows from elsewhere onto and through your land is an often misunderstood concept. For some reason getting rid of this water is seen as the aim, whereas making use of this water in the landscape is much more beneficial to you, to the flora and fauna, to the soil life and aesthetically. Of course, rural living often means capturing and storing the water that lands on structures but even this can be achieved more attractively.

Seattle is a city of inspiration, when it comes to community gardens and interesting ways to manage water. I spent a fabulous few days there in 2008, being shown around by a fellow food gardening blogger, discovering their incredible P-Patch system of community gardens as well as the quirky and fascinating downpipes and drainage reserves all over the city.

My current renovations include new roof areas and downpipes and I will be incorporating some ideas from Seattle. One of these is to suspend 2 downpipes out across the path, above head height, into part of the vegetable garden, then down a series of interesting sculptures, into a purpose built but attractive ditch which will, with a series of small soakage ponds, take excess water to an already existing, large pond. The ditch and small ponds will encourage as much water as possible to soak in and will provide spots to grow riparian plants and bog plants near the downfall and will water various fruit trees along the way, decreasing to less water hungry plants further down the system. The position of the overflow from the big pond will be changed so that it meanders through and soaks into my new Japanese garden. Finally, if water makes it right to the end of all this, it will end up in the creek at the front of my property, which is itself already a series of ponds with overflow points, made by a previous owner.

If I had left the design to the plumber, there would be ditches dug and hundreds of metres of pvc pipe channelling all the water to the creek. Yuk.

Feijoas

A delicious, winter-ripening fruit is a rare treat and that is a good enough reason to invest in a few feijoas. Size wise, they are very manageable, making a nice, dense, tall, hedging shrub or small tree…. eventually! They are totally frost hardy, have attractive red and white flowers in autumn and keep their robust leaves all winter. Evidently there are quite a few varieties but I have not seen them in Tasmania. For all the information you could possibly need head to the facebook page ‘Edible Gardens by Craig Castree’ and search for feijoas. He is in Tasmania. I have fruit this year on mine and am thoroughly enjoying them right now. You must wait for the fruit to fall. Don’t pick them. Bring inside and leave until they feel soft. Cut open and suck or scoop out the beautiful flesh.

Choosing and sowing tomatoes etc

If, like me, picking tomatoes from the garden is a favourite sport of yours then July is the time to get your seeds started. We have no idea what this summer season will be like so we need to hedge our bets and choose a range of tomatoes; some that will produce in a cool season, some for a hot season, some that will thrive even in the rain and some that can tolerate wind etc.

I always grow some Rouge de Marmande because, no matter what, they will provide you with a prolific crop of medium sized, red tomatoes on sturdy, bush plants. I always grow one Black Cherry as they are the most flavoursome of the cherries, in my opinion, and are reliable. After that, I go for a dense, luscious, tasty tomato like Black from Tula which may not ripen as fast in a cool summer but is nearly always the highlight of my garden. Next I would choose San Marzano, as a cooking tomato as they go on and on for months. Last year I grew Speckled Roman; a large, red, cooking tomato, decorated with speckles and stripes. I will grow that instead of San Marzano this year. Very prolific, very long season and so beautiful.

Basically, fruiting plants like tomatoes, capsicums and eggplants need the longest growing season as they have to first get to a good size, then flower, then the fruits must grow and finally they need time to develop flavour and to ripen. Sow these now, preferably with even, bottom heat, rather than sun. Over each tray I put a sheet of glass. This is for 2 reasons. Firstly, successful seed germination depends on high humidity, but constant watering can be too much, causing low germination. Once the seeds are gently watered at sowing, covering with a glass sheet keeps in the moisture without any further watering needed before germination. Secondly, mice love seeds and this is a fool proof way of keeping them out.

If you are interested in having a stall at a not-for-profit Garden Market in Cygnet, one is coming in September. Contact me at katevag@gmail for details.

In the frosty garden: sow broad beans to harvest or for green manure. Plant out more leeks and onions Sow insitu the greenhouse (or outside in frost free areas): Coriander, miners’ lettuce, spring onions, Asian veg, lettuce, bok choy, sugar snap peas Sow now to transplant later: Broccoli varieties such as summer purple- sprouting and raab, red cabbage, kales, parsley.

 

For a comprehensive, Tasmanian, monthly, food garden guide search online for “Food Garden Group calendar”. Thanks to Max Bahrfeldt, in Hobart.

July 2021 Kitchen garden Guide

 

Whether or not we realise it in our heads, our bodies respond to the seasons. The best thing we can do for our health is to eat what grows in the season and in the ground where we are. In my garden, ready to eat right now are some brassicas, leeks, parsley, coriander, daikon radish, baby parsnips and a variety of magnificent leafy greens for eating raw and cooked. I have pumpkins on the shelf, garlic in a basket, potatoes in a box, pickles in jars, dried beans in the pantry, daily eggs from the chooks, apples in the fridge plus local celeriac and carrots in the fridge too. It is a rhythm that brings not just food but also security, in these times of uncertainty and change.

Tomatoes

It is time to get yourself ready to sow tomatoes. Sow later in July or into early August.

1.   Check your seeds and buy more if needs be. My favourites for Cygnet are: Black from Tula (big, black, solid, luscious, delicious and surprisingly reliable), Rouge de Marmande (medium, reliable, long season), Jaune Flammé (orange, medium to smallish, delicious, very prolific, long season).

2.   I use hiko seed trays because they are deep and solid so the seedlings are happy in them for quite  while.

3.   Tomatoes really do need bottom heat for good germination. Use a brewer’s mat or terrarium mat or silicone terrarium tube or lash out on a heated seed raising kit.

4.   Covering the seed tray with a sheet of glass or perspex before germination keeps moisture in and rodents out.

5.   Once germinated, they need LOTS of sun plus the heat mat. Water sparingly. Use warm water. Water with a weak liquid feed every couple of weeks.

6.   Pay attention to how they look. Spindly = need more sun. Yellow = too much water. Not growing = need more warmth or food.

7.   For more details check out “Dave’s Seed” website.

Wildlife

The joy we all find when we see wallabies, pademelons, bandicoots, quolls and friendly possums whilst bushwalking soon turns to despair when everything we plant in our gardens ends up in their stomachs and not ours!

Vertical Corrugated iron: possums cannot climb it, wallabies do not jump it, rabbits seem not to burrow under it, if it goes down below soil level. It can be painted and decorated or left plain. The heat reflected by it will warm your plants.

Floppy, arched wire: Having a top to the fence, of arched chicken wire, will keep out the wildlife, if you are diligent about securing gaps around the corners and the gate and the bottom!

Wire mesh (not for possums): I buy 900mm high x 50mm wire mesh in a roll and run this around areas I want to protect, using droppers (star pickets) and adding tent pegs between the droppers so the wallabies cannot get under. Plants with tendrils, like cucumbers, can also make use of this and I successfully trained one pumpkin leader along a rung about halfway up the fence last year.

Electric netting: A fool proof but more expensive option, which is available with a solar power and battery option. You need to keep the bottom free from grass and weeds which may short circuit the wiring.

Free events and groups

The next Cygnet Garden Market will be on Saturday November 13th at The Cannery. Again, it will be a community fundraiser for refugees. I am looking for enthusiasts (rather than experts) who would share their passion for 20 minutes, on any topic related to gardening, for our rolling demonstrations on the day. You may promote your stall or business too. Please contact me at katevag@gmail.com

The Cygnet Seed Library meets every second Sunday at 2pm at Oura Oura House. Please do join us and enjoy our monthly gardening workshops. The dates and details are on our website and facebook page. We provide free seeds to any locals, grown and saved by locals. You can find the seed box at Oura Oura House.

Crop Swap Cygnet and Surrounds can be found on facebook and at our monthly gatherings. All the details are on facebook and everyone is welcome to join in. We give/swap/share anything to do with food, not just garden produce! To be on our email list, contact me at katevag@gmail.com if you don’t do facebook.

The Nature Journal Club an amazing facebook group for people wanting to learn how to capture the world around us, in art.

 

Winter reading

Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard

Milkwood: Real skills for down-to-earth living by Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar

Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu

Eat Wild Tasmanian by Rees Campbell

 

Sow in July

Sow now in the frosty garden: Onions (Creamgold, Domenica Sweet), leeks, broad beans, tic bean green manure

Sow now in the hothouse in trays to plant out asap or outside in frost free areas: Coriander, miners’ lettuce, spring onions, Asian veg, lettuce, bok choy, sugar snap peas, lettuce,

Sow now to transplant in spring: Broccoli varieties such as summer purple- sprouting and raab, red cabbage, kales, tomatoes (later in July).

July jobs

·         Get started on making fermented compost or bokashi compost.

·         Plant asparagus crowns, cut off old asparagus stalks and add seaweed and compost

·         Divide and replant clumps of chives and other perennial onions, rhubarb, strawberries, sunchokes and mint

·         Plant out deciduous trees and shrubs, bare-rooted fruit trees, cane fruits and grape vines.

·         Sort your seeds for the coming season

·         Get your favourite tomato seeds before they are sold out. Sow later in July.

Collect black olives and pickle as below......

June 2021 Kitchen Garden Guide

 I adore the feel of really crisp air on my face; the white air we get here on a very frosty, early morning dash to bring in more firewood, that makes your cheeks glow and covers your hair in fine droplets.

Gardening in the cold is a challenge, as gloves get wet, fingers go numb and too much clothing makes jobs awkward. However, if the sun is out, even a very cold day becomes glorious and a few minutes pruning or doing other outdoor work warms your insides as nothing else can. It is a tonic. As you rest on your spade, close your eyes, face the sun and let the rays activate the capillaries beneath your eyelids.

Winter herbs for health and flavour

Do you love pesto and lament the end of fresh basil from your garden? Well, I make a wonderful pesto with chervil and almonds / rocket and pistachios / parsley and walnuts.

There are so many lovely herbs that either grow and thrive only in winter or continue to hold their colour and flavour even in winter and are perfect for pesto. The former includes the slightly aniseed chervil, with its pretty, soft ferny leaves which I grow as a block and clip by the handful, with scissors. Stinging nettles are a favourite of mine, mixed half and half with another herb in my pesto. Parsley is a fabulous winter herb, readily self-sows and is useful all through winter in meals and as a wonderful source of vitamin C, in our climate where oranges are rare in our gardens.

Trellises

Basically, there are 3 types of climbing vegetables and now is the time to get your garden set up to cater for them for spring planting:

·         Using tendrils (cucumbers, peas, tromboncinos, some pumpkins)

·         Twining (beans)

·         Scrambling (tomatoes, some pumpkins)

Tendrils are like little hands reaching out from the main plant to grab onto something to climb up. They prefer a natural material, like bamboo or jute twine or thin wood. They need a rough surface, so they will slip on shiny metal but I find they are happy on my rougher, galvanised fence. I have even successfully grown peas amongst my raspberries, which saves garden space too. You can even make a strong structure with droppers (for the wind) then simply wind twine around and around.

Tromboncinos and small pumpkins do really well on a sloping trellis. Their tendrils are remarkably strong and you can grow lettuce or other semi shade lovers underneath.

Twiners like beans wrap themselves around anything they touch, as they reach ever upwards. They will twine up just about anything vertical but it needs to be quite fine. They cannot stretch out and around a slat trellis, for example. Climbing beans are usually surprisingly tall so make sure you provide at least 2m. My bean frame is 1.8m and the beans scramble all over the place when they get to the top. It seems that the birds are good at nipping off the excess growth, which is fine by me.

Scramblers don’t grab on to a frame but enjoy the support given by one, to prevent their stems bending and breaking under the weight of ripe fruit. For tomatoes, I cut 1.5m x 50mm wire into 750mm lengths which I bend and join into circles. Large pumpkins will scramble over an elevated frame, or along a wire fence, just above the ground if you help it along.

Garlic

This year I have been staggering my planting of early and mid-season garlic in 1 square meter blocks, dotted about my garden, from April. June is a fine time to plant out late season garlics, like dungansky. This way, I get each patch maturing separately, making space for the next thing I want to grow. 

Magnesium

As the sun dips low in the sky and the temperatures drop, plants are relying on their strength to remain healthy, just as we do. Problems become evident quite quickly sometimes, especially in pots. My citrus, in big, concrete pots on my sunny verandah, are laden with fruit. Their leaves have been green and fruits growing well but I can see signs of yellowing of some older leaves, which could be a sign that a dose of magnesium might help. Purple, red or brown may also appear on the leaves of other plants. We all need magnesium and if our plants are short of it then we who eat the plants will be short of it too. It is vital for photosynthesis, which obviously happens less on these short days, which is why it raises its head now.

Add about 3 tablespoons of Epsom salts to a 9 litre watering can, stir well to completely dissolve, then water the root zone. For pots, you can also mix into a spray bottle and spray the leaves. Repeat as required. It is a gentle remedy.

The name comes from its discovery, bubbling up in ponds in the English town of Epsom, in the 1600’s. Farmers noticed that wounds of cows that waded through the bitter tasting water healed quickly. Many people in England began to travel to Epsom to experience the numerous health benefits, particularly the relief from the painful symptoms of gout and for the natural purging effects of the water.

Tasmania is surrounded by sea and we are now learning to forage the shores and shallows for food. As a longer term strategy, magnesium can be added to the soil simply by adding seaweeds to your compost or by using a seaweed liquid feed. Magnesium can be added to your diet more directly by eating the seaweed yourself. All of the longest lived peoples of the world eat many different sea plants; think Okinawa (Japan) and Sicily.

Seeds to sow in June Sow in the garden: Broad beans Salad and spring onions Shallots Chives English spinach Radishes Sow in trays to plant out later: Brassicas Globe Artichokes Coriander Chervil Lettuce Rocket Asian greens

Plant out Garlic Asparagus crowns Divide rhubarb Winter herbs: coriander, chervil etc Winter flowering annuals Globe artichokes Bulbs Asian greens Lettuce Spinach Winter Reading Wild Mushrooming: A Guide for Foragers (Australian)   The Seed Garden:The Art and Practice of Seed Saving