March 2021 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

Summer has drifted in and out, the wind has howled and abated, rain has pelted down, then evaporated and our tomatoes are slowly ripening. Interestingly, my tomato plants are much taller than ever before, and the first tomatoes to ripen, quite early on, were the big, luscious Black from Tula. The most productive this year has been Jaune Flamme, which I only decided to grow at the last minute. It just goes to show that it is worth planting a diverse range of tomatoes and everything else.

Cuttings

Autumn is an excellent time for taking cuttings. Cuttings in autumn can be semi hardwood or hardwood, but not the floppy, green, very new growth and not something that is in flower. Autumn cuttings are usually of evergreen plants. Generally, only take cuttings of deciduous plants when they have lost their leaves (in winter).

Cut with clean secateurs just under some leaves, remove all the leaves from at least 2 growing nodes above the cut. Reduce the number of leaves on the rest of the stem, all the way to the top. Slip the cutting into the soil (pot or ground) and water thoroughly. I don’t bother with hormone powder or anything.

I asked a couple of my gardenin friends how they prefer to strike their cuttings.

Sally’s beautiful garden is grown almost entirely from cuttings. Sally is a no-nonsense gardener and her plants must not be too fussy! She chooses a spot in the ground that is damp, sheltered from wind and all but a little easterly sun. The soil is friable, but not fertilised. Into that go all her cuttings and there they stay until they shoot new leaves. Then they are transplanted to their garden site. She rarely uses pots at all.

Nick prefers to put his cuttings into medium size pots, 10 cuttings to a pot. The mix he uses varies according to the difficulty of getting the cuttings to strike. Azaleas are tricky, geraniums are easy. Generally it contains something water holding like coconut fibre, something that drains, like sharp sand, plus some basic potting mix. They are kept somewhere near the back door, out of wind and sun, so they can be kept damp and cared for.

I generally take cuttings only when I am pruning. I have a bucket of water near me and nestle them in there while I complete the pruning. Oh dear…. sometimes they stay in that bucket, or in a jar in the kitchen for a couple of weeks. Ideally, I would remove them from the water on the same day I cut them and put them in pots, similar to Nick’s method. However, I usually poke a few taller bamboo sticks in the pot and, after watering well, I cover the whole thing with a plastic bag, with a rubber band around the pot to hold it on. I am likely to ignore them for at least a couple of months then I check to see how they are going and replace the bag again until they shoot new leaves. Then I remove the bag, leave them a little longer before transplanting to individual pots.

Alliums

Onions, garlic, shallots, potato onions, walking onions, leeks, elephant garlic, chives and garlic chives are all alliums and have been grown for thousands of years, in many parts of the world. Alliums all have day length requirements, some preferring shortening days, some lengthening days, some a little more flexible. In autumn we sow and plant those that prefer or will tolerate shortening days to get them started, then lengthening days to finish off (towards next summer). These include garlic, shallots, potato onions, elephant garlic and walking onions. I have talked about growing garlic previously, in many of these garden guides so now it is the turn for the other alliums that suitable to plant now.

I went to the Koonya Garlic Festival last time it was on and heard an excellent talk by Tino, all about alliums and got totally enthused. So, last autumn I planted potato onions that I got from a friend. It was a roaring success. Each one produced 10 or more small onions, up to 20! They shot quickly, grew strong stems all winter then bulbed up during spring but took ages to dry off, which is when they are ready to harvest. I harvested in January. They are great for pickling or throwing in a baking dish or stew. I spoke to Tino at the Spring Bay Sunflower Festival in Feb. and he said you can plant the potato onions in spring too, to save on garden space….. but I am going to plant them in autumn again because it was so successful.

Steve Solomon suggests, in his book “Growing Vegetables South of Australia” putting shallots (and late garlic varieties) in the fridge for a month, starting early to mid March, before planting out in April, as this breaks their dormancy so readying them into faster sprouting once planted out and gives them plenty of shortening days to grow a good set of leaves before they start bulbing up in spring. I am going to do this for my potato onions because I harvested so late.

Give all alliums a friable, fertile soil with good drainage, adding lime, if necessary, to about neutral or slightly alkaline, but definitely not acidic. Peter Cundall uses fire ash in place of lime and digs in old sheep manure and biochar.

Look for potato onions, elephant garlic and other alliums at markets plus online and our Crop Swap Cygnet and Surrounds facebook page.

 

Seeds to sow in March

Plant out now

Beetroot Salsify Burdock Tas. swede Carrot Parsnip Spinach Broad beans Daikon radish Asian vegetables Coriander, pennyroyal, cress Seeds to harvest in March Tomatoes Orach Fennel Lettuce Sunflowers Calendula

Good sized European brassicas Spring onions Chives Elephant garlic, potato onions Lettuce Spinach Celery Silver beet ______________________ *If you would like to learn about saving seeds, join us at the Cygnet Seed Library every second Sunday, 2pm at the old CBA, 17 Mary Street. Details on facebook.* _______________________ Cygnet Autumn Garden Market is on March 27th 12 – 4pm at The Cannery. Fundraiser for refugees moving to the Huon. Talks, stalls, food, coffee. See you there.

March 2020 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

It seems that autumn has arrived, with few tomatoes ripening but lots of fabulous beans and no bushfires in our area. The paddocks that have had hay cut are green again, with the cool summer and frequent showers. We have a lot to be grateful for, here in southern Tasmania.

Alliums

Onions, garlic, shallots, potato onions, walking onions, leeks, elephant garlic, chives and garlic chives are all alliums and have been grown for thousands of years, in many parts of the world. Alliums all have day length requirements; some preferring shortening days, some lengthening days, some a little more flexible. In autumn we sow and plant those that prefer or will tolerate shortening days to get them started then lengthening days to finish off (towards next summer). These include garlic, shallots, potato onions, elephant garlic and walking onions. I have talked about growing garlic previously, in many of these garden guides so now it is the turn for the other alliums that suitable to plant now.

I went to the Koonya Garlic Festival last weekend and heard an excellent talk by Tino, all about alliums and am totally enthused. I have never grown regular onions as one seed produces only one onion and it seems a lot of work, when onions are so cheap. So now I am going to grow shallots and potato onions, that, like garlic, can be grown from a clove and produce a head or cluster of themselves and which are quite expensive to buy for eating. And I will again grow elephant garlic (really a type of garlicky leek), to harvest at the leek stage, before forming bulbs, as at that stage they have thick, long, white shanks of the most incredible flavour; the longest white shank of any leek I have ever grown. I don’t like the bulbs but let a few go to seed and form the underground bulbs and bulblets, for replanting and also for the beauty of the allium flowers.

Steve Solomon suggests, in his book “Growing Vegetables South of Australia” putting shallots (and late garlic varieties) in the fridge for a month, starting early to mid March, before planting out in April, as this breaks their dormancy so readying them into faster sprouting once planted out and gives them plenty of shortening days to grow a good set of leaves before they start bulbing up in spring.

Potato onions grow clusters of small onions underground and can be excellent keepers like shallots but have a stronger oniony flavour than shallots. They can be used for eating or pickling and I do so love pickled onions!

Give all alliums a friable, fertile soil with good drainage, adding lime, if necessary, to about neutral or slightly alkaline, but definitely not acidic. Peter Cundall uses fire ash in place of lime and digs in old sheep manure and biochar.

Steve says that shallots can manage a heavier soil because they form at the soil surface, unlike garlic and potato onions and elephant garlic which grow deeper. He recommends planting shallots 30cms apart with 45 cms between rows.

Where do we source shallots, potato onions and elephant garlic? Shallots should be available from a local greengrocer (it is too late for shallots to grow from seed for autumn sowing but you can sow in early spring, for a summer crop). Look for potato onions and elephant garlic at markets and online crop swap facebook pages.

Edible Flowers and seeds

Almost everything that has been growing over summer is striving to reproduce before winter. Many of the flowers and seeds are not only edible but actually delicious. My favourite is probably the yellow flowers and developing seeds of Florence Fennel (not the wild fennel, as I find that too strong and the seeds too coarse). Don’t rip your summer vegetables out before exploring their second and third edible crops, such as the flowers and seeds! Save the dried seeds of lettuce, shungiku, French sorrel, Florence fennel, rainbow chard etc, to sow again, as they are adapting to your garden. This is very important as our climate changes.

Society garlic makes a pretty, edible border and survives very dry soil. Right now the little pink flowers are blooming and make a wonderful, garlicky addition to salads. Garlic chive flowers are white and grow on tall stalks, which are both pretty and deliciously garlicky.

The Cosmos in my garden are flowering, producing masses of bright, edible flowers. I also have had amaranth and shiso, both providing an abundance of delicious red and green leaves all summer. Now the long, magnificent tassels of the red amaranth are breath taking and soon will be laden with the tiny amaranth seeds, which are a so-called superfood that is expensive to buy but so easy to grow!

Pumpkin vine care

The single, little, pumpkin plant (of the Peter Cundall variety) I got from someone has rambled far and wide, at break-neck speed, flowering with both male and female flowers very quickly. Consequently, since it has 6 well-formed pumpkins now, I have cut off all the long leaders beyond those pumpkins. Six is more than enough for the plant to put energy into developing and maturing. I will remove all future flowers and long growth. I may give it some Charlie Carp liquid feed too. Now is the time to plan what to put there next, when it is harvested later in April or even May….. perhaps broad beans.

 

 

Sow in March	Plant out now
Beetroot Salsify Burdock Tas. swede Carrot Parsnip Spinach Broad beans Daikon radish Asian vegetables Coriander, pennyroyal, cress   Put shallots and late garlic into the fridge for a month, to break dormancy. Take cuttings of Evergreen herbs such as rosemary and sage	Good sized European brassicas (it is too late for punnets)      Spring onions Chives Elephant garlic, potato onions Lettuce Spinach Celery Silver beet     Spring bulbs (ixias, daffodils etc) Water well.   Evergreen shrubs and trees (only after we get a good rain. Otherwise hold off until April)

March 2019 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

My garden has been blasted by winds from the north west and south west, drying everything out, no matter how much I water. I am rarely despondent about my garden but, after the fires and smoke and stresses  of January then the winds of February, all I can do is learn and implement some strategies for the future.

Lesson 1: Shelter

My cucumbers have thrived for several reasons and the first is that they are sheltered from all wind. They needed no extra water than normal and have produced a continuous supply of beautiful, healthy, crisp, Dragon’s Egg cucumbers for months. They are sheltered by a deep bank of shrubbery to the north and by being at the bottom of a slope, so that the westerlies just blew over the top and hit the trees on the other side.

Not only does the shrubbery provide wind shelter but, if you choose right, you will encourage beneficial insects and birds as well as healthy soil life. In this part of my garden the shrubbery is only about a metre high but very dense, allowing sun even as we move into autumn, but little wind.

In another area I planted out broccoli seedlings and, to save them from cabbage moths, I made a frame and covered it with white shadecloth. Co-incidentally, this heavy duty shadecloth also protected the seedlings from the daily blast of the westerlies that howled through my wire, boundary fence, along which my shrubbery is still very young. Those broccoli seedlings are now big and strong and dark green, compared with some of my unsheltered tomatoes only a few metres away that look miserable and copped the wind severely.

Lesson 2: The Soil

Long before I planted out the cucumbers, I densely sowed broad beans as a green manure crop, quite late, some time in early winter, after last year’s tomatoes had finished and been removed. In October when the broad beans were just starting to flower, I trampled them down with my feet so they were lying all in the same direction, then chopped them up with my spade. I threw over some biochar and sheep manure. I didn’t dig it all in but I did push my fork in and loosen the soil below, allowing some bits to fall through. Then I watered it all well, before covering with some rotting, wet, old hay and leaving it until early December when I dusted over some potash and planted the tiny cucumber seedlings. By this time every bit of the broad bean leaves and stalks  and roots (which I left in the soil) had been composted in situ by the soil life and the hay too was almost gone. The cucumbers grew like mad the minute they landed and never looked back. They grew so fast that I didn’t get a chance to mulch them but they soon provided their own soil cover as they spread. Nevertheless, they needed very little water all summer.

Another example of the importance of looking after the microbes and other soil life is the wind blasted tomatoes which, in December, before wind or smoke, produced fantastic, early, ripe tomatoes. This previously deep hay method bed was also the one where I planted tomatoes amongst some self-sown companion plants, such as calendulas, nasturtiums, garlic chives and sweet cicely. The tomatoes flowered and produced very early. Interestingly though, the plants did not grow very big but managed to support dense clusters of ripe tomatoes very low to the ground. Once the heat and smoke then winds arrived, these poor tomatoes suffered so my idea of having 3 separate tomato beds turned out to be a good one.

Garlic

The recent Koonya Garlic Festival has put garlic at the forefront of my mind and I will be preparing beds this week. What it comes down to is that, whatever garlic cultivars you choose to grow, the health of your soil microbes will determine how well the flavour develops. The growth of the bulb itself will be determined by soil and weather.

Garlic does not need a lot of fertility but it needs humus (well rotted organic matter) for the soil microbes to be well fed. Here is what I am going to do:

1.   Dig to a spade’s depth and loosen any clumps. This does not mean turning the soil. It means loosening and working it.

2.   Dig in plenty of aged sheep manure (I am saving my compost for brassicas and other greens as I don’t have enough for everything)

3.   Dig in a well known, pelletised seaweed, fish, humic acid and manure product available in large buckets.

4.   Really concentrate on improving the structure of the soil, with elbow and back grease!

5.   Mention was made of lactobacillus bacteria so I might dilute some kefir or pickle juice and pour it over!

6.   Water, mulch and leave, removing the mulch at planting time.

7.   Plant out at times according to what garlic you have.

 

The planting, harvest and storage times depend on the cultivars you grow. I will be planting my 3 cultivars from late March onwards. First is what is locally called Tassie Purple, which is a softneck and will be ready in about December. Next, in about May, I will plant 2 hard necks: Dungansky and a Creole. They will be dug late January or even February. These are the ones that grow the long, curly stalks called scapes, which make excellent pesto.

Sow in March	Plant out now
Beetroot Salsify Burdock Tas. swede Carrot Parsnip Spinach Broad beans Asian vegetables Spring and salad onions Coriander, pennyroyal, cress Take cuttings of Evergreen herbs such as rosemary and sage	Good sized European brassicas (it is too late for punnets)      Spring onions Chives Leeks Lettuce Spinach Celery Silver beet   Spring bulbs (ixias, daffodils etc) Water well.   Evergreen shrubs and trees (only after we get a good rain. Otherwise hold off until April)

March 2018 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

I wandered around my garden this morning, taking notes about what is happening, in order to write this garden guide direct from plot to page. It only took a few minutes for me to realise that there is more happening this time of the year in my garden than I can fit into this column. You may find this surprising when autumn is on the doorstep but, actually, life never stops in the food garden.

Seed saving

Every part of the kitchen garden is getting ready for winter by flowering, fruiting and setting seeds. Tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers and beans are all produced by plants in order to make seeds and reproduce themselves. It just so happens that we humans jump in and harvest their fruits before the seeds mature. If you leave a few unpicked you will be able to save the seeds later, when the fruits are fully mature and beginning to go mushy (ie well past the time we would pick them to eat) or brown and dry (in the case of bean pods).

I have left some broad bean plants in a back corner of the garden, after harvesting most of them back in November. The pods are now crisp and almost black; perfect for collecting and saving, ready to sow in a few weeks. Similarly, there are literally hundreds of seeds, dry now and ready to collect, on a couple of the best of my rainbow chard, which I tied up to a stake and allowed to flower and set seeds after months of fabulous, brilliantly green leaves and incredibly red stalks. They stand tall and brown and heavy with seed now, amongst the fresh, green cucumber plants I sowed back in December. In this way barely any space is taken up by the seeding rainbow chard as the leaves are long gone and all that is standing is the trunk, topped with a heavy head of seeds, tied to a stake.

There is nothing better for you and your family, for eliminating food miles, for food security of our region and for the health of the whole earth than saving seeds. Of all the options we are presented with to help reduce our carbon footprint, none surpasses growing food from seed that has been saved and shared in your own area.

If you don’t want to save your own seed, look for locally saved seed at any of our great Huon Valley markets or check out Crop Swap Cygnet online.

Edible Flowers and seeds

Almost everything that has been growing over summer is striving to reproduce before winter. Many of the flowers and seeds are not only edible but actually delicious. My favourite is probably the yellow flowers and developing seeds of Florence Fennel (not the wild fennel, as I find that too strong and the seeds too coarse). Don’t rip your summer vegetables out before exploring their second and third edible crops, such as the flowers and seeds!

Society garlic makes a pretty, edible border and survives very dry soil. Right now the little pink flowers are blooming and make a wonderful, garlicky addition to salads.

The Cosmos in my garden have been flowering for months, producing masses of bright, edible flowers. I also have amaranth and shiso, both providing an abundance of delicious red and green leaves all summer. Now the long, magnificent tassels of the red amaranth are breath taking and soon will be laden with the tiny amaranth seeds, which are a so-called superfood that is expensive to buy but so easy to grow!

Drying Herbs

March is the time to cut and dry herbs such as oregano, while they are in full flower. Around the Mediterranean Sea people have foraged for flowering oregano since ancient times, hanging the tall stems in a warm, dry place then storing them for use in winter soups and stews.

I also cut boughs of lemon verbena and let the vivid green leaves dry fully before packing them into jars and using as my evening tea during winter and spring, when the plants are dormant.

Garlic

What it comes down to is that, whatever garlic cultivars you choose to grow, the state of your soil will determine how well the flavour develops. The growth of the bulb itself will be determined by soil and weather.

Garlic does not need a lot of fertility but it needs humus (well rotted organic matter) and for the soil microbes to be well fed. Here is what I am going to do to prepare my soil for this year’s crop:

1.   Dig to a spade’s depth and loosen any clumps

2.   Dig in plenty of aged sheep manure (cow would be even better, I am saving my compost for brassicas and other greens)

3.   Dig in a well-known, pelletised seaweed, fish, humic acid and manure product available in large buckets.

4.   Really concentrate on improving the structure of the soil, with elbow and back grease!

5.   Mention is sometimes made of the benefits of lactobacillus bacteria in garlic growth so I might dilute some kefir or pickle juice and pour it over!

6.   Water, mulch and leave, or sow a quick green manure.

7.   Plant out at times according to what garlic you have.

The planting, harvest and storage times depend on the cultivars you grow. I will be planting 3 cultivars that I saved from last year, from late March onwards. I suggest you search online for “Tasmanian Gourmet Garlic” and a book called “Garlic”.

Sow in March	Plant out now
Beetroot Salsify Burdock Tas. swede Carrot Parsnip Spinach Broad beans Asian veg. Spring and salad onions Coriander, pennyroyal, cress	European brassica seedlings Spring onions Chives Leeks Lettuce Spinach Celery Silver beet   Evergreen shrubs and trees Spring bulbs (ixias, daffodils etc)

Feb 2021 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

I have been gardening all summer. In fact, I have been gardening solidly for a whole year, without going away anywhere at all. Such was 2020! But, last weekend I stayed at Triabunna and went to the Spring Bay Mill Sunflower Festival. Marcus Ragus, who I would claim to be Tasmania’s leading horticulturalist, has been in charge of creating a 4 hectare food garden down by the sea, on part of the old Triabunna Wood Mill site, which is 42 hectares in total. He will also be creating more gardens and doing bush rehabilitation on another 30 hectares or so.

It was from Marcus that I first learnt about the deep hay method of gardening, as a means of raising fertility, getting rid of twitch etc, improving biodiversity and feeding the microbes. The Spring Bay food garden is run totally on this method and you ought to see the results, in just 2 years! I came away re-inspired to follow my passion for the largely self-sown, mostly deep hay, biodiverse, food gardening system. It was truly wonderful to spend all day wandering the gardens and listening to Marcus Ragus, Tino Carnevale and Angus Stewart filling the heads and hearts of a few hundred gardeners with their knowledge. There were also walks and talks and demonstrations of making fermented compost, gardening with all sorts of bees and hives, and plenty more.

Roots, Weeds and Paths

Roots are doing amazing things down under the surface; even more than I realised. Roots are dealing with all the microbes, worms, fungi, bacteria and air while growing through the soil. Some roots are actually benefitting all the other plants in their vicinity too. Mulberries and sunflowers are two such plants. That was part of the reason for a sunflower festival; to highlight not just their beauty but their usefulness growing amongst the vegetables and herbs. Plants that grow near sunflowers and mulberries benefit from this association. I have noticed that everything growing near and under my mulberry tree is so healthy and lush and now I know why. At Spring Bay, sunflowers are everywhere and they have planted a whole semi-circle of mulberries on the edge of a large, curved bed.

When most annual vegetables and herbs finish producing, I just cut them at ground level and leaves the roots to dissolve back into the ground. For sunflowers you can leave the strong stem in the ground and, if you have a clump of them, they can be used in-situ as next spring’s pea poles. Planting brassicas amongst the sunflowers in late summer, as they begin to die back, can help confuse the cabbage moths….. perfect!

In spring and summer the paths in the vegetable garden are where I toss most of the weeds and finishing vegetable debris, including old sunflower leaves. (Or I just lay some on the garden surface, if the weeds don’t have seeds.) As I tread it all down on the paths, it all goes back into the soil. Eventually, during winter and early spring, I scoop up all the resulting compost with my spade and put it back on the garden, ready to start again. Thick stems on the paths can get be treacherous so they get tossed amongst the shrubbery and trees, to rot away slowly.

Biodiversity

If you go into a forest or walk by the sea or a river, or, in fact, anywhere in its natural habitat, you will see that plants live together; you won’t see one plant here, one plant there, with space and bare soil all around, so I am not sure why people plant vegetables like this! The Spring Bay garden and my garden are packed with plants; tall ones, young ones, flowering ones, old ones, climbing ones and creeping ones all together. There are bees and insects doing all the work, so we never have problems to deal with. Marcus even plants grasses, especially barley, in clumps in the vegetable garden beds because grasses do such good….. but I tell you now, I have grasses in my garden that I would LOVE to get rid of. Some grasses are definitely better than others!

If you want to improve your gut health, you need to eat as much variety of food plants as you can. Having a biodiverse garden is a great way to ensure you and your environment are healthy. Your garden becomes a place to forage and nibble.

Cygnet Seed Library launch party

The Cygnet Seed Library will be set up on the verandah of Oura Oura House and will contain locally saved seeds for you, the community, for free. To find out more, please do come to our launch party at Oura Oura House from 6pm – 9pm, this Friday, Feb. 5^th. There will be seed saving demos, chats about seeds and some lawn games!

Side dressing time

Side dressing means a supplementary feed once the plants are well established. A good thing to do for hungry plants in our short summer season to keep them powering along before the weather changes.  Now is a good time to side dress fruit producing vegetables, such as tomatoes, zucchinis, pumpkins, capsicums and eggplants (if you are clever enough to grow them here). A dose of potash, well watered-in with a watering can of fish fertiliser (preferably the one that uses carp, which is a pest fish in the Murray River) and seaweed extract is my recommendation.

Early February is the last chance to feed your citrus because new growth stimulated to grow later, when autumn is approaching, will result in the tips being burnt off, even if the plants are in a sheltered place, simply because of the cold on tender citrus shoots. I use the carp fish fertiliser.

Seeds to sow in Feb. Broccoli raab Kale Beetroot Shungiku Lettuce Asian greens (late Feb.) Carrots Spinach & silver beet Spring onions Leeks Hakurei turnips Tas. swedes Parsnips Radishes Seeds to save in Feb Lettuce Shungiku Calendular marigolds Tomatoes

Plant out /pot up now, yes now Brussel sprouts Cauliflower Broccoli – regular, sprouting and raab Salad vegetables Leeks   Jobs for February Plant, feed or move citrus Summer prune stone fruits Prepare beds for autumn plantings Save seeds for next spring Mulch with wet straw/silage Give flowering veg a dose of potash   Preserve, cook, nourish

February 2020 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

So much has happened, in Australia and the world, since my last kitchen garden guide in December. Last year at this time we were in the midst of the fires. More than ever, food security is at risk, making it imperative that communities grow whatever they can for themselves. Tasmania can produce most of what we need, starting in our back yards and those of our neighbours and friends and on the small farms we see dotted about on the hills and valleys of our beautiful state. Bush foods abound too and more and more plants are becoming available at everyday outlets and specialty nurseries, propagated in Tasmania, by Tasmanians, as it should be. We are so very fortunate; let’s make use of our situation and grow food for one another. Check out ‘Crop Swaps’ near you and online.

Potting up seedlings

Locally grown seedlings are a great investment. Mostly, those at the Cygnet market and other markets are grown from seed saved in Tasmania, for Tasmanian conditions. If you, like me, quickly run out of space to plant out winter crops, in the middle of the summer vegetable garden, then transplanting punnet seedlings into individual pots is my suggestion. Brassicas are quite happy to grow this way for quite a while but you will need to pot them up again, into bigger pots, along the way. It is easy to protect them from the cabbage moth, with a wire basket and lace curtain from the tip shop. I use a cheap, basic potting mix to which I add some blood and bone and SeaMungus.

Greenhouse materials

I have a tiny, old, lean-to greenhouse attached to the eastern side of my house. It has proven to be excellent in several ways.

1.   The sides are made of a heavy duty, greenish solarweave film, which lets in lots of light but no direct sun, so everywhere in the greenhouse is brilliantly light but nothing gets burnt or overheated, even on the hottest day.

2.   Being a lean-to, it is quite low on the eastern side so the sun comes through the sloping, plastic roof for quite a while. This is old, floppy plastic film, that also is not clear. It works perfectly but if starting again, I would use coreflute, for longevity.

3.   On the northern and southern ends there are louvre windows, which I keep open most of the year. The door is also on the southern side. A wire screen door would be nice, so animals can’t get in even when the main door is open.

4.   An old brick wall runs in a U shape, along both sides of where I walk in and centre path is also brick. This holds some heat and keeps everything tidy on the raised beds. Instead of soil beds, I would prefer staggered shelves as it really is not necessary to actually grow vegetables for their whole life, in a greenhouse in Tasmania. I use it to start things off, to protect plants from the wind and for cuttings etc. I do, however, grow 6 large pots of basil in there and I have a sticky, nicotiana plant which catches aphids and white fly, growing in the ground. In winter, I bring some pots in, for frost protection, for example ornamental ginger.

5.   The greenhouse sticks out from the house on the northern side and gets many hours of low, winter sun. This is perfect. It is important to look at the angle of the sun from the horizon here, because 43 degrees south brings the sun very low in winter.

6.   The western side is the wall of the house so the greenhouse is totally shaded, but still very light in summer, in the afternoon.

Pear and cherry slug

If you see tiny little black ‘worms’ on the leaves of your pears, cherries, quinces and even plums and the leaves are turning brown and crisp, you have this slug. A simple control is to spray the entire tree with a mist of water then throw ash all over it. Do this a couple of times and they will be desiccated. Try to stand up-wind!

Managing wind

Fruit trees: Quince fruit seems to stay on despite summer wind, as do plums, apples, olives and Kentish cherries. Contrary to what you hear, citrus also seem to thrive on my verandah and in my garden despite the wind. Young trees bearing fruit will snap off in the wind so staking is necessary. I espalier my Bramley apple as the fruit are way too big and prolific for the branches. This means that the trellis takes the weight of the fruit and far fewer seem to drop off. If you live in a very windy area, I recommend you espalier the perimeter of your garden with fruit trees, all the way around. Actually this is a wonderful, practical and beautiful way to grow fruit and is common in many English and French gardens.

Tomatoes: When I plant my tomatoes out, I push in next to each one a tall, steel, twisty pole (available at Shiploads). As the tomato grows, the pole is shaped perfectly so the new tomato growth can be wound around the pole. Then I make circular,wire cages 720mm diameter and as high as you can buy the stiff, 50mm hole roll. 1200mm is good here, 1500mm would be lovely. Mine are only 900mm and is adequate. I bought a 30m roll. It is excellent quality and will last forever.

 

 

 

 

 

Seeds to sow in Feb. Broccoli raab Kale Beetroot Shungiku Lettuce Asian greens (late Feb.) Carrots Spinach & silver beet Spring onions Leeks Hakurei turnips Tas. swedes Parsnips Radishes Seeds to save in Feb Lettuce Shungiku Calendular marigolds

Plant out /pot up now, yes now Brussel sprouts Cauliflower Broccoli – regular, sprouting and raab Salad vegetables Leeks   Jobs for February Plant, feed or move citrus Summer prune stone fruits Prepare beds for autumn plantings Save seeds for next spring Mulch with wet straw/silage Give flowering veg a dose of potash   Preserve, cook, nourish

February 2019 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

It has been quite difficult to think about anything other than the fires these last few days. Air quality has ranged from moderate to hazardous and back again, as the smoke settles then shifts. (Check out aqicn.org for real time air quality world wide). What does this mean for our gardens? Many plants shut down during such conditions so if you are noticing reduced vigour and fruit set, this is probably why. Time will set them right again, hopefully! Some of our native plants respond by opening cones and seed pods, having evolved to respond to fire reducing competition and in anticipation of better chances of survival.

My tomato experiment

I planted 5 tomatoes in each of 3 different situations in my garden. Here are the results so far:

1.   Planted in a well prepared and deep hay mulched bed surrounded by self sown nasturtiums, calendular, sweet cicely and rocket, and edged by garlic chives, sage, horse radish and Chilean guavas. These tomatoes produced good sized, ripe tomatoes very quickly. I have had to water only a couple of times so far. The plants are healthy but shorter than I expect at this time. They are mostly laden to breaking point with tomatoes but the one near the horseradish is not so great. Difficult to water the whole bed because I cannot use the sprinkler on the tomatoes.

2.   Planted in a regular, unmulched garden bed where I had dug in weeds and other finished greenery well before panting time and added the same things as in the first bed. The tomato plants are tall and strong but have needed a lot of watering. Now I have mulched them this may improve. Only 2 ripe cherry tomatoes and one other but nothing more yet. Fruit are slow and quite sparse.

3.   Planted into a bed where I had tomatoes last year and with not as much preparation as I usually do but I ran out of time to do more just then. Lightly mulched. Next to 2 purple sprouting broccoli that I have left so I can gather seed. These are not very happy but have produced a few smaller than average ripe tomatoes. They have not drooped at all so I have not watered as much as bed 2.

What this tells me, in a rough and ready kind of way, is that, unlike my previous understanding, tomatoes love companions. Under the right conditions they will need very little water to produce excellent fruits, right from the start. What it also highlights is that it is good not to have all your eggs in one basket because, if there had been a lot of rain instead of being dry, then bed one may have suffered from so much wet foliage all around the tomatoes and bed 2 may have been the best 😊

Making use of old terracotta pots for watering

When it is hot and dry, it is time for the terracotta pot treatment. I seal up the hole in the bottom of some old, chipped terracotta pots by sticking something over it with silicon, put them into the ground up to their necks and filled them with water, then put on a lid and let the water soak out into soil that I have watered well, to get it started. Keep refilling the pots. In Adelaide, I planted lettuce seedlings around some pots then celery and beans around another. This kept 5 lettuce plants growing happily through a heatwave (2 weeks over 40C and humidity at 3%) and I even went out and could pick leaves in the hottest part of the day, and they were crisp......amazing. The beans grew fast and strong and the celery was the best I had ever grown and only went to seed after 6 months of eating the stems piece by piece, all through summer and beyond ...that's pretty good!

Cucumbers

I was very organised in one area of my garden! In a spot that is too shady in winter for brassicas, I sowed broad beans only for the purpose of digging them in just as they began to flower, as a green manure. (I had broad beans for eating, elsewhere). This I did in October, adding a whole bag of sheep manure and some locally made biochar as I dug. In December I sprinkled around some potash and planted out some Dragon’s Egg cucumber seedlings from the Seed Freaks open day. They burst into growth and have produced heaps of little, apple cucumbers which are crisp and delicious. Originating in Croatia, this variety is a winner for Tasmania even in slightly shady spots. I will be saving these seeds for sure. They would be lovely on a frame, with the prolific eggs hanging below….a perfect use for my winter bamboo harvest.

Pear and cherry slug

If you see tiny little black ‘worms’ on the leaves of your pears, cherries, quinces and even plums and the leaves are turning brown and crisp, you have this slug. A simple control is to spray the entire tree with a mist of water then throw ash or lime all over it. Do this a couple of times and they will be desiccated. Try to stand up-wind!

To water young trees

To water fruit or other important trees: Buy a roll of the porous, black hose made from recycled tyres. Run it around THE DRIP LINE of the tree (where the roots are!), not near the trunk (where the roots are not!). Join into a circle with a T-piece that has a click on fitting so you can connect your hose to it. Cover with thick, preferably woody mulch. These ooze very slowly so leave it running for 3 or more hours, until the soil is wet down at least 30cms because that is where the roots should be. Do this once a month to encourage deep roots.

 

 

Seeds to sow now Broccoli raab Kale Beetroot Shungiku Lettuce Asian greens (late Feb.) Carrots Spinach & silver beet Spring onions Hakurei turnips Tas. swedes Parsnips Radishes

Plant out now, yes now, not later Brussel sprouts Cauliflower Broccoli – regular, sprouting and raab Lettuce   Jobs for February Plant or move citrus Summer prune stone fruits Prepare beds for autumn plantings Save seeds for next spring Enjoy your garden!