August 2015 Kitchen Garden Guide

 

Like many others, I was out early on Monday morning, taking photos of the snow and enjoying the rare treat. Many plants were weighed down with snow but this is nothing new for most of vegetables and fruit trees we grow this time of year as they hail from climes more severe than ours.

 The Chill Factor

In fact, the cold can add sweetness to vegetables such as chicory and will ensure a good crop of apples, cherries and pears which have a chill factor which means they require a certain number of hours below 7C to ensure an even bloom period. During mild winters the chilling requirement may not be met and will result in uneven bloom, and hence uneven pollination and less fruit set. The table below suggests the chill hours required by various fruits. Of course within, for example, apples, there are hundreds of varieties, each differing slightly in its requirements but this table gives a general guide.

Apple 300 - 1200	Chestnut 400 - 750
Apricot 300 - 1000	Almond 400 - 700
Cherry – 500 - 800	Walnut 400 – 1500
Fig 100 - 500	Avocado NONE
Grapes 100 - 500	Citrus NONE
Kiwi 400 - 800	Pear 150 - 1500
Peach 150-1200	Persimmon 100 - 700
Pecan 150 - 1600	Plum 275 - 1000
Nectarine 150 - 1200	Quince 100 - 500
Pomegranate 100 - 300	Olive 400 - 700

Now is your last chance to buy and plant out bare-rooted fruit trees this year.

Tomatoes

It seems ridiculous to be thinking of tomatoes while it is snowing but August is the best time to start tomatoes from seed. 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.

 Many of us have fires going all the time right now and setting a tray of sown tomato seeds on the mantel is perfect for germination but immediately you see green shoots emerging, they must be given full sun or you will have spindly seedlings, with no strength from which they struggle to ever recover.

Bottom heat is best for germination and I always put a sheet of glass over the tray to increase humidity and to stop mice from eating the seeds (if they are in a hothouse) as late winter is a hungry time for mice as they prepare for litters of babies. Into my little green house is where the germinated seedlings go in order to get enough sunlight. I use a 6m long, 50 watt, thin, flexible, silicon cable taped to the underside of a 3 shelf, metal rack from the tip-shop. The metal shelves ensure good heat transfer to my seed trays and 50W just keeps the soil at a nice temperature, without costing a lot to run.

Contrary to some advice, it seems to me that it is perfectly possible to grow excellent crops of big, delicious tomatoes, as we did last summer at the Cygnet Community Garden. Now is the time to begin soil preparation. We chose a sunny spot, covered in horrid grass. About this time last year we laid a sheet of weed mat over the area and threw prunings, weeds etc on top. Then we left it for a month or maybe 2, after which we dragged off the whole lot and put in a couple of concerted human sessions to remove the couch runners. Once spring leapt into action, huge amounts of runners shot again so then we put the chooks to work, digging and scratching. Late October-ish we went over the whole area, loosening the soil to a good fork’s depth. After more runners shot, we could then easily pull them as we saw them and by mid- November we had a beautiful bed into which we dug our favourite 5-in-1 organic fertiliser mix and a heap of our home made compost.

By now our seedlings were well established in the poly tunnel and some were flowering so they were put out to harden off, after all reasonable chance of frost had passed. We also bought some unfamiliar varieties from the Botanic Gardens Spring Sale. We laid out the plants, leaving 1m between each, which seems like a lot but which is so important. Remarkably we had a few ripe tomatoes by Christmas! We supplied all of us for months, with the best tomatoes I have seen or eaten in Tasmania!

I hesitate to mention varieties as every variety has its qualities, climatic preferences and variabilities. So these are my suggestions, with which many may not agree J….. Early: Kotlas, Flavour: Black from Tula (large and dense), black cherry (small) Reliability: Marmande (medium, plentiful), Mama Mia (constant supply, lovely shape) Cooking: Italian gold (large roma, very prolific, long season). Of course there are many others. We saved seed from the best plants with the best tomatoes and will be sowing them soon.

Oxalic Acid

Many leafy vegetables have large amounts of oxalic acid in them, rhubarb being the highest concentration and everyone knows not to eat rhubarb leaves or to give them to your chooks. Next comes anything related to beets; silver beet, rainbow chard (which is multi-coloured silver beet) and beetroot, for example. My mother always told me that these need to be cooked in lots of boiling water and drained well. If I want some greens to put in soup or to stir fry etc, I use leaves from the brassica family such as kale, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, or radish leaves or chicory. I eat a lot of greens so I like to vary what I eat. This table explains what I mean.

Raw Vegetable	Oxalate content milligrams per 100 gram serving
Spinach	750
Beet greens	610
Okra	146
Parsley	100
Leeks	89
Brassicas	74

 

Jobs for August During early August it is important to spray Bordeaux or Burgundy mix, before bud burst, on: All peaches and nectarines, for curly leaf prevention. Repeat in 2 weeks. Apples which had scab last year Raspberry canes which had leaf rust

 

Plant and sow in August   Plant or divide rhubarb, strawberry runners, raspberry canes, asparagus and get all deciduous trees and shrubs in before they leaf.   Start sowing summer vegetables with bottom heat: ·         Tomatoes ·         Capsicums ·         Chillis And while you are waiting for them to mature, why not grow some sprouts in the kitchen for a nutritious and delicious treat for your taste buds and body!   Sow now in trays to plant out later: ·         Onions including red, salad, spring and most others ·         Broad beans (it is not too late) ·         Coriander ·         Brassicas ·         Asian greens ·         Lettuces ·         Peas (sow direct and protect from birds and snails)

June 2018 Kitchen Garden Guide

 Winter is just beginning to set in, allowing extra time for gardening in mild soil temperatures and mostly calm days. The winter forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology for southern Tasmania is for warmer than average temperatures and average rainfall. This is pleasant for us humans but not so good for fruit set, much of which requires a serious number of cold nights.

Cold winters ensure a good crop of apples, cherries, pears, nuts and berries, which have a chill factor. This means they require a certain number of hours below 7C to ensure an even bloom period. However, during mild winters, as is forecast this year, the chilling requirement may not be met and could result in uneven bloom, and hence uneven pollination and less fruit set. The table below suggests the chill hours required by various fruits. Of course within, for example, apples, there are hundreds of varieties, each differing slightly in its requirements but this table gives a general guide.

Apple 300 - 1200	Chestnut 400 - 750
Apricot 300 - 1000	Almond 400 - 700
Cherry – 500 - 800	Walnut 400 – 1500
Fig 100 - 500	Avocado NONE
Grapes 100 - 500	Citrus NONE
Kiwi 400 - 800	Pear 150 - 1500
Peach 150-1200	Persimmon 100 - 700
Pecan 150 - 1600	Plum 275 - 1000
Nectarine 150 - 1200	Quince 100 - 500
Pomegranate 100 - 300	Olive 400 - 700

 

 

Winter Sheet mulching

Now is the perfect time for sheet mulching. I have several shrubbed areas I like to keep more or less grass free to reduce maintenance so here is what I do.

1.   More or less cut the grass and weeds as low as possible and leave them on the surface. or trample down flat.

2.   Throw over any vegetable scraps (even fresh), lawn clippings, plant clippings and prunings, mushroom compost, blood and bone.

3.   Completely and thoroughly cover it all with cardboard. Dampen down. Don’t worry too much about some sticky tape or coloured labels but I don’t use the shiny cardboard as it can take ages for water to get into it.

4.   Next put old manures to hold down the cardboard. Dampen again.

5.   Lastly cover with as much straw or other weed-free mulch as you can afford; 20 cms is good. Make it really dense and not too fluffy or you will soon see the cardboard.

6.   Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a seat, smile and survey your work!

If you want to use a similar method in your herb garden or perennial vegetable area, use wet newspaper instead of cardboard, as it is easier to get it around smaller plants. Lay it 10 sheets thick and generously overlapped.

If you want to make a new vegetable garden bed, then, after mowing the grass and weeds down, sprinkle the ground generously with lime before following the cardboard or newspaper method.

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, winter pesto with chervil and almonds / nettles 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. 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. Also in this category is coriander with its robust flavour and growth habit. 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 good, organic oranges are rare.

Interestingly, all these are members of the Umbelliferae or carrot family. The family also includes angelica, asafoetida, caraway, cumin, dill and lovage, to name a few.

Rocket is another herb that germinates and thrives during winter so add a few to any pesto. Nettles are wonderful with walnuts or pistachios in a pesto, or as a pot of delicious tea; one of my favourites. Wasabi greens are a new addition to our gardens and give a great little punch and flavour to any dish, raw or lightly cooked. Easily self sows.

Other herbs that hold their colour and flavour in winter include rosemary, thyme, oregano and marjoram (but they do die down to a flat ground cover), winter savory, bay and sage, although sage should be picked sparingly as it is much less vigorous in winter.

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 Winter flowering annuals Globe artichokes Sunchokes Bulbs Asian greens Lettuce Spinach

 

Books for winter reading

Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison (A mammoth book of every vegetable and herb imaginable – includes history, geography, culture and cooking) The Generous Earth by Philip Oyler (A beautiful book about peasant life in the Dordogne after WW2; the natural cycles of the farming and foraging life before commerce and tourism.) Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (How a modern, young American woman married a Japanese farmer and learned to eat from the farm and cook by the seasons….. and so, so much more)

June 2017 Kitchen Garden Guide

It has been a topsy-turvy autumn and some of the plants in my garden are confused. The forsythia is flowering as was the philadelphus and there are a few flowers here and there on fruit trees. The ABC Landline forecast for winter in our area is for warmer than average day and night temperatures with a 50% chance of average rainfall. Warmer winter averages affects fruit set of anything requiring winter chill.

The Chill Factor

Cold sweetens vegetables such as chicory. The multitude of chicories in my garden are at their most delicious from now until September. They truly are also one of the most beautiful plants in the winter vegetable garden. For information and photos please look at the Gardenista website and search for chicory. Glorious!

Cold winters ensure a good crop of apples, cherries and pears which have a chill factor, which means they require a certain number of hours below 7C to ensure an even bloom period. However, during mild winters, as is forecast this year, the chilling requirement may not be met and could result in uneven bloom, and hence uneven pollination and less fruit set. The table below suggests the chill hours required by various fruits. Of course within, for example, apples, there are hundreds of varieties, each differing slightly in its requirements but this table gives a general guide.

Apple 300 - 1200	Chestnut 400 - 750
Apricot 300 - 1000	Almond 400 - 700
Cherry – 500 - 800	Walnut 400 – 1500
Fig 100 - 500	Avocado NONE
Grapes 100 - 500	Citrus NONE
Kiwi 400 - 800	Pear 150 - 1500
Peach 150-1200	Persimmon 100 - 700
Pecan 150 - 1600	Plum 275 - 1000
Nectarine 150 - 1200	Quince 100 - 500
Pomegranate 100 - 300	Olive 400 - 700

Seaweeds

Tasmania is surrounded by sea and yet we tend not to forage the shores and shallows for food. Did you know that our soils are low in magnesium and that this means your vegetables are too (unless care has been taken to add magnesium to the soil)? Magnesium is vitally important for our health. Magnesium can be added to the soil simply by adding seaweeds to your compost or 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.

Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) is a common seaweed in Tasmanian waters but it is an introduced weed, probably arriving on the bottom of ships and making a home from St. Helens to Dover. You can harvest it (or buy it) to your heart’s content because you are helping to control its spread.

Red Lettuce or Grateloupia turuturu  is another introduced seaweed to the Tasmanian coast. This one is nutritious and a colourful addition to your meal. Search the internet for photos so you can identify them. I don’t know of any plants in our seas that are toxic but, the sad thing is, some of our coastline has been raped by industry plus land and sea farming which has left toxic residues in our once pristine waters.

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 / tarragon 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. 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. Also in this category is coriander with its robust flavour and growth habit. A less well known and often misunderstood winter herb is angelica, with a pine-like aroma in its large, fern-like leaves. No need to bother with the stems which are traditionally candied, simply chop up the leaves and use them finely sliced with fruit or to line the bottom of a cake tin before baking. 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.

Interestingly, all these are members of the Umbelliferae or carrot family. The family also includes asafoetida, caraway, cumin, dill and lovage, to name a few.

Rocket is another herb that germinates and thrives during winter.

Herbs that hold their colour and flavour even in winter include rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, winter savory, bay and sage, although sage should be picked sparingly as it is much less vigorous in winter.

Local Crop Swap Group Crop Swap Cygnet and Surrounds “Crop Swap” groups started in NZ and are now Australia wide too. Check out Crop Swap Taranaki for a lovely video. Cygnet and Surrounds is a space to swap, give or share anything edible or related to food, in the spirit of abundance, generosity and fairness. No money will change hands. Whether you are a backyard gardener, home cook, forager, seedsaver, cuttings guru, pickle and jam maker or bread baker you are welcome. Check out the blog and facebook page now. Helpers also needed.

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 Winter flowering annuals Globe artichokes Sunchokes Bulbs Asian greens Lettuce Spinach