A new produce basket for collecting the harvest

Our friend Sue gave us this lovely wire produce basket, which she found in a local market. I think it is going to be very handy for collecting produce from the garden. It’s quite sturdy, made of hexagonal weave wire around a rigid frame, with a wooden grip where the two handles meet. I’ve been using whatever comes to hand to collect from the garden, but this is definitely the best so far. Calico bags are handy to carry but everything gets jumbled in, which means that the delicate things…

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No-dig beds; are they any good?

I was keen to try no-dig beds, as they seem an ideal solution for opening up new garden areas without the considerable effort of hoeing and digging over new soil. My first efforts have not been entirely successful, although I’m still working at finding a method that works for me. Here are a few tips if you’re thinking of giving this method a try.

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Growing turmeric, a warmly rewarding crop

Turmeric has turned out to be a great crop for us here. If you have a warm climate or even just a warm spot over Summer, I’d encourage you to give it a try. I’ve just dug mine up, and was astounded by the amount there was, and by how densely it grows. It is a warm season plant, with attractive ginger type leaves through the Summer which slowly yellow off through Winter here, so that the top is only completely dead by the end of Winter, which is when…

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Growing swede (turnips)

Swedes are one of those vegetables that you either love or hate, and with their strong flavour they are probably hated by most kids, but ever since my tastes matured I have been on the side of relishing swedes. It’s the combination of sweetness and depth of mellow flavour that gets me, and says Winter in a mouthful. They are the sort of vegetable that needs to be seasonal, and growing swede in the subtropics is a very seasonal matter, you have to get your timing just right. Growing swede in the…

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Burning-off season

There’s something primally satisfying about watching a fire burning-off, and Winter days give us the chance for burning-off some of the vegetation we have cleared in the previous months. There are two woody weeds in particular that we have a lot of; lantana and camphor laurel, and when we have a couple of spare hours we typically get out and clear some, which involves pulling out the lantana and cutting down the camphor laurel. The piles then sit until a winter day when it has been dry enough for a few…

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Growing tomatillos. Winter is best for subtropics.

Growing tomatillos can take a bit of local experience. In many places they are a Summer crop, but my Summer tomatillo crop was a flop. The bed grew beautifully and the plants were covered in fruit, and then the beetles moved in and stripped the lot to stems. But the fallen fruit re-seeded a Winter crop, which although sporadic around the garden is doing very well and not getting eaten at all.

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Growing shungiku, edible chrysanthemum

Like so many edibles that are hard to come by in the shops and best freshly picked, growing shungiku is rewarding for the home gardener. The Japanese call it shungiku, and some call it chop suey herb. Even though ‘edible chrysanthemum’ is a good general description, it’s actually been moved out of the genus Chrysanthemum and is now officially Glebionis coronaria. This tasty and unusual little vegetable is worth growing to spice up seasonal meals. I used to get it occasionally from my market vendor in Sydney, so thought I’d give growing it…

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Black radish – for us or the chickens?

Black radish seeds seemed like an interesting option from the seed merchant, so in my spirit of adventure and finding what grows best for us here, I bought a packet. They were something different from the usual, and worth a try. When I started pulling them, I was wondering if they would be consigned to the experience bin, but with a few tasty crops and recipes tried, I’m a convert.

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Jicama; easy and delicious.

Jicama first came to my attention through Jeremy Coleby Williams‘ excellent blog on subtropical gardening, and segment on Gardening Australia. I had also been intrigued by Matthew Kenney‘s raw food recipes, where he uses thinly sliced jicama as a layer in nori rolls. Jicama is another food that is not widely used or available in Australia, so I was keen to try it myself. In early Winter my jicama plants were looking a bit end-of-season, with some purplish leaves, so I had a go at digging one. I had thought I could…

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