Posts Tagged ‘growing’

Royal Botanic Gardens Tasmania

11
Jul
2011

I was saying last week on Facebook that botanic gardens are a wonderful place for inspiration…….

Seriously they ARE! Most of the plants are labelled so if you spot something you like, snap a photo of it and its name tag. If there is no tag, just take a photo – your local nursery should be able to tell you what the plant is!

So with snow on Mt Wellington in the background, I thought i’d brave the cold of Tassie to explore “Pete’s Vegie Patch” at the Royal Botanic Gardens of Tasmania in Hobart.

As it is the depths of winter (and a Tassie winter at that!) things are slower in the vegie garden at this time of the year. But I spotted a few great ideas….

A globe artichoke floret

The globe artichoke: a beautiful foliage plant that is great to incorporate into ANY part of the garden. Even if you don’t like eating the “fruit”, this is a hardy, attractive foliage plant.

Artichokes are perennial (meaning they grow for years, so you don’t need to replant them every season/year).

Artichokes LOVE: FULL sun and good drainage.

Good at growing weeds? Try the globe artichoke….they are related the thistle!!

BRILLIANT recycled climbing frame for peas!

 

Peas & Snow Peas: Now is the time to plant peas and snow peas (in all areas of Australia, except the tropics).

And they are going to need a climbing frame ……what a GREAT idea to use the left over stems of corn tied up into little teepees!

Love, love it. Great recycling and eco-friendly idea.

HINT: Dwarf varieties are fantastic if you don’t want tall climbing structures in the garden or pots.

Beautiful glossy silverbeet

 

Silverbeet: If you haven’t got some growing in the garden this winter. Make a note to plant some in autumn next year for a winter harvest. BUT you can also plant in SPRING.

Nope silverbeet is NOT the same as spinach, but they are members of the same family and you can cook with silverbeet in the same ways you can spinach.

HINT: Silverbeet is a VERY productive crop, because you don’t need to harvest the whole plant, just cut off the leaves as you need them!

And you’ve GOT to try the techni-coloured Silverbeet Five Colour Mix (or Rainbow Chard) from Diggers Club. It retains its vibrant colours when cooked – great one for kids!!

You don’t need a senior citizens card to get into your local botanic gardens, it’s probably nix to enter and they are JAM PACKED full of ideas for ANY kind of garden. Sooooo GET OUT THERE!

To find your nearest botanical gardens CLICK HERE

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Growing Coriander…

05
Jun
2011

Freshly planted coriander

Why: If you are coriander LOVER then you’ve GOT to try growing your own. Or else you are going to be hit with up to $3.50 per bunch from the supermarket each time you need a fix…..ouch!

Take that $3.50 and spend it on some coriander seeds or seedlings instead, for a couple of months FRESH supply!

When: The cooler months of autumn, winter and spring are ideal times to plant coriander.

If you’ve ever tried growing coriander in the warmer and drier conditions of summer it tends to “bolt to seed” (meaning it doesn’t produce much leaf, it just sends up seed heads and then dies off).

I tend to buy seedlings, but if you want to grow from seed – sow the seed directly in the spot you want the plants to grow. Sow the seeds 5mm deep and you can put them in rows, but I’m generally lazy and just sprinkle them around!

Coriander Loves:

*  Organically rich soil, mix through some organic compost or pelletised chicken manure before planting.

*  Growing in pots – just use a GOOD quality potting mix and a pot with good drainage. But NOT terracotta, these tend to dry out too quickly.

*  A sunny spot – although if you are trying to grow it in a warmer climate, position it so it doesn’t get the hot afternoon sun.

*  Give it a gentle fertilise with something organic, like Seamungus pellets every 1-2 months.

Coriander Hates:

*  Root disturbance – if you are planting seedlings, don’t tease the roots out or try and separate out each tiny individual plant.

*  Drying out – letting your coriander dry out will also send it to bolt. In this cooler weather you’ll probably need to water 2 times a week if we don’t have rain.

Harvesting: Freshly planted coriander

Cut the leaves off as you need them. A regular trim will actually help encourage new growth…..and therefore MORE coriander – YUM!

If you want to use the roots in cooking, pull the whole plant up – just make sure you give it all a very good rinse before using in cooking. Nothing worse than a gritty stirfry or curry!

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