Seasons in My Kitchen Garden

Seasons in My Kitchen Garden goes on sale today!

This book is the story of our tree-change journey, that charts the evolution of our garden from a derelict paddock (on a 20 acre hobby farm), to a fully functional potager/vegetable garden including orchard, vegetables, herbs and chickens. The entire project is based on sustainable practices and includes organic solutions — all sympathetic to the heritage of the site and the history of the area. The changes are charted over the course of a year (to capture cool and warm crops). While the book is a personal journey through the development of the garden, it also contains practical, step-by-step information to help anyone establish a kitchen garden of their own, whether they have a square metre of soil or half an acre (and more).

See Hardie Grant Books for more information. 

Frost Damage

Frost on Strawberry

As a garden writer I have regularly mentioned frosts, but last week was the first time I have really felt the effects. 

I have been sowing winter vegetables every four weeks and while I have noticed the odd frosty morning, it has had little impact on the garden. Maybe it’s the mulch, maybe the seaweed supplement I applied to the garden, but I have noticed little, if any frost damage. That was until last week when the kids told me it had been snowing.  

Frost on Lettuce

To read the full story go to garden drum by clicking here. 

Frost on Parsley

GardenDrum - the ultimate garden blog

GardenDrum has just gone live!

It is virtually a ‘garden bloggers central’. Instead of one person writing about just one garden, at GardenDrum there are bloggers from all over Australia and in other countries too, who all share your love of gardens and gardening.

To find out more, click here: www.GardenDrum.com

Be Bush Fire Ready - Clean your roof!

I was dropping my children off at school the other day when I noticed piles of sticks, twigs and dry leaves had gathered on many of the rooftops and gutters along the route I take through a leafy residential suburb.

Dry leaves and twigs on a roof.



The wild winter we have endured along with the recent spate of roaring winds has caused an unusual amount of debris to gather on roofs which may otherwise be clear.

When we think of bushfires we often think of them being in rural areas, but they could just as easily rip through a leafy residential suburb.

It is time to make your house fire ready and check your roof, gutters and garden for fire fuel sources.

Piles of dried foliage and garden clippings can be a haven for fires, so either compost, shred and mulch or discard plant waste.

Clean gutters and make sure your watering system works.

An afternoon spent cleaning up around your home could save a lifetime of memories, or even your life!


If in doubt, speak to your local CFA to make sure you are bushfire ready.

Grey water in gardens

With Summer approaching, grey water will again become an important component of keeping our gardens lush and green. Even if we have had a fair amount of rain over winter and spring, it is no time to become careless or wasteful with water. We still need to make every drop count, if not for now, then for the future.

Although grey water can make a big difference in your garden (sometimes the difference between life and death), it is not recommended for edible plants such as vegies, herbs and fruit trees. It is, however, perfect for lawns and ornamentals, especially if you reduce any soaps or additives.

Using saved water from inside the home (like that collected in a bucket directly from the hot tap or shower) is easy, but if you would like to use the water from the rinse cycle of your washing machine, you should consider installing a grey water diverter at the outflow. These are inexpensive and available from hardware stores and garden centres.

If re-using grey water in the garden, use low or no sodium, phosphate and petrochemical cleaners such as:
- Back to Basics Laundry Liquid
- Biozet Phosphate free
- Bright & Fresh
- Earth Choice Laundry Liquid
- Greencare Laundry Liquid
- Home Brand Laundry Liquid
- Love n’ Care Laundry Liquid
- Lux Pure Soap Flakes
- Purity Sensitive
- Savings Laundry Liquid
- So Gentle Laundry Liquid
- Tri Nature Alpha Plus Laundry Liquid
- Tri Nature Angelica Washing Conditioner
- Triple 7 Safewash
(Independently tested and published by www.lanfaxlabs.com.au)

You should always try to collect the freshest water you can, such as the cold water before the hot tap warms up. This is the cleanest type of "grey water" and the most useful.


http://www.nubian.com.au/Residential-Greywater-Treatment-System.asp

If you are serious about re-using your grey water, you could also take a look at installing a grey water treatment system. Unfortunately they are not a set and forget type of system because they do need periodic cleaning, but they will allow grey water to be reused in the home to flush toilets and water the garden.

There are many local regulations governing the use of grey water and grey water treatment systems so be sure to contact your local council and state water authority for recommendations and advice for your area. The EPA website also has detailed specs on various grey water treatment systems, many of which are eligible for water rebates. 

Happy Gardening! 





Start growing some Spring Vegies

We have finally had our first taste of warm spring weather. While the night air still carries a chill, the soil is beginning to warm and the garden is filled with the promise of warmer days and all of spring's abundance. Now is the best time to get out in the vegie garden. There is no excuses for not growing a little produce of your own - even a pot of fresh herbs! Whether you’re an experienced vegie grower or this is to be your first season, here are a few tips and tricks to keep you reaping the rewards for months to come.

1. Plant Asparagus

Asparagus is a long term crop requiring fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Crowns can be purchased in late winter and early spring and should be planted in a position where you will not want to move them for several years. Start with a raised bed and plant the crowns about 50cm apart and at a depth where the crowns are covered with only 2-4cm of soil. The crowns will throw up fern-like foliage which dies back in autumn and can then be removed. The cycle repeats for several years, until the second or third winter sees asparagus spears emerging from the soil. The spears can be harvested when they reach 10-15cm, usually from late winter onwards.

2. Keep track of harvest dates

There are no hard and fast rules about when to harvest vegetables as each vegetable has its own criteria. If you’re the grocery shopper, you’ve probably got a keen eye for the premium produce already so you should be able to pick when crops are at their best crops at home too. It's easy to tell when crops that grow above the ground, such as beans, are ripe for picking because you can see them at a glance. Others, such as carrots, may require a little bit of digging to make sure they are ready to be harvested. As a general rule when sowing seed, read the directions on the packet – these will give you a rough harvest date. Mark it on the calendar and you’re already half-way there.

3. Tasty tomatoes

Tomato Pink Pearl is new to the Oasis range
with part proceeds going to the
National Breast Cancer Research Foundation

A trip to the nursery will quickly tell you when it is time to plant tomatoes – the racks are brimming with various grafted varieties, some new and some old favourites. Grafted plants have the benefits of being much larger when you take them home, as well as improved disease resistance. However, you may prefer to grow your own tomatoes from seed because there is a much broader range available. Sow seed in pots or trays from September and transplant into larger pots as they mature. For the best tasting tomatoes, grow a variety you’ve eaten before. It's always a good idea to grow different tomatoes for different purposes. For example, if you like pasta sauce, plant ‘Roma’ tomatoes. If you like fresh salads, ‘Apollo’ may be a better choice. Of course, if you’re not sure, grow a few different tomatoes. They take up very little space and give you a great harvest every time. 

Cherry tomatoes are the perfect introduction to vegetable growing for kids. They grow well in pots or in the ground. Cherry tomatoes generally require staking because they produce an abundance of fruit, so be sure to position the stakes before you plant, to avoid damaging the root system. You can use a single stake that will do the job adequately, or dress the pot up with a tee-pee of bamboo stakes. Cherry tomatoes are considered sweeter than larger varieties, and kids love them because they are bite sized. Make sure you keep your tomatoes well watered during hot weather otherwise the fruit may split when developing.  Harvest the bunches with secateurs or scissors to keep the stalks intact and the plants tidy.

4. Space savers

You don’t need a big yard to have your own fresh produce. Pots, planter boxes and bag gardens make excellent vegie gardens. Build one to fit your yard or buy something suitable from a nursery or pot shop. The benefits of container vegetable gardens include easier harvesting, as you don’t have to bend down quite as far, and that they are completely relocatable if conditions appear to be not quite right for your vegetables. Many plants grow well in pots, especially herbs, tomatoes, chillies and lettuce.

5. Harvesting lettuce

Lettuce is an essential summer crop with fresh salads a must during the warmer months. There are several varieties of lettuce available. Those that produce a head, such as iceberg, have a set harvest date and must be planted or sown at various intervals so that you do not have all your lettuce ready at once. Continual harvest types are preferable, especially if space is limited. You can simply pick a handful of leaves as required and they will continue to produce leaves. Eventually they may go to seed, but the more often you use them, the longer they last. Try different colours and shapes for a great mixed salad and apply liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks.

6. Colour in the vegie garden

The vegie garden can be as colourful as any other area of the garden. There are many different coloured vegetables available including kale, red-leafed lettuce and even rainbow coloured silver beet. Not only is it a great idea to try something different in the vegie garden, the colours help to create a spectacular effect in the garden. Plant among other ornamentals or in a dedicated vegetable patch. Either way, make you garden productive, colourful and striking.

7. Reliable root crops

Beetroot and carrot are among the most popular root crops in Australia. Ideally established in early spring, the plants grow well throughout the spring months and will see you harvesting crops in around 12 weeks. Carrots need plenty of space if you would like them to grow straight, so regular thinning is required - but that's OK because you can eat these carrots too. Beetroot develops more quickly than carrots and thrives if given regular applications of liquid fertiliser during development. Don't underestimate beetroot. It is an excellent source of Vitamins, can be added to freshly squeezed juices or can be roasted with your other root crops for Sunday lunch.

8.  Getting squashed

Baby squash, also known as Summer squash, is best picked when small because the larger it grows, the more bland the flavour becomes. Harvest before they reach 10cm in diameter and pick frequently to encourage further crops. Sow a few plants each month to ensure a succession of fruit and to extend your harvest season. This will also help to keep the size of your crop manageable as you will be picking from different plants each month. The fruit is not the only edible part of this plant, there are several recipes for baked squash blossoms too.

9. Vegies in small gardens

Australian vegetable gardens were traditionally designated to the rear of the yard because they were considered practical and not beautiful. But English vegie gardens have always been an asset, another element that adds to the overall look of the yard, and most are quite beautiful. In a small garden it's better to follow this example and create a vegie garden that is striking. By planting in a pattern, much like a formal garden, the vegie garden can become a feature, which is vital when space is at a premium. Edged with lettuce and then planted with chives and other leafy vegetables, it's easy to make your vegetable garden, the jewel of your backyard.



10. Beautiful beans

Purple King available from Eden Seeds



Beans are prolific and reliable crops that are perfect for screening unsightly areas or fencing. But if you don’t need to hide any elements in your yard, you could make a statement by growing your beans on a tee-pee. The beans will grow up and cover the structure, giving the vegie garden height and a lovely focal point. You can make the tee-pee or wigwam from sticks, twigs or bamboo stakes, or you could always buy a ready-made obelisk for a more formal statement. Look at Butter Beans, Dwarf French Beans, Snake Beans or Purple King.

Whatever your favourite crops, choose a few and get planting. Fresh produce is invaluable in the kitchen and a worthwhile inclusion in any garden.

Top 10 Fragrant Plants for Spring

Gardens should delight all your senses. They should look beautiful, include tasty produce, and smell gorgeous.  

I know that I am always talking about including herbs and vegies among your garden ornamentals. 'Smart Gardening' as I call it, is imperative in the modern garden. Resources and space are limited so we need to do our bit in reducing our footprint and improving the health of our family and planet. But just because your garden is productive does not mean that it most forego any beauty or fragrance. In fact, perfumed plants can encourage beneficial insects to the garden and improve pollination.

So what are a few scented plants perfect for the spring garden?
Here are a couple of my favourites.

1. Narcissus
With all the easy grow traits of daffodils only much more fragrant, the smaller flowered earlicheer and jonquil are ideal in pots where their perfume can be brought straight to your door. And they are just as popular indoors as cut flowers. Place a bunch in the bathroom for a constant supply of spring fragrance.

2. Hyacinths
Great in pots or on a windowsill in a bulb vase, hyacinths come in a variety of colours including shades of purple, pink, cerise, apricot, lemon and white. Each has a slightly different fragrance, much like individual roses, so you’ll have to grow a few to find your favourite. Buy a mixed pack and do the test yourself.

3. Freesia
Bursting through the soil from late winter and flowering right throughout spring, leave a few freesias in the garden year after year. When left to naturalise, the sweetly scented flowers will keep blooming each spring, giving you a better display every year. Plant under a deciduous tree for a spectacular spring picture. 

4. Jasmine
A fragrant evergreen climber, jasmine flowers profusely throughout spring and then produces batches of scented blooms on and off during the summer months. A vigorous climber which establishes itself quickly, you’ll need a trellis for this one. Use it as a scented divider between properties and position it outside your kitchen window to enjoy the fragrant blooms every time you air your kitchen.

5. Wisteria
With a delicate sweet perfume, wisterias put on a breathtaking display of pendulous flowers in spring. Twining happily up over pergolas and arbours where they can form a scented ceiling, they help to create an outdoor scene that’s ideal for outdoor entertaining in spring. Deciduous, wisterias create a canopy of shade from the summer sun, while allowing the winter sun to penetrate and warm the area, giving you the best of every season.

6. Syringa
A cool climate favourite, lilac became a traditional inclusion in the American colonial garden as a welcome to visitors. It can do the same in your garden, especially during spring when the flowers are produced en masse.

7. Lavender
French lavender (Lavandula dentata) flowers from autumn right through until late spring, producing masses of perfumed flower spikes on a plant about one meter tall. Plant as a hedge for colour and fragrance for much of the year. The downy grey foliage also makes them suitable for coastal areas.

8. Philadelphus
With the strong smell of orange blossom, hence their common name of mock orange, Philadelphus sp. are frost hardy and easy to grow in sun or light shade. Flowering from late spring throughout early summer, the profusion of white blooms fills the garden with their glorious aroma.

9. Boronia
A fragrant Australian native, boronia produces its famed perfume not from the flowers but from the foliage. Boronias have a reputation for being temperamental in the domestic garden, mainly because they prefer constantly moist, free-draining soil. Cut for use in a vase inside, they flower from spring through summer.

10. Stock
A brilliantly scented annual flowering from late winter through spring, stock (Mathiola incana var. annua) is an excellent cut flower which is best collected from your garden first thing in the morning. Varying in height from 15cm right up to around 90cm, there is a variety of stock for each situation. Sow seed in January and February in warm climates and from September to December in cooler areas for flowers next spring.

This list is in no way comprehensive. Take a trip to your local nursery to select the most fragrant plants for your garden.

New Product - Biodegradable Pots

I recently received a sample of a new style of pot called Pot'n all (because you plant it 'Pot and all'). Great for cuttings and plants that you would ultimately plant out in your garden anyway, they minimise root disturbance and are made from all natural materials which are renewable.

An Historical Perspective

The first flower pots used commercially were terracotta. While they had (and still do have) many benefits, their weight and fragility was not practical in nurseries. This lead to the popularity and widespread acceptance of plastic pots. And although plastic pots are durable, lightweight and reduce water loss, they can contribute to waste and landfill if not made from recyclable plastics or if not recycled appropriately. Even then, fossil fuels and valuable energy is still used in the recycling process. Biodegradable pots have been around for sometime but these have been largely confined to smaller propagating pots and tubes like Jiffy pots. Pot'n all are available in regular pots sizes to try to create and fill a new niche in commercial growing.

Pot'n all is made from coconut fibre which is torn from the husk of the coconut. It is then washed, teased and sundried. The material is compressed into long sheet and sprayed with a natural latex rubber. It is allowed to dry before being cut into sheets and pressed into pot shapes using high pressure moulding. (No fossil fuels are used in this process.)

Ramm Botanicals have been trialling the pots for two years and say that the above ground results are identical between these and traditional plastic pots. However, it is below ground where these coconut pots have all the benefits with no root disturbance, quicker planting and no rubbish or clean up. 

While trials still continue, I can certainly see many benefits and I hope that further studies reveal that this process is not only better for the environment, but also the nursery and landscape industries. 

Did you know?

Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to use pots to move plants from one location to another. (REF: http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/weblog/000511.php)

Herbs - Passionate about Parsley

I love parsley. It is undoubtedly one of the easiest herbs to grow, you rarely need to manually resow it as it self-sows every year (if you let it) and it is packed with Iron.

My love affair with parsley probably started when I had my first child in hospital. I had complications during the birth which left me weak and pale. The nursing staff ordered pineapple juice with parsley and I drank it for several days. Some days it was blended together; others it was rough chopped. I can't be sure how much it helped because I was also put on stronger Iron related products, but even now I use parsley whenever I can. We use parsley in freshly squeezed juice, spaghetti bolognese and salads, to name a few. Reportedly good for bad breath, I prefers it's nutritional boost and antioxidant qualities.

My children love picking it and subsequently, they love to eat it … even raw!

The other wonderful thing about parsley is that it can make anyone look like they have a green thumb! It is lush and green when other plants are anything but glamorous. Grown in pots, planters or garden beds, parsley is one of the best entry level herbs available - not only because it looks good and is easy to grow, but because you can admire it and then eat it!

Right now, my parsley is bulging from its garden beds, providing my family, our rabbits as well as our chooks, with plenty of crisp greens. I grow both Curly-leafed parsley (Petroselinum crispum) and Flat-leafed parsley (Petroselinum neapolitanum). More for the different foliage textures in salads than for any believed flavour comparisons. They are beginning to blend together in the garden, but I don't mind as long as they are growing happily together.

Fabulous edging plants, parsley prefers full sun and a well prepared, free-draining soil. A biennial that is commonly grown as an annual, I continually harvest it, picking the outer leaves first. While it is easy to grow, it can be difficult to germinate, sometimes taking several weeks. Patience is required. The other option is to purchase seedlings. These will get you started straight away and then you can leave some plants to go to seed. At the end of summer after my parsley has bolted, I throw a couple of handfuls of good topsoil over the area to protect the seeds. They will then germinate when the conditions are right.

Buy a pot today and start your own romance with this versatile herb.

Happy Gardening!

Welcome to my Blog!

As a horticultural writer I often come across people, stories, tips, tricks and real gems of information that never really make their way out of my notebook.
They may not have been suitable for the story or were just not timely.
I am hoping to share a few of these insights here as well as my own gardening experiences. This includes creating my dream garden (which will happen in the next 6 months), as well as getting my children involved in gardening.
I believe that a strong connection with the garden and our landscape when we are young is vital. I am hoping that educating my children in "Green Living" and "Smart Gardening" will provide them with the fundamental building blocks necessary for them to live long and healthy lives, while also doing their bit in helping to create a sustainable and green future for all. Something we can all become more involved in.
Happy Gardening!