Real World Gardener-Horticulture, Gardening, Learning to Grow

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Style of veggie patches

If you do want to have a dedicated area in the garden for growing your fruit and veg you need to think about actual layout for the planting areas

What are the options? 

 

Lyn Wood Vegetable Garden Ulverston Tasmania

You can have an in bed system where it is really just grown as you would any garden area or you can do raised beds either by building them up with materials such as timber sleepers or just by mounding the soil up …almost like a burrow and furrow style.

Have we convinced you yet to start a vegetable garden if you haven’t got one?

It might seem like a lot of hard work, but you don’t have to build it yourself.

There’s plenty of pre-packaged vegie beds read for you to install.

But in case you do want to build one, this segment has some tips.

Let’s find out…I'm talking withGlenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist.

PLAY: Vegetable Gardens pt2_14th December_2016

Those treated pinelogs that don’t have arsenic are called ACQ.(alkaline, copper quaternary.) 

 

Vegie Pod

There’s also “ecowood,” that uses a different treatment method from ACQ and will last the distance too. If you do have CCA treated pine and are worried about the arsenic in the pine, the CSIRO recommends painting the logs both inside and out or line the bed with builders plastic.

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PLANT DOCTOR

War on Weeds part 1. 

 Physical and Cultural weeding practises.

Why is it that if you have strappy leaved plants in your garden, then grassy weeds colonise that plant just so you don’t notice them?

It’s not until those weeds start showing their seed heads that you realise that there’s a weed growing amongst that clump of daylilies or agapanthus.

Weeds sprouting in your vegetable garden include clover, petty spurge and panic veldt.

Then sometimes you just have to get down to ground level to see how many weeds have infiltrated that garden bed that you thought was thick with plants.

What can we do about them.

Let’s find out I'm talking with Steve Falcioni, general Manager of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

 

PLAY: :Weeds part 1_30th December 2016

Not only do they look unsightly put the weeds are stealing sunlight, water and nutrients from your precious plants, plus they're harbouring pests.

Often pests overwinter on your weeds ready to jump onto your plants when Spring arrives.

Hand weeds of course is great for small areas but for larger areas, perhaps hoeing or solarisation using black plastic is beneficial.

That old saying of 1 years seed gives 7 years weed holds true.

If you’ve just put away all your garden tools and cleaned up and then notice that clump of onion weed that’s in flower, the best thing to do if you haven’t got time or are just too tired is snap off those flowers.

Stopping the seeds from forming is a good start and the weed will still be there when you next get out into the garden.

If you have any questions pruning saws or have some information to share, drop us a line to [email protected] or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

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PLANT OF THE WEEK

Persimmons Diospyros kaki

This next plant is in fact a functional fruit with many edible uses.

They’re orange and can be put into your kid’s lunchbox unpeeled, and can be eaten sliced or whole like a pear.

You can dice and freeze them, adding them to a smoothie as a thickener.

They can also be dried, changing them from a crisp consistency to a soft, date-like, chewy texture. Eaten this way, they are deliciously sweet and taste more like candy than dried fruit.

What is this tree? Let’s find out..

Persimmon fruit

I'm talking with the plant panel, Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au

 

The Persimmon tree only grows to 5m so it's a small tree that can fit into any backyard, courtyard or even a pot on a balcony.

Persimmon tree has great Autumn colour

Trees are grafted making them a bit more expensive than other fruit trees to buy, but they're worth it if your love the sweet luscious fruit that they give.

Persimmons have a low chill requirement for bud break and flowering, which occurs in mid to late spring, after most other deciduous fruit trees and avoiding problems with late frosts. 

Did you know that unripe Japanese persimmons are full of tannin, which is used to brew sake and preserve wood in Japan?

The small, non-edible fruit from wild persimmon trees in Japan are crushed and mixed with water. This solution is painted on paper to repel insects.

This solution is also thought to give cloth moisture-repellent properties.

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

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DESIGN ELEMENTS

Starting a vegetable garden.

So you want to start a vegetable garden, but are not sure how to go about it.

Did you realise that it’s not just a matter of digging up a patch in your garden.

There’s so many more considerations and types of vegetable gardens to think about and over the next four weeks Glenice and I will be talking about all you need to know about starting a veggie garden.

Everything from the planning stage, to the build stage and planting out stage.

How do you start? Let’s find out…

starting a vegie garden photo Glenice Buck

I'm talking with Glenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist.

 

Where you should locate your new vegie garden, ideally a sheltered sunny flat location with lots of organic rich fertile soil but this is not very often the case.  

Really you can locate them anywhere as long as the area will get enough sun for vegetables to crop. If you can manage it, locate your vegie bed as close to the house as possible so it’s an area you see regular – this will encourage you to use it, 

 

Vegie garden photo Lyn Wood, Ulverston Tasmania

You could end up with something amazing like the vegetable garden in the above photo.

Growing your own food, even if you start small is such a great way to save money, control what goes into your food, and pick fresh from the garden even if it’s just herbs.

Don’t toy with the idea, go out and do it.

FOOD IS FREE

It seems like a far fetched hippy idea that food can be free but in some centres around Australia, the idea has taken off.

Lou Risdale started the first Australian "food is free'project in Ballarat photo Weekly Times Ballarat.

Launched in 2012 and called the Food is Free project, the aim being to line your street with front yard community gardens which provide free harvests to anyone.

It kicked off in America initially but has had some support in Australia as well.

To find out more I spoke with a project team leader from Ballarat, Lou Risdale.

Lou's project is in a laneway in Ballarat that runs alongside her house.

This laneway receives a fabulous amount of sunlight and is a perfect space for people to either drop off or pick up free fruit and veggies.

At the moment, Lou has 30 volunteers that pass through the laneway a few times a day to pick off any spoilt fruit and veg.

Lou’s was the first project of this kind in Australia. and now about 100 people a day come and go at peak times, to this laneway project and it has proven to be a great meeting place for them as well.

The gardens are built and offered for free using salvaged resources that would otherwise be headed to the landfill.

By using drought-tolerant, wicking bed gardens, these low maintenance gardens only need to be watered every 2-4 weeks.

This simple tool introduces people to a very easy method of growing organic food with very little work.If you’re interested in starting your own food is free project just go to http://foodisfreeproject.org where you’ll find a guide on how to do just that.

REAL WORLD GARDENER

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PLANT OF THE WEEK

Artemisa vulgaris Common Wormwood

If you’re hankering after scented leaves with silvery-grey foliage, you can’t go past these (wormwoods) plants. 

Not only do they have lacey foliage, but their scent makes them a perfect “brush by” plant.

So let’s find out wwhy they're so good. I'm talking with the plant panel: Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au

 All wormwoods are member of the Asteraceae or Daisy family, and are related to Tarragon.

Wormwood silver-grey leaves look almost likefeathers and both the stem and upper surface of the leaves are covered with small, whitish hairs.

Once established, this plant can cope with any amount of dry conditions because it’s that tough.

REAL WORLD GARDENER

Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

 

 

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Scented Leaves to "Brush By."

Continuing the series on scented plants and scented leaves.

 

Lavandula sp. photo M Cannon

Was it a term coined by Peter? It seems likely but until Peter mentioned the term, “brush by” I had never come across it.

In fact if you did a search on the internet for “brush by plants” you get a selection of Bottle Brush plants.

That’s not it. If you put in just “brush by”, you guessed it, a selection of definitions on brushing and websites selling hairbrushes.

So what does it mean? 

Let’s find out..

I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer and project Manager of Paradisus Garden Design. www.paradisusgl.peternixon.com.au

 

 

 

 

Scented leaves on Geraniums, Lavenders, licorice scented leaves of Agastache, and Bee Balm or Bergamot. Just some of the plants to choose from for your brush by garden.

 

 

REAL WORLD GARDENER

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WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

Brown Gerygone

Belonging to the family of Scrubwrens means this tiny bird is very hard to identify if you see it flitting about in the bush. 

In fact if you were on a guided walk you might be told that they belong to the group SBB or small brown birds. 

Did you know though that this particular bird builds a truly unusual nest and you can recognise the call if you think of a little phrase, "which is it?"

Let’s find out what it is.. I'm talking with Dr Holly Parsons Manager of www.birdsinbackyards. 

PLAY: Brown Gerygone_23rd November 2016 

 

Gerygone is pronounced Jerr-Ig-O-Knee  

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PLANT OF THE WEEK

Amaranth caudatus_Love Lies Beeding

Described as have brilliant red seed heads that dangle like rubies, the tassles of this flower can reach up to 30cm long.

That means that if you want to display them in a vase, the vase has to be quite tall.

So let’s find out what it is.

I'm talking with the plant panel:Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au  and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au

Did you know that Love-Lies-Bleeding grew in many Victorian English gardens and in the language of flowers, it represents hopeless love.

Tiny blood red petal-less flowers that bloom in narrow, drooping, tassel-like, panicles throughout the growing season.

The tassels contain thousands of tiny flowers and hang straight down to 30cm (occasionally 60 cm) long and look like velvet cords.

Did you know that the red colour of the inflorescences is due to a high content of betacyanins?

This plant grows best in full sun and well drained soil.

It tolerates dry conditions and poor soil, but can’t grow in the shade.

If you have any questions about growing  Amaranthus or Love Lies Bleeding, why not write in to [email protected]

 

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au  and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com

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FLORAL ARTISTRY

I was going to have Tony Mattson from Cut above tools, on the program until I realised that I needed to talk to one of the judges of the Tesselaar rock Star Florist competition.

The art of floristry has come a long way from posies of yesteryear.

Floral Design is the ‘in thing’ or buzz word, where creating anything from simple bouquets to floral chandeliers, to floral head_dresses are the go.

Where can they showcase their stuff?

At a floral competition and today I’m talking to Julie Rose, one of the judges and former competition finalist for 4 years.

 

This year there are three bona-fide Australian RockStar Florists to judge  the competition as expert judges and mentors:

Holly Hipwell from The Flower Drum

Melanie Stapleton from Cecilia Fox

Julia-rose from Flowers by Julia-rose

These industry superstars will help select finalists and the ultimate winners. They will also then offer their valuable time and expertise to train up our lucky winners.

The way it works is the judges chose their finalists (9 each for a total of 27 finalists), which they have already done, then from 16th -23rd November, the public can vote on facebook.com/tesselaarflowers, where you, get to select the 3 category winners – then back to the judges who will decide amongst themselves who is to be the overall winner - 2016’s RockStar Florist!