Microgreens

According to recent research (see below) and reported on Science Daily microgreens are higher in a range of nutrients than their more adult forms.  My favourite microgreens are young leafy salad plants like lettuce, spinach, mizuna, and rocket, but red cabbage, bok choy, kale and mustard are also delicious. Throw in a few garlic chive or onion seeds to add piquancy, as well basil or dill and you will have a truly multicultural mix. Microgreens are sown into soil (I use potting mix) in seed trays or pots. Keep them just moist in a sunny position and two to three weeks later they are ready to harvest.  Just cut them with scissors, add to salad, use as a garnish or sprinkle over a sandwich. Not only do they taste great but research has shown that healthy vitamins and carotenoids are found in larger amounts than their mature counterparts.  For example, red cabbage microgreens are high in vitamin C,  while green daikon radish microgreens were rich in vitamin E. Anyone with a sunny windowsill can grow microgreens, so why not buy some seed (both Diggers and Green Harvest sell seed), alternatively it is a great way to use up your old packets of herb and vegetable seed.

(Zhenlei Xiao, Gene E. Lester, Yaguang Luo, Qin Wang. Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2012; 60 (31): 7644 DOI: 10.1021/jf300459b)

Bell chillies

Article by Gail Thomas

Bishops Crown or Christmas bell chillies (Capsicum baccatum) produce masses of decorative red fruit making an eye-catching garden display resembling a Christmas tree of baubles, as well as being a tasty treat in the kitchen. While some chillies can be deceivingly hot, these little beauties are more on the mild side making them extremely versatile for an array of culinary applications. (more…)

Wallflowers

The original wallflower (Erysimum cheiri) is a perennial that is often found growing wild in Europe on cliff faces and in the stone walls of old buildings. The flowers are sweetly scented and range from golden yellow to orange. Country people would pick the flowers and carry them as posies to festivals and gatherings.

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Red mustard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite edible plant in the garden at present is red mustard (Brassica rapa ’Ruby Streak’) also known as mustard ruby streaks. This finely divided salad leaf can grow as tall as 60cm but is usually a bit smaller. The leaves have a sharp lemony flavour with a hot peppery after taste. I graze on it fresh from the garden, add handfuls to salads, chop it and combine with cream cheese on biscuits, or put it into sandwiches. Older leaves are great in stirfries if added at the last minute. The more leaves you harvest the more they will grow. Lime streaks mustard has green leaves and a similar flavour, but I think the red leafed form has the edge. (more…)

Skirret

Article and photo by Gail Thomas

When the Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens published a facsimile edition of its first curator Daniel Bunce’s 1838 The Manual of Practical Gardening adapted to the climate of Van Diemen’s Land, there among the plantings was skirret which produces the ‘sweetest, whitest and most pleasant of roots’.
Skirret (Sium sisarum) is a hardy perennial native to China and Japan is a member of the carrot and parsley family and was enjoyed widely in Europe back in the fifteenth century. The fleshy tuberous sweet white roots form in prongs from a crown, do best in cooler areas and can also be propagated from seed.

Skirret is hardy, grows to around 60cm -1m, prefers full sun but tolerates light shade, likes rich moist soils and should be lifted as required during winter – it is said roots are sweeter after the first frosts.
With a taste hinting of parsnip, carrot and parsley, skirret can be simply scrubbed before being boiled, baked, braised or creamed with mashed potato. It can also be added to soups, stews and curries or grated raw into salads and served simply with a vinaigrette dressing. The root can also be roasted as a coffee substitute and is believed to cleanse the bladder, treat jaundice and other liver disorders.

 

 

The Manual of Practical Gardening by Daniel Bunce from the Friends of Geelong Botanic Gardens ph (03) 5222 6053 or [email protected] (see Reviews on this site for more information about this book) and skirret plants from Island Herbs, Snug, Tasmania ph (03) 6267 9218 or [email protected]

Rosemary for remembrance

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), a native of the Mediterranean, is a woody shrub which can grow to a height of 1 m. It has short, tough leaves densely bunched on the stems, and pale blue flowers in winter. There are several cultivars including ‘Tuscan blue’ and ‘Blue lagoon’, which are dwarf forms with dark-blue flowers; ‘Roseus’ with pink flowers; ‘Albus’ with white flowers; ‘Aureus’, which has leaves speckled with yellow; and ‘Prostratus’, a prostrate form. Most rosemaries can be grown from seed sown in spring and all grow well from cuttings taken in spring or summer. Rosemary likes a sunny, well-drained position with a slightly alkaline soil. It can be slow growing at first, but will need to be pruned regularly after the first two years. The prostrate and dwarf varieties are excellent for rockeries or hanging baskets. Harvest rosemary whenever it is needed.

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Yacon

Article by Gail Thomas

Yacons (Polymnia edulis) are an Andean crop with a long history, having been found in pre-Incan tombs. They produce edible tubers which somewhat resemble dahlia tubers in appearance. Yacons are similar to, but not as invasive as, Jerusalem artichokes. Along with green cuttings, small pink skinned offsets at the base of the plant’s stem are used for propagation while the smooth, elongated brown skinned crisp textured tubers which can weigh from 100-500g, are the edible portion of the crop. (more…)

Leafy salad plants to plant now

These plants do well in most soils and like full sun to semi-shade, are easily grown from seed and become bitter once the plants start to flower and go to seed. But before that happens you will get months of delicious and healthy leaves.

Chicory Cichorium intybus is a herbaceous perennial that grows from a strong tap root with large leaves. Blue flowers appear on long stalks in the second year. It is frost and drought tolerant, and makes a good winter salad crop in cooler regions. Young leaves have a delicious slightly bitter flavour. Older plants are eaten as vegetables. Some varieties are ‘Red Treviso’, ‘Palla Rossa’, ‘Catalogna Emerald’. Endive Cichorium endiva is closely related to chicory, grows in the same way and is a useful cool season salad plant. The flavour is mild, nutty and less bitter. Some varieties are ‘Pancalleri Fine Cut’, ‘Blonde Full Heart’, ‘Moss Curled’. (more…)

Extracts from Pest-Repellent Plants

These a just a few short extracts from my book Pest-Repellent Plants

from Chapter 1 Pests plants and predators

I hope this book will encourage you to embark on a journey of discovery, a journey that will add a fascinating new dimension to your gardening experience. Start by closely observing your garden and its inhabitants.

Everything in your garden depends on the other garden occupants and interacts with them. From the lowliest worm, centipede and ant … beetles, caterpillars and bugs … to frogs, lizards and birds … and finally to you. Your observations will show you the complexity and fragility of your garden ecosystem and some of the astonishing relationships that exist between insects and plants. Forget about bombarding everything that moves with a cocktail of the latest pesticides.
Instead, experiment with growing various masking and insect-repellent plants as well as plants that attract predators into the garden. Gradually you will build up a complete ecosystem where plants, pests and predators live in balance and remedies are needed only when this balance is upset.

 

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Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show 2012

 

 

 

Beneath the fabulous old trees of the Carlton gardens and in the Heritage listed Exhibition Building, it is not possible to imagine a better setting for a flower and garden show. And I think the 2012 show is one of the best in recent years. Although I don’t agree with all the judges decisions, there are some very deserving winners including the gold medal equal best in show Home.Life by the Tree and Shrub Growers Victoria (see above and below). Carolyn Blackman of Vivid Design has done a great job of displaying the variety of flowers, herbs and vegetables being promoted by Oasis Horticulture; and as usual the Debco Avenue of Achievable Gardens is a delight. Better I think than any other year. As I write this there are still two days of the show to go, and the weather, which has been perfect for the last three days, looks as if it is going to remain kind. So, if you have any interest in gardening, or just love beautiful things, make your way to the Flower and Garden show this weekend. If you can’t go, or just want a taste of what you will see, look at the pictures in the rest of this article.
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