Summer's Coming!

Summer is apparently on its way, although having snow on the ground in the Southern Highlands earlier in the week gave the summer vegetables something to think about!




healthy zucchini plant grown
as a filler in the garden
rather than in the veggie patch

This is a really exciting time of year - the compost bin has been emptied onto the veggie patch and dug in (as per previous post) and the summer veggies are under way! The climbing beans are starting to climb, the zucchinis are growing their adult leaves, tomato plants are keeping stems crossed that there won't be any more frosts... the list is endless! The snails and slugs are getting active too so what ever your method, whether organic or chemical it is time to start implementing! I would be interested to hear back from anyone your favourite methods for deterring or removing the monopod!
 
It is a good idea to get organised with staking at this early stage so your veggies such as tomatoes can be tied up as they grow. Where I live in the Highlands of NSW I think my favourite tomato is a vine tomato called Tommy Toe. It has medium sized fruit (about 3 - 4 cm across) which are very sweet and prolific. They also seem to mature earlier than the larger tomatoes which run out of summer before they are fully ripened. I'm also trying a tomato called Tumbler this year in a pot as well as a couple of hanging baskets. It'll be interesting to see how well they do!


young climbing bean seedlings
just starting to grow up chains

This year I broke my rule and planted climbing bean seedlings rather than seeds. I'm not sure why I did this, but they are doing ok, though the seeds I put down for a client at the same time are jumping out of the ground and have already overtaken the seedlings. Planting seeds also ensures you know the variety of the bean, where as seedlings can just be a generic "climbing bean". Your choice of course but I would suggest going the seed option.

Remember the important rule as well... plant in intervals so you are not overcome with one type of veggie at any particular time. For example, sow one row of dwarf beans one week, and then in three weeks sow another row. If you do this throughout summer you will have veggies to pick all the time, rather than all at once. Also plant what you and yours like to eat so you are not using up valuable space with plants that may go to waste!

Watercress and rocket kept close
to the kitchen to add a bit of
spice to salads

Popular veggies to grow now are: beans, beetroot, capsicum, carrot, celery, chinese greens, cucumber, eggplant,leek, lettuce, melons, parsnip, potato sets, pumpkin, radish, squash, sweetcorn, tomato, zucchini.

Fertilising your veggies is also very important - next post will cover the options for fertilising!

In the meantime... Happy Gardening!

 

The Spring Clean...

This is to me the most exciting time of year in the kitchen garden! The winter veggies are coming to an end, the air and soil is getting warmer (at least it is threatening to in the Southern Highlands of NSW!!) Time is getting close to sow and plant out your spring and summer crops!

Broccoli has been amazing this year. The main florets were huge and firm, but the part I particularly like is the regrowth, the smaller spears that happen after the main stalk. I think these are tastier than the main crop and the thin stems are so much sweeter! Brussel Sprouts this winter were however a flop. The chooks and guinea pigs have enjoyed them more thsan us!


Yummy new broccoli growth

If you have not already done so, it is a great time to be preparing your kitchen garden for the onslaught of spring, mainly by giving it a spring clean and improving the soil for the areas set aside for the next batch of planting. By taking the plunge and doing this, it really inspires you to want to grow fantastic veggies for the new season.

I'm a big fan of home grown compost. Being a lazy composter, I save my compost for this time of year just for my veggie garden. It is very rich and very dark, has lots of worms through it (can someone enlighten me their thoughts as to how the worms appear?) Mixing this in with your existing veggie soil will help preserve moisture, encourage worms and improve the structure of the soil. If you do not have your own compost, depending on your existing soil and what you are intending to plant, it might be a thought to buy some from a landscape yard and incorporate it into your soil. Our local mob here does a wonderful 4 compost mix for me!


Rich black compost, full of worms and humous!
 

Of course, apart from waiting for the frosts to clear for spring planting, there are the usuals that can still be planted on an on-going basis - remember to stagger your planting so you do not have an over-dose of a partcular variety at any particular time.

Vegetables for this climate that can still be planted now include.....: Artichoke (Jerusalem), Beetroot, Carrot, Celery, Chinese greens, Lettuce, Parsley, Parsnip, Radish, Potato, Silver beet, Spinach, leeks (and if you are brave, any slightly frost sensitive veggie such as cucumber, tomato, beans, etc, though I would wait for another few weeks!

Composting

With the lawn mowers still cluttering away and the summer veggies coming to an end, I thought now might be a good time to discuss composting and the various options.

Before I start though, there are more ways to skin a rabbit here, so I am letting you know what I do which gives me all the compost I use on my kitchen garden. I'm not saying it is the right way, or the best way; but I know it works for me and for my clients (and for their gardens!)

I'm a big fan of building your own compost bins as they have character and are easy to access. There are pre-made ones on the market which are fine for smaller areas, but in order to make a reasonable quantity of compost, home-made bins are the go.

Now I say "bins" because generally it is good to have a minimum of two - ideally three. The reason behind this is....

You fill the first bin with your composting materials and when that is full, you turn it into the second bin and start filling the first bin again. Once the first bin is full again, you turn the second bin into the third bin, the first bin into the second bin and start filling the first bin again! And once the first bin is full again, you empty the third bin onto your veggie patch and keep going with the same process! Hard work I know but who said gardens are easy!

There are so many things you can put into your bins to create wonderful, rich, dark compost. This list below gives you an idea of just what can be composted:

Good to Compost			Bad to Compost
·      Lawn clippings ·      Veggie peelings ·      Prunings ·      Teabags ·      Leaves ideally mown or shredded ·      Twigs ·      Old veggie plants ·      Old cut flowers ·      Garden flowers ·      Ash from fire place ·      Straw / sawdust ·      Manure (minimal)	·      Shredded news-paper & paper ·      Cardboard ·      Junk mail ·      Crushed eggshells ·      100% cotton or wool clothing ·      Old raw veggies ·      Lint from tumble dryer ·      Hair ·      Plants		·      Meat ·      Fish ·      Dairy products ·      Oil & fat ·      Used cat litter ·      Plastic card (ie juice container) ·      Cooked food ·      Diseased plants ·      Weeds & seeds ·      Citrus (minimal) ·      Onion (minimal)



Adding a bit of lime or dolomite at the early stages helps with the breaking down process and then I like to add some Organic Life fertiliser or Blood & Bone when the compost is nearly ready to use.

Apart from the ingredients that go in to making the compost, the two most important elements are water and air. If you have an irrigation system near by, it is not a bad idea to rig up a bit of additional tubing so the compost is watered at the same time as the garden (you should isolate it so it can be turned off if the bin is too wet or empty.



My bins at home... wire backs and sides with timber slats at front.
As you can see, grass clippings make up a good amount of my compost
during the summer. Beautiful in a rustic way and very functional!

Regarding the air... the more you turn your compost, thus incorporating air, the faster it will break down. Leaving gaps in the timber back and sides helps too, or use wire for those areas that are not readily seen and just put on a timber front.

 
It is extremely satisfying when you get the end result and you see that a "clat" of worms (a true expression) has taken up residence... How they get there? Well that's a whole new story!!

I'm very excited about my next blog! (Such an awful word!) It will be the first of my monthly diaries, letting you know as each month goes by what you should be doing and planting in your kitchen garden!

Please feel free to ask any questions!

Caterpillars!

With all the wet weather we have been having in NSW, it has been extremely difficult to manage the kitchen garden... 'heart' forming lettuces are rotting away, tomatoes and chilis are late to ripen and the slugs and snails are having a field day. It is especially important to keep an eye out for pests in these conditions and treat them as necessary or you may find that when the rain does stop (???) there may be a few vegetables in a somewhat devoured state.



tiny caterpillar eggs on the underside of broccoli leaf


Some of you will have started planting out your first batch of brassicas - broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Although with the rain the Cabbage White Butterfly itself is not around, but you can be sure the eggs and baby caterpillars will be already in place, unless you have taken precautions. If you only have a few plants on the go, just rub the eggs off each time you notice them - the same with the caterpillars though they are sometimes hard to find... look along the plant veins!

tiny holes made by baby caterpillars

There are also other organic controls. Netting is the most effective way though not always practical. This keeps the adult butterfly away in the first place and so no eggs can be laid.



Yates have a product called Dipel which is sprayed on to the leaf. It contains a bacteria which is ingested by the caterpillar and basically gives the caterpillar stomach gripes and kills it in 3 - 5 days. It is totally safe to beneficial insects, bees and mammals.

Garlic spray can also be used as a repellent and to kill caterpillars.

Derris dust is an old favourite for controlling caterpillars and other grubs on leaves. The chemical, Rotenone, comes from roots of several plants and is classed as organic. A light dusting each week keeps all bugs and caterpillars at bay. It is not a good idea to use near ponds though as it is highly toxic to fish!



Welcome!

Welcome to the edible gardener blog page! It has been a long time coming and I hope it is something that you will all enjoy, find useful and pass on to your friends, family and colleagues!

In this day and age, more and more people seem to be growing their own produce; whether it is veggies from the kitchen garden, eggs from chooks, fruit, berries... the list is never ending!

And the taste! Just yesterday I had a home grown apple courtesy of Lynwood Farm www.bumbleathome.blogspot.com from one of their amazing espaliers! It was just SO juicy, crisp and tasty. Another client will now only eat veggies out of her garden because she thinks the taste of bought produce just cannot be compared!

Organic and chemical free.... imagine if we all did that!