Tasty Tomatoes and Fabulous Fuchsias

PLANT DOCTOR

Most gardeners will know that tomatoes are botanically a fruit, but as we also know, we think of tomatoes as vegetables.

Tomatoes looking great. photo M Cannon

Why is it that we love to grow tomatoes so much?
Probably because store bought tomatoes are somewhat lacking in flavour and they’re relatively easy to germinate and get growing.
But then, unless you have ideal climatic conditions, often you’re tomato plants are besieged with problems.
Let’s find out about how to deal with pests on tomatoes in part 1 of what’s going on with my tomatoes? Im talking with Steve Falcioni, Manager of www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au.
Sap suckers can be grouped together: aphids, whitefly and mites. The last 2 tend to live on the underside of the leaf and causes a silvery appearance.
The problem won't go away and unless you treat it, your tomato plants will suffer more.
aphids tend to cluster on the tips of the new shoots and leaves causing leaf distortion.
Spray with eco Oil which is a botanical oil and less harmful to beneficial insects.
Some of the solutions are pretty easy, like when dealing with pests that suck the sap of your plants.
On the other hand fruit fly needs to be tackled early in the growing season; that's back in Spring.
Hang out a fruit fly lure to check when they first start to appear, then begin using Spinosad based spray such as Eco Naturalure.
Garden loopers are easy to pick off if you can spot them. Check amongst your Basil plants, especially if you've planted them near your tomatoes.

Garden loopers could first start on your Basil plants then progress to your tomatoes. photo M Cannon

If you have any questions about pests of tomatoes or have some information to share, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

VEGETABLE HEROES

Mugwort is the common name for Artemisia vulgaris, a perennial herb used since the Iron Age in medicine, cooking and brewing.
It’s sometimes called sailor’s tobacco, chrysanthemum weed and St John’s herb.
Other names for this herb that you might’ve heard are wild wormwood, and croneswood and felon herb, or perhaps you’ve never heard of it at all?
It grows easily in most climates and though it is classified as a weed in some places, it's commonly planted in herb gardens.
There is another Mugwort which is called Mugwort Tree or Chinese mugwort.
Botanical Name is slightly different being Artemisia verlotiorum

Mugwort leaves photo M Cannon

Mugwort Tree is a taller growing plant, with more aromatic leaves and small flowers.

Mugwort Tree is a perennial growing to ½ metre -1.5 meters high and 1.5 meters wide. It has several tall, green stems that are generally unbranched, but as the plant ages it may have several obvious stems.
In some areas it may die back to the rootstock over winter and be considered semi- deciduous.
When Mugwort Tree is not flowering it may be ‘chrysanthemum like’ in appearance.
Chinese mugwort flowers very late in the summer, but reproduces mainly by stolons, forming thick groups.
Chinese Mugwort grows in similar locations to the other mugwort= Artemisia vulgaris, but in beware in some states it’s considered an environmental weed, particularly in Victoria.
Mugwort has a long history of folk tradition and use. Anglo-Saxon tribes believed that the aromatic mugwort was one of the nine sacred herbs given to the world by the god Woden.
Mugwort has also been used from ancient times as a remedy against fatigue and to protect travellers against evil spirits and wild animals.
A traditional ingredient in the medieval witches formula for flying ointment.

Mugwort seed head

Would that mean witches flying on broomsticks?
Did they mention it in Harry Potter?
In the European Middle Ages, mugwort was used to repel insects, especially moths, from gardens.
Would you have thought that Roman soldiers put mugwort in their sandals to protect their feet against fatigue?
Perhaps you could try putting some Mugwort into your dancing shoes, boots, or joggers to relieve aching feet or sore leg muscles?
Then there’s the use medicinally, especially in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional medicine.
Mugwort is also used as an herb to flavour food.
The leaves and buds, are picked just before flowering and is used as a bitter flavouring agent to season fat, meat and fish.
The flowers and leaves are also used to make a herbal tea.
 Did you know that mugwort has also been used to flavour beer before the introduction of or instead of hops?
Not only that, but it was also known as Sailor's Tobacco, because it was used when sailors ran out of tobacco at sea.
Drying Mugwort
The best time to pick the leaves of Mugwort for drying is just as the plant comes into flower, before the blossoms are fully open.
Pick the leaves from the stalks and dry them on paper-lined trays in a light, airy room, away from direct sunlight.
The flowerheads should be dried intact and the dried herb stored in clearly-labelled, tightly-sealed, dark glass containers.
What does it look like?

Mugwort grows easily in most climates and though it is classified as a weed in some places, it’s been planted in English herb gardens for hundreds of years.
Mugwort grows 1½  -2  metres  tall with grey green toothed leaves that are hairy and white underneath,  with reddish brown or small yellow flowers on woody stems and roots in late summer.
It provides food and habitat for many moths and butterflies and a compliment to other summer flowers.

Mugwort Tree photo M Cannon

Seeds set easily so cut the dead flowers off if you don’t want the seeds to set.
Where and When to grow it?
Mugwort can grow almost everywhere in Australia because it’s not frost tender.
Plant it in full sun or part shade and Mugwort isn’t fussy about soil, growing I anything from light sandy soil, through to loam and even heavy clay soils, as long as they’re well drained.
Plants are longer lived, are more hardy and more aromatic when they’re grown in a poor dry sandy soil
Mugwort is an adaptable plant and can tolerate a huge pH range from and acidic 4.8 to a very alkaline 8.2
One thing to note, mugwort is mostly wind as well as insect pollinated so that if you’re allergic to pollens or have asthma, then this plant isn’t for you.
It provides food and habitat for many moths and butterflies and a compliment to other summer flowers.
To grow more plants, just keep the seeds from the previous years and sow them in late winter through to summer.
Growing Mugwort
Mugwort grows best in full sun and in soil with good drainage.
Start with plants from your local garden centre although if you have trouble, you can buy seeds via mail order. www.theseedcollection.com.au
The plant can spread quite wide so one plant for your herb garden or chook pen should be enough.
So why grow mugwort?
Mugwort is botanically related to tarragon and the leaves can be used fresh or cooked and have a slight bitter flavour that suits or goes best with fatty foods,  such as in stuffing for roasted duck or turkey.

The dried leaves and buds can be made into a tea.
The fresh or the dried plant repels insects.
A weak tea made from the infused plant is a good all-purpose insecticide.
Just remember, these all-purpose insecticides don’t discriminate between good and bad bugs.
It’ll kill them all.
Why are they good for you?
The leaves are said to be a good digestion and appetite stimulant. The Romans didn’t have it wrong when they places leaves in their shoes to relieve tired aching feet.
Some European farmers feed it to their stock as an all wormer.
If you keep chooks, leaves from mugwort among others, is a great poultry tonic and laying stimulant as well as helping to prevent parasites in your chooks.
General poultry tonics and laying stimulants include:- garlic, onion, chickweed, dandelion, fennel, wormwood, rue, cress, marigold, mint, vervain, comfrey, borage, thyme, marjoram, sage, nasturtium, mugwort, gotu kola and parsley.
AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

DESIGN ELEMENTS

This garden series with Garden Designer Peter Nixon, is all about garden challenges thrown at us mostly by nature but also due to a situation in your garden that you might need to fix.
Today’s garden challenge is for those gardeners that are gardening on alluvial or riparian soil.

Alocasia brisbaniensis

That’s soil that’s a big boggy and occasionally gets inundated with water or even might get flooded.
The soil is without much structure and sometimes when you dig into it, it has a sour smell.
If that’ sounds like your type of garden then listen to what you can do to help your soil and your plants to grow better.
Let’s find out… I'm talking with Peter Nixon, garden designer www.peternixon.com.au




Ornamental Banana - Ensete ventricosum

The soil develops that sour smell if it's anaerobic, meaning there's no oxygen in the soil.
You can help by incorporating lots of organic matter.
Find yourself a good local source of organic material to
improve that soil surface.

Even if you build raised beds that are 30cm high, unless they’re shallow rooted, your plants will eventually have to deal with that not so good soil.
If you want to select plants to suit these growing conditions, planting clump forming bamboo, anything from the Aroid family-Calocasia, Alocasia brisbaneiensis, the Taro group and Musa species or banana plants are suitable to grow in this soil.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

NEW FUCHSIAS
As gardeners, we know that flowers have a season.
Some flowers bloom in Spring, like tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs.
Some flowers bloom in winter, such as Camellias, and Luculia, French Lavender.

Fuchsias photo M Cannon

But then it’s all over for another year.
Would you like a shrubs, even though it’s relatively small, that flowers all year long?
Let’s find out more. I'm talking with the plant panel - Karen Smith editor of Hort Journal, www.hortjournal.com.au  and Jeremy Critchley, the owner of the Green Gallery Nursery www.thegreengallery.com.au


Jollies Nantes

One of the big tips for any type of Fuchsia, is don't have them sitting around in water because they'll rot; especially young plants.
Two varieties mentioned was Fuchsia ‘electric lights which is a Fuchsia that can be grown in full sun.


It never gets to more than 30cm so it’s perfect for container planting or front of garden borders.

Jollies Tarbies

Jollies Menton

Jollies Fuchsia Line is from the German breeder Brandkamp  who have modernized the familiar range of the famous bedding and balcony plant Fuchsia in the last few years.
The Jollies series are named after French towns: Nantes, Menton and Tarbes.