DESIGN ELEMENTS
Spring Bulb Preparation: No Time Like Now
Have you ordered your spring bulbs yet?
Spring might seem far away, but for the prepared gardener there’s planning and preparation to be done right now.
Especially if you like spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, freesias and many more.
Some of the planning involves looking at bulb catalogues, either ones you received in the post or online.
Let’s find out more.
I'm talking with Landscape Designer, Glenice Buck, consulting arborist and landscape designer www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au
Fun decisions need to be made as to which bulbs to buy and plant.
Spring bulbs include,tulips (cooler climates) snowflakes, jonquils, daffodils, freesias, spring stars, alliums (cooler climates), anemones, ranunculus, sparaxis,
Have you ordered your spring bulbs yet?
Spring might seem far away, but for the prepared gardener there’s planning and preparation to be done right now.
Especially if you like spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, freesias and many more.
photo M Cannon |
Let’s find out more.
I'm talking with Landscape Designer, Glenice Buck, consulting arborist and landscape designer www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au
Fun decisions need to be made as to which bulbs to buy and plant.
Spring bulbs include,tulips (cooler climates) snowflakes, jonquils, daffodils, freesias, spring stars, alliums (cooler climates), anemones, ranunculus, sparaxis,
- Glenice mentioned. Allium giganteum, the giant alliums, and Allium atropurpureum from Southern Europe that carry golf ball sized heads of dark, almost black, maroon-purple flowers from late October well into November.
- If you want to grow these in temperate climates you need to place a 2 litre bucket of ice-cubes on where the bulbs are planted every morning.
TIP:Remember, bulbs are a living thing, and need to be planted out mostly in Autumn. If you wait too long, they will dry out and be totally worthless.
Photo M Cannon |
- Soil preparation: The big tip from Glenice, is dig in plenty of organic matter into the soil before adding your bulbs. Before planting, cultivate the soil and ensure that it is well drained with plenty of compost and decomposed manures.
TIP: When sowing ranunculus, soak in a weak solution of seaweed liquid for 1 hour before planting, claws pointing downward.
- Bulbs in pots: don't place a saucer under the pot so that when it rains, the pot is sitting water.
VEGETABLE HEROES
Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea, Botrytis group)
Cauliflower is native to the Mediterranean and
Middle East region, but did you know that it’s been grown as a crop from at
least 600 BC?
Cauliflower is related to broccoli, cabbage,
kale, turnips, rutabagas, and Brussels sprouts.
Why is Cauliflower called a cruciferous
vegetable?Because the flowers have four petals and look
like a Greek cross.
- Did you know that Cauliflower leaves are edible, but have a stronger taste than the florets?
A bit of history
Some of the first crop plantings in Australia
way back in 1788 were cauliflowers on Norfolk Island.
How we know this is because a letter exists
from Governor Arthur Phillip the (first governor appointed by the British,) to
Sir Joseph Banks, telling him that ‘colly flowers’ had been growing at Sydney
Cove for weeks.
They were also recorded as growing in a garden
at The Rocks, Sydney, in 1803 with some being as large as 4.5 - 5.5kg.
They obviously liked their cauliflower in the
early life of the colony.
- Botanical Bite
An interesting fact about Cauliflower is that
it’s actually a flower that hasn’t fully developed yet.
Yes that’s right - Cauliflower, is actually a flower growing from
a plant.
In its early stages, it looks a bit like
broccoli, its closest relative.
Cauliflower amongst broccoli |
- The difference is that broccoli opens outward to sprout bunches of green florets, but cauliflower forms a compact head of undeveloped white flower buds.
- The cauliflower head itself is a sterile flowering structure whose buds are kept white by green leaves that cover the head, protecting the flower buds from the sunlight.
If the leaves are covering the floral head
and so keeping the sun out, the cauli stays white because the green or
chlorophyll in the plant, doesn’t get a chance to develop.
When
to Sow.
In Arid zones, plant direct into the garden
from April until June, in cool temperate and temperate zones, February was the
recommended time to sow seeds but
you can sow seedlings until the end of May.
If your district is sub-tropical, you might be
able to squeeze in seed sowing if you do it straight after the show, otherwise,
transplant seedlings until the end of June also.
Caulflower seedlings |
There is one exception, a variety called Caulifower All Year Round-Hybrid.
This robust variety is available from your
local nursery and is ready for harvest very early at 15 weeks.
It grows quite big with a tight curd, and tastes
great.
Soil
and Site for Cauliflower
All cauliflowers need a neutral or slightly
alkaline soil to do well.
- If the soil is too acidic, the plants won’t be able to access the trace elements they need, and may develop whiptail.
- On the other hand, soils which are too limey or chalky can lead to stunted and discoloured cauliflower. If you’re at all unsure, whip out that pH test kit and give it a workout. If you need to add lime to the soil because it’s too acidic, leave at least four weeks between liming and manuring.
- As with all brassicas, avoid using a plot on which a brassica crop was grown within the past two years. Cauliflowers will definitely suffer if they are grown on the same plot for two or more years in a row. Winter cauliflowers are much more tolerant of soil conditions, and will grow on most types of soil, as long as there is no water-logging.
- Because they grow slowly over a longer period of time, and have to face winter conditions, the one thing you want to avoid is lush, rapid and therefore vulnerable growth. No heads will form so go easy on the liquid food.
If plenty of organic ferts have been dug in,
there is no need for additional fertilizers, before planting out winter
cauliflowers.
- Some tips are (i)they need a sheltered site, with some protection from winds. (ii)They do better in sun rather than in the shade.
So
when do you pick your cauliflower?
A cauliflower is ready for cutting when the
upper surface of the curd is fully exposed and the inner leaves no longer cover
it.
As usual in your veggie garden, cauliflowers
are ready at the same time.
If the weather is warm and you leave the
cauliflowers in the ground once they have matured, the heads expand and start
to yellow looking not that great.
Cauliflower |
Here’s a tip to not have to eat cauliflower
everyday for a month, gather up the leaves and tie them together over the curd
so that they cover it, using garden twine, an elastic band or raffia.
It will also protect the winter ones from the
frost.
Why
is it good for you?
Cauliflower contains a high amount of vitamin
C, and complex carbohydrates.
They’re a great source of dietary fibre
and a good provider of folate (one of
the B vitamins)
Like cabbages cauliflowers contain substances
called indoles which are responsible for the sulphur smell that can be released
if they’re overcooked.
Today, thick cauliflower soups are popular in
France and Eastern Europe. Sardinian cooks combine garlic, olive oil and capers
with it to make zesty salads and hot dishes. In India, it's cooked with potato
and onion to make a rich vegetable curry. Go on , plant some cauliflowers
today.
AND
THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!
No comments:
Post a Comment