How to Grow Healthy Seedlings and Patty Pan Squash

 PLANT DOCTOR    

What's Going On With My Seedlings?

People have been turning to gardening in droves this year, and for one reason or another, they’re into growing their own food.
A lot of new gardeners, though, are finding it difficult to either get those seeds to germinate, or keep those seedlings going.

Here are some of the common problems:

• Seeds germinate and grow for a while then die. Number 1 culprit is drying out.
• Seedlings are for the most part growing in a shallow soil and all it takes is for a bit of warm weather, then unless you're there on the spot to water them, they shrivel up and die.
• Seedlings growing in moist soil because you've somehow managed to keep them hydrated. If they keel over at this point, it's due to 'damping off.' The seedlings is attacked by fungal or bacterial infection, the end result of which is death of your seedlings.
• Overwatering and poor airflow is another possibility.
• Seaweed solution may help with overcoming this problem.
• Watering with a tea with strong antimicrobial properties, such as strong chamomile or cinnamon tea may work as a preventative. 
• Create a clean environment as possible by (a)sterilising your soil by placing it in the oven for 30 minutes at high temperatures and (b) wipe down pots and benches with a 10% solution of bleach. 
• Seedlings just sitting with no growth for weeks are a sign of insufficient fertiliser. Water in a liquid fertiliser immediately and follow up as per dosage instructions. 
• Although, one thing to watch out for:The seeds have germinated but mysteriously, the tops get chewed off. 
  I’m still wondering how the slug go into the closed mini-greenhouse and ate my basil seedlings.

Hopefully you’ll be inspired to get back into growing from seed and have all the information you need to get those seedlings going.

 So what help do they need? Let’s find out more by listening to the podcast.
I’m talking with Steve Falcioni from www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

If you have any questions about seedlings, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

VEGETABLE HEROES

Summer Button Squash is the yellow or green saucer shaped members of the Cucurbit family that includes pumpkins, melons and zucchinis. Cucurbita pepo.

If you don’t like the taste and texture of Button Squash, some even call patty pan squash, maybe you need to buy a different variety to zhuszh up your taste buds.

A Bit of History
Did you know that squash comes from a native American word which means eaten raw or uncooked?
No surprises that archaeologists have traced squash origins to Mexico, dating back from 7,000 to 5,500 BC.

• In terms of nutrients, button squash give bananas a run for their money.

Button squash are small veggies that look a bit like space ships with scalloped edges. 
It’s a twining vine with large, broad, spiny, lobed leaves and an angled, prickly green stem.
Squash grow to between 3 and 5cm in size, and the vines like to spread out, but will follow a trellis if they’re tied to one. 

• Seeds can be planted individually into small holes or planted on small mounds, three to five to a mound. If you’re doing the mound method, when the seeds sprout, pinch off the weakest vines until only the strongest one is left. It’s better to pinch off the weak vines, as pulling them will disturb the roots of the strong one.
• Like a lot of vining veggies, they take up a lot of space, but one squash plant can produce a lot of squash. Unless you’re feeding an army only plant one or two mounds of squash then.

Flowers on Squash, where are they?

Squash have male and female flowers that bees, flies, wasp or other creatures must pollinate it. Only after fertilisation, grow those little buttons.

If you got male and female flowers but not too many squash, plant plenty of flowers alongside your squash otherwise you’ll end up having to hand pollinate using an artist’s paintbrush.
Mostly gardeners start to worry when they see only male flower.
It is perfectly normal for the males to arrive first, and, they do so in big numbers.
A week or so goes by without any ladies appearing, and you are beginning to think there's a problem.

• The female flowers usually arrive 10-14 days after you spot the first male. (Sometimes it takes a little longer than this).Once the ladies appear, there’ll only be a few at a time.
• The male flowers greatly out-number the female flowers.
• It’s fairly uncommon for females flowers to arrive first but does occasionally happen.

Fertilising your squash
Squash are, like most vegetables, heavy feeders and need lots of fertilizer and water.

• Don’t over fertilize with chook poo pellets or you’ll have big plants and no squash.
• The vining types of squash need the extra space and will invade even more space if allowed, so carefull planning may be needed.
• Water requirements are high and you really need to be on top of keeping up the watering for your button squash during hot weather and when fruit is filling out. If you don’t,  you’re very likely get shedding of flowers and partly formed fruit.
• Button squash grows very quickly and will start producing us in about 8 weeks.

Harvesting
Pick your button squash carefully by cutting them from the vine through their stem.

• Did you know that button squash need to be harvested often even commercially  because of their very soft skin and so they’re very labour intensive to grow?
• Picking should be done regularly, at least every day as the fruit develops.
• If you leave your squash on the plants too long they’ll stop growing new ones altogether.
• Picking your Summer squash at about 2 ½- 3 cms in size is when they’re at their most tasty.

If you plant an open pollinated type, (doesn’t have hybrid in its name) you can let one or two squash grow out until they are completely ripe and save the seeds from them at the end of the season.
Some varieties from various online seed suppliers.
There’s a French heirloom variety Squash Jaune Et Verte especially for those of you who are not convinced about the merits of growing squash. 

Picked young, the flesh is sweet and buttery and the skin cooks to lime green. Compact variety producing scallop shaped fruit over a long period. 

Takes 7 weeks from seed to harvest.
New Gippsland Seeds-Golden Ruffles Hybrid is a Yellow Button Squash- High quality button squash capable of tremendous yields. Fruit gold, often with a green end spot. Tasty and popular.
Eden seeds_EARLY WHITE BUSH SCALLOPED Known pre 1722
Greenish-white skin, with lots of round flat fruit on a bushy plant. Best when picked young. 46-60 days.
GREEN TINT

Scalloped patty pan squash, pale green, harvest 7.5cm—10cm, fine texture, medium sized bush, very productive over a long period, popular traditional variety for home gardens. 47-56 days.
Seeds per packet: 17
Why are they good for you?
Summer squash is very low in calories and high in fibre.
Button squash is rich in beta-carotene an excellent source of vitamin C, folic acid and calcium.
One cup of summer squash has nearly as much potassium as a banana!
They also contain the valuable mineral nutrient phosphorus.
Button squash are vitamin C
The darker skinned squash supply some beta carotene.
Did I say they were low in calories?
100g of squash has just between 85 and 105kJ.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

Enjoy Mulled Wine Jelly and Grow Cut and Come Again Celery

SPICE IT UP

Mulled Wine and Mulled Wine Jelly

Are you missing the Christmas spirit? In Australia it was mostly too hot around Christmas time to partake in mulled wine. Winter isn't that far away, and for some people, Christmas in July is a thing.

That would include mulled wine.

Right now though, you could make some mulled wine jelly to relive some of that Christmas cheer which just seems like a faded memory.

You may have heard of the spices that go to make mulled wine, a traditional drink in the northern hemisphere at that time of year.
But here in Australia, it’s too hot, so what else can we do with these spices?

Traditional mulled wine spices contain allspice berries (ground), cassia bark (Asia version of cinnamon), ginger, dried orange peel, and cloves.

METHOD: Mulled Wine

In a saucepan 

POUR 1 bottle of red wine

ADD1 cup of brown sugar,

ADD 1 fresh lime

ADD 1 fresh quartered orange.

ADD2-3 tablespoons of mulling spices.

SIMMER gently for 30-40 minutes DO NOT BOIL

STRAIN: into a jug and serve while warm.

If you’re keen to experiment with your own recipe, then use real vanilla pods, cinnamon quills, fresh citrus and star anise at the very least.

Apart from mulled wine jelly, and mulled wine fizz, there’s also mulled wine glazed ham. So experiment away. Listen to the podcast to find out more.

I’m talking with Ian Hemphill from herb and spice expert from www.herbies.com.au

If you have any questions about spices in mulled wine spice mix, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

VEGETABLE HEROES

Today’s vegetable hero is -Celery Leaf , Leaf Celery or Chinese Celery. Leaf celery is also called Cutting Celery, Parcel, Smallage, Zwolsche Krul, and German celery.

• Celery Leaf is botanically-(Apium graveolens var. secalinum).

Leaf celery sounds like it’s all leaf, but that’s not the case.Yes there’s a lot of leaves, but they’re on top of long, albeit thinner stalks.

• Leaf celery is a more primitive form of familiar supermarket celery but it’s a great cut-and-come-again veggie.If you cut or harvest leaf celery plants often, it will constantly send up new stalks.
• The stalks are hollow, crisp, and packed with flavour, cutting celery is an essential veggie at our house.
  

In colder zones, if you can nurse year-old plants through winter, they will send up a huge flush of stems in early summer, followed by lots of flowers and seeds.

• The ground seeds make a great seasoning for dozens of dishes.

As a true biennial,  cutting celery is happy to produce zillions of seeds at the end of summer here in Australia.

• If you’re an occasional celery user who find that the bunch of celery that you buy from the supermarket turns brown and mushy before you finish it, then you may want to try growing this alternative.The best thing is the stalks aren’t bunched closely together.
• So if you just want one or two stalks of celery to flavour your soups or Bolognese sauce, then just go out into the garden and cut two stalks.

Celery Leaf tastes similar but slightly better than regular stalk celery!
I would say it tastes a little stronger than stalk celery or celeriac.

A Bit of Hsitory
Did you know that leaf Celery has been around for a long time and was in fact used by the ancient Romans as a medicinal herb.
Supposedly, Celery seed has been used for around 3000 years as a seasoning for food.
Did you also know that crushed celery seeds are steam distilled to make celery oil?
This oil is used for flavouring sauces, meats, liqueurs, perfumes, cosmetics and soaps.

 
Some gardeners have run out of room in their veggie bed already-full of tomatoes, Basil and whatnot.
Never fear, Leaf Celery will grow in large pots because it’s a compact plant that grows to 45-60cm in height.

• If you live in a cool temperate district, container veggies can be moved under cover during winter.
• Leaf Celery is a darker green with thin stalks and leaves that look like a cross between the Italian Parsley and the Curley Parsley.
• Celery leaf is perfect for container gardens because it’s a cut and come again plant and is great used as a herb in stews, dressings and salads.

When to plant:
In cool temperate districts, Spring and Summer are your sowing times, in temperate and sub-tropical zones, you have from Spring right through to Autumn, 

Arid areas, the only time you can’t really sow it is in summer, and tropical districts win the jackpot, because they can sow it all year round.

How to grow:
From putting the seed into the ground or pot, it’ll take around 2-3 months.
Like most veggies, Leaf Celery needs full sun but can do alright in part shade in soil that’s not too dry.
You can start them off in punnets if you like because they don’t mind being transplanted.

• Keep in mind, Leaf Celery isn’t frost tolerant.

Sow the very fine seeds thinly, and only 5mm (1/4”) deep.
Be careful not to cover the fine seeds too much because they need light to germinate.
For fine seeds I tend to use a light cover of vermiculite which I then mist to make moist.

• They can be slow to germinate taking up to 21 days at 100C-180C, so be patient.
• In warmer areas, seedlings should emerge in 1-2 weeks.

Once the seeds have germinated it’s a good idea to thin them out around 30cm (12”) apart.
TIP: number 1: Don’t let them dry out.

• TIP: number 2:-If you believe in companion planting, then leaf Celery is supposed to be an insect repellent for cabbage white butterfly.Try planting some around your Brassicas like Broccoli, Cauli, and Cabbage.

TIP: number 3 and now for the Celery Seed.
If you leave your Celery leaf over winter, the plant will bolt to seed in Spring.
What can you do with that?
Apart from replanting fresh seed, the seeds are actually edible.

• Ever heard of Celery salt?

What you can also do is grind it up in your mortar and pestle with a little sea salt. Better than from the supermarket shelf.
Plus you can enjoy the dainty white umbels of flowers.
After a couple of months, pick leaves as you need them to put in soups, stews, stocks and sauces.
A few eaves go well in salads with a strong blue cheese or some or cured meats.

• How else to use leaf celery?

Packed with flavour and fibre, it's best to thinly slice cutting celery crosswise or diagonally.
A sharp knife makes quick work of slicing and dicing any type of garden celery.
Use it as you would regular celery, eat it raw or cooked in long slow cooked meals, or as flavouring in sauces.
Why is it good for you?
The leaves are brimming with five times more magnesium and calcium than the stalks. They're also a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidant’
The good thing is Leaf Celery is low in carbs, and has even a small amount of fibre.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

The Art of Fermentation: Just a Cabbage

 THE ART OF VEGETABLE FERMENTATION

Have you ever wanted to ferment vegetables but thought it was a bit too hard?
Perhaps you’re an avid fermenter but need to know more.
In this new segment I find out that it’s actually easy to start fermenting.

Holly describes herself as an 'old fermenter.'

Jokes aside, what's the first thing you need to know before you start fermenting any vegetable.

Do you need high end equipment?

Fermenting is a process that happens in the absence of air.

It turns out that a clip lock jar or a glass jar with a screw top lid would suffice. Or you can use a plastic jar.

NOTE: the lid needs to have a coating on it which most would have if they were on jars that were bought with food in them. These jars are perfect for re-purposing for fermenting.

Cabbages and other root vegetables are ideal for fermenting.

METHOD:

PICK a cabbage that is heavy for it's size, preferably an organic one.

Should be dense and tightly packet.

STRIP off outer leaves.

CUT the cabbage into four and cut the heart out of it.

SHRED your cabbage finely, Holly likes it between 3-5mm in width so it has some crunchy.

If your ferment comes out mushy then air has entered into the process.

ADD 20gms of fine ground sea-salt to every kilo of cabbage.

RUB sea salt into cabbage until it releases moisture-make sure it's vigorous , releasing plenty of liquid.

There should be enough liquid to completely submerge the cabbage in the jar.

STUFF into a jar and cover with the liquid.

PLACE one of the previously discarded whole leaves on top of the shredded cabbage in the jar.

I’m talking with Holly Davis, whole food chef, and educator.
Let's find out more

FERMENTATION PART 2

Dry Fermentation Process: we're doing a cabbage.

The whole leaf on top of the shredded cabbage is the 'plug.'

Leave some headroom in the jar so the fermenting process doesn't bubble over.

The cabbage should start bubbling which is the fermentation process.

LEAVE it out of the fridge but in a cool spot such as a tiled floor.

WAIT ten days then taste it. Before this time it doesn't taste very nice.

You can leave it longer if you like.

PROBLEMS:

White yeast growing on the surface needs to be removed otherwise it will spoil the flavour.

If you see mould, throw it out and start again.

Once you like the flavour, put it in the fridge, it will slow the fermenting process.

Let's find out more.