Plant Fibres, Edamame and Lawn Substitutes

Growing plant fibres in the good earth segment, growing a different sort of bean in Vegetable Heroes; part 3 of lawn alternatives-plants for high traffic areas in Design elements and edible flowers in the talking flowers segment.

THE GOOD EARTH

Luffa or loofah grows on a vine

Growing Plant Fibres

• Did you know that there are lots of plants that may be used to produce plant fibre and many fibre plants are grown as field crops to make paper, cloth, and rope? 
• But how easy is it to grow plant fibres? 
• In this segment, you will find out that it's not only easy to grow these plants, but the fibre they produces is a sustainable source of products that you can use around the home.

Let’s find out what this is all about all about. 

I'm talking with Margaret Mossakowska from www.mosshouse.com.au

These fibre plants are useful and easy to grow.

If you want a more sustainable bathroom sponge that you use, it can be grown in your garden.
Use the luffa for washing your dishes too.

After the luffa is finished with, throw it in the compost bin where it will break down; after all it's a plant fibre.

Growing luffa is dead easy, easy as long as you don’t confuse if for a cucumber or zucchini vine.
Don’t be like me, make sure you label the spot where you put those seeds in the veggie bed.

Cotton plant

Then there’s the cotton bush which has pretty hibiscus type flowers.
Easy to grow and easy to harvest the cotton.
You just need to remove the large black seeds before you using it.
If you have any questions for me or for Margaret, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Edamame beans: Glycine max.

Family: Fabaceae

Did you know that Soy Beans are an ancient crop?

In fact soy beans were first domesticated by Chinese farmers around 1100 BC and by the first century AD, soybeans were grown in Japan and many other countries.

• Ever though of where soy sauce comes from?Yep, soy beans.
• Here’s a fun fact; Henry Ford is known for producing automobiles but did you know that he once made a car with plastic bodywork made from soybeans?

Are you wondering “aren’t soybeans more of a commercial crop, so why would I want to grow soybeans.?”

Yes it’s true, soybean crops are grown for their oil production, but we can eat the beans just the same.

• The bushy, green soybean plant is a legume related to peas, groundnuts (peanuts) and alfalfa.

Growing soybeans as a green manure crop will benefit the soil because the plant will add lots of nitrogen to the soil.

• Today, though, we’re growing green soybeans or Edamame soybeans.
• Edamame soybeans are different varieties than the types grown as a dry field crop for making tofu, soybean oil or other soy products.
• Edamame varieties are harvested while they are still green, before the pods dry, much like shelling peas.

So what’s the difference between soybean and edamame soybeans?

The difference between soybeans and edamame is in the level of maturity when the beans are harvested.

Soybeans are mature, while edamame are picked while the beans are still young and soft.

How To Grow

Edamame does well in many different soil types, but make sure the spot is well drained with plenty of mature compost worked in.

Soybeans are a warm-season crop, so plant the seeds when it's time to transplant tomatoes, or when the soil temperature is at least 16 C degrees.

Choose a sunny spot, and add some organic fertiliser into the soil before planting.

Sow eight to 10 seeds for every 30cm in the row, at a depth of 2 – 2 ½ cms. Edamame plants can get rather bushy, so space your rows at least 1 ½ m apart.

Can I Grow Them In A Pot?

Soybeans don’t grow very high and usually don’t need staking or support .

In fact they grow from ½ - 1 metre tall so this makes them ideal for growing them in all sorts of containers.Great to grow if you don’t have much space in your backyard.

When to Pick them?

You can pick the fuzzy lime green pods when they feel well filled with seeds, but are still bright green.

They should be more than 5 cm long at this stage.

Store them in the fridge or you can blanch them whole or shelled then freeze them.

Most varieties produce all at once so unless you’re going to cook them all at once, I suggest you stagger the planting every few weeks.

One Thing to Note:

Edamame Is Poisonous When Raw.

Although a lot of plants are definitely safe to eat even when they’re raw, soybeans specifically the edamame variety isn’t one of them.

How to Eat Edamame

Boil the pods in salted water, about five to six minutes until tender.

Or, steam your edamame by placing a couple of cm of water in a pot and bringing it to the boil.

Place the edamame in a steam basket or colander and cover the pot for five to ten minutes.

Once cooled enough, raise the edamame pod to your lips, squeeze the bean out of its pod, and pop it directly into the mouth!

That’s the Japanese way of eating them.

Enjoy as a healthy snack.

Or, add shelled and cooked edamame to salads, rice, pasta, and other dishes; it adds flavour, a bright green colour, and low-fat protein.

Why are they good for you?

Edamame is a gluten-free and low calorie bean that contains no amount of cholesterol and is an excellent source of vitamins protein, iron and calcium.

It’s the only vegetable that contains all nine essential amino acids.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Lawn Alternatives for Low Foot Traffic Areas

Continuing the series on lawn alternatives but this time we’re throwing in those plants that will only take light foot traffic, rather than say constantly walking on the area or playing cricket or football.
So what sort of plant alternatives are there for low foot traffic areas in part shade or hot spots in your garden?
Let’s find out. I'm talking with Glenice Buck from 

www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au

For hotspots: Sedum acre as a lawn alternative.

• The three top picks for lawn alternatives in low traffic areas with some shade are Corsican mint, (Mentha requieni) Chamomile nobilis or lawn chamomile.
• For hot spots choose creeping thyme, (Thymus serpyllum) or Stonecrop, (Sedum acre.) 

For all the latest news - Follow Glenice on Facebook or Instagram
Subscribe to Glenice's monthly Garden Greetings Newsletter: www.tinyletter.com/glenicebuckdesigns 

If you have any questions for me or for Glenice, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Avenues of Trees, Gardens of Rocket and Lawn Alternatives

Marianne talks to Stuart Read from the Australian Garden History Society about Avenues of honour and what they mean in Garden  history segment, growing rocket really fast in Vegetable Heroes;part 2 of lawn alternatives-plants for high traffic areas in Design elements with landscape designer Glenice Buck of  www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au and the birdsnest fern but not as you know it  in Plant of the Week.

Garden History

Avenues of Honour
How do Australians remember the fallen or returned from wars?
Is it just built structures such as memorials or is there another way such as an avenue of honour?
In this garden history segment you will discover that there a many other ways to remember those who served in wars, and that these commemorations shall we say, are not confined to capital cities.
Let’s find out what avenues of honour are all about.

I'm talking with Stuart Read, a member of the National Committee of the Australian Garden History Society.
Avenues of honour were usually trees, but sometimes shrubs.

They were to remember service men and women also nurses who did not return from various wars.

In Australia, there are hundreds of these avenues, particularly in Victoria, but other states also.
Smaller populations in country towns felt that loss more than in bigger cities with figures indicating that 1 in 6 never returned from war.
Often they were on main arterial roads leading into town  or in the main town park or showground.

The "Avenue of Honour," in Ballarat is the longest, measuring 23 miles.

It was started by the girls of the town's textile factory, EL Lucas & Co. in remembrance of husbands and boyfriends that never returned from war.

The first 1000 trees were planted on June 3, 1917 and the last 4000 trees on August 16, 1919.

Trees were often exotic, beeches, oaks and elms at first but later native trees were used.

Roma, in Queensland has an avenue of bottle trees, (Brachychiton rupestris.)
You can search for avenues of honour through www.trove.nla.gov.au just type in what you’re looking for in the search box.
Or www.gardenhistorysociety.org.au and click on the advocacy tab or just search avenues, the list will pop up.

If you have any questions for me or for Stuart, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

Vegetable Heroes

Rocket or Arugula and scientifically Eruca sativa.

One of the first people to grow rocket or Arugula were the Romans.

• Did you know that the romans grew Arugula for both it's leaves and the seed. The seed was used for flavouring oils and for some time they thought rocket had aphrodisiac properties.
• You might’ve heard Ian Hemphill from the spice It Up segment saying that most herbs were at some point used in aphrodisiac potions. Rocket is no exception.
  

Rocket or Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. (Cambridge World History of Food).

• In fact, around the 13^th century, the Roman Catholic Church banned it from being grown in monastic gardens for this reason.

Arugula belongs to the Brassicaceae family along with Broccoli, Mustard greens, Kale and Cauliflower.

You won’t be surprised to know then that rocket - Arugula is native to the Mediterranean region.

• The spicy leaves can be grown all year round but are best in cool weather.
• I’ve found that certain plants like Arugula or Rocket and Coriander just bolt to seed in summer and it’s pointless getting the varieties that are supposedly slow bolting, because they always bolt in temperate zones anyway.
• The reason being is that long days and warm temperatures initiate flowering in this plant so you can’t fight nature.

When to sow

• In temperate and arid districts, you can sow Arugula seeds from August until November,
• in cool temperate areas you have from September right through to November,
• sub-tropical districts can sow Arugula or Rocket seeds from March right through til November. Lucky them.
• Not recommended for tropical areas.
• For those of you that have a soil thermometer and actually use it, the soil temperatures for germination should be between  4°C 14°C

What Rocket Likes

Arugula prefers moist, fertile soil, pH 6.0-6.8 but will tolerate a wide pH range.

Arugula is best grown from seed and sow them a couple of weeks apart to have a continuous crop.

• Tip: be brave let one or two plants go to seed so you have fresh seed for next season.

Rocket self-seeds readily, although seed is sometimes slow to germinate. Tip: Soak seeds in tepid water with a splash of seaweed solution from Australia’s favourite seaweed company, for 6-8 hours before sowing.  . 

• Seeds germinate in 5-7 days.

Sow the seeds in the garden bed, or in pots or troughs as Arugula is shallow rooted like all salad vegetables

Sow the seeds very shallow and keep the soil moist until seedlings emerge.

The plant grows to about 40cm high so thin out the seedlings so they’re 20cm apart.

Grow in full sun and water well.

Evenly moist soil will help slow bolting and if you don’t want your Rocket or Arugula to be too spicy, then don’t let the plant come under stress.

In warmer areas, grow your rocket in partial shade because even when temps are in the mid 20’s, it starts to droop and yes, become stressed.

If the leaves start looking a bit different-starting to become feathery, this means the plant is about to flower.

Once the flowers appear, the growing season is over.

Rocket-Arugula tolerates some frost.

• Having said all that, at this time of year rocket or Arugula is one of those plants that’s easy to grow so would suit your kids or gran kids if you’re trying to get them into gardening.
• Wild rocket has more narrow leaves and the flavour is quite mild.

From www.diggers.com.au  you can buy two types of Rocket, the regular as well as Arugula Pronto, which has larger soft leaves and a mild flavour.

Why is it good for you?

Why is rocket or Arugula good for you?

Rocket is rich source of certain phytochemicals thought to be important in preventing cancer cell growth.

Rocket is also a good source of folates, a 100g contains 24% of the daily allowance. Rocket also contains good levels of Vitamin C as well as B complex and vitamin A.

That same 100g of Rocket will give you 90% of your Vitamin K. Vitamin K is linked to bone and brain health.

Lastly, rocket is great as a salad vegetable or why not try making rocket pest? Something different.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Mini mondo grass: photo Ozbreed

Lawn Alternatives for High Foot Traffic Areas.

So you’ve decided that you no longer want a lawn, but what will you walk on?
Greenery is better than paving because it’s more cooling in summer but of course needs more care.
I must say though, paving, or large concreted areas do have their fair share of maintenance as well. You can get weeds coming up in cracks, then the pavers or concrete get the dirty aged look so needs to be cleaned off with a high pressure water cleaner.
Not good in times of water restrictions.
But can you grow a waterwise plant alternative for high foot traffic areas?
I'm talking with Glenice Buck from www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au

Pratia peduculata as lawn alternative

Let’s find out.

• The three top picks for lawn alternatives in high traffic areas are 
• mini mondo grass
• trailing pratia (Pratia pedunculata)
• Dichondra repens.
• A close 4th is native violet(Viola banksia).

For all the latest news - Follow Glenice on Facebook or Instagram
Facebook : www.facebook/glenicebuckdesigns
Instagram: Glenice_Buck_Designs
Or Subscribe to my monthly Garden Greetings Newsletter: www.tinyletter.com/glenicebuckdesigns

If you have any questions for me or for Glenice, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Ground Cherries, Persian Roses, No More Lawns and Easy Gardening

Battery operated line trimmers

We’re talking the new wave of battery operated tools in part 2 of this segment in Tool Time growing an unusual berry in Vegetable Heroes, starting a new series on lawn alternatives in design elements, plus bloomin' Ranunculus flowers in Talking Flowers.

TOOL TIME

Battery Operated Garden Tools part 2
Last week, part 1 of the topic of battery operated garden tools was aired because there was so much to be said about them.
This week, it’s part 2 with a brief summary of what points that were touched on in part 1.
So, the new wave of garden tools are battery operated.
Let’s get into the topic
I'm talking with Tony Mattson, general manager of www.cutabovetools.com.au

Batteries for garden tools can be purchased as 3, 4, 5, and 6 Amp Hours.

How long the battery lasts depends on which garden equipment you are using and how much load you will be putting on that particular piece of equipment.

It's advisable to buy two batteries at the initial purchase so that one can be charging while you are using the other.

Typically, recharging batteries takes between 30 - 45 minutes.

TIP: batteries aren't interchangeable between brands.

Battery operated lawnmowers don't leave a tread.

Make your brand selection based on the range of equipment that meets your needs.
Battery powered tools are easier to start, lighter, have no petrol smell, and best of all are much quieter and cheaper to run.
If you're wondering whether or not a battery operated lawnmower will cut through buffalo or kikuyu lawns. Tony says, no problem at all, and no tread marks on the lawn because the lawnmower is so much lighter.
If you have any questions for me or for Tony, why not write in to Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Cape Gooseberry: Physalis peruviana syn. P. edulis  also sometimes called the ground cherry.

• Cape goosebrerries can be grown in all parts of Australia, although they do best in temperate and subtropical areas, however, we can grow them elsewhere with a bit more care.

Did you know that Cape Gooseberries are thought to have originated in Peru and were one of the few fresh fruits of the early settlers in New South Wales?

So What Does It Look Like?

Cape gooseberry

• The plant is a straggling bush up to one metre tall with yellow fruits inside a brown papery envelope.
• It’s a short lived perennial  and can tolerate some frost so growing it further south shouldn’t be a problem.
• In colder climates treat the cape gooseberry as an annual, much like you would tomatoes.

The cape gooseberry is related to tomatillo, and husk tomato, in fact, all in the genus Physalis.

TIP:Don’t confuse the Cape Gooseberry, Physalis peruviana with an entirely different species referred to as Gooseberry bush. Ribes uva-ursi

The Gooseberry bush will produce very sweet, tart berries, but the cape gooseberry is quite different- and nice!

• Cape Gooseberries taste like tiny cherry tomatoes .

  

  Cape gooseberries are surrounded by a husk

The best thing is that Cape Gooseberry is very easy to grow and as the fruit are popular with birds and plants can be easily spread around the garden.

The berry is the size of a cherry tomato,1-2 cm in size and is very aromatic and full of tiny seeds.

How you know that the berries are ripe is when they turn a golden orange and drop to the ground.

When to Sow

• The time to sow Cape Gooseberry seed in every region except Tropical is now until December.
• For Tropical zones, March through to August is the time to sow seeds.
• If you sow the seeds in Spring and/or Summer you’ll get an Autumn harvest.
• They’re not fussy about soil types and even do very well in poor soils and in pots.
• The preference thous is for sandy to gravely loam.
• They need lots of water throughout the growing year, except towards fruit-ripening time.

How to sow the seeds

Sow seed at the usual depth rule-3x the diameter of the seed.

Best planted at soil temperatures between 10°C and 25°C

Space plants: 50 cm apart if you want to go into production otherwise just try one plant first because they do produce quite a few fruits.

Harvest in 3-4 months or 14-16 weeks.

To get the most fruit from your cape gooseberries, they need to be in a sunny place as long as there is no risk of frost.

• Water them regularly and, when they grow flowers, feed them every two weeks with a tomato food.
• Cape gooseberry plants get the same pests as what you’d get in your area from the common tomato. No surprises there.
• So it would be a good idea to plant them amongst your flower border where they will grow quite happily and confuse the nasties at the same time.

How Do You Eat Cape Gooseberries.

Cape gooseberry once extracted from its husk, can be eaten raw tasting bit like ordinary tomatoes maybe a bit more zingy.

They can be added to salads, desserts and cooked dishes, they are delicious stewed with other fruit, especially apples.

They also go well in savoury dishes with meat or seafood,  as a flavouring, and in jams and jellies.

They can also be dried and eaten much like raisins or other small dried fruit.

Cape gooseberries contain large amounts of pectin, and are therefore suitable for jams and pies

Grab some cape gooseberry seeds from online seed suppliers, sprinkle a packet over your garden & go nuts!

The variety Golden Nugget grows to 1m

Why are cape gooseberries good for You?

Apart from their taste, Physalis is a good source of nutrients, minerals, vitamins.

Vitamins A, C & B, high in protein and rich in iron.

Put some berries in the bottom of a cup and mash them with a

wooden spoon.

Add some water into the cup. The mashed fruit should float, and the seeds will sink to the bottom.

Strain off the mash and water and dry out the seeds on clean tissue paper.

Sow the seeds thinly on the surface and cover them lightly with more compost.

Put the pot in a see-through plastic food bag/mini greenhouse and

tie the end up. This is to keep all the moisture in so the pips don’t

dry out.

 The seeds will germinate in a few days, so you will need to check them every day.

If the compost looks dry, give it a little water. When the seeds have

sprouted, remove the plastic bag and put the pot on a sunny

windowsill. Once the seedlings have four or five leaves, they will

need to be potted up in separate pots, using the same compost.

Repot your plants as they grow.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Lawn alternatives: considerations

Do you have places in the garden where your lawn just will not grow?

Perhaps it's in a shady part where moss seems to appear in winter instead of green lawn.

Or is it under or near trees where the tree root competition is too much and the lawn is patchy?

Then again, you may be just tired of the constant mowing during the warmer months of the year and want to swap mowing for low maintenance lawn alternatives.

So what are the considerations?

Let's find out.I'm talking with Glenice Buck, landscaper and consulting arborist with 

www.glenicebuckdesigns.com.au 

Lush lawns need lots of maintenance such as watering, fertilising and mowing.

If you live in a region that experiences periods of intense heat and drought, this type of lawn may not be possible to maintain. 

Add caption

Looking at brown lawn is not that much fun so exploring other options that need less frequent irrigation is a good alternative.

Unless you make the right lawn alternative choice, you may be swapping the mowing for the weeding.

Over the coming weeks, Glenice will talk about what lawn alternatives suit high foot traffic and low foot traffic areas.

TALKING FLOWERS

Ranunculus: 

Family:Ranunculaceae also includes anemones, clematis, delphiniums, nigella and hellebores.

Grow from claw-like tuber or corms but now referred to as thickened rhizomes.

Growing tips:

Ranunculus

These plants are very hardy and will grow in a wide range of conditions.

If you missed planting them out in autumn for a spring show, treat yourself with a bunch of ranunculus from your favourite florist.

Mercedes Tips: www.floralgossip.com.au

• Cut the stems straight across before placing them in a vase.
• Place them in water that has been filtered or standing for 4 hours so that all the chlorine has evaporated off.
• Throw in a few ice cubes to perk up your ranunculus flowers
• Flowers have a vase life of 8 - 10 days.

As they prefer to have their roots kept cool and moist, plant Ranunculus species in a sunny or partly shaded position with moist well-drained soil.

Don’t like clay soils.

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini florist, and floral therapist.

This video was recorded live during the broadcast of Real World Gardener radio show in Sydney.

Let's Go Go Gardening

SPICE IT UP

Turmeric: Curcuma longa
 In yet another example of what’s in the supermarket spice shelf is not what it’s cracked up to be, you’ll find out that there’s two types of this (Turmeric) spice.
One is best for pickling or making pickles with, the other is the better one for flavouring your cooking.

When commercially harvesting or 'lifting' Turmeric, the rhizome is boiled to stop it from sprouting; to even out the colour, because naturally, the colour is concentrated in the centre and a lot paler towards the edges; and to gelatinise the starches within it.

Even more interesting is that you can actually grow this spice yourself.

Let’s find out. Talking with herb expert Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au


Turmeric is a tropical rhizome but can grow in cooler climates as long is you give it protection from frost.
Sometimes referred to as Indian Saffron, but there's no real similarity with the flavour.

Madras Turmeric and Allepeppy turmeric were the two different types that Ian mentioned.
Madras is for colouring food such as when making pickles and Allepeppy is the more aromatic turmeric that you use in cooking dishes such as Dahl, or curries or wherever the recipe calls for Turmeric.
If you manage to get some rhizomes of Turmeric, spring is the time to plant them in the ground about 7 – 10 cm deep.
Use the Turmeric root fresh by grating it into your dishes that call for Turmeric.
If you have any questions about Turmeric or have some information you’d like to share, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Olives Olea europaea
Well, it’s not a vegetable, perhaps more a fruit, and that is Olives.
The olive tree is a symbol of joy, peace and happiness.
Did you know that the Mediterranean diet which includes plenty of olives and olive oil has long been known as one of the healthiest?

Another interesting fact is that residents of Crete in the Mediterranean have the highest consumption of olive oil per person in the world but Australia is second; the Cretians though have the lowest rate of death from heart related diseases in the world which we can’t say about our diet yet.
Would you have guessed that growing olives dates back 5,000 years and that olive trees can live up to 2,000 years?
Olive trees can look good in any garden with their silver grey-green leaves.
Some people have mistakenly bought ornamental olive trees thinking that they will also fruit, but that’s not the case.
These ornamental olives have darker green leaves and only produce pea sized fruit which isn’t much good.

The good news is that true olives can grow right from Queensland through to Tasmania and across to South Australia.
Not only that, olives can grow with neglect and start producing fruit again with a bit of care plus they make excellent wind breaks and great for gardeners with black thumbs.

 What Do Olive Trees Really Like?
We have to remember that the olive originated in the Mediterranean region and will grow well in areas of Australia with a similar climate—cool/cold winters and hot summers.
Even though olives are evergreen trees, the traditional olive varieties need a cool winter so they can rest to prepare for their main shooting.
Many mature olive trees will survive and crop well even in the very cold areas of Australia.
Some varieties will also fruit well in 'no frost' areas as long as the winters are cool enough;
Winter chilling is needed; winter temperatures fluctuating between
1.5°C and 18°C and summers long and warm enough to ripen the fruit.

Having said that, the olive industry in Australia has been doing research into what olives do well in warm winters and wet summers.
Some of these are warm winter varieties include: Arbequina, Arecuzzo, Barnea, Del Morocco, Koroneiki, Manzanillo and Picual.

Tip: If you already have an olive tree and experienced very few olives; hot, dry winds or rain at pollination time in late spring can reduce fruit set..
Olives will grow in most soil types as long as they are well-drained and have a subsoil pH range of 6.5–8.5.

The olive three’s worst enemy is too much water.

 If your soil holds too much water when there’s been a lot of rain, then you need to improve the drainage or raise the bed that your olive tree is growing in.

 When it comes to fertilising, olive trees have similar needs to Australian eucalypts except for the fact that they’re not phosphorous sensitive.
Traditionally all you need to use to fertilise your olive trees are well rotted manures and mulches; anything else and you risk over fertilising your trees.

 Problems with Olive trees.
Lots of rain at harvest-time, can reduce oil content due to the higher water content in the fruit.
The most common pest is black scale, which also affects citrus.
Olive lace bug (not to be confused with beneficial lace wings) can also be a problem.
All of these pests can be controlled, but they should be positively identified . If you’re not sure what’s attacking your tree, take a piece of the affected branch to your local garden centre.
Don’t go off spraying willy nilly with one of those broadspectrum insecticides that kill beneficial insects as well..
The main fungal problem is peacock spot, which results in leaf fall and poor fruit set:
It’s more common in humid areas.
You need to prune to allow enough air flow through the leaves to help keep it under control.
Copper sprays can be used for (any both of these) fungal diseases.
Olives are also harmed by some soil-borne pathogens such as phytophthora, verticillium and nematodes common to other fruit trees.
If that still doesn’t put you off growing them, here’s part of what you have to do to preserve olives.

Harvesting Olives
In about February - March, some of the fruit begins to turn from plain green to purplish black.
so from then on it will be fairly safe to pick the green olives for pickling
If you have ever tried to eat an olive straight from the tree, you will know what I mean - it's VERY bitter and VERY hard.

If you use the method I’m going to talk about, you’ll end up with wonderful sweet olives and you can add all sorts of herb combinations to create your own special marinated olives. 

•Make a slit in each olive or crack each one open carefully with a wooden mallet. THAT’S RIGHT, EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE!

This bruising, pricking or cutting will allow the water and salt to penetrate the fruit, drawing out the bitterness and also preserving it
•Put the olives in a large bowl or bucket and cover with water with ½ cup of coarse salt for every 10 cups of water. Place a plate over the top to keep the olives submerged.
 •Change the water daily for about 10 -12 days to extract the bitterness and make the olives "sweet".
Test an olive to see if all the bitterness is gone. Ugghhh, yes you have to.
 •After 14 days, drain the olives and place in a solution of cooled down brine; 1 cup of salt for every 10 cups of water that has been boiled together first.
Then all that’s left is bottling the olives in brine topped up with 1 cm of olive oil.
There are other recipes involving wood ash.
By the way, olives will keep for years in the freezer.
Why are they good for you?
Olives are nutritious and rich in mineral content as sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and iodine.
Olives provide essential vitamins and amino acids.
Olives contain oleic acid, which has beneficial properties to protect the heart.
And just in case these benefits weren’t enough, they are also a great aphrodisiac.
AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Continuing with the series on best fit gardening.
Today we’re looking at lawn solutions when you can't have a lawn like this one.

Do you have a bare patch of lawn where no matter how many times you replace it with turf, it just refuses to grow?
Perhaps it gets too much shade in winter for the grass to survive or there’s root competition from the lovely shade giving tree?
Wouldn’t you like a grass alternative that Bambi would love to lie on to have a sleep?
Sounds too good to be true but there are solutions to the problem.
Let’s find out. I'm talking with garden designer Peter Nixon of www.paradisusgl.peternixon.com.au

Zoysia tenuifolia

Peter mentioned these  lawn alternatives:
Mini mondo (Ophiopogon japonicas nana), Dichondra, ( Zoysia tenuifolia) or Korean Temple grass.
Just a little note about Zoysia tenuifolia: Zoysia tenuifolia is very different from all other Zoysia grasses.
Often referred to by different names including No-Mow Grass, Min Mow and Petting Grass, Zoysia tenuifolia is more of an ornamental style of grass and not suitable for use as a general lawn.
Instead it has a very fine bright green leaf, and if left to grow without lawn mowing I’ll develop a clumping characteristic where it will naturally raise higher in areas, but will never grow high like other grasses can.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

SALVIA GO GO
Covering more than 900 species, Salvia is the largest genus in the mint family (Laminaceae.)
You don’t need to know much to grow these next plants because they’re pretty simple and easy to grow.
Not only that, they’re hardy and frost tolerant, plus they flower for months and months.
If a bit snaps off, you can stick it into the ground and grow a whole new plant, it’s that easy.

Let’s find out about them. I'm talking with the plant panel: Karen Smith editor of www.hortjournal.com.au and Jeremy Critchley owner of www.thegreengallery.com.au

  Large or small, grown as annuals or perennials, it creates an impact.
And there is a salvia for every climate in Australia.



This is what the breeder said about Salvia Go Go.
GoGos bring according to Kientzler a multitude of bright flower spikes all summer long, and quickly develop into quite impressive specimens – up to 120 cm in height and width, emanating an aura of luminescence and all-season splendour.
“Spectacular in large, decorative containers, either in full sun or partial shade.”

Salvias vary in height from about 30cm high,  to large shrubs that are up to 3m tall and wide.

Flowers are arranged in spires and come in hues of blue, purple, cerise, red, pink, white, yellow and orange. Most are at their best from spring to early winter, but there are salvias that flower almost year-round if you want that sort of thing not to mention the ones with scented leaves like pineapple sage, fruit salad sage, or just plain culinary sage.
Team up your Salvias with some silver leaved plants, some Diascias (dutchman’s britches) or Angelonia, all of which have been featured in this segment.