Unusual Trees and Oregano

THE GOOD EARTH

Unusual Trees for Your Garden
Do you have fruit or nut trees growing in your garden?
Picking fresh fruits from your own tree, is a different experience altogether to buying the same produce from a shop.

Moringa oleifera with seed pods

However, not everyone has the space for an orchard, and growing fruits in a small space may seem like a daunting task.
With the right selection of fruits for small spaces, though, you can enjoy picking fruits off the tree in your own backyard.

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

Jabuticaba

Margaret mentioned Moringa olifeira or drumstick tree, horseradish tree or just miracle tree, is best in subtropical  dry, hot areas. Think arid regions, and you have the right environment. All parts of the tree are edible not just for us but as fodder for animals as well.
Jabuticaba or Brazilian grape tree is in the Myrtaceae family, along qith the allspice tree (Pimenta doica) and eucalypts.

The way the fruits grow is known as "cauliflory," in other words they grow up the trunk and branches of the tree.

 If you can grow Jacaranda you grow this tree.
Acer saccharum or sugar maple for cooler districts.
If you want to know more or if you have any questions about these unusual trees, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Herbs for the Autumn Garden and Oregano
Not sure what herbs can be planted out in the autumn garden?

• Then try chervil, chicory, coriander, fennel, garlic bulbs, lavender, marjoram, parsley, rocket, sage, sorrel, rosemary, thyme, winter tarragon and oregano.

This list includes, Tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, arid and cool temperate districts.
Oregano, Origanum vulgare or Origanum marjoram. for the botanists among you.
Origanum Marjoram is the common oregano used for cooking.
Origanum Vulgare is the wild oregano used for making oil.

Origanum vulgare flowers

Now that’s confusing…isn’t Marjoram a separate herb? Well, yes it is, but apparently has the same Botanical name.
Of course, Oregano was first used by the Greeks.

• Did you know that in Greek mythology the goddess Aphrodite invented the spice, giving it to man to make his life happier?The word "oregano" is actually derived from the Greek phrase, "joy of the mountains". 
• Would you believe that just married couples were crowned with wreaths of it? 
• The English had either ideas and found another use for oregano- as an additive to snuff (which was generally a tobacco concoction taken through the nose). Oregano was also used as a perfume in sachets. 

Oregano is an aromatic herb that belongs to the mint or Lamiaceae family. Oregano is native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and Central Asia and is basically a perennial herb, growing to around 20 to 45 cm high depending on the variety.
Being a Mediterranean plant, grow Oregano in full sun and in well drained soil.

• There are two main varieties.
• "Greek Oregano" is the type normally associated with Oregano flavour. 
• "Common Oregano" or Marjoram has a less pungent, sweeter taste and is more commonly grown. You can grow this plant from seed in spring, soft tip cuttings or buy as a seedling. 
• For those who have grown Oregano, you’ll find that it’s one tough plant. 
• It’ll take frost, rain, full sun, varying soils, walking on and will survive after massive aphid attack. You can even build a no-dig garden in the middle of winter bung in a few punnets of Oregano and it will not only survive but grow well. 

How to Grow

Sow in garden, or start in seed trays. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
Best planted at soil temperatures between 18°C and 25°C.
Space plants: 15cm

• Oregano has grey green furry leaves making it a very drought tolerant plant. This is because the furriness or hairs on the leaves traps the moisture that normally evaporates from the plant, creating some humidity around each leaf. Obviously a dry adaptation from its original environment. 

Have you ever found that some types of Oregano seem to self seed into cracks in the pavement, and stone walls, growing in garden steps between sleepers and never need to be watered?
If you’re planting this in a garden bed or herb garden, I suggest putting it into a large plastic pot with the bottom cut out.
Otherwise, you’ll find it has taken over the other herbs or flowers.
Having said that, Oregano is very easy to pull out. 

• Companion planting

As far as companion planting goes, anything that benefits from having a flea beetle deterrent, like all Hibiscus, plant Oregano next to it. I haven’t tried this one, so if anyone has found this successful, give me a call in the studio.
For best flavour –pick the leaves in the morning just after the dew has lifted.
Easily propagated from root division. It can be hard to germinate from seed which is very fine. That’s done in spring.
Some varieties can only be grown from cuttings.
The best way to look after your clump of Oregano is to cut the stems back to the ground after it flowers, to encourage new growth.
TIP: When’s the best time to pick Oregano for drying?
When the plant reaches the flowering stage –that’s between February and the end of April.
Why not try Origanum Kent Beauty-Origanum rotundifolium x scabrum
This hardy groundcover is smothered in delicate chartreuse coloured hop like bracts during late summer. These bracts overlap to form a beautiful cascading display on top of heart shaped pairs of blue-grey leaves on trailing stems.
Culinary hints - cooking and eating Oregano
It’s a well known fact that oregano is used a lot in Turkish, Italian, Greek, Spanish and Dominican cuisine.
Mostly it's the leaves which are used for cooking.
HOT TIP: The dried leaves of oregano is much more aromatic and flavourful than fresh leaves. Now there’s a surprise.
Pizza is what most of us associate this herb with.
When it comes to flavour, oregano works in tandem with hot and spicy food.
Used to flavour tomato dishes, soups, sauces and Greek dishes like Moussaka and even a couple of pinches added to Greek salad is marvellous.
Why Are They Good For You?
The two important compounds that are responsible for the many health benefits of oregano are carvacrol and thymol.
Studies have shown that both of these compounds can inhibit the growth of bacteria, virus and fungi which is the main causes of many illnesses.. Oregano is also high in iron, manganese, fibre and vitamin C

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT

Sap Suckers and Succulents in the Garden

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
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PLANT DOCTOR

with Steve Falcioni, general manager www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au
One of the most easily recognised pests in the garden and one of the most prolific, especially when the really warm weather hits and that's aphids.

Aphids also one of the pests that most likely has the most amount of chemicals you can buy to kill it.

Did you know though, it’s one of the pests that also has the most amount of beneficial insects that attack it?

There’s at least four so before you go out into the garden armed with garden gloves and sprayers, you need to know what you’re really squashing or squirting, because it may just be one of the good guys.

Let’s find out in part 1 what these good guys look like.


Learning to recognise the difference between pests and good bugs might sound a bit challenging, but there are books on predatory bugs that you can either buy or borrow from your library.
You can also research them on the internet.

We mentioned, lacewings, hoverflies, ladybirds, and parasitic wasps,-in particular their larval stage which does the eating of the pests in your garden.
These four would be a good start to get to know.
Not only will you be saving your good or predatory bugs but you’ll be saving money from not having to buy so many insect sprays.

Mummified aphids

If you have any questions about your good bugs or aphids or a photo, send it in to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Today’s vegetable hero is Moringa oleifera known as the drumstick tree, tree of life or even horseradish tree.

Moringa oleifera is believed to be native to sub-Himalayan tracts of northern India but is now found worldwide in the tropics and sub-tropics.

Just a note for Queensland listeners, according to DAFF (Dept of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.) website, this species is regarded as potentially invasive or moderately invasive in tropical regions of the world.
It's escaped from gardens in northern Australia, and is currently naturalised in north Queensland and northern Western Australia.
Moringa is currently considered a minor weed in northern Australia.

So what is a horse radish tree exactly?

Not having grown the tree myself I researched some great information that might get you interested in getting a tree for yourself.

Moringa leaves

Moringa oleifera tree is an extremely fast growing deciduous tree with corky bark that can get to 10 metres.

The leaves look ferny and rounded, and the flowers are a pale yellow and fragrant. The green seed pods are hard and can be as long as 30cm and are called drumsticks in some countries.
Each  pod can contain up to 10 dark brown seeds that are large and circular-shaped.
The leaves, flowers seedpods and roots are all edible.

Did you know there’s websites in Australia that are dedicated to this tree?
Not only do they sell the seeds of Moringa, but they also supply Moringa oil, Moringa powders, Moringa multi-vitamin capsules, Moringa tea and Moringa soap.

Moringa seed pods

Any leaves that you’re not going to eat  make a fantastic fertiliser not just for your Moringa tree but for other plants as well.

Horse-radish tree has a deep tap root that not only searches out nutrients but makes it resistant to drought.  
Moringa oleifera trees grow well in warm to hot climates, because they’re a tropical to sub-tropical plant.
Planted in these zones Moringa will produce leaf or pods year round.
Moringa doesn’t like to grow much in cold climates and goes dormant below 18 ⁰ C .
In temperate zones it’s completely deciduous.
Having said that, people tell me that Moringa can handle a light frost when the branches have hardened and become woody.
It grows best between temperatures of between 25 to 35⁰C however, in semi-arid areas, you can grow Moringa or horse-radish tree because once it’s established, it can handle temperatures up to 48⁰ C as long as it gets watered every few days.
If the leaves look a little dehydrated and dry, it's time for some water.

When is the best time to grow Moringa?

Spring, Summer and Autumn are the best times to plant our your Horse radish tree.

I know some gardeners use horse radish for various health benefits, and if you live in a cold climate, you may just well try to grow it in a deep  pot on your verandah. Or just try and grow it in a sheltered spot in your garden.

They can be grown inside for a short period of time to shelter them from cold weather.
You can buy Moringa as a seedling or as seeds in Australia.
www.daleys.com.au

Moringa seeds

These seeds only stay viable for about a year, after that germination rate is hit and miss.

The seeds come in seed pods, crack the shells before planting and soak the seeds in water overnight.
Plant your seeds about 1 cm deep.

What do Moringa plants love?

Moringa likes a well-drained soil but can cope with temporary inundation.
Moringa can also grow in just about any soil-dry, sandy or poor soils are no problem.
Moringa can grow without fertiliser, but regular feeding with a good organic fertiliser will make the tree power grow strongly and produce lots of nutrient rich leaves.
During the first year, your Moringa tree can get to as much as 5 metres.
Don’t worry, if you don’t want a tall tree, pruning to keep it as a shrub is no problem.
When your seedling gets to about 60cm tall, start pinching out the top grow by about 10 cm.
Do this about four times in the first couple of months.
In fact, in countries where they harvest the trees for leaves and seed pods, they cut their Moringa trees down to 1 metre from the ground each year.
But for all you hard pruners, you can cut it to the ground-called coppicing.
That way you can get a shrub instead of a tree.

IMPORTANT TIP: The timber is soft so in the early stages this tree will need support as it will bend over in windy conditions.

What do you do with Moringa plant?
You’re now probably wondering what parts of the plant you can eat?
You can steam and eat the leaves like you would spinach.

Moringa flowers

When your tree’s about two years old, you’ll start seeing flowers and pods.. If you pick off the pods when they are young, tender, and green, you can eat them as green beans.
Older pods apparently get fibrous and develop a tough shell, but their pulp and immature seeds remain edible for a while before they start to ripen.
You can use the immature seeds like you would green peas.
As for the flowers, use them fresh or dried flowers to make teas.
You can also eat the fresh flowers-said to taste like mushrooms.
Why not try sautéed flowers with onions and a pinch of tumeric, or added to your omelette.
The peeled roots have been used as a substitute for horseradish.
Why are they good for you?
The benefits of Moringa read like it’s a super food.
Moringa has 90 nutrients , 46 antioxidants and much more.
Moringa has 17 times more calcium than milk, 15 times more potassium than bananas and 4 times more vitamin A than a carrot and 25 times more iron than Spinach.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Create a Succulent Garden

photo M Cannon

Do hot dry summers leave you despairing with all or parts of your garden?
Maybe it’s time to choose some plants that can withstand dry hot weather a bit better.
Succulents can provide a point of interest all year because of the different shapes, colours and textures of their leaves and their colourful flowers.
In the garden, they can be used for contrast, repetition, and texture.
Let’s find out about how create one of these gardens.
PLAY:Create a succulent garden _14th January 2015
Instead of just planting them straight into the ground there are other ways to incorporate succulents into the landscape to provide year round interest.
Some wonderful effects can be achieved by planting succulents in pots, troughs or other objects and placed in strategic places around the garden.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

It’s time to get Frangipani fever again. If you can't get enough of Frangipani flowers, and need to learn how to propagate more.
 I've got just the right information for you

Frangipani rubra photo M Cannon

.
Join me and Anthony Grassi from the Frangipani Society of Australia for an in depth look at ways to propagate the Frangi successfully. www.frangipanisociety.com.au
Let's find out some great information about Frangipani propagation.

photo M Cannon