Edible Gardens and Garlic

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Edible Garden series part 1

During the last month or more, seeds, and seedlings have been flying off the shelves.
Seed companies and nurseries, normally would expect that at the start of spring, but in these current times, people are turning to good old fashioned growing your own veggies.
That’s a good thing, but what should beginner and advanced gardeners really need to know to be successful.

Over the coming weeks, Glenice will be bringing to you a comprehensive guide to growing your own edible garden. Whether you have a large vegetable garden, a group of planters on a verandah or a few spaces within existing garden beds, you can at least grow some of your own food.

So how do you start?

Lynn Woods garden Ulverstone Tasmania.

Glenice says "Pick the spot that provides the most ideal conditions."

I'm talking with Glenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist.

So if you haven’t started a veggie garden yet think on this.

According to “sustainability Victoria” they reckon that if you grow your own food you
· save money and supplement your household food supply
· save water – home grown food uses less water relative to the amount of food harvested
· reduce your shopping miles
· reduce packaging
· reduce food waste
· enjoy fresher, more nutritious and more delicious food
· know exactly what you're eating (e.g. no pesticides)
· get some exercise and reduce your stress levels.

 Top Tips

Finding the right spot for your edible plants can sometimes be a bit of trial and error, however in general most vegetables will require about six hours of good direct sunlight for them to crop well. There are a few exceptions to this rule but in general six hours is the key. You can modify nearly everything else in gardening but you can’t modify or increase the amount of sunshine an area will receive unless you get into grow lights etc which is a whole other topic.

Ideally if you are going to grow vegetables in the ground, in pots or planters, you will need to also have a fairly flat area with no great slopes. If you are going to construct your own above ground beds, you will have a little bit more flexibility as you can build the beds to adapt to a slope. The other issue to think about is that you will be spending a fair amount of time in this space, so you need to ask yourself:
Things to consider:

•  Is it easy to bend over the beds and weed?
• Is the ground surface cover easy to walk and stand on?
• Can you access the areas easily with a wheel barrow?
• You also need to ask yourself:
• Can you get water in the area?
• Is there a tap close by?
• Do I need to get a longer hose?
• Do I need another water tank?

If you have any questions of course, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or glenice@glenicebuckdesigns.com.au

or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Garlic-Allium sativum 

Garlic comes from the Onion family. Alliaceae

You might have guessed that in medieval times, hanging Garlic outside your door warded off vampires.

• Not exactly in the same league as vampires but did you know that eating garlic helps keeps mosquitos away?

Where does Garlic come from?-a bit of history

Well it’s been around for so long that there’s only records of cultivated Allium longicupis  sometimes known as Wild Garlic, growing naturally in central Asia.

• Did you know that garlic as a crop, was used in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt from at least 2000 BC.

You probably would be surprised to learn that it’s been found in Egyptian tombs as an ingredient used in embalming and as an offering to the gods.

The Greeks and Romans saw garlic as a food that would give strength so that workmen and soldiers would use it.

• What about this for a sure fire hangover cure from Roman times- boil 16 bulbs (not cloves) of garlic in a bucket of wine, mmm lovely.
• Later on people thought that hanging garlic bulbs on doors would check the spread of diseases such as smallpox.

I think this was mistaken for what the London College of Physicians really recommended during the great plague in 1665, which was to eat the garlic not hang it somewhere.

But then, Louis Pasteur demonstrated, in 1858, that garlic could kill infectious germs.

Garlic was used throughout World War I to treat battle wounds and to cure dysentery.

During World War II, garlic was known as "Russian penicillin" because it was so effective in treating wound infections when adequate antibiotics were not available.

Sow direct in garden where they are to grow.

• Garlic grows best when the temperature is between 13º to 24ºC.
• That’s why Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest").

You can plant Garlic bulbs now in all districts of Australia, including cool temperate.

For cool districts, you’re right on the edge of when you can plant, so don’t delay, plant today.

• Garlic grows best on fertile, well-drained, loamy soils.

Any soil suitable for onions is good enough for Garlic.

As long as you give garlic a sunny position garlic is easy to grow.

 Soil pH should be in the range 5.5 to 7.0.

So you’ve bought your Garlic bulb, what do you do with it?

Do you plant it whole or what?

• What you need to do first is separate them from the bulb, point upwards, deep enough to just cover each clove with soil.
• When you plant the cloves, don't plant too deeply otherwise they will rot off.
• TIP: Plant them so the tops of the bulbs are just below the surface and about 8 cm apart with the point end facing up.
• Garlic usually takes about 17-25 weeks. 4-6 months to mature.

People always ask how do you know when my Garlic is ready?

• You can tell because the leaves or stalks have flopped over and turned brown.
• While your garlic is still growing, give it plenty of water, (especially in the coming spring).
• Also fertilise, 2 or 3 times throughout the growing season.
• Some young shoots can be cut off for a garnish or you can even pick the young garlic and eat the 'green' garlic leaves and all.
• Reduce water at end of Spring (4 weeks prior to harvesting) that’s if you plant them right away.
• If you're garlic has flowered, you've left it to long.

When they are ready to be dug up, ease bulbs out with a fork, careful not to damage bulbs because these won't store well or go a bit mouldy.

If you’ve got some good weather let them dry in the sun for a few days.

Otherwise hang to dry for 4 weeks in a warm place with good ventilation.

• Store in a cool airy place. This will prevent the bulbs from rotting.

Garlic is a fairly tough and easy-growing plant.

I n better soil with regular watering you will get a better crop.

On poorer soil, and forgetting to water them, you will still get some garlic, only not quite so much.

TIP: Leave a garlic PLANT  to go to seed, and you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.

• Cloves that haven’t been treated can be saved and planted in the garden.

Remember most garlic in supermarkets comes from China and has been sprayed with Methyl Bromide in quarantine.

Where to Buy
You can buy Garlic from online suppliers or from organic suppliers. Remember that garlic plants will grow to be 50 – 75cm  tall.

Like onions, there are early, mid season and late varieties available.

There are softneck and hardneck varieties.

• Softnecks are the most common garlics grown, and are the ones found in supermarkets.

Softneck garlic usually doesn’t have a flowerhead and have a longer shelf life (up to 9 months).There’s one called “Italian White” that’s available online.

Monaro purple, and Rocambole- are Hardnecks variety and these do have flowerheads like onions, and usually bigger cloves.

They don’t have as good a shelf life as they're softnecks and prefer cooler winters.

Rocamboles have excellent flavour, glamorous red-purple skins and easily peeled, with a single circle of 6-12 plump cloves.

• There’s also the extra large garlic called Elephant or Giant Russian garlic and has a milder flavour but is great for roasting.

This is actually a type of leek that you can get these from some markets that are around or from an online bulb company.

Why is it good for you?

There’s so much to be said about the health benefits of garlic. Garlic has been known to, ‘thin the blood’, much in the same way as fish oils.

It can help in lowering blood pressure and evidence is building in its use in lowering blood cholesterol levels.

If you eat only small amounts of garlic – like 1-2 cloves in the family dinner, you won’t get that many nutrients, but if you eat lots of garlic, like they do in Italy, Korea and China, where people there eat as much as eight to 12 cloves per day; then you’ll get  lots of dietary fibre, potassium, iron, zinc and vitamin C.

Garlic mushrooms anyone?

While that sounds like a lot of garlic, increasing the amount; you eat five or more cloves a day isn’t hard if you use it every time you cook.

Include it in soups, casseroles, even mashed potatoes.

You could also make a habit of snacking on garlicky dishes like hummus with vegetables.

TIP:Many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic immediately after crushing or chopping it, but to maximize the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.

AND THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

Funky Fungi,, Garlicky Garlic and Gorgeous Gardenias

What’s On The Show Today?

Not just ordinary mushrooms but wild mushrooms on the Good Earth segment. Find out why you need to grow your own garlic in Vegetable Heroes, and plants the scramble as well as climb in design elements; Lastly, one of the most aromatic of flowers in Talking Flowers.

THE GOOD EARTH

Preserving, Pickling, and Drying Wild Picked Mushrooms
If you want to pick wild mushrooms, then you only have one opportunity which is this Autumn.
Where do you go? Any State Pine Forest as they are open to the public.

Take a guide with you if your are new to wild picking mushrooms.

Saffron Milk Caps

 So what do you do with them if you pick 5 kg of mushrooms to take home? 
Let’s find out about this wonderful problem.
I'm talking with Margaret Mossakowska of www.mosshouse.com.au

If you’re going wild picking, pick the ones with gills underneath, Saffron Milk Caps or ones with sponge underneath, which are the Slippery Jack. 

Slippery Jack Mushrooms

If you’re not sure, go with an experienced guide, like Margaret before you go foraging.
Slippery Jacks by the way taste similar to Porcini mushrooms.
Remember Margaret’s tip: microwave ovens don’t dry mushrooms.
Pickling mixture can be the same as for cucumbers. If you have any questions either for me or Margaret, you can email us Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Growing Your Own Garlic
Garlic-Allium sativum comes from the Onion family. Alliaceae

You might have guessed that in medieval times, hanging Garlic outside your door warded off vampires.
Not exactly in the same league as vampires but did you know that eating garlic helps keeps mosquitos away?

Growing Your Own Garlic

There’s even a fact sheet from the DPI about growing garlic
There’s also a website devoted entirely to garlic growing in Australia.
I'm talking with Dr Patrice Newell, Manager of Elmswood Farm in the Upper Hunter Valley.

www.patricenewell.com.au

 Dr Newell's farm has diversified into not only growing garlic commercially but also olives, and honey.

Best Tip: Plant out your garlic bulbs before they have sprouted so that the bulb can form roots before the vegetative growth.

However, if your little bulbs have already sprouted, don't throw them away, they will still grow for you. 

Types of Garlic to Grow

Like onions, there are early, mid season and late varieties available.

There are softneck and hardneck varieties.

• Softnecks are the most common garlics grown, and are the ones found in supermarkets. 
• Softneck garlic usually doesn’t have a flowerhead and have a longer shelf life (up to 9 months).There’s one called “Italian White” that’s available online. 
• Monaro purple, and Rocambole- are Hardnecks variety and these do have flowerheads like onions, and usually bigger cloves. 
• They don’t have as good a shelf life as the softnecks and prefer cooler winters. 
• Rocamboles have excellent flavour, glamorous red-purple skins and easily peeled, with a single circle of 6-12 plump cloves. 

There’s also the extra large garlic called Elephant or Giant Russian garlic and has a milder flavour but is great for roasting.

This is actually a type of leek that you can get these from some markets that are around or from an online bulb company.

Remember most garlic in supermarkets comes from China and has been sprayed with Methyl Bromide in quarantine.

When to grow
Sow direct in garden where they are to grow.
Garlic grows best when the temperature is between 13º to 24ºC.
That’s why Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest").
You can plant Garlic blubs now in all districts of Australia, including cool temperate.
For cool districts, you’re right on the edge of when you can plant, so don’t delay, plant today.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Beautiful and Useful Scrambler Shrubs
When is a shrub not a shrub?

When it’s a climber shrub or is there such a thing?
You may have even heard of scrambling climbers such as Bougainvillea.
These are climbing plants that have much thicker stems and sort of support themselves partially, in fact I think of them as leaning against a support rather than twining, weaving or twisting into one.
Let’s find out about them.

I'm talking with Peter Nixon Garden Designer and Director of Paradisus Garden Design.


Peter mentioned Solandra longiflora, which has thick stems but a manageable habit.
Jasminum multipartitum or Jasminum nitidum for a shadier spot. 

There are plenty of scrambling climbers or climber shrubs in the rose family also as well as Pandorea jasminoides, or Bower vine, Hibbertia scandens sometimes called guinea or snake vine. 

Pandorea Jasminoides

If you have a question either for me or Peter, why not drop us a line to 

realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

TALKING FLOWERS

Gardenias:

Gardenia is named in honour of Scottish born Alexander Garden (1730-1791) who moved to Charleston, South Carolina in the 1750’s and was a botanist, zoologist, and physician,

The Gardenia is a group that is made up of 142 species.

The most popular cultivated Gardenia species is Gardenia Jasminoides (also called Gardenia Augusta, Gardenia Grandiflora, Gardenia Schlechteri or Gardenia Florida), commonly known as Common Gardenia .

These are great flowering plants and they are actually going to be found mainly in tropical and subtropical climates.

The gardenia is actually an evergreen shrub, and is one of the most aromatic of garden flowers. The flowers are a waxy creamy white that contrasts with the dark green glossy leaves.

They love heat and are native to the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania.

BUT, they’re not the easiest shrubs to grow with “ my gardenia has yellow leaves” being one of the most asked questions on gardening talkback radio.

They grow best in frost free areas north of Sydney and Perth but will grow in Adelaide and Melbourne in a warm spot. 

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini of www.flowersbymercedes.com.au/

Recorded live during broadcast of Real World Gardener radio program in Sydney. Unfortunately only the first two minutes came out.

Quiet Birds and Quirky Conifers

WILDLIFE IN FOCUS

Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike Coracina novaehollandiae
It’s funny that some birds live in our urban areas but we don’t know that they’re there.
Mainly because they’re not aggressive, a bit on the quiet side and don’t pick up leftovers from the barbecue.
But there they are all the same, living quietly amongst us.
Let’s find out what it is now.I'm talking with Dr Holly Parsons, Manager of Birds in Backyards. www.birdsinbackyards.net

That was Dr Holly Parsons, Manager of Birds in Backyards. www.birdsinbackyards.net


Black Faced Cuckoo Shrike photo Birds in Backyards

So Cuckoo-shrikes are neither cuckoos nor shrikes, but are called that because their feathers have similar patterns to those of cuckoos and their beak shape resembles that of shrikes?
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes have a black face and throat, blue-grey back, wings and tail, and white underparts.
These Shufflewings or Black Faced Cuckoo Shrieks forage in trees, and sometimes over open paddocks, for caterpillars, other insects, and occasionally fruit.
They fly from tree to tree, often landing on a prominent perch  which gives them a vantage pointfrom where they can pounce on their prey.
The Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike is found many suburbs, where these birds are often seen perched on overhead wires or television aerials.If you have any questions about the Black Faced cuckoo shrike or any other bird 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

Garlic-Allium sativum comes from the Onion family. Alliaceae
You might have guessed that in medieval times, hanging Garlic outside your door warded off vampires.
Not exactly in the same league as vampires but did you know that eating garlic helps keeps mosquitos away?
There’s even a fact sheet from the DPI about growing garlic
There’s also a website devoted entirely to garlic growing in Australia.
Where does Garlic come from?
Well it’s been around for so long that there’s only records of cultivated Allium longicupis  sometimes known as Wild Garlic, growing naturally in central Asia.
Did you know that garlic as a crop, was used in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt from at least 2000 BC.
The Greeks and Romans saw garlic as a food that would give strength so that workmen and soldiers would use it.
What about this for a sure fire hangover cure from Roman times- boil 16 bulbs (not cloves) of garlic in a bucket of wine, mmm lovely.
Later on people thought that hanging garlic bulbs on doors would check the spread of diseases such as smallpox.
I think this was mistaken for what the London College of Physicians really recommended during the great plague in 1665, which was to eat the garlic not hang it somewhere.
But then, Louis Pasteur demonstrated, in 1858, that garlic could kill infectious germs.
Garlic was used throughout World War I to treat battle wounds and to cure dysentery.
During World War II, garlic was known as "Russian penicillin" because it was so effective in treating wound infections when adequate antibiotics were not available.
Sow direct in garden where they are to grow.
Garlic grows best when the temperature is between 13º to 24ºC.
That’s why Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest").
You can plant Garlic blubs now in all districts of Australia, including cool temperate.
For cool districts, you’re right on the edge of when you can plant, so don’t delay, plant today.
Garlic grows best on fertile, well-drained, loamy soils.
Any soil suitable for onions is good enough for Garlic.
As long as you give garlic a sunny position garlic is easy to grow.
 Soil pH should be in the range 5.5 to 7.0.
So you’ve bought your Garlic bulb, what do you do with it?

Garlic bulbs from online suppliers

Do you plant it whole or what?
What you need to do first is separate them from the bulb, point upwards, deep enough to just cover each clove with soil.
When you plant the cloves, don't plant too deeply otherwise they will rot off.
TIP: Plant them so the tops of the bulbs are just below the surface and about 8 cm apart with the point end facing up.
Garlic usually takes about 17-25 weeks. 4-6 months to mature.
People always ask how do you know when my Garlic is ready?
You can tell because the leaves or stalks have flopped over and turned brown.
 
While your garlic is still growing, give it plenty of water, (especially in the coming spring).
Also fertilise, 2 or 3 times throughout the growing season.
Some young shoots can be cut off for a garnish or you can even pick the young garlic and eat the 'green' garlic leaves and all.
Reduce water at end of Spring (4 weeks prior to harvesting) that’s if you plant them right away.
When they are ready to be dug up, ease bulbs out with a fork, careful not to damage bulbs because these won't store well or go a bit mouldy.
If you’ve got some good weather let them dry in the sun for a few days.
Otherwise hang to dry for 4 weeks in a warm place with good ventilation. 

Garlic plant photo M Cannon

Store in a cool airy place.
This will prevent the bulbs from rotting.
Garlic is a fairly tough and easy-growing plant.

TIP: Leave a garlic PLANT  to go to seed, and you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.

Remember most garlic in supermarkets comes from China and has been sprayed with Methyl Bromide in quarantine.
Garlic plants will grow to be 50 – 75cm  tall.
Like onions, there are early, mid season and late varieties available.
These are softneck and hardneck varieties.
Softnecks are the most common garlics grown, and are the ones found in supermarkets.
Softneck garlic usually doesn’t have a flowerhead and have a longer shelf life (up to 9 months).There’s one called “Italian White” that’s available online.
Monaro purple, and Rocambole- are Hardnecks variety and these do have flowerheads like onions, and usually bigger cloves.
They don’t have as good a shelf life as the softnecks and prefer cooler winters.
Rocamboles have excellent flavour, glamorous red-purple skins and easily peeled, with a single circle of 6-12 plump cloves.
There’s also the extra large garlic called Elephant or Giant Russian garlic and has a milder flavour but is great for roasting.
This is actually a type of leek that you can get these from some markets that are around or from an online bulb company.
Why is it good for you?
There’s so much to be said about the health benefits of garlic. Garlic has been known to, ‘thin the blood’, much in the same way as fish oils.
It can help in lowering blood pressure.
If you eat only small amounts of garlic – like 1-2 cloves in the family dinner, you won’t get that many nutrients, but if you eat lots of garlic, like they do in Italy, Korea and China, where people there eat as much as eight to 12 cloves per day; then you’ll get  lots of dietary fibre, potassium, iron, zinc and vitamin C.
While that sounds like a lot of garlic, increasing the amount; you eat five or more cloves a day isn’t hard if you use it every time you cook.
Include it in soups, casseroles, even mashed potatoes.
You could also make a habit of snacking on garlicky dishes like hummus with vegetables.
TIPs from the chef.

Garlic plant photo M Cannon

Many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic immediately after crushing or chopping it, but to maximize the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.
THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS
Growing plants on Alkaline Soil; which plants love this type of soil?
By now you know what your soil pH is and want to know what to grow in it without having to change it.
There’s quite a lot of plants that prefer either alkaline or acid soil, so today’s episode is concentrating on the alkaline pH.

I'm talking with Glenice Buck, Consulting Arborist and Landscape Designer.

Beared Iris are alkaline soil loving photo M Cannon

Let’s find out which plants in this segment about soil pH.

Soils in arid climates and also on coral tropical islands tend to be alkaline, with a pH factor of 7.0 or higher.
Also those parts of Australia that are based on Limestone parent material such as the Limestone Coast, will have alkaline soils.
This is caused by the high percentage of lime (calcium carbonate) in soil of these regions. 

That Hydrangea Question:

Pink Hydranges photo M Cannon

Pink Hydrangeas means you have alkaline soils.
Some of the plants that were mentioned as preferring alkaline soil:

Evergreen shrubs (e.g.Buxus , Ceanothus - California lilacs, Aucuba, Bottle brush (Callistemon Harkness), Coastal Tea Tree (Leptospermum laevigatum), myoprum, plumbago, acacia, agonis and banksia)

Deciduous shrubs (e.g., lilacs, mock oranges, Forsythia species, tamarix)
Perennials (e.g.Acanthus, dianthus, Heuchera hellebores,Helichrysum, Plectranthus, Bearded Iris,
Trees – eg Hibisicus syriacus, Quercus robur, Crabapple, Poinciana trees, Arbutus unedo -  Irish Strawberry tree
Many succulents.
Just a reminder that soil pH is important because it influences how easily plants can take up nutrients from the soil.  If you’re soil’s too acidic or too alkaline, it will take quite a few months to change the pH, but that doesn’t mean you should give up now.   

PLANT OF THE WEEK

DWARF CONIFERS :QUIRKY OR NOT?
What makes a conifer?
A tree which bears cones and needle-like or scale-like leaves the majority of which are evergreen. Long before flowering plants ruled the plant there were these guys, standing tall and covering most parts of the land mass.


Mt Tomah Botanic Garden photo M Cannon

Some of those ancient trees that have survived today grow really, really tall, but we’re not talking tall at all today.
Let’s find out what this group of plants is.
I'm talking with  the plant panel : Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal www.hortjournal.com.au  and Jeremy Critchley, The Green Gallery wholesale nursery owner. www.thegreengallery.com.au


Conifers come in all shapes, colours and sizes.
Did you know that conifers from hotter areas with high sunlight levels (e.g. Turkish Pine Pinus brutia) often have yellower-green leaves, while others (e.g. Blue Spruce Picea pungens) have a very strong glaucous wax bloom to reflect ultraviolet light.
Some of the varieties mentioned were:

Thuja orientalis "Aurea nana"

Thuja orientalis 'Aurea Nana'  "Golden Biota or Bookleaf
" A very popular conifer, forming a neat globular shape with a smooth outline. In summer the plant is bright gold, greener in winter. Very hardy, excellent in pots. Supposed to grow to only 1 metre but when in the ground, has expanded to be over 2 metres by 3 metres wide.

Juniperus communis 'Depressed Star'

A low spreading shrub growing to approx 1metre wide by 30cm high. The foliage is a fresh green colour in summer, coppery green in winter.

Cedrus deodara 'Feelin Blue' 

A low spreading Cedar with beautiful blue foliage. In 10 years a spread of more than 1metre should be achieved.
Often grafted as a standard.

 

Picea glauca 'Elf' 

A very slow grower, forming a beautiful round ball. Covered in soft, light green, fluffy foliage in spring; darker green for the rest of the year. In 10 years, it may reach 30cm x 30cm.

Don’t be put off by the few specimens that you’ve seen in gardens or are available in garden centres because they’re only a small percentage of what’s available.

 

 











 





 

Rusty Gardening with Soul

PLANT DOCTOR

Did you know that rusts are amongst the most common fungal diseases of garden plants?


Rust on all parts of the bean plants

Trees, shrubs, herbaceous and bedding plants, grasses, bulbs, fruit and vegetables can all be affected. Notice the rust pustules on the bean pod itself as well as the leaves.
Rust diseases are unsightly and often (but not always) reduce plant vigour.

In extreme cases, rust infection can even kill the plant.
Listen to these solutions to rust on your plants. I'm talking with General Manager, Steve Falcioni from www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au
Rust can effect many different garden plants, and for the most part, each plant has a specific type of rust that won't transfer to a different type or genus of plant.




rust on Pelargonium leaves

The main symptoms to look out for are pustules, or raised bumps on leaves and occasionally on other aerial parts.
Pustules may be orange, yellow, brown, black or white in colour.
Rust is caused by fungus, and rust can happen at any time if you’ve the right conditions and climate but is seen mainly in mid- to late summer and autumn.
If you have any questions about rust on your plants or have a photo to send it, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Garlic-Allium sativum comes from the Onion family. Alliaceae
Back in medieval times hanging Garlic outside your door warded off vampires.
Not exactly in the same league as vampires but did you know that eating garlic helps keeps mosquitos away?

Where does Garlic come from?
Well it’s been around for so long that there’s only records of cultivated Allium longicupis  sometimes known as Wild Garlic, which grows naturally in central Asia.
Cultivated garlic was used in Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt from at least 2000 BC.
You probably would be surprised to learn that it’s been found in Egyptian tombs as an ingredient used in embalming and as an offering to the gods.
The Greeks and Romans saw garlic as a food that would give strength and workmen and soldiers would use it.

HANGOVER CURE OR NOT?
What about this for a sure fire hangover cure from Roman times- boil 16 bulbs (not cloves) of garlic in a bucket of wine, mmm lovely.

Louis Pasteur demonstrated, in 1858, that garlic could kill infectious germs. Garlic was used throughout World War I to treat battle wounds and to cure dysentery. During World War II, garlic was known as "Russian penicillin" because it was so effective in treating wound infections when adequate antibiotics were not available.
Sow direct in garden where they are to grow.
Garlic grows best when the temperature is between 13º to 24ºC.

That’s why Garlic is traditionally planted in cold weather and harvested in summer ("plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest").

When to Plant
You can plant Garlic blubs now in all districts of Australia, including cool temperate.
For cool districts, you’re right on the edge of when you can plant, so don’t delay, plant today.

Garlic grows best on fertile, well-drained, loamy soils.
Any soil suitable for onions is good enough for Garlic.
As long as you give garlic a sunny position garlic is easy to grow.  Soil pH should be in the range 5.5 to 7.0.
Plant the cloves after separating them from the bulb, point upwards, deep enough to just cover with soil.
When you plant the cloves, don't plant too deeply otherwise they will rot off.

TIP: Plant them so the tops of the bulbs are just below the surface and about 8 cm apart with the point end facing up.
Garlic usually takes about 17-25 weeks. 4-6 months to mature. People always ask how do you know when my Garlic is ready?

You can tell because the leaves or stalks have flopped over and turned brown.
Give them plenty of water, (especially in spring).

Also fertilise them, 2 or 3 times throughout the growing season.
Some young shoots can be cut off for a garnish or you can even pick thye  young garlic and eat the 'green' garlic leaves and all.

Reduce water at end of Spring (4 weeks prior to harvesting) that’s if you plant them right away.
Storing Garlic
When they are ready to be dug up, ease bulbs out with a fork, careful not to damage bulbs because these won't store well or go a bit mouldy.
If you’ve got some good weather let them dry in the sun for a few days.
Otherwise hang to dry for 4 weeks in a warm place with good ventilation. Store in a cool airy place. This will prevent the bulbs from rotting.
Garlic is a fairly tough and easy-growing plant.

I n better soil with regular watering you will get a better crop.
On poorer soil, and forgetting to water them, you will still get some garlic, only not quite so much.
TIP: Leave a garlic PLANT  to go to seed, and you will probably get plenty of self-sown plants the following year.
Cloves that haven’t been treated can be saved and planted in the garden.
Remember most garlic in supermarkets comes from China and has been sprayed with Methyl Bromide in quarantine.
You can buy Garlic from online suppliers or from organic suppliers. Remember that garlic plants will grow to be 2/3m and more tall.

Types of Garlic

Like onions, there are early, mid season and late varieties available.
There are softneck and hardneck varieties. Softnecks are the most common garlics grown, and are the ones found in supermarkets.

Softneck garlic - usually doesn’t have a flowerhead and have a longer shelf life (up to 9 months).There’s one called “Italian White” that’s available from    www.diggers.com.au


 Monaro purple, and Rocambole- are Hardnecks variety and these do have flowerheads like onions, and usually bigger cloves. They don’t have as good a shelf life as the softnecks and prefer cooler winters. Rocamboles have excellent flavour, glamorous red-purple skins and easily peeled, with a single circle of 6-12 plump cloves.

 An artichoke type has cloves that overlap each other like an artichoke. There can be 3 or 4 layers. Buy this one from Diggers also
There is also the extra large garlic called Elephant or Giant Russian garlic and has a milder flavour but is great for roasting. This is actually a type of leek that you can get these from some markets that are around or from an www.lakenurseries.com.au
Why is it good for you?
Garlic is thought to help in lowering blood pressure and evidence is building in its use in lowering blood cholesterol levels.
 If you eat only small amounts of garlic – like 1-2 cloves in the family dinner, you won’t get that many nutrients, but if you eat lots of garlic, like they do in Italy, Korea and China, where people there eat as much as eight to 12 cloves per day; then you’ll get  lots of dietary fibre, potassium, iron, zinc and vitamin C.
While that sounds like a lot of garlic, increasing the amount; you eat five or more cloves a day isn’t hard if you use it every time you cook.
Include it in soups, casseroles, even mashed potatoes.
You could also make a habit of snacking on garlicky dishes like hummus with vegetables.
TIP:Many home chefs mistakenly cook garlic immediately after crushing or chopping it, but to maximize the health benefits, you should crush the garlic at room temperature and allow it to sit for about 15 minutes. That triggers an enzyme reaction that boosts the healthy compounds in garlic.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

with Louise McDaid Landscape Designer

Gardening with Shallow and Rocky Soil part2,- What Plants?
Have you got shallow rocky soil somewhere in your garden?
Maybe it’s in all of the garden.
You’ve tried this or that plant and it’s either just sat and sulked, or grown but it’s quite stunted.
Maybe a rethink of what plants work in these conditions is what’s needed.
Look at some of the local plants that do well in your area, generally smaller plants will have smaller root systems – alpine plants are good for rockeries, coming from regions with shallow soil, this applies to Mediterranean areas as well that have shabby soil – use lists from these regions to research plants that might suit your place. Here's just a few suggestions..



Some herbs like purple sages, tricolour sages, Creeping Thyme - Thymus serpyllum - nectar rich and thrives in thin soil forming a dense cover, stachys, small hebes, small buxus..etc !
There are loads of plants you can grow in soil that’s shallow.

Just take a look at the depth of the pots in the garden centres and you can gauge what might grow in shallow soil-excluding the 3m plus shrubs of course.

Plant a mix to get something interesting happening all year round for you to enjoy as well as the animals, birds and insects that visit and live in your garden.

 

FEATURE INTERVIEW WITH FILM DIRECTOR JESS FEAST

 

"The journey of the film ‘Gardening with Soul’ began several years ago when I heard an interview with Sister Loyola Galvin on National Radio following her 2008 ‘Gardener of the Year’ win.  She was immediately engaging as a person and seemed to me to embody that wonderful old wisdom held by my grandparents generation, wisdom that would soon be lost if not preserved properly. 

So I arranged to meet Sister Loyola and after a series of conversations was inspired to explore the idea of writing a book about her. But before I got too far along this track, I was sidetracked by a “small” film project that turned into a much larger one (as they tend to do). 

Following a seasonal structure, I set out to film with Sister Loyola over a year.  While mapping out her story with this metaphor in mind I also kept my options open, allowing room for things to grow and evolve, and just capturing what happened in her daily life.  There is a rhythm to the garden, through the seasons and also through days.  There is a patience too, a sense of time and change.

 

The shoot also required patience, on both our parts, and this long-term approach to filming paid off in the genuine revelation of aging and also in the evolving intimacy between Sister Loyola and I."

To find out more about this film visit

www.gardeningwithsoul.squarespace.com/ and www.facebook.com/GardeningWithSoul
 

Short synopsis - 90-year-old nun Sister Loyola Galvin shares insights on faith, aging, compassion and compost during a year in her garden.

 Gardening with Soul is a feature length documentary following a year in the garden with 90-year-old Sister Loyola Galvin. Sister Loyola's optimism is infectious and it's fed every day by her love of gardening. Themes of faith, aging and compassion sit alongside the practicalities of community life, issues within the Catholic Church and the importance of good compost in this intimate, funny and moving portrait of a woman approaching the end of her life.