Earthworks and Fragrant Gardens

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network.
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.
The Good Earth: This month's permaculture segment with Tafe teacher Penny Pyett, delves into the doing stage of your permaculture garden or "Earthworks." You might include a swale as part of your earthworks to collect or redirect water in your garden so it waters your garden beds rather than running off. Listen here to find out more.

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Vegetable Heroes:  Shallots are Allium var aggregatum or the Aggregatum group.
They used to be classified in the onion in the Alliaceae family but now it’s in the Amaryllidaceae or lilly family.
  Unlike onions or leeks, shallots are made up of cloves – similar to garlic. Cloves. 
True Shallots grow in small, tight clusters so that when you break one open there may be two or three bunched together at the root. They have a brown skin and remind me of a giant garlic clove in shape only.
  Unlike garlic and onions shallots don’t have that strong sulphuric aroma and irritating fumes. They’re easy to grow, mature faster and  require less space than onions and garlic.
In temperate and sub-tropical climates you can plant them almost all year from February to September. 
In cool temperate climates you have all year except for June and July, and also for arid climates you can only grow them between September and February. So wait until then, although I saw a post from Arthur the mad gardener who says he lives in an arid part of Australia and he planted his shallots in May. 
Shallots are normally grown from small starter shallots or sest (immature bulbs) that you can either buy from a catalogue, online or your local garden centre. Plant shallots sets about 2cm deep with the tips slightly protruding from the soil’s surface.
Once you get shallots growing in your garden, you have them forever by just saving out a small part of each year's crop as next year's starters.
Some tips for growing shallots –give them a good watering once you’ve planted them but ease off the watering as they mature, unless your district has been overly dry.
If you want well-defined cloves of shallot, feed plants often.
This is where worm or compost tea come to the fore., because in cooler weather, liquid fertilisers are the only ones that actually do any good for your plants.
Planting in winter means that they should be ready around spring time.
When the bulbs are about a 1cm around and the leaves are starting to yellow, that’s the time to lift your shallot bulbs.
Shake off any soil dry them out in a warm dry area for a week before storing them in a cool dry place.
Online suppliers:  www.greenharvest.com.au www.newgipps.com.au
  www.diggerseeds.com.au
Design Elements: We can have Federation, Bush garden or Cottage garden styles, but we learnt last week that you can have different themes within these styles. Ever thought of a fragrant area in your style of garden? Let’s find out how.

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Plant of the Week:Tristaniopsis laurina "Luscious." -    tolerates a wide range of soils and climate conditions except for very dry climates. Grows to 7-8 metres tall and about 4 metres wide with superb large green leaves and fragrant yellow flowers in Summer. new growth that starts out a distinctive copper colour. Over time branches develop a deep purple colour bark that peels back to reveal a cream smooth trunk. If you’re in the market for a new tree, don’t go past this one.
 Water Gums (common name) sound too big for most gardens, but not this new release that has it all. Unlike the traditional water gum, the Luscious Water Gum has a  dense form making an attractive hedge or screen. A great summer shade tree or feature tree.
For more information see www.flemings.com.au

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What is Permaculture and Where to Put That Sculpture?

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition.

NEW SEGMENT:The Good Earth:The Good Earth segment with Penny Pyett will feature about once a month. Penny Pyett is the director of the Sydney Institute of Permaculture www.permaculturesydneyinstitute.org.  to find a group near your, http://permacultureaustralia.org.au or just put in permaculture groups  into your search engine . Listen here to the introduction.

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Vegetable Heroes: Mustard Lettuce/Greens, -  Brassica juncea. 
The flowers of Mustard Lettuce are very attractive to beneficial insects. And Mustard Greens tolerate light frost.
In all districts you can sow Mustard Lettuce seeds in spring and autumn. 
Mustard is grown like lettuce. Although it’s more heat tolerant than lettuce, long hot summer days will force the plant to bolt (go to seed) so it’s better to sow it in Autumn in warmer districts.
One of the mustard plant facts is that it loves cold. I have some popping up around my garden at the moment, not too many to make them a nuisance but enough for me to not have to save the seeds.         The variety I have is Red Giant. 
Red Giant has deep purplish-red, large, Savoy leaves with white mid-ribs. I would say about 25 to 30cm long and about half as wide.
The thick leaves have a medium spicy flavour and are excellent for adding to sandwiches with ham or other meats. 
 Supposedly all Red mustard varieties prefer cool climates for growing with full sun and rich soil with temperatures below 20⁰ C. but I’ve found that they can tolerate heat a lot more than they’re supposed to.  I’d recommend them for all temperate climates as well.
Frost is tolerable, but freezing temperatures will kill crops.
TIP: Where to get the seed? If you’re wondering where to get the seed varieties like Red Giant, or Ruby Streak and Golden streaks that have finely serrated leaves, you can easily get them from online suppliers, www.greenharvest.com.au-            www.cornucopiaseeds.com.au
Available in herb section of garden centres and nurseries.
Keep up the water to your plants during dry periods. 
Leaves get tough and have a strong flavour during hot, dry weather.
You Mustard lettuce should be ready in around 4-5 weeks.
I’ve gotta say, my Mustard lettuce pretty much looks after itself. I’ve always got a couple coming up in the veggie bed, and this year, only a couple of others in other spots in the garden.
Mustard lettuce leaves can be eaten raw, or cooked. For salads pick the leaves when they’re still small and tender. 
Either pick individual leaves just as you would any cut and come again lettuce, or the entire plant.            If you want to collect Mustard seeds, do this when the plants begin to yellow. You want to leave them on the plants as long as possible, but before the pods burst open and spill their seeds. That’s why last year I had hundreds of the little seedlings all over my veggie bed.
By the way, beneficial insects like lacewings and Predatory wasps like the yellow flowers of mustard plants.

Design Elements: Gardens shouldn’t be just a pretty place or a collection of plants, because it’s not a museum for plants, but a living thing. Demonstrate your personal design style and artistic interest with a garden sculpture. Use it as a complement to your plantings and landscape design or you can even use a specific piece of garden art as a focal point as you design your landscape. Listen here to the podcast with garden designer Lesley Simpson.

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Plant of the Week:Grevillea "Cherry Pie."  We all know the garden is a living thing but few gardeners don’t want a host of other living things that make up our garden ecosystem. The bugs, the lizards, the butterflies and bees, sometimes a mammal or two, and the birds.
If you want to encourage small birds to your garden you need to plant shrubbery with small flowers that these birds enjoy, like in plant of the week.
For more information go to http://www.austraflora.com/newreleases.html

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