Rain Gardens and Growing Celeriac

THE GOOD EARTH

Rain Gardens or Flood Mitigation.

Rain isn’t always reliable so rather than letting it flow into the stormwater especially when there’s a deluge, there are ways to let slow the water. 

Of course there’s rainwater tanks, but you may need more than what they can hold.
You need to change your thinking and work out a way to keep water in your garden longer.
Let’s find out more.
I'm talking with Celeriac Margaret Mossakowska, director of www.mosshouse.com.au


Slowing the rush of water when there’s a deluge, will prevent your drains from backing up and possibly flooding your house.

• You can create rain gardens, wetlands or bog gardens.

If you have a spot in your garden where water likes to gather after rain, that's a good spot to create a bog garden.  It doesn't have to be any deeper than 10cm.

There are many Australian natives that would suit to grow in a bog garden.

Plants that suit for this situation are 

Marsh Flower (Villarsia exaltata), 

Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), 

Tassel Sedge (Carex fascicularis), 

Jointed Twig-rush (Baumea articulata) and Water Ribbons (Triglochin procerum).

Rain gardens are a filtering garden and aim to slow water from leaving your property.

Think of all that water gushing out of your downpipe going to the storm water, when instead, it could be passing through a rain garden.

Choose any container, such as half a rainwater tank, or any sort of large plastic container.

Have an overlow at least half way up rather than letting the soil at the top float away.

Put in lots of sand at the bottom with soil/compost on top. The rain should just percolate through this soil rather than rushing down the drain.
Reed and native grasses suit to be planted in this type of garden.
There’s a choice of rain gardens or bog gardens, it’s up to you.
If you want to know more or if you have any questions about reed beds, rain gardens or flood gardens, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Celeriac

• Ever heard of the ugly duckling of the vegetable world?

I could think of several but Celeriac or Apium graveolens var rapaceum has been described as the ugly duckling of vegetables, or just plain ugly.

But if you don’t think of vegetables as pretty or ugly, don’t be put off by all that talk because it’s pretty useful to have in your garden.

• Celeriac is closely related to celery even though it looks nothing like it.
• The early Greeks called celeriac, selinon and it’s mentioned in Homer's Odyssey in 800 B.C., That means, Celeriac has been grown as an edible plant for thousands of years.

Celeriac looks like it might be the root of something, but it actually is the swollen stem.

The usual size you see in the supermarket is roughly 10cm, a very pale brown, rough, almost acne’ed looking ball with lime green tops.

• Celeriac, like many "roots", is a long-season, cool-weather crop;

The green tops look a bit like celery, and the smell is similar but a bit stronger.

The thick, rough brownish skin covers a creamy white, crisp inside that’s slightly hotter tasting than celery.

Celeriac also grows more easily and keeps longer than celery, making it an excellent winter vegetable.

You also don’t have to do any of that blanching the stems as they’re growing like you do with celery.

• When to grow it?

In sub-tropical areas you can sow the seed in March, April and August.

In arid areas, you’ll have to wait until next Spring and in most other regions of Australia, you can sow the seed in Spring, Summer and Autumn, except for the tropics. It’s not really suited to that region.

But should you be listening somewhere in tropical Qld, and have grown Celeriac, please drop us a line about your success.

• Celeriac is best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 21°C. Hot summers won’t suit this plant. Wait until this hot weather takes a break or  start the seeds off in punnets.
• Tip:Celeriac seeds are a bit hard to germinate, but if you soak the seeds in a saucer of water with a splash of seaweed solution, this will help the germination rate.

Like a lot of members of the Celery family, Celeriac likes soil that has plenty of organic compost and manures, otherwise, it’ll bolt to seed.

If you start your Celeriac seed in punnets, you can control the moisture content of the mix more easily rather than in the garden bed. Transplant when there’s at least 4 leaves.

Celeriac loves wet soil. You can’t water it too much, and a thick layer of mulch will help in keeping the soil moist and keeping out the weeds, unlike in this picture.

• If you don’t water it enough you might get hollow roots or the plant will bolt to seed.
• Keep the weeds down as well because celeriac doesn’t compete well with weeds,  but don’t disturb its shallow roots.
• As the root develops, snip off side roots and hill the soil over the developing root.
• Side dressing periodically during the growing season with an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen, like chook poo, is also helpful, but don't overdo it, otherwise you’ll get lots of leaf, rather than root, growth.

Easy Does It: Take It Slow

Celeriac is slow-growing, taking around seven months from seed to  maturity (that is, about four months from transplanting), although the root is edible at any earlier stage.

• The longer you leave celeriac in the garden, the larger the root gets; some say they don’t really get woody when large, while others say dig them up when they’re small (10cm diameter).
• And again, some say celeriac is frost-tender, while others say a few light frosts won't bother it. I’ve heard that "celeriac increases in flavour after the first frost.

You can leave them in the ground over-winter, harvesting as you need them..

• One other thing, some recommend drawing soil up around the stems in early autumn, to blanch them; but that’s entirely up to you and I tend not to bother.
• When it grows, the swollen Celeriac stem tends to push itself out of the soil, sitting just a few centimetres of soil level.
  

If it doesn’t do that for you, you might have to give it a helping hand, and scrape away some of the soil towards the end of the growing season.

• Apart from the long growing season, pests don’t seem to like Celeriac, so a bonus. No spraying needed.

What do you do with this vegetable?

Whatever you do with potato you can do with celeriac.

You can also eat it raw. –can grate it or cut it into thin strips or cubes, and to serve it as a salad seasoned with a dressing.

Celeriac can also be cooked, either on its own or together with other vegetables.

It makes a good puree mixed with potatoes, but best of all, it makes a non-starch substitute for potatoes.

Why is it good for you?

Raw celeriac is an excellent source of potassium and a good source of vitamin C, phosphorus, vitamin B6, magnesium and iron.

Cooked celeriac is a good source of potassium and contains vitamin C, phosphorus, vitamin B6, and magnesium.

Celeriac is said to be diuretic, demineralising, and a tonic, and stimulates the appetite and cleanses the system

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

Ring My Bellbird

Wildlife in Focus

with ecologist sue Stevens
Heard and not seen is probably the best way to describe this bird.
These birds get their common name probably from their favourite food. Eating almost exclusively on the sweet, waxy, crunchy shell secreted by tiny, psyllid insects, known as "bell lerps" or "lerp psyllids".
Let’s find out more about these mystery birds….

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As Sue mentioned, the bell lerps are tiny insects that feed on sap that they suck from eucalyptus leaves and surround themselves with dome-shaped secretions that are designed to protect their soft bodies from predators and from the environment.
Except Bell miners or Bell birds love them.
Let me know of you have Bell Miners visiting your garden, or send in a photo to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675, 
 or post them on Real World Gardeners facebook page, and I’ll post a CD in return.

Vegetable Heroes:Peas

• I eats my peas with honey, I’ve done so all me life, it makes my peas taste funny, but it keeps them on me knife.
• Ever heard that one? Yes, my father used to say that everytime we harvested peas from our garden.
• Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a (pea) flower.
• But as always, cooks don’t stick to Science and  peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking.
• Peas or  Pisum sativum, belong to the Fabaceae family, which means they fix Nitrogen from the air into their roots.
• And you thought you knew everything there was to know about peas?
• We all know what Peas look like-those green spheres in side green pods around 1o-cm long.
• Did you know that Peas have been found in ancient ruins dated at 8000 years old in the Middle East and in Turkey?
• In these ancient times dried peas were an essential part of the diet because they could be stored for long periods and provided protein during the famine months of winter. No fridges then, remember!
•  
•  
• Both dwarf and field peas were part of the cargo of the First Fleet to Australia in 1788 and, on arrival at Sydney Cove, each convict and marine was given a weekly ration of three pints of ‘pease’.
• By 1802 Peas were growing in Port Jackson and in Parramatta gardens.
• 
• The best time to sow Peas, if you are living on the East Coast is from April until September;
• From April until August in arid climates, from April and until July in sub-tropical districts and for cool zones, late winter until October. On the Tablelands they should be sown after the last frosts.
• Peas are best planted at soil temperatures between 8°C and 24°C.
• Sow the seeds directly into the soil 15mm to 20mm deep (1'' or knuckle deep) and 75mm to 100mm apart (3'' to 4''). Water in well and don't let them dry out.
• I like to soak my Pea seeds over night. This helps achieve a better strike
• Some gardeners prefer to sow their seeds into tubs/punnets so they can keep a closer eye on them especially if there is a possible of a frost, once they have their second crop of leaves and no more frost, they can be transplanted out in the garden.
• Peas  don’t  seem to grow well near Onions, Chives, Garlic.
• Peas  don’t like a lot of mulch or manure especially up against the stalk/stem, or being over-watered as they tend to rot off at the base of the stem.
• Don’t overfeed young plants or they’ll grow lanky and you won’t get too many pea pods.
• Wait until they’ve started flowering and then give them a good feed of liquid fertilizer at least once a fortnight.
• I prefer to feed my plants with liquid fertilisers in winter because in the cold weather, plants can use liquid fertilisers, easier and faster than the granular type.
• TIP:Water your Peas in the mornings to avoid mildew.
• Don’t overhead water late in the afternoon. If you do have mildew, try spraying with a  MILK spray mixed with a couple of drops of detergent.
• With dwarf Peas you will have one main crop, with a second lighter crop and some pickings in between for the pot.
• Peas freeze well and, providing they are processed immediately after picking, lose no more of their nutritional value than in just cooking them.
• A good idea is to place a bottomless container around the young seedlings to stop the cut worm, or in my case the dragon lizard, from cutting/biting the tops off the new shoots; this will also give the new plants some protection from the wind.
• Dwarf Peas only grow about 300mm to 600mm high (12'' to 24'') but they will require some support. You can use pretty much anything from wire/mesh, string and bamboo.
• Climbing Peas grow to about 2m and crop for quite a long time.
• If you pick them regularly, your pea plants will grow like mad and you’ll get a bigger crop.
• They will need a good heavy-trellis or stakes. The position of the trellis should be facing towards the midday sun, (towards the North).
• After the Peas have stopped producing the trellis can also be used for growing cucumbers, pumpkins or tomatoes.
• Before you start ripping the pea vines off the trellis cut the stems off at ground level; leave the roots in the ground as pea roots produce nitrogen nodules. They will break down and give your next seedlings a good kick start.
• Why are they good for you?
• Being low in calories, green peas are good for those who are trying to lose weight.
• Green peas are rich in dietary fibre, may potentially lower cholesterol.
• Peas have a  high amount of iron and vitamin C.
• The lutein present in green peas helps reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.
• Green peas have a low GI.
• Green peas also have folic acid and vitamin B6.

Design Elements

with Landscape Designer, Louise McDaid
Have you got a garden that’s got a boggy bit in it? You know, it gets waterlogged if you get a few days of heavy rain.

Maybe the water is running off your driveway, deck or patio, or maybe from downpipes.Even from the overflow of your rainwater tank.
Plants you’ve put there don’t seem to grow. You’ve tried ag line but nothing doing.
Let’s find out how to garden in a waterlogged garden?



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Raingardens that Louise mentioned are now an initiative by various state water boards. In fact you can get lots of information and instruction sheets by going to your state waterboard’s site.
http://raingardens.melbournewater.com.au/
Melbourne water has lots of information you can download not just on raingardens, but on building those swales that Louise talked about as well.
It may take a bit of time and effort to do that. In the meantime grow your plants in pots, troughs, in fact any old thing. When an area is ready for planting you’ve got yourself an instant garden when you plant out your potted plants.

Plant of the Week:Magnolia "Genie"

What do you think of when you see large tulip shaped Magnolia buds?
Are you smitten by the Magnolia flowers that have those deep red colour tones?  In the past we’ve had varieties like Magnolia soulangeana, M, Vulcan, Elizabeth but this one took 15 years to perfect, and once you hear about the colour, you’ll probably want one for your collection.

Magnolia soulangeana Genie, a smaller growing Mangolia than all the ones mentioned, to 4m x 2m. Suits pots and tubs.

Flowers in late winter to early spring with spot flowering in Autumn.

What you’ve been waiting for, what colour are the flowers?
Magnolia Genie has really really dark tulip like deep burgundy flowers that are according to the breeder, frost resistant. And it flowers twice, first in late winter early spring and again in late summer/autumn.
Magnolias are slow to medium growing and can be used in small areas as they have a non-invasive root system.
Because they keep an attractive shape all year round, they look good even when not in flower.

Plant them as a focal point in the garden for you to enjoy for many years to come.

If you're lucky enough to have a rich soil for growing Magnolias, then you'll have fantastic results.

Otherwise add lots and lots compost and mulch with a 3-4 cm layer of well composted cow manure.

If your soil is heavy clay, mound it up to improve drainage and in sandy areas leave a depression to collect the water.
Protect the young plants from frosts, and from pests such as snails and slugs and the occasional possum who seem to love the buds.
Water young plants well every 7-10 days in periods of hot and dry weather, and prune lightly if branches become straggly and untidy if you really have to. Best left unpruned.

 Otherwise, Magnolias are relatively maintenance free, especially once established.

One unusual thing that the breeders would like you to know about Magnolias, and that is that they often don’t flower true to colour for their first year or two, so if your new deep purple variety has suddenly thrown a mass of pale pink blooms in its first season, don’t despair!

What’s your favourite Magnolia flower? Write in and let us know. We’d love to see a photo.