Fabulous Strawberries and Astron Gardening

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
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
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 new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

Feature Interview:

with TV personality and author, Indira Naidoo

Are you reading this as a first time gardener?
Or are you a keen gardener?
Gardeners like to learn constantly because you can never have too much information.
What about those gardeners who’ve had to scale down from a large block to a small patio garden?

What do you do there?
Here’s some sage advice from a well known personality.

Do what Indira suggests, although I know she’s not the first.
Plan just ten minutes everyday in the garden and see what happens.
Like a lot of gardener, you’ll probably find that you can do at least half an hour and it’ll only seem like ten minutes.
If you have any questions about anything gardening, why not drop us a line. Or send in a photo to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675, and I’ll send you a copy of the Garden Guardians in return..

Vegetable Heroes

Strawberries or Fragaria x ananasa.
Did you know that Fragaria means fragrance in Latin.
Strawberries aren’t actually berries because true berries have seeds inside them.
And as every schoolkid will tell you, strawberries have seeds on the outside, and usually about 200 of them.

So what are strawberries exactly?
Strawberries are sometimes called an accessory fruit or false fruit because of this .
Some or all of the fruit doesn’t grow in the ovary but on outside of the ovary.
That part of the flower’s called the receptacle because it holds the ovary.
You might find it hard to imagine, but each apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the flower, with a seed inside it. Strange isn’t it?

Fragaria vesca  or the Alpine strawberry is native throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Botanists think this was probably the ancestor of the garden strawberry of today.
There’s archaeological evidence suggesting that people ate strawberries as far back as during the Stone Age.
Interestingly, the first civilisation to grow them as a crop were the Persians in ancient Persia.
The Persian-called their strawberry plants - Toot Farangi.
By the 18^th century Fragaria x ananassa had replaced the alpine strawberry because of the larger berry or fruit.
How about this?
In parts of Bavaria, some people still tie small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves each Spring.
The Bavarians believe that because the elves love strawberries so much, they will help to produce healthy calves and lots of milk in return.
When to Grow:
For all sub-tropical, temperate and arid zones you can plant strawberries now if you see them for sale, because you surely will, but you’ll get advice that May and June are the best planting times.
For these districts, plant every-bearing varieties now for a bumper Autumn crop.

For cool mountain districts, October and November are your best planting times
.
They’re frost sensitive but a 10cm layer of mulch will be enough to protect the plants.

So what are the strawberry plants’ requirements?
The pattern for most strawberries is flowering in spring, set fruit in late spring/early summer, send runners out in summer and become dormant in winter.
At this time of year you will be able to get the ever bearing varieties which give you a second crop in autumn.

If you planted your strawberry plants, in last autumn and winter, they should’ve flowered already and you’ll be telling me that you’ve been enjoying strawberries with cream already.
But why not plant some more plants for Autumn strawberries?
What do Strawberry plants love?
Not sure what they like?
Well…Strawberries love at least 6 hours of sun a day and will grow in most soils but strawberries prefer a sandy loam that is deep and contains a lot of organic matter.
IMPORTANT: When planting a strawberry plant, make sure that about a third of the crown is above the soil. If you plant too deep or shallow the plant might die.
Strawberries have 70% of there roots located in the top 8cm of soil.
By mulching the soil, it helps to keep the roots from drying out and will prevent the plant from drowning in boggy soil.
This means that if growing your strawberries in the garden, you need to grow them on mounds to  improve drainage and you will also need to put down a thick layer of mulch such as hay, pea straw or sugar cane to prevent the berries from touching the soil and rotting.
Mulch as you should now, also prevents the soil from drying out too much.
Potting soils usually have the right mix if you’re planning on planting strawberries in a container.
In that case, add an extra inch or two of fresh compost either to the mix before filling the pot or to the surface of the potting mix.
I would also recommend adding some coco peat into the potting mix to increase water holding capacity.
The idea behind strawberry pots is good in principle but in practise I find it needs careful attention because the plants dry out too much.
And you know strawberry pots have several holes in them to cater for about5-6 plants.
TIP: Attaching your pots to a dripper system and putting a saucer under the strawberry pot will save your strawberry crop this year.
Also make sure you water the plants, especially when the young plants are establishing, and during dry spells.

Strawberries prefer a moist environment.
Avoiding overhead watering will reduce fungal disease; drip irrigation or a 'leaky pipe' is best.

They're technically a perennial so live for a few years producing fruit.
After 3-4 years (or even sooner) the plants usually become diseased and die.
And don't forget nurseries do sell certified virus-free stock, and that's the safest way to grow new strawberry plants.
To feed your strawberries, sprinkle a small handful of complete fertilizer (such as tomato food,  organic pellets, fish emulsion and any stuff which is high in potash) around each plant when it first comes into flower, and water well. Liquid seaweed fertilizer once a fortnight will not go astray either.
For Ever- bearing varieties, the autumn crop is the biggest and you can choose from Tempation which doesn't send out runners so it's great for hanging baskets and Sweetheart is very sweet to taste – an everlasting variety also have their fruit set in autumn.

What about those strawberries that you can get from the supermarket?
 No matter how small, or distorted your home grown strawberries might be they won’t be like some store bought ones.
We’re talking about those really big, really hard, tasteless, even sour strawberries that you might’ve and definitely I had the misfortune to bite into this week. Urghhhh!
No amount of ice-cream made these strawberries taste better.
They would make a nice picture for a magazine but might as well be plastic.
By the way, I’ve been asked by a listener, about the glittery stuff on her strawberry plants in the morning.
That glittery stuff, is the dried snail trails which have a glistening effect when the mucous has completely dried.
Look under the leaves of your strawberries to find them hiding there.Why are they good for you?
Strawberries are low fat, low calorie; high in vitamin C, fibre, folic acid, and potassium
From only half a punnet of strawberries you'll get more than 100% of your daily needs of Vitamin C,  and  5.5g fibre in if you eat the whole punnet of strawberries that's about  20% of your daily fibre needs.
Did you know that eating strawberries, which are rich in nitrate, can increase the flow of blood & oxygen to the muscles by 7%?
This prevents muscle fatigue, making exercise easier.
Strawberries are also low in kilojoules, meaning you can eat 2 cups as one of your daily fruit serves!
Happy STRAWBERRY growing everyone!

Living Planet

with ecologist Sophie Golding
Do you think of your dog, cat or other pets as your best friend that should be allowed to go with you everywhere?
In some countries bringing your pet with you to enjoy a meal is de rigeur. What about National parks and reserves?

Think about this:
National parks and reserves are refuges for native animals.
Dog faeces carry diseases which can be harmful to wildlife and people, and also add nutrients to the soil, increasing the spread of weeds.
If dogs and other domestic pets  frighten native animals away from popular visitor areas, there will be no wildlife for other visitors to see.

Listen to these thoughts.




Dogs and other domestic pets (other than trained assistance animals such as guide dogs) must not be taken into national parks, state conservation areas, nature reserves, historic sites or Aboriginal areas, because:

Native animals see dogs as predators.
The lasting scent left by dogs can easily scare small animals and birds away from their homes, often causing them to leave their young unprotected.
However, you can walk your dog in some regional parks.
If you have any questions about pets in nature reserves and national parks, send them in to realworldgardener@gmail.com
 

 Plant of the Week

Callistephus chinensis – China Aster

Did you know that any scientific plant name ending with chinensis means the plant is native to or originally comes from China?
The same applies to japonica-yes, that means the plant originally came from Japan.
For a select few Australian plant names, we have australis, but not too many I don’t know why.

Who do you remember growing Asters?
Was it you father, grandfather or perhaps a neighbour, when you were growing up?

The name Aster comes from the Ancient Greek word astron, meaning "star",  referring to the shape of the flower head.

Did you know of all the plants from China in our gardens, like Magnolias, Camelias, roses peaches, plums and even camphor laurels, the first annual was the Aster?

As a member of Asteraceae (the daisy family) Callistephus is closely related to species such as Chrysanthemum, Calendula, Tagetes, and Dahlia.

An annual, that means it flowers, sets seed and dies in the same year in sun or partial shade.
Asters flower for months on end.

The centre is usually yellow. You may remember that the centre is made up of disc florets surrounded by ray florets which people think of as petals.

There are many different varieties that grow between 20 – 80 cm in height, with toothed leaves.
Asters flowers come in singles, double and anemone type flower heads in colours from white to reds and pastels.

When to plant: Spring through Autumn.
 

How to grow:
You usually get around 250 seeds in one packet.
Sow in trays or punnets, 6mm (quarter-inch) deep.
“Just cover” for me means I cover the seeds with a sprinkling vermiculite, then mist it to make the vermiculite moist.
When the seedlings are large enough to handle, transplant them into 7.5cm (3in) pots .
Handle the plants with care and avoid disturbing the roots as much as possible when transplanting to prevent wilting.
Keep the seedlings moist.
Transplant your seedlings into the flowering site in early Spring, preferably in October if you’ve got your act together.
Plant 25-45cm (18in) apart, waiting until frosts are over
Light spring frosts will not harm the plants.
You can sow the seeds direct in flowering position.  
Sow thinly, 6mm (1/4in) deep in small clumps or shallow drills. Prefer light soils.
 In hot weather, spread a mulch of lawn clippings or compost over the soil surface to conserve moisture and keep roots cool.
Asters require plenty of water during their growing and flowering season, and especially during dry weather.
Fertilise twice during the growing months with a 3 month granular feed.
Varieties of Asters:
Aster Californian Giant is an 'old favourite' produces brilliantly coloured displays during Summer. An old variety, grown for cut flowers in Victorian times that are, once again becoming very fashionable. Aster Ostrich Plume orAster Seeds Ostrich Feather
Has large double blooms with long 'feathery'  re-curving, petals in pastel colours.
Reminds me of those ostrich feather boas on a stick.

The long lasting Aster flowers are on tall base-branching stems and make ideal cut flowers.

Aster Pot n Patio from www.newgipps.com.au
Dwarf early flowering plants which grow to around 15cm. Flowers 5 to 7 cm across in a range of blue, pink and scarlet shades. Superb in containers, alone or in mixed plantings.

TIP: Remove dead flowers to prolong blooming and provide support for the heavy flowerheads.
Cut flowers will last 8 to 10 days in water.

TIP: Cut when flowers are half-open; recut stems underwater.

China asters make great cut flowers but if you’re not changing the water in the vase everyday, here’s another tip.
Vases used for china Asterss should be thoroughly cleaned afterward because of the odour you get from China-aster stems kept for a long time in water.
Also, take off all leaves from the part of the stem that will stand under water.
But that’s good advice for any cut flower.      






      

Heating Up The Garden Palette

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
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
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 new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

Wildlife In Focus

If you heard this owl you might be forgiven for thinking that you were hearing a cuckoo. I heard it other night that was my first thought.
Reason prevailed because, Australia doesn’t have the bird that makes the real cuckoo sound other than from cuckoo clocks.
Anyway, listen to this

Did you know that this small, rather cute owl makes the call through closed beak which can carry for up to a kilometre away?
Books often refer to the sound as 'boo-book' or 'mo-poke', but don’t you think it sound  more like cuckoo or more pork?
If you have any questions about Boobook owls or other birds, why not drop us a line. Or send in a photo to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR, PO Box 644, Gladesville, NSW 1675

Vegetable Heroes:

Have you ever tried that dob of green paste that comes with Sushi and Sashimi?
Did you know that the green paste sold as Wasabi in the supermarket is actually horseradish that’s been dyed green.
Yes it’s still got that bite but’s it’s not Wasabi.
Wasabi is Wasabi japonica, and is a semi aquatic Brassica related to horse radish Armoracia rusticana.
You probably wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Wasabi grows wild in Japan.
In Japan, Wasabi evolved at the edges of mountain streams and has adapted to cope with low levels of light, low temperatures and high humidity.
Did you know that the Japanese consider wasabi a gourmet treat, and is used in everything from cheese and salad dressing to wine and even ice cream and toothpaste.
Wasabi is a herbaceous perennial plant with a thick knobbly rhizome only about 10-30cm long and about 2-5 cm thick.
The part you use is that thick rhizome that needs to be grated.
Wasabi’s bite is pretty powerful and you only need a ¼ of a teaspoon of the stuff to get steam coming out of your ears, water running out of your eyes, and the feeling that your nose is going to lift off into space.
Trying to buy the real thing is about as difficult as trying to buy hen’s teeth. Mainly because the real thing is frighteningly expensive and doesn’t keep for very long.
The ideal is to grow your own.
You can buy the rhizome to grow some of your own, from mail order catalogue or online.
Try www.diggers.com.au
Although Wasabi prefers a cool and shaded position, in moist soils, the variety Daruma will tolerate warmer conditions than most.
Daruma is supposed to have superior green colour, size and crisp taste, and produces a better quality stem (used extensively in salads) and generally has a more attractive appearance.
Daruma is only available from next year called Daruma, from Diggers, but they have one called Mazuma now.
This one grows to 40cm and needs to be grown in full shade.
Dig it up January to December.

Growing Wasabi

Traditionally, wasabi is best produced in clear, cool (12⁰-15⁰C) running water, with plenty of shade in the hot months. But who's got a stream running past their house?
Wasabi is best planted from Autumn through to early summer.

One family in Victoria are trialling growing it commercially with the hope that one day it’ll be available to buy as a plant in garden centres.
Their tip is to plant it in a cold damp area.
Think of a fernery in dense shade, 80% or more to protect from heat, then you’ve got the right growing conditions.
At my primary school (country South Australia) there was a fernery underneath a rainwater tank in the actual tank stand,-this was a small room, which was built out of limestone.

The shaded area should be well prepared with a large amount of organic matter.
Soil should be kept constantly moist.

• If you’re lucky enough to receive a Wasabi plant in the mail, keep it in damp newspaper somewhere cool and shady until you’re ready to plant it into the garden.
• In the garden, dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the roots, insert the plant with the roots gently spread out and with the base of the leaf stalks level with the soil surface.
• Backfill with soil and gently press into place.
• Water them in well.
• Don’t fertilise until you see some growth.
• You can grow it in a container or foam box and cover it with 75% shade-cloth if you don’t have a shady spot in the garden.
• Remember to punch some holes in the foam box for drainage.
• Your new Wasabi plant is unlikely to produce new growth for several weeks, due to the stress of transport.
• If planted in summer or winter they may not produce new growth at all until the following autumn or spring.
• If it does grow after a few weeks, to concentrate growth in the rhizome and plant itself, break off any suckers that form.
• Growing it soil means that you must scrub it clean of any dirt before using it.
• Soil’s not tasty, I keep saying.
• According to this Victorian grower, there’s not much difference in taste to the water grown or soil grown Wasabi.
• Also, Mature wasabi plants are about 36cm high and live for many years.
• Generally, wasabi plants need about 18 months to 2 years before the rhizome matures to full size.
• During this time, however, you can use the leaf and stem in salads and stir fries adding a delicious mild wasabi 'zing'
• The leaves can be pickled in sake, brine or soy sauce and can even be powdered for use as wasabi flavouring.
• When eaten raw, the wasabi rhizome is washed and trimmed of outer bumps and then grated.

Grating according to Japanese tradition, has to be just right.

The wasabi cells need to be torn apart to set off a chemical reaction, which after a few moments rest, develops its wow flavour.
You need just that right type of very fine grater.
You can’t use a nutmeg grater because it’s too coarse and slices instead of grinding.
Plus, you have to hold the rhizome at 45⁰ and use a circular motion with your Wasabi on their special grater.
The grater’s have a name-oroshigane. These Oroshigane graters have fine teeth on one side for Wasabi, and coarse on the other for ginger and daikon.
You can also buy much cheaper plastic versions of this grater.

TIP: Watch out for slugs and snails.
Only from www.fourseasonshebrs.com.au and www.diggers.com.au

Why is it good for you?
Well apart from clearing out your sinuses, wasabi has a few health benefits too!
High in vitamin C, dietary fibre and potassium, with some Calcium and protein.
Wasabi kills food borne bacteria and reduces blood pressure.
Plus there are reports of it’s anti-cancer properties, but not medically tested.

Design Elements

with Christopher Owen landscape designer.
www.christopherowen.com.au

The inaugural Australian Garden show, showcased quite a few less garden designers than you would’ve seen at Chelsea.
As I mentioned last week, compared to garden shows in the UK, the Australian garden show has plenty of room to grow.

But, there were some very different designs that were none traditional and more inventive than those that I saw at Chelsea this year.
I spoke to some of the garden designers to see what inspired their designs.

Here’s a landscape designer from Sydney.
Christopher has used some clever design techniques such as with the charred wall.
Shou-sugi-ban is a Japanese style burnt wood.
Traditionally, cedar was burnt in Japan to increase the wood's resistance to insects and fire, but also adds to the woods longevity and appearance.

Apologies for the wind noise because the interview was done at the actual location.
Listen to these inspiring thoughts


Grasses can be a wonderful addition to your garden if you plant a clump of them. The grasses not only add colour but texture and sound.

Tall grasses in a large grouping can be a perfect solution for screening an unpleasant view and they soften hardscaping like around a pool.

Plus the sound of rustling grass can be therapeutic or calming,
 
If you have any questions about this week’s Design Elements, send it our email address, or just post it.

Plant of the Week

Fruit and nut trees have a place in the ornamental garden because they don’t take up much room, plus they fit the spot if you don’t want shade in winter.
Did you know that Astronauts took pecans to the moon in two Apollo missions?

Pecan is a type of hickory, and, the wood from the tree is used in agricultural implements, baseball bats, hammer handles, furniture, wall paneling, flooring(in the US) religious carvings and firewood.

Not that you’re going to chop down your tree to make anything. Instead, make some pecan pie with all those pecan nuts that you’re dreaming of.
 

Pecan tree is Caryaa Illinoinensis, and is native to southern USA.

Carya is Greek for walnut.

Did you know that Pecanes is an American Indian word for all nuts with a hard shell?

Who would've thought that the Pecan is the official state tree of Texas?

In America Pecans grow from the hot arid areas of Texas and Arizona to Illinois which is well into the colder areas of the mid-west.

Where to Grow Pecans in Australia,

In the warmer arid climates, the pecan needs access to a water table.

Alice Springs this one's for you!

Pecan trees have a deep tap root.

 

In the early stages of growth the Pecan doesn’t have much top growth as it’s establishing its root system.
After that it shoots away.

Trees that grow from seed take 8 – 15 years to fruit, much like Macadamia trees.

Best to get a grafted tree that will fruit in 3 years and not grow to 45 metres!

There’s a pecan variety for most parts of Australia.

One thing to note, I have a colleague who loves growing fruit and nut trees near Vineyard on the outskirts of Sydney.

But in his heavy clay soil, he can only grow Pecans.

Western varieties prefer a dry climate, eastern varieties tolerate humidity and northern varieties are more cold tolerant and have a shorter growing season according to Louis Glowinski in his excellent text “The complete book of fruit growing in Australia.

The seed grown pecan tree grows to 30 – 45 metres, and if you know what walnut leaves look like, these are the same. Leaves are thin long and spear shaped.

Leaves turn gold in Autumn.

Each tree has male and female flowers. The male flowers are the long catkins, and the female flowers are tiny clusters on the tips of new spring growth.

Once pollinated the nut will take 3 months before it’s ready.

Pecans like a chilling of 700 hours under 7⁰C. If you can grow peaches or apples, then you can grow Pecans.

The hotter the better for pecans. Pecans will tolerate temperatures of 38⁰ and above.
You will need to water if your summer is dry otherwise you’ll end up with smal shrivelled nuts.
Pecans need deep water retentive soils and will cope with temporary inundation.

Fertilising Your Pecan Tree

Because the tree is a heavy cropper, it needs heavy feeding.1/2 kg of complete organic fertiliser in the first year, then increase that amount by 1 kg each year until the tree starts to bear fruit or nuts!

 These two varieties are available by mail order from from Daleys Fruit Nursery

36 Daley's Lane,Geneva via Kyogle NSW 2474 or visit the website www.daleysfruit.com.au

 Pecan - Pawnee (A) SP Shoshonii (B) SP

 

 

 

All About Cardamom

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
Real World Gardener is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation
REALWORLD GARDENER NOW ON FACEBOOK
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 new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

Spice it Up

with Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au
Is Cardamom one of the spices in your cupboard?
If not have you ever wondered how to use cardamom?
Did you know that Cardamom is used in Indian, Middle Eastern and even Scandinavian cooking? The Scandinavians use Cardamom in baking.
Listen to this.
For those living in warmer climates, you can grow your own Cardamom. Cardamom is a perennial shrub up to four metres high with very long leaves.

The flowers are small, yellow with purple tips.
As Ian suggests, if you only want a pinch of Cardamom, use the pre-ground spice.
The flavour is less strong, but cracking open the pods, scraping out the seeds, and grinding them up can be a pain when we need more than a pinch of the spice.
If you have any questions about Cardamom, or any spice or herb, why not drop us a line. Or send in a photo to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675, and I’ll send you a copy of the Garden Guardians in return..

Vegetable Heroes:

Herb-Celery Leaf , Leaf Celery or Chinese Celery.
Leaf celery is also called Cutting Celery, Parcel, Smallage, Zwolsche Krul, and German celery.
Celery Leaf is botanically-(Apium graveolens var. secalinum).

Did you think there was only the celery with the stalks?
Maybe you’ve heard of Celeriac, well that’s a type of Celery too, but instead of stalks, it’s a bulbous root.
Well, there’s also a type of Celery that’s all leaf and nothing much else.
Before you say, I chuck the leaves away from the stalk celery, I say, hang on, this one tastes a bit better than those.
Celery Leaf looks similar to parsley but tastes similar but slightly better than regular stalk celery!
Some say it tastes a little stronger than stalk celery or celeriac.
Leaf Celery has been around for a long time and was in fact used by the ancient Romans as a medicinal herb.
Supposedly, Celery seed has been used for around 3000 years as a seasoning for food.
Did you know that crushed celery seeds are steam distilled to make celery oil?
This oil is used for flavouring sauces, meats, liqueurs, perfumes, cosmetics and soaps.
The reason I’m talking about Celery seed I’ll get to a little later.
Some gardeners have run out of room in their veggie bed already-full of tomatoes, Basil and whatnot.
Never fear, Leaf Celery will grow in pots because it’s a compact plant that only gets to around 20 – 25 cm.

If you live in a cool temperate district, container veggies can be moved under cover during winter.
Leaf Celery is a darker green with thin stalks and leaves that look like a cross between the Italian Parsley and the Curley Parsley.
Celery leaf is perfect for container gardens because it’s a cut and come again plant and is great used as a herb in stews, dressings and salads.
When to plant:
In cool temperate districts, Spring and Summer are your sowing times, in temperate and sub-tropical zones, you have from Spring right through to Autumn, in arid areas, the only time you can’t really sow it is in summer, and tropical districts win the jackpot, because they can sow it all year round.
How to grow:
From putting the seed into the ground or pot, it’ll take around 2-3 months.
Like most veggies, Leaf Celery needs full sun but can do alright in part shade in soil that’s not too dry.
You can start them off in punnets if you like because they don’t mind being transplanted.
Keep in mind, Leaf Celery isn’t frost tolerant.
Sow  the very fine seeds thinly, and only 5mm (1/4”) deep.
Be careful not to cover the fine seeds too much because they need light to germinate.
TIP:
For fine seeds I tend to use a light cover of vermiculite which I then mist to make moist.
They can be slow to germinate taking up to 21 days at 10⁰C-18⁰C, so be patient.
In warmer areas, seedlings should emerge in 1-2 weeks.
Once the seeds have germinated it’s a good idea to thin them out around 30cm (12”) apart.
TIP: number 1: Don’t let them dry out.
TIP: number 2:-If you believe in companion planting, then leaf Celery is supposed to be an insect repellent for cabbage white butterfly.
Try planting some around your Brassicas like Broccoli, Cauli, and Cabbage.
TIP: number 3 and now for the Celery Seed.
If you leave your Celery leaf over winter, the plant will bolt to seed in Spring.
What can you do with that?
Apart from replanting fresh seed, the seeds are actually edible.
Ever heard of Celery salt?
What you can also do is grind it up in your mortar and pestle with a little sea salt. Better than from the supermarket shelf.
Plus you can enjoy the dainty white umbels of flowers.
After a couple of months, pick leaves as you need them to put in soups, stews, stocks and sauces.
A few leaves go well in salads with a strong blue cheese or some or cured meats.
Why is it good for you?
The leaves are brimming with five times more magnesium and calcium than the stalks.
They're also a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidant’
The good thing is Leaf Celery is low in carbs, and has even a small amount of fibre

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!

Design Elements

with guest landscape designer Charlie Albone

The inaugural Australian Garden show, showcased quite a few less garden designers than you would’ve seen at Chelsea.
By comparison, it was a small affair, but you have to start somewhere even if you aspire to be something a lot bigger.
I spoke to some of the garden designers to see what inspired their designs.Here’s a landscape designer from Melbourne.
I must apologize for the wind noise because the interview was done at the actual location. Listen to these inspiring thoughts

The silver Lady fern is Blechnum gibbum ‘silver lady’ that loves shade but not frost. Sometimes called the dwarf tree fern.
Gibbum is native to the islands in the South Pacific, including New Caledonia, Fiji and Hawaii. Did you know that this fern’s root systems are often used to produce a substrate for growing orchids. There you go orchid lovers.
If you have any questions about this week’s Design Elements, send it our email address, or just post it.

Going Nuts About Protein

Wildlife in Focus - Golden Whistler

This bird is one of Australia’s loudest and most beautiful songsters but scientists give it a most unkind name. There’s even one group on Norfolk Island that they call Tamey.
The call has been described as up to 35 loud, rapid, ringing notes without pause, or a high, thin call with a whip-crack.
Listen to this. I'm talking with ecologist Sue Stevens

As Sue mentioned, the Golden Whistler is found from Cooktown in North QLD to the Eyre Peninsular in the South, as well in Southern WA. This bird inhabits most kinds of dense forest, its diet consists of insects, grubs and small fruits
The Golden Whistler will visit suburban areas close to nature reserves if gardens include thick vegetation, layers of trees, shrubs and ground cover. Collecting firewood from local reserves is not a good idea if you want native birds to visit your area.
 Keep your cat in at night and give it a stimulating indoor environment and a cat run or enclosure, to minimise the threat to birds.
If you have any questions about the Golden Whistler, or have spotted it in your neighbourhood, why not send in a photo or drop us a line. Or send in a photo to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675, and I’ll send you a copy of the Garden Guardians in return..

Vegetable Heroes

This week’s Vegetable Hero is Peanuts!
Arachis hypogaea, or peanut is not a true nut but a legume, like peas, and beans.
Why peanuts? Because people tell me it’s easy, and fun thing to try.
Another announcer here at the station, bought a small plant from a low cost supermarket last year, planted it in a pot and harvested some peanuts.
He was amazed at how easy it was and wondered if it would continue to crop the following year.
I’ll answer that later.
Anthropologists working on the slopes of the Andes in Brazil and Peru have discovered the earliest-known evidence of peanut farming dating back an amazing 7600 years. Amazing!
Did you know that peanut growing was introduced into Australia in Queensland during the gold rushes of the 1870's.
Chinese gold diggers on the Palmer River near Cooktown, around this time were the first to grow peanuts.
The peanut plant grows to a bush about 50 cm tall and up to 100 cm wide.
Small, yellow, pea-type flowers emerge at 30-40 days after planting give or take a few weeks, and, after self-pollination, the ovary's base elongates, bends downwards and penetrates the soil.
The tip of this 'peg' then enlarges to form a pod containing one to three kernels.
Depending on what variety you managed to get, where you’re growing your peanuts and what the weather’s like that season, will determine how long your peanuts will take to grow.
Peanuts can take anywhere from from 14 to 26 weeks, or 3 ½ to 6 months.
Peanuts aren’t too fussy about the type of soil you’ve got.
However, Peanuts are a subtropical legume crop needing relatively warm growing conditions and 500 to 600 mm of rain.
As long as the soil is well-drained and friable with no large stones, sticks, stumps or chemical residues.
Peanuts can tolerate a wide range of pH - from 5 to 8, but can’t tolerate heavy clay soils.

When to Plant

Planting usually occurs from October to January in Queensland and NSW. In the Northern Territory, plantings occur in March-April.
Peanuts have been commercially trialled in Western and South Australia, so give them a go there too.
For cooler zones, plant your peanuts in pots or containers and keep the going by placing them in the warmest part of the garden.
Where Can You Get It?

The seed that is.

To grow your own peanuts if you can’t find any peanut bushes to buy, it’s sort of easy.
What you need is a packet or raw peanuts. Not salted or roasted or any other fancy shmancy types.
It has to be raw peanuts.
Then, like any other seed, you sow some raw peanuts either into jiffy pots, punnets or into a garden bed.
Sow each seed 3-5cm deep and if they are fresh they should germinate in one to two weeks).
There’s a few strange and weird things about looking after your peanut bushes though.
For instance, you might be surprised to know that the pods take most of their calcium and boron directly from the soil rather than through the roots.
Sprinkle some Dolomite, which contains Calcium, around the plant before flowering.
Next, watering is critical particularly during the critical stages of germination, flowering, pegging, and pod filling.
Yes, that's right, all the time the peanut is growing.

When Are They Ready?

The next trick is to know when to dig up the peanuts, and like a lot of things that grow in the veggie bed, it’s when the leaves start to turn brown. You can check to see if they’re ripe by digging a few up.
What you need to see are dark-coloured pods inside the shell, where the kernel should be changing from a pink to gold colour.
Not all the pods will be ready at once so timing is important.
But look, if you get it wrong, that try again next year.
For Brian,  the announcer at 2RRR 88.5fm, who experimented with growing peanuts, the answer to will the plant grow again next year.
No, because you have to dig up the whole plant, shake off the excess soil and hang the entire thing up in a warm, dry place, such as the garage or garden shed.
Dry the bush for a week or two until brittle then break off the pods.
Wash off any dirt-dirt isn’t too tasty- and air-dry for a couple of weeks.
If you like raw peanuts you don’t have to do any more.
  If you like roasted peanuts, then put them on a tray in the oven at 160-180°C in an oven for 15-20 minutes for shelled kernels or 20-25 minutes for peanuts still in the shell.
Why is it good for you?
Peanuts are high in fibre and protein but free of cholesterol.
They’re a high energy food but with a slow energy release over a long time because of the high oil unsaturated (good) fat content.
They also have a high folic acid (iron) content

Living Planet

with Sophie Golding
It’s great to have all kinds of creatures visit your garden. You put out those bits of white bread for the maggies, or those seed bells for the cockatoos.

What’s wrong with that?
Animals that expect to be fed by people can become aggressive, harassing people for food when they are hungry.
The Ibis at the Botanic gardens where I teach visiting schools, are an example.
I’m often asked by visiting students why the Ibis seem to harass them.

Whatever your thoughts,
 Listen to this….

The NSW department of Environment and Heritage suggests that when you feed native animals you're giving them the wildlife equivalent of junk food.
When kangaroos and wallabies become used to being hand-fed, they sometimes attack people in their quest for food. Remember, they have sharp claws and a strong kick.
Another example is in Flinders Chase on Kangaroo Island where they’ve had to put up cages around the eating tables in the national park, so people can eat in peace.
If you have any questions about this Feeding Wildlife, send it our email address, or just post it.

Plant of the Week

Alliums

 The generic name Allium is the Latin word for garlic.

There are lots of plants that you may know in this perennial bulb family group, including the various edible onions, garlics, chives, and leeks, and of course society garlic. Most of them have an onion or garlic taste and perfume.

You might think that Alliums are in the Alliaceae family.

They were but have been reclassified into the family Amaryllidaceae.

Chives have pretty cute pom pom purple flowers that make a nice low border in the garden. Although many of the plants in the onion family have flowers with that distinctive onion or garlic scent, many others are have a delicate floral aroma.

Did you know that these floral scented Alliums are often used in perfumes and cosmetics?
But there are also other members of the onion family that have quite a wow factor when it comes to their flowers.
Like a lot of bulbs, Alliums don’t repeat flower.

What’s good about ornamental alliums is that the flower heads can be left on the plant to dry.
The dried seed heads look attractive in the garden and can be used for cut flower arrangements.

If you’ve got dry weather, keep the foliage watered even after flowering, to feed the plant.

 Don't be put off by the height of the ornamental Alliums because their leaves are usually straight-linear, channelled or flat, and don't take up much room. A great design element!

Technically the flowers umbels where the outside flower first and progresses to the inner flowers.

Ornamental alliums were a big feature in many of the gardens that I saw this year in the UK.

Some RHS gardens and what they called a wide border which was literally filled with alliums.

Alliums with their purple pom pom flowers really provided a vertical and linear element, amongst the flower borders.

Sometimes the flowers are described as fireworks in mid-explosion.

The purple and the green, although not opposites in the colour wheel, were definitely a standout amongst the crowd.

Really a must have plant in a perennial border because you can enjoy flowers from spring until autumn.

By mid-spring, packed, rounded heads of violet-purple stand on strong stems that reach up to 90cm high.
The leaves are bright green and the flowers, which kind of remind me of Agapanthus flowers in size and shape, soft to the touch, with lots of petals.

 How to grow your Allium bulbs-yes bulbs.

In general, alliums need a sunny position and good drainage.

The important point is that they need a well-drained site.
They don’t like cold, exposed or waterlogged conditions.
Being bulbs, they'll come up every year without you having to do another thing. Brilliant!

Plant bulbs in the autumn, to twice the depth of the bulb.

Most Alliums will do well in deep pots.
Congested clumps can be lifted and divided - straight after flowering, if necessary.
Dead-head before the seeds disperse if you want to avoid seedlings.

Their nectar-rich flowers will attract bees and hoverflies
Alliums go well with soft pastels, among old-fashioned roses,  among a Mediterranean mix of lavender, artemisia, sage and phlomis.

 

 

 

Some Alliums for you to try:
Purple Sensation'. will tolerate more shade
Allium ‘Millenium’

Allium giganteum like its name suggests, is bit of a giant, though slightly later to flower.

It reaches 1.2m (4ft) tall and each large 15cm (6in), spherical head is lilac-purple

Both A. cristophii and A. schubertii can be grown on heavier soil in full sun, but will only successfully overwinter and multiply if given good drainage.
 

This is the first Australian release of the very best perennial Allium. It forms a compact upright clump of glossy green, narrow strap-like leaves. From mid-summer into autumn 35cm tall stems carry a profusion of large bright purple-rose balls of flowers. Foliage mounds grow 30cm tall by 30cm wide.

Allium sphaerocephalon-Drumstick Allium

From January, metre tall stems are topped by green golf balls which over a period of a week or so gradually turn purple.  Increases readily. Sun. 100cm x 10cm.

Allium roseum, A. sphaerocephalon and A. vineale produce aerial bulbils in flower head.
Carefully remove and separate the bulbils and plant them in moist free draining compost about 2.5cm (1in) apart and cover with 1cm (3/8in) layer of compost.

Available from Lambley nursery.

Allium christophii -35x 30cm

One of the most beautiful large headed Alliums with huge 20cm mauve heads on short squat stems. Better than many of the modern breeds, with fewer disease issues and good garden persistence in a well drained position.

From Diggers Seeds www.diggers.com
Why not treat yourself to a big flowered one? Go on.