garden Rakes and Spring Onions

TOOL TIME

Garden Rakes
Garden rakes have got to be one of the many of the must have tools in a garden shed.
But like the old successful tv ad about engine oils where they said, oils aint oils, the same applies to garden rakes.
There’s no one formula that suits all garden situations, but some are more flexible than others,
Let’s find out more. 

I'm talking with Tony Mattson of www.cutabovetools.com.au

• Do you hate raking the leaves because your garden rake catches on everything or is heavy so the job is tiring?
• Believe me when I say, that once you find the right garden rake, one that is light, adjustable, with tines that seem to scoop up leaves without too much effort, then happy days.

The rake with the adjustable fan width and handle height seems to be the most versatile of rakes and would be a great addition to the tools in the garden shed. 

Tony mention that out of the plastic rakes, Polyamide nylon and high impact nylon will last a lot longer but of course will cost a bit more. 

There is also specific rakes for dethatching lawn, or raking up gravel or spreading soil.

These are all different to the rakes that are for raking leaves. 

Why is it that gardens seem to have lots of leaves?
If you want to know more or if you have any questions about garden rakes, why not email realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Spring Onions

Spring Onions or are they shallots?

Firstly spring onions are Allium fistulosum. are really like thick chives.

Did you know that all manner of onions were cultivated by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans?

There’s even a reference to spring onions in Chinese literature dating back over two thousand years.

Australians are often confused about what a shallot actually is, because we call them spring onions as well.

Allium fistulosum

Elsewhere in the world the word ‘shallot’ is only used to describe a small bulb, growing much the same way as a garlic bulb, with mild, delicate flavour.

• ''True shallots (Allium cepa, aggregatum) are grown for their bulbs only. Unfortunately, spring onions are marketed as Shallots in NSW

Is it because shallots have a mild flavour that they've been confused with spring onions, which is what they’re supposed to be called?

To onion lovers and growers here's where there’s a difference.

A spring onion or bunching onion has is one that’s got a hint of a bulb when it matures; 

Spring Onions are a non-bulbing, perennial onion.

• Did you know that in Australia we also call Spring Onions,.Green Onions? In fact, I’ve never seen the term Green Onion in the greengrocer or supermarket, have you?So now we know that Spring or Green onions have long, - up to 40cms long, hollow green, delicate stalks and small, very slender, white bulbs.
• The bulb of a spring/green onion is really only slightly defined.

Spring or Green onions come out of the ground early in their lives... in fact you can sow them from very early spring until at least the end of march.

Usually you can pick them about 7 weeks later.

What’s good about spring onions is that they’re mild tasting because they haven’t been in the ground long enough to gain much pungency.

Spring onions can be used sliced or chopped raw in green salads or creamy salads like potato salad, pasta salads, or on top baked .

.

Where do spring onions grow?

They’re a versatile plant with tube-like hollow leaves; that grows from cold regions right through to hot, tropical areas.

Spring onions prefer a neutral to slightly alkaline soil and are extremely hardy and pest resistant.

• Grow them in full sun.

All onions need an open sunny site, fertile soil that is free draining.

Raised garden beds are the best if you have clay soil.

• You can sow Spring Onions anytime really in Australia, because unlike other onions, day length doesn’t affect their growth. Plus, spring onions aren’t affected by frost.
• Raising them in seed punnets or tray seems to work best, then transplant them when they’re several cms high or as half as thick as a pencil.
• It’s normal to sow the seeds of spring onions closely, and because these onion seeds are planted densely they bunch together so that the bulbs have little chance of fully maturing and rounding completely out
• When planting into the garden, dig lots of compost through the topsoil first and then use a dibbler to make holes 10cm apart.
• Place a seedling in each hole and gently push the soil around the rootball. Water the seedlings very lightly but if they fall over, don’t worry as they will soon stand back up.
• Keep your onions weed free.
• Water them when dry weather is expected, otherwise ease back a bit.
• In about 2 months, your spring onions should be ready to eat.
• You can tell they’re ready because the leaves are standing tall, green and succulent.
• If you want to harvest an entire bulb, use a fork to dig around the plant to keep from damaging it accidentally.
• You can also just use scissors to cut the leaves and use them as a garnish in salads or casseroles for flavour.
• Spring Onions belong to the class known as bunching onions and have a mild, sweet flavour; the green shaft plus a few cm of the green leaves are eaten.

Spring Onions must be harvested when the stalks are still green and you eat the whole plant, except the hairy roots

TIP:There is never any hint of a bulb in a Spring Onion so you can't leave the plants in the ground for the tops to dry off — they will, but you won't be able to save any bulbs.

• If you forget to pick your spring onions, and they’ve started to flower.
• Let them keep flower and save the seeds.The flowers are attractive to bees and other useful insects.
• The seeds can also be sprouted.

You want to grow your own spring onions for freshness alone, because the ones you buy from the supermarket are only fresh for a handful of days.

For a dash of colour why not try Brilliant crimson spring onion red bulbs that are rich in antioxidants. www.diggers.com.au

This one will grow into bulbs that can be used like shallots if left in the ground.

TIP:

After you your spring onions from the ground, when preparing them in your kitchen, save the rooted bottoms and replant them.

Simply cut off the bottom inch (3 cm) of your green onions and plant them in damp soil, or keep them in a jar of water in a sunny spot.

You’ll a new lot of spring onions in a couple of weeks.

Why are the good for you? 

Spring Onion is:

Low in Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Cholesterol

High in Dietary Fibre, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, K, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper. Whew!

If you have never tried growing onions before, why not give them a go this year? 

They are a very versatile, easy to grow vegetable that can be grown from seed most of the year.

Happy Spring Onion growing everyone!

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT FOR TODAY!  

Parlour Palms and Fire Damage on Plants

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Chamaedorea elegans: Parlour palm

Do you love or hate palm trees?
The gardening community is divided into two groups, those that love the palm trees and those that hate them.
Probably because people persist in growing the environment weed, the cocos palm, which although grows really fast, is particularly ugly.

Chamaedorea elegans: Parlour palm

There are many more well behaved palms and more lovely palms out there.

So let’s find out.

I'm talking with the plant panel were Jeremy Critchley of www.thegreengallery.com.au and Karen Smith, editor of www.hortjournal.com.au

 Chamaedorea elegans is in the class of smaller palm trees, that is also one of the most palms sold around the world.

Parlour palm makes a fabulous indoor specimen because of its leaf fronds that emanate as a cluster from the base. It's also known to purify the air indoors (NASA list of top 50 plants) as well as tolerate low light levels.
You can keep the parlour palm indoors for many years, but planted out in the garden under other leafy palms or larger leaved shrubs, it grows as a bushy alternative to the single trunks of most other palms.
Plus, you don’t have dropping palm fronds like you do with cocos palms and a few others.

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Assessing Fire Damaged Gardens Part 1

This series is about the task of assessing and rebuilding a garden after a fire event.
How to tell if the plant is viable, what to do with soil that’s been burnt and has a layer of ash, and what to think about when choosing plants to replant those that didn’t recover.
So let’s start off with assessing what plants remain.
I'm talking withWayne van Balen, immediate past president of the Institute of Horticulture.

The recent bushfires in Australia has seen how fire can damage and even kill trees in your backyard. The extent of the damage depends on how hot and how long the fire burned. 

Many fires were out-of-control fire damaging trees in your garden in various ways. 

Some trees were completely or partially consumed, which leads to drying out or just plain scorching.

Some trees were simply just singed.

Many trees damaged by fire can recover, given your help.

This is particularly true of Australian native trees that have adaptations to recover from fire, when they were injured.

 But the first thing to do, even before you start helping fire damaged trees, is to determine the ones that need to be removed.

• The big tip is to not rush out to cut everything down that looks scorched and burnt.

Plants, native or not, can regenerate but it may take some time.

Unusual Trees and Oregano

THE GOOD EARTH

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

Moringa oleifera with seed pods

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

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

Jabuticaba

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

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

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

VEGETABLE HEROES

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

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

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

Origanum vulgare flowers

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

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

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

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

How to Grow

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

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

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

• Companion planting

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

AND THAT WAS OUR VEGETABLE HERO SEGMENT

Buttons on Stalks and Design A Garden

Part of the Real World Garden Radio Show

DESIGN ELEMENTS

So You Think You Need A Landscaper part 2

You may have seen two- dimensional garden designs and wanted something similar for your garden, but is that kind of thing totally necessary?

Could a free hand sketch be just as good as long as it was to scale?
Let’s find out.
I'm talking with Peter Nixon Project manager and landscape designer for Paradisus garden design. www.peternixon.com.au

Peter advises to choose a landscape or garden designer that provides availability lists and photos of the plants that are in the design.

To many people, plant names, whether common or scientific, just don't mean anything.

But, if they are provided with a photo of what the plant can look like in a particular situation, say a screening hedge of Magnolia grandiflora St Mary's, then they will have a better idea.
I
f you want more than just new garden beds and new plants, you may just want a garden designer.
But if you want more doing than just plants, you’ll need project manager who is also a garden or landscape designer.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Pycnosurus globusus: Billy Buttons

Do you like the sound of a plant that has flowers like buttons the size of your thumb but on stalks, with grey strappy leaves?

What if I tell you it’s an Australian native, a perennial and loves dry weather, would you be interested then?

I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley native plant expert and horticulturist. 

Let’s find out about it

Billy buttons is a dense groundcover that spreads around 50cm in width.

Supported by an underground rhizome which allows it spread.

Grow it from seed, grow it from division, but just grow this sturdy groundcover like plant with yellow buttons made up of thousands of tiny flowers on tall stalks.

• Botanical Bite: The flower is a pseudanthium consisting of between three and eight florets surrounded by bracts.
• The petals are joined to form a small tube and the florets with their surrounding bracts are yellow or golden-yellow.
• each flower head may contain over a thousand individual flowers.

Best is less humid climates, although it can be grown in temperate regions of the east coast.

Short lived perennial, 3-4 years.

Allspice and Cloves but Not With Beans

We start with allspice and cloves, similar but different, how? That’s in the spice it up segment, growing beans in Vegetable Heroes; a new series called ‘so you think you need a landscaper part 2, with Peter Nixon in Design elements and buttons on stalks in plant of the week.

SPICE IT UP

Allspice vs Cloves

How well do you know your spices?
Would you think for instance, that allspice and mixed spice are the same?

Pimenta doica_allspice tree with berries.

Would cloves be a good substitute to save you running to the store, if you ran out?
Let’s find out.  I'm talking with Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au 

Even the Spaniards were confused with the allspice berry when they invaded Jamaica, thinking it was a type of pepper.  Probably why the allspice tree is Pimento doica.

• The allspice berries  are picked when they're green and put out to dry in the sun.

Allspice and cloves

The heat of the sun activates the enzyme which turns the berries dark brown.

At night, the berries are heaped into a pile and covered with a tarpaulin.

The next day they are spread out in the sun again. 

This process is repeated over three to four days, by the end of which time, a volatile oil develops called eugenol.

It turns out that allspice and basil, also have a lot in common, because both contain the essential oil eugenol. 

That means both are perfect partners in tomato dishes.

• But it also turns out you can use allspice instead of mixedspice but at 1/3 of the quantity because it’s much stronger. 
• The clove tree is Syzygium aromaticum. The unopened flower bud is the clove.

.If you have any questions, please write in to
Realworldgardener@gmail.com or write in to 2rrr, PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

VEGETABLE HEROES

Beans: Phaseolus vulgaris

Do you love your beans?

Did you know that beans have been an important part of the human diet for thousands of years?

• Beans are a legume in the Faboidea or the pea family.

Scarlet runner beans

So you would think that beans are easy to grow but for whatever reason, some people find them challenging to germinate.

• You may already know that as well as other legumes, beans have nitrogen fixing nodules on their roots. Yep, that’s right, the roots make nitrogen out of the air and deposit it into the soil.
• Lightning storms are even better for that reason because they convert nitrogen into ammonium ions which is what plants need before they can take it up.

Green beans, either climbing or dwarf, are also called string beans and snap beans.

Dwarf beans are very quick growing and may be sown every three or four weeks from spring to give a succession of pickings throughout summer. They’re handy for filling in any gaps and perfect for tubs and window boxes.

Green beans can be yellow

• Green beans generally have smooth, slender pods.
• Runner beans tend to have slightly coarser pods and continue cropping a few weeks later than string beans.

Then there are the beans exclusive to warmer climates including soya beans, lima beans, and the appropriately named yard-long beans!

How To Grow

To grow beans you need up to four months of warm weather.

In subtropical climates beans can be grown almost all year.

For temperate and arid zones, mid-spring through to late summer are the best times to plant.

In colder districts, beans, don’t like the cold at all and they certainly don’t like frost.

You have until the end of summer, certainly you wouldn’t be expecting any cold snaps now.

Tropical districts, once again, need to wait until the winter months to sow beans.

For those gardeners having trouble getting beans to germinate, beans are best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 30°C.

If the temperature is colder , you probably will strike out.

How to Sow and Grow Your Beans

• Drop in two seeds per hole, so they fall about 2cm apart, and 5cm deep.
• Cover with soil, seed raising mix, or compost. Grown this way the beans will mostly shade out competing weeds and 'self-mulch'.
• An important fact about growing beans is that they need well-drained soils with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0 and are sensitive to deficiencies or high levels of minerals in the soil-especially climbing beans.

  

  Bean plants can self mulch if planted closely.

How To Water Your Beans

When growing green beans, keep the soil moist.

A good rule of thumb is to put a finger in the dirt and if the dirt is dry up to the first knuckle, then it needs about an inch of water.

Keep your beans watered and watch for vegetable bugs and green caterpillars

• TIP: Pods won’t set at temperatures above 27⁰ C.

Did you know that if you pick the beans as soon as they’re ready, you’ll get new flowers?

If you neglect your bean plants and let your beans get large and stringy, flowering will slow right down, and you probably won’t get any more beans from your plants.

• Tip: To have beans all summer long, plant more seed as soon as the previous planting starts to flower.

Beans do poorly in very wet or humid tropical climates because they get bacterial and fungal diseases.

Go easy on the fertiliser or you’ll get lots of leaves and no beans.

When are beans ready pick I hear you ask?

Usually in about 10-12 weeks.

• Pick them when they are about as thick as a pencil, smaller if you want a better, tender taste.

Dragons Tongue beans

 Why are they good for you?

Green Beans are a good source of vitamin C and also contain calcium, magnesium, zinc and Vitamin A. But, the most important nutritional fact for beans is that they provide a major source of soluble fibre, great for lowering cholesterol.

Also is a source of folate .

Some varieties of the dwarf  beans are

Brown Beauty-flat pods

Dwarf Snake Beans-ready in 11 weeks.

Windsor Delight has long pods of about 15cm.

Blue Lake Climbing, long pods again but they’re round this time.

So happy bean growing gardeners!

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

Mushroom Plants, Dandelions and Garden Designers

We start with the topic of dandelion, it’s a weed but can it help you in Grow Your Health; growing a mushroom plant in Vegetable Heroes; a new series called ‘so you think you need a landscaper part 1’ with Peter Nixon in Design elements and a

GROW YOUR HEALTH

Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale

I’ve talked about weeds on this program, not just controlling weeds but eating weeds.
It’s not something that I’ve got my head around yet, but one weed that is being showcased today has been used in herbal medicine and nutrtition for quite a while.
Apparently it’s good for your liver.

Let’s find out what it is.
I'm talking with Simone Jeffries, naturopath, nutritionist and wellness coach of www.simonejeffriesnaturopath.com.au


The leaf has a serrated edge forming a basal rosette, with a strong taproot.

Dandelion flowers have only ray florets, and no disc florets, therefore no centre.

Milky sap comes from the stem.
It’s good though that dandelion coffee or tea has the same health benefits. 

• Simone recommends eating the leaf because they are bitter. 
• Bitterness is good for us, because it stimulates the appetite.

Dandelion leaves are best when young because they become more bitter with age.

Add to a salad, incorporate into a pesto or mix it in with a juice.

The dandelion root is beneficial also, being made into tea or dandelion coffee.

Contains high amounts of iron and calcium.

You can slow bake the root until its brittle, then you can grind it up to make your own tea or coffee.

• As always, make sure you can identify the weed correctly before consuming it.
• Also don’t collect the weeds on roadsides or nature strips, because you don’t know what animal has left its message on them or if they have been sprayed with herbicide. 

If you have any questions for me or for Simone please contact us or write in.

VEGETABLE HEROES

RUNGIA KLOSSII

Have you ever heard of a mushroom plant?

I bet you’ve never heard of a it?

• Rungia klossii  or Mushroom plant is from the Acanthaceae family, that has quite a lot of ornamental plants with names like, Acanthus mollis or Oyster plant, Justicia sp, you might’ve heard of the shrimp plant, or even grown it yourself.

Why are these plants in the same family?

For one thing, these plants have sympetalous corollas-that means the petals are fused into a tube and they also have  mostly four stamens (sometimes reduced further to two).

Flowers of mushroom plant have sympetalous corollas

Members of this family that grow in Australia or New Guinea (Australia was part of New Guinea in Gondwana time.) are usually small herbs or shrubs with quite dark green leaves.

Back to the mushroom plant, where do you get it?

• What is it actually then ?

The mushroom plant is a perennial-that means it flowers and sets seed over a number of years, growing to about 60cm high.

It comes from the highlands of Papua New Guinea, so it’s a tropical or sub-tropical plant, but seems to grow alright in cooler areas that only get a light frost.

Don’t despair, if you want to try this plant, I’ve been growing mine for years in a pot, and even though there’s not that much frost where I live, it seems to survive quite well.

Except for one time when house-sitters didn’t water it and it looked quite dead.

There are a couple of green stems so I’m hopeful that it will come back.

Where to Plant

• In cooler areas, the plant will die down in winter but comes back up in spring. 
• Mushroom plants can be grown in a position that gets morning sun or semi-shade. Full sun tends to burn them.
• If your district experiences temperatures in the mid-30’s for stretches at a time, I would say that you should only try this plant in a semi-shaded spot.
• In cool temperate climates you could grow the mushroom plant in a full sun position.
• This plant certainly won’t cope with any frost in winter.

 Mushroom plants have dark green, glossy succulent leaves and stems with a yellow central mid-vein.

The leaf is crinkly, about 2 cm long with a sharp point.

And they’re also arranged in opposite pairs  on the stem but at right angles to those above and below.

This is what’s known as decussate.

What does it taste like?

• If you bite on the leaf, it’s quite crunchy, and very tasty and yes, quite reminiscent of mushrooms, but not overpowerlingly.
• Mine has never flowered but it’s supposed to have blue flowers in spring. It probably flowers in more tropical areas.
• The flowering doesn’t matter really because you’re growing it for the leaves to put into your cooking, sandwiches and salads.

Growing it in a Pot

• There isn’t much information about growing this plant in books or on the web, but I’ve found that it grows well in ordinary potting mix, and I’ve also put a plant in the edge of my veggie bed.
• I have heard that it doesn’t like being waterlogged, so for those people who have clay soils, you need to grow it in a raised bed or pot of any size.
• You could say it copes in most soils, but it must be well-drained and kept fairly moist.

If you manage to get one, I would recommend taking a cutting for insurance until you find the right spot for it to grow.

• The plant will grow from root division as well. Spring is the best time, and it can be slow to strike, although once you get it going it can grow quite quickly.
• If you plant it in the ground it’ll spread by suckering and will form a large clump over time.
• Picking the leaves often means the plant gets more bushy-a bit like pruning most plants, the new growth that comes after is better.

How to Enjoy Mushroom Plant

You can eat the leaves in salads, they have a nice crunch to them, or chop them up and put them into scrambled eggs.

They won’t go that grey colour as they do when you use real mushrooms.

Add them to soups, stews and stir-fries towards the end of cooking time. Heat enhances that mushroom flavour.

Why is it good for you?

The leaves are extremely rich in chlorophyll, making them, valuable for blood cleansing and muscle building.

Mushroom plant leaves have 3% protein (higher in protein than actual mushrooms).

What I don’t get is that have a few calories, in fact they have 33 calories per 100 grams of leaves,

But the good part is calcium content is 272mg to 100 grams of leaves the highest in any plant!

It beats other plant foods with high sources of calcium are: kale at 249mg, almond 234, soybean 226, parsley 203, dandelion leaves 187, watercress 151, chickpeas 150, horseradish 140, sunflower seed 120, wheat bran 119, broccoli 103, fennel 100, spinach 93, lentils 97, raisins 62, Chinese cabbage 43 … which shows us that the mushroom plant is very high in calcium.

The plant is also a rich source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

It’s a very tasty herb and there should be more of it around.

The mushroom taste gets stronger with cooking.

Go to your local markets and buy one today.

THAT WAS YOUR VEGETABLE HERO FOR TODAY

DESIGN ELEMENTS

So You Think You Need A Landscaper part 1

You may be wanting to redesign your whole garden so plants that are water hungry are removed and drought tolerant plants put in.

Tex Mex seen in passing. photo P Nixon

It needn’t be ugly or full of just succulents, but what do you plant?
This is when you need a Landscape Designer or even a garden designer
But which of these do you need?
Let’s find out.

I'm talking with Peter Nixon Project manager and landscape designer for Paradisus garden design. www.peternixon.com.au

PLAY: Need A Landscaper part 1_4th December 2019

• If you want more than just new garden beds and new plants, you may just want a garden designer.
• But if you want more doing than just plants, you’ll need project manager who is also a garden or landscape designer.

Peter Nixon's See Changer garden photo Peter Nixon

For plants as seen in this photo, you will need your garden designer or landscaper to prepare an 'availability list.'

Simply because, these are not the standard, run of the mill plants that are available in every pot size all year round.

You may like plants as those you see in gardening magazines or at plant fairs to be used in your new design.

That will mean, someone spending hours on the phone, finding out out which grower can supply them or in fact even contract grow them in the quantity and size that you want.

TIP: ask the right questions of your landscaper or garden designer. Namely, "will you source plants which I want?"

If you have any questions for me or for Peter, please write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com

Pruning But Not Banksias

Second part of Real World Gardener Radio Show

DESIGN ELEMENTS

Pruning 101 After Care

You’ve pruned the branches on that tree so you can walk underneath it, but what do you need to be careful of?
Are there trees that don’t really need much pruning at all?
What care should be taken when you finished all that pruning?
All these questions answered and more.
I'm talking with Jason Cornish from www.urbanmeadows.com.au
Let’s find out.

For grafted trees, or shrubs, this includes roses, if there is a shoot below the graft, called a sucker, that must come off because it belongs to the vigorous understock.
If left there, this shoot will take over from the upper part of the tree or shrub, which may actually die off if you don’t remove the sucker.

Pruning a peach tree

Pruning fruiting trees is best carried out when buds have begun to swell but not fully open, if you want to do formative pruning.
Remove about one -third of growth each year, keeping in mind that peach trees fruit on one your old wood.
Unlike other fruit trees, peach trees need to be opened up in the centre so that the branches form a vase shape.
Removal of crossing or dead twigs or branches can be done at anytime, as seen in the photo.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Banksia robur: Swamp Banksia

Banksia robur photo Adrian O'Malley

Here we have a small tree that’s gnarly and twisted but its scientific name suggests that it will grow into a strong upright tree, possibly an English oak.

Regardless of the fact that the tree is nothing like an English oak, even though it is robust, the botanical name still remains.

Which is strange, because botanists seem to like to change scientific names on a regular basis.

Let’s find out about it

That was Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and native plant expert.
The flower spikes appear in autumn and winter, perfect for providing food for nectar feeding birds when food is scarce.
Not grey leaves this time, but they’re really large, up to 30cm in length and quite leathery, with wonderful bluish green flowers.

As Adrian says, if you buy a small Banksia robur expecting it to grow into a shrub, it may just start going sideways and there’s no pruning that will make it go upwards.

Banksia robur photo Adrian O'Malley

Adaptable to most soils and will grow even in drier soil than from where it naturally occurs.

Swamp banksia is fairly resistant to root rot fungus.

The open habit of the shrub and the heavy leaf structure give the plant a bold outline which may be incorporated as a feature in a home landscape or as a group planting in an urban park situation.

Nectar bird attracting,- honeyeaters and lorikeets, also insects
If you have any questions for me or for Adrian, please contact us or write in to realworldgardener@gmail.com