Growing Your Own Heirloom Vegetables: Bringing CO2 Down to Earth

Growing your own

Heirloom Vegetables Bringing C 0 2 down to earth

•M

KEY TO GROWING INSTRUCTIONS - ICONS >ee key to growing instructions (right)

ow to use this book

• VEGETABLE GARDEN - Seeds and bulbs PLANT TYPE I LIFE CYCLE

HA Hardy Annual: survives frost. Life cycle 4-12 months. TA Tender Annual: frost sensitive. HB Hardy biennial: life cycle 2 growing seasons

[ND YOUR CLIMATE COLOUR for igetables you can grow

p

H

n r

Hardy perennial. Perennial roots with annual flowers, (life cycle 2 years plus).

T P Tender perennial: dies in frosty areas.

Cool

Warm

Hot

>e the 'Growing Days map' on p43 to guide you your selection of vegetables and when to sow

SEED SOWING (see p44-45)

— S ° : Sow direct outside. sow ^ S': Sow as seedling into pots then transplant sow outside.

21T1.

Find your location on the map. This indicates e number of growing days in your region. We ve grouped the growing days into three broad mes represented by icons that are coloured blue, een or yellow. The number of growing days {ermines what vegetables you can grow and hen it is best to grow them. On p44-45 select the ilumn marked in your growing zone colour, and ant out your seeds in the months indicated for ch vegetable. Each individual vegetable entry ill display the climate colours and months of •wing appropriate for that vegetable.

Spacing of seeds / transplants.

_,„„ „ m/cm x

_, mlcm

Space between rows by plants

p sp ace b e , w e e n

Cool Tasmania

Warm Melb-Adel inland Below 150 days 150-240 days

TEMPERATURE GROWING DAYS Number days over 15°C

GROW months

GROW months

GROW months

Harvest days

DAYS TO HARVEST

Hot Bris. Perth, Sydney 240+ days

Days from sowing seed (including seedling stage).

FRUITING TREES & SHRUBS - Container grown plants GROWING ZONES

Cool

Growing Days X Cold Zone

IND YOUR CLIMATE COLOUR for uiting trees and shrubs you can grow ;ooi

Warm Warm Coastal

Inland

Areas

Hot

se the 'Cold Zone map' on p42 to ascertain what :es, shrubs, climbers and perennials you can grow your area. Find your location on the map, it will i covered by one of the four colours, blue, pink, een or yellow indicating different zones. Fruit ants will be permanent members of your garden id are likely to be acquired as young plants in >ts, or bare-rooted in winter in the case of some :ciduous trees, canes or shrubs.

equired sunlight icons are on the bottom section F the page.

Warm Warm

Hot

Coastal

Inland Sydney. M e l b , M | Mildura. Dubbo. Perth. Adol. T'woomba Brisbane Bega, Bunbury

G r o w i n g Days

1-150

150-240

150-240

240+

Cold Zones

9a.9b

10

9b

10,11,12

-7°C

!;ft| -rc

Frost icon Minimum Temperatures

HEIGHT AND WIDTH

J

PI -4°C

a$

-1°c

Height of mature plant " Width of mature plant

FOLIAGE

[ow do I grow fruit and vegetables? ;e the icon table (right) and on the inside of the ick cover for the symbols used for the type of ant, sowing method, spacing and harvest icons ir vegetables. The icons for fruiting trees and shrubs cover ost tolerance/intolerance, climate, height and idth of plant, type of foliage, harvest month and kely yield.

Tas, Ballaral, Orange. Canb

(Jjk

Evergreen

^

Deciduous

^

Semi-Deciduous

Harvest month

SEASON OF HARVEST

Yield

TOTAL PRODUCE

SUNLIGHT AND WATER REQUIREMENTS SUNLIGHT REQUIRED

^

Full sun Part sun or part shade

^

WATER Vegetables must be kept moist at alt times unless otherwise indicated in the text.

Shade only

4 4 4 Constantly moist soil 44 4

(Above 850mm rainfall)

Seasonal watering Drought tolerant

(Below 500mm rainfall)

Heirloom pumpkin display at 'Fork to Fork' cafe,

Heronswood

Growing your own

Heirloom Vegetables B r i n g i n g C 0 2 d o w n t o earth

Dedicated to Kent Whealey who rescued 25,000 heirloom varieties world wide through the Seed Savers Exchange.

vegetable Clive B l a z e y

Thank-you W e c o u l d not h a v e written this b o o k w i t h o u t the h e l p of D i g g e r ' s s t a f f , J a n e Varkulevicius, C a m i l l a L a z z a r , T i m S a n s o m , C a r o l i n e T r e v o r r o w , J a y n e A n d e r s o n , R e x E n n i s , L i s a R e m a t o , Talei K e n y o n , Phil S e y m o u r & L o u L a r r i e u . E a c h h a s c o n t r i b u t e d to the s u m total of k n o w l e d g e that this b o o k c o n t a i n s .

First p u b l i s h e d in A u s t r a l i a in 2 0 0 8 , by T h e D i g g e r ' s C l u b D r o m a n a , Vic., A u s t r a l i a Phone +61 03 5984 7900 Facsimile +61 0 3 5 9 8 7 2 3 9 8

© Clive Blazey All r i g h t s r e s e r v e d . N o part of this p u b l i c a t i o n m a y b e r e p r o d u c e d , s t o r e d in a retrieval s y s t e m , o r t r a n s m i t t e d in a n y f o r m o r by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, w i t h o u t the p r i o r w r i t t e n p e r m i s s i o n of t h e P u b l i s h e r . Printer: B o o k b u i l d e r s D e s k t o p p u b l i s h i n g : J o h n P. ConP h o t o g r a p h s s u p p l i e d a n d o w n e d by T h e D i g g e r ' s C l u b , except where otherwise attributed. D i s t r i b u t e d by: B o o k s h o p s : U n i r e p s c / o University of N e w S o u t h Wales, S y d n e y , N S W 2 0 5 2 Ph: + 6 1 ( 0 2 ) 9 3 8 5 0 1 5 0 Mail O r d e r : T h e D i g g e r ' s C l u b - H e r o n s w o o d , 105 L a t r o b e Parade, D r o m a n a , V I C 3 9 3 6 Ph: + 6 1 (03) 5 9 8 4 7 9 0 0 d i g g e r s . c o m . a u N a t i o n a l Library of A u s t r a l i a C a t a l o g u i n g - i n - P u b l i c a t i o n entry A u t h o r : Blazey, Clive. Title:

G r o w i n g y o u r o w n h e i r l o o m v e g e t a b l e s : b r i n g i n g C 0 2 d o w n to earth / Clive Blazey.

ISBN:

9 7 8 0 6 4 6 4 9 2 7 6 6 (hbk.)

Notes:

I n c l u d e s index. Bibliography.

Subjects:

V e g e t a b l e s - H e i r l o o m varieties. Climatic changes.

Dewey Number:

635

O t h e r D i g g e r ' s titles:

T h e Australian F l o w e r G a r d e n , 2 0 0 1 T h e Australian Fruit and Vegetable G a r d e n , 2 0 0 6

N o Tasmanian old growth forests felled to make this paper FSC Certified Paper This book is printed on is FSC certified paper. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international, non-profit organisation which was set up to ensure sound and sustainable forest management. It prevents the felling of old growth forests, protects watersheds and ensures harvesting of trees only if replanting replaces felled trees. Its guarantee is as sound and respected as an organic certification. The FSC certifies and labels forest products from paper to furniture using its chain of custody to ensure all wood products have been harvested sustainably. By choosing FSC certified paper or organic products you are supporting the best international practice.

CONTENTS BEING CLIMATE

POSITIVE

Bringing C 0 2 down to earth

6

Only a biodiverse world can adapt to change

8

Growing food in our cities

10

The story of heirloom seeds - what's new is old

12

ORGANIC

GARDENING

Know your soil

14

Soils - food for plants

16

Water, mulches and green manures

18

Pest control without pesticides

20

BEING

SELF-SUFFICIENT

The Mini Plot - Growing a year's supply in 40m 2

24

Convert your lawn into a food garden

26

Getting children started

28

Kitchen gardens should be decorative

30

How much water does the garden need?

32

Hybrids, heirlooms or GM?

36

GARDENING

BASICS

Sowing seed successfully

38

Climate maps

42

Sow What When sowing calender

44

VEGETABLES TO

GROW

Cool soil - 1st planting

46

Cool soil - 2nd planting

56

Warm soil

66

Herbs

82

The gardens of Heronswood and St Erth

88

Index

90

Glossary

94

Bibliography

96

BEING CLIMATE POSITIVE

Bringing C0 2 down to earth It will astound most people to realise that a visit to the supermarket to buy food is a greater threat to our environment than all the pollution caused by coal fired power stations. Nearly 30% of the C 0 2 in our atmosphere is caused by us not growing our own food. Non-renewable energy is used to plough the fields, harvest and process the crop and take it to market. The fertilisers, pesticides and weed killers used to grow the crop are derived from oil. In fact 75% of the energy that is used to grow our food occurs once it has left the farm. The kitchen fridge uses more energy than the farm tractor. In some areas more energy is used to drive to the supermarket than is used on the farm. Up to 25% of the energy is consumed in wasteful packaging.

Biology is our ecological recycler. The globalisation of our food supply is a very bad idea that needs to be reversed. It transfers wealth to corporations at the expense of our environment. Cheap food delivers a trashed ecosystem. In a hot, dry, water-deficient continent, is it sensible to export 4 0 % of our water through the sale of meat and grains? Is it sensible that only 1% of our population grows food for us? Do we want corporations to use our food supply to increase their sales of chemicals? "When it comes to choosing the food 1 buy, organic is actually my fourth choice. I would choose local and seasonal products, particularly from farmer's markets, ahead of organically certified products, particularly if those products have travelled long distances. I feel that our diet needs a diversity of foods, all of which I would consider ahead of organically grown food," says organics expert Tim Marshall. In our race for efficiency, farms are getting so large that neighbours are kilometres away and have lost the sense of community. The producer driven farmer never sells directly to the consumer and is oblivious to their anxieties. How else can we explain that despite 70% of the population slating they don't want genetically engineered food, less than 200 growers will impose genetically engineered crops on our food

T H E IMPACT OF BOTTLED WATER

kitchen fridge t more energy •i the farm tractor Instead of buying fertilisers, which require Middle Eastern oil (and the wars that come from it) we could simply recycle the 4 7 % of green matter that goes to landfill by composting at home, and save all that money. Nourishing our soil would improve our health because we wouldn't be using fertilisers that pollute our streams and soil life, while our food would be free of pesticides. If this sounds like Utopia it is, and we have been there, before the supermarkets manipulated our lazy nature. Growing food is the foundation of our ecological education. Ecology is not some study of life that is remote from us - it is us. Eco is derived from the Greek word for "house" so ecology is the study of our home, our planet - not anyone else's - i t ' s ours! When we pollute the air or our rivers, we pollute our lungs and our bodies.

Many of our buying choices have extraordinary impacts on global wanning. Are you aware that an empty bottle of water costs as much to produce as a full container? This industry is valued at $35,000,000,000 and yet its direct water cost is probably less than $ 17,500. The rest of the cost goes into carbon-polluting transportation and bottling. When you pay $1.60 for a litre of bottled water at the supermarket you could have filled 2000 litres by tap for the same price. In America 90% of these bottles go to the tip. If we are serious about reducing global warming such absurd and avoidable consumer choices have to be reversed.

EXPLAINING THE CARBON CYCLE Plants, animals and microorganisms are largely composed of carbon. Plants process carbon from the atmosphere and in the presence of sunlight and water photosynthesise this into sugars for plant growth. The amount of "living carbon" found in trees and plants is about half the amount of decaying, decomposing carbon underground that we describe as organic matter. The oil and coal that we burn for energy are the concentrated stores of dead organic plants composted over millions of years. Before man burnt this energy the balance of recycling carbon from soil to plants to the atmosphere and back again was in equilibrium. By tilling our soils, burning nonrenewable fossil fuels, and paving over living soil we have increased atmospheric C 0 2 and caused climate change. By exposing soil microbes to the sun and adding fertilisers, Australian soils which are already low in organic matter have declined even further since agriculture started. We can solve climate change by planting trees, which takes decades, or by growing our own food organically and boosting the sequestration rate of carbon into soils. Raising the organic content of our soils is an immediate and easy solution to bringing C 0 2 down to earth. Allan Yeomans believes we only have to raise organic soil levels by 1.6% to reduce our atmospheric carbon and that can be done in much less time than it takes to establish forests. S I M P L I F I E D C A R B O N CYCLE Billion tonnes of carbon Annual* Store Atmosphere

766

Plants (living)

600

Below soil (decaying)

1500

+6.1 Decaying plants a n d a n i m a l s provide twice a s m u c h c a r b o n in soil t h a n in t h e a t m o s p h e r e

Source: Kansas State University

'99% of carbon is fixed in the Earth's crust and oceans, but we can control the annual increase of of 6.1 billion tonnes supply, such is the disconnection between supply and demand. Farmers are being encouraged to grow biofuels instead of food. As the price of fuel rises so does the cost of food. We now have the absurd notion of 'grain fed cars.' It has been estimated that it takes the same amount of grain to fill the tank of a 4WD SUV vehicle for one week as it does to feed one person for a whole year! When food is grown for us it tastes like crap - the only good food is food that goes bad! If we grew our own food at home as we used to generations ago, and as most people in China, India and the rest of the world do, our carbon emissions would drop immediately. Growing your own food at home saves water too - up to 89% less than when it is grown for you. Despite the reduction in block

sizes almost every suburban block has enough space to be self sufficient. It takes just ten square metres of space - about the same space as a parked suburban 4WD to grow a year's supply of vegetables for one person. In fact, even the tiniest front garden is large enough to feed the whole family and still leave room for the family car. Instead of filling our gardens with ornamentals we should replace them with edible plants. Avocados thrive where camellias grow while blueberries fruit in the same conditions as an azalea. We must learn to grow our own food again. Solving climate change and restoring our soils to good health is not a spectator sport.

II

BEING CLIMATE POSITIVE

Only a biodiverse world can adapt to climate change "Driven by energy from the sun, trees pump water from the water table through the roots, trunk and leaves up into the atmosphere through the process of evapotranspiration. This process translates into summer rainfall, helping to sustain crops. When the forests disappear, this rainfall declines and crop yields follow."

- Jim Amscombe, Hydrogeologist.

"Our species is the first to turn its food supply into one of the biggest threats to our health", writes Anne Lappe. In the short space of just one generation, powerful food corporations have turned the growing of food into an industrial system. Governments have deregulated our food system in the name of market fundamentalism, so that coiporations have turned our food supply into a threat to our health! Thirty four percent of the beef we eat in Australia is grain fed, so instead of grazing animals fed on grass powered by the sun, we eat animals fed on grains. These grains use 7-8 times as much energy to grow as the energy value of the food. Animals reach maturity much faster on a diet of grains but a diet so rich it is actually unhealthy for ruminant animals evolved to eat grass. This causes huge health problems for the cattle and sheep and then the consumers of those animals - us humans. Standing ankle deep in faeces with almost no exercise to build muscles while being forced to eat grains they were never designed to eat, puts the cattle under enormous stress. These feed lot cows now need to be fed antibiotics to keep them alive longer than 150 days.

BRING CARBON D O W N T O EARTH Our forests are the lungs of the earth. One hectare of tall wet forest can store the equivalent of 5,500 tonnes of C 0 2 - which is equivalent to the annual emissions of 1,300 cars. fcvto moculture leguins store 40% less carbon 11 mi-logged forests

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P

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BIODIVERSITY - NATURE'S FAIL-SAFE "Biodiversity is the sum total of all the world's life forms, organisms and genes - it is Nature's fail-safe mechanism against extinction." Kenny Ausubel. Most of us think of biodiversity in terms of the animals we see and love, like the orange-bellied parrot or the great panda, and ignore the plants, insects and microbes that we can't see that in turn provide the habitat for those endangered animals. When we cut down old growth forests and turn them into wood chips we destroy a thousand years of biological activity that has reached a state of equilibrium. That old growth forest attracted rain and purified our water supply, maintained our carbon balance by recycling dead and decaying matter and provided a habitat for soil microbes, animals and plants. When we replace it with a monoculture of bluegums we lose rainfall, pure water, animals, plants and release carbon to the atmosphere. In fact, we lose our ecological inheritance (just to enhance the bottom line of one corporation), and this vandalism is endorsed by our governments! "Monoculture" and "biodiversity" are two words balanced almost equally in the weight of letters but hostile and destructive to each other in nature.

FACTORY FARMING MEAT - T H E AMERICAN WAY Almost all meat consumed in America, whether it is beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb or even salmon is derived from a grain-fed diet. Even milk and cheese is derived from corn since dairy cows don't eat grass anymore, since it is fed to dairy cows in feed lots. Hybrid or GE corn is planted four times as close as traditional corns and now provides yields of 10,000 lbs per acre, which is 9 times the yield o f 1920 cultivars (just 12001bs/acre). To produce these prodigious yields the munitions factories that used to turn oil into explosives during World War 2 switched to making fertiliser. Oil derived pesticides were also produced once the demand for poison gas ceased. Synthetic fertilisers replaced the natural organic processes, so instead of relying on carbon farming using the energy of the sun, Americans switched to fossil fuels to feed their crops which then feed their livestock. Americans arc now literally 'eating' oil. This corn crop is so extensively planted now, it uses 50% of all synthetic nitrogen fertilisers which is the most ecologically damaging way to grow food. At our current growth rate, 50% of Australian beef will be grain-fed and kangaroo meat may be the only grass-fed meat available. Today it is rare to find a farm with a diversity of animals, grains and poultry, that are grown in a sustainable way. When we farm as nature intended there is no waste problem, since one creature's waste becomes another's lunch. Pests and diseases should really

MECHANISM AGAINST EXTINCTION As the wood cutter and chipper destroy natural habitats, the hybrid plant breeder and molecular biologist destroy our horticultural inheritance upon which our food supply depends. Over 90% of our fruit and vegetable cultivars have disappeared in the last one hundred years. Out of 2500 tomato cultivars less than 10 genetically different tomato hybrids appear in supermarkets. Just ten apple varieties have replaced four thousand apple cultivars available in the 1850's. This collapse in biodiversity caused initially by the adaption of hybrids will accelerate dramatically if we allow genetic engineers to control our food supply. Already GM crops in the US - GM corn and GM soy are the dominant crops whilst GM canola plantings in Canada are 80% of acreage. Ninety percent of our eggs are in the White Leghorn basket, whilst 70% of our dairy herd are dependent on the genetics of Holstein cattle. With climate change and rising temperatures causing mass extinctions, we cannot afford for our food supply to be based on such a narrow genetic base. Survival of the fittest presumes a biodi verse world. That is nature's fail-safe mechanism against extinction.

be seen as a symptom - nature's explanation to the farmer that something is wrong. Instead of growing grain with artificial fertilisers and pesticides, grazing animals should feed on solar-powered grass. In the process of grazing, the animals exercise to build up muscle and their effluent becomes the food for the grasses in a continuous recycling system. Polyface Farm in Virginia USA, a truly Utopian farm, is not only highly productive but provides healthy food that has integrity. On this bio-diverse, mixed farm, cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys and rabbits are farmed on rotation using minimal fossil fuels and without fertilisers or pesticides. The cows are moved frequently to ensure the grass is still plentiful - not over grazed. Three days later chickens are brought in to eat the grubs that emerge from the cow pats so that 20% of the diet of chickens is either grass or insects. The chickens roost in a mobile - "egg mobile" - so they exercise, have plenty of fresh air and are truly 'free range'. Pigs nest in the shelter of the forest rather than in cages amongst their urine. On just 100 acres the farmer produces: • 30,000 dozen free range organic eggs • 10,000 free range chickens • 11,363kg of grass-fed beef • 11,363kg of free range organic pork • 800 stewing hens • 1000 turkeys • 500 rabbits If you can't produce dairy products at home, choose organically certified produce because it will be grassfed and solar powered guaranteeing no pesticides and fertilisers are used. Support your local farmers' market where you can talk to your farmer about the breed of the animal or the cultivar of the fruit and vegetable, while being certain you are buying local produce. It is estimated that 75% of C 0 2 pollution occurs after it leaves the farm gate. If you buy organic produce at fanners' markets you will cut emissions by up to 75%.

II

BEING CLIMATE POSITIVE

Growing food in our cities Cuba is the only country that has avoided the globalisation of our food supply and returned to growing their own food. The country is now as energy independent as it is politically independent. Cubans use 25 times less pesticides and their C 0 2 emissions are 14% of either Australia or the US. Instead of tractors they rely on animals to till the soil, reducing soil compaction and providing invaluable manure to replace imported fertilisers. The quality of food has improved and life expectancy of 77 years is equal to that of North Americans. Instead of eating imported high fat foods their fresh food and vegetable diet combined with greater exercise from gardening and cycling has created a state of well-being at a fraction of the price of American health spending.

to replace imported fertilisers and, within a period of three to four years, has boosted biological soil activity to a point where 80% of the nation's food is organically grown. If Americans grew their own food and severed their dependence on middle eastern oil would they need to fight the war in Iraq and fill the former Cuban jail o f G u a n t a n a m o Bay with terrorists?

C A N YOU AFFORD T O BUY NON-ORGANIC FOOD? Many people are scornful when the subject of organic food comes up. With our globalised distribution of food the C 0 2 pollution created is never paid for by the oil companies. The next generation will have to pay not just for the pollution from oil and coal fired power stations, but for deteriorating water supplies, eroding soils and the effect on their health from the consumption of so much pesticide. Organic systems of growing place an absolute ban on the use of synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and weedicides. Organic systems use less energy and take 2 - 3 years to reach soil health before the health benefits are expressed in the produce you buy. When you buy organic food you are paying for the real cost in the food - not some deferred liability. Cotton is the most pesticide-dependent crop in the world requiring $2.6 billion of chemical sprays each year. Some of those chemicals were being made in 1984 at Union Carbide's factory in Bhopal, India, where an explosion caused the death of 3,800 people. In the Philippines the health cost to farmers in medication and lost days through illness exceeds the original cost of pesticides that they use. In Essex in the UK the cost of removing pesticides from the water supply is 25% of the overall cost, and that isn't paid for by chemical companies but by the council.

•sy: The Power of unity: How Cuba ' e" ' , 2 0 0 8

10

The transition to a sustainable economy has required dramatic changes in behaviour. Being a Communist country and isolated from the US and the Western world initially required that it export sugar, citrus and rice in exchange for oil, tractors and fertilisers from Russia. When the USSR disintegrated in the 1990's it was unable to provide fuel for its tractors, cars and power utilities. Cubans immediately began growing food within Havana by occupying disused building sites and today the city of Havana produces 6 0 % of its own food. By recycling its green waste it was able

When you consider that we lose a greater percentage of our crops to pests today than fifty years ago, one wonders why we still buy non-organic food. The recent article in the consumer magazine Choice is particularly alarming: Supermarket strawberries have the highest levels of pesticides compared to any other fruit. Although these levels are regarded as being within acceptable levels by health authorities, they ignore the multiplier effects of a cocktail of pesticide applications. In Choice's survey only 22% of growers had fruit with only one pesticide, while 63% of growers had multiple residues

and 15% had a cocktail of four or more. Choice detected 150 different pesticides from 27 growers. The so called acceptable limits are based on the amount of pesticides consumed compared to the body weight of an average person. There are no warnings for children. Some of the pesticides used by growers are called systemics, which means they enter the sap stream and can't be washed off, turning the strawberry fruit into pesticide bombs. If your child is say one fifth of your body weight then the amount of pesticide consumed is five times as concentrated. If the strawberry your child is eating is one of those stacked with four pesticides, then you may be feeding your child with a dosage level 20 times over what our authorities said was safe! Instead of choosing organic food for the benefits of what it doesn't contain, you should consider buying it for what it does contain. A 20-40% increase in anti-oxidants is regularly reported to help cut the risk of cancer and heart disease. Organic milk has 6080% more nutrients than conventional milk. Organic systems are monitored and carefully regulated unlike the growing of non-organic food as the Choice article proved. The most immediate and dramatic way we can solve climate change and restore our biological systems to health is to start growing our own food organically. Organic soils are a greater store of carbon than either plants or the atmosphere, and are the most cost effective way of bringing CO2 down to earth.

T H E MODERN (MONO-CULTURE) STRAWBERRY FARM Huge-shouldered unripe strawberries have replaced delicious, aromatic intensely flavoured strawberries. They may look the same but they are pumped so full of fertilisers and pesticides that they are a health hazard to our children.

The modern strawberry farm is the epitome of all that is wrong with modern horticulture. Highly fertile soils are heavily tilled and fumigated to destroy all living soil microbes. Plastic sheeting prevents the natural exchange of gases with the atmosphere. Unregulated pesticide and fungicide sprays are applied to this biologically dead soil to provide those fruits of deception to long distant supermarkets.

II

BEING CLIMATE POSITIVE

The story of heirloom seeds - what's new is old their favourite capsicums, eggplants and herbs with them. It was not until our exposure to the 25,000 varieties under cultivation at Seed Savers Exchange in the USA, that we realised the poverty of our vegetable inheritance. Varieties that have been grown for hundreds of years in America never reached our shores. American groups such as Seed Savers Exchange, who preserve our garden inheritance, are surprised heirloom seeds are a new introduction to Australia. For what's new is old. At the turn of the 20 ,h century most families grew their own vegetables and fruit - we knew what we were eating because we grew it ourselves. But as people moved from the country to the city, more and more began to buy food rather than grow it themselves. Specialised growers, who were marketorientated, sprang up close to the cities and

Plant selection goes hand in hand with population growth. When man first domesticated plants 8000 years ago he kept the earliest, the best yielding and the most disease-resistant strains for planting back the next season. This unbroken chain of evolutionary improvement has provided us with well-adapted regional strains of vegetables, now called garden heirlooms, which are incredibly productive, for all our culinary and cultural needs.

T H E POVERTY OF O U R ENGLISH INHERITANCE Depending upon our English forebears for culinary vegetables has given Australians one of the poorest inheritances a country could have. In 1885, William Robinson, a famous English gardener, wrote in the introduction to the classic Vilmorin book The Vegetable Garden: 'We are meat eaters because our fathers had little to eat... Men killed and cooked; there was little else worth eating. A few generations only have passed since our most common vegetables came from the c o n t i n e n t . . . The vegetable kingdom is usually represented by a mass of ill-smelling cabbage and sodden potato.' Fortunately, recent immigrants from Europe and Asia have enriched our choice, bringing seeds of

Heirloom pumpkins at Seetlsavers Exchange, Iowa

chose higher-yielding varieties for commercial sale. The profit motive became, for the first time, the major criterion for plant improvement. It was the advent of supermarkets and refrigeration after 1950 that swung the balance from consumerchosen strains to producer-driven ones. Out-of-season crops such as tomatoes, capsicums and melons were grown in wanner climates and shipped thousands of kilometres. New strains with tougher skins were bred to slow the ripening process and increase shelf life.

CAN WE TRUST OTHERS TO GROW FOOD FOR US? As our lives have become so hectic, we have entrusted the growing of our food to market gardeners and fanners. This change has destroyed the nutritional quality of our food, for example, fruit is picked unripe to extend supennarket shelf-life. Almost all the b e n y fruits such as strawbenies and melons are picked before sugars, vitamins and antioxidants develop. Fruit is now sprayed with anti-ripening chemicals and a survey found that what supermarkets euphemistically call "Fresh Food" could be 9 months old. Orchardists make much more profit by.pumping apples, grapes and tomatoes so full of water to boost weight, that flavour, nutrition and antioxidant levels are almost negligible. The quality of food diminishes proportionally to the time and distance from harvest. You may be surprised and alarmed to realise that 90% of the garlic we eat is imported. Our quarantine department insists that every bulb is fumigated with one of the world's deadliest chemicals - the poison Methyl Bromide. This chemical works like a biological nuclear bomb, it kills weeds, insects and bacteria etc, rendering soils sterile and lifeless. It is 45 times as destructive to the atmosphere's ozone layer as the already banned CFCs.

THE PROBLEM WITH HYBRIDS The new hybrid supermarket tomato, for instance, had to be both box and contents so flavour and freshness were sacrificed for shelf life and texture! Plant breeders convinced themselves that 'new equals improved', so the older standard varieties disappeared as new hybrids took over. In meeting the particular needs of supermarket vegetables, hybrids became so altered as to be almost useless for gardeners. Gardeners want early crops and late crops and continuity in between, but above all, tasty crops. Industrial agriculture wants crops that can be harvested all at once and shipped without loss over long distances.

Heirloom seeds were developed to provide food from the garden direct to the table. Fruit, vegetables and flowers are all inter-planted so that pests never get the upper hand. Vegetables are picked at peak ripeness, enhancing their flavour, nutrition and lifesaving anti-oxidants. Adapted to local conditions they could be collected and replanted, giving true to type continuously unifonn crops. They were open-pollinated, freely exchanged and available to all. They are a precious gift from our ancestors, encoded with thousands of generations of improvements. Today, only four per cent of the food grown in Australia comes from our own backyards. Economic rationalism has almost destroyed the wonderful biological diversity of our heirloom garden seeds. The food we buy might look the same as the food we grow, but it has unprecedented amounts of synthetic fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides. All these changes to our food have been forced upon us; we, as consumers, have never been consulted.

The proud boast of Modern Seed Company's latest hybrid supermarket tomato

The advent of genetically engineered food (GE) is a revolutionary change to our food that offers no nutritional improvement, but is designed specifically to increase the profitability and market power of global seed and chemical companies. Heirloom varieties are a gardener's inheritance. We don't need new varieties, because we have an inheritance 100 times as rich and diverse as the commercial market. Heirloom varieties are not fragile or exclusive, but available to all, and are capable of better yields and earlier crops than commercial hybrids. We encourage you to grow them and become part of a vital preservation campaign. You will be growing not only the tastiest vegetables in the healthiest way, but you will retain control of your food, which is as essential to us as pure air and clean water.

SEED PLEDGE Seeds are the basis on which our lives depend. We will promote their diversity andfree availability, andfight all attempts to own or destroy our inheritance of open pollinated heirloom seeds. We oppose genetically engineered seeds that promote the use of chemicals. We oppose patents and the control that confers over our food. We support sustainable agriculture.

II

ORGANIC GARDENING

Know your soil Australian soils are the least fertile of any soils on our planet. They arc very old and have low levels of organic matter and are particularly deficient in phosphorus. Our native plants and animals have adapted to this harsh environment in unusual and unique ways, but they have not provided our table with food, other than the macadamia. All our sources of fruit and vegetables come from overseas areas of higher soil fertility, and to grow them requires considerable enhancement of our soils.

IDEAL SOIL C O M P O S I T I O N Water

Minerals 45%

BASICS FOR G R O W T H To make growth a plant needs a continuous and uniform supply of sunlight, moisture, air and nutrients. Plants and animals and all living things are principally made up of carbon compounds. Understanding the carbon cycle is the basis of organic gardening. Plants photosynthcsise and convert carbon dioxide ( C 0 2 ) from the atmosphere into oxygen and organic matter. Animals and micro-organisms consume most of this using up the oxygen, and returning C 0 2 to the air in a recycling process. Before the advent of chemical fertilisers, crops were grown by recycling manure and wastes to replace nutrients lost in the growing process. With the discovery of fossil fuels (which are really very old deposits of carbon), tractors were used to plough our fields and fertilisers were synthesized from oil to replace the recycling process. When the Chinese, who maintained productive soils for 4000 years using organic methods, also adopted mechanised chemical agriculture, they too suffered serious soil degradation. It is now known that repeated cultivation and exposure of bare soil to the baking sun's rays, kills earthworms and other microbes which maintain the organic process.

O P T I M U M SOILS The optimum conditions for growth occur when 50% of soil volume is available to be filled with both air (25%) and water (25%). This openness is the basis for providing ideal conditions for plant roots to penetrate and seek air, nutrients and water. The other 50% is composed of minerals, 45%, and 5% organic matter. Soil depths of 12cm can support a rudimentary vegetable garden but 20-40cm of good, open soil high in organic matter is preferred to grow healthy deeprooted fruits and vegetables.

14

matter 5%

NATURAL A N D O R G A N I C SOILS In natural systems such as virgin forests or permanent grasslands, recycling has been at the heart of sustainable organic soils for millions of years. Soil organic matter is really plant or animal residues in decomposition. Dead bodies of beetles, grubs, earthworms, bacteria, fungi and decomposing plants are consumed by millions of teeming earthworms and microbes. The earthworms alone can eat 100 tonnes of soil per hectare (10kg per square metre) and increase the nitrogen level by a factor of 5, phosphorus 7 and potassium 11. Earthworms also open up soils and improve root and water penetration - as well as providing plant nutrients in organic form. Under organic systems, instead of fertilising plants, soil micro-flora are fed first and the resulting product is incredibly rich soil which is capable of feeding plants and soil micro-flora for hundreds of years. Humus is the final result of decomposition and is the best slow-release fertiliser which remains in soils for thousands of years. Most soils have organic contents of less than 2%, but that 2% is enough to support human civilisation if carefully managed; or put in reverse, human civilisations collapse when the organic and fertility levels of soils collapse. John Jeavons, in his book ' H o w to Grow More Vegetables' states that organic soils have such capacity to hold moisture that optimum growth can be achieved with up to 75% less water than non-organic systems. Whilst plants can be grown without soil in high input hydroponic systems, these systems are totally dependent on nonrenewable sources of power and fertilisers. In the case of hydroponic tomatoes this is 20 times as much energy to produce as the food value.

RAISING C A R B O N / O R G A N I C LEVELS T O 5% Organic farmers achieve 5%-6% organic soil content by not just recycling manure and organic wastes, but by minimising the damaging effects of tillage, by growing green manure crops, and by mulching in summer to keep earthworms and soil micro-flora active. It has been estimated that 80-90% of the organic matter processed each year becomes available within 12 months and so the build up of organic matter is a slow process that takes not years, but decades.

SOIL TEXTURE Ideal garden soil contains up to 50% pore spaces, and half of the space is filled with water. Texture refers to the size of the mineral particles from which the soil is made, and the proportion of particles of each size - small (clay), medium (loam) and large (sand).

"Clay breaks your back and sand breaks you heart" Texture is important because it determines the spaces between particles of soil or pores. The best soils for gardening have a range of pore sizes, and continuous or connected pores that allow water, roots and organisms to move through the soil. This is best achieved in a soil that has some particles from each size class (otherwise known as a 'loam'). The small spaces trap water and provide habitat for microorganisms. The larger spaces allow free drainage and passages for roots, organisms and gas exchange.

CLAY Clay particles arc much smaller than sand and more regular, so they pack down tightly. Clay soils are 'heavy', and water is trapped in the smaller spaces. Clay soils need less frequent irrigation, and may become very boggy, ot dry and hard to penetrate.

SOIL STRUCTURE Soil particles are bound together by organic matter, plant roots, bacteria and fungi, to form larger clumps. Humus and the exudates of soil organisms arc ' g u m m y ' . They form the strongest and longestlasting bonds to hold soil particles together to form aggregates. The shape and size of these aggregates determine the 'structure' of soil. If there are continuous pores between the aggregates soil animals move around easily and water and oxygen move in and out of soil faster. The stability of the aggregates is important too. They have to stay together through winter and summer, during hard rain and under traffic. Tim M a r s h a l l

SAND Sand particles are large and irregular in shape. They fit together in an open structure with very wide spaces. Sandy soils therefore drain freely, and need watering more often.

SOIL STRUCTURE TEST • Place a handful of soil crumbs in a tumbler. • Carefully pour enough water into the glass to cover the soil. • A good, stable soil will hold together even when the crumbs are wet. • Poorly structured soil will fall apart.

Sand

Loam

Feels gritty between your fingers.

Wet sand can be rolled into a pencil-shape, but will not retain the shape.

Water disappears into sandy soil fast, and plants wilt quickly. Must water plants often.

Loam feels smooth & silky between your fingers.

Moist loam can be rolled into a pencil-shape and will retain the shape.

Water disappears into silty-loam soil quickly. Holds water better than sand.

Clay feels very smooth between your fingers.

Moist clay can be rolled into a pencil-shape, will retain the shape. With high-clay content the cylinder can be carefully rolled into a ring without breaking.

Water and nutrient holding capacity is high - can leave longer between watering.

II

ORGANIC GARDENING

Soils - food for plants FERTILISERS The word fertiliser is a misnomer for it means to feed rather than sexually fertilise plants. In the last century chemical fertilisers have replaced natural soil building processes. The recent over-use of fast acting fertilisers combined with repeated tilling has destroyed the organic buffers in our soils and our topsoils become eroded. Fortunately gardeners can

avoid fertilisers by using composts, mulches and green manures to feed the soil releasing nutrients slowly in time with the food needs of plants. It makes no difference to the plant whether it receives its major nutrients, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) or potassium (K), as inorganic chemicals or organic manures and composts, but it makes a huge difference to the natural equilibrium of the soil.

Nitrogen(N), Phosphorous(P) Potassium(K) F E R T I L I S E R N E E D S O F VEGETABLES

grams / square metre Vegetable type

N

P

K

Leaf - cabbage/lettuce

13

4

11

Fruit - tomatoes/melons

9

4

11

Root - onions/carrots

13

4

18

Legumes - peas/beans

5

3

4

Potatoes

18

8

15

To convert to kg per hectare multiply by 10,000 ie 13 gram/metre = 130kg/hectare A P P L I C A T I O N RATES O F N U T R I E N T S Conventional

N%

P%

K%

Application

Standard chemical fertiliser (assuming no organic material applied)

5

8

4

100g/m

Citrus & fruit tree fertiliser

10

2

7

200-300g/tree Max. mature tree 3kg

Blood & bone

4.5

5.0

.2

100g/m

or add potassium sulphate 80g to 1 kg of blood & bone

4.1

4.6

3.8

handful of compost heap

Poultry manure (decomposed, no ammonia smell)

3.0

1.5

.8

300g/m s

Fish wastes

4

1

.8

300g/m 2

Seaweed

.5

.1

.1

1 -3kg/m 2

Lucerne hay

2.2

.3

1.0

1 -3kg/m 2

Garden compost

1.4

.3

.4

1 -3kg/m 2

Replace with organics

Organic sources of: 1st choice 2nd choice 3rd choice

16

Nitrogen Phosphorus Blood & b o n e Blood & b o n e Manure Manure Compost Compost L u c e r n e hay Worm c a s t i n g s P e a straw L e g u m e s ( p e a s , b e a n s , lucerne)

Potassium Wood a s h Granite d u s t Basalt dust Seaweed Sea grass Fern b r a n c h e s

The table left explains the NPK needs of plants and compares the nutrient levels of both chemical and organic sources of food. If your soils have good organic levels you probably won't need to add any standard fertiliser, but if not, the table shows how to replace chemical fertilisers with natural organic sources. Most chemical fertilisers release their nutrients over 2 months, whilst the growing period of most plants is at least 6 months. High organic soils slowly release nutrients over the whole growing period, often for decades. The primary puiposc is to initially feed the worms and microbes, so application rates for compost and manures, or lucerne hay, can be 2-3 times as high with none of the risk of damage that occurs with fast-acting soluble chemical fertilisers.

COMPOST Compost is composed of nitrogen, carbon, air and water, and its speed of decomposition is regulated by balancing these proportions. Good compost is never high in nitrogen levels. It is balanced and rich in a variety of slow-release nutrients. More importantly, it should be rich in a diversity of microbic species. While it can be made using technical science, it can also be very simply and easily produced. Worm farms produce excellent compost and are a particularly good source if you are unable to turn a heap yourself, or have limited space. Typically, the greater the variety of materials, the better the end product.

THE RECIPE FORA GOOD COMPOST 25% High-nitrogen material such as raw manure and green legumes. (See table) The presence of nitrogen enables the micro-organisms to break down high carbon materials like papers and cardboard. 35% Green plants with lower nitrogen levels such as annual weeds, soft prunings, fresh lawn clippings and green herbs like comfrey, borage, tansy, valerian,

nettle and chamomile. (Avoid diseased plants and perennial weeds.) 35% High-carbon material such as straw, woody mulch, dead leaves, and paper or cardboard. 5% Gritty material such as rock dusts, bone dust, fresh wood ash and compost from the last good batch. If you are going to turn compost you will need a heap of at least 1 metre by 1 metre to allow heat to build up. The temperature should reach about 55°C in the centre, and this will kill harmful organisms, weed seeds, and encourage beneficial ones. Turning the heap transfers material on the outside to the centre, effectively heat-treating the whole heap. As this process continues, the heap shrinks considerably. Add water if it dries out but never soak.

of microbic species, and contains predominantly pathogenic (disease type) organisms that are detrimental to soil and plants. When a compost heap smells bad it is telling us to turn it in order to allow in more air and also perhaps to add a little more woody material and a sprinkling of lime or dolomite. Good, well-aerated compost should be fluffy and crumbly and a very dark-brown chocolate colour rather than black. J a r o d Riicli

CARBON - NITROGEN MATERIALS Organic material with a carbon to nitrogen ratio greater than 20:1 will use up nitrogen in composting Sources of organic nitrogen

Poultry manure

5-15:1

Vegetable waste

10-20:1

Grass

Sometimes compost can become too wet, which also reduces its air content. Never add too much or too little water to compost; aim for a slightly damp consistency through the heap.

15-25:1

Consumers of organic nitrogen

Card board

500:1

200-700:1

Straw

40-150:1

Turning should be practised every one or two weeks, regardless of size, to prevent the compost becoming anaerobic. Anaerobic compost is compost that hasn't had enough air incorporated into it and therefore lacks oxygen. These 'composts' are more likely to be rotting vegetation than actual compost. A smell similar to vomit, sulphur, vinegar, or an ' o f f ' acidic smell, is an indicator. This lack of oxygen kills beneficial microbes and reduces the diversity

SOIL pH: A C I D I T Y & ALKALINITY Soil pH c a n affect plant growth, bacterial action, fungal growth a n d availability of nutrients. At either e x t r e m e of pH, nutrients c a n b e unavailable to plants. Adding fertilisers to t h e s e soils could b e a w a s t e of time a n d money, u n l e s s you a d j u s t the pH first. Simply correcting soil pH may help to m a k e nutrients available without the n e e d for fertiliser.

pH RANGE lemon grapefruit 1.3-2.4 3-3.3

p u r e water 7.0

Correcting acid soil (approximate guide) ammonia 10.6-11.5

ALKALINE 2.6 - 3.6 swampy p e a t soil

5.5-7.5 g a r d e n soil

8.8-10 limestone / chalky soils

6.0 - 7.5 is best for most garden plants

kg of limestone needed/hectare sand

s a n d y loam

clay

1 pH point

1000kg

2300kg

4000kg

per s q u a r e metre

100g

230g

400g

Correcting alkaline soil (approximate guide) kg of sulphur needed/hectare sand

s a n d y loam

clay

250kg 25g

500kg

1000kg

50g

100g

The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14 (as above)

1 pH point per s q u a r e m e t r e

1 is extremely acid, 14 is extremely alkaline.

An application of limestone or sulphur i n c r e a s e s exponentially b e y o n d the

A pH of 7 is neutral.

ideal pH r a n g e of 6-7.5.

Tim Marshall

II

ORGANIC GARDENING

Water, mulches and green manures WATER In a country as dry as Australia, many experts still maintain that over-watering kills more plants than water shortages. Avocados, for example, are particularly susceptible and plants die in a few days if air is flooded out of soils. So it is the flow of air, water and nutrients through the soil that is vital for plant growth. Too much is just as bad as too little, which is why good drainage is vital to the availability of water. Soils actually pull water like ink to blotting paper and the soils with the smallest particles, the clay soils, have the greatest pull and hold the most water. Earthworms feeding on compost raise organic levels, which also increases the water holding power of soils. By protecting the soil surface with mulching materials, ground covers or shade plants, the water reserve is held in place longer, ready for plants to take nutrients, air and water. Sandy soils hold only a quarter of the water of clay soils and a third that of organic loam. So if you have the misfortune to garden on a sandy soil you will need to apply loads of compost or up to 25% of the top 25cm soil surface with clay particles to successfully raise fruit and vegetables. The water in soils is reduced as plants suck up water through the roots and transpire water through the stomata holes on the underside of the leaves. On hot days this process is accelerated to cool the plant. When temperatures put too much pressure on soil water reserves, stomata close, supply of C 0 2 stops and

PENETRATION OF WATER O N DIFFERENT SOIL TYPES. Depth of soil wetted by 25mm of rain. Row

Row

plant growth stops. Lettuce bolt to seed, and fruit trees abort their fruit and leaves to survive, until water is available again. Always group plants with similar water requirements together. That is, don't plant capers that need little water with thirsty vegetables, as either the capers will be water-logged or the vegies will dry out.

CONSERVE WATER BY M U L C H I N G Mulching is a process of covering soils to optimise the temperature and availability of water for plant growth. For maximum benefit always mulch soils well before the onset of hot weather. Coarse particles of mulch (rather than fine) insulate the soil without grabbing precious water. If mulches pack down they absorb valuable water and prevent oxygen entering the soil. Straw, lucerne hay or leaves, with their open structure, are better than tightly packed grass clippings or manures. Always water the day before the onset of hot weather and ideally in the early morning to reduce the period of humidity that encourages the spread of disease. Water deeply to encourage roots to suck water deep down away from the surface.

WATER - D R I P VS SPRAY Drip irrigation is such an efficient way to apply water that it is the preferred system for growing most fruit and some vegetables. Water savings of 60-70% are usual because drippers apply water where it is needed rather than wasting it on paths etc. This also reduces the opportunity for weeds to get started. Debilitating diseases which can destroy whole crops thrive in the humidity caused by watering foliage from overhead sprinklers but drip irrigation reduces the threat because water is only applied to the root zone. Whilst drip irrigation does have blockage problems, modern filter and in-line drippers have reduced this to a minimum. But to get vegetable seeds germinated, overhead spray irrigation is necessary, precisely because it waters the whole surface area. To minimise competition from emerging weeds, fibrous weed mats can be spread over the soil and individual seedlings planted into easily cut holes. If your vegetable garden is small or the plantings are not based on straight rows then overhead sprinklers will be more practical provided you water in the coolest part of the morning to minimise the spread of disease.

18

RAISED BEDS In parts of Australia that have heavy bursts of rainfall gardeners will need to raise their garden beds to speed the drainage of surplus water. Soil temperatures are raised, germination is speeded up and it makes planting and weeding much easier.

WATER A N D FLAVOUR Almost all fruit and vegetables have better flavour when the plants are partially starved of water at picking time. Commercial growers however have a vested interest in flooding their citrus, tomatoes and peaches before picking to increase their weight and crop price. Consequently, the over-watered supermarket fruit, such as apples, become tasteless and have less nutrients and antioxidants than smaller, carefully grown produce.

GREEN MANURES Green manuring is an organic process of growing plants to dig into the soil when they are still soft and sappy. This biomass is dug in like a manure to provide plant nutrients and carbon.

EXPLAINING CLEVER CLOVER Green manuring has been refined one step further with CSIRO's development of Clever Clover. Legumes use nitrogen from the air, convert it to plant protein and eventually release it to the soil in a form that the vegetable crops can use. Clever Clover are legumes that grow through the cold, wet weather, and being a self-perpetuating annual, die back in late spring. Not only do they provide nutrients for your garden beds, they die down and form a mulch in time for the planting of tomatoes and other summer crops. The dying roots provide valuable air pores for the roots of summer vegetables to grow into, creating a soil aeration without the harmful effects of digging. It saves on weeding, digging and spreading fertilisers provided the timing is right. If, for example, the subterranean clover does not die down when you want to plant out tomato seedlings or pumpkin seeds, simply solarise the clover by covering the area with clear plastic (25°C+ temperature) which will effectively burn o f f t h e foliage and roots without affecting the soil.

When to sow in garden beds Sow in autumn, in rows on garden beds. Space 20cm between rows at about 5 seeds per 2.5cm. In late spring Clever Clover dies down. Then in late summer/autumn the seeds of Clever Clover germinate to continue the cycle.

COMFREY In a climate as dry as Australia's it is vital to grow those deep-rooted plants that mine the soil for water

CS1R0 Clever Clover provides weed free mulch into which lettuce or tomatoes are planted.

and nutrients during those summer months when plant survival is threatened. Two plants stand out alfalfa lucerne and comfrey. Comfrey will out-produce even alfalfa yielding up to 100 tonnes of organic matter per acre (UC Davis, California). Its nitrogen content is so high it can replace manures when making garden compost. It is used by poultry farmers to improve laying and the colour of egg yolks, and the strength of eggshells. Its leaves are a rich source of potassium, nitrogen, silica and iron. It grows quickly and can be harvested up to 4 times a year. It is so tough that it can be cut with a lawn mower and collected with the bag attachment.

G R O W I N G YOUR O W N LUCERNE HAY The CSIRO has developed a complementary system whereby a deep-rooted, summer-active perennial legume can be grown alongside rows of vegetables or fruit trees to access water deep down and provide a highly nutritious biomass that can be cut to be spread as a mulch. Alfalfa lucerne has roots that can grow as deep as four metres and it will provide biomass/mulch for fruit or vegetable cropping systems. In these trials the lucerne was planted in alleys where access paths are. It was not watered and only occupied 50% of the area, but produced six tonnes of hay/hectare that contained 20g of nitrogen, I05g of phosphorus and 20g of potassium per square metre, which is enough to support any vegetable crop.

Alley cropping - along side crops Sow lucerne seed in spring at a rate of 10 seeds per 2.5cm. In summer, when the purple flowers reach 40cm high use hedge clippers or mow every 2 months. It is drought tolerant and provides fertiliser and free mulch each year while it smothers weeds, builds soil carbon and accesses water not usually available while eliminating transport costs.

ORGANIC GARDENING

Pest control without pesticides BLODIVERSE G A R D E N I N G Pest plagues are the end result of bad horticultural practices. Natural systems have an in-built control mechanism to keep pests within manageable levels based upon balance and biodiversity. In natural systems each pest has a predator that keeps populations in balance so that as populations increase so do the predators who feed on the pests. When natural habitats are destroyed to make way for agricultural crops or backyards, nesting places for birds or insects are destroyed, and a single pest gets an unnatural advantage, and inflicts damage to crops. However, by spraying with toxic chemicals, natural self-regulating predators are killed along with the pests, causing the need for further spraying. Fortunately gardeners can harness the benefits of biodiversity, so that pest problems rarely occur. By growing a combination of flowering perennials and

shrubs alongside our food plants, we establish a balanced advantage that commercial growers are yet to understand. At Heronswood we grow about 1000 different plants, which is 10-20 times as biodiverse as the surrounding native bush. This is our insurance policy against pest attack. We never grow large numbers of any single plants, as do commercial growers, and we have never needed to use toxic pesticides.

FLOWERS ARE N O T FRIVOLOUS Before agriculture was industrialised, flowering plants played a vital role in food production. The hedgerows that surrounded the fields were packed with plants that fed and sheltered an army of pest exterminators, pollinators and beneficial insects. The biodiversity of surviving hedgerows is legendary. It is said that they can be dated by how many species of plants and animals they support per metre. There are hedgerows with 1000 species per metre - they are a thousand years old. Home gardeners can mimic the biodiversity that supports a well-balanced ecosystem by planting out with shrubs, annuals and perennials that will attract this willing work force. Lacewings, ladybirds, parasitic wasps and hover flies are just a few of the insects that control pests such as aphids, caterpillars, mealy bugs and mites. Bees are invaluable for the pollination of flowers to produce fruit. It is said that the common honeybee is worth $8 billion dollars to the US economy, and all they ask for in return are flowers without pesticides. So flowers are not frivolous, they are as essential to the health of the garden as they are to the soul of the gardener.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

O R G A N I C PEST C O N T R O L isect pests

Damage

\phid/Thrip

S a p sucking

Predators

Approved controls

Parasitic wasp

Take a holistic ecological approach to pest problems by following integrated pest management principles.

Derris dust, Pyrethrum, Insecticidal s o a p

Grow plants that provide nectar for the predatory insects that keep damaging insects under control. Most of these insects need high protein, high sugar foods in flowers that don't have deep pollen tubes. These can be found in the daisy family (Asteraceae), and the parsley family (Apiaceae). As most insect damage occurs in summer, summer flowering plants predominate.

Ladybird

Bacillus thuringiensis Dipel (BT)

ibbage moth

Larvae chew leaves

Parasitic wasp

Nematode

Root damage

Parasitic nematodes

Clean soil,

Marigolds,

Scale

Sap sucking

Parasitic wasp

White oil

Snails

Destroy seedlings

Ducks, chooks

Beertraps, Multiguard pellets Woodash

Fruit fly

Fruit

20

Naturalure

Spring flowering artichoke, calendula, marguerite daisies, gazania, feverfew, yarrow, gaillardia

Summer flowering shasta, cosmos, zinnia, aster, sunflower, salvia, gaura, Queen Anne's Lace, parsley, carrot, fennel, coriander, dill Ban toxic pesticides whatever the damage. Toxic pesticides kill bees, which are so valuable to a gardener because they actually fertilise the flowers that produce fruit and seed. Beware of Malathion, Carbaryl, Diazinon, Chlordane, Rogor and Meta-systox which are extremely toxic to bees. There are some pesticides that are both safe for people and nontoxic to bees, which are certified under organic growing standards. (See table - p20) Grow your own food at times when pests are absent. In the humid tropics disease problems can be extreme so tomatoes etc are grown through drier winter conditions. Broccoli and other members of the crucifer family are grown through cool weather before cabbage moth larvae appear. CROP

ROTATION

HOLISTIC

-

SOLUTIONS

Crop rotation is one of those eminently sensible policies that can be difficult to put into practice unless you have large areas of garden that can be left fallow for 6 months. Crop rotation theory revolves around separating vegetables into three categories and rotating those groupings to minimise nutrient depletion and pathogen build-up. Heavy feeders, which have high biomass and often shallow root systems deplete the soil and are followed by soil improvers that replace the nutrients used, and improve the soil ready for the planting of light feeders, the last of the cycle.

Heavy feeders Potatoes, com, broccoli, pumpkins, melons, leaf crops: lettuce, cabbage, silver beet.

Soil improvers Legumes that return nitrogen to the soil: Broad beans, peas, beans, clover, alfalfa. Sow these legumes to fix nitrogen:

Light feeders Root crops: Onions, beets, carrots, parsnip, parsley and capsicums and leeks.

Biodiversity is nature \ fail safe mechanism against extinction. crops in the same soil. However it is also true that if you have a biodiverse garden and follow the principles of organic soil reproduction you will eliminate 90% of pest problems.

SUMMARY ORGANIC GARDENING AND CLIMATIC CHANGE As atmospheric C 0 2 levels rise, so do air temperatures. Using the organic growing process we extract C 0 2 as surely as if we turned off the power or drove fuelefficient cars. As Tim Marshall says, "Organic matter made from the remains of once living things in and on the soil, in various stales of decay, contains a larger store of carbon than living plants. When the huge numbers of micro-organisms, which are also at least 50% carbon, are added, the soil store becomes much larger than the vegetation. " If gardeners andfarmers grew all our food organically we would cut our CO: emissions by up to 25%, which would stabilise climate change as well as dramatically improve our health. By gardening organically we would not only eliminate the need for pesticides, but save thousands of lives lost by handling toxic chemicals."

Last, but not least, crop rotation does reduce the build up of pathogens caused by

I M P R O V I N G SOILS W I T H

LEGUMES

Vegetable garden production beds

Adjoining beds or fruit orchard

Spring

Broad beans climbing p e a s in May-Aug, harvest Oct-Nov

Sow lucerne

Autumn

Clever Clover

Sow Clever Clover

Summer

Climbing beans Sow in Oct-Nov, harvest in April

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

The Mini-plot - a year's supply in 40m Growing your own vegetables is the single most important step to a sustainable, healthy life. When vegetables are grown at home they are fresh and free of chemicals, eliminating food miles and cutting C 0 2 emissions by up to 30%. It takes a few hours of work a week. In just 40 square metres you can grow 472kg of vegetables which is enough for four people. So just 10m 2 will feed one person (see yields opposite).

2

W H E R E T O START Vegetables need plenty of sun in order to grow, so choose a spot in your garden that receives at least 6 hours of sun per day. Make sure that you can water it easily so that your vegetables will be succulent and productive. You will need only 22,800L of annual supplementary water, which can be produced by a 7000L tank.

PREPARE YOUR SOIL Healthy, organic food draws its goodness from the soil, so make sure your soil is brimming with vitality, with generous quantities of well rotted manure. Prepare your beds well by removing weeds and digging the area to break up the soil. This means that direct-sown seeds make contact with fine, moist soil for quick germination. Digging over the soil should take no more than a weekend's work.

C R O P ROTATION To minimise nutrition depletion, rotate soil improvers after heavy and light feeders. Dig in compost and blood and bone, then apply mulch after harvest to boost organic matter, worm activity and fertility. Don't plant the same vegetables in the same place two seasons running. By changing what you grow where, you will prevent pests and diseases building up in the soil.

CROP

HARVEST MONTH

YIELD (APPROX.)

Greens - Heavy feeders, apply compost, blood & bone (100 grams per metre) or follow with soil improvers Lettuce

Nov Feb - Apr

99 plants = 20kg

Cabbage

Jul - Sep

33 plants = 53kg

Broccoli

Jul - Sep

25 plants = 25kg

Silverbeet

Jul - Aug

10 plants = 5kg

Fruits - Heavy feeders, repeat

above

Tomato

Jan - Apr

5 plants = 75kg

Capsicum

Feb - Apr

5 plants = 10kg

Cucumber

Dec - Feb

2 plants = 10kg

Zucchini

Dec - Feb

2 plants = 10kg

Pumpkin

Mar - Apr

2 plants = 6kg

Strawberry

Nov - Dec Mar - Apr

33 plants = 16kg

Sweet corn

Jan - Feb

50 plants = 35kg

Potato

Jan - Feb

33 plants = 50kg

Pods/Seeds - Soil improvers, puts nitrogen back into soil Pea

May - Sep

200 plants = 10kg

Broad bean

Jun - Sep

100 plants = 20kg

Beans

Feb - Apr

132 plants = 50kg

Roots - Light feeders, apply compost, blood & bone or follow with soil improvers Carrot

Nov - Jan

100 plants = 20kg

Parsnip

May - Jul

66 plants = 12kg

Beetroot

Nov - Dec

100 plants = 20kg

Onion

Sep - Oct

100 plants = 25kg

Garlic

Dec - Jan

20 plants = 600g Total = 472.6 kg

II

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

Convert your lawn into a food garden In an area no bigger than a domestic front yard any gardener can grow a year's supply of fruit and vegetables. All you need is a space 12 metres across and 9 metres deep to provide 254 kilos of fruit and vegetables. This mini-orchard can provide all the apples, oranges, avocados, peaches and pears to allow everyone to be self-sufficient. In fact, each tree will produce 2 to 4 times expected typical consumption, so that family and friends can share in chemical-free D I G G E R ' S DIG UP Y O U R LAWN

PLOT

Vegetables to produce Harvest period

Approx. crop yield

Row length Repeat sowing (RS)

Mar-Aug

8kg/m

8.5m

Lettuce 10kg

Every month

0.6kg/m

16.6m (RS 1.4 monthly)

Broccoli 10kg

Every month

Tomato 25kg

Mar-June

10kg/plant

2.5m

Mar-Oct

18kg/plant

1.0m

Total vegetables 162kg Heavy feeders Potatoes 68 kg

Pumpkin 15kg

10m (RS 2m/5 sowings)

Light feeders Carrot 10kg

Oct-May

5.0m

Onion 4kg

Jan-July

4.0m

food. The cost of being self-sufficient is less than $250 to cover 10 packets of seeds, 24 strawberries, 15 raspberries and 5 fruit trees. To help you get started we have drawn up plans of the mini-orchard including mini-plot vegetable beds (pg 24-25). The 1 2 x 9 metre garden could be started in the front or backyard provided the garden gets more than half a day's sun and the fruit trees don't shade the tilled vegetable beds. Each bed is 10 metres long by 1 metre wide, which could be used to grow 3 rows of lettuce spaced at 30cm apart. The plan allows a 60cm spacing between the beds as a path and kneeling point to weed or pick strawberries. Our fruit selections are based on choosing single selections of self-fertile fruit on dwarf root stock, and could be changed, remembering that you will need to plant two pears to ensure cross-pollination. Two pears can be planted at 1 metre spacings to save space and ensure cross-pollination. We have also chosen a fruit selection for gardeners in either frosty winter or frost-free climates. Avocados will take a few degrees of frost and suit plantings in all capital cities and coastal areas, (except Canberra and Hobart). In areas of heavy frost (CZ 9a), orange and avocado could be replaced by an apricot and nectarine.

Soil Improvers Beans Climbing 10kg

Jan-Mar

5.6kg/m

1.8m

P e a s Climbing 10kg

Sep-Dec

1,3kg/m

7.6m

Strawberries 12kg

Dec-Feb

0.5kg/plant

4.8m

Cane berries 10kg

Dec-Mar

2kg/m

5.0m

Rockmelon 10kg

Mar-May

11 kg/bush

Fruit - in dug beds

Fruit - Trees

Area required

Apples 12kg

Feb-Jan

27kg/tree

Oranges 12kg

May-Sep

65kg/tree

P e a c h e s 12kg

Dec-Mar

13kg/tree

Pears 12kg

Feb-Aug

13kg/tree

Avocados 12kg

All Year

50kg/tree

Yields are a guide only based on Digger's vegetable trials, or Royal Horticultural Society published data. Soils with low fertility or poor cultural practices would reduce yields.

C O N S U M P T I O N OF FRUIT & VEGETABLES K G / P E R S O N Starch (potatoes?) Australia India China

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002

Meat

FRUIT TREES FOR FROSTY WINTERS CZ 9B Self-fertile Apple Macintosh Pear: Nashi Beurre Bosc/Williams Peach Anzac

Harvest

y< Mar-Apr Partial cross Feb-Mar pollination Dec-Jan •

or Nectarine Goldmine

Feb

or Apricot Moorpark

Jan-Feb

Orange Washington dwarf

May-Sep

Avocado Hass


All Year

FRUIT TREES FOR FROST-FREE WINTERS CZ 10 Self-fertile Persimmon Fuyu

Partial

Harvest May-Jun

Mulberry Black

Nov-Dec

Fig

Apr-May

Avocado Hass

All Year

Orange Washington

May-Sep

Total area required 12m x 9m = 108m 2

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

Getting children started LITTLE DIGGERS Your children will "Save the planet" if you teach them to grow their own food. Imagine the sheer delight when they sow turnips on Saturday and they are already up on Sunday or they could be munching radishes in just three weeks. Teach them how to bring carbon down to earth by explaining that the sun is the source of all energy, soil provides the nutrients and photosynthesis makes leaves green which is the source of our food. If they can sow it, grow and pick it, can you teach them to cook it? Next year they will be self-sufficient by following our Mini Plot instructions on page 24-25.

Sow QUICKEST TO H A R V E S T - 2 0 DAYS

RADISH 'FRENCH

IT FASTEST T O GERMINATE - 1 DAY

BREAKFAST'

MINI-TURNIP

G R O W IT TASTIEST TOMATO

EASIEST T O G R O W

T O M M Y TOE

YARD-LONG CUCUMBER ARMENIAN'

M O S T PATIENT

SLOWEST T O G R O W PARSNIP 28

TALLEST - 4 METRES

5 COLOURS IN O N E PACKET

FIVE C O L O U R S I L V E R B E E T

G I A N T RUSSIAN

SUNFLOWER

PICK IT

BIGGEST S H O W OFF

SWEETEST T O EAT

SWEET CORN 'BREAKTHROUGH'

BEST S H O W A N D TELL

M O R T G A G E LIFTER T O M A T O Developed by 'Radiator Charlie', a mechanic in small town USA with no formal plant breeding qualifications. By crossing different beefsteak varieties, he produced this prolific meaty tomato so popular for slicing and hamburgers. By selling the plants for $1.00 each he paid off his mortgage in just six years! Harvest: 90 days. Yield: 16.4kg/plant.

W O R L D ' S LARGEST P U M P K I N See if you can beat the world record of 629kg

MUMMIE'S FAVOURITE

RUDEST

M O S T MYSTERIOUS

D E L I C I O U S STRAWBERRY 'TEMPTATION'

ZUCCHINI 'TROMBONCINO'

M O O N A N D STARS WATERMELON Its buttery moons and constellations of stars, which are expressed on the foliage and fruit are awe inspiring.

II

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

Kitchen gardens should be decorative Order and tidiness are the essential attributes of a productive vegetable garden. Order to most gardeners suggests sowing row upon row in predictable straight lines, for vegetables need to be rowed, hoed and harvested. But straight lines, however practical, look so uninteresting; a triumph of craft over art.

POTAGER IN A PARTERRE Just as the English developed the decorative flower garden and its finest expression in the cottage garden, it was the French who created the supreme triumph of art over craft in the wonderful vegetable garden at Villandry. Villandry is the culmination of two very strong French traditions; their great love of food and elegance, expressed in strict geometric patterns - Ie potager en parterre. Instead of planting in rows, a series of interesting symmetrical patterns are edged with the dark toning of English box and separated by

the light beige gravel paths. Within each parterre arc sumptuous groupings of vegetables with interesting foliage so that the effect, when viewed f r o m above, is of a rich embroidered tapestry. Rather than attempt to copy Villandry, we decided to create a vegetable garden using our natural turf for paths and its sharp edges to describe the patterns we wanted to express (see picture). Our cut turf gives almost instant results (just a few weekends digging) and saves all the expense and waiting until the box is large enough to define the pattern. A parterre a I'Australien. We settled on a circular design with six segments of 60° bisected by six paths to enable us to sow, hoe and harvest easily. This layout also suits crop rotations, where leaf crops (heavy feeders), follow nitrogenproducing legumes, which prevents the build-up of soil diseases by rotating the crops at each planting.

D E C O R A T I V E VEGETABLES

scan Black kale

Outer panel (50cm+ tall) Artichoke/Cardoon Broad bean Crimson Brussels sprout Ruby Kale Tuscan Black Kale Red Bor Inner Parterre (10-50cm tall) Leaf crops: C a b b a g e Chicory Lettuce: Aust. Yellow Leaf Freckles Bunte Red velvet Cos Rouge d'Hiver Parsley / Penlla Silverbeet Five Colour Inner panel (10-50cm tall) Root crops: Carrot Beetroot

Spring (Autumn planting)

Summer/Autumn

Drumhead

January King Runs to s e e d too quickly

Golden-podded pea

Parsnip Legumes: Dwarf b e a n s Dwarf p e a s

•rbeet Five Colour

Cumbers: Legumes Snow pea: Purple-podded Golden-podded Beans: Scarlet Runner Rattlesnake

Broail bean Crimson

The planting beds had been covered by densely thatched turf so we had no weed seeds to bring to the surface when we first dug it over and planted our seeds. When it comes to planting the vegetables, the secret of success is to arrange vegetables into three groupings, keeping the untidy sprawling kinds like pumpkins out of the cut turf parterre and relegated behind or up a two metre trellis out of sight. Up this trellis, at both ends, we grow soil building legumes such as beans in summer and peas and sweet peas in winter. Within the two metre apron in front of the trellis, we plant the less tidy and taller-growing vegetables such as sweet corn, silver beet and tomatoes. It's surprising how many vegetables have interestingly coloured leaves and fruits, such as the rich, bold colours of Tuscan black kale or the changing reds and yellows of five colour silver beet. When the predominant background colour is green from the grassy paths, the grey foliage of leeks and the blue leaves of the red cabbagc become fascinating highlights. The feathery tops of carrots are interesting next to the rounded shapes of lettuce and the deep green crinkle-cut leaves of January King cabbage. There are lots of fun contrasting colours, such as yellow pansies or the dwarf marbled leaves of nasturtium Alaska with blue cabbages. Black pansy combines beautifully with the grey upright stems of leeks, and all the lettuces make a fascinating checkerboard if you grow brown Freckles lettuce with green-heading lettuces and Italian red chicory. If you don't wish to plant a second crop of vegetables after the first harvest in autumn, then use your parterre as a flower garden. It would be a great success with all the "already dwarfed" bedding plants such as pansies, primulas, English daisies, dwarf sweet peas and Iceland poppies, whose flowering would be finished in November ready for the summer plantings.

In summer we mix up red salvias with parsley, nasturtium Alaska, with its marbled foliage, and petunias or dwarf zinnias. The design also lends itself to the planting of a herb garden using the greys of lavender and santolina to offset parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, or those herbs could easily fit into a mixed planting of vegetables and flowers each spring or autumn. Around the outer circle of our cut-turf parterre we planted a lemon tree and grapefruit tree, because they are evergreen and the fruit are interesting in winter, but cumquats or oranges could also be used. At the outer perimeter we planted the very vigorous potato vine. Its white flowers provided a pleasing contrast and it gave us a total screen within 12 months of planting. For those wishing to plant more fruit, citrus trees could be used to provide an evergreen edible screen or dwarf fruit could be cspalicred to increase fruit production. Our only maintenance, other then normal cultivation, is to trim the turf edges and to cut the hedge twice a year. Planting vegetables in patterns instead of rows requires careful grading of heights and colours but the final result will look just as appealing as our finest flower gardens.

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

How much water does the garden need? Most of the fruit and vegetables that we eat have a water content of between 90 and 95 percent, so a continuous and uniform flow of water through the soil is essential. The nutrients that the plants need are only available when they are dissolved in water, so water not only provides moisture but food as well. No matter how much organic matter is contained in a soil it only becomes 'digestible' to plant roots when it is in soluble form. Water is the lifeblood for plants. The average Australian uses over 1 million litres of water each year - a tiny amount through the tap and a huge amount in the provision of food, power and consumer goods, which is called embodied water. Of the one million litres of water consumed each year, 70% of that water is applied by farmers irrigating crops and pastures to grow our food (fruit, vegetables, meat and milk). Another 20% is used by coal-fired power plants and other industries to provide consumer goods so that 90% of our water use is embodied in the goods and food we buy. The amount we directly pay for washing and indoor use is about 6 % and a further 4 % for gardening. So far our governments have only applied restrictions to gardeners, ignoring the 96% of use that is beyond gardening. When gardeners grow their own food at home, we estimate that water use declines by 89% because home grown fruit and vegetables are vastly more efficient in water use compared to those grown on farms. It takes ! 0 0 , 0 0 0 L o f w a t e r to produce just 1kg of beef, compared to 48L for a mixture of vegetables. Highly organic soils hold up to five times as much water as heavily ploughed, heavily fertilised, chemically grown food. So when we grow our own food at home we can cut overall water use by 66% (see chart). WATER REQUIRED TO G R O W YOUR O W N Australia's average Amount of Area needed consumption per supplementary 2 to grow (m ) head (kg) water n e e d e d t

%of catchment potential for average roof

Vegetables

96

10

5,700

5%

Potatoes

54

8

4560

4%

Fruit

92

42

23,940

20%

Total

242

60

34,100*

29%

At our Heronswood garden, where we grow vegetables, fruit and flowers, we have done extensive trials on the amount of water we use and the area needed to become self-sufficient in food. During the hottest summer in the 11 th year of the longest drought, we found we needed to apply 570 litres of water for every square metre of garden. We need supplementary water from December through to April which is about 150 days, so our daily application of water for each square metre of garden is about four litres per square metre each day. T O T A L W A T E R USE I N A U S T R A L I A (Direct and embodied) Typical household / day (litres)

Drink

4

4

Food**

2,000

2 2 8 ( 1 5 0 days only)

Industry**

560

560

Home

280

148*

Total

2844

940

Per year

1,035,216

342,160

" A s s u m i n g t h e r e is n o n e e d for g a r d e n w a t e r i n g o t h e r t h a n for food (48.000L) ** E m b o d i e d w a t e r Following our yield trials we found that it only takes 60m 2 of space to grow the 242kg of fruit and vegetables we consume each year. Our water requirement is 34,200L (ie: 60m 2 x 570L/m 2 ), which is only 29% of the catchment area of an average house. F R U I T A N D VEGETABLES Potential sources of water % of potential roof water needed $

% of potential recycled grey water §

9%

12%

29%

37%

* 60m 2 x 570 litres of water = 34.200L t amount needed beyond the average rainfall for Melbourne of 655mm rain per annum j from an average roof size of 200m 2 in Melbourne § of average grey water for 2.2 people (89.000L)

32

Heronswood home grown (litres)

Per capita u s e for:

It is better to supply water directly to the soil hy laying your drip irrigation and leaky hoses under the mulch.

To be sure our experience is relevant to all gardeners in the country, we have provided tables for all capital cities, applying our growing days maps to the applicable summer rainfall. We estimate a 7000L lank is adequate to provide water storage for 86 days in Sydney and 21 days for Adelaide. To help you calculate your needs, read the tables on page 34. Vegetables and fruit are thirsty ( 4 4 4 - 850mm+) plants that will not yield or thrive in a 4 500mm rainfall. To grow fruit and vegetables at Heronswood effectively, we use a total of 1255mm of water per year, or 1255L/m 2 . This is simple addition of annual rainfall, 655mm and 570mm in supplementary water. We have assimilated our water needs per plant drip-system to average annual rainfall patterns (see page 34).

BASIC CALCULATIONS

TYPICAL HOUSE BLOCK Front garden 16m x 10m = 160m 2 Vegie g a r d e n = 18m 2 Fruit g a r d e n = 4 2 m 2 S u p p l e m e n t a r y water n e e d e d = 34.200L p e r month = 6840L

r

-

' • m r ^ — V r

Typical house roof 10x20m = 2 0 0 m 2 Water tank 7 0 0 0 litres

W a t e r needs: Supplementary Heronswood 4L / day / m 2 (approx.) Growing season: 150 days (5 months) Total amount needed: 570L / m 2 Total annual water used: 655 + 570 = 1255mm Area needed to be self-sufficient in: Vegetables: I Oin2 / person / year Potatoes: 8m 2 / person / year Fruit: 42m 2 / person / year Total: 60m 2 Water required: 570L x 60m 2 = 34,200L

Potential annual Rainwater harvest 2 0 0 m 2 x 6 5 5 m m (Melb. annual rainfall) x 9 0 % = 1 1 8 , 0 0 0 litres

See page 26 for details Collection capacity of house roof: Typical Australian house roof is: 10m x 20m = 200m 2 For Melbourne gardeners annual rainfall is 655mm, so potential roof harvest is: 200m 2 x 90% efficiency x 655mm = 117,900L

Back garden 16x12m = 192m 2 Drought tolerant, plants n e e d no s u p p l e m e n t a r y wat< Water n e e d e d = Nil

Seepage 34 for your capitaI city calculation Size of storage tank needed: For the cool seven months of the year Melbourne's rainfall is adequate, but not to grow food during our growing season of 150 days from December to April. Rainfall during this period is 264mm, or 52mm per month. This translates to 9,360L roof harvest in a normal month. If the area needed to grow food is 60m 2 , the monthly water need is 1/5, 6840L, or 2 2 8 L / day, so if the tank is 6840L this would give 41 days storage.

See page 34for your capital city's rainfall

A N N U A L GREY WATER USAGE House of 2.2 people (Melb.) Toilet

32,000L

Bathroom (grey)

50.000L

Washing (grey)

39.000L

Cooking

23.000L

Outdoor

106.000L

Total

260,000L

Recycled

HARVESTING RAINWATER

RECYCLING GREY-WATER

To be self-sufficient in water, enough to provide a year's supply of fruit and vegetables, would require about 34,200 litres. This amount of water is only 29% of the potential collection from an average size house roof of 10m x 20m or 200m 2 in total. However, natural rainfall is adequate in Melbourne for example, for seven months of the year, from May until November, but supplementary water is needed for the 150 day growing season from December to April. Even during these months the natural rainfall is high enough to fill a rainwater tank of 7000 litres, which is enough to supply 41 days of water supply

An even cheaper and more reliable water supply solution is provided by recycling grey-water. The average household produces 89,000 litres of greywater which, if recycled, would exceed the water needs for growing fruit and vegetables, which is only 34,200 litres per year. This water is available every day and has a capacity to water a garden 156m 2 . Whilst the cost of plumbing required to recycle water may exceed the cost of storing water, it eliminates the threat of drought and reduced rainfall entirely from the equation.

(see chart below).

H O W D O YOU BECOME MORE WATER EFFICIENT? Most gardeners, when asked this question, will immediately agree that drip-irrigation is the way to cut water bills by up to 50%. Using a drip-irrigation system, one, two or four litres of water per hour is slowly applied to the root zone of a plant. This way very little is lost from evaporation, wind or even runoff from paved surfaces, unlike overhead sprinklers. However, drip systems have two drawbacks that gardeners need to understand. Drip works well for trees and shrubs and row sown, established vegetables, but for irregular garden beds or creative garden patterns, the cost and unsightly placement of so many black plastic tubes can be a big drawback. Dripirrigation does not wet the soil surface well enough to successfully germinate surface sown carrots, onions or lettuce for example, so overhead pulsating sprinklers are preferable. But more importantly, better garden practices can save more water than just changing the type ot sprmKier application.

H A R V E S T I N G WATER FOR Y O U R G A R D E N Capital city

Annual rainfall (mm)

Harvesting/roof storage 200m 2 (litres)

Growing season (days)

Growing season - rainfall for 150 days (mm)

Average month -r 5 (mm)

Average monthly potential tank collection (litres)

Monthly storage (days) 6840 litres ie: 228/day

Melb 4 4

655

118,000

150

264

52

9360

41

444

1214

218,520

240

551

110

19,800

86

Hobart 4 4

628

113,040

90

245

49

8820

38

Canberra 4 4

626

112,680

120

270

54

9720

42

?

?

Syd

Alice Sp 4

200

36,000

240

N/A

?

Adel 4 4

528

95,040

180

135

27

4860

21

Perth 4 4

873

157,140

270

99

20

3564

15

Bris Apr-Sep 4 4 4

1151

207,180

300

685/ 291

137/ 58

24,660 10,440

108 45

Darwin Apr-Sep 4 4 4

1661

298,980

360

1403/ 125

Too wet 25

Too wet 4500

20

34

Annual rainfall

Metric (mm)

Symbols

Other towns

10-20"

= 240 - 480

4 below 500mm

Broken Hill, Broome, Mt Isa, Moree, Mildura, Wagga, Bourke, Dubbo

20-35"

= 480 - 840

4 4 500mm - 850mm

35-60"

= 840 - 1440

4 4 4 above 850mm

Albany, Darwin, Cairns, Townsville

BUILDING O R G A N I C C O N T E N T IN SOILS In the series Discovering Soils, the CSIRO explain how soils with high organic content (up to 3.5%) hold 480% more water than sandy soils with no organic carbon. Every 1% gain in organic matter increases water holding by 137%, or to put the idea in reverse, if your soil is only 1% organic content, it will hold 60% less water than a soil with high organic content. Unfortunately, raising organic content is a slow process that may take ten years to rise from 1 % to 2%, but by building organic content you will also improve plant nutrition as well as reduce pest problems.

MULCHING Mulching of vegetable gardens is more fiddly than mulching perennials, trees and shrubs because plant spacing is closer and many materials, such as pea straw and lucerne, need to be broken up into 10cm pieces rather than more convenient 30 to 50cm lengths. However, mulching lowers soil temperatures, traps water, prevents weed competition and also increases carbon levels, so it is a vital stepping stone to maintaining water security. With the combination of mulching and building organic soil content, water use can be reduced by up to 75%, irrespective of the type of water application.

T H E IMPACT OF TEMPERATURE O N G R O W T H Temperature Plants have adapted to growing through a temperature range of about 15°C-35°C, but temperatures of 40°C cause a complete shutdown of photosynthesis and temperatures below 15°C cause very slow growth. In the tropics, with high temperatures all-year round, timber yields are four times greater than in temperate regions and ten times that of colder areas bordering the arctic. Many of the vegetables we grow, such as tomatoes, melons, pumpkins, capsicums and eggplants, come from tropical and sub-tropical areas. They must be sown and grown to fruit through 20°C-35°C temperatures, with continuous water supplying nutrients every day. Plants from temperate regions, such as leaf vegetables (lettuce, cabbage and spinach) and root vegetables (carrots and parsnips) grow through lower temperatures and must be harvested before flowering; a process which reduces the edibility of the crop. The rapid growth of vegetables puts huge demands on the supply of water and nutrients, but each garden has adequate rainfall to meet these demands, despite the imposition of water restrictions. Climate change will have a dramatic impact on the plants we grow and the supply of water. A temperature rise of 2°C by 2050 will cause Hobart to resemble

40°C 40°C 35°C

35 C

Tropical plant growth

20 G

20°C

Temperate plant growth Arctic Photosynthesis / Growth Melbourne's climate, Melbourne to e n j o y the warmth of Sydney's climate, and Sydney to approximate that of Brisbane or Perth. Many of the trees and shrubs we now grow will not survive this temperature increase, but for the vegetable gardener sowing annual crops, it means that all of our growing seasons will increase by up to 60 days. This will improve our ability to grow more fruit and vegetables than ever before, provided we have water! Instead of waiting until Melbourne C u p Day to plant tomatoes and corn in Melbourne the planting date will advance to September and provide a 210 day growing season rather than 150 days.

II

BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT

Hybrids, heirlooms or GM? The fundamental change in our food supply occurred after World War II when American plant breeders began creating hybrids to meet the long distance shipment demands of supermarkets. As a consequence, 90% of our fruit and vegetable varieties, that we relied on 100 years ago, disappeared.

In 1978, the Digger's Club very first catalogue began the process of preservation. Our first listed heirloom vegetable variety was Scarlet Runner bean, which appeared in Australia centuries ago as English colonists planted their favourite varieties. Originating

from South America, this fast growing, spectacular red-flowering bean thrived in the cooler parts of Australia. Likewise, Kent Whealey, founder of the US Seed Savers Exchange, was galvanised into action when his wife's favourite watermelon, Moon and Stars, disappeared from mailorder seed lists. He realised that the family favourite would be lost forever if his generation did not continue to grow the watermelon and save its seeds. In a desperate plea for help via country radio stations, he located some seeds and then began the long process of seed multiplication through a network of passionate gardeners. The Seed Savers Exchange was born and has now rescued 25,000 varieties of vegetables in the last 30 years. I made contact with SSE in 1991 and was astounded by the incredible diversity and beauty of our garden inheritance and immediately committed the Digger's Club to grow, trial and preserve suitable heirlooms for Australian gardeners. Dr Will Trueman conducted extensive trials of heirloom varieties at our Seymour farm and compared

O W N E R S H I P A N D C O N T R O L OF O U R F O O D CROPS Genetically engineered seeds - Bypasses sexual reproduction and is a term to describe crop altering techniques that can't happen naturally. Genes from other plants, bacteria or animals are transferred in a laboratory across normal species barriers. Patenting confers monopoly control and saving seed is illegal. Available since 1996. Farmers cannot save seed. Heirloom seeds - Open pollinated seeds which have evolved over centuries f r o m the crossing of two non-hybrid plants. Seeds are true to type and uniform and anyone can save seeds. Hybrid seeds - Developed for supermarket monoculture distribution since the 1950s. Sexually manipulated plants that are not genetically identical. Growers have to repurchase seed each year because second generations are not true to type. 3 6

" Nuclear pollution blows away genetic engineering keeps replicating.

their performance against the then standard varieties, such as Grossc Lisse tomato or hybrid capsicums, eggplants or cabbages. Not only did heirlooms win every taste test, we found that we achieved superior yields in tomatoes, pumpkins, watermelons and cucumbers. Such is the myth of hybrid superiority. We also achieved earlier and later yields and consequently we dropped every hybrid except for Sweet corn. We began seed production of heirloom varieties across our complete range. If Moon and Stars watermelon was the poster-child of the US movement, Fivecolour Silverbeet held that honour in Australia. The first stringless bean was Lazy Wife's Pole bean which appeared in Burpee's 1888 catalogue. Seed saver networks gave us seed and enabled us to

reintroduce it (see original copy below). Throughout this book we have reproduced our trial results so you can compare the performance of our hybrids and heirlooms and choose the best varieties for your garden.

LAZY W I F E ' S P O L E BEAN. This new pole bean has, for some years, been the favorite with our Bucks County farmers, and the last three seasons has become immenselypopularthroughout the entire country. We presume it derived its name, which seems to us rather discourteous,from its immense productiveness,making it very easy to gather a dish, and from the ease with which they are cooked. T h e pods, of a medium,dark-green color, are produced in great abundance, and measure from 4% to 6 Inches in length; the illustration above represents a natural size pod ; they are broad, thick, very fleshy and entirely stringiest. T h e pods retain their rich, tender and stringless qualities until nearly ripe, and at all stages are unsurpassed /or snap-shorts, being peculiarly luscious. Many persons have testified that they never ate a bean [u>te so good in distinct rich flavor. Each pod contains rom six to eight round white beans, which make excellent winter shell beans. T h e plants stick well to the poles; and the vines are covered with clusters of handsome pods. T h e y have also yielded well planted among corn. They are late to mature but are valuable to extend the season. We recommend every one to plant Creaseiack for early and Laty Wife's for late, and we are sure that none will regret following this advicc. P e r p k t . i j cts,; pint 40 cts.; quart 80 cts., postpaid. 4 ® - For Prices, by express or freight, at purchaser's expense, S E E Bulk Price List of Beans, Peas and Sweet Corn, pages 70 and 71.

?

SWEET C O R N Corn is the only major crop that gardeners can choose all three seed types. Open-pollinated heirlooms have traditional sweet corn flavour. Hybrids have enhanced sugar levels but are unstable for second year planting. Genetically engineered com produces pesticides to control insects and is unsafe for human consumption. Being wind-pollinated, GE com has now contaminated the original strains we rely on for genetic diversity.

WHAT'S W R O N G WITH GENETICALLY E N G I N E E R E D SEEDS? Genetically engineered seeds have been developed as a vehicle to extend the sale of weedicides and pesticides. Totally reliant on the protection of patents, they give corporations, for the first time, ownership of life forms, turning seeds into software! Relying on evolutionary improvements developed over 12,000 years, G M corporations have been granted complete ownership over plants with only one laboratory-spliced gene inserted into hundreds of thousands of naturally evolved genes. These genetically engineered organisms (corn, cotton, soy and canola) confer herbicide tolerance to proprietary-owned chemicals such as broad spectrum RoundUp™, so that a blanket spraying kills all green life except the GM crop. The resulting crop, which we eventually eat, contains high levels of chemicals. To control insects, GM crops manufacture their own pesticides which, if not approved for human consumption, are fed to animals before being consumed by humans. In the US, where GM patents were first approved despite inadequate testing, none of the crops required labelling, enabling GM companies to avoid liability for resulting health problems or third party damage from the subsequent contamination of intermingled non-GM or organic seeds. Genetically engineered canola is about to be planted in Australia, with the endorsement of our Federal, Victorian and NSW governments. Most canola farmers do not understand that canola is cross-pollinated by bees, w h o can spread the GM genes into neighbouring canola fields up to 20km away. It took just three years of GM canola plantings in Canada, to contaminate and totally destroy the livelihoods of non-GM and organic canola fanners. Without labelling or liability for contamination, GM fanners have become willing ground troops for the corporatisation of our food supply. How can it be that in a democratic country that has less than a thousand GM producers can force their product on to 14 million consumers, or 70% of Australia's population, who don't want genetically engineered food? By growing heirloom varieties of garden seeds, that are not hybridised or patented, and are freely available to all, you will restore our garden inheritance.

II

GARDEN BASICS

Sowing seed successfully H O W TO SOW SEED OUTDOORS. S° low

• This is the easiest method of all. • Prepare the garden bed by removing weeds. • Dig and fork over the soil to break up any clumps or lumps. Incorporate any well rotted organic matter, blood and bone or lime evenly through the soil. • Rake, and make sure the soil has an even crumbly texture like bread crumbs.

Sowing fine seed • Direct sowing of fine seed like carrots, onions or poppies need shallower seed beds, so that seeds are not buried more than twice the width of the seed. • To minimise thinning, mix your fine seed with some dry sand so that seeds are well spaced, then cover the seed with sieved soil.

• When your seeds have germinated, usually 7-14 days, and have two sets of leaves, they will benefit from being watered with a weak solution of seaweed liquid or worm water. 38

Sowing large seed • Firm down the soil with a board or rake handle and water thoroughly. Keep moist to touch at all times. Be sure to sow at the correct time by checking p44-45. • Sow large seeds like peas, beans, corn and sunflowers in rows, by spacing them evenly along the row you have made with the rake handle to a depth twice the width of the seed. • Seeds of vining pumpkins, melons or cucumber are best sown in clumps of three instead of rows.

Germination and growing on • Keep your seeds moist (not wet). If your sown seeds dry out they will fail to germinate. • Use a watering can with conventional rose for large seeds and a fine mist or 'bottle top' waterer for fine seeds. Heavy watering will dislodge your seeds. • Protect your seeds/seedlings from birds and snails.

• Now is the time to thin your seedlings if they are too close together. Thinning your seedlings will reduce the likelihood of fungal diseases and ensure that each seedling has enough room to grow.

U N D E R S T A N D I N G GERMINATION The speed of germination is directly related to the temperature of the soil at the time of sowing. If you sow tomatoes too early when soil temperatures are 10°C, seeds won't emerge for 43 days. If sown when temperatures reach 20°C, germination occurs in 8 days. Lettuce seeds become dormant at soil temperatures over 35°C, whilst rockmelons won't germinate at all until temperatures reach 20°C.

DAYS T O G E R M I N A T I O N Based on soil temperature, with days to germinate Source: Knott's

Handbook

No germination 40+

bean beetroot broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower celery corn cucumber capsicum, eggplant lettuce leek, onion

parsnip, parsley pumpkin rockmelon radish, spinach silverbeet tomato turnip watermelon zucchini

LIFE E X P E C T A N C Y O F VEGETABLE S E E D S (length of time usual for seed viability under favourable conditions) Long Life: 4-6 years

Short life: 1-2 years

broccoli, artichoke, asparagus

onion

bean, beet, silverbeet

parsley

carrot, cabbage, turnip

parsnip

cauliflower, okra cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini

corn

tomato, eggplant, capsicum

peanut

rockmelon, watermelon

STORING SEEDS Seeds should be stored in a cool dry place after ihey have been dried, to remove moisture below 10 per cent. Keep them in sealed jars with packets of drying crystals and store them in the refrigerator to give the seeds optimum life.

pea, radish, spinach

II

RAISING SEEDLINGS T O TRANSPLANT LATER. S 1

Many seeds need to be grown into seedlings before planting in the garden. Sow into individual peat pots, jifTy pots or quikpots so that root damage is minimized when planting. This is the one step method. S 1

3

Hygiene If you arc using recycled punnets or trays make sure they are clean to prevent any transfer of disease. If you can eat off, or eat with your propagation equipment, it is clean enough to raise seeds with.

Germinating Sowing in pots

• Fill your pot to the brim and firm it down. • Water thoroughly and gently so as not to disturb the flat surface. • Sow your seed carefully so it is well spaced. This will prevent the likelihood o f ' d a m p i n g o f f ' or fungal diseases due to oversowing. • Sieve some seedling mix over the seed to cover it by about twice the width of the seed. That is, if the seed is 2mm wide, cover it with 4mm of sieved seed raising mix. • Water gently.

II

^

• Place your seeds in a well-lit, warm position (15-20°C). • Cover your pots, trays or peat pots with a dome of plastic to maintain a humid atmosphere. Clear propagation lids with adequate ventilation are ideal. • When the seeds are starting to germinate, usually 10-20 days, the ventilation slots can be open during the day, and partially or completely closed at night, depending on the temperature. Use a propagation thermometer to check. • If your seedlings germinate and 'lean' towards the light the position is too dark, and your seedlings will be leggy. • When seedlings have their second set of leaves, place them in a sheltered spot outside to harden off a week before planting in position.

R O O T I N G D E P T H O F VEGETABLES Medium 1 metre

Shallow 40 cm

Deep 1.2 metre artichoke

broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower beet, silverbeet

asparagus

capsicum

parsnip

carrot

p u m p k i n , zucchini

lettuce, onion, leek

cucumber, eggplant

tomato

potato, radish, spinach

turnip, rockmelon

watermelon

corn

SOIL WETTING DEPTHS 25mm

50mm

75mm

15cm

30cm

Depth of soil

45cm

60cm

EXPLAINED

\\

S a n d y soil

Clay soil

S o u r c e : University of California - Davis

Bottom heal in the form of heated propagation trays improves germination. A soil temperature of between 17°C and 22°C is the optimum for most seeds.

57>h>

early indoors and pot on S2

Tiny flower seed or very expensive seed is usually sown in trays or punnets for transplanting later. You can also extend your growing season by growing advanced seedlings indoors. In frosty or cool areas you can start tender crops such as tomatoes or pumpkins in late winter. By sowing early indoors you can grow your vegetables into large advanced seedlings, to plant when the risk of frost is over.

30cm

60cm

Sandy

12mm

25mm

3 days

5 days

20mm

40mm

5 days

10 days

33mm

65mm

8 days

17 days

Loam

Loam soil

Bottom heat

Water to a depth of

Potting on

*Number of days between watering

SOW TO TRANSPLANT LATER Sow in Jiffys lo reduce in-ground growing

days. Tomatoes, eggplants capsicums. When the seedlings have grown their second set of Sow in Quick pots because growth is leaves use a knitting needle slow and weeding is reduced. Asparagus, or skewer to lift the seedling artichoke, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery from under its roots and place cauliflower, broccoli, leek, onion, strawberry. in its pot half filled with potting compost. Cover the roots with soil to fill the pot. Water in. Eliminate the shock of transplanting by planting in quickpots or peat pots - no bigger than 8cm wide. A feed of weak seaweed solution will help them grow. Keep them in their warm environment, uncovered. • When the roots can be seen at the bottom of the pots, take them outside to a sheltered spot to harden off for a week before planting out in the garden.

II

GARDEN BASICS

Climate maps THE DIGGER'S CLUB COLD ZONE MAP for all plants jt J

Average absolute minimum temp. (°C)

Cairns(II)

Brnumr (II) ZONE

TEMP.

Imvmvillc (II)

13 16 12

10

11 4

10

Toowoombn f>b)

'

" ItrUbanc (10)

-1

9b

Bourkc (10)

KatgoorllC'Bouldcr (9b)

-4

B r o l a n Hill ( 1 0 )

9a

Milclura ( 9 I »

-7

<

8

Albany(10)

-12

B U R E A U OF

7

"

i m

M b u r y (9lt) l l c n d i u o (9b)

METEOROLOGY

" " 7

•

J i fnn'bc.rra

*

,9a, (9ll)

_ M J

Melbourne (I0H

-16 'aptetl from iversal plant

< The Digger's Club 1998

rdiness zones,

110"

>DA

Kilometres

Mohan (91.)

115"

II the vegetables we grow in Australia are introduced into Australia from the temperate and tropical climates overseas. We have iped these vegetables into three broad groups to be sure you sow and grow them through their correct temperatures. ool soil \rstplanting:

Asparagus, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, leek, onion, peas, radish, spinach, turnip

'.cond planting:

Beetroot, celery, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, potato, silver beet

Soil t e m p

Air t e m p

10 - 20°C

5 - 25°C

10 - 20°C

10 - 25°C

15 - 20°C

15 - 30°C

' a r m soil eans, capsicum, corn, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkins, melons, tomatoes, zucchini

ool soil vegetables are all frost tolerant (hardy annuals and biennials) that grow and thrive through fluctuating cold and warm temperatures, nate zones 8, 9 and 10. 'arm soil vegetables come from the tropics (tender annuals and perennials - cold zone 11-13) and won't germinate in cool soils id are killed by frost. nd your zone on the map and choose plants that arc appropriate for those zones. 42

No. of d a y s a b o v e 15°C

DIGGER'S CLUB GROWING DAYS MAP for annuals, fruit and

330

~

9 ^y

v

4

vegetables

*

300

Cairns (M0)

' Broome (360) .Townsvlllc (360)

270 240 210 180

Inouonmha (240)

Brisbane (300]

150 Buurke(270)

'Morec (2'

Kalgoorllc-noiildcr (240)

120

flilalc (150)

Broken Hill (240) Perth (270)

90

i

Adel»lde(l80) Albany(210)

60

'Grl(nih(210|

' Sydney(240) " Jiosvral (180) iberra (120)

B U R E A U OF METEOROLOGY

30

The Rigger's Club © 2008

Kilometres

Almost all the vegetables we grow are annuals which are planted as seeds to grow through the correct temperatures to mature and be harvested. Some crops like tomatoes and watermelons need 120 - 150 days of frost-free weather and won't mature in cold climates like Hobart that have only 90 days over I5°C, however in Darwin with 360 days over 15°C two crops can be harvested! Find your location on the map and compare number of growing days for the vegetables you wish to grow. For simplicity we have grouped the 12, 30 day monthly zones into 3 groups within our growing guides and Sow What When calendar. Growing days

Towns

Cool

below 150 days

Hobart, Canberra, Bendigo, Armidale, Melbourne (frost affected)

Warm

150 - 240 days

Melbourne & Sydney (frost free areas), Adelaide, Mildura, Bowral, Griffith, Albury

Hot

240+ days

Brisbane, Perth, Bourke, Moree, Alice Springs, Toowoomba

Note: Sydney and Melbourne both encounter frosts in inland suburbs and the size of each city places them in 3 zones so look at the enlarged map for accuracy. Visit our w e b s i t e at diggers.com.au and go to C l i m a t e m a p s f o r enlarged m a p s and m o r e information Our maps are based on the number and location of weather stations. Climates can alter by altitude (every 300 metres) so use local knowledge for greater precision.

II

GARDEN BASICS

Sow what when Plant Days to Sowing Row type harvest method * spacing including (cm) x seedling Plant outdoors stage S 1 spacing (cm) indoors

Vegetables Seeds to sow A= A n n u a l B= Biennial H = H a r d y , survives f r o s t T = Frost t e n d e r

W H E N T O S O W IN Y O U R CLIMATE Warm Below 150 growing d a y s

150 to 240 growing days

Frost affected:

Frost free:

Melbourne (outer), Melbourne, Sydney, Tasmania, Canberra, Adelaide, Inland Ballarat, Orange

240 + growing d a y s

Frost free: Perth, Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney

COOL SOIL 1Q°C+ Artichoke Jerusalem (tubers) Asparagus BroacLbeans Broccoli

Winter Mar-fop April-July

winter

Jim-Mar

Qct-Frt

Garlic (bulbs) Kale _ Leek Onion Barletta Onion Creamgold Onion Mild Red Pak Chov Pea Potato (tubers) Radish Splnach__ Spring onion

Ju'y-Sep -Sgp-Apr Alie-Pcg, Any Sep-Mar Any Any

Pec-Mar Mar-May Any—

Mar-J ill

July-Sep Any Fefr-Aug July-ngc Any Aug-Feb Any

MILD SOIL 1 2 ° C Z ] Beetroot Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Celery/CderiatL Chicory Fennel Lettuce MacheJ.aiiib!siettucc Mizuna Mustard Red

—• -

HB HB HB

irn^m 130- 170 60 J M

HA

50 - 80

July-Mar Hec-Apr July-Nov Aug-Apr AMg-Pei'—Alii—

Rhubarb (plant) Rocket, Arugula Sjiverbeet

Apr-July

WARM SOIL 15°C+iZ Beans^bush — ^ Beans, climbing, numer, snake. L&. Corn Cucumber GxQund_£herry —i.^ Okra —IAPunipkia Squash Summer/Gourds _ Sunflower —LA [Tomato IZuechini (hush) TA 4 4

L00JL2Q.

1 60-12,^

lept-Dcc

Mar-Jun

VERY WARM SOIL 18°C Capsicum Chillies Eggplant Peanut Rockmelon Watermelon HERBS Basil Chervil Chives Coriander Dill Nasturtium Parslev Perilla Watercress

Plant type

Days to harvest

Sowing method

Row space (cm) x plant space (cm)

Cool

Warm

Hot

TA TP TP TA TA TA

90 - 130 9 0 - 130 120- 140 140 8 0 - 140 80-130

S' S1 S1

50 x 50 50 x 50 60 x 60 30x20 150x 100 200 x 150

Sep-Nov Sep-Nov Sep-Nov Nov late Oct-Dec late Oct-Dec

Aug-Dec Aug-Dec Aug-Dec Oct-Dcc Sep-Dec Sep-Dec

Apr-Sep Apr-Sep Mar-Aug Anv Julv-Oct Julv-Oct

TA HA HP HA HA HA HB TA HA

60 60 9 0 - 120 30-90 30 60 60 - 270 60 40

30x20 30 x 20 30 x 10 30x20 30x20 20x20 30x30 30 x 30 40x40

Oct-Jan Sep-Dec Oct-Mar Oct-Dec Sep-Oct Aut-Spr Jul-Dec Oct-Jan Jun-Dec

Sep-Feb June-Mar Sep-Apr Aug-Nov Aug-Jan Aut+Spr Jul-Dec Sep-Feb May-Dec

Anv Apr-Julv Anv Anv Anv Anv Mav-Ang Anv May-Aug

s° s s° s< s° s° s° s° S1 S'

sl>

Growing days map: South-east Australia and Perth. F i n d y o u r l o c a t i o n on t h e m a p a n d m a t c h t h e c o l o u r to h o w m a n y g r o w i n g d a y s y o u r area has. In o u r c a t a l o g u e s , f o r b e l o w 150 g r o w i n g d a y s s e l e c t

Cool

f r o m 150 g r o w i n g d a y s to 2 4 0 select

DIGGER'S CLUB GROWING DAYS MAP for annuals, fruit and vegetables

Warm

2 4 0 g r o w i n g d a y s p l u s select

T o o w o o m b a (240)

. /nm Bourke (270)

Brisbane (300)

Moree v(270) '

Broken Hill (240) /

Mildura (210) Adelaide (180)

Griffith (210)

Hot

#

/

Number of days above 15° C

Sydney (240)

*£owral(180) lypanberra (120) #

- ^ J

Perth (270)

eronswood

Albany (210)

Digger's Club ©2008

Hobart II

C O O L SOIL

II

1ST PLANTING

II

Vegetables I

Cool Soil

Soil temperature for sowing 10°C-20°C.

1st planting

Air temp for growing 5°C-25°C.

H a r d y v e g e t a b l e s f o r cool soil These crops c o m e from frosty, temperate regions. All, except peas and broad beans, are eaten for their leaves, buds and roots, and so must be harvested before

flowering.

Higher temperatures force annuals like broccoli, lcttuce and cabbage into premature flowering which destroys edibility. Biennials like carrots and beet must be harvested before m a x i m u m size because the formation of flowering stalks destroys quality.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Artichoke Vinletla

Artichoke, Globe Cynara

scolymus

What would the antipasto plate be without the hearts of globe artichokes? This magnificent vegetable with arching silver leaves makes quite a garden statement. Allow about 3 plants per person and replace your plants every third to fourth year. If the buds are left to develop they produce brilliant lilac-blue flowers that can be dried for flower arrangements or enjoyed in the border.

Cultivation The old adage of 'good ground grows thistles' can certainly be applied to this most noble member of the thistle family. The flower buds will be produced in profusion given plenty of well-rotted manure and adequate water. The fat terminal buds are picked before opening, and the outer 'scales' removed to reveal the hearts. The 'choke', or undeveloped flower deep inside the bud, is removed for the most succulent hearts. For itjjj best 'hearts', harvest the buds in

II

spring when the stem below the bud is still pliable. The stem is also dclicious peeled and cooked. ij*

sow

Cool

1m x 1m

Warm Warm

Coastal Inland Harvest Yield 180 days 20 buds/pit

Green Globe Produces fat buds with soft green fleshy 'scales'. From Northern Italy. J 1.5m Violetta The dusky purple buds of this form are considered to be the gourmets' choice. J1.2m Yield: Up to 20 hearts per plant.

Artichoke Helianthus

(Jerusalem)

tuberosus

lx>w maintenance and extremely productive root vegetable that has liigli levels of free amino acids. The knobbly root can be used just like • potatoes, but taste much richer and are more pmductive. However, be warned Jerusalem artichokes are best eaten with close friends,

Globe Ariiclinke Hearts as they are not known as 'the windy root'for nothing! Those wlw are not put off by this can enjoy their sweet nutty flavour masted, boiled or in luscious creamy soups.

Cultivation Artichokes thrive in almost any soil, especially those with good drainage. From a winterspring planting of the tubers, the stems reach up to 2m high topped with brilliant yellow flowers showing their close relationship to the sunflower. Harvest after the stems have died off in late autumn. If they are not all dug up, they can become invasive. In well-drained ground they can be stored in the soil to be dug at will. Fifteen tubers should produce enough for a family. HP

5£

sow

1m x

GROW Winler 50cm

GROW Winler Harvest 270 days

GROW Winler

Yield 12 tubers/pit

Asparagus

officinalis

Planting asparagus is a sound investment as tliey thrust up tender spears that herald the start of a new gardening year and they increase their harvest for up to 20 years. The earliest of spring vegetables, nothing can beat the flavour offreshly cut asparagus straight from the garden.

Cultivation Its extensive root system appreciates deeply dug soil enriched with plenty of manure and compost, add lime for a pH of 7 plus. Plant your asparagus so the crown is covered by about 5-7cm of soil and water well. Asparagus is amazingly adaptable, thriving from cool climates to the subtropics. Male plants arc preferred to female, as fruiting (reproduction), is always a drain on resources - as any parent knows! Identify female plants by their small red berries, and remove, as their spears will not be as vigorous. A light cutting of spears in the second year for about 4 weeks will be followed (in time) by a harvest lasting up to 10 weeks. Always remove spears with a sharp knife cutting below the soil surface and cease harvesting when the spears become thinner than 1cm. Mulch asparagus generously to eliminate weed competition, and blanch the new spears. GROW Sep-Nov t cm v i n , ™ 1.5m x 3 0 c m

GROW Mar-Sep Harvest

2 years

Asparagus Purple

tlmad bean Aquadulce

Asparagus

Broad bean Aquadulce

GROW May-July

Yield 12 spears/pit

Marv Washington The standard open-pollinated cultivar. Vigorous. Purple An Italian cultivar with royal-purple spears that will delight the eye and the palate. Hybrids Generally produce earlier in spring and are selected for all male plants.

Broad Beans Viciafabci This higli-protein, cool-season bean is an excellent soil improver, and can only be completely enjoyed when you grow your own and have the choice of harvest lime. The delicious pods can he picked when small and tender and steamed whole, shelled when they are larger, or left to reach full maturity to be stored as dry beans to add to stews and soups.

Cultivation Broad beans can be planted from autumn to spring as long as they are sown so that flowering would have finished before the onset of 20°C days. Preferring slightly alkaline soil, the addition of some lime is useful in more acid soils. Apart

from that, broad beans are easily grown in any sunny spot. Although they are prone to wind damage, they need a reasonable amount of air circulation to prevent fungal diseases. The best solution is to bang in stakes at the ends of the rows and tie siring from stake to stake to support them. Pinch out 10cm off the top of the plant as the flowers are fading to help 'set' the pods. w

. sow

GROW Mar-Aug

= n , ™ „ on,.™ 50cm x 20cm

60

GROW Apr-July Harvest . 1 2 0 days

GROW Apr-July

Yield 1 kg/metre

Aquadulce A dwarf variety less prone to wind damage that produces heavy crops from smart black and white flowers. A real Seville long pod that can extend to 20cm long if you want them that big, or pick at 15cm for sweet and tender beans.

Jim

Crimson-Flowered The convicts of Norfolk Island planted this precious heirloom (1778), which has been brought back to cultivation by The Digger's Club. The brilliant crimson flowers are a great addition to the winter garden followed by light crops of succulent pods. J90cm

Broad bean Crimson-Flowered

II

VEGETABLES I C O O L

SOIL

1ST P L A N T I N G

Purple Sprouting

Green Sprouting

Brussels Sprout 'Ruby'

Broccoli

Brussels Sprout

Brassica oleracea Italica group

The most deserving of crops that is both nutritions and delicious and teeming with antioxidants. This close relative of cauliflower and cabbage has been recognised as a separate vegetable from its parent, cabbage for about 400 years. In Italy broccoli refers to the tender undeveloped flower buds that are produced on all the cabbage family in spring. The Italians enjoyed these shoots so much that they started to select plants that produced the best and most plentiful of these shoots. Sprouting broccoli is the first form of this new vegetable. Unfortunately, commercially grown broccoli is drenched in pesticides but broccoli is so productive and easy to grow, lliat no home garden should be without it. Broccoli can be grown year round in cool climates, however the ubiquitous white cabbage butterfly is always a problem as the weather warms, so grow and harvest your broccoli in the cooler months, or use organic controls such as Dipel, Den is dust or Pyretlirum.

Cultivation Preferring a slightly alkaline soil like other members of the cabbage family, broccoli is easier to grow than cauliflower, and if you plant the sprouting varieties they can be continually harvested for up to 3 months. It is worth preparing your ground well with manures and compost, so that the seedlings can grow and produce quickly. Broccoli needs plenty of blood and bone or well rotted manure through its growing season in order to produce over a long period. Always pick the central bud first as this will encourage the growth of side shoots. Pick the shoots regularly and do not allow it to flower.

5 0

Brassica

oleracea

Gemmifera group Romancsco

as this will stop the production of new shoots. When broccoli is stressed by temperatures over 29°C, lack of water or nutrients, it will start to flower prematurely. In windy gardens, the plants may need to be staked as they grow top heavy through the season. HA sow

GROW Anytime

GROW Mar-Aug

GROW Feb-June

60cm x 40cm

Harvest days = from transplant to harvest. Green Sprouting (Italian Calabrese) Small heads of blue-green are followed by broccolini-like side shoots for up to 3 months. 190cm. Harvest: 80 days. Yield: 3kg/plant.

A very new vegetable, having only been around for about 200 years. Some may say that it is 200 hundred years too long if they have only tasted the large green bullets that you buy in the shops! However these heirloom varieties produce much smaller delicately flavoured sprouts, and when you grow your own, the spring flowering shoots can be used as broccoli and its top knot of leaves serves as a mini cabbage. Remove the leaves as the sprouts form from the base up, and stake well. Loosely formed sprouts are a sign of too much nitrogen. Best in frosty areas. Grow through summer for autumn and winter harvest. Prone to white cabbage butterfly.

Romancsco Lime-green heads with more delicate broccoli flavour. Best in cool climates. Dews not produce side shoots. J90cm. Harvest: 71 days. Yield: 250g/plant.

Cultivation

Purple Sprouting With all the virtues of the green sprouting broccoli, this has the added advantage of decorative dusky purple shoots rich in anthocyanins. The best broccoli for really cold areas, being the most frost tolerant. Tall plant. Not for hot areas. J1.2m

Ruby Buttons of burgundy-red nutty sprouts with lavender-blue leaves make ihis heirloom the most decorative of brussels sprouts. A smaller plant than green cultivars, it also produces fewer, smaller sprouts. Its beautiful colouring however, makes it less attractive to white cabbage butterfly. J60cm.

Premium Crop hybrid Large uniform heads for single, rather than continuous harvest. Tolerates heat well and produces quickly. J 80cm. Harvest: 69 days. Yield: 250g/p!ant.

Long Island The standard green sprout before F! hybrids were developed. J 70cm.

Grow as for broccoli. GROW Oct-Feb i m X 50cm

GROW Doc-Mar

narvcai

i ICIU

140-160 days 60-70 spr/plt

Cabbage Brassica oleracea Capitata group Cabbage has been cultivated for over a thousand years, and as such, has been selected into many different forms. The different varieties suit varying regional cuisines, a range of harvest limes, and I suspect the cottager's pleasure, when you consider how truly beautiful this staple vegetable can be. Rich in folates, a must for mothers to be; cabbage also promotes stomach health, its raw juice being an old remedy for peptic ulcers. Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) is also used traditionally for poor digestion, as well as being the most common form of preserving cabbage for winter. Whilst on the subject of stomach health, it is worthwhile noting that cabbage cooked with caraway or fennel seed, reduces the 'windy'effects associated with its consumption.

M i n i Emerald Acrc

Red Drumhead

Cultivation In the garden, cahbage appears to enjoy the company of peas, potatoes, bush beans, lettuce and cucumber. However, cabbages are prone to soil-borne diseases, so rotate your cabbage beds on a 3 year cycle, and never put cabbage roots in the compost. Cabbages need rich soil with some lime for a pH of about 7.5, and adequate water, so that their growth is never checked. A good cover of mulch will insulate them from hot dry spells of weather. Their most damaging pests are the caterpillars of the white cabbagc butterfly. Dipel, derris dust and pyrethrum are all effective organic controls for these voracious pests. Make sure that you treat the leaves thoroughly with special attention to the underside of the leaves where they prefer to hide. Those who grow red cabbages can just pick the caterpillars off, as their fat green bodies are easy to spot. Selecting the right variety for the right planting time will ensure that your cabbages don't just split and bolt to seed. Early varieties are quick growing and sweet, and should be planted out in late winter to harvest in summer. Mid season cabbages arc planted in spring and early summer to harvest in summer and autumn. Late season varieties are planted in late summer and autumn, to harvest in winter to spring; they are preferred for pickling and Sauerkraut. After extensive trials at our Seymour farm we found that open-pollinated heirlooms were earlier than hybrids and held without splitting far longer. GROW July-Mar cn,_ „ 50cm x 30cm

GROW Any naivoii

100.l60days

GROW Any

neia 10kg/metre

January K i n g

Early-season Mini Kmerald Acrc Our fastest. In only eight weeks from planting out, this one forms neat, green, softball-sized heads and can be spaced like lettuce. An heirloom that holds well. Yield: 1.6kg.

Asian Cabbages

Mid-season January King A semi-savoy (crinkled leaf) cabbagc in shades of blue-green, pink and turquoise, that is almost too beautiful to sacrifice for coleslaw. Almost. Prefers some shade. Yield: 6.8kg.

Late-season Red Drumhead Dense, flat-topped heads of deep purple-blue to pickle, or liven up hearty winter meals. Resistant to caterpillar attack. Pests that do take liberties arc easily spotted. Yield: 3.3kg.

CABBAGE TRIALS No. of days Days to Head before harvest weight splitting Standard Superette Hybrid

66

3.6kg

Heirloom Emerald Acre January King Red Drumhead

Pak Choy

Asian cabbages are faster growing and better suited to the hotter weather than European cabbages. Bok Choi, Pak Choy Brassica rapa Chinensis group Thick, curved, succulent leaves, arc a must for stir-fries and soups. Leafy and non-hearting, pak choy likes to be grown quickly, so plant in rich, moist soil for tender stems in just six weeks. .„

30cm x 10cm

Harvest 40days

Wong Bok Brassica rapa Pekinensis Group A baby Chinese cabbage with crisp, almost white, heavily hearted heads are used raw in salads and slaws, marinated, pickled, for the Korean national dish, kimclii, and added to soups. It is the only cabbage that absorbs salad dressings readily, As with pak choy, ample water and rich soil is the key to success. Wong bok is prone to more pests and diseases than pak choy and is extremely vulnerable to slug damage. Sow in peat pots as it resents root disturbance. 30cm x 10cm

aoTys

II

VEGETABLES I C O O L

1ST P L A N T I N G

SOIL

Jaime dit Poitou l.eek

Leeks Allium

Hardneck Garlic

ameloprasum

Leeks have been revered since Egyptian times for their subtle flavour and elegant fonn. Leeks are a biennial running up to flower in late spring. Although this is detrimental to the eating quality of the leek, the flower heads rival the beauty of many of the ornamental Alliums such as A. giganteum. Kale Tuscan Black

Cultivation

Kale Brassica

oleracea

Acephala group Tuscan Black Kale is the most elegant of the cabbage family looking like a miniature palm tree with quilted elephant grey leaves. It can easily be integrated into ornamental plantings making a beautiful edible sculpture. The easiest and most heat tolerant brassica to grow. Tuscan Black is a highly valued kale for making rolls, where the leaf is used (like cabbage) as a striking black coloured wrap. 'Cavallo Nero' in Italian markets has proved to be a popular dish at the Heronswood Haivest cafi, where gram for gram it supplies twice the levels of antioxidants of broccoli. Pick the young leaves from the top of the 'tree', as these are the most tender, and use just like cabbage. Tliey are also excellent with olive oil and shallots.

Cultivation Plant your seedlings in spring to ensure a year's supply of leaves before the flower shoots (used like broccoli) appear the next spring. A good frost will only improve the flavour. Grown mainly in northern Europe where it is harvested even when the ground is covered in snow, it is still rare in Australia when we have the choice of growing many other green vegetables. As a close relative of the wild cabbage, it does not require rich soils. If cabbage white butterfly is a pest use organically certified Dipel or rotenone powder (Derris dust). HB sow

rn„_ „ 50cm x 50cm

5 2

GROW GROW Mar-July Anytime Harvest Yield 2.6kg/m 50.160days

GROW Anytime

The tastiest leeks grow in nutrient-rich soil with a pH close to neutral. Transplant tall seedlings into 10cm deep holes to ensure a long shank, or hill them up with straw as they grow. HB

sow

GROW Sep-Mar

GROW Aug-Apr

GROW Jan-Mar

in/.™, „ K Harvest Yield JUcm x 15cm ioo-160days 6 shanks/m

Elephant Tall blue-grey leaves, and spectacular flowering stems. It produces 6.5cm thick shanks to 16cm long. Jim. Yield: 160g

Jaime du Poitou This French speciality has fans of yellow-green leaf and 5cm wide shanks to 20cm long. I75cm

Garlic

Allium

sativum

Avoid imported garlic that has been blasted with Methyl Bromide (highly toxic) and grow your own. Garlic has been valued for both its culinary and medicinal properties for thousands of years. The active constituent allicin is released when the clove is crushed, and is known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties as well as boosting the immune system. Garlic will moderate cholesterol, blood pressure and fight cancer. High in antioxidants, garlic is possibly the ultimate health food. Excellent for relieving colds and flu, and reducing the likelihood of cross-infection! Garlics are divided into two general types. Softneck varieties have no flower stem and produce 12-13 cloves per head lliat can store for up to 9 months and are ideal for braiding. Hardneck/topsetting varieties (preferred by chefs) produce a flower stem that can be seen in the centre of the bulb and carry small bulbils.

Replant these to produce a head of garlic in 2 years time, or sprout and use fresh.

Cultivation Plant garlic cloves pointy end up about 7-8cm deep in rich, well-prepared, well-drained soil in a sunny position. After the autumn equinox is best, as garlic makes most of its leafy lop growth in days of declining daylight hours. The leaves in turn feed the bulb when days lengthen into summer. Garlic can be grown in more tropical areas (to Sth Queensland) but the heads and cloves will be smaller. Keep your garlic well-watered and fertilized throughout the growing season but withhold water before harvest to guard against fungal infections and promote storage life. Weed control is essential as garlic resents competition for water and nutrients. When the leaves start to yellow and die off harvest when there are still 4-5 healthy green leaves left on the stem. The bases of these leaves will form the 'tissue-paper' covering the garlic head. Withhold water for a few days prior to digging. Garlic should be hung to dry for about 2 weeks for the skins to harden for a storage life of 6-7 months. HP

GROW Mar-May

20cm x 2 0 c m

GROW GROW Mar-May Mar-May Harvest Yield iso-210days 5 bulbs/m

We have taste-tested the garlics and rated them from mild (1) to knock-your-soeks-off (10).

Hardneck Elephant or Russian garlic A. ameloprasum This is in fact a form of leek with large, mildflavoured cloves. Rated 2.5 New Zealand Purple Large purple and white heads. A selection from this variety 'Glen Large' is suitable for NSW and Sth Qld. Rated 6 Chinese Red Red skinned cloves. Rated 8.5

Softneck Biofresh White skinned and bred to producc high allicin levels. Rated 9.5 Australian White White skins and pink cloves. Rated 7

Onions Allium

cepa

Long day late varieties

Cultivated by the ancient Egyptians, onions rejoice in rich, open soil and moist conditions. The tasty leaves grow prolifically which in turn feeds the formation of the bulb. Ixmg day/short night or late varieties are not suitable for the tropics but short day, early varieties may be grown anywhere in Australia.

Creamgold The golden-brown globes of this spicy onion store the best of all.

Cultivation

Hurcttunu Yellow An Italian heirloom also known as cippolini used traditionally for pickling. Harvest at 5cm wide and use for kebabs and salads, or when the skin turns yellow-brown at 7-10cm wide. Firm and sweet.

All onions require rich well drained soil. Onion seed can be sown dircctly into the garden, however many gardeners find it more effective to sow them in punnets. Transplant the seedlings at their correct spacing when they are about half as thick as a pencil, planting them no more than 2.5cm deep. It is essential to keep onions weed free. Harvest onions grown for their bulbs (not spring onions) when the leaves wither and collapse. Long day, late varieties have the longest storage life, especially when grown on heavier clay soils.

Short day early varieties Barletta (heirloom) An early variety with the bulb maturing when day length reaches 12-13 hours. This white onion can be lifted at pickling size (70 days), or left to mature as an excellent salad onion. Spring sowing produces smaller bulbs GROW GROW Feb-May Mar-July Harvest Yield 3 0 c m x 10cm 100-120 days 10 bulbs/m

HB

&

sow

GROW Mar-July

Mild Red Odourless (heirloom) The sweetest of red salad onions producing flattened bulbs of exceptional flavour.

u o M b

sow

GROW

Jul-Sep

->n,- m « 30cm x 10cm

GROW

Jul-Sep Harvest

1 0 0-120days

Potato Onion

Yield 10bulbs/m

Spring Onion A.fistulum Slender bulbs and crisp emerald hollow leaves are the vital ingredient for salads and stir fries. Sow anytime all climates. HB 1

&

GROW

Anytime " sow 30cm x 10cm

GROW GROW Anytime Anytime Harvest Yield 60 days 1 kg/m

Onions from sets Onions can be grown from 'sets' or immature bulbs. These are much easier to manage than seeds, and can be just pushed into the ground. GROW Oct 3 0 c m x 10cm

GROW GROW Sept July Harvest Yield 120 days 7 bulbs/m

Tree Onion

Multiplying onions These onions will produce offsets us well as the primary bulbs increasing in size. Replant some offsets for the next crop. Potato onions This perennial onion is closely related to shallots, and can be used in much the same way. Stores for 6 months when dry. Shallots A staple of French cuisine, these dclicately flavoured bulbs are a must. They arc low in acids and can be eaten by those who find onions indigestible. Tree onions Mild flavoured onions that grow from the small bulbils produced in its llower head. Plant the larger bulbils just below the soil surface about 20cm apart. Tree onions are the most tolerant of tough conditions, surviving frozen soil. GROW Sep-Oct

„ Members of the Allium family: leeks, garlic and onions.

30cm x 10cm

GROW Apr-July

GROW Apr-Sep

narves* 120days

neiu 10 bulbs/m

II

VEGETABLES I C O O L

Peas

Pisium

1ST

SOIL

PLANTING

sativum

Peas are one of the oldest vegetables in cultivation (about 9000 years) and can be grown almost year round. There are many different varieties that fall into distinct groups. The dwaif growing peas generally produce earlier than the climbing types; there are also varieties specifically for shelling, eating whole (mange tout) and those used for drying. Pea shoots (the top 5 to 7cm) can also be haivested for stir fries, when the plant has reached full height. Pinching out these shoots has the added advantage of promoting fruit set. Even dwaif peas benefit from some support to grow on, a teepee of twigs in the border or a large pot, old chicken wire or just some strings run between some stakes. Peas, like all legumes, return nitrogen to the soil, enriching the ground for following leaf crops like salad greens. Peas are one of the most nutritious vegetables to grow, being the richest food source of vitamin Bl. They rival liver for the highest concentration of nutrients, but are generally much more popular on the plate, especially with children!

Sugar Snap Climbing

Purple Podded Pea

Golden Podded Pea

Snow Pea

Cultivation Peas are tolerant of varied soil types, although slightly alkaline deep loams that have just grown a crop such as tomatoes or potatoes are perfect. Their large seeds are easy to handle, and germinate quickly making them ideal for children to grow. Peas prefer the cooler months, as temperatures over 25°C reduce (lowering. HA

s

sow

GROW Jan-Oct

60cm x 10cm

GROW GROW Mar-July Feb-Aug Harvest Yield 40-70 days 1-5 kg/metre

Shelling Peas No matter how early you pick these peas, the pod is always stringy. Ample water while growing will ensure full fat pods. Greenfeast Traditional juicy peas, especially good when picked young and tender, an option not available in the shops! The pods can be left on the vine to produce dry peas for use in soups and stews. 1.2m

Harvest 65 days

Purple Podded Extremely ornamental peas with purple-pink flowers. The deep burgundy pods contain wrinkled peas of exceptional flavour. Shell fresh or leave to dry. 1.2m

54

Harvest 65 days

Whole Pod or Mange Tout Delicious flat peas to be flung into stir fries or salads, or just eaten straight off the vine. The whole pod is sweet and succulent, some needing stringing like beans. Growing these peas is one of Ihe best ways to introduce children to vegetables. Sampling peas straight off the vine is not only tasty, but sets up the psychological link between growing and eating rather than just 'consuming'. Golden Podded The most prolific of whole pod peas, and possibly the most beautiful. The two-tone blue flowers rival sweet peas for colour, and the slender golden pods are delicious. 1.2m

Harvest 60 days

Snow Peas An Asian, and now Australian favourite. These flat peas can be eaten pod and all and are ideal steamed, in stir fries or in salads. Dwarf

t60cm~1m

Climbing {l.5m<— 1m

y oI adays 7esl Harvest 44 days

Sugar Snap Sweet, juicy pods enclose full size succulent peas. Siring as for beans. So sweet these are definitely a favourite with children. Don't be surprised if you never get a sugar snap indoors they are often eaten entirely in the garden. Dwarf

t60cm~ 1m

Climbing

Jl.Sm*—1m

40 d'ays Harvest 44 days

Spinach Bloomsdalc IW, French Breakfast Radish

Radish

Raphanus

sativus

It is unclear where radishes are from, but wild radishes are found growing in sandy coastal areas in Western Europe and also in Japan. We do know that it was part of the rations issued to workers on the Great Pyramid in about 2780BC. There are three types of radishes, the small, quick-growing summer varieties that are familiar to Australians described below, the large, long season Asian varieties for winter haiyest, and the Rat-Tail or Mougri types from India. The latter variety is grown for its long, nutty tasting seedpods, which can be used much like beans.

Cultivation Radishes are closely related to cabbages so their requirements are much the same (see p55). The smaller salad types are ready in just 20 days and ideal for children, giving speedy results. It is essential to sow radishes thinly, "about one seed every 5cm - any closer and they may fail to produce an adequate root for harvesting. The young leaves can also be used in salads. Grow radishes with plenty of water and nutrients as hot, dry weather causes hot, pithy roots. it A n A

sow

GROW Any

20cm x 5cm

GROW Any

Harvest 20-60 days

GROW Any

Yield 20 roots/m

Easter Egg Pink, purple, red, white or violet, you never know what colour the fat, oval roots will turn out to be! Resistant to becoming hollow or pithy. Round Red Brilliant bright red round roots, that are noted for their mild flavour, and crunchy texture. Very quick grower and resistant to pithiness.

Spinach Spinacia oleracea Deep green, crunchy leaves rich in the antioxidants vitamins C and E are the reward for growing this extremely hardy crop. Seeds germinate in soil temperatures ranging from near freezing to 30°C. However, to prevent spinach from growing straight up to seed, sowing time should avoid long daylight hours and hot weather. Harvest leaves as baby spinach as early as 8 weeks after sowing, and then decapitate the plant leaving the pink-white stems that will resprout. Spinach appreciates being sown after peas or beans for the most delicately flavoured of leaves. Some partial shade in hot regions can extend the harvest period by discouraging it from bolting. HA

sow

30cm x 20cm

GROW Feb-June

Harvest 40-60 days

GROW Apr-July

Yield 2 kg/m

Turnips

Brassica rapa

Turnips and Swedes have declined in popularity since the advent of refrigeration. We have, however, been missing out on a powerhouse of nutrition, and when grown well, quite a gourmet treat. Turnips need to be grown quickly to ensure mild sweet roots, so give them full sun, plenty of water, and blood and bone mixed with a bit of lime as side dressings. Thin the seedlings to 10cm spacings. HB

Bloomsdale (heirloom) Thick, savoy (crinkly) style leaves are held on a compact plant. It maintains a neat rosette of leaves for some time as it is resistant to bolting.

sow

GROW Any

30cm x 10cm

GROW Jan-Apr/Aug-Oct

Harvest 35-60 days

New Zealand Spinach

Tetragonia tetragonoides Easy to grow, sprawling perennial substitute for spinach in the warmer months. It may not look like spinach but it certainly tastes like it. Also known as Warragul Greens, it revels in heat or coastal sand and is a native of both Australia and New Zealand. Pick the young stem tips for steaming or adding to soups and stews. New Zealand spinach makes a weed resistant ground cover in semi-shade and can also be trained up a trellis or used to cascade down banks. sow

GR0W

Sep-Mar

1m x 1.2m

GROW Feb-May

Yield 10 roots/m

TURNIP "fRIALS Standard

HP S

French Breakfast A garden favourite since the 1880s. The rosetipped white roots are crisp and tasty.

GROW Feb-Aug

Easter E g g Radish

Mini Tokyo 5 Star

39 days 57 days 56g

255g

43g

400g

Heirloom Gilfeather (heirloom)

GROW Aug-Feb

Harvest 40-60 days Turnips

II

C O O L SOIL •

II

*

2 N D PLANTING

II

Vegetables I Cool Soil 2 Beetroot

Soil temperature for sowing I0°C-20°C.

nd

planting

Air temp for growing 10°C-25°C.

Beta vulgaris

Beetroot actually belongs to the same species as silverbeet. A native of the European seashore, Beta vulgaris was grown and selected for different characteristics - one for a leaf crop, another for roots that could be eaten when young or stored in cellars over winter, and another, used as stock feed, called Mangelwurzel. The selection of root crops for human consumption is, of course, our concern. Most varieties of beetroot are ornamental as well as useful, so don 7 be afraid of giving them a prominent position in the garden. Their red, yellow or white veined leaves can also be harvested for salads, stir fries or steaming. Bull's Blood

Cultivation Beetroot prefers a rich soil with well decomposed manure dug in. Drainage is important, as is a pH of 6.5-7, so add some lime or dolomite while you arc at it. They also tolerate sally conditions. Soak the corky seed in warm water overnight for even germination. The seed will germinate in soil temperatures as low as 12°C, but quicker results will be had at temperatures close to 20°C. In mild, frost free areas avoid sowing in autumn as they may run up to seed prematurely. Although beetroot can grow at very high densities, it is best to thin the seedlings - the thinnings can be utilised in salads. Roots with irregular colour, or woody, tough roots can be the result of irregular watering or a very high pH - above pH7.5. GROW Sep-Feb 30cm

x 10cm

."ft™? 55-140 days

YI 8,d

, ll , . 3 kg/metre

Burpee's Golden (heirloom) Dating from before 1828, this orange skinned beet is a clear golden yellow when cooked. It is ideal for salads and messy caters, as it does not bleed. A dual purpose variety bred for root production and its gold veined leaves that can be used in salads. Sweeter than conventional varieties and the best baby beet. Chioggia (heirloom) This is the beauty queen of the beetroot world, with alternate, onion-like concentric lings of red and white. These exceptionally sweet roots were traditionally grown outside Venice where it has been part of their recorded cuisine since 1583. Slow to bolt.

II

Burpee's Golden

Chioggia

Globe A large growing beet that is familiar to all Australians as canned beetroot. Deep red, round roots.

Mini Gourmet Sophisticated purple, baby beetroot to be served whole and the most intensely flavoured when harvested early. Can be sown at closer spacings in the garden.

GROW Apr-July

GROW July-Mar 1

Burpee's Golden, Globe, Chioggia & Albina

White Alhina (heirloom) Pure white, extremely sweet round roots which do not bleed. A dual purpose beet with large leaves. BEETROOTTRIALS Standard Derwent Globe Heirlooms Golden Mini Gourmet Chioggia Albina Globe

1995-YIELD

55 days

144 days

7g 12g 48g 24g

I92g 255g 346g 342g

Bull's Blood Incredibly deep red roots, and dark leaves make this very sweet beet both ornamental and delicious. The juice from Bull's Blood is the only red food colouring allowed under Swedish law.

Celeriac

Apium graveolens var. rapaceum Celeriac is certainly not the beauty queen of the mot vegetable kingdom. However, its earthy, sweet, nutty flavour reminiscent of parsnip, is becoming more popular outside its culinary homeland of France and Germany. Steam and slice to serve with salad dressing, grate into salads, steam, fry, bake or boil in soup, to enjoy celeriac's'high levels of potassium and vitamins A, B and C. The leaves can be used as a stock and soup flavouring, like celery. Chicory

Celery

Chicory

Cichorium intybus var. Celeriac

Cultivation Plant out celeriac seedlings in well enriched, moist soil with as little root disturbance as possible. As it grows remove any side shoots. Water them deeply for the best roots. Seedlings arc frost sensitive and enjoy some shade in summer. sow

GROW Aug-Dec

50cm x 20cm

GROW July-Nov " J ™ .

3

GROW Jan-June m

Celery

Apium graveolens var. dulce Celery, as most of us imagine it, is all about long crunchy fluted stems lo eat raw or chopped into winter soups and stews. Like celeriac, it is high in potassium and its diuretic properties can assist in cases of high blood pressure and joint complaints. Home gardeners prefer the blanching, or one could say self-blanching types. They need far less work (and digging) and produce white stems when wrapped with cardboard a few weeks before harvest.

Cultivation Plant seedlings in blocks rather than rows. A position with a little shade in hot, dry areas is beneficial, as celery demands constantly moist soil and its shallow root system can easily dry out. Mulch well. Harvest stems from about 4 months after planting out. GROW Aug-Doc 50crn X 2 0 c m X /ucm

GROW July-Nov Harvest .170days

150

GROW Jan-June Yield 3 bunches/m

f o l i O S U m Radicchio, Witloof An ancient salad vegetable closely related to endive, an annual, while chicory is biennial. Chicory is three vegetables in one, producing bitter leaves to enliven a bland salad, and the delicately flavoured chicons, Italian or Belgian witloof. The mot, masted and ground, is used as a substitute for coffee. The leaves are said to aid digestion and boost the immune system. Fennel

Cultivation Chicory prefers a rich, slightly acid soil (about pH6) in full sun, and can be sown directly into the garden. Very wet weather can cause the leaves to rot, so remove any affected leaves before the condition spreads to the healthy leaves. Generally harvest your chicory/radicchio when it has formed a compact head, leaving at least 2cm of stem above the root. The stem will re-sprout to form a bonus crop! To grow your own witloof, decapitate your 3-5 month old chicory in winter, or early spring, leaving about 2cm of stem. Cover the chicory with about 30cm of straw or coco peat to exclude all light from the stem. Keep moist for the chicons to develop in about 3 to 4 weeks. Alternatively you can grow your chicory on to flower. It produces beautiful sky blue daisies that can be picked fresh for salads or pickling. sow

GROW Aug-Mar

•?nrm x* ? 0rm 20cm

GROW Aug-Apr Harvest

g0 180 days

1

Yield kg/m

Fennel

Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum Florence fennel produces the fat. white, swollen leaf bases that are often called 'bulbs'at the greengrocer. They have a refreshing light anise flavour. The seeds are used to flavour sweet and savoury dishes, and when green and unripe, taste like black jellybeans. Fennel aids digestion and the seeds were chewed by smart Roman ladies to suppress appetite.

Cultivation Folklore has it that fennel has no friends in the garden, and therefore should be planted away from other vegetables. However, fennel with its femy feathery leaves and airy discs of yellow flower, is easy to place in any sunny spot in the garden. Best planted in cooler months to avoid boiling. GROW GROW GROW sow Sep-Feb Aug-Dec Feb-Aug on.,Harvest Yield t n , _ v 50cm x 2 0 c m 9 0 . 1 2 o d a y s 5 bulbs/m

U D H S

Red Treviso As the weather cools, the leaves change from warm to dark red. Keep for winter greens, or divide and hill up with straw for pale pink chicons.

Florence Fennel A refreshingly mild anise flavoured fennel. Chop into salads or serve with seafood.

II

VEGETABLES I C O O L

1ST

SOIL

PLANTING

Carrots & Parsnips Daucus carota & Pastinaca sativa Since the days of the Roman Empire, carrots and parsnips have been lumped together. They were both valued as slewing vegetables and required very similar growing conditions. Carrots have changed most from those limes. The orange carrot that we now accept as 'normal'was bred by the Dutch as late as the 1600s. They used the then common European white varieties, with yellow and purple carrots, (thought to have originated in Afghanistan), to produce the familiar orange. Orange carrots are extremely rich in betacarotenes, which is credited with reducing the risk of cancel: Beta-camtene, which takes its name from carrots, is converted by the body to vitamin A.

Cauliflower Brassica

Carrots and parsnips prefer an open, loose soil. Those with stiff clay soils are best to select the short round carrots, rather than the long varieties. Sow your seed directly into shallow furrows in ground that has just grown a hungry crop, such as tomatoes or cabbages. Carrots arc not greedy, and too much nitrogen or manure will result in forked roots. Weed control is critical, so a very fine mulch of lawn clippings or coffee grounds (ask your local cafe to save them), will help keep the soil moist and weeds at bay. A strip of semipermeable material can be stretchcd over the seedbed to prevent the soil drying out. Remove the material as the seed germinates. Carrot seed will take a tew weeks to germinate and parsnips even longer. Mix some seed of quick growing root vegetables such as radishes, turnips or beetroot with the carrot/ parsnip seed, to help out-compete the weeds. These other vegetables can be harvested just as the carrots are needing more room. Carrots and parsnips should be thinned to about 10cm apart for large carrots - the thinnings can be used as baby carrots. Hill up the soil around carrots/ parsnips to prevent 'green shoulders'. GROW Sep-Feb

20cm x 10cm

GROW GROW Jul-Mar Feb-Nov Harvest Yield 60-130 days 2-3 kg'm

Three Colour Purple Carrots

Carrots All Season/Topweight Plant year-round except for autumn in cool climates. Orange with a red core and virus resistant. Yield: 235g/plant. Baby Harvest delicious finger length carrots in 8 weeks, or leave to grow 20cm in another 2 months. Great for close sowing and heavy soils. Yield: 228g/plant. Paris Market/Mini Round A space saver to sow thickly. Ideal for pots and heavy soil. Pick young. Yield: 95g/plant. Purple Three Colour The rich purple-red skin conceals bands of brilliant orange and amber crunchy flesh. Quick growing and productive. Yield: 200g/plant.

Hollow Crown Once a staple food in Europe, the parsnip declined in popularity when potatoes arrived from the New World. Cultivate as for carrots (above). Parsnips develop their sweet nutty flavour when left to store in the soil over winter. It is one of the few vegetables that improves with late harvest. This heirloom variety has been a favourite since 1820.

30cm x

Hollow Crown Parsnip

Although cauliflowers have been cultivated for almost 2000years they did not become widespread until after their introduction to Itqly 500years ago. In the 19th Century they were a symbol of luxury, especially in the US, where the perfect cauliflower dome with bechamel sauce on the dining table showed the prestige of the host.

Cultivation Cauliflowers have similar needs to other brassicas, but are more demanding to grow. They insist on a pH of about 6.5, plus they arc also prone to clubroot, which makes the plant wither and turn yellow. So add some lime to your well-manured soils and maintain moist growing conditions for the best results. In warm regions plant your seedlings in late summer and autumn to avoid the heat which will make them bolt. The size of the head is determined by growing conditions and spacing. To ensure the whitest of cauliflower, tie up the side leaves into a top knot to shade the heads, or grow self-blanching types whose leaves cover the developing cauliflower.

& HB sow

Parsnip

HB

6 0

oleracea

Botrytis group

Cultivation

HB sow

Cauliflower

Heirloom Carrots

GROW Aug-Feb 15cm

GROW Jul-Mar Harvest 120-300 days

GROW Feb-May Yield 1.S kg/m

60cm x

GROW Nov-Jun 30cm

GROW Dsc-Apr

Harvest 130-170 days

GROW Jan-Apr Yield 6-9 kg/m

Mini/Snowball As early as hybrids, this mini planted at 30cni spacings will producc snowy 10cm heads in just 90 days from transplanting. Space at 60cm for larger heads. Yield: 3-6kg. Purple Cape Bred in South Africa, Purple Cape has large heads more frost tolerant and less pest prone than other varieties. It is certainly more decorative in shades of dusty purple-pink.

Greens for salad Australian cuisine lias moved a long way since the days when iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers constituted the only salad imaginable. The revolution of using mixed leaves, creating a diversity of tastes, textures, colours and of course nutrition has developed since the early 1980s. We owe much to the English 'salad queen 'Joy Larkcom, who tapped the rich vein of regional salad greens from all over Europe and Asia. Salad greens (and French mesclun) are packed with antioxidants, iron andfolates. A diet high in salad greens has long been viewed as an easy path to good health, especially if they have been grown organically. This is not the case with bought salad mixes that have been harvested some days previous, and sprayed regularly for pests and diseases. Fortunately this group of plants are exceptionally easy to grow at home.

Cultivation Any moist, well-drained soil that gets at least half a day's sun will thrust up all the folate you are likely to need. Sow your seeds directly into the garden or pot that they will grow in. When the seedlings have their second set of leaves, thin them out leaving 20cm between plants. The reject seedlings can form your first crop. Keep the remainder well watered and fertilise with a weak seaweed or fish emulsion every 2 weeks. Start harvesting your first leaves from about 3 weeks depending on variety, and just keep picking! Many of these vegetables will regrow once cut, so one sowing could keep up a supply for a few months. When sowing salad greens in summer, place them in the shade, (south or east side), of climbing beans or trellised tomatoes so they do not bolt up to seed. S HA sow 30cm x

GROW Any 20cm

GROW Any Harvest 21-90 days

GROW Any

Arugula, Eruca saliva syn. Roquette Deliciously spicy leaves can be grown year round, but best in cool weather. J 25cm Arugula, Apollo Larger leaves than the species, that are also more tender.

Arugula

Wild Arugula

Mache/Corn Salad Valerianella locust a These mild, nutty flavoured leaves can be substituted for lettuce. Also known as Lamb's Lettuce, it will regrow once cut. 120cm. HA 30cm x

GROW Aut-Sp 20cm

GROW Aut-Sp Harvest 21-90 days

GROW Aut-Winter

Mizuna Brassica juncea var. japonica Mounds of beautifully filigreed, mild flavoured leaves with a touch of pepper. A vety vigorous cut and come again mustard green. J 25cm HA 30cm x

GROW Any 20cm

GROW Any Harvest 20-120 days

GROW Any

Red Giant Mustard Brassica juncea For those who like it hot. The huge, bronzegreen leaves with striking white midribs add structure to the vegetable garden. Spice up stirfries, flavour ham, or toss into salads for that extra zing. Harvest at 15cm for salads, or use larger leaves for steaming. Jim S HA sow

GROW Any

30cm X 30cm

5o"*00

GROW Any

Mizuna

Tatsoi Brassica rapa Chinensis group Tatsoi, or Chinese Flat Cabbage, forms a perfectly symmetrical rosette. The deep green spoon shaped leaves have a nutty flavour and arc eaten young in salads, or steamed when older. 115cm HB 50cm x

GROW Any 30cm

GROW Any Harvest 30-60 days

GROW Any

GROW Any

days

Wild Arugula Diplotaxis sylvestris Finely divided leaves with rich, nutty, spicy hot flavour, that stores well once picked. The most tolerant of poor, dry soils and summer heat, it is slower to bolt than Roquette. J 10cm Watercress, see p91.

Red Giant Mustard

Tatsoi

II

VEGETABLES I C O O L

1ST

SOIL

PLANTING

Lettuce are so decorative!

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Lettuce is no longer just lettuce. Thanks to pioneers like Joy Larkcom, we are becoming used to a huge diversity in the flavours, textures and colours of lettuce. Not only are they decorative in the salad bowl, but as a cool season crop they can make a display to rival flower gaixiens. Use lettuce as a colourful border or edge in sunny atvas of the gaiden in winter and spring, or shadier areas in summer. Quick-growing mini varieties are useful to plant with slower growing vegetables like broccoli or cabbages. Or plant them underneath pea teepees, the lettuce will mature and be harvested before the peas grow up the teepee and block out the light. This way you can maximise your garden space. In fact lettuce will grow just about anywhere including pots, window boxes or the humble foam boxes from the green grocer. Lettuce is a member of the milk thistle family producing a milky sap that can make the leaves taste bitter, especially when they are about to bolt up to seed. By selecting the right varieties for the right season, and providing good growing conditions, this problem can be eliminated. There are generally three broad groups of lettuce, the heading or hearting variety, the upright growing cos or mmaine, and the loose leaf cut-and-come-again sorts, often referred to as salad bowl varieties. The heading types like Icebeig are the most

62

difficult to grow, and their blanched white leaves offer little nutrition. The butterheads with softer, almost velvety leaves are less demanding, and their outer green or red leaves, provide more nutrition. All heading types have to be harvested at their convenience rather than ours. Cut them before they start to look conical - a sign of bolting. They do not regrow. Grow as seedlings then transplant. Cos or romaine varieties are characterised by long elegant leaves with crunchy thick midribs. They can be sown close together to produce upright leaves that are harvested before they form a heart. Not only do you not have the bother of tearing up the lettuce, but the plants will regrow, giving you two crops from the one sowing. Loose-leaf lettuces offer the most diversity of colour andflavour, together with the longest harvest period and highest nutritive value. Once they have developed about 5 or 6 leaves you can harvest them leaf by leaf, as you need. Grow different varieties to boost biodiversity, confuse pests, andfor the best looking salads. Lettuce seed will not germinate over 28"C, but will germinate in punnets in the crisper section of the refrigerator.

Cultivation The best tasting lettuces are grown fast. Grow them in beds that have just been vacated by peas or beans, as all leaf crops, especially lettuce, enjoy plenty of nitrogen. Loose soil with plenty of organic matter will retain

Australian Red Velvet and Yellow L e a f

moisture and added potash will see them grow without check. Premature bolting and subsequent bitterness is usually the result of stress caused by poor transplanting techniques (if not sown outdoors), damage to their shallow roots, lack of fertilizer, lack of water or planting in hot weather (over 28°C). So when transplanting lcttuce choose a cool, cloudy day, having sown in peat pots to minimise root damage. Mulch lettuce seedlings well to conserve moisture in the soil and prevent weeds interfering with the root system. A fortnightly feed of weak seaweed soh*ion or worm water will keep them growing. Avoid high nitrogen chemical fertilizers, as these will promote soft sappy growth that is a magnet for aphids, leaf miners and caterpillars. Birds, slugs and snails arc the most persistent of pests. Shelter your young seedlings from birds with a low 'roof' of wire or plastic netting and use snail traps filled with beer to lure slugs and snails to drown happily. Netting can be removed once the seedlings are established, in about three weeks. In summer, letluccs are best grown in the shade of other plants such as trellised tomatoes or climbing beans. HA M

"

sow

30cm x

GROW Any 30cm

GROW Any Harvest 50-80 days

GROW Mar-Aug

Yield 3 heads/m

Loose-Leaf Australian Yellow Leaf Huge, luminous, chartreuse green leaves are the perfect contrast to reds and greens. An Australian heirloom rescued by Digger's with the help of Seed Savers Exchange seed bank. It holds for up to 9 weeks even in warm weather. An outstanding performer in our trials. Butterhead Freckles Bunte Forellenschuss Delicately flavoured butter lettuce with small heads to 20cm across. The rounded slightly crinkled leaves are splashed with red. Goldrush Curled and crinkled, this lime green beauty adds a unique texture. Slow to boll. Lollo Biondo and Lollo Rosso Frilled and frothy, the ruffled leaves of these two make a spectacular salad of lime green, pinks and red.

Vegetable parterre at Heronswood

Viola Crepuscute

Red Velvet The deepest, shiny, rich-rcd of any loose-leaf lettuce with a crunchy texture. Royal Oakleaf First listed in 1771, its thick sweet midribs stand the heat belter than nearly all other loose leaf lettuce, reintroduced to the public by Digger's.

Nasturtium Milkmaid

Cos or Romaine Cos Verdi Fresh green with crunchy mid ribs. What would Caesar salad be without it'.' Red Leprechaun Mini Shiny, purple-red paddles of leaf with pinkish midribs have more bite than most. Useful for inter-cropping; that is, growing between slower vegetables, under teepees or in small spaces. Rouge d' Hiver An elegant French cos with deep brown-red leaves fading to green in its heart. This French variety is a great performer in winter (its name means 'Red of Winter'). Our trials showed it as holding well over summer.

Heading Lettuce Great Lakes A crisp green ball of leaf that is slow to go to seed in summer, unlike other head-lettuce varieties. Similar to the commercial 'Iceberg'. Red Iceberg A tastier alternative to the common Iceberb with burgundy and green leaves.

Nasturtium Empress of India

Edible Flowers The salad garden, and the salad, can he brightened up by the addition of edible flowers. Calendula, Pot marigold Calendula officinalis Calendula, from the Latin calendulae, meaning 'through the months', will flower almost year round in mild areas. The brilliant yellow or orange petals can be added to salads, stir-fries and eggs, not only to brighten them up, but to aid in digestion. Also known as poor man's saffron, the dried petals are used for food colouring as well as making a tea to boost the immune system. 160 cm

Calendula

Alaska Green splashed white saucers of leaf make great foliage contrast even before they flower in cither yellow or red. Apricot Tip Top - apricot flowers. Empress of India - dark leaves and red flower. Peach Mclba - yellow streaked with ruby. Milkmaid - creamy white blooms adorn this trailer. HA

HA

•E

sow

20cm x

GROW Aut-Sp 20cm

GROW Aul-Sp Harvest 60 days

GROW Anytime

Nasturtium Tropaeoluin minus Not only are the flowers edible, but also the leaves, stems, flower buds and seeds. Attracting bees and hoverflies, use nasturtiums as a living mulch under fruit trees. Toss leaves and flowers into salads, sandwiches, egg, and cream cheese. Pickle the flower buds to use as capers, or grind the ripe seed as a substitute for pepper. J20cm

H

GROW Aut-Sp

20cm x 20cm

GROW Aut-Sp Harvest 120 days

GROW Anytime

Violets and Pansies Viola spp. Sweet violet, Viola odorata, is a tough perennial with scented flowers to add to late winter and early spring salads, together with the young leaves. Sweet violets and Heartsease Viola tricolor make exquisite garnishes for sweet or savoury dishes. 120cm ...

HA

GROW Aut-Sp

20cm x 20cm

GROW Aul-Sp "a™*

II

VEGETABLES I C O O L

SOIL

1ST

PLANTING

Yellow fleshed potatoes

Heirloom potatoes

Potatoes Solanum

tuberosum

Some say the greatest treasure brought back to Europe from the New World was potatoes. The Incas grew an extraordinary diversity of potatoes and their civilization thrived. The Irish, before 1845, depended on just one variety but when their one variety of potato succumbed to blight, the starvation of 1.5 million people and the emigration of millions followed. Monocultures, unlike the agricultural diversity of the Incas. encourage the concentration of pests and diseases. Unlike the Irish, modern commercial potato growers depend on a huge array of pesticides, herbicides andfungicides to ensure a successful crop, so this means commercial potato crops are drenched in chemicals, particularly the Russet Burbank variety grown for McDonalds™. By growing your own and planting lots of varieties, you can reduce chemical use and discover the amazing culinary variety of potatoes. Seed potatoes are actually not technically seed, but an identical clone of the parent, just as offset bulbs of daffodils are genetically identical to the parent daffodil. As clones, they cannot evolve or adapt to vaiying environmental conditions, as seed can. Seeds are the result of sexual interaction, and therefore can adapt to change. Hence modern commercial potato civps are extremely vulnerable to seasonal and cultural variations. So take out a biological insurance policy, and plant lots of different varieties to ensure a good crop.

64

Cultivation Potatoes are not fussy as to soil, but it docs need to be well loosened and should not have grown potatoes for at least 3 years. Adding organic matter will help retain moisture in the soil and this is vital for potatoes, as they demand plenty of water when the potatoes are forming, from flowering time to harvest. Potatoes also enjoy the addition of potash and blood and bone to the soil. Use certified disease free seed potatoes to lesson the chances of disease, and plant them 10cm deep when the soil temperatures reach I5°C. The healthiest plants come from seed that has been planted whole, rather then cut. Seed can also be sprouted in a warm cupboard, and then planted out. Hill up the soil or heap mulch around them, as they grow to exclude the light. Remember that all parts of the potato plant are poisonous except tubers that have 110 green tinge. 'New' potatoes can be dug before the plants wither, or harvest 'old' potatoes when the plants have died down. I11 frost free areas cut the plants down and cover with straw to stop them resprouting. Leave the crop in the ground for 2-3 weeks before digging so the skins harden, before storing in a dark airy spot. One seed potato should yield 10 potatoes. GROW Aug-Dec 1m * -Mirm i m x 30cm

GROW July-Feb Harvest 1 2 0 days

GROW Feb-Sep Yield 3 kg/m

Varieties You can have the right potato for every culinary occasion. Yellow-fleshed waxy potatoes are the choice of chefs and gourmets everywhere.

Kipfler - Creamy yellow flesh that is the standard by which other varieties are judged. Great baked or boiled, unbeaten for salads. Yield: 400g/plant. Spunta - A huge oblong potato with yellow flesh and skin. It makes the best chips - just like Pringlcs without the chemicals. Very high yiclder. Desiree - A high yielding Dutch variety with soft pink skin and creamy flesh. Great for all cooking methods, except chips. 130 days to maturity. Yield: 1 kg/plant. King Ed ward - This heirloom potato raised in 1902 has stood the test of time, with creamy flesh and skin dappled pink. Great for boiling, chips and mash. Unbeaten for roasts. Royal Blue - Rich, royal blue skin fades to golden brown when made into crispy chips or crunchy roast potatoes. The creamy yellow flesh ensures luscious mash. Pink Eye - Of unknown origins this beautiful cream and purple potato was first recorded in Tasmania in 1944. The waxy yellow flesh is ideal mashed or boiled as 'new' potatoes. Nicola - Rich, sweet, yellow flesh tastes as if it was already buttered. Ideal for mashing, baking and slicing. Yield: 700g/plant. J Dutch Cream - Delicious Dutch bred potato with exceptionally creamy-yellow flesh that is perfect plain boiled with a little salt. Bake whole for tasty torpedoes to top with cheese and chives - a meal by itself!

White fleshed potatoes Browncll - An Australian selection from the 1881 American potato 'Adirondack'. Its pink-brown skin hides firm white flesh best for boiling as 'new' potatoes or mashing when older. Stores for up to 4 months! Bison - One of the favourites in our taste tests with cherry red skin and deliciously smooth, dense, white flesh. Perfect for baking or boiling and makes the tastiest of potato salads. Toolangi Delight - Australian bred. The chefs favourite for gnocchi with rich purple skin and brilliant white flesh. Also one of the best for chips and mashing. G r o w i n g potatoes in one s q u a r e m e t r e . You don't need a large space to grow potatoes. Try growing them in a cylinder of chicken wire held upright with 3-4 star pickets. Prepare the soil at the base of the cylinder and plant 3-4 seed potatoes. Cover them with straw mixed with some manure. As the plants grow 20cm above the straw mixture add more so that just the tips of the stems are visible above the second layer. Repeat this to about I -1,2m high - or however high your chicken wire cylinder is. When the leaves die down, remove the chicken wire and harvest your potatoes. Deep pots like wine barrels can also be used.

Rhubarb Rheum x hybridum Rhubarb would have to be one of the most productive and easy to grow of perennial food plants. Tolerant of total neglect, it will, however, abundantly repay any horticultural kindness such as plenty of well-rotted manure and moist soil in the growing season. Rhubarb was called 'rhabarbarum'by the Romans after the manners of the Siberian people who grew the vegetable it means 'barbarian'! As a perennial crop, good soil preparation is essential. Well-rotted manure, compost and blood and bone can be dug in with abandon. An application of lime is also usefulfor those with very acid soils.

Yellow stemmed silverbeet

R. 'Glaskins Perpetual' Vigorous plant with green-red stems that are the least acidic of all Rhubarb. R. 'Ever Red' Compact cultivar with deep burgundyred stems with the longest harvest period, producing from April to September. Ideal for a dramatic statement in smaller gardens or even pots. R. 'Silvan Giant' A real giant with red and green striped stems up to 80cm long. It crops right through summer.

Silverbeet

Beta vulgaris var. cicla Rhubarb liver Red

Cultivation Plant out rhubarb crowns in winter making sure that the root system is well spread out, and the crown just below the soil surface. Keep your rhubarb well mulched, and delay harvesting any stems the first year, so that the crown can develop. In the second year some stems can be pulled (not cut), never taking more than half the total stems. The tastiest rhubarb is harvested just when the huge (but poisonous), leaf is fully expanded. Rhubarb can be 'forced' to produce stems in early spring by placing a box or barrel (open at both ends) over the crown. The barrel can then be surrounded by fresh manure to heat the soil, and stimulate growth. The taller the box or barrel, the longer the stems will be. H P

5Esow

GROW May-Ocl

1m * 1m x im

GROW May-Ocl Harvest 360 days

GROW May-Ocl

Silverbeet. Swiss Chard or Sea Kale beer are all one and the same. Those noting the botanic name will see that it is the same species as beetroot - only through centuries of cultivation one variety has been selected for mot production, the other for its leaves. Therefore the samefive colours are evident in beetroot and silverbeet. Silverbeet should be in every home garden, as there are few vegetables that require less care. It is the easiest vegetable to grow. Its flavour is less refined than that of spinach. However, as a cool weather biennial, silverbeet can be harvested as needed for a year to 18 months, unlike spinach. Reasonably fertile soil, in sun or even part shade, will suit this native of the seashore - it relishes sally soils. Silverbeet is tolerant of varying conditions, and if a few plants are allowed to go up to seed, it will happily self sow, supplying the folate requirements of a household - and some of the neighbourhood as well!

Five Colour silverbeet

silverbeet, generous as always, it is possible to get two plants out of one seed! In temperate climates you can start to harvest leaves in about two months. Always leave about half a dozen leaves to allow the plant to keep growing. Older plants are more tolerant of over-harvesting, as they can draw on their swollen roots for nourishment. Mulch and water your silverbeet in dry weather to prevent them bolting prematurely. Additional fertilizing with blood and bone, or seaweed/worm water solutions, will keep them growing vigorously. When supply outstrips the appetite, the older outside leaves can be consumed (with joy), by the backyard chooks. No garden should be without silverbeet. GROW GROW GROW Apr-Jul Aug-Feb Jul-Mar sow C«,_ „ K , _ narvesi neiu 5 0 c m x 2 5 c m 6 0 . 3 6 0 days 2 kg/metre

Five Colour Mix (heirloom) Dazzling, colourful and extremely nutritious. Midribs of red, orange, yellow, pink or white make this the perfect fountaining accent plant for any flower or vegetable garden. Rainbow chard or Five-coloured silverbeet is so ornamental, it can brighten any garden. Decorative and productive! Listed in Vilmorin 1888. It is a signature plant for the heirloom preservation movement. Fordliook Dclicious deep green leaves and while stems. Yellow

Yield 1.2 kg/m

Cultivation Sow the corky seed in early spring

with

(heirloom)

Rich golden stems, so you can colour coordinate your garden.

II

WARM SOIL

FROST FREE

II

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l

l

.

h r 0 S t

|

Vegetables I warm s o u

;— • •—

Soil temperature for sowing 15°C-24°C.

£ling

W a r m soil Hot weather (tender) vegetables c o m e f r o m tropical regions and their fruits are eaten just before seed matures. Seedlings arc frost sensitive. D o n ' t plant before last frost.

Beans

Phaseolus vulgaris

Whatever you call them, French, pole, siring, snap or bush beans, they all have the same origin, and are definitely not just green. Seed Savers, USA, has over 2500 heirloom cultivars Beans are ideal to plant after the hungry coolseason crops of brassicas, as their roots can fix nitrogen in the soil. Climbing beans outcrop bush beans producing three times the yield, but require extra thought in regard to trellising.

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Dragon's Tongue Bush Bean

J

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Cultivation These fast growing annuals should be direct sown or planted out after all risk of frost. Pick daily for highest yields. Well drained, pH neutral to alkaline soil in full sun is ideal, as is the addition of potassium and blood and bone. Mulch around your beans thoroughly - beans are shallow rooted and are easily damaged with close cultivation. Many beans can by used fresh, or left on the plant to form large seeds for use in winter soups and stews. Sow beans repeatedly for up to six months for a continuous supply.

Scarlet Runner Bean Painted Lady Runner Bean

Perennial Runner beans Phaseolus coccineus

Cultivation

Rattlesnake Climbing Bean ta

55 sow

GROW Oct-Jan

70cm x 15cm

GROW Sep-Fob

GROW Any

e s s a y s

Climbing beans (pole) Immensely productive, climbing beans can be grown on tomato trellising, on tripods or through light shrubs such as large Salvias, as they do in their native Mexico. Yield: 4.5kg/in Blue Lake Grown since 1885, Blue Lake rated 97% for taste in our taste tests. Classic slender green beans. Yield: 295g/planl. Lazy Housewife Thought to be the first stringless bean dating from 1802. Described in Burpee's 1888 farm annual as being broad, thick and very fleshy, and entirely stringless "it derived its name, which seems discourteous, from its immense productiveness making it easier to gather..." Our oldest and still the most productive. Purple King The purple flowers are followed by slender purple pods that are easy to see against the deep green leaves, making them easy to pick. The beans lum green when cooked.

II

Rattlesnake Green streaked purple beans are as delicious as the pink and purple flowers are pretty. Flowering and fruiting continuously for four months.

Bush beans (French or Dwarf) Bush beans are easily grown and always look neat. However they tend to crop all at once, so make successive sowings every two weeks or so. Space 50cm x 10cm. Yield: l.5kg/m Dragon's Tongue Extremely beautiful, wide, succulent pods of pale lemon streaked with purple are delicious both as a fresh or dried bean.

Runner beans are also known as seven year beans as they die back in autumn to re-emerge the next spring. Preferring cool climates, runner beans will not set pods when the temperatures soar over 30°C and arc best planted in some shade in warmer districts. These beans need cross-pollination, so plant them with bee attracting plants such as lavenders, borage, teucriums and thymes. They crop heavily in late summer and autumn. All runner beans are climbers, so they will need some form of support. They are worth growing for their flowers alone and are as pretty as sweet peas. Although the plants will re-emerge each spring, they lose vigour over time and should be replaced every 3 to 4 years. GROW Oct-Jan .r 7 0 c m x 15cm

GROW Sep-Feb

ndivcbi 40-120 days

iioiu 2 kg/m

Italian Romano A Mediterranean favourite with wide, flat 12cm beans, than can be used fresh or dry for minestrone soup.

Varieties include:

Snake Bean Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis Suitable only for areas with long warm summers, the Snake or Yard Long bean is best grown in subtropical and tropical regions. The pencil-slim beans grow to 90cm long and taste more like mild asparagus than a typical bean.

Scarlet Runner The traditional favourite has brilliant scarlet flowers.

Painted Lady A 19th century variety with scarlet and white flowers that produce early ripening pods.

Sunset (Rare) Has luminous pale salmon-pink flowers producing succulent pods.

Capsicum & Chillies

Capsicum spp.

Capsicum and chillies (or peppers) are another gastronomic treasure from Central and South America. All capsicums have high levels of vitamin C and other antioxidants with the hot varieties being beneficial for colds and the respiratory system. Heirloom capsicums not only come in amazing colours, they produce earlier in the season and have higher yields. The more mature the fruit, the more developed the flavour, be they sweet or hot varieties.

Cultivation The Capsicum family have a greater demand for heat than tomatoes, so in cooler areas start your capsicums indoors so that they can he planted outside as advanced seedlings after the risk of frost. Biodegradable pots are recommended, as they are susceptible to transplant shock. Choose a warm, sunny spot and cultivate it deeply adding dolomite to supply the Capsicums need for calcium and magnesium. Air circulation is also important as they can succumb to moulds and mildew in humid areas. If there are temperatures of 38°C or above expected, arrange some shade for your plants, as the flowers will drop in these conditions. Regular harvesting improves the productivity and vigour of the bushes, and of course they can be harvested before they mature depending on what level of flavour is desired. Pick the fruit with secateurs to avoid damaging the plant and always wear gloves when harvesting chillies! Yoghurt is (he best first aid. All Capsicum need high soil temperatures to germinate, between 23°C and 28°C is ideal. If you are considering saving seed of your capsicum, be warned, they cross very easily and the gene for hot flavoured capsicums is dominant. Rating: Sweet-0 1 2 3 4 5 - H o t TP

55

sow

GROW Sep-Nov

50cm x 50cm

GROW GROW Aug-Dec Apr-Sep Harvest Yield 90-130 days 2-3 kg/m

Iteirlonm capsicums

Bell Peppers

Chillies

The boring green oblong blobs that are found in supermarkets are actually just unripe capsicums that would turn red if left to mature. It is a bit like eating unripe apples! Heirloom bell peppers come in orange, black, yellow, white, purple and of course red and green. Seven colours in all. Varieties Chinese Giant, Sweet Chocolate, Sweet Cheese Pimento and Mini Capsicums.

Habanera Named for Havana in Cuba and only for extremely cool customers, Habancro is 30 times as hot as Jalapeflo. Its distinctive flavour blends beautifully with tomatoes, makes the best chilli oil and great chilli sauce. Heat 10 out of 10.

Bullshorn The Italians selected long slender bullshorn shaped capsicums especially for frying. Varieties Jimmy Nardello, Corno di Torn and Marconi.

Alma Paprika Beloved by Hungarians, this capsicum is dried and ground for the most authentic goulash.

Jalapeno Named after the town of Jalapa in Mexico's Veracruz region. Jalapcno's thick-fleshed 7.5cm fruit can be chopped into salsas and stews or anything that needs that extra touch of spice! Harvested when red, it has a sweet flavour and can be dried by smoking when (hey are called chipotlc chillies. Heat rating 5.5 out of 10. Cayenne Tapered, translucent red fruits to 10cm long Cayenne chillies are traditionally used dried and powdered as Cayenne pepper. Heat rating 8 out of 10. Santa Fe Grande A pale yellow 5cm long chilli with a light, refined flavour. Heat rating 6 out of 10.

Trials at Digger's (Seymour)

Days to fruit

Yield / Plant

Bell Peppers

Chilli

Standard Californian Wonder - Green to Red Sweet Chocolate - Black (Red inside) Purple Beauty Chinese Giant - Emerald to Ruby Mini-Sweet - 5cm fruit Red, Black, Yellow Bullshorn (Fryers) Corno Di Toro - 20cm long red Jimmy Nardello - 20cm thin walls, very sweet Gypsy Hybrid -Yellow to Red

124 109 101 127 93

1,28kg 2.01kg 1,28kg 1.19kg 1.10kg

136 93 124

2.5kg 1.47kg 0.64kg

II

VEGETABLES I WARM

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Zea mays There is only one way to experience the true taste of sweeteorn, and that is to grow it yourself. Corn originated in Central America and the Indians relied on it for the production of flout; porridge (called hominy grits by settlers), and popping corn. They also maintained strains for 'green' corn that was sweet and harvested 'in the milk', that is when a corn kernel would ooze a milky substance when pierced. The cobs were then slow roasted and dried to be mixed with beans to make the nourishing winter dish 'succotash'. Today most gardeners want to grow 'sweet corn' with traditional corn flavour. They have been developed from the Indian selections, however most varieties offered today are hybrids or 'supersweets'. Their sugar levels are higher than the heirloom varieties, and the harvest time not as critical. It is, however, good advice to have the water boiling before you go to pick the com! Openpollinated (OP)

Traditional sweet corn flavour where sugars convert to starch rapidly and it is vital to pick and eat within hours.

Hybrid sugar enhanced (SE)

Corns have higher sugars and tenderness and can be eaten raw. They do not need to be isolated from traditional corn.

Hybrid Supersweets (SS)

Have the highest sugar levels and much slower conversion to starch, giving up to 10 days of heightened sugar levels. S e e d s will not produce supersweet flavour if they cross with OP or SE hybrids. They need to be isolated by sowing 10 days later. They require more water than the SE or OP varieties in order to swell their shrunken s e e d s .

GE corn is currently banned in Australia. As it is wind-pollinated it readily contaminates all other corn with pest or hcrbicide resistant genes, Its widespread planting has contaminated nonGE corns in Mexico and the US.

Golden Bantam

hill up the soil around the stems to encourage more root growth, and start to apply seaweed solution or worm water at regular two weekly intervals. A thick mulch is essential to suppress weeds and maintain moist soil. Climbing beans can be sown at this stage, which will climb the corn stalks, and pumpkins and squash are also traditionally planted at their base to make the most of limited space. Harvest your sweeteorn when the kernels give out a milky substance when pierced - the fluid will be watery if it is under ripe. Harvesting of popcorn or flour corn should take place when the leaves covering the car have dried. Peel back the leaves, and hang the cobs to dry before rubbing the kernels from the cob. GROW Oct-Jan

GROW Sep-Feb

GROW Any

Traditional Corn (Open pollinated.) Golden Bantam (heirloom) 1902. This is the 'corniest' of sweeteorn. Rich yellow cobs on 1.5m stalks.

Sugar Enhanced Hybrid Ornamental Indian Corn (heirloom) A collection of heirloom varieties with multicoloured cobs that can be dried for flour production, or just to admire. J2m

Dwarf F] Our most adaptable and easiest to grow sweeteorn and the earliest to fruit. Hardy from Tasmania to Cairns. J1.7m.

Variegated Corn Striped leaves of icy while and cool lime linged pink produce small cobs of deep burgundy black that can be eaten fresh. J i m

Supcrsweet Hybrids

Cultivation Com demands a rich, well-prepared soil with a neutral pH. Corn is so greedy for nutrients, they are ideal planted after a crop of peas or broad beans, and can be sown directly into the bed after frost at minimum I6°C (24°C for supersweets). Sow corn in blocks rather than a row to help with pollination. If you only grow a few plants jiggle the male flowers (at the top of the plant) to shake the pollen onto the 'silk' which is part of the female flower, to improve pollination. When the seedlings are about 30cm high,

7 0

Honey & Crearn

Baby Corn F i Fresh baby corn is the most delicate of delicacies and makes sophisticated stir-fries - never put up with the tinned variety again! Plant at normal spacing. Harvest continuously before the silk appears, to grow up 4 to 6 cobs per plant, or leave the cobs to mature for golden popcorn. 4-6cm fruit. J2m

Breakthrough F | Twice as sweet as ordinary corn and keeps its flavour for up to 10 days. J 1.9m Honey and Cream Breakthrough Fj So sweet it doesn't need cooking, with plump yellow and white kernels. J1,9m White Corn Fi The shiny white kernels arc super sweet and so rich they taste like they arc already buttered. 12m

Cucumber Cucumis

sativus

Cucumbers are natives of Asia and Africa and were grown by the Greeks from where they were spread to the rest of Europe. There are several different strains of cucumber where they have been adapted to regional tastes and climates African field cucumbers are the dark green types with bitter skins most often found in supermarkets. The smooth-skinned burpless cucumbers, small fruited varieties for pickling as gherkins, apple cucumbers and long striped fruit are fmm Asia.

C. Mini White

Cultivation Cucumbers need a rich soil lhai does not dry out, and has a pH of above 6.5. Seeds sprout readily at soil temperatures of 2()°C. They arc the fastest and easiest of vegetables to grow. Cucumbers arc traditionally grown as a sprawling vine, but will also thrive when grown on a trellis or teepee. Ideal for pots. Choose a well-ventilated, sunny spot for your cucumbers, as they are prone to moulds and mildews in humid, still weather. Pick your cucumbers regularly as soon as they arc edible size to encourage more flowers and fruit. GROW GROW GROW late Oct-Dec lale Sep-Jan July-Oct Harvest Yield 120cm x 100cm 60-80 days 10-23 kg/m

TA

sow

Varieties Cucumbers arc also divided into regular and burpless varieties. The burpless cucumbers do not need peeling, so gardeners who want to maximise their antioxidant intake should choose the burpless types. Spacemaster A bush cucumber that won't overrun your garden. Produces deep green 20cm fruits ideal for slicing. Yield: 8 fruit/plant.

Burpless Cucumbers Armenian Cucumis melo flexuosus Pale fruit with a refreshing flavour. Never goes pithy or hollow. Actually a melon disguised as a cucumber! With huge yields and fruit that reaches I m with curious ribbed skin. Stores well. Lemon A tangy flavour that never turns bitter like Crystal Apple. Prolific. Yield: 15 fruit/plant. Mexican Sour Gherkin This heirloom climbing cucumber tastes both sweet and sour, just like a gherkin without the work! The 3-5cm fruits look like miniature watermelons and drop from the vine when ripe.

C. Spacemaster

Sweet and Striped The sweetest cucumber that can grow to I m long. Elegantly curled, ribbed, striped and drought tolerant. Yield: 6.5 fruit/plant. Lebanese Classic short Mediterranean smooth-skinned variety for pickling or slicing. Yield: 16 fruit/ plant. Mini White With the freshest taste and crunchiest texture. Use fresh or pickled. Yield: 12 fruit/plant.

Eggplant Solarium

melongena

Eggplants come from tropical Asia. They are now pai l of the cuisine from Greece (mousaka) to Japan (pickles). They range from the voluptuous 'Long Purple', delicately streaked Listada di Gandia, orange Turkish varieties, and the white globe-shaped fruit that gave them their present common name.

Cultivation Eggplants, or aubergines, require more heat than tomatoes, but similar conditions, and being slow-growing, require a long, hot growing season. In frost-free areas eggplants can be treated like perennials, producing fruit for a few

I'-XHI'l""1 Lislatla di Gandia

seasons. Their stiff branches will need staking in order to support the weight of the fruit. Eggplants have few pest and disease problems, except aphids, which are easily dealt with using pyrethmm. For maximum yield, pick the fruit as soon as it is ripe - when the skin is easily indented when light pressure is applied. GROW GROW GROW Aug-Dec Mar-Aug Sep-Nov an Harvest Yield cn„,„ 6 0 c m x 6 0 c m 120-140 days 5-10 kg/m

T p 1y

xm

Varieties Long Purple Purple oval fruit to 20cm long. This heirloom fruits almost 3 weeks before the industry standard hybrid Bonica F|. Yield: 3.5kg/plant. Listada di Gandia This early maturing, delicately striped eggplant, on a space saving, heavy bearing, 30cm bush, is an Italian heirloom. The skin of the 15 to 20cm fruit looks worthy of a da Vinci ctching. and the fine-fleshed, almost seedless fruit is the gourmet's choice. Yield: 7.7kg/plant.

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Peanuts Arachis

Okra

Okra

hypogaea

Not a nut at all, but a highly nutritious legume, valuable in the kitchen, and as a soil improver in the vegetable garden. Peanuts can be grown as far south as Melbourne, but for good crops a 140-day growing season is essential. The peanut is a lax, almost trailing plant, and makes an ideal ground cover between other plants. The nuts are produced in the most remarkable and horticultural!}' unique fashion. The stems bearing the yellow flowers bend and bury themselves in the ground, where the nuts develop about 5 to 10cm under the soil surface. They are well named 'ground nuts' in their native South America.

Abelmoschus esculent us

Cultivation

Okra is also called Lady's Finger, and as a native of tropical Africa, found its way to America via the slave trade. The immature pods are eaten when tliey are about 7cm long before they become fibrous. It is one of the vital ingredients in Creole and Cajun cuisines where it is eaten fresh, sauteed with tomatoes, corn, capsicum and onion, marinated or used to make gumbo. To say that gumbo is a type of soup is like saying that a Rolls Royce is just a type of car. Okra is the magic thickening ingredient in gumbo, being extremely mucilaginous, with a taste reminiscent of eggplant. Okra can also be deep fried in cornmeal and served as a vegetable by itself. Okra has high levels of both soluble and insoluble fibre, folic acid, potassium, calcium and magnesium so it is well worth growing. Three to four plants are sufficient for a family, but why not plant more? As a close relative of hibiscus and hollyhock, okra is very ornamental.

Plant fresh nuts with their papery covering intact, but without their shell in sandy, loose soil after frost in a warm position. Keep the surrounding soil open and weed free. When the plants arc about 30cm high, hill up soil around the plant so that the flower stems can root quickly into it. When the leaves turn yellow and the veins on the shells darken, cut the taproot, lift the entire plant, and hang to dry in an airy shed. In areas with shorter growing seasons harvest can be delayed until after the first frosts. Although the plant will be killed, the nuts will continue to develop. Dry the plant for at least 3 weeks, but no longer than 3 months. Discard any nuts that show symptoms of fungus or moulds, as this is extremely toxic. TA •55 sow

GROW Nov-Dec

30cm x 20cm

GROW Sep-Dec Harvest 140 days

GROW Any

Cultivation Soak fresh okra seed overnight to improve germination rates, and sow outdoors (soil temperature 20 - 25°C) in clumps of three. Select the strongest seedling and remove the rest. Water, and mulch well to reduce weeding. The soft yellow flowers are produced in about 60 days and the immature fruits can be harvested 3 to 4 days after flowering. It produces for months until it's 1.5 metres tall. Harvest every other day, as they become tough if harvested when the fruits are more than 7cm long. If you miss a few, allow them to develop into dry pods, the seeds can then be harvested and ground to make a substitute for coffee, similar to chicory. ta sow

GROW Nov-Dec

Rn*-m v s n ™ 60cm x 50cm

GROW Oct-Dec Harvest days

70

GROW Any

Yield 0.5 kg/m

Peanuts

72

Heirloom pumpkins

Pumpkins Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo, C. moschata As you can guess from the many species cited above, pumpkins are part of a large family that includes zucchini, squash and gourds. However 'real'pumpkins, or winter squash as they are called elsewhere, are something of an Australian speciality. Nowhere else in the world are pumpkins held in such high esteem, rivalling potatoes on the family menu. Amy Goldman, in her definitive book "The Complete Squash', maintains that Australian pumpkins are 'the most highly evolved on the planet'with "mealy, sugary brilliant orange flesh ". She is referring to our selections of Cucurbita maxima, unlike the watery Cucurbita pepo varieties thai were most often grown as marrows or for stock food. This latter species generally have the glowing golden orange skin, a huge seed cavity (useful for making Jack O' Lanterns) and a thin layer of pretty ordinary lasting flesh. JJH Gregory, a Massachusetts seedsman of the 1800s, staled thai "to bring them, when prepared in any way, to the table is to rob the stock and wrong the family". Cucurbita moschata includes the extremely tasty elongated Butternut, and some of the flaiiisli, deeply-ribbed (or 'cheese') pumpkins such as 'Musquee de Provence', which are boili excellent table varieties.

Bohemian Pumpkin

Manage the unmanageable trunbark Pumpkin

Cultivation Whatever pumpkin you plant, they are the easiest of the cucurbits to grow. Pumpkins like their tucker, so dig loads of well-rotted manure into a wide area around where they will grow (more of (his later). Pumpkins germinate easily, but should not be in the garden until after the risk of frost. Taking about 2 weeks to come up at soil temperatures of 15°C, they are much quicker with soil temperatures of 18°C to 20°C+. Gardeners in cooler or frosty areas can start their seedlings in a warm position in peat or jiffy pots and then plant out after the frost, to make the most of shorter growing seasons. Pumpkins need at least 4-5 months of warm conditions to ripen. Sow more than you need in case of failure, you can always remove any seedlings excess to requirements. Pumpkins need plenty of water through their growing season, so it appears odd that they should prefer to be planted out on a raised mound. Pumpkin seedlings are very susceptible to rotting when small, so it is essential they have good drainage. You can make a series of shallow furrows to act like dams to catch water, a metre or so from the seedling. Mulch the area well to protect their shallow root system and reduce weed competition. Soils with a pH of 5.5 to 6.8 are ideal for pumpkins, as is some extra potash. Prone mainly to fungal diseases, these can be managed by not planting pumpkins in the same ground for about 3 seasons, and making sure they have an open, well-ventilated position.

Musquie de Provence

Pumpkins are lusty, vigorous plants that can rampage through the garden with vines up to 10m long. Growing them along the ground is not for neat freaks. However pumpkins are easy to grow on a trellis. Plant them near their future support, and when the vines are about I m long, lift and lie them to the trellis. Continue to weave them onto the support through the season. If you are worried about the fruit falling (I have never seen this happen - they arc amazingly strong), slip an old stocking over the young fruit, and tie the end to the trellis. As the pumpkin grows, the stocking will stretch to accommodate it. If you arc growing your pumpkins along the ground it is possible to layer sections of the main stem so that another set of roots will develop. At a point where there is a leaf growing from the stem, remove the leaf and bury that section of stem, with about 10cm of soil. The resulting new root system can take advantage of the store of water and nutrients (dug in previously), away from the main root system thus improving vigour and yields. Harvest your pumpkins when the stalk attaching it to the vine turns woody and corky. Cut (not tear), the stalk from the plant, and store your pumpkin in a cool airy spot. Never lift your pumpkins by this "handle" as if it breaks off, the pumpkin will begin to go mouldy within days. GROW lale Oct-Dec

200cm x 200cm

n 120

GROW lale Sep-Dec

GROW July-Oct

^ 0 d a y s 10-20 kg/pit

Waltham Butternut pumpkin

Dr Will Trueman in Digger's pumpkin patch. Seymour

Will Trueman conducted all the vegetable trials that you see in litis book. He is the person most responsible for proving the superiority of heirloom vegetables over modern hybrids. We are all indebted to his work. " Virtually no new varieties are being produced for gardeners, so preservation is vital to our gardening inheritance ". As the table below indicates, heirloom pumpkins out-yield the industry hybrids. P U M P K I N TRIALS 1993 - 1996 Total Yield Standards / Hybrid Sweet Mama F Butternut Heirlooms C. Australian 152 Qld Blue Jarradale 131 Aust. Butter 119 124 Ironbark Turkscap Bohemian

119 119

maxima 6.52

3.25

20.3

4.6 5.5 3.65 5.9 5.1

3.5 3.25 2.4 3.1 1.8

16.1 17.9 8.3 18.3 9.2

Pollination by hand Transferring male pollen to the female flower is easy with all pumpkin and squash. NB Female flower is open to illustrate plants' parts. Always hand pollinate using closed or semi-closed female flowers. (See p7H)

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Pollination and Seed Saving Pumpkins are characterised by having separate male and female (lowers on the one vine, (monoecious). The males are carried on long stems up to the leaf canopy, while the females grow close to the main stem and have a round, swollen, hall-like structure behind the petals. This is the ovary that will eventually form the pumpkin. Bees are the main pollinators, however you can try your hand at pollinating them yourself. Children find this quite a magical activity and it's a great introduction to how life perpetuates. At first light before the bees stir, select a male llower (a tall one) with plenty of loose pollen on the rod-like stamen. Peel off the surrounding petals and gently brush the inside of the female flower (the lumpy one) with the pollen. The female flower should be just turning orange and the petals loosely closed, or just partially open. Ignore older flowers, and try to find at least 2 male flowers for each female for maximum success. Some girls just don't take to the first boy they meet! A perfect pumpkin should be the happy result from this union. Hand pollination is most successful when the weather is settled, and carried out early in the morning. (See p77) Pumpkins of the same species cross readily, so if you grow more than one of a particular species, the seed from the resulting pumpkins will not come true to type - they would be the unique combination of, for example, whatever C. maxima varieties you (or your neighbours) have planted. If you want to save your seed and want to grow different sorts of pumpkins, you can grow one from each different species. For example you could grow Turk's Turban (or any other C. maxima), Butternut (or any other C. moschata), both for the table, and Delicata Mini Sweet (or any other C. pepo). The three species do not interbreed/cross pollinate, so you can save the seed of any resulting fruit, and know it will be true to the varieties you planted.

Heirloom varieties Once again heirloom varieties have proven superior to hybrids and mainstream varieties in our trials at Heritage Farm Seymour, Victoria.

Australian Bred Australian Butter C. maxima Pale orange skin conceals fine-flavoured flesh. The 5.5kg fruit stores well. Yield: 17.9kg/plant. Ironbark C. maxima This Australian heirloom is as thick skinned as some of our politicians making it our best storing pumpkin. Great flavour. 3.5kg fniits.

7 4

Triamble

Turk's Turban

Trianible C. maxima Also known as 'Shamrock' or Tristar' pumpkin. Its three distinct lobes make it easy to cut into meal sized portions and stores uncut for long periods. The flesh is orange, dense and sweet. 3.5kg fruits.

French Bred Musquee de Provence C. moschata Beautifully-formed, heavily-fluted fruit. It can be eaten green, or left to mature when the skin turns a rich brown, and the vibrant orange flesh is excellent for baking and never stringy. Store it on top of the kitchen dresser and admire its beauty - it will last for ages. 8kg fruits. Potimarron C. maxima This French pumpkin is named for its rich chestnut flavour. Glowing orange-red skin for great looks, 1 to 2kg fruits for convenient size, and excellent storage qualities. The Potimarron is also tops for taste, savour the smooth, dense flesh. Delectable.

International Varieties Bohemian C. maxima This one wins the beauty prize, its sweet dense flesh is covered in jade-green skin fading into pink. Prolific and stores well. 9.2kg/plant.

Deticaui Pumpkin

Butternut C. moschata The standard for taste, but unfortunately the poorest yield in our trials. Delicata Bush Mini C. pepo Tastes just like a sweet potato with green and yellow striped skin. The 450g fruit are ideal baking size for small households. Must have hot weather. Yield: 3kg/plant. Red Kuri C. maxima A Japanese prize selection of baby Red Hubbard. Elegant teardrop shaped pumpkins of brilliant red-orange with outstanding flavour. 2kg fruits. Turk's Turban C. maxima The most curiously shaped of all pumpkins, striped orange, white and green - no two are the same. Stores well. 5.9kg fruits. World's Largest C. maxima Prize-winner of the world's largest pumpkin (629kg), also known as Atlantic Giant. If you remove competing fmit and pump in nutrients, fruit of 227kg are not uncommon.

Rockmelons Cucumis

J] m

melo

There is no substitute for a home grown melon that has been left on the vine to soak up the sun, ami picked when perfectly ripe. What masquerades as rockmelon, or cantaloupe (depending on where you are fivm), in the greengrocer, bears no relation to the sweet dripping lusciousness of a well-grown melon. Commercial offerings are generally harvested all at once regardless of individual ripeness, then blasted with ethylene before sale in a vain attempt to ripen the fruit and increase sweetness. This cannot be done. The sugar content of melons when picked remains the same, despite changes in its colour and/or perfume, thai this treatment promotes. If it looks and smells ripe - then it must be. Not so. A good melon is indeed a luxury. A luxury that most gardeners can afford - depending on climate. As a fmst tender annual, melons need to be started early in cool climates, but the extra effort will be well rewarded. These natives of Asia and Africa have an incredibly rich and diverse heritage, being first mentioned in Chinese literature in 560 AD. Alrhougli an estimated 90% of melon heirloom varieties are now extinct, there is still an amazing array from which the home gardener can choose. What we commonly call cantaloupe is actually a netted muskmelon. The honeydews, with smooth skin, store well enough to last through winter.

Cultivation Rockmelons (and watermelons) need to be sown into very warm soil, about 18-22°C is ideal. Like pumpkins, they are best sown on mounds about 1m apart. Sow 3 or 4 seeds where you want one plant, to ensure you get at least that. Excess seedlings can be pinched out. A sandy well drained soil of pH6 is ideal. While the vines arc growing and flowering they need plenty of water and nutrients so good soil preparation is crucial. However, once the fruit has set, too much water can lead to watery, less tasty fruit. Pollination is sometimes problematic. Rockmelons have both perfect flowers (with male and female organs in the one flower) and stamcnate or male-only flowers. Bees are essential to pollination, so plant plenty of bee attracting plants, or in an ideal world, have your own beehive. Rockmelon flowers are much smaller than those of pumpkins, so hand pollination is quite a challenge. For the largest and most luscious of melons, allow only 2 or a maximum of 3 fruits to set, before pinching out the ends of the vines. Rockmelons cross just as easily as pumpkins and a distance of a kilometre is recommended if you want to save your melon seed. Knowing when to harvest your rockmelon is a skill based on careful observation. The

;

:

y

V

Prexcoil Fond lllitnc

French Cliarentais

"If it's left on the vine to catch the last surge of sucrose and not gassed with ethylene then the melon will truly earn its name", Amy Goldman

Eden's Gem

Japanese, leaving nothing to chance, use MRI scans to judge ripeness at their Rockmelon shows! However most gardeners need to fall back on more external signs. When ripe, the rockmelon will turn a different colour to what it has been up until then, if they arc 'netted' (with rough corky skin) the netting will be dense, regular and raised. The skin will depress easily, but not break when it is pressed. Lastly, there is the fragrance of many melons (not all) being sweet, neither cucumbcrish nor fermented, that indicates that a season of nurturing has culminated in a mouth-watering melon.

TA

& sow

GROW late Oct-Dec

1 e n r m x„ 100cm m n ™ 150cm

84

GROW July-Oct

GROW Sept-Dec

.Harvest

130days

5

Yield g

.15k

/ m

True Cantaloupes Dessert melons par excellence. French Charentais (heirloom) The orange-flcshed favourite is to French gourmets what Grange is to Australian wine connoisseurs. Best suited to cooler southern districts. A true cantaloupe of the highest perfection when eaten at highest sugar level. 1.3kg fruits.

Ha'Ogen Sweet, succulent, fragrant and green fleshed, this melon is both productive and relatively compact. The skin turns yellow when ripe. An Hungarian heirloom that was rediscovered in Israel. Hence its Hebrew name meaning 'the anchor'. 1,5kg fruits.

Muskmelons Musky odour, ribbed with netted skin. Eden's Gem So delicious that Amy Goldman, author of 'Melons, a passionate growers guide', commented that 'Eden's Gem', "may cause drooling"! The neat 500g fruit are produced on the early maturing vine ideal for cooler climates or just impatient gardeners! Prolific. Mini Melon Minnesota Tiny orange melons just 10cm in diameter with exceptionally high sugar content. This compact grower has vines only lm long so every gardener has space to grow their very own melons. Noted for its resistance to fusarium wilt.

For winter storage Naples (Tendral Verde) Succulent, whitc-flcshcd, 2kg melons are dripping with sweetness, higher than any other. Can be stored for months.

'PrescoU Fond Blanc' This deliciously fragrant French heirloom was grown extensively by Parisian market gardeners before 1850. The thick, orange flesh was described by Vilmorin as 'fine-flavoured, juicy and melting'. Allow only 1 or perhaps 2 melons per vine. 2-3kg fruits.

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Tomatoes Lycopersicon

esculentum

The backyard tomato patch is something of an Australian tradition. If only one food crop was grown, it was generally a tomato. There is nothing like the taste of a home grown tomato, warm and fragrant off the vine. Tomatoes are rich in nutrition and antioxidants, namely lycopene, vitamin E and potassium, all essential for good health. Tomatoes, a New World crop from South America, spread to the rest of the world after the Spanish conquest. The first reference to it in Europe was by the Italian botanist Matliiohis in 1544. It was regarded initially as a novelty, then an aphrodisiac, and then it entered into the mainstream of almost every cuisine on the planet. It is practically impossible to imagine the Italians without tomatoes, and yet it has only been part of their culture for 250 years. Tomatoes in European hands have changed considerably in that time. The first tomato introduced was in fact yellow, not red, and over the years, different cultures and regions selected varieties that suited their climate and their cuisine. There are tomatoes for cool and warm climates, some for sauces, others for fresh eating. Tomatoes were bred specifically for drying, or others to be hollow so they can be stuffed. At around 1900, there were at least 4000 varieties. Sadly, with the advent of commercial fanning many of these have now disappeared, replaced by tomatoes bred for machine harvesting. These are bred for shelf life and shipping, certainly not for taste. As the 20th century progressed, the number of seed companies dwindled, and the survivors promoted hybrid tomatoes, whose seed cannot be saved and replanted next year. Higher prices could he demanded for supermarket hybrids, so it was the best way to improve the bottom line. This was a tragedy for gardeners, who began to lose the best tasting tomatoes, bred for disease resistance, long harvest, and flavour. There was never a case of feast or famine, just a good steady supply for up to 4 months. With the assistance of Seed Savers Exchange, USA, The Digger's Club pioneered the reintroduction of heirloom tomatoes after Dr Will Trueman completed trials at Seymour from 1994 to 1996. The results are published throughout this book. When you plant heirloom tomatoes you can be part of a link in a chain that stretches back in time. A chain that has linked Europeans and Asians for half a millennium, and continues further back into history to include those South American gardeners/farmers who were the first to grow tomatoes. A single seed holds that much history.

7 6

Some of the 4000 heirloom tomatoes.

Cultivation When growing your tomatoes from seed sow them 6 to 8 weeks before you intend to plant them out. In warm, frost-free areas, (CZ 10+) seeds can be sown direct into the ground when soil temperatures reach 15°C or more. (See p44-45for how to sow outside or for transplanting later). Tomatoes should never be planted in the same soil two years running. It is best to move your tomato patch each year, returning to the original bed, after a break of three seasons. This is to prevent the build up of disease carrying organisms in the soil. Tomatoes need an open sunny position with plenty of air circulation to thrive, and although remarkably easy to please as to soil type, a good loam will produce the best results. Tomatoes are best planted in beds that have been heavily manured for a previous crop, such as broccoli. A soil that is too rich in nutrients will produce prolific, but soft, sappy, diseaseprone growth. Well-rotted compost being high in organic matter, but low on nitrogen, is the perfect addition to a tomato bed. If your soil is acidic, below pH 6.5, add lime (calcium) or ideally dolomite (calcium and magnesium). Spread it at rate of 2 handfuls per square metre (about 6<)-70g) and work it lightly into the surface soil. Calcium is essential for tomatoes. It prevents 'blossom end rot', which is when the bottom of the tomato, furthest from the stem, goes soft, weepy, and rots. Planting your tomato seedlings Plant out your seedlings when the soil reaches I5°C or more, and after the risk of frost. Night temperatures over 30°C will cause blossoms to drop. If your seedlings arc on the leggy side, don't worry, they can be planted in a shallow

Elfie

trench. Lie the seedling in the trench (5-7cm deep), and cover with soil, making sure the bottom leaves are above soil level. Don't worry if they look uncomfortable, they will soon straighten up. Tomatoes form roots along their stems when they come into contact with the soil; so a good strong root system should result. Some gardeners plant all their tomatoes this way, others prefer to plant bushier seedlings vertically, to encourage a deeper root system.

Training There are two general types of tomatoes and they require different training techniques. Indeterminate tomatoes The most useful for the home gardener are the indeterminate types, largely abandoned by commercial growers, but prolific and easy to grow. These are the tomatoes that resemble vines in their manner of growth. They arc called indeterminate becausc there is no determined limit to their growth. They will produce fruit from January to June until the weather stops them. These are the tomatoes with the highest

yields over the season, and they need a support of some sort to grow on. They produce best when they are treated like a climbing pea. Train them to a trellis (a double row of ring-lock fencing is ideal) or a teepee. They may be trained to a single stake, but this will involve pruning, that will decrease your yields. Now that the howls of "don't you pinch out the laterals," have subsided, suffice it to say, "no you don't"; unless for reasons of space, to deliberately decrease your yield, or to produce fewer, marginally larger fruit. The laterals are the small side shoots that develop just above a leaf and look exactly like a seedling, but without the roots. If you are after high yields, and long harvest, leave them there to develop further. However, if you do pinch out the lateral, it can be planted, like a cutting, and given warm moist conditions, it will develop into a separate tomato plant identical to its parent. Trellises and teepees can be many and varied, the important thing to do is to thread your tomato vine through them throughout the season, so your tomato is well supported.

Amisli Paste

solar radiation, and they will most likely get Determinate tomatoes

sunburnt and develop decay if exposed. Leaves

Determinate tomatoes, (including many hybrids), are short and bushy and generally need no support to grow on. They are 'determinate' because their growth will stop once a 'determined' amount of growth has been produced providing a shorter, earlier and more concentrated harvest period. This is certainly useful for commercial growers, or even home gardeners who want to preserve their harvest in some way. Principe Borghese, for example, is traditionally used for drying, so it is advantageous to have most of your crop ready to process in a short period of lime, but they won't provide fruit in April, May or June.

are an essential part of the plants 'machinery', gathering energy from the sun, if too many leaves are removed, you will be weakening your plant.

Determinate varieties are often ideal for pots, hanging baskets, or grow bags, and can be left to sprawl in the garden provided they have some straw to sprawl on. The suaw will prevent the fruit becoming grubby from contact with the soil, and if the fruit contacts wet soil, it may rot. Whatever type of tomato you plant never remove the leaves to expose the fruit to the sun. Tomatoes ripen through temperature, not PRUNING & LATE PLANTING TRIALS Tigerella Yield Late planting Normal planting (14/12/94) (26/10/94) •Unpruned 5.8kg 20kg •Lightly 4.4kg (-25%) pruned •Heavily 1.0kg (-83%) pruned Impact of planting delay on yield Max. yield Tigerella: 20kg/plant Transplant 3 weeks late: 13kg/plant 10 week delay: 5.8kg/plant

Fertilizing Too much fertilizer is not good for tomatoes. It can lead to soft sappy growth beloved by all manner of caterpillars and aphids. It could also delay the formation of flowers and subsequent fruit. Especially problematic are the inorganic fertilizers that arc high in nitrogen. Well-rotted, animal manures (or pcllctiscd manures) are ideal when the plant is building its framework for the season. Watering with weak seaweed solution and worm water are also beneficial, every few weeks, once flowering has commenced. However in general it is better to under-fertilize, rather than over-fertilize, in order to grow the tastiest fruit.

Watering Tomatoes need to be kept moist while they establish themselves; once off and growing, it is of less importance. Often, in early summer, the tips may look wilted on a particularly warm day, however this is nothing to panic over. If wilting and general floppiness extend to the branches, it is most definitely time to water. As with roses, it is best to water the soil, not the leaves, so as not to encourage fungal diseases. Too much water will dilute the flavour of the fruit, and will prevent the development of a deep extensive root system. So once the plant has set fruit, don't worry if just the tips droop in the middle of the day, if they have recovered by the next morning, watering can be put off a little longer.

Ida Gold

Problems Pests and diseases Tomatoes are prone to all sorts of diseases, some of them carried by pests. Some books would make you feci that it was a miracle if you got a tomato to the table! The good news is that tomatoes are easy in hot dry summers. If you use good organic principles of soil preparation and rotation, and have a sunny, airy and preferably biodiverse, garden to grow them in, you should not have loo many problems. Hybrids grown in monocultures are far more disease prone, so breeders concentrate on disease resistance, which rarely affects biodiverse backyards. Fungal diseases can occur in damp cool conditions, or when the leaves have been splashed with water. Target spot produces conccntric spots on the leaves while bacterial speck manifests itself by leaving lots of tiny black-brown spots on the leaves. Sclcrotina is a woolly fungus found on the leaves, that occurs in wet humid weather. Heirloom tomatoes arc often resistant, but move your tomato bed next season anyway. These diseases will certainly reduce the vigour of the plant, but are rarely lifethreatening. Remove the most badly affected of the leaves and improve air circulation. Perhaps thin some branches that are growing too close together - the problem can be solved by good observation and good husbandry, even if you can't change the weather. If disease is a recurring problem in your area each season, growing the vine-like indeterminate varieties, well spaced on a trellis.

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VEGETABLES

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could be the best solution, rather than the denser-foliaged determinate types. If you are really desperate, a copper-based spray such as Kocidc is a good organic control. More serious diseases are Fusarium and Verticillium wilts, and wilting caused by nematodes (organisms that attack the root system). These diseases/pests all come from the soil, hence the importance of good crop rotation. Sowing mustard in autumn can also alleviate this problem. Many heirloom varieties arc resistant to these diseases, so changing the tomato you grow may solve the problem. Blossom End Rot, the base of the tomato rotting, is caused by lack of calcium, sec under main heading 'Cultivation'. Tobacco Mosaic Virus can also affect tomatoes - so smokers make sure you wash your hands well before handling your tomatoes. The heirloom 'Green Zebra' seems to show resistance to this debilitating virus. A good way to 'clean' beds that have harboured nematodes or Sclerotina fungi is to grow a resistant crop. Plant silverbeet or beetroot to cope with the Sclerotina, and brassicas (cabbagc, broccoli etc), to sort out the nematodes.

Selecting Varieties Determinate or indeterminate, cherries, fresh salad tomatoes, pastes or beefsteaks? One decision in tomato selection for the home gardener is fairly easy. Heirloom tomatoes have better flavour, good disease resistance, and crop over a long time, unlike hybrid varieties. Instead of settling for big reds, heirlooms come in ten colours! White, cream, yellow, orange, green, black, purple, pink, brown as well as red. GROW SepMar

100cm x 60cm

M 1 2 0

GROW Any

GROW Aug-Fob

^

y s

^Tg/m

Tommy Toe

Green Zebra

Heirloom tomatoes (indeterminate unless stated.) Harvest days = from transplant to harvest. Black Russian As rich and sweet as a Fabergd jewel, though not as good looking. Originally from Russia. Harvest: 77 days. Yield: 7.1 kg/plant.

Yield kg/ plant

Tigerella

73

20.0

Grosse Lissc

86

16.4

Amish Paste

86

15.7

Tommy Toe

72

11.3

Green Zebra

82

13.6

Black Zebra Exotically striped black and red, this 'zebra' has a piquant, complex flavour never to be forgotten. Harvest: 85 days. Green Zebra One of the lop for taste and yield, it is magically striped green and yellow when ripe. Birds don't find it attractive. Fruits after frost. Harvest: 82 days. Yield: I3.6kg/plant.

Siberian (determinate) The most cold tolerant of all the tomatoes, producing bright red plum shaped fruit to 7cm wide. Perfect for hanging baskets and pots. Harvest: 91 days. Yield: 6.4kg/planl.

Plant yield/month 1994, 1995, 1996 Seymour, Victoria 68%

70%

HeirloomTigerella 20kg

60%

Hybrid Celebrity 18.6kg

40%

Tommy Toe (Red & Yellow) Rated the highest in our taste tests for its sweet fresh flavour, thin skin, and smooth good looks. One expert said it was the best tomato he had tasted in 50 years! From January to June it produces baskets full of 3cm fruil for salads and sandwiches. Harvest: 72 days. Yield: 11,3kg/plant.

37%

24%

Apollo F, (Aus)

75

10.8

20%

Celebrity F, (US)

85

18.6

10% 0% Feb

Monthly Harvest Ideal garden Tommy Toe (indeterminate) Typical dwarf, Principe (determinate) Typical lale, Amish Paste (indeterminate)

7 8

Tigerella Enormous crops of red and yellow-striped tomatoes of exceptional flavour are produced over a long season. Our highest yielding tomato and lops for taste. Harvest: 73 days. Yield: 20kg/plant.

50%

30%

Hybrids

Ida Gold (determinate) Extremely early ping-pong ball sized fruit. Produces mountains of golden globes well before Christmas if planted early. Good flavour. Harvest: 62 days. Yield: 4.1kg/plant Red Fig A vigorous vine hung with hundreds of fire engine-red, 3cm, perfect, pear-shaped tomatoes. Incredibly productive, we pickcd 'Red Fig' for 4 months in our trial garden at Hcronswood and our cafe customers were treated to their rich tomato soup taste!

Heirloom vs Hybrid Tomato Yields Heirloom Days to Tomatoes Harvest

Wapsipinicon Peach

26%

3% 74% -

1

•j25%

Mar

Apr

May

June

44%

22%

13%

18%

-

-

-

69%

-

16%

-

15%

Wapsipinicon Peach Beautiful crcamy coloured fruil is covered in a fine fuzz. Heavy crops of this extremely sweet fruit can be expected - especially as the fuzzy skin seems to deter fruit fly.

Cherry Tomatoes (All indeterminate unless stated) Cherry tomatoes arc indispensable for salads and cheese platters and are so sweet they can be eaten by the handful - just like Smarties! Beam's Yellow Pear This 'pear' is the most elegant of all the 'cherries'. No food stylist would be without it! Harvest: 80 days. Yield: 1.7kg/plant Cherry Roma With the dense flesh of a Roma tomato, this 2cm cherry tomato has an "addictive sweetspicy flavour", says Kent of Seed Savers Exchange. Dry them for use over winter. Trellis or stake. Broad Ripple Yellow Currant Literally thousands of golden, grape-sized globes even under the harshest conditions. Extremely juicy and sweet with that extra zing making it a favourite with gourmets. Harvest: 77 days. Yield: 7.4kg/plant. Lemon Drop This sophisticated cherry tomato is definitely 'adults only". Shaped like tiny lemons of translucent yellow, it has a fresh zesty tang, refreshing any salad, and is especially good with cheese. The lem fruits arc produced in profusion for up to 3 months, even in damp and dull weather. Sugarlump The sweetest of bright red 3cm fruit held in trusses up to 20cm long, with 6 to 12 fruit per truss. Harvest: 81 days. Yield: 8.6kg/plant. Wild Sweetie The first and last crop. Who needs a summer romance if you have this wild sweetie? Let her grow as she will and you will reap thousands of wild berry, sun-drenched fruit. The flavour sensation of summer. Kids' favourite. Harvest: 69 days. Yield: 4.4kg/plant.

Paste and drying tomatoes

Broad Ripple Yellow Currant

Black Krim

Principe Borghese (determinate) As its name suggests this was the tomato for the average Italian. Used for dried tomatoes in winter. Crops all at once. Non-staking. Harvest: 77 days. Yield: 2.9kg/plant.

Beefsteak or Slicing Tomatoes (all indeterminate) Huge meaty tomatoes that can cover a hamburger in a single slice, and that turn bread into a meal, as Italians do with bruschetta. Latefruiting varieties. Black Krim This full-flavoured black tomato needs to be sliced to show its true beauty. Harvest: 92 days. Yield: 7.1 kg/plant. Brandywine Huge pink-red tomatoes weighing up to one kilo. This late cropper seems to embody all the wamith of summer. Elfie

Paste tomatoes were originally bred for making tomato paste and sauce. They have fewer seeds and dense flesh.

This gigantic tomato rates the highest for taste in this group. Its pale apricot colour is the 'Clark Kent' disguise for its super tomato flavour.

Amish Paste If you only chose one tomato, this Amish variety is the most versatile. Delicious for fresh eating, bottling or sauce making. Harvest: 86 days. Yield: 15.7kg/plant.

Grosse Lisse An Australian garden favourite, its name says it all, meaning huge and smooth. Harvest: 86 days. Yield: 16.4kg/plant.

Anna Russian Ox-heart shaped and a deep red-pink, this is the earliest to fruit of the paste type with clusters of 500g fruit bursting with flavour. Dclicatc wispy foliage.

Mortgage Lifter Developed by 'Radiator Charlie', a mechanic in small town USA with no formal plant breeding qualifications. By crossing different beefsteak varieties, he produced this prolific meaty tomato so popular for slicing and hamburgers. By selling the plants for $1.00 each he paid off his mortgage in just six years! Harvest: 90 days. Yield: 16.4kg/plant.

Brandywine

Rouge de Marmande A prodigious producer of deep-red medium fruit earlier than all others. Harvest: 77 days. Yield: 14.2kg/plant. White Beauty Perfectly-formed, large tomatoes to 500g in alabaster while are the colour contrast to make salads look and taste icy-cool and crisp. Harvest: 112 days. Yield: 8.8kg/plant.

Hybrids Apollo F[ (determinate) Large, round, red fniil that crops early in the season. Australia's most planted garden hybrid has half the yield of Tigerella! Harvest: 75 days. Yield: I0.8kg/plant.

TASTE TEST* Out of a possible 100 points. Tommy Toe Broad Ripple Yellow Currant Apollo Hybrid Amish Paste Tigerella Grosse Lisse Green Zebra Mortgage Lifter Supermarket Roma

72 69 66 66 66 64 63 59 44

*Rated by panel composed of chefs and gardeners, (not Digger's staff), March 6. 1993.

II

VEGETABLES I WARM

SOIL

Watermelon Citrullus

lanatus

There is a reminder of the freedom of childhood and long summers days thai makes watermelons irresistible. A native of Africa, watermelons have been cultivated since Egyptian times though we would scarcely recognise them - they looked more like a large cucumber. Grown mainly around the Mediterranean and Southern Russia, the watermelon found a new home in the southern United Slates where many heirloom varieties are still grown. Watermelons and muskmelons take no more lime to ripen than pumpkins, and deserve to be grown because the sweetness and flavour is so superior to commercially grown varieties. Primitive watermelons evolved as a water storage unit to provide moisture to feed its seeds. The citron or jam melon will store for about 8 months after harvest, when just after the summer solstice, it will split open to reveal its geminated seeds, and Jlow with juice to nourish them. Re warned you don 7 want this happening in your pantry! Modern watermelons for fresh eating can split in the garden when ripe, so keep a close eye on them at harvest time. This 'splitting', or some describe it as exploding, can he the result of growing warm-climate varieties in cool areas, as daytime temperatures below 25°C can encourage this trait.

Cultivation Watermelons need lots of heat hut are more drought tolerant than other melons, due to their deep root system. They prefer a deep sandy soil with plenty of well-rotted manure dug in. The deeper you dig the better, adding gypsum to heavier soils to improve drainage. Plant out your watermelons in the same manner as pumpkins (p77), and once established, less frequent, deep watering is the most efficacious. In really hot areas, watermelons can become sunburnt so choose a spot where they can receive some shade from the midday sun. In cooler areas a position facing north or west is best. If you have a north facing brick wall, plant your watermelons there to benefit from its radiant heat. Watermelons are considered ripe when the tendril (like a curly pig's tail) near the fruit shrivels and dies. Also the underside of the watermelon, where it is in contact with the ground, starts to look pale yellow, rather than pale green. TA

8 0

GROW GROW SEGROW GROW Sep-Dec Oct-Dec sow late late Oct-Dec Sep-Dec i1 c „ Harvest 1 sm im xv 1.5m on.nn 80-130 Haue days

GROW July-Oct

Moon and Stars

Blacktail Mountain

Heirloom varieties Moon and Stars "The Moon and Stars watermelon is the poster child of the heirloom seed movement. Its buttery moons and constellations of stars are aweinspiring. Unique among watermelons, both foliage and fruit are bedecked with heavenly bodies", says Amy Goldman. But the Moon and Stars almost slipped into a black hole until Kent Whealy of Seed Savers Exchange, after a ten year search, rescued this treasure from extinction. Sweet red or yellow flesh. Thick skin enables storage throughout winter. Harvest: 126 days. Yield: 3-4 fruit/plant. 13kg/fniit. Jam Melon Citron Red Seeded Also known as the Citron melon, its flesh is hard and inedible raw. It is used mainly for jams and preserves in Australia, such as melon and lemon jam. The Jam Melon stores well, so its processing can be put off until winter, when the bulk of the home harvest has been preserved. One of the most beautiful melons - deep, fresh green overlaid with pale green patterning.

Heirlooms to grow for cool summers. Golden Midget Ideal for cooler climates, this space saving watermelon will be ready for harvest in just 80 days. Its sweet red flesh, is superior to anything you can buy in the shops. No need to guess when they are ripe, as the rind turns golden when they are ready! Harvest: 80 days. 3kg fruits. Blacktail Mountain Named after the mountain in his backyard that prevented the ripening of watermelons. This breeding breakthrough of Glen Drowns, is precocious, and a blessing for cool climate gardeners. The small 6kg fruit with black-green rind yields red, exceptionally sweet, succulent flesh. Harvest: 121 days. Yield: 3-4 fruit/plant.

Golden Midget

Jam Melon

Cream of Saskatchewan A sorbet made from Canadian Cream of Saskatchewan Watermelon re-awakens memories of the most extravagant champagne. It will never appear in the market because it is so delicate that it splits in the field, or in transit. Splitting is a perfect indicator for the cook who gardens, who can quickly retrieve the melon and share it with the family. Harvest: 121 days. Yield: 2-3 fruit/plant. 4.7kg melon. Sweet Siberia Collected in Russia where rapid ripening is mandatory, it is a small vine for small spaces. This cooler climate variety with small 4kg fruit has juicy orange flesh. Harvest: 114 days. Yield: 4 fruit/plant.

Zucchini, Squash and Gourds Cucurbita pepo Just one diverse species supplies die home gardener with lender zucchini (meaning baby marrow in Italian), huge vegetable marrows for stuffing, (or friendly gardener competition), and the gourds used for centuries as containers. The meal-and-two-vegetable English version of cuisine with its watery vegetable marrow has been replaced by the French courgette or Italian zucchini. Just pick your squash when they are small and lender.

Cultivation In Vilmorin's classic French text 'The Vegetable Garden' 1885, he stales they "will grow anywhere if supplied with plenty of manure and moisture at the root". Plant them out in warm soil, 15°C+ and stand back. If picked often for the table they will produce all summer. Bush varieties save ground spacc and are easy in large pots, whereas the running vinelike squash (like pumpkins and cucumbers) can be trained to climb a fence, tripod or pergola to give midsummer shade, or left to sprawl planted at 2m spacings. Our heirlooms arc ready to pick in just 60 days, but be sure to pick them before they turn into marrows!

litack Beauty

Courtis

GROW GROW Any Sep-Dec , m . „ „ on.™ Harvest Yield 100cm x 8 0 c m 5 0 - i 2 5 d a y s 5-24 fruit/pit

TA

GROW Oct-Dec

Varieties Zucchini & Squash Zucchini and Squash Again heirlooms are the smart choice for gardeners after high yields and early harvests. Black Beauty Prolific, bushy plant, that is easy to grow. Pick often for the tastiest small zucchini. Produced 50% more fruil than the hybrid Black Jack in a difficult year at Heritage Farm Seymour, Victoria.

Variety

Days to harvest Standard

Black Jack Fi Zucchini

55

Fruit per plant

5.8

Heirlooms Black Beauty

61

8.6

Crookneck

57

24

Ebony Acorn

123

18.4

Spaghetti Squash

123

5.4

/jtcchiniflowersJbrfrying. Crookncck This beautifully shaped and coloured squash out-yields Black Beauty by a factor of three. The Crookneck also has a smaller maximum size than the conventional Black Beauty or Black Jack, and therefore produces fruit of more edible size, even with less frequent harvesting. If left on the bush to dry it can be used as a decorativc gourd. Yield: 24 fruit/plant. Tromboncino This Italian heirloom is much more than a novelty. Rapid-growing vines produce pale lime coloured, seedless, tasty fruit, best picked at 20cm. although if unpicked, it will stretch to a onc-mctrc, hard shelled beige gourd. Spaghetti Squash Looking more like a melon than a squash, this fruit can be boiled whole, cut open, and the flesh shreds into ready-made pasta, which makes low carbohydrate 'spaghetti'. Pick when yellow. 1.85kg fruit.

Tromboncino St/uasli

Varieties Gourds Birdhouse Gourds A canopy of lush green, decked in white flowers. The fascinating fruit can be used for bottles or carved into bird feeders. Dinosaur Gourds Heavily veined rippling reptilian skin is enough to scare any unwelcomc visitors! The club for green activists. Decorative Table Mix Beautifully bizarre gourds including Ebony Acorn, Crown of Thorns, Bicolor Pear and Spoon, Nest Egg, Bottle and Warted Gourds.

II

Herbs Basil Sweet Ocimum basilicum Basil tea is a tonic for low spirits and anxiety, and certainly its brilliant green leaves, white flowers and superb fragrance arc an antidote in themselves! A famous companion plant to tomatoes both in the garden and the kitchen, it demands full sun, good drainage and a neutral to alkaline pH. Protect from frost and damp to avoid fungal problems, and pinch out (lowers to encourage leaf production. Start advanced seedlings indoors to maximise length of harvest. G R 0 W

TA

Oct-Jan

sow

O

30cm x 20cm

GROW Sep-Feb Harvest 60 days

GROW Any

Bay Laurus nnbilis This handsome evergreen tree makes a dense if slow-growing hedge, can be trimmed and trained for topiary, or just left to develop into a screening tree. The powerfully aromatic leaves arc indispensable in the kitchen, and are effective in ridding kitchen cupboards of weevils and cockroaches. Requires a sheltered position with adequate drainage. Can be prone to scale insects that are easily controlled with white oil. HP # O

*

$

Cool

^

I 7m

*

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Chervil

Inland Harvest 2 years

Hot

Coriander

Basil

Chervil Anthriscus cerefolium Chervil's femy foliage has a mild anise and parsley flavour. A signature herb of French cuisine, it makes up part of the famous fines herbes together with parsley, chives and tarragon. Bolting in hot dry conditions, it prefers a cool shady position. Pinch out flowering stems to extend harvest. Sow every 4 to 5 weeks for a continual supply. HA

Capers Capparis spinosa Revelling in scorching dry heat and stony soils, this gourmet delight will start to produce the flower buds (which can be pickled or dry salted), in their second year. Taking 5 years to reach full production, the caper bush is really a sprawling shrub and will live to 50 years old, producing up to 8 kilos of buds per year.

Capers

II

o

SOW

ii

GROW Sep-Feb

30cm x 20cm

GROW July-Mar

GROW Apr-July

Harvest 60 days

Chives Garlic Allium tuberosum Tufts of flat, strappy leaves make these idealedging plants, which producc 7cm flat heads of starry white flowers for months. More robust than onion chives, they have a delicious garlic flavour, with all parts of the plant being edible either cooked or raw. Used as a garnish or vegetable in Asian or European cuisine. The most drought-tolerant of chives. HP r

A sow

O

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G R 0 W

Oct-Mar

GROW Sep-Apr

30cm x 10cm

GROW Any

todays

Chives Garlic

Chives Onion

Chives Onion Allium schoetioprasum No herb garden is complete without this classically delicatc plant. The hollow, rounded leaves make perfect fountaining clumps, while the rosy-mauve hemispheres of flower nod shyly from slender stems. All parts of the plant are edible. Always leave 4-5cm of leaf when harvesting. HP

-55-

^

0

*

GROW Oct-Mar

GROW Sep-Apr

GROW Any Harvest 90 days

30cm x 10cm

Coriander Coriandrum sativum Coriander may look light and gauzy, but its flavour is the cornerstone of cuisines from the Middle East, India, South-East Asia and China. The ferny leaves must be used fresh. Seeds can be dry-fried for spicy dishes and the roots are essential for that nuance of Thailand. The pale-pink flower heads are invaluable in the """in GROW GROW GROW HA

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30cm x 20cm

Aug-Nov H 30

90days

Any

Applemint

Common Mint

Mint Mentha spp. Used for millennia for the treatment of headaches, colds, diarrhoea, and indigestion and in some cultures to promote virility, mint is also an integral part of modern Australian cuisine. Can be invasive, so confine roots in a container. Common Mint M. viridis What would roast lamb be like without it for mint jellies and sauce?

Juniper

Dill Anethum graveolens From Lithuania to Laos, the leaves and seeds of dill are the vital ingredient for salads, pickles and yoghurt dishes, and of course cucumber. The blue-green feathery leaves contrast well with salvias and dahlias, while the yellow umbrella flowers attract beneficial insects to fruit trees and vegetables. GROW Sep-Oct

HA O

»

GROW Any

GROW Aug-Jan

30cm x 20cm

"odayl

Juniper Juniperus communis Elegantly upright conifer, the Juniper forms a neat column of grey-green foliage. The purple berries can take up to 2 years to ripen. Both male and female plants are required for fruit. Thrives in sun or part shade. HP Sfc sfs *

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*

14m

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1.5m

Han,est

Lemon Grass Cymbopogon citratus In the tropics and sub tropics, this sturdy, clumping grass, makes an almost impenetrable, and certainly fragrant, edge to garden beds. In temperate areas, it grows well in pots that can be moved around to suit the warmest, frost free and most humid parts of the garden. To harvest cut the stems at the base just above the soil. Save the leaves for a refreshing tea rich in vitamin A, which is reputed to fight fungal and bacterial infections, or tie them in a knot and throw in with the cooking water to fiavQiir

Peppermint M. x piperita Dark leaves make the best tea with a rich fruity scent.

Lemon Verbena

Lemon Verbena Aloysia triphylla The most intensely fragrant of deciduous shrubs for the herb garden introduced from Chile in 1794. Plant it next to a pathway so that you can brush against the bright light green foliage or plant a hedge to act as a living clothesline for lemon scented bed and underclothes. Rich in the antioxidant vitamins A and C, the refreshing tea helps ward off colds; or sip it after dinner to aid digestion. Only 3 or 4 leaves are needed to flavour savoury dishes, milk puddings or of course, tea. TP 5§» Cool 0

4*

Warm

J 2m

H ot

Variegated Applemint M. suaveolens 'Variegata' Is not only decorative in the garden, but also the perfect accompaniment to fruit salads and long cool drinks. HP * O

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Warm Warn,

444 J 60cm<—>60cm

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Harvest

Marjoram, Golden Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' An invaluable lime-yellow ground cover for foliage contrast in hot, dry positions. The flowers are pale pink on reddish stems, but the golden leaves are (he main game. They arc mild enough to chop straight into salads. Golden Marjoram is best used before the plant flowers, so keep it at about 10cm high by clipping it over with hedge shears.

~1m HP IFC SFE m n i HP

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HERBS

Oregano

Oregano Greek Origanum unites Neat grey-green leaves set off a frosting of white flowers on stems to 60cm in summer. Harvest while in bloom (both the dried leaves and flowers arc used). Indispensable in Mediterranean cuisines, it is just as useful planted with roses and lavender. Cut to the ground to harvest and clip back again in autumn. HP o

5§S *

^

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Warm

Warm

Coastal

Inland

J 30cm«-»40cm

Rosemary

"a^est

Parsley Petroselinum crispum P. crispum var neopolitanum Parsley is possibly the most popular, and one of the easiest herbs to grow. Use parsley not only for flavour, but also for its beneficial effect on the blood, its high iron, vitamin C and potassium content. Best grown as an annual, P. crispum or curly parsley is the most ornamental but P. c. var neopolilanum, Italian parsley, with flat leaves has the best flavour. Harvest sprigs from the outside of the clump to extend supply. HR

0

C5 sow

*4

GROW July-Dec

30cm x 30cm

GROW July-Dec

GROW May-Aug

TA 0

cS sow

44

30cm x 30cm

GROW SepFeb Harvest

HP ȤS 3fJ

O•.

rv

Cool

Warm Warm

Coastal Harvest Anytime

Inland

Hot

Sage Salvia officinalis The thick, felted, silver-grey leaves of this sub-shrub are as beautiful in the border as they are versatile in the kitchcn. In spring, sage is smothered in mauve flowers. Pinch out new growth in early spring and autumn to keep the bush compact. Use it to whiten teeth and strengthen gums. Used to flavour poultry, cheese and bean dishes. Great in poor soils. GROW Sep-Feb

0

4 ^

0

4

GROW July-Dec

30cm x 30cm

Tarragon French Artemisia dracunculus French tarragon is an aromatic perennial that dies down in winter. The silky leaves form a dense ground cover in well-drained poor soils, and are famous as one of the 'fines herbes' of French cuisine. The delicatc anise flavour enhances egg, fish, pork and chicken dishes. Good French chefs always use tarragon vinegar for mixing their mustards. Cut down old leaf stems in mid-winter. HP * 0

0

$

Cool

44 ^

Warm

Warm

60cm x 60cm

Hot

gp'-Aut'

GROW Any

GROW Aug-Mar

50cm x 50cm

GROW July-Dec

GROW July-Dec

go

GROW Any

60 d a y s

Perilla

86

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis cultivars Green, fragrant, drought tolerant and tasty, rosemary is the quiet beauty that no garden should be without. Rosemary contains up to 20 antioxidants and is renowned for improving the memory. Hanging Rosemary (50cm x 70cm), flavours meat and potato dishes while R. 'Tuscan Blue', (1.5m x 80cm), has long slender stems ideal for threading kebabs and satays. Dwarf rosemary (70cm x 80cm), makes a neat hedge to rival Japanese Box and is as useful in the kitchen as its cousins.

so days

Perilla, Shiso Perilla frutescens 'Atropurpurea' Little known in Australia, Perilla (or Shiso) leaves, stems and seeds have been used in China since 500 AD. The Japanese use it as we do parsley. Its antimicrobial qualities have made it an important ingredient for Asian-style pickles, and its high levels of linoleic acid assist in dissolving cholesterol. The frilled purple leaves with a spicy citrus/mint flavour are decorativc and delicious. Grow just like basil. GROW Oct-Jan

Summer Savory

Summer Savory Satureja hortensis Pink and white flowers decorate Summer Savory's glossy leaves. They have a piquant peppery flavour, traditionally used to flavour legumes. It forms the 'herhes deprovence' together with rosemary and thyme and can be added to meat dishes, stuffings and marinades; especially for olives. Savory's botanic name is derived from the Greek saturos, meaning Satyr (lustful mythical beings), as it is supposed to possess aphrodisiac qualities! It should not however be taken during pregnancy, as it stimulates the uterus.

Tarragon

Tea Camellia sinensis Why not make a brew of your own organic tea packed with antioxidants? Whatever style you enjoy, green, black or oolong, this handsome shrub can supply it. Pick the tips of the new shoots to make the cuppa you prefer; then sit back and admire this glossy leaved Camellia sprinkled with pure white or pink winter flowers with golden stamens. Keep clipped to 1 m high for maximum harvest. Needs some shade in hot dry areas. HP

$

Cool

Warm Warm Coastal

Inland

H ot

o 0 «» fc. 11.6m «—»2m "ajvest True C u r r y Leaf Murraya koenigii A graceful evergreen tree that thrives in the tropics and sub-tropics, but can be grown in all cooler mainland capitals where it is deciduous. The ferny leaves are dried to be added Madras style curry powders, or can be added to savoury dishes for a warm spicy flavour. True Curry Leaf is used for all stomach disorders in Asian cultures where the peppery fruits are also used.

True Curry Leaf

Watercress

yVar")

TP

Hot

Coastal

O « ^ 12m ~1m

Watercress Nasturtium officinale Contrary to popular belief, watercress does not have to be grown in flowing water. It can be grown in moist garden beds or pots placed in ponds. Prefers a neutral to alkaline pH. Add some lime if you have acid soil. A close relative of broccoli and mustard, it is packed with antioxidants plus iron and iodine. Thought by the Greeks to improve brainpower, it also increases milk yield in animals (including humans). Pinch out flowers to extend harvest. An excellent salad green.

2 yoare

Turmeric Curcuma longa If you garden north of Sydney you are lucky enough to be able to grow turmeric. Elegantly pleated elliptical leaves grow from the rhizome that is ground to make the brilliant yellow spice. Turmcric's warm earthy flavour is used in Indian and Asian cuisines, and is rich in antioxidants. Harvest the rhizomes in autumn when the leaves die down for the best flavour. Cook fish wrapped in its leaves or decorate the salad with its flowers. TP

Hot

o **

11m —1m

2""ears'

Thyme Thymus spp. Thyme was once a symbol of courage and vitality. There are creeping and bush thymes to fill any sunny spot. The lawn thymes elegantly colonise edges and gravels, while the bushes, to 36cm, in grey-green, or silver and yellow variegation, arc great in pots or dry borders. HP * 0

*

$ <&.

Cool

Warm Warm

Hot

20cm x 20cm

Vietnamese Mint Persicaria odoruta This native of South East Asia flourishes in any moist soil, whether in sun or part shade and can easily be grown in a pond if you have particularly dry gardening conditions. The elegantly pointed leaves with chocolate brown markings have a flavour reminiscent of coriandcr that bccomes increasingly hot as the leaves age. Use young sprigs for salads or the older leaves with any poultry dish and of course laksa. Vigorous, confine to pots. TP 515 0

Thyme

0

Cool »t

Warm

H ot

1m x 50cm

Vietnamese Mint

HA

-55sow

0

0

GROW June-Dec

Mi

GROW May-Dec

40cm x 40cm

GROW May-Aug

^days

Zanthoxylum piperitum, Japanese Pepper Japanese or Sichuan pepper can be grown from Tasmania to the sublropics, forming a prickly deciduous shrub. The leaves arc used in soups and salads, while the 'pepper' is derived from the husk (pericarp) of the seed. The 'pepper' is an ingredient of both Chinese Five Spice and the Japanese spice mixture shichimi and is reported to lower blood pressure. HP *

$

Cool

0

44

^

0

Warm Warm

13m

Hot

~2m

Japanese Pepper

II

THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN

DISPLAYED

The Gardens of Heronswood & St Erth MICROCLIMATES The Mornington Peninsula is surrounded by water which gives the area its maritime climate. The blistering northerlies that flow across the bay cool quickly, providing lower summer temperatures than Melbourne. In winter the water in the bay retains heat which prevents frost, thus providing a longer growing season than most of Victoria.

v

The Garden i

Heronswood is the home of The Digger's Club and its garden is a living catalogue of all the evergreen fruits and vegetables described in this book. Deciduous fruit trees that need more chilling hours are planted at our cold climate garden at St Erth at Blackwood Victoria. At Heronswood we have five separate vegetable gardens and it is within these gardens we have rescued the best heirloom vegetables described in this book. The garden has extensive plantings of fruits and flowers which are all available for sale at our St Erth or Heronswood shops or by mail order via our six catalogues. Heronswood's dry garden looking over Port Phillip Bay

Much of the delicious food we grow in the garden is served in our cafd so not only can you see all the wonderful and rare foods growing but you can taste them too.

We are growing a wider range of subtropicals than you would cxpect to see in Victoria. We are planting avocados to replace 50-year-old camellias, and have established hedges of feijoa and Chilean guava. By planting adjacent to heat retaining walls or by covering surface areas with stones or concrete, night temperatures moderate the climate and extend our garden display from September to May.

Heronswood's historic house was completed in 1871. The Gothic revival house was designed by Edward La Trohe Batemun for Professor Hearn. Clive and Penny Blazey, the 8th owners, acquired the house and garden in 1983 and established the Digger's MaiI Order Club.

O U R GARDENS Many would describe Heronswood as a cottage garden as if this refers only to the style of our flower planting, but it should also describe the interplanting of vegetables, fruit, roses and herbs. It is this interplanting that prevents the build up of pest problems. We are in the process of organically certifying our gardens. If you come and visit Heronswood don't be intimidated by the standard of gardening, our gardens are managed with a staff of three. Considering the area is equivalent to 25 house blocks, this equates to only five hours work each week for the typical gardener. To live in a beautiful garden and be self-sufficient is a wonderful reward for so little effort. Our gardens are water efficient in that we have cut our water use by 60% in the last 3 years.

GIVE A C H I L D A TREE T O PICK FROM No matter how small your garden or how demanding the work pressures, make sure you plant the seed of gardening for your children. To see the look of wonder on your child's face when they pick their first fruit is sheer joy.

Heronswood's thatch-roofed cafd

W H A T IS T H E D I G G E R ' S C L U B ? The Digger's Club is Australia's largest garden club which began in 1978. Seeds and plants are available via mail order, direct to your door, (not available in nurseries) C l u b m e m b e r s a r e entitled to: • Six catalogues per year • Up to 30% discounts on plants, seeds, books and bulbs • Free entry to our gardens and festivals • Eight packets of seed free All the vegetables arc available in our Garden Annual.

Our gardens 70 minutes f r o m Melbourne, open 7 days Heronswood, 105 L a t r o b e P a r a d e , D r o m a n a , Victoria 3936. Melways 159 C9 St E r t h , S i m m o n s Reef Rd, Blackwood, Victoria. Melways 609(or 909) E l l

diggers.com.au or ring 03 5984 7900 To join the club see coupon inside dust cover

Index A Abelmoschus esculentus 72 Acephala group 52 Acidity 17 Alfalfa lucerne 19 Alkalinity 17 Alley cropping 19 Allium ameloprasum 52 cepa 53 sativum 52 schoenoprasum 84 tuberosum 84 Aloysia triphylla 85 Anethum graveolens 85 Anthriscus cerefolium 84 Anti-oxidants 11 Apium graveolens var. dulce 59 Apium graveolens var. rapaceum 59 Apollo 61 Arachis hypogaea 72 Artemisia dracunculus 86 Artichoke Globe 48 Green Globe 48 Violctta 48 Artichoke (Jerusalem) 48 Aruguia, syn. Roquette Apollo 61 Asparagus officinalis 49 Hybrids 49 Mary Washington 49 Purple 49 Aubergines 71

B Basil Sweet 84 Bay 84 Bean, Broad 49 Aquadulce 49 Crimson Flowered 49 Beans Bush beans (French or Dwarf) Dragon's Tongue 68 Italian Romano 68 Snake Bean 68 Climbing beans (pole) Blue Lake 68 Lazy Housewife 68 Purple King 68 Rattlesnake 68 Perennial Runner beans Painted Lady 68

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Scarlet Runner 68 Sunset 68 Beetroot 58 Beetroot Trials (table) 58 Bulls Blood 58 Burpees Golden 58 Chioggia 58 Globe 58 Mini Gourmet 58 White Albina 58 Beta vulgaris 58 Beta vulgaris var. cicla 65 Biodiversity 8 Biodiverse gardening 20 B o k C h o i 51 Bottled water Impact of 6 Bottom heat 4 i Brassica juncea 61 juncea var. japonica 61 oleracea Acephala group 52 oleracea Botrytis group 60 oleracea Capitata group 51 oleracea Gemmifera group 5 0 oleracea Italica group 50 rapa 55 rapa Chinensis group 51 rapa Pekinensis Group 51 Broccoli 50 Green Sprouting 50 Premium Crop hybrid 50 Purple Sprouting 50 Romanesco 50 Bunte Forellenschuss 63

c Cabbage 51 January King 51 Mini Emerald Acre 51 Red Drumhead 51 Cabbages, Asian 51 B o k C h o i 51 P a k C h o y 51 Tatsoi 61 W o n g B o k 51 Cabbage Trials Table 51 Calendula officinalis 63 Camellia sinensis 87 Capers 84 Capparis spinosa 84

Capsicums Alma Paprika 69 Bell Peppers Cheese Pimento 69 Chinese Giant 69 Mini Capsicums 69 Sweet Cheese Pimento 69 Sweet Chocolate 69 Bullshom Corno di Toro 69 Jimmy Nardcllo 69 Marconi 69 Capsicum spccies 69 Capsicum trials at Digger's 69 Carbon cycle 7, 14 Simplified 7 Carbon - Nitrogen materials 17 Carbon storage 7, 8 Carbon to nitrogen ratio 17 Carrots 60 All Season/Topweight 60 Baby 60 Paris Market/Mini Round 60 Purple Three Colour 60 Cauliflower Mini / S n o w b a l l 60 Purple Cape 60 Celeriac 59 Celery 59 Chervil 84 Chicory 59 RedTreviso 59 Children's gardening Little Diggers 28 Chilli Cayenne 69 Habanero 69 Jalapeno 69 Santa Fc Grande 69 Chives Garlic 84 Chives Onion 84 Cichorium intybus var. foliosum 59 Citrullus lanatus 80 Clay 15 Clever clover 19 Climate Climate change 21, 35 Climate maps 42-43 Cold zone map 42 Comfrey 19 C o m m o n Mint 85

Compost 16 Consumtpion of fruit and vegetables 26 Coriander 84 Coriandrum sativum 84 Corn 70 Corn Pollination Table 70 Sugar Enhanced Hybrid Dwarf F1 70 Supersweet Hybrids Breakthrough F1 70 Honey and Cream Breakthrough F1 70 White Corn FI 70 Traditional Corn Baby Corn F1 70 Blue Popping Corn 70 Golden Bantam 70 Ornamental Indian Corn 70 Variegated Corn 70 Corn Salad 61 Crop rotation 21, 25 Cuba 10 Cucumber 71 Burpless Cucumbers Armenian 71 Lebanese 71 Lemon 71 Mexican Sour Gherkin 71 Mini White 71 Sweet and Striped 71 Spacemaster 71 Cucumis melo 75 Cucumis melo flexuosus 71 Cucumis sativus 71 Cucurbita maxima 72 Cucurbita moschata 72 Cucurbita pepo 72 Curcuma longa 87 Cymbopogon citratus 85 Cynara scolymus 48

D Daucus carota 60 Decorative vegetables 30 Digger's Club 89 Dig up your lawn plot (table) 26 Dill 85 Diplotaxis sylvestris 61 Drip irrigation 18

E Earthworms 14 Ecology 6 Eggplant 71 Lislada di Gandia 71 Long Purple 71 Eruca sativa 61

F

J

Farming Energy use 6 Factory farming meat 9 Genetic modification 6 Strawberry farm 11 Fennel 59 Florence Fennel 59 Fertiliser 16 Application rates of nutrients (table) 16 Fertiliser needs of vegetables (table) 16 Flowers, Edible 63 Calendula, Pot marigold 63 Nasturtium Alaska 63 Apricot Tip Top 63 Empress of India 63 Milkmaid 63 Peach Melba 63 Violets and Pansies 63 Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum 59

Japanese Pepper 87 Juniper 85

G Garden plans 27 Garlic 52 Hardneck Chinese Red 52 Elephant/Russian 52 New Zealand Purple 52 Softneck Australian White 52 Biofresh 52 Genetic modification 37 Farming 6 Germination 40 Days to germination 39 Globalisation Globalisation of our food supply 6 Goldman, Amy 75 Gourds 81 Birdhouse 81 Decorative Table Mix 81 Dinosaur 81 Grain fed cars 7 Green manures 19 Growing days map 43 South-cast Australia 45

H Heavy feeders 21 Hclianthus tuberosus 48 Herbs 8 4 - 8 7 Heronswood 88 Humus 14 Hybrids 13

Junipcrus communis 85

K Kale 52 Kitchen gardens 30

L Lactuca sativa 62 Lady's Finger 72 Laurus nobilis 84 Leeks 52 Elephant 52 Jeune du Poitou 52 Legumes Improving soils with legumes 21 Lemon Grass 85 Lemon Verbena 85 Lettuce 6 2 - 6 3 Cos or Romaine Cos Verdi 63 Red Leprechaun Mix 63 R o u g e d ' H i v e r 63 Heading Lettuce Great Lakes 63 Red Iccberg 63 Loose-Leaf Australian Yellow Leaf 63 Butterhcad Freckles 63 Goldrush 63 Lollo Biondo / Lollo Rosso 63 Red Velvet 63 Royal Oakleaf 63 Life expectancy of vegetable seeds 39 Light feeders 21 Loam 15 Lucerne hay 19 Lycopersicon esculentum 76

M Machc 61 Manure 19 Manures Green manures 19 Marjoram, Golden 85 Mentha Mentha spp. 85 suaveolens variegata 85 viridis 85 x piperita 85 Mini-plot 2 4 - 2 5 , 2 7 Mint 85 Mint, Common 85 Mint, Peppermint 85

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Mint, Variegated Applemint 85 Mizuna 61 Mulching 18,35 Murraya koenigii 87

N Nasturtium officinale 87 Nitrogen 16, 17 Non-organic food 10 Nutrients 16

o Ocimum basilicuni 84 Okra 72 Onions Long day late varieties Borettana Yellow 53 Creamgold 53 Mild Red Odourless 53 Spring Onion 53 Multiplying onions Potato onions 53 Shallots 53 Tree onions 53 Onions from sets 53 Short day early varieties Barletta 53 Oregano Greek 86 Organics Organic gardening 21 Pest control Insect pests (table) 20 Origanum onites 86 Origanum vulgare Aureum 85

P P a k C h o y 51 Parsley 86 Parsnip 60 Hollow Crown 60 Parterre & I'Australien 30 Pastinaca sativa 60 Peanuts 72 Peas 54 Golden Podded 54 Greenfeast 54 Purple Podded 54 Shelling Peas 54 Snow Peas Climbing 54 Dwarf 54 Sugar Snap Climbing 54 Dwarf 54 Whole Pod or Mange tout 54 Perilla frutescens Atropurpurea 86

II

Perilla, Shiso 86 Persicaria odorata 87 Pest control 20 Organic (table) 20 Using flowers 20 Pest control without pesticides 8, 20 Pesticides Non-toxic 21 Pest management 20 Integrated pest management 20 Petroselinum crispum 86 Petroselinum crispum var neopolitanum 86 pH 17 Phaseolus coccineus 68 Phaseolus vulgaris 68 Phosphorous 16 Photosynthesis 7 Pisium sativum 54 Polyface Farm 9 Potager 30 Potassium 16 Potatoes 64 Growing in one square metre 64 White fleshed Bison 64 Brownell 64 Toolangi Delight 64 Yellow fleshed Desiree 64 Dutch Cream 64 King Edward 64 Kipfler 64 Nicola 64 Pink Eye 64 Royal Blue 64 Spunta 64 Potting on 41 Pumpkins 7 2 - 7 4 Australian Bred Australian Butter 74 Ironbark 74 Tri amble 74 French Bred Musquee de Provence 74 Potimarron 74 International Varieties Bohemian 74 Butternut 74 Delicata Mini Sweet 74 R e d K u r i 74 Turk's Turban 74 World's Largest 74 Pollination and Seed Saving 74 Pollination by hand 73 Pumpkin Trials (table) 73

R Radicchio 59 Radish 55 Easter Egg 55 French Breakfast 55 Round Red 55 Raised beds 19 Raphanus sativus 55 Red Giant Mustard 61 Rheum x hybridum 65 Rhubarb 65 Ever Red 65 Glaskins Perpetual 65 Silvan Giant 65 Rockmelons 75 For winter storage Naples 75 Tendral Verde 75 Muskmelons Eden's Gem 75 Mini Melon Minnesota 75 True Cantaloupes French Charentais 75 Ha'Ogen 75 Prescott Fond Blanc 75 Rooting depth of vegetables 41 Rosemary 86 Rosmarinus officinalis 86

s Sage 86 Salvia officinalis 86 Sand 15 Satureja hortensis 86 Sea Kale beet 65 Seed Pledge 13 Seeds Germinating 40 Hygiene 40 Life expectancy of vegetable seeds 39 Raising seedlings 40 Sowing 38 When to sow 19 Storing seeds 39 Seed Savers Exchange 12,36 Self-sufficiency Garden area needed 33 Mini-plot 27 Planting and harvest plan 24 Water needs 33 Silverbeet 65 Five Colour Mix 65 Fordhook 65 Yellow 65 Soil Building organic content 35

Correcting acid soil 17 Correcting alkaline soil 17 Growth 14 Ideal composition (chart) 14 Improving soils with legumes 21 Organic soils 14 pH 17 Soil improvers 21 Structure 15 Texture 15 Water penetration 18 Soil wetting depths 41 Solanum melongena 71 Solanum tuberosum 64 Sowing seed 38 Cool soil 44 Mild Soil 44 Very warm soil 45 Warm soil 44 Sow what when 44 Growing days map - South-east Australia & Perth 45 When to sow in your climate chart 44-45 Spinach 55 Bloomsdale 55 New Zealand Spinach 55 Spinacia oleracea 55 Squash 81 S t E r t h 88 Summer Savory 86 Swiss Chard 65

T Tarragon French 86 Tatsoi 61 Tea 87 Temperature Impact on growth 35 Temperate plant growth 35 Tropical plant growth 35 Tetragonia tetragonoides 55 Thyme 87 Thymus spp. 87 Tomatoes Heirloom vs Hybrid Tomato Yields (table) 78 Hybrids Apollo F1 79 Inderterminate tomatoes 76 Paste & drying tomatoes Amish Paste 78 Anna Russian 78 Principe Borghese 78 Pruning & Late Planting Trials 77 Taste Test- 79

Tomatoes - heirloom Beefsteak or Slicing Tomatoes Black Krim 76 Brandywine 78, 79 Elfie 78, 79 Grosse Lisse 78, 79 Mortgage Lifter 78, 79 Rouge de Marmande 79 White Beauty 79 Cherry tomatoes Beam's Yellow Pear 78 Broad Ripple Yellow Currant 78 Cherry Roma 78 Lemon Drop 7 8 - 7 9 Sugarlump 7 8 - 7 9 Wild Sweetie 7 8 - 7 9 Determinate tomatoes 77 Salad tomatoes Black Russian 78 Black Zebra 78 Green Zebra 78 Ida Gold 78 Red Fig 78 Siberian 78 Tigerella 78

Heirlooms to grow for cool summers Blacktail Mountain 80 Cream of Saskatchewan 80 Golden Midget 80 Sweet Siberia 80 Heirloom varieties Jam Melon Citron Red Seeded 80 Moon and Stars 80 WildArugula 61 Witloof 59 W o n g B o k 51

z Zanthoxylum piperitum 87 Zea mays 70 Zucchini 81 Black Beauty 81 Crookneck 81 Spaghetti Squash 81 Tromboncino 81

Tommy Toe (Red & Yellow) 78 Wapsipinicon Peach 78 Tropaeolum minus 63 True Curry Leaf 87 Trueman, Will 73 Turmeric 87 Turnips 55 Turnip Trials (table) 55

V Valerianella Iocusta 61 Vietnamese Mint 87 Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis

68 Viola spp. 63

w Water 1 8 , 3 2 - 3 5 Amount required to grow fruit and vegetables (table) 32 Conservervation 18 Drip irrigation 34 Drip vs spray 18 Efficiency 34 Grey water 3 3 - 3 4 Penetration on different soil types. 18 Rainwater harvest 3 3 - 3 4 Stats for capital cities (table) 34 Storage 33 Usage (table) 32 Watercress 87 Watermelon 80

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Glossary A c i d soil Soil with a pH less than 7. Low pH affects the availability of soil nutrients. Acid soils are usually low in calcium and magnesium but high in available iron. Alkaline soil Soil with a pH greater than 7. Alkaline soils are low in available iron. Annual A plant that completes its life cycle in one year. Started from seed it will grow, flower and die within one year. Antioxidant Compounds that reduce free radicals that can cause cancer and high cholesterol. Many antioxidants can be found in the pigments/colours in fruit and vegetables. Apical meristem The meristem (growth point) at the top of a stem or branch. Axillary meristem A meristem (growth point) occurring on the sides of a stem or branch. B i e n n i a l Cool winters initiate spring flowering. Life cycle depends on sowing time. Vegetables: To prevent flowering sow Spring-Autumn. Flowers: To encourage flowers sow Autumn. Biennial bearing When a tree or shrub bears fruit prolifically in one year and none or very little the next year. Often caused by lack of fruit thinning. It can be a useful trait to break the lifecycle of some pests that attack the fruit. Bolting When a vegetable prematurely flowers and seeds due to growing conditions or lime of planting. Bordeaux A mixture of copper sulphate and hydrated lime. It can be applied as a dust or mixed with water and used as a spray to control fungal problems such as wilts, peach leaf curl and rust. It can damage leaf tissue so is best used just before leaf buds burst in spring. Compatible with organic gardening techniques. Bulbil A small bulb that forms on the above-ground plant parts (usually the flower stem). It can be planted to grow into another plant. Useful for propagation/increasing plant numbers.

II

c

anopy The area that is covered by a plant's leaves - like the extent of an umbrella. Clay A soil in which the soil particles are extremely small (less than 0.002mm). Clay soils are poorly drained but hold water and nutrients/ organic matter well. Cold air drainage The propensity of cold air to sink; the opposite of hot air rising. Cold air drainage makes low-lying areas colder and more frost prone than areas halfway up a hill. In cool areas it is desirable to plant frost-sensitive plants where the cold air will flow past rather than collect and form frost. Cross-pollination The transfer of pollen from one variety of plant to the stigma of a different, but related plant (eg between two different varieties of pear) to ensure fruit. Cultivar A cultivated variety of plant propagated by gardeners for its particular attributes. One wild species of plant may give rise to many cultivars (eg Jonathan and Granny Smith are both cultivars of the domestic apple). See Variety D e c i d u o u s Describes plants that shed their leaves at the onset of their dormant season (either winter or the dry season). Dioecious A plant that bears male flowers on one plant and female flowers on another. Therefore two plants are needed in order to obtain fruit (eg kiwifruit). Divide/Division A propagation process. Plants are removed from the ground and broken up into smaller pieces, with each piece having roots and shoots. D o r m a n t Describes a stage in a plant's life cycle in which there is no growth. Drainage The ability of the soil to retain or shed water. Good drainage enables water to flow easily through the soil so that the plant's roots are not sitting in soggy ground. E p i p h y t e Plants that have evolved to grow in trees. The demand sharp drainage and they cling to their host/ support with aerial roots. Evergreen Describes plants that retain their foliage year round by renewing and replacing their leaves a few at a time.

F e r t i l i z e r Substances that contain compounds that help plants to grow. See Potassium, Nitrogen and Phosphorus. Fruit The part of the plant that contains seed/s. Fruit set When small fruits are formed soon after flowering. G e n e t i c engineering Transferring genes from plants, bacteria or animals in a laboratory, across normal species barriers. Genus A rank or grouping of plants that is made up of one or more species (sometimes thousands) all of which are closely related (generic: of the same genus). Germination The first stage of a seed's development into a plant. The seed swells and the seed root (radicle) is visible outside the seed coat. H e i r l o o m seeds Open-pollinated, publicly owned seed, produced by crossing two parents of the same variety. H e r m a p h r o d i t e Plants that bear flowers that include both male and female parts. Sometimes called 'perfect' flowers, they can be selffertile or need cross-pollination from another plant of the same species. H u m u s The dark material that results from decayed organic material. It is essential for a healthy functioning soil. Hybrid Sexual reproduction from plants that are not genetically identical. L a t e r a l growth A bud or shoot resulting in growth at the side of the main stem or shoot, making the plant bushy. Legume Members of the pea family that can convert atmospheric nitrogen to nitrogen-rich nodules on their roots. These nodules slowly release nitrogen to the soil in a form that is easily taken up by plants. Loam Soil in which there is an even mix of fine particles (clay) and coarse particles (sand). I V I e r i s t e m A growth point/bud. A part of the plant that contains, or has the potential to contain actively dividing cells.

Monoecious A plant that bears separate male and female flowers on the one plant (eg hazels, pumpkins and corn). N e m a t o d e s Unsegmented wormlike creatures that attack the roots of certain plants. The best control in vegetable crops is to maintain good rotation. Neutral soil Soil with a pH of between 6.5 and 7. Any nutrients present in the soil are easiest for plants to extract when the soil pH is neutral. Nitrogen One of the three major nutrients essential for plant growth. Nitrogen stimulates leaf and shoot growth: too much nitrogen results in soft, sappy, disease-prone growth and contributes to the pollution of rivers and creeks; too little nitrogen results in poor growth and pale, yellowed leaves. Nitrogen-fixing plant A plant that, with help from soil micro-organisms, forms nitrogen-rich nodules on its root system. Most of these plants are members of the pea family (legumes). The roots of these plants should be left in the ground to provide nitrogen for future crops. Node The point on the stem from which a leaf or another stem grows. O r g a n i c matter Any material derived from something once living (eg carbon based materials such as prunings, grass clippings, paper, cotton or woollen material, hair or feathers). Composted organic matter is essential for healthy soil. P e r e n n i a l A plant that lives for more than two years. It may be short-lived (three to five years), a herbaceous (non-woody) perennial or woody perennial (a tree or shrub). Pericarp The layer that surrounds the seed. In an apricot this includes the llesh that we eat and the hard covering of the kernel inside the apricot 'stone'. pH The measure of hydrogen and hydroxyl ions in the soil solution (soil water) indicating whether the soil is alkaline or acid. Phosphorus One of the three major nutrients required for plant growth. It promotes root growth, seed/fruit

set and is involved in many aspects of plant metabolism. Phosphorous can become unavailable to plants when the pH is outside the range of pH6-7.5. Australian soils are generally lacking in phosphorus. Blood and bone is a good source. Photosynthesis The means by which plants convert the sun's energy and carbon dioxide into simple sugars that fuel plant growth. Pinch out/back The removal of the growing tip of a shoot to promote bushy growth. The growth is soft enough to pinch off with your thumb and forefinger. Potassium/Potash One of the three major nutrients required for plant growth. It helps to form thick cell walls on the outside of plant parts, thus protecting them from attacking organisms. It also plays an important role in governing the extension of stems. A light dusting of wood ash is rich in potassium. Pollination When the male pollen is transferred to the female stigma and the pollen grains stretch down the female style to reach and fertilize ovules in the ovaries. The resulting seed/s contain an embryo, which if germinated will display characteristics of both the pollen parent and the ovule parent. The male and female organs may be situated in one flower (hermaphrodite), in separate flowers on the one plant (monoecious), or on separate plants (dioecious). R o o t s t o c k A plant that forms the root system in a grafted plant. A bud or stem of a desired variety (called a scion) is grafted/budded onto the rootstock. The rootstock can affect the size, vigour and the disease resistance of the plant. S a n d A soil in which at least 85% of soil particlcs are large allowing for excellent drainage but poor nutrient/ organic matter and water-holding capacity. Species A division of distinct plants that can cross-pollinate (breed) with other species within the same genus. There are one or more species in every genus. The genus name appears first, followed by the species name: in the example Solanum

tuberosum (potatoes), the genus name is Solanum and the species name is tuberosum. Species is often abbreviated to sp. (Specific: of the same species.) Sport A stem on a plant that is different from the rest of the plant. It may bear a different-coloured flower, have slightly different foliage, or show an inclination to climb. When parts of this stem are propagated a new cultivar/variety may result. Spur A short, often lumpy side-shoot that bears fruit for a few years. Stamen The male part of a flower consisting of the filament (like a fine stalk) and the pollen-bearing anther. Standard A plant grown on a single stem with ball-like or weeping vegetation at the stem's apex (eg standard bay tree). Sucker A shoot growing from an underground root or stem. Surface root system The root system that is active very close to the soil surface. All citrus have surface root systems. Such root systems should not be disturbed, so do not cultivate around these plants and mulch well to prevent drying out. T e r m i n a l bud The bud at the very end of a shoot or branch. By removing this bud other buds further down the stem will be encouraged to grow. See Apical meristem. Tip pruning Cutting back the tips of a stem by 15 to 20cm. Transpiration The proccss by which plants expel water vapour from their leaves as part of photosynthesis. Triploid An organism that contains three complete sets of chromosomes. This may make their pollen unsuitable for other plants of the same species. V a r i e t y A species variation that has occurred in a natural ecosystem. We have used this term to indicate cultivars to simplify the text. Vegetable A plant that is grown for its edible leaves, stems, buds or roots (eg cabbage, celery, cauliflower and potatoes respectively). Vegetative growth Plant growth that consists of leaves and stems only no flowers or fruit.

II

Bibliography Vegetables • • • • • • • •

John Wiley & sons, 1980, Knott's handbook for vegetable growers Clive Blazey, 1999, The Australian vegetable garden, New Holland Publishers, Australia John Jeavons, 1974, How to grow more vegetables, Ten Speed Press Amy Goldman, 2004, The complete squash, Artisan, New York Amy Goldman, 2002, Melons for the passionate grower, Artisan, New York Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1885, The vegetable garden, John Murray. Reprint The Jeavons, Leler Press, California, 1976 William Woys Weaver, 1997, Heirloom vegetable gardening, Henry Holt and Co Tanya Denchla, 1994, The organic gardeners home reference, Storey Books

General • • • • • • • • •

Kevin Handreck, 1993, Gardening down-under, CSIRO Michael Pollock, 2004, The RHS fruit and vegetable gardening in Australia, Dorling Kindersley, London Robert Kourik, 1986, Designing and maintaining your edible landscape naturally, Metamorphic Press Miriam Polunin, 1997, Healing foods, Dorling Kindersley, London Suzanne Ash worth, 1991, Seed to seed, Seedsavers Exchange, Iowa Eliis and Bradby Rodale, 1996, The organic gardener's handbook of natural insect and disease control Edna Walling, 1985, A gardener's log, Anne O'Donovan Pty Ltd, Macmillan Stephen Faciola, 1998, Cornucopia. A source of edible plants, Kampong Publications J. Joseph, D. Nadeau, A. Underwood, 2002, The color code, Hyperion, New York

Heirloom seed sources • • • •

The Digger's Club, 105 Latrobe Pde, Dromana, Victoria, 3936. www.diggers.com.au Eden Seeds MS 905 Lower Beechmont Qld, 4211 www.edenseeds.com.au Phoenix Seeds PO Box 207, Snug, Tasmania, 2054 Seed Savers Exchange www.seedsavers.org

Climate change • • • • • •

II

Tim Flannery, 2005, The weather makers, Text Publishing, Australia K. Dow & T. Downing, 2006, The atlas of climate change, University of California Press Lester Brown, 2007, Plan b 3.0, Earth Policy Institute Michael Pollan, 2006, Omnivore's dilemma, Penguin Group, USA Jared Diamond, 2005, Collapse, Penguin Group, USA Veil research report, Sustainable and secure food systems for Victoria University of Melbourne

KEY TO GROWING INSTRUCTIONS - ICONS See key to growing instructions (left)

• VEGETABLE GARDEN - Seeds and bulbs PLANT TYPE I LIFE CYCLE HA Hardy Annual: survives frost. Life cycle 4-12 months.

How to use this book

TA Tender Annual: frost sensitive. HB Hardy biennial: life cycle 2 growing seasons. p

H

Hardy perennial. Perennial roots with annual flowers, (life cycle 2 years plus).

TP Tender perennial: dies in frosty areas.

SEED SOWING (see p44-45)

j g S°: Sow direct outside. sow £ £ S': Sow as seedling into pots then transplant sow outside.

Spacing of seeds I transplants.

.„m m/cm x m/cm

Space between rows by M sp

ace b e l w e e n p l a n l s

Warm Melb-Adel inland Below 150 days 150-240 days GROW GROW months months Cool Tasmania

TEMPERATURE GROWING DAYS Number days over 15°C

Harvest days

DAYS TO HARVEST

Hot Bris, Perth. Sydney 240+ days GROW months

Days from sowing seed (including seedling stage).

FRUITING TREES & SHRUBS - Container grown plants

FIND YOUR CLIMATE COLOUR for vegetables you can grow Cool

Warm

Hot

Use the 'Growing Days map' on p43 to guide you in your selection of vegetables and when to sow them. Find your location on the map. This indicates the number of growing days in your region. We have grouped the growing days into three broad zones represented by icons that are coloured blue, green or yellow. The number of growing days determines what vegetables you can grow and when it is best to grow them. On p44-45 select the column marked in your growing zone colour, and plant out your seeds in the months indicated for each vegetable. Each individual vegetable entry will display the climate colours and months of sowing appropriate for that vegetable.

GROWING ZONES

Cool

Growing Days X Cold Zone

Warm Warm

Hot

Coastal Inland Mildura, Melb, Sydney, Dubbo, Adel, Perth, Bega. T'woomba Brisbane BunUuiy

Areas

Tas. Ballarat, Orange, Canb

Growing Days

1-150

150-240

150-240

240+

Cold Zones

9a,9b

10

9b

10,11,12

-4°C

t -1°C

Frost icon Minimum Temperatures

HEIGHT AND WIDTH

FOLIAGE

-TC

m -1°C

J

Height of mature plant

*-*

Width of mature plant

tjj

Evergreen

^

Deciduous

^

Semi-Deciduous

SUNLIGHT AND WATER REQUIREMENTS SUNLIGHT REQUIRED

WATER Vegetables must be kept moist at all times unless otherwise indicated in the text.

0

Part sun or part shade

HI

Shade only

tit it i

Constantly moist soil

(Above 850mm rainfall)

Seasonal watering Drought tolerant

Coastal

Inland

Hot

Use the 'Cold Zone map' on p42 to ascertain what trees, shrubs, climbers and perennials you can grow in your area. Find your location on the map, it will be covered by one of the four colours, blue, pink, green or yellow indicating different zones. Fruit plants will be permanent members of your garden and are likely to be acquired as young plants in pots, or bare-rooted in winter in the case of some deciduous trees, canes or shrubs.

Required sunlight icons are on the bottom section of the page.

Full sun

0

Warm Warm

See the icon table (left) and on the inside of the back cover for the symbols used for the type of plant, sowing method, spacing and harvest icons for vegetables. The icons for fruiting trees and shrubs cover frost tolerance/intolerance, climate, height and width of plant, type of foliage, harvest month and likely yield.

Yiold

TOTAL PRODUCE

Cool

How do I grow fruit and vegetables?

Harvest month

SEASON OF HARVEST

FIND YOUR CLIMATE COLOUR for fruiting trees and shrubs you can grow

(Below 500mm rainfall)