grow | hazelnuts

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Hazelnuts are perfect for those with small gardens as the bush only grows about 3m x 3m.
It is a deciduous shrub that does best where cooler winters give it the cold snap it needs for fruiting, but cropping will be better if more than one type of hazelnut is planted so that they can cross pollinate. Catkins from male and female flowers form on the same plant in summer, and, provided pollination occurs, these develop into the sweet kernel everyone loves during autumn.
Plant hazelnuts in an open, sunny position with added humus and mulch well with leaf mould to keep roots cool and moist. Leaves turn quite a pretty yellow before dropping, and there is an ornamental purple foliage form too.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | pawpaw

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Papaya, or Pawpaw (Carica papaya), are easily grown fruit trees for the backyard.  Although they need a basically frost free position, they can be grown in a wider range of climates if placed on the north side of homes, against brick walls, to offer some overnight warmth from the reflected heat of the house.

Papaw have interesting sex lives.  Basically, there are girl plants and boys plants, and the two have to meet via the bees and the butterflies…you know the story.  But wait, there’s a twist, you can actually save yourself the trouble of planting two trees and cross pollinating by buying a bisexual plant, which will fertilise itself.

Plant your specimen in a well drained position, as they can get root rot easily, and stand back.  They are so fast growing you’ll have fruit probably forming the next season.  In fact, they only take 18 months to fruit from seed. Papaw also have the weird ability to be able to develop their fruits, and if the weather isn’t favourable for ripening, they can put themselves into a holding pattern and wait for more temperate conditions.  This means that cropping is variable, depending on when and where you have your tree growing.

Papaw can be eaten green, or allowed to change colour to either red, orange or golden, depending on the variety.  If you are ripening your papaw in fruit fly prone areas, slipping over a specially designed cloth bag is a good idea to exclude this troublesome fly and stop it laying maggots into your crop.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | figs

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Since Adam was a boy, we have been growing figs, not for their large body covering leaves but for their delicate sweet fruit which is treasured.  This most loved plant is especially delicate, so handling really bruises the fruit easily, making it an ideal backyard addition where the journey from backyard to dinner plate can be minimised.
Of all the varieties, probably the yummiest is Ficus ‘Black Ischia’, but as this has very soft skin you usually won’t be able to buy it at the greengrocer.

Figs like a Mediterranean climate, which means wet winters and dry hot summers, but they are adaptable and seem to grow on the coast too, although they do succumb to splitting their fruit sometimes if the rains fall too heavily, and also to fruit fly and scale on both their leaves, stems and fruit.  The biggest pest however is birds, who also love eating figs. For this reason, figs are often espaliered, or grown flat, so that a net can easily be thrown over them, or grown inside cages or, like in the picture shown here, under an arch so similarly a cover can protect the ripening fruits.  The other trick to getting bigger harvests is to plant your tree on a rock or slab of concrete.  This stops the roots from developing a major tap root, which in turn makes the tree less large and more spreading, which results in more fruit.

Figs set fruit on both young wood and old, so can produce many kilos once established.  In Australia the first crop is in early summer, followed by a secondary, heavier crop inlate summer.  If your fruit drops when it’s young and fails to develop, chances are the wasp needed to pollinate your crop hasn’t visited.  A capri fig is the host and will need to be nearby in order to visit your tree.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | carrots

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Carrots (Daucus carota) may seem to be the most ordinary of vegetables; the stock standard for meat and three veg, but, what most people don’t realize is just how wrong that assumption is.  In fact, carrots come in many shapes and sizes, from round, radish-like shapes to white, purple, yellow and red colours.  They were, in fact, selectively bred to be orange, by the Dutch, in honour of their Royal family, whose colours are such. If one digs a little deeper, and looks at the heirloom or old fashioned types, you can still get seed stock of these fascinating relics
from yesteryear.

Carrots can basically be sown all year round, and the trick is to sow them directly into the ground or in pots where they will be grown, as they don’t transplant at all well.  The seed is only fine, so you can mix it with dry sand if you wish to make spacing the seeds a little easier. Cover them very finely with about 1cm more of sand or fine soil, form them down and keep them moist whilst they germinate.  As you pick, harvest them evenly along the row to allow the remaining carrots to fatten.  It takes carrots about 12 weeks from sowing to be ready.  Staggering your planting, waiting a month between rows will allow for more even production.

Another trick with carrots is to make sure that your soil is well prepared, as rocks and clods will force you carrots to stop their taper and fork.  Another problem can be over fertilising, as too rich a soil can have the same effect.  Generally carrots grown where a high yielding crop like tomatoes have been will be ideal, as these will have stripped some of the excess elements out already and make it perfect for a carrots.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | parsley

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Parsley actually has quite a few forms, from common curled parsley that most people recognize as the garnish from butchers windows of prawn cocktails in the ‘70s right through to the lesser known types like French Parsley, which is also known as Chervil.  All are actually related to the carrot and parsnip, which is no surprise to those of you who know of Hamburg parsley, the cultivar that develops a carrot like white root with a delicate parsley flavour.  All parsleys can actually have both the seed, root, stalk and leaf eaten, so long as they are washed properly.

In vogue today is Continental or Flat leafed parsley, which is also known as Italian parsley.  It features in recipes like tabouleh and has a stronger flavour and leaf less prone to wilting. Coriander, or Chinese parsley, is also very popular, probably because of the increase in Asian food, and it lends an almost citrus-like freshness to foods.

The trick with growing all types is to sow seed directly into position.  None of this family really likes transplanting, and the stress of doing so can trigger plants to prematurely “bolt” or go to seed. To encourage healthy, vigorous growth, plant in full sun in well drained soil, and feed every 3 weeks with a liquid feed like seaweed solution or fish emulsion.

Actually, one of the easiest ways to always have a supply of parsley is actually to let plants mature a seed naturally, that way they will pop up when the climatic situation is perfect.  Also, the flowering heads of this whole family are great at attracting beneficial insects to the garden, which in turn will help keep your plant attacking insects in check.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | broadbeans

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Broad Beans (Vicia faba), are one of the most useful winter vegetables, especially in frosty areas as they as very cold tolerant. Sown directly in rills in the soil 20cm apart, they grow between 60cm and a 1m depending on the variety over a 20 week period and are heavy yielding hardy.  They don’t need staking as such, but a frame on stake cage will give them the support they need, and wind breaks will also help as they can be easily
snapped in two.

Broad beans need a well draining soil, but will produce their own nitrogen, so addding nitrogen based fertiliser is unnecessary.  In fact, at the end of the season you can dig the plants back into the soil as they are a rich green manure and will help build up the soil in your patch.

There are a few types with pods available with either white or green seeds, and Windsors, which have round pods, are sweeter again, white or green.  There is also a red flowered broad bean called ‘Crimson’ which still produces beans.  The tender young pods are best, and older beans may
need to be double shelled (second time after blanching in boiling water) to be palatable.  New shoots also are edible and have a delicate broad bean flavour perfect for tossing through pasta, adding to salads or garnishing.

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS

grow | celery

By MEREDITH KIRTON

Celery is a relative of celeriac, parsley and fennel and is originally from Europe.  It’s basically a coo season crop in all but the coldest climes, where year round production is possible.  For most of us however planting should be limited to autumn, winter and early spring.
To prepare your bed you’ll probably need to add some organic matter, and lime or gypsum to provide the calcium it loves so much, especially if your soil is very acid or low naturally in these elements.  The soil will also need to be well draining and friable, but still able to hold in moisture as the best celery will need lots of water to not taste stringy and fibrous or bolt too early.  Mulching will help stop drying out between drinks as is also essential.
Once you have planted out your seedlings about 20-30 cm apart, keep up the water and regular organic fertiliser; something like worm wee or fish emulsion diluted and applied every 2-3 weeks is ideal.  Celery does take many weeks (11-18 weeks depending on the season) to become sizeable.  At this stage you can blanch the stems, turning them from bright green to pale green by blocking out the light.  This is normally done by tying the stalks together and then earthing up with soil about 1/3 of their height for a few weeks, then gradually build up the soil to the base of the leaves.  In another week they will be ready to eat after a thorough wash!

Photography by SUE STUBBS | Blog designed by RED PEPPER GRAPHICS