Gardening Archives - Page 6 of 17

Growing turmeric, a warmly rewarding crop

September 1, 2015December 28, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Turmeric has turned out to be a great crop for us here. If you have a warm climate or even just a warm spot over Summer, I’d encourage you to give it a try. I’ve just dug mine up, and was astounded by the amount there was, and by how densely it grows. It is a warm season plant, with attractive ginger type leaves through the Summer which slowly yellow off through Winter here, so that the top is only completely dead by the end of Winter, which is when…

Growing kohlrabi – a good cabbage crop for warm winters

August 31, 2015December 28, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Growing cabbage family vegetables where winters are warm can be challenging, but if your cauliflowers fizzle and brussels sprouts are out of the question, growing kohlrabi might be the go.

Sweet peas in your garden, big rewards for a little preparation

August 25, 2015December 28, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Sweet peas are a rewarding flower, even in warm climates. Mine at the moment are making a splash of colour both outside and inside the house, but of course their superpower is their delightful fragrance when you have them in a vase.

Candystripe beetroot (Chioggia)

August 24, 2015December 29, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Candystripe beetroot is a bit of fun for the vegetable patch. I’ve never seen it in the shops, and it would be difficult to sell as it looks like a plain red beet until peeled and cut, so it’s one of those vegetables that reward the home gardener with something unusual.

Growing swede (turnips)

August 11, 2015December 28, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Swedes are one of those vegetables that you either love or hate, and with their strong flavour they are probably hated by most kids, but ever since my tastes matured I have been on the side of relishing swedes. It’s the combination of sweetness and depth of mellow flavour that gets me, and says Winter in a mouthful. They are the sort of vegetable that needs to be seasonal, and growing swede in the subtropics is a very seasonal matter, you have to get your timing just right. Growing swede in the…

Burning-off season

August 6, 2015December 29, 2015 Stephen Carlin

There’s something primally satisfying about watching a fire burning-off, and Winter days give us the chance for burning-off some of the vegetation we have cleared in the previous months. There are two woody weeds in particular that we have a lot of; lantana and camphor laurel, and when we have a couple of spare hours we typically get out and clear some, which involves pulling out the lantana and cutting down the camphor laurel. The piles then sit until a winter day when it has been dry enough for a few…

Growing tomatillos. Winter is best for subtropics.

August 5, 2015December 29, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Growing tomatillos can take a bit of local experience. In many places they are a Summer crop, but my Summer tomatillo crop was a flop. The bed grew beautifully and the plants were covered in fruit, and then the beetles moved in and stripped the lot to stems. But the fallen fruit re-seeded a Winter crop, which although sporadic around the garden is doing very well and not getting eaten at all.

Winter salad (pretending it’s Spring)

July 30, 2015December 14, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Being able to assemble fresh and interesting salads makes you really appreciate growing your own. We had a sunny midwinter day recently where we bucked the easy routine of bread (home made sourdough of course!) and cheese for lunch and had a freshly picked salad.

Growing shungiku, edible chrysanthemum

July 21, 2015August 15, 2017 Stephen Carlin

Like so many edibles that are hard to come by in the shops and best freshly picked, growing shungiku is rewarding for the home gardener. The Japanese call it shungiku, and some call it chop suey herb. Even though ‘edible chrysanthemum’ is a good general description, it’s actually been moved out of the genus Chrysanthemum and is now officially Glebionis coronaria. This tasty and unusual little vegetable is worth growing to spice up seasonal meals. I used to get it occasionally from my market vendor in Sydney, so thought I’d give growing it…

Growing turmeric

July 9, 2015December 29, 2015 Stephen Carlin

If you have the right climate and a sunny well drained spot, growing turmeric might be worth a try. It is a relative of ginger, and grows to a similarly attractive clump of lush leaves, which die down in Winter to leave a crown of tasty rhizomes.