vegetables Archives - SpadeRunner

A new produce basket for collecting the harvest

April 21, 2016April 21, 2016 Stephen Carlin

Our friend Sue gave us this lovely wire produce basket, which she found in a local market. I think it is going to be very handy for collecting produce from the garden. It’s quite sturdy, made of hexagonal weave wire around a rigid frame, with a wooden grip where the two handles meet. I’ve been using whatever comes to hand to collect from the garden, but this is definitely the best so far. Calico bags are handy to carry but everything gets jumbled in, which means that the delicate things…

Growing zucchini ‘Costa Romanesque’

October 12, 2015December 27, 2015 Stephen Carlin

You’ve got to love growing zucchini as a home garden vegetable. They are quick, easy and delicious. This year I’m growing the ‘Costa Romanesque’ cultivar. I have two plants that I started early, and they have raced ahead in the warmer Spring weather. I have been watching them closely to check whether there are both male and female flowers, so was astonished to find this huge first zucchini; either I overlooked it or it grew tremendously overnight.

Dandelion chicory, a pick anytime vegetable

September 28, 2015December 27, 2015 Stephen Carlin

I have been really impressed with dandelion chicory in the garden. I knew it as a vegetable from the greengrocers; a few big bunches always up the back of the greens stand, a little forlorn and unloved, mainly just providing a striking backdrop to the more bought (and known) greens. I got the seeds thinking I’d use it as a salad vegetable, a few of the dark green leaves adding interest to a lettuce plate, but all that has changed. Now I know it’s the leaf stems that are the…

Setting up an aquaponics system

September 25, 2015December 27, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Our new aquaponics system is up and running, and supporting some healthy tomato seedlings. It is a gravity recirculating system driven by a solar pump. Here I’ll outline the basic system, with reasons and tips for starting one, and plans for the future.

Growing strawberries over black plastic

September 9, 2015October 12, 2017 Stephen Carlin

This really works! As a kid we went to strawberry farms which had huge rows of black plastic with strawberries planted along them, and it always seemed a bit mean to the plants to have them almost smothered, but it really works for growing strawberries in the home garden too.

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.

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…

Black radish – for us or the chickens?

June 29, 2015December 29, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Black radish seeds seemed like an interesting option from the seed merchant, so in my spirit of adventure and finding what grows best for us here, I bought a packet. They were something different from the usual, and worth a try. When I started pulling them, I was wondering if they would be consigned to the experience bin, but with a few tasty crops and recipes tried, I’m a convert.

Making daikon kimchi

May 19, 2015May 16, 2016 Stephen Carlin

Making daikon kimchi is an excellent way to spread out a harvest. My daikon (white radish, mooli) crop did very well, but after a few weeks of picking, the final half dozen plants needed to be pulled to make way for the next planting. So with the fridge already loaded with daikon roots, I decided to try a fermentation.

Bunching onions; transplanting

May 6, 2015December 29, 2015 Stephen Carlin

Onions are another crop that can be tricky in the subtropics, but generally they need some patience and understanding. Most types need cold weather to form good bulbs, so for warmer climates bunching onions with their different growth habit can be a good choice. They are like permanent spring onions and they grow like massive chives, with many stems. Growing bunching onions Autumn is a good time to sow, to take advantage of the cooler weather. After moving here I planted mine in late Winter, which was not an ideal start, but…