Ten Gardening Tips
Posted by Phytopath on May 18, 2010
My apprentice
1. Always face an empty wheelbarrow in the direction of travel BEFORE you fill it up. It is much easier to move a heavy object forward, than try to manoeuvre its direction once loaded.
2. When designing vegetable beds, make them no wider than 900 mm (approx 3’) so you do not have to tread on the soil when planting, weeding and harvesting.
3. If you have already made your vegetable beds wider than 900 mm, place a flat paving stone or piece of hardwood timber, between the planting rows. Use these to step on so you don’t tread on the soil.
4. Grow quick growing vegetables like radish, between longer maturing vegetables, like cauliflower. The quick growing vegetables will be grown and harvested before the longer maturing varieties need the space. This is called inter-plating.
5. To prolong the life of lemons after harvest, store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
6. After harvesting pumpkins, store them on their side in the sun for about three weeks, turning them regularly. They should then store for about 12 months.
7. To keep wooden handles on gardening implements in good condition, treat them twice per year with an equal mixture of Linseed oil and turpentine.
8. Remove the dead flower heads of annuals, shrubs and trees (if you can reach), to give a longer flowering season.
9. Bentonite, humus and swales help to ameliorate the problem of non-wetting soils.
10. When constructing garden steps, the tread should measure between 300 -450 mm and the rise should measure between 100 – 150 mm. This should make the steps feel comfortable to walk on.
Sensory Gardens
Posted by Phytopath on Apr 9, 2010
Himeji Garden
What a wonderful thing to have physical senses and to appreciate them in the garden is even better.
So what is a sensory garden? It is a garden which stimulates all or some of our five senses.
All gardens are sensory to a certain degree. They either, look pretty (sight), smell nice (smell), grow fruit and vegetables (taste), have rusting leaves, running water or wind chimes (sound) or have different textured leaves (touch).
A well designed garden can be a pleasure to the eyes. Good use of open space and enclosed areas can create interest, relaxation or intimacy.
The use of colour can change a person’s mood. A Lot of green foliage is relaxing to the eyes where as a lot of ‘hot’ colours are stimulating and give a ‘wow’ factor but do not encourage the visitor to sit and contemplate.
A visually impaired person would appreciate colour contrasts in foliage of the plants in the garden.
Grey or variegated white leaved plants carefully positioned along a path, show up well when illuminated of a night thus helping to guide the walker along the path. Or light coloured pavers used as a header course along the edge of a path will achieve the same result.
Plants that are pollinated by birds or butterflies add another dimension to the visual garden. As do plants that reflect the seasons. Deciduous trees indicating the approach of winter and early flowering spring bulbs to herald the beginning of spring.
Aroma. This is an interesting one because, not only do we have some incredibly wonderful smelling plants but, we also have some almighty rotten stinking plants. Have you ever smelled Dracunculus vulgaris? OMG. This plant is pollinated by blowflies. That may give you some indication of the flower scent and Ruta graveolens (rue), I think comes a close second. Have you ever smelled stray tom cats at the height of breeding season? Yep, that’s rue.
Because the two words ‘sensory’ and ‘garden’ sound so romantic and ‘nice’, let’s forget the stinkers and concentrate on the less offensive plants. Remember it is not only flowers that smell but also foliage.
Freshly mown grass has a distinctive smell, agreeable to most (except hayfever sufferers) and rain on a lemon scented gum tree also has a unique refreshing aroma.
Smells or odours can also bring back memories from recent or long forgotten events. Research has also shown that certain plant aromas can stimulate specific responses in a person. For example, basil, jasmine, rosemary, thyme, bergamot and pine are stimulating to the senses, so you would not plant these in an area where you have seating and want to encourage someone to spend some time. Conversely, lavender, lemon balm, clary sage and chamomile have a sedating effect, so you would plant these around or near a garden seat.
Remember not to plant all of your favourite scented plants in the same garden bed. The smell would be overwhelming and not distinctive. Give each plant their own space, so you can enjoy the individual aroma.
Taste. This sense is rather obvious with gardeners growing the plants they like the taste of. It may be vegetables, fruit, berries or herbs and spices to use in cooking. The most important thing here is to be aware of any poisonous plants that you may have growing in the garden and keep children and pets well away from them. Sometimes even the most beautiful plants like Wisteria and Laburnum can be deadly to children.
The sound of running water in a garden can be very soothing (unless you have a full bladder) and carefully placed wind chimes can indicate wind direction, or a tall person walking in to them if they are poorly positioned.
If you take the time to stop and listen while sitting in a garden, there is no silence.
Bees humming, frogs croaking, birds chirping or warbling, crickets singing, dogs barking, lawn mowers revving etc, etc.
The idea is to concentrate on the pleasant sounds, so if you want birds in your garden, provide them with food water and shelter. If you want frogs in the garden, create a frog pond – but remember they don’t have watches and will not stop making a noise just because you think it is bedtime.
If placing wind chimes around the garden make sure they are not in walk ways, but carefully positioned where there is no foot traffic, but a high likelihood of a gentle breeze.
The sense of touch, like the sense of smell, can be pleasurable or not. Rubbing your fingers over the soft leaves of lamb’s ears (Stachys sp.) is a wonderful experience but brushing up against stinging nettle may be memorable but not pleasurable.
There are so many plants available to gardeners that the variety of leaf forms and shapes is enormous. Soft leaves, prickly leaves, smooth leaves, rough leaves, hairy leaves, no leaves and on it goes. The plants and trees themselves are also wonderful to touch, smooth bark, rough bark, shrubs that bounce back when crushed, grasses that move in the slightest breeze (or is that a snake in there?) and let’s not forget the soil.
How wonderful it is to place your hands in the soil and be part of creating a garden for the senses.
Planning a Productive Garden
Posted by Phytopath on Mar 30, 2010
My veg patch
Why plan a garden, productive or otherwise?
You do not have to make a plan prior to planting out your garden. It could just evolve and change as your taste changes, but there are definite advantages to planning the garden or brainstorming with the family to find out individual expectations of how the garden will be used.
How many people are in the household? Are there any pets? Does anyone in the family have allergies? Do the pets have plant allergies? How much time can you allocate for gardening and maintenance per week? And the list goes on…..
With a little bit of prior planning, the plants in the garden could grow healthier, meaning they are less likely to suffer from insect attack or fungal diseases. A good example is the correct sighting of a nasturtium plant to lure cabbage moth away from the cabbages.
A productive garden could mean different things to different people but in my mind, if the garden gives me pleasure in any way, be it shade on a hot sunny day, shelter for birdlife, flowers to smell or fruit and vegetables to eat, then it is producing happy moments for me.
The first task for a new garden would be to test the soil.
Texture, structure, pH, drainage, infiltration rates and wettability are all simple tests that can be performed by the home gardener (Details in a future post).
Once you have an idea of your soil type, and its ability to support plant life, then take note of where the sunny and shady spots are, in the garden. Remember that the angle of the sun will change throughout the year as well, so some spots that used to be in shade over one season, may be in the sun next season, and are there any neighbouring trees or buildings that might change the micro-climate of your yard?
If you have pets, especially dogs, where do they run when you open the back door and let them out? That may not be a good place to position the vegetable or flower bed unless you can fence it off.
What about planting aromatic herbs or flowers near windows so you can appreciate their fragrance. But don’t plant too many together or their individual perfume will be lost. Or plant insect repellent herbs near doors and around entertainment areas.
The garden does not have to be lawn in the front yard with a few flowers, a square of lawn in the backyard with a few more flowers and the garden shed, and the vegetable patch out of site. Plants can be mixed harmoniously so that fruit trees, berries, vines, flowers and vegetables all grow happily together. This is often the case with companion planting.
Some fruit and nut trees produce a beautiful show of flowers prior to setting fruit and some of the flowers grown for aesthetic purposes are actually edible. Vegetables come in many shapes, colours and textures and add to the overall appeal of the garden, so don’t hide them, but be proud of your ability to grow home grown tasty produce.
If you like a bit of formality in the garden, why not use thyme, hyssop, chives, lavender or rosemary as a clipped hedge for bordering paths instead of the usual English box. And perhaps at the end of each row you could allow the chosen hedge plant to grow a bit taller and prune it into a pyramid or ball shape. All of the pruning’s could be dried for later use or made into products like herbal ointments or cosmetics or added to food preserves for additional flavour.
If you like a more informal approach, try using parsley as a filler plant in the flower garden or oregano as a ground cover anywhere in the garden.
If you have an area for garbage bins, compost heaps, spare plant pots and a potting bench, perhaps you might like to screen them off by erecting a trellis and planting an edible climber or espalier an edible tree.
Or maybe you would like to grow some plants from a warmer climate that would not normally grow in your area – then how about changing the micro-climate to create warmth. A few well placed paving bricks and stone walls, or even a water feature, may do the trick.
So with some careful planning and a bit of creativity, almost anything can be achieved.
Share some of your achievements.
Hedges & Screens
Posted by Phytopath on Mar 16, 2010
Carrick Hill
Hedges can be an asset to the garden or they can be deleterious.
The positioning of your hedge or screen will determine which of the above effects will occur.
They can be formal or informal, or even semi-formal and they can range in height from 15cm (six inches) up to three metres (approx nine or ten feet).
A good question to ask your-self would be, “why do I want a hedge?” Perhaps you want a privacy screen from the nosey next door neighbour (visual pollution), or maybe you would like to create a micro climate in your garden so you can grow that special plant. Whatever the reason, the hedge or screen must serve a function, – it must be justified.
Hedges and screens have been used for borders and barriers, privacy, protection from wind, dust or airborne salt, for directing a view or screening a view and even to direct movement by restricting human and animal access. Whatever your reason for choosing to plant a hedge or screen there are some important criteria to consider when selecting the best plant.
First of all the plant must be tolerant of constant pruning and capable of quick rejuvenation. You don’t really want to wait three or four months for the plant to bush up again after pruning.
Next, the plant needs to be low branching with a dense habit and preferably have small leaves. It must be long lived with a moderate growth rate. (If you are thinking of building a maze, you certainly don’t want slow growing plants. People would cheat and step over the top instead of working their way out).
Ideally the plant would be resistant to pests and disease; there is nothing worse than a dead plant or two in the middle of your formal hedge.
The chosen plant must also be able to compete with its neighbours for light, water, nutrients and good root development.
The soil and climate are also important considerations when making your choice of plants.
Some of the limitations or disadvantages of formal hedges include the fact that they are labour intensive, there is significant root competition because of the close proximity of planting, odd plants may die out, leaving gaps and they can often take years to develop to the desired height and density.
On the positive side, screens have more flexibility (as opposed to hedges). They create a soft, natural appearance which is often times more pleasing than a fence. You can create a screen from mixed or single plant species, giving different results.
Chosen plants can be dense in their form or more open, giving a semi-permeable effect and reducing wind velocity. Plants other than small trees and shrubs can be considered. What about climbers on a trellis or containerised plants? Espaliers are also useful and they take up less ground space for the same or similar end result.
So why did I say that the planting position is important? Because if you get it wrong, instead of protecting your plants or garden a hedge or screen can funnel wind, hot or cold, and frost, right onto your desirable plants. Look at your site, know the wind directions all year round and if you are in an area with frost and you are trying to grow frost tender plants, watch the behaviour of the frost and notice where it settles. Frost tends to move much the same way as water does, that is, downhill. It will also build up behind a solid barrier.
Once you are sure that you have things under control (in your own mind at least) get on with the planting. The plant spacing should be approximately one fifth to one quarter of the mature width of the chosen plant and why not think about growing an edible hedge or screen for extra pleasure. Some all time favourites are: – rosemary, hyssop, lavender, dwarf myrtle and lilly pilly just to name a few. If you would like the botanical names just ask me.
Robinia pseudoacacia
Posted by Phytopath on Feb 17, 2010
Robinia, aka Black Locust, Honey Locust, False Acacia.
Whatever you want to call it, it should be banned.
I was pulling out Robinia suckers today, they were in the lawn, garden beds and the orchard. As I was doing this and cursing the day I planted them, I started to wonder why the heck did I plant them in the first place? Granted, the flowers are pretty, but was that the only reason?
So back to my library I went. I told myself I needed to do some research, but in reality I just needed a break from working in the baking heat. I’m not getting any younger.
One reference book told me that the tree is native to eastern United States from Pennsylvania to Georgia and west to Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. It is planted as an ornamental shade tree, growing up to 25 m (80ft) with very fragrant flowers (probably why I planted it).
Another book confirms this information and also adds, the tree is common in open dry sites with poor sandy soil (probably why I bought it) and has wood that is among the hardest, heaviest and most rot resistant of any tree in North America. This particular book also claims that the tree has a limited native occurance, found mostly in the Ozarks and the central and southern Appalachians.
Interestingly both books have conflicting information on the toxicity or lack of, for this Robinia. One particular book on edible plants, goes into great detail on the correct time to harvest the flowers for eating, even describing the taste and offering suggestions for their use in cooking.
The next segment of the same book goes on to explain that the seeds are also edible and the author has personal experience in eating them. He also makes a comment that some other authors claim the seeds are poisonous but he has been unable to find any verification of their toxicity.
On to the next book, which is about common poisonous plants. This author mentions that the entire tree is toxic, particularly the bark, leaves and seeds which contain poisonous proteins similar to ricin in Castor Bean, but less toxic.
He goes on to say that human poisoning from Robinia is potentially serious but rare and fatalities are unknown.
So who is correct? The doctors and chemists who analyze the plant parts or the forager who has gathered the information from family and friends over decades of use.
I don’t know, so I went for a third book in the library. This one is big and bulky and looks impressive, but what about the information?
According to my third source, Native American Cherokee used the root bark for toothache and the trunk bark as a seasoner to flavour medicine. Horses also foraged on the leaves and chickens foraged on the seeds.
So what is the answer? Anything that I currently have in my pantry sounds better than peeling bark from a tree or climbing 25 m to pick some flowers for fritters. Oh for an easy life.
Tea
Posted by Phytopath on Jan 24, 2010
After publishing a post on coffee recently, I thought it best to also post an article on tea.
The tea plant Camellia sinensis grows in tropical and subtropical climates. The plant grows quickly where the air is warm, and more slowly where the air is cool, adding to its flavour. The finest tea comes from elevations of 900m to 2100m. The plant matures in three to five years and workers, called ‘tea pluckers’ pick off the new shoots by hand. Mechanical harvesters are now common in countries with flat land. There are three main kinds of tea:
- black
- green
- oolong
The difference is in the method of processing.
Black tea. Harvested leaves are spread over racks and air is blown over them to remove moisture. The leaves are then crushed and placed in a fermenting room under controlled temperature and humidity. Finally the leaves are dried in ovens and become a brownish-black colour.
Green tea. The leaves are placed in large vats and steamed, which prevents them changing colour. They are then crushed and dried in ovens.
Oolong tea. The leaves are partially fermented which gives a greenish-brown colour.
Grades of tea, refers to the size of the leaves and not the quality of the tea. In order of size, starting with the largest, the grades are:-
- orange pekoe
- pekoe
- pekoe souchong
The smaller leaves generally used in tea bags are classified as:
- broken orange pekoe
- broken orange pekoe fannings
- fannings
Instant tea, (a powdered form) is made by brewing tea leaves on a large scale and then removing the water by a drying process.
Plants grown in different locations produce tea that can vary in taste and quality.
What is your preference?
The Truth and Nothing but the Truth
Posted by Phytopath on Jan 23, 2010
When I am researching a particular plant, I find it fascinating when reading all of my gardening books and magazines, that the information contained in them can be different and even sometimes conflicting.
What a dilema this must be for the new gardener or student.
One book might tell me that a certain plant grows to five metres and is well behaved.
The next book has me believe that the same plant is a forest giant to thirty metres that drops loads of purple fruit on my white car and I will never be able to get the stains off.
Now I am confused. Do I plant it near the neighbours driveway or in my garden?
Often times, both authors are correct.
One author may be talking about the plant in it’s natural habitat and the other author may be describing the growth of the same plant in conditions that are not ideal for optimum growth.
So what can you do?
Look at where the author comes from. Does he or she live in a cold and wet climate or a veritable desert?
Then research the origins of the plant. What country does it naturally occur in and at what altitude. What is the annual rainfall and average temperature?
You would then have a rough idea of how the plant might behave in your garden.
And don’t be fooled by a cute 30 cm sapling in a small pot at the nursery begging “pick me, pick me.”
Lurking under that skinny floppy twiggy plant, could be your worst nightmare.
Research at the outset might cost you a small amount of time but could save you heartache and a lot of money in the future.
Is Your Garden a Mirror?
Posted by Phytopath on Jan 22, 2010
Is your garden formal or informal?
Is it orderly and rigid or relaxed and cottage like?
Do you have a structured garden at all?
Perhaps you have some occassionally mown weeds with a car nicely parked on top.
Do you have a lot of ornamentation?
It is said that dog owners often times look like their pets. Can the same be said of gardens and garden owners?
If indeed, our garden is a reflection of ourselves, then I’m not inviting anybody around for a garden party.
What is your garden like?
Coffee
Posted by Phytopath on Jan 22, 2010
The coffee plant Coffea arabica is an evergreen shrub growing four to six metres high. The plant originally grew wild in Ethiopia as an understorey plant, but is now cultivated in many tropical regions, and grows best at altitudes ranging from 13oom to 2800m. These areas are frost free, have a mean daily temperature of 20°C and an average annual rainfall of 1800mm to 2000mm. Most coffee plants are grown from seed and then transplanted into the field at around 12 months old.
The plant produces red or yellow berries, with each berry containing two seeds (beans). The average mature plant produces between 10-20kg of fruit annually, enough berries to make approximately 0.7kg of roasted coffee. The plant is usually five years old when considered mature and produces flowers and fruit once per year.
After the berries are harvested they are put through a sluice (a bath of running water) where sticks, leaves and unripe berries float on the top. The good berries sink to the bottom and then go to a pulping house where machinery removes the pulp. Following the pulping process, the beans are run through a series of fermenting and washing tanks. The beans are then dried in the sun and left to cure for several weeks.
The next phase, called milling, removes the parchment and the silver skin (a thin skin surrounding the seed). As the beans come from the machine, a fan blows off the loose skin, (a bit like exfoliation). The beans then go on to a separator, which removes sand, dust and broken beans, they are then sorted until only the largest beans remain.
The beans are then taken to a roasting plant where they are emptied into chutes and again cleaned of dust and foreign material. The coffee then goes to a blending machine, which can mix different types of coffee, and then to storage bins, before being roasted.
The beans are roasted at 482°C for 16 to 17 minutes where they lose about 1/6 of their weight. They are then cooled and cleaned, then stored until ground. After being ground to drip, regular or fine requirements, the coffee is packed in vacuum tins or paper bags.
Instant coffee can be either powdered or freeze-dried, and is often produced from the plant Coffea canaphora ‘Pierre’ known as ‘Robusta’, which is inferior in quality than Coffea arabica.
Powered instant coffee is made by brewing coffee in huge containers and evaporating the water from the brew, leaving powder crystals.
Freeze-dried instant coffee is made by converting freshly brewed coffee into an extract and freezing it in slabs. The slabs are ground into chunks and put in pressurized chambers. Moisture in the form of ice is drawn off, leaving dry coffee crystals.
Decaffeinated coffee, in most cases, is produced when the caffeine is removed by means of a cold water extraction, done with the aid of chemicals.
