Growing potatoes in the Redlands can be tricky, as potatoes are a cool climate crop. This means they grow well in Australia’s the southern states, but don’t like our coastal humidity!

Potatoes starting to grow

In southern states potatoes are a summer crop because they are frost tender. If you want to grow potatoes in the Redlands, you need to plant them in autumn so that they grow through our winter. Any time from April to June is best as they take around 90 plus days to grow, multiply and produce a crop.

Which Variety?

First you have to decide which variety of potato that you want to grow. And this is where it starts to get interesting.

The great thing about growing your own potatoes is that you get to choose different varieties from those you buy in the supermarket. There are actually hundreds of different varieties of potatoes you can grow, providing you can get the seed potatoes!

I didn’t realise potatoes had suffered a similar fate to tomatoes. As you know, there is a huge difference in taste between the tomatoes you buy in the supermarket and the tomatoes you grow at home. Well the same thing can be said of potatoes and it kinda makes sense, if you think about it!

Potatoes we buy in the supermarket are chosen because they travel well, have thicker skin and can last a long time on the supermarket shelf while they are waiting to be bought! This can mean they are not the best from a flavour perspective, or even from a eating perspective.

While we get to choose between washed potatoes and brushed potatoes and maybe a few named varieties like Desiree or Kipfler, in the UK they have around 20 different named varieties available in their supermarkets!

And these varieties differ considerably in taste, colour and thickness of skin. They also suggest what recipes they enhance the most.

How do you want to use them?

You should choose your potato variety by what you want to do with them. For example if you want to make a great potato salad then you want a waxy potato like Bintje, Kipfler or Nicola. These potatoes hold their shape when they’re cooked, so they don’t crumble and become a watery mess!

If you want to make mashed spuds then you should choose a variety like Yukon gold, red rascal, Dutch cream or golden delight. These are “floury” and easily fall apart, making for a great mash. For a real difference why not try purple Congo, which gives you purple coloured mash. It’s great for an unusual coloured gnocchi.

Floury potatoes also make great baked spuds and potato chips, because they crisp up nicely on the outside but are soft and fluffy when you bite into them.

Seed potatoes

When you start learning about growing your own spuds, you will find a lot of advice about not using supermarket potatoes and how you need to use “seed” potatoes.

You can’t actually grow potatoes from a traditional seed, like carrots or beetroot and other root crops. Seed potatoes look just like little potatoes and that’s what they are! You can eat seed potatoes just like you eat normal potatoes. However, they are a bit more expensive at between $6 to $8 per kilo.

The big selling point for seed potatoes is they are guaranteed to be free of disease. Potatoes can suffer from a number of diseases which you don’t want to introduce into the soil in your garden. As I grow my potatoes in large buckets this is not a major concern. The only other benefit from using seed potatoes seems to be the different and more unusual varieties.

A big downside is that although we can buy more than 20 different varieties of potato to grow in our veggie patch, the potato growing industry is customized to the southern market. When I went online to find what potatoes I wanted to experiment with, all the seed companies say the seed potatoes aren’t available until the end of July!

There were some really interesting varieties, but planting them in August means you are looking at late November for harvesting and that’s really too late. If we get spring rains or a heat wave in August as happened in 2019 and 2020, there goes your crop!

Supermarket potatoes

You can also try growing potatoes from those that you buy in the supermarket or at the fruit and vegetable store.

When we get away from producers and supermarkets not wanting us to grow our own veggies, the main downside of using supermarket potatoes seems to be the potential disease.

Lots of websites claim that store-bought potatoes are sprayed with a chemical to deter sprouting. However I found very few references to this spraying happening in Australia, so I’m not sure how widespread this practice is. I’ve certainly had my share of potatoes sprout in the cupboard!

The general advice seems to be that if you can get it to sprout, then try growing it! The main problem to me is the lack of different varieties.

Buying seed potatoes

As I said, the seed potato business in geared toward the southern market and they don’t plant their potatoes until spring.

I was really looking forward to trying purple congo or royal blue or even Japanese sweet but these aren’t available until late July.

Growing Potatoes – the How?

The good news is that you don’t actually need a huge amount of space!

You can grow potatoes in pots, old garbage bins, plastic paint buckets with drainage holes added or specific grow-bags. I’m growing mine in some recycled paint buckets.

Paint bucket repurposed for growing potatoes

One thing that’s not recommended is to grow them in old tyres. This used to be quite trendy. However, research has shown heavy metals such as lead and zinc can leach out of the tyres into your potatoes.

The actual growing is quite easy although there is some preparation.

Chitting

It is recommended that you do a process called “chitting” for your spuds. All this means is to start the potato sprouting before you plant it. This makes sense to me as then you know that they are viable and going to grow!

To chit potatoes, place them in a warm, moist location for a couple of weeks and they should start to sprout. The sprouts grow from the “eyes” of the potato. You only need a few eyes on each potato to sprout, so remove the others and keep only the strong sprouts.

Chitted Golden Dream potatoes

Keep the potatoes separated while they are sprouting. An old egg container is great for this as you can use the lid to keep the potatoes warm and dark.

While your potatoes are Chitting, choose your container.

Also, at this point, choose your location. Potatoes like full sun in our winter.

Planting

When your potatoes have started to sprout (sprout formation can take 2 – 3 weeks). Grab your container or grow bag and put a several centimetres of compost in the bottom. If you don’t have home-made compost, you can use a premium potting mix. Want to know how to make your own compost? Check this link Compost Bins: Composting Tips for your garden

Place two to three of the sprouted potatoes on top of the compost. You need to take care when handling the potatoes, being careful not to damage the sprouts.

Place the potatoes so the sprout is pointing upward. If you have several sprouts that have grown either carefully remove the excess or else carefully cut the potato into pieces and plant each piece. Plant the cut side down and it should heal and not rot out.

Carefully cover the potato and sprout with around 10 centimetres of compost or potting mix.

As the potato shoots grow, you keep adding compost until the container is full. It’s this continual heaping up that encourages the plant to grow more potatoes. You should get around 10 potatoes for each sprouted potato you plant.

Make sure that you only use really well composted compost or potting mix. Potatoes hate coming into contact with green manures as this can encourage disease.

Water and fertilising potatoes

Potatoes require quite a lot of water to grow big, juicy spuds, so remember to water regularly. For the first week or so go a bit light in the watering, but as the plants grow they need a fair amount of water.

If you want to fertilise, use composted chook poo as this has all the nutrients your growing potatoes will need.

Pests

Potatoes can attract pests so keep an eye out for any leaf damage.

You need to check your potatoes for any of these pests regularly, as they can do significant damage almost overnight. This will seriously impact how many potatoes you get to harvest. The main pests to look out for are the black beetle, potato/peach aphid, potato tuber moth, cluster caterpillar and nematodes.

The best method of treatment is to remove any beetles or caterpillars you find and spray the plants with eco pest oil. Even better, encourage beneficial insects to do the work for you. Want to know more? Good Bugs for the Vegetable Garden

There is also a new pest called the tomato/potato psyllids. These are sap sucking insects and you need to control these using eco pest oil.

Harvesting potatoes

After about 3 months the leaves of your potato plant will go yellow and start to die back. At this point your potatoes are ready to harvest.

By growing them in a bucket or grow bag you can harvest them just by tipping the container on its side and dumping out the contents.

Store in a cool dark place. If potatoes are exposed to sunlight they will develop green patches under the skin. This is caused by a glycoalkaloid called Solanine which can make you sick in large doses.

Potatoes just harvested

Sweet potatoes

You can grow sweet potatoes, particularly the orange kumara using a similar technique, except you don’t need to heap up the compost. I would recommend confining them to a bucket or large bin though as they can become quite invasive.

The post The How-to of Growing Potatoes appeared first on Delectable Garden.

I had a query recently asking what a white powdery substance was on a grape leaf? They actually said “it looks like powdery mildew, but it’s not on zucchini”! It looked like powdery mildew because it was powdery mildew.

It got me wondering “how many other gardeners consider powdery mildew a disease restricted to plants of the cucurbit family?”

Most gardeners will have struck powdery mildew on their cucurbits (i.e. cucumbers, cantaloupes, pumpkins etc). It shows up as a white or grey powder on the leaves. While it generally doesn’t kill your plant, it can significantly impact your crop as the plant can’t produce lots of fruit while its energy is being drained off and the plant is trying to fight the disease.

Powdery mildew actually affects a wide range of plants, not just zucchini, pumpkins and squash. It can affect both edible and ornamental plants. Edibles that can be affected include carrots, apples, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, peas and beans and capsicum to name a few. Ornamentals can include chrysanthemums, gerberas, dahlias and roses. In fact it’s probably quicker to write a list of plants that aren’t affected!

So what is powdery mildew? Powdery mildew is a fungal infection. The fungal spores attach to the leaves of the plant where they drive filaments or threads into the leaf structure to draw the nutrients away from the plant. The fungi then develop fruiting spores which can be transmitted by wind or water splashes. The fungus thrives in warm, dry conditions and warm, humid conditions.

Powdery mildew is actually caused by a range of different fungi, some of which are specific to a species of plant while others can affect a whole host of plant species.

Prevention

There are several things the organic gardener can do to prevent powdery mildew in their garden:

• Grow the plants in the conditions they need to thrive. With veggies this means plenty of sunlight. Struggling and weak plants are more susceptible to attack.
• Don’t crowd your plants. Allow plenty of room for air circulation.
• Encourage beneficial insects. The orange/yellow lady beetle actually eats the fungus!
• Good hygiene is essential, as it is with all gardening tasks.
• Clean tools with a weak bleach or hydrogen peroxide solution between tasks,
• Remove infected plant material and put it in the bin.
• Do not compost as the spores will hibernate and can then infect other plants.
• Crop rotation assists by removing susceptible plants from the soil for several seasons.
• Don’t over-fertilise as lush new growth is more susceptible to the fungi
• Morning watering is best. Some say to not wet the leaves, although scientific evidence shows that water can interrupt the sporing cycle.

If you find that you continually battle with powdery mildew then you may need to investigate the range of crops that have been developed to be resistant to the fungus.

Lady beetle feasting on powdery mildew

Treatment

If you find that you have an attack of powdery mildew, there are several organic treatments. These include:

• Spraying with milk. This is the number one organic solution and, surprisingly, it works better than many commercial treatments. The standard spray is 1 part milk full-cream milk to 10 parts water, but I find a 25 percent solution works better. For severe infections you may need a 50 percent solution. Milk can also help to prevent infections if you spray your plants weekly;
• Spray with a sodium or potassium bicarbonate solution. I find you need to add a soap to help the bicarb adhere to the leaves;
• Spray with Neem oil. Again a small amount of soap or white oil will assist it to stick to the leaves;
• Dust with wettable sulphur or spray with lime sulphur;
• Use a commercial biofungicide.

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Blueberry Hill?

I am thinking of renaming my place Blueberry Hill after the number of blueberry bushes that I now have producing fruit! The only problem being that I am at the bottom of the hill, not up the top?

How it started?

It all started with one little blueberry bush that I found on the ‘take me home and love me’ tray at the Big Green Shed! The poor thing was soo close to dead! It didn’t even have a label and was reduced to $1.00. This bush has become so productive that I wrote a separate blog about it. As a result I was given another 2 blueberry bushes that people had not been able to get to produce fruit. Since then, these blueberries have flowered and produced a couple of great crops of blueberries!

Since then I have found more blueberry plants on the ‘take me home and love me’ tray at the Big Green shed. Of course I just can’t resist these temptations?

Grow and thrive

As they grow and thrive in part shade at my place, they have become a great filler plant. I have them in pots as well as in the ground. They are great for under larger fruit trees and deciduous flowering trees.

I cannot believe how different the fruit taste straight from the bush! They are sooo sweet. Absolutely none of the tartness or blandness you can get from store bought blueberries. And the size! They can be double the size of the store bought fruit!

And what’s even better is that they are good for your health, with research showing that the anthocyanins that cause the bright blue colour are helpful in combating several human diseases and may even prevent some cancers!

So, why not grow some yourself?

Happy gardening from your edible garden guru ?

The post Are Blueberry’s Easy to Grow? appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Ladybeetle lays eggs in your garden

So what do I mean by Good Bugs?

Good bugs are those insects that prey upon bad bugs in your garden. Bad bugs include caterpillars, scale, aphids and mealybugs.

There are plenty of beneficial bugs including lady beetles, lacewings and praying mantis. These good bugs also include the larvae of insects such as cryptolaemus, which is the larvae of ladybeetles.

Encouraging the Good Guys

When you encourage good bugs into your garden, your veggies grow bigger and better, and suffer fewer pest attacks. And you won’t need to use any pesticides to get rid of the bad pests!

In fact, you will have to stop using pesticides before these good guys will visit your veggie patch!

This is because pesticides kill the good guys just as quickly as they kill the bad guys!

My favourite Good guy is the larvae of Lady Beetles, also known as cryptolaemus or the Mealy Bug Killer! And they deserve this title as they eat dozens of mealybug each day!

I once watched a mealybug killer clean up an infestation of mealybug on my lime tree. I had a pretty bad infestation at the start, and by day 3 there were only a few shell corpses.

The Mealybug killer works by disguising itself to look just like its prey. In fact, the only way you can tell them apart, the mealybug killer moves on its own. This is an important distinction, as the mealybug itself has no legs and requires ants to move it around. Mealybugs live on your fruit trees and in your veggie garden!

So, if you see a mealybug that is walking, it really is a good guy – the mealybug killer!

Mealybug killer

You can purchase these good guys online, from places like Bugs for Bugs. However, I find it just as easy to encourage the good guys into your garden. You can do this by providing food for the good guys with plenty of flowers and nectar.

Providing a pesticide-free garden

You also need to provide a pesticide-free garden. When I talk about not using pesticides, this includes those pesticides that are sold as “natural” and “harmless” such as Pyrethrum.

These pesticides are considered “natural” as they have their genesis in nature. The chemicals in these pesticides have been extracted or copied from plants. However, they are made into a concentrate that is hundreds of times more poisonous than that found in plants!

And these pesticides kill all bugs, both the good guys and the bad guys. So instead of spraying your veggies with pesticides why not give nature a chance to use its own predators to kill the bad bugs in your garden?

When you do this you will notice that you have many more insects in your garden, but many of these will be good bugs.

So why not take a walk around your garden and look at all the abundant insect life? Many of these insects are helping you in your gardening endeavours https://www.thedelectablegarden.com.au/good-bugs/. They do this by pollinating your plants, but also by eating other bugs!

Until next time

Your Edible Garden Guru

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In Brisbane we grow a fabulous range of vegetables throughout winter. These include lettuce, bok choy, eggplants, tomatoes, kale and most leafy green vegetables.

I was planting up my vegetable garden the other day in time for winter and was planting some more red veined sorrel. It’s really attractive, and adds colour to the garden. As I was removing the seedling from its pot I noticed the label described red veined sorrel as a “Superfood”.

Now I must admit that I have been noticing quite a few vegetables labelled as Superfood in the nursery lately. So I decided to find out what exactly what this constituted a superfood.

You probably won’t be surprised to know that there are lots of conflicting opinions of what exactly constituted a superfood.

General consensus was that superfood is a marketing term to describe a food that is nutrient dense. This means that they contain lots of vitamins and minerals. They also contain lots of micronutrients such as anthocyanins and lycopenes. Researchers are discovering that many micronutrients are instrumental in helping to protect us from cancer. They also work at protecting us from many age-related illnesses.

Most green leafy vegetables are considered a superfood, as are many herbs and fruits.

In fact I would go as far as to say, if you can grow it and eat it, it is a superfood! Many processed foods have empty nutrient foods like sugar added to them. This dilutes the nutrient value of the food.

Processing, especially with lots of heat destroys nutrients. Also, removing layers such as peeling vegetables, removes a lot of nutirents which are then discarded. Food manufacturers add back many synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace those remove during processing. But what about the nutrients we have yet to discover are in the raw foods that may be good for our health?

I think it’s a sad indictment on our lifestyles and current way of life that we have to relabel foods fresh from nature as superfoods!

Let us know what you think in the comments area below.

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My sister is a huge fan of peppermint tea. She often uses it to finish off her dinner. She says that it helps her digestion, and it is a good substitute for dessert with no calories!

I have been doing some research for my new book and it turns out that my sister is right! Peppermint tea has some real health benefits. These include aiding digestion, assisting weight loss, helping to deal with stress, ensuring you sleep better, helping concentration and reducing the effects of a headache. Pretty great huh!

It turns out that the menthol in Peppermint tea, which is its main active ingredient, does help with digestion.

If you take it before the meal it can actually work as an appetite suppressant, ensuring that you eat less!

If you want to lose weight, try starting your day with an infusion of Peppermint Tea and Green tea. This helps stimulate your metabolism, as the catechins in green tea are proven to help boost metabolism and the Peppermint tea reduces appetite.

The menthol in the peppermint tea has other uses. It is a proven muscle relaxant so it comes in handy as a natural way to reduce stress! Just grab a cup of peppermint tea mid-afternoon instead of reaching for your usual caffeine hit! By helping to relax muscles and reduce stress, peppermint tea can also help alleviate headaches. And if you have a cup of peppermint tea before bed, not only will it help you sleep better, it will also give you more colourful dreams!

If you really want to boost the effects of the peppermint tea, then make it from fresh peppermint leaves rather than using dried, processed teas.

Peppermint

Peppermint is really easy to grow in your garden, even if you only have a balcony! Just ensure you keep it moist as, being natural hybrid between spearmint and water mint, it just loves water!

Be careful planting it out in your garden though. Like all plants in the mint family it can become very invasive. I find it best to plant in a pot which I keep in semi shade. It gets some morning sun and it just thrives.

A word of warning though. Like all good things, it can have some downsides. If you are pregnant then it is a good idea to avoid peppermint. And sadly some people are allergic to the menthol.

Luckily I’m not one of them, so I think I’ll be growing and using more of this magic herb now that I know more about its health benefits.

Happy gardening 🙂

Rohanne, your Personal Gardening Expert

Related Posts

Top 10 Must Have Herbs To Grow in Your Garden

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I was giving a presentation to a Horticultural group the other day about Edible Gardening, and mentioned that my Tropical Apricot fruit tree has finally deigned to flower!

The group were very interested in an Apricot tree that would grow in the sub-tropics! Most Apricot trees need a certain amount of chill to flower and produce fruit. I had to explain that it wasn’t a traditional apricot, but a fruit tree named a tropical apricot because the fruit have a strong apricot taste!

The discussion got me thinking about what fruit trees grow easily in the sub-tropics. Which ones are productive and easy to grow.

So here is my list of the Top 10 Fruit trees you can grow in the sub-tropics.

The following list of fruit trees is in no particular order, and all of them are currently flourishing in my garden.

Number 1: Mango

Ripe mango

Mango is one of those fruits that just instantly say “tropical”. There was a time when nearly every backyard in Queensland had a mango tree, but with the suburban backyard shrinking this is no longer the case. However, if you have the space this is definitely a fruit tree to grow. There are now many dwarf varieties that give great value for the space they take up.

I currently have a Kensington Pride or Bowen Mango which I think have the best flavour. I also have a Nam Doc Mai which is the Thai or Asian mango. It is fantastic in Green Mango salad.

Mangoes are easy to grow in the tropics and sub-tropics. Just make sure they have plenty of sunlight, well drained soil, food and water.

Number 2: Davidson Plum

Davidson plum fruit

I had not even heard of the Davidson plum until a few years ago when I went to a native foods workshop. I was so taken with Davidson plums that I now have two fruit trees growing in my garden.

The Davidson plum fruit is very sour. Too sour to eat raw in my opinion, but it makes a delightful jam and chutney.

Davidson plum trees are easy to grow. However it can take a few years to bear fruits.

Number 3: Tropical Peach

Tropical peaches

Most peaches need winter chill to produce fruit. However the tropical peach is a low chill variety that grows really well in the sub-tropics.

This is a great fruit tree as it will grow and produce fruit even in a large pot.

My tropical peach is growing in a large pot and this year the tree is covered in bright pink blossoms which have all set to fruit. I am hoping for a bumper crop of peaches.

The fruit have a lovely flavour and easily rival any of the traditional peaches in taste.

Number 4: Pawpaw

Male Pawpaw fruit

I did not used to be a fan of Pawpaw until I tried the fruit when it was home-grown, straight from the tree. It’s like being introduced to a totally different fruit! Thanks to my cousin Neil for the introduction else I would still turn up my nose at Pawpaws!

I have two Pawpaw fruit trees. The largest is actually a male Pawpaw tree, that I planted for the beautiful perfume that the flowers have. However, my male Pawpaw has transgender issues and regularly produces fruit.

Pawpaw trees can easily be grown in large pots, so are suitable for courtyard gardens or small backyards. I often use the fruit green in a Thai Green Pawpaw salad.

Number 5: Citrus

Lemon tree

There are soo many different varieties of citrus that you could almost make a list just of the top 10 citrus fruit trees. You can choose between traditional lemon trees, lime trees, grapefruit, mandarine and lemonade trees. All these citrus grow well in the subtropics.

Once established a citrus tree will just keep on providing fruit, as long as you meet its requirements of plenty of food, some compost and water!

Citrus trees grow well in large pots, so are suitable for small gardens and courtyards.

Number 6: Tropical Nectarine

Tropical Nectarine

Most nectarines need winter chill to produce fruit. However there are several tropical nectarine varieties available. These are low chill varieties that grow really well in the sub-tropics.

I have both the White Satin tropical nectarine and the dwarf red sunset fruit trees. The Dwarf sunset has rich deep crimson leaves.

Both my tropical nectarines are growing in the garden, but they will grow and produce fruit in a large pot. The dwarf red sunset only grows to around a metre high so it great for the small courtyard garden. The fruit have a lovely flavour, but you do need to be vigilant for fruit fly as it is a big attractant.

Number 7: Blueberry

Blueberries

Although not strictly a fruit tree, Blueberries are a great shrub to have in your edible garden. They are so easy to grow in the subtropics that I have about 7 different Blueberry plants.

They grow well both in pots and in the ground and will provide fruit all year round, although most fruit is provided in spring.

Blueberry plants are pretty hardy and very little attacks the fruit, although one client has complained that she has to fight her chickens for the fruit as they have developed a love of blueberries!

Number 8: Tropical Apricot

Tropical apricot in flower

The tropical apricot is not a traditional apricot as all true apricots need a winter chill to produce fruit. Rather the tropical apricot is a berry that was developed in Florida.

I have had a tropical apricot growing in a large pot for about 4 years now. However it has yet to give me any fruit.

Apparently the fruit has a strong apricot taste, hence the name, but is very sour and needs to be cooked to make it edible. My tropical apricot has been covered in blossom this year so I am hoping for my first crop!

Number 9: Pomegranate

Pomegranate

If more people knew how easy Pomegrante fruit trees were to grow I think there would be a lot more backyards growing pomegranates.

The tree is deciduous even in the sub-tropics, so you have bare branches over winter but this is more than made up for with the flush of spring growth and the vivid orange flowers.

Almost all the flowers seem to get pollinated and result in fruit. After the first year I decided that I needed to reduce the number of fruit on the tree as it nearly toppled under the weight! However, I regularly get a lovely crop of pomegranates.

I love pomegranates in a fresh dressing over summer salads.

Number 10: Jaboticaba

Jaboticaba

The Jaboticaba is probably the least known of the Fruit trees covered in this article.

It is a tropical plant and although it can grow as far south as the central coast.

The Jaboticaba is unusual in that the fruit are actually produced on the trunk of the tree. The fruit look like grapes so it is sometimes called the tropical grape tree.

It grows in full sun to semi to shade and has reasonable water water requirements.

These are my picks of the Top 10 Fruit trees to grow in the sub-tropics. Let us know in the comments area which fruits are your favourites to grow!

Happy Gardening from Rohanne, Your Personal Garden Expert 🙂

The post Top 10 Must Have Fruit Trees To Grow in the Sub-tropics appeared first on Delectable Garden.

There are over 100 different herbs that grow easily in the sub-tropics, so whatever your gourmet tastes, you can grow something to use in your kitchen.

I love cooking and I love the taste that fresh herbs and vegetables bring to food, so it was a bit of a challenge to narrow this list down to just the Top 10 🙂

The following list of herbs is in order of preference, so obviously Basil is my favourite herb to grow. In fact I cannot imagine a garden without some fresh basil growing 🙂

Let us know in the comments area which herbs you consider most important!

Number 1: Basil

Sweet Basil

There are soo many great Basil varieties, each with a different flavour to impart. I really could start and finish this list with Basil.

In fact if you separate Basil out into Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil, Greek Basil, Perenial Basil and Holy Basil you could almost make up the Top 10 Herbs to grow just with Basil 🙂

Basil is really easy to grow. All it needs is a minimum of 4 hours sunlight a day, well drained soil, food and plenty of water.

Basil is an annual, so it will grow, flower and die all in one season. To extend the growing season, and so you get to pick and eat more Basil, you need to pinch out all the flowers. If you let it go to flower, the leaves get a much stronger flavour, which some people like and obviously some people don’t!

Number 2: Coriander

Coriander

Coriander is one of those herbs that people either love or hate! It is used extensively in Asian foods, in particular Thai food.

Coriander is really easy to grow from seed. It is pretty unfussy about almost everything. I have grown coriander in really poor sandy soils and in clay soils and both have been really successful. All you have to do is water it occasionally and give it a bit of a liquid feed! The bonus is that you use all of the plant including leaves, seeds and the roots.

The downside with Coriander is that it really doesn’t like humidity so it bolts to seed in Brisbane’s summer heat, and then refuses to grow until temperatures cool down.

Number 3: Parsley

Italian Parsley

There are several different types of parsley, but they are separated mainly into curly parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley. Parsley has come a long way from the days when it was used mainly as a garnish on the side of the plate! Now it is used as an ingredient in its own right in everything from Tabouli to Parsley Pesto and Salsa Verde.

Parsley is really easy to grow from seeds or from seedlings. It will grow in most types of soil and just needs the occasional water and fertiliser to grow well.

I use it as an edging plant thoughout my garden. When it finally goes to seed the native bees have a field day and I get more self-sown parsley.

Number 4: Rosemary

Rosemary

Rosemary is such a versatile herb that adds flavour to many dishes. One of my favourites is to add sprigs of Rosemary to roast lamb and to lay sprigs across potatoes as they roast. This adds the flavour of rosemary subtly throughout the meal.

Rosemary grows either as a ground cover, with a prostrate form or as an upright shrub. It needs really well draining soil and cannot abide having wet feet. If it is waterlogged for any length of time it will die, which means it is a great plant for that corner of the garden that gets full sun but very little water.

Rosemary is a perennial and will grow for many years. I have a bush that is over 15 years old and still growing strongly.

Number 5: Mint

Spearmint

Mint is like Basil in that there are soo many varieties you can grow. Everything from Spearmint and Peppermint to Apple Mint, Chocolate mint, Basil mint and one of my personal favourites, Eau de Cologne mint.

Mint is really easy to grow. In fact many gardening blogs will tell you not to put it in the garden as it becomes a weed. I grow mine in pots and what I love is that it really doesn’t mind having wet feet. In fact mint grows alongside rivers or on the edges of ponds.

It is fabulous to use in foods. The classic Lamb with mint sauce is an all time favourite!

Number 6: Chives

Chives

Chives come in two separate varieties, onion chives and garlic chives. The onion flavoured chives are the more traditional variety and are much thinner than the garlic chives.

Chives are a great herb that adds a mild onion-like flavour to foods. Because of their delicate flavour, Chives need to be added right at the end of cooking, or even when serving. Chives are brilliant with fish as they add a subtle onion flavour without overpowering the other flavours. I also love them in mashed potatoes.

Chives are really easy to grow and will grow from seeds which can self-sow if you allow your chives to flower. The flowers are an attractive mauve, much favoured by bees.

Number 7: Lemongrass

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is one of those really useful herbs if you want a subtle lemony flavour. It is used extensively in Asian cuisine, especially in Thai and Vietnamese foods.

It is almost too easy to grow, and has definite weed potential. As I have learnt, it is best if you restrict it to a large pot and prune hard on a regular basis to stop it from going to flower and setting seed.

Apart from its use in foods, it makes a refreshing herbal tea. And its use isn’t restricted to the kitchen. I use the dried fronds in the chook house to stop fleas and mites from attacking the chooks. And for some reason, my dogs love chewing lemongrass more than pet grass!

Number 8: Thyme

Thyme

Thyme is a herb that is used extensively in mediterranean foods. It imparts a lovely flavour to stews and sauces and is one of the herbs known as a pizza herb as it is great added to pizza toppings.

Thyme is an attractive groundcover plant that is used as a lawn substitute. It is also great growing in rockeries and on the edges of paths where it emits a lovely perfume when trodden on.

Thyme flowers constantly throughout the year with attractive mauve flowers that are attractive to bees and other beneficial insects. It is easy to grow, preferring a sunny position with not too much water.

Number 9: Oregano

Oregano

Oregano is another herb that is used extensively in mediterranean foods. It is used in Italian foods to add flavour to tomato-based sauces and is one of the herbs known as a pizza herb as it is great added to pizza toppings.

The Greeks use oregano more as a salad herb, adding it to dressings. I love oregano in a fresh dressing over Haloumi cheese.

Oregano grows easily and can be an attractive grouncover plant, if it is pinched out regularly, which helps it to thicken up. It is also great growing in rockeries and on the edges of paths where it emits a lovely perfume when trodden on.

Number 10: Pandan

Pandan leaves

Pandan is probably the least known of the Herbs covered in this Blog.

It is a tropical plant and although it can grow as far south as the central coast it needs to be grown in pots so that it can be moved indoors during winter. It has broad-blade leaves that are added during the cooking process, but which are removed before serving.

If you are a fan if Asian cuisine you have probably tasted Pandan, but not known what it is. It adds a lovely nutty flavour to Jasmine rice, and is used extensively in both sweet and savoury dishes.

Pandan plants are grown from cuttings or potting up offshoots from the mother plant. It prefers semi to full shade and reasonable water.

As you can see, I love cooking with fresh herbs because of the variety and flavour they add to food. These are my picks of the Top 10 Herbs.

I chose these herbs as I love Asian and Greek/Mediterranean cuisines. Perhaps you prefer more European cuisines, in which case Herbs like Sage and Tarragon would rate higher on the list. Whatever your choice, next time you are cooking why not try adding a different flavour using a home-grown herb. You might even find you can reduce the amount of salt you add to your foods and thereby improve your health and well-being.

Let us know in the comments area which herbs you consider most important!

Happy Gardening from Rohanne, Your Personal Garden Expert 🙂

The post Top 10 Must Have Herbs To Grow in Your Garden appeared first on Delectable Garden.

I was down the market the other day and saw that they had lemongrass for sale – 3 stalks for $5.00!

Honestly, if you don’t know how to grow lemongrass you would think at that price that Lemongrass was a precious, hard to grow herb. In reality, growing Lemongrass is easy!

You can grow lemongrass from seed or seedling. It can even grow it by buying one of those stalks and allowing it to take root in a glass of water!

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is not fussy about soil, water, fertiliser. In fact, it’s not fussy about much. I even had a clump growing in a crack in a concrete driveway!

Actually, I would say there are more “Do Nots” when it comes to growing lemongrass!

My list of “Do Not’s” when growing lemongrass include:

1. Don’t plant it directly in the garden, unless you have a massive yard or a corner where absolutely nothing with grow! Always keep it contained in a pot.

2. Do Not plant it in a small pot. I would recommend a fairly large pot as the plant can be large when established so can look top heavy or even break a smaller pot.

3. Do Not plant it in a mixed pot with other herbs. It will smother the other herbs.

4. Do Not let it get out of control! Prune it regularly, and hard. It responds well to being controlled.

5. Do Not let it go to “flower”! Its flowers are more like a fluffy fringe similar to most grass flowers. If you let it go to seed, the wind and birds will disperse the seed and you and your neighbours will have it everywhere. In fact, lemongrass has become an environmental weed in many parts of Queensland.

6. Do Not fertilise it. The more you fertilise, the larger the clump will grow and the more flower spikes it will send up!

7. Do Not ignore little seedlings that pop up in your garden. These seedling are not cute, as they grow into massive clumps!

So Why Grow Lemongrass?

Well, it is fabulous in curries, stir fry’s, laksa and many Thai and Asian-based soups.  And it makes a really refreshing tea!

If you do use it in cooking, then its better to grow it than pay $5 for a small bunch!

To use lemongrass if you are growing it, just go to the base of the plant, find a thick stalk and twist to break it away from the mother plant. It should come away fairly easily. Be careful with the leaves as they are razor-sharp on the edges. Cut the top of the stalk off, leaving about 20-30cm.

Trim the base, peel off the outer layers until you reach the softer whitish centre. This can then be sliced into thin rings, pounded with a rolling pin or crushed in a mortar and pestle.

lemongrass stalk

If you are buying a stalk, choose stalks that feel heavy. Otherwise, it may have been picked too long and allowed to dry out, leaving it less tasty and woodier in texture.

Lemongrass adds a lovely mild citrusy flavour to many Asian recipes, but I find that the woody texture is an acquired taste. It’s better to cut the stalk into 6 cm pieces and just bruise it with a mallet to release the oils.

I then add the bruised lemongrass pieces to the soup or curry early in the cooking process, and remove the stalks before serving. If I want to add it to a stir-fry, I slice it into thin rings and bash it in a mortar and pestle.

It also makes a refreshing tea. Just add the bruised stalks to a pot or teacup, cover with boiling water and let it infuse. Remove the stalks and drink the tea.

Alternatively, use lemongrass to add a lovely citrus flavour to a bottle of vodka for cocktails. Just peel and bruise a lemongrass stalk, put it in a nearly full bottle of vodka, allow to steep for 3-4 days, shaking occasionally and remove the stalks.

lemongrass plant

Like many herbs and spices, it is high in vitamins including vitamins A, C and traces of B group vitamins. It is also high in minerals including magnesium, folate, iron, potassium, copper, phosphorus and manganese. The human body needs the vitamins and minerals to function effectively.

Lemongrass has an extensive history of use in Asian countries for its medicinal properties including its anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and it is reported to reduce the symptoms associated with colds and flu’s.

It has been called fever grass for its ability to reduce raised body temperatures and is also said to be good for arthritis and joint pain, lowering cholesterol and the risk of heart disease and delaying age-related chronic diseases!

So why not grow some lemongrass today?

Happy Gardening

Rohanne, Your Personal Garden Expert

The post Growing Lemongrass in Australia appeared first on Delectable Garden.

Here are a few things you need to know about how to grow Turmeric

Turmeric is an attractive plant with wide, bright green leaves and beautiful flowers. The flowers look like they are made out of silk. Growing Turmeric is easy!

turmeric plant

To grow your own Turmeric, all you need to do is get a piece of Turmeric root from your local market and plant it in a good quality potting mix. Keep it moist, but not wet in a warm, sheltered location protected from frosts and cold mornings.

I prefer to grow my Turmeric in a pot as it makes it easy to move around the garden and to harvest the corms. However, if you are going to grow Turmeric further south than the NSW central coast, or anywhere where you get cold winters, this becomes more of a necessity.

By growing your Turmeric in pots you can start growing it under shelter. Move it outside as the weather warms up.

I find mine does best with some shelter from the hot afternoon sun in summer. It takes about 8 months to grow a crop. This might seem a bit excessive but at $50 or more per kilo you soon see the benefits. Especially as you will probably find that it has pretty much filled the pot in this time!

To harvest your Turmeric, wait until the leaves have died down then dig up the plant. Pull the roots away from any stem that remains. Wash off the dirt and it’s ready to use.

Turmeric corm

When dealing with fresh Turmeric you need to use gloves, or you will have yellow-stained fingers for quite a few days. Turmeric adds a warm, earthy peppery flavour to many Indian and Asian recipes, especially when used fresh.

I usually grate mine and use in curries or stir-fries. Its also great in a Turmeric latte heated with almond milk and organic honey and then strained.

Otherwise, you can dehydrate thin slices in an oven or food dehydrator and then crush into a powder when dry.

If you are used to cooking with ground turmeric spice, take care when using it fresh as it is much stronger in taste and you will only need a small amount to really add its peppery zest to a meal. I find the fresh Turmeric a much nicer flavour than the dried powders.

Like many herbs and spices, Turmeric is being welcomed as a super-food and it seems that many of its claims are being supported by science. It is high in an anti-oxidant called curcumin, which is being promoted as having anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer properties.

A number of the claims being backed up by science. These include it being very good for arthritis and joint pain, lowering the risk of heart disease and delaying age-related chronic diseases, as well as being helpful in the prevention and treatment of some cancers!

Some of the information that you read says that there may not enough of these health giving properties in the natural food, and that you have to take it as a supplement in order to get the benefits. However, it seems this is not completely true (surprise, surprise the supplements manufacturers aren’t telling us the full truth).

It has been used for thousands of years in Chinese and Indian medicine without needing to be concentrated, although research has shown that, when Turmeric is heated with fats and other spices, particularly black pepper its effectiveness is increased by up to 2000 percent.

So why not try to grow Turmeric today.

Happy gardening!

Rohanne, your Personal Garden Expert

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