Category: growing
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BadCritters: Small Pointed Snail
I don’t see many examples of this very shy BadCritter in my garden but I suspect there are lots of them hidden in the leaf litter. This one was munching on some radish leaves and his friends will like all of your leafy green edibles. Shame they are so cute but they are my radishes…
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BadCritters: Common Garden Weevil
I actually think these little guys are cute but they still get an automatic squishing when I find them munching on my edible plants 馃檪 . They leave tell tale little holes in the leaves of your greens, fruit trees, strawberries, beans, peas and the like. Their grubs live under ground munching on plant roots.…
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Can I Compost Weeds?
In my quest to keep up with my worm farms and compost bins I am always on the look out for new sources of vegetable matter. There is lots of conflicting opinion on using weeds in your compost. The fear being that the compost will then spread weeds anywhere you use it. I firmly believe…
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GoodCritters: Western Honey Bee
Bees are one of my favourite insects. They have co-evolved with flowering plants and their benefit to your garden can not be overstated. So you can definitely say that humans and bees have a strong relationship albeit pretty one sided. The species of bee that we all recognise on sight is not native to Australia…
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Komatsuna
This really easy to grow leafy green will add that bit of special to your salads and stir fries. Use it as a substitute for spinach or along side. It is also called Japanese mustard spinach and is heavily used in Japan and throughout Asia. I grow grow both green and red varieties (plants are…
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Tatsoi
What a great addition to any salad or stir fry. It brings a little variety and that is great for your diet. Tatsoi is an Asian cultivated variety of the same species as聽Komatsuna but with a subtler taste. I grow it as a ‘cut and regrow’ plant next to my other salad greens. Taste/Aroma: A…
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GoodCritters: Daddy Long Legs Spider
These delicate spiders get an automatic entry into the GoodCritters club :). They munch on the munchers (BadCritters) and keep to themselves otherwise. Legend has it they can’t bite humans. Species: Pholcus phalangioides Identification: Benefits: These little guys munch on other insects such as mosquitoes, other spiders and slaters (woodlice). Encouragement: As usual keep insecticides…
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BadCritters: Aphids
These little plant suckers are often not noticed until their numbers are out of control.聽 Another sign is that are often seen with ants that are “herding” them for the honeydew the aphids secret. Species: One of the many in the aphid superfamiy Aphidoidea. Identification: Damage: Aphids suck the goodness out of the plants and…
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GoodCritters: Praying Mantis
I have always been fascinated by praying manitses and love seeing them in my garden. I suppose you could also call them BadCritters because they eat GoodCritters if they catch them. However I think they are part of a balanced garden. Females are larger than the males and are supposedly not good fliers. Both sexes…
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Sage
This essential herb can be grown in Perth as a perennial or an annual. I keep it trimmed down to a small clump to encourage growth. It was missing from my herb garden but no more 馃檪 Next time you do a roast leg of lamb, season with salt, rosemary and sage for that most…
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Edible Plant Lifecycles
Planting out a kitchen garden takes planning and a knowledge of each edible plant’s lifecycle in the region you are in. It might seem obvious that some plants just won’t grow where you live.聽Less obvious is that plants may behave differently if your climate is not their native one. There are three main classes of…
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Gotu Kola
Gotu Kola is a herbaceous perennial native to Asia that can be grown as a ground cover or in a pot. It is often used in cooking as you would a leafy green in curries or soups. It can be eaten raw by itself or in a salad for that bit of zing. It also…
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The Cure For Brown Thumb Syndrome
I have a cure for Brown Thumbitis. Brown what you say? I know lots of people (including yours truly) that say they are or were serial plant killers. Most had given up but I can share the secret for a happier life, at least in the garden 馃檪 . Here are my 6 steps to…
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Dried Onions
A great way to preserve your onion crop (or in my case a bunch of onions on special) is to dice them and dry them. I聽quite often freeze onion slices too but I found both my cupboard and freezer devoid of onions 馃檪 . Note: This method is great for drying garlic too (see聽Dried Garlic).…
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Beetroot
Beetroot is a cultivar of Beta vulgaris聽mostly grown for its swollen taproot (other cultivars are predominantly grown for their leaves e.g. chard or leaf beet). Being Australian, my favourite way to eat beetroot is as pickled slices in a hamburger served with egg. 馃檪 You can also boil, roast and puree it and it teams…
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Dipel Caterpillar Control
I don’t know why it has taken me so long to use this method of controlling that most common of gardening’s BadCritters, the pesky caterpillar. Whilst I will still more often than not reach for the聽pyrethrum spray,聽Dipel has a place in my garden shed from now on. It comes in a powdered form and is…
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BadCritter: White Cabbage Butterfly
Oh but I hate these beautiful little butterflies. They are particularly active in spring and early summer. I don’t see them in January and February in Perth and suspect it is just too hot. I squish them and their caterpillars, turning them back into the soil. Species: Pieris rapae Identification: Adult: Eggs: Caterpillar: Damage:…
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PK Reviews: Nylex Heavy Duty 5L Shoulder Sprayer
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayer range is perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360掳 Sprayer.聽 Please see the other Nylex reviews here. Today I am reviewing the heavy duty cousin of the Nylex 5l…
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Nylex 5L Shoulder Sprayer: PK Reviews
The Nylex 5L and 8L Shoulder Sprayers are perfect for people with kitchen gardens, even large ones. I am reviewing several of the Nylex Sprayer range and I started with their Nylex 1.5L 360掳 Sprayer.聽 Please see the other Nylex reviews here. In short I couldn鈥檛 be more pleased with my 5L Shoulder Sprayer and…
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Bay Leaf Tree: Grow and Eat
The humble Bay Leaf tree is a must have in a kitchen garden. Once you try fresh or freshly dried bay leaves in your cooking you won’t go back to the store bought version. Like many herbs, they lose their fullest, layer rich aroma and taste as they wait in transport and store shelves. I…
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