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Gardening Articles for week ending 4th
November 2006
Please check out the Event
Calendar. If you want your activity included, just let us know.
Thank you.
VEGETABLES OLD & NEW VARIETIES
Growing vegetables and fruit has always
been one of my main concerns in gardening since I was a tot. If you can
eat it, grow it, all other plants are for show. This does not mean that
I don't like my roses, annuals, ornamental trees and shrubs. They all
serve a good purpose which I can enjoy, when my belly is full of my own,
home grown produce.
This thinking dates back to over fifty
plus years ago, when many New Zealanders used to grow most of their own
fruit and vegetables. In the last 50 years things changed, we started
to depend on others to grow the produce that we put on our tables.
Initially this produce was healthy, grown with compost and similar natural
products. It contained nutritional value and fed a growing nation.
Progressively things changed as super
phosphate and other chemical fertilisers were used by the market gardeners.
Nutritional values dropped, the crops were attacked by diseases and pests,
chemical sprays were applied and the health of the nation declined.
The heartening news is; many gardeners have woken up to this problem
and are now taking more notice of what harmful substances are in the food
we eat.
I have spoken to a number of garden centre owners and they all report
that they have never sold as many vegetable seedlings and seeds, this
new season, than ever before.
I believe that people do not want to have illnesses such as cancer and
that they realise that cancer and several other health problems are largely
resulting from the chemicals in our food chain.
The answer is simple; grow as much as you can of your own produce so that
your body receives a reasonable amount of wholesome goodness. The food
tastes that much better and your health will be far better off as a result.
Dig up some lawn and
make a plot for vegetables. Build raised gardens, grow in containers,
remember where there is a will, there is a way and its your health we
are talking about.
There are some basic rules to grow healthy produce;
1/ Remember that whatever you put into the soil will be in your food.
2/ Avoid all chemical fertilisers, sprays and chemical weed killers.
3/ Use only natural composts, sheep manure pellets, blood & bone,
liquid manures, lime, gypsum, dolomite etc.
4/ Enhance the number minerals and elements in the soil by using mineral
rich products such as Ocean Solids, Simalith and Magic Botanic Liquid
(MBL)and Sea Weed Extracts.
5/ Feed the beneficial microbes and fungi with Mycorrcin and MBL.
Doing the above will build an excellent soil food web which is the key
to the health of all living things on the planet.
The next question is what vegetables
to grow? This depends on the amount of garden room you have or alternatively
grow in containers such as the polystyrene trays. I grow the following
in these trays; lettuce, silverbeet, spring onions, beetroot, dwarf beans,
radishes, parsley, chives, garlic and my favourite ‘Bright Lights’ silverbeet.
The same trays are perfect to grow wheat grass for juicing which in my
mind is the ultimate in nutritional value and health giving properties.
Lacking room? ‘Space Savers Vegetables’ are the answer, which are part
of the Niche Seed’s range. These allow you to plant in small gardens and
containers a number of vegetables such as the following:.
Mini Cabbage, Spitfire which has conical heads, sweet and tender ideal
for summer salads, coleslaws and cooking; maturing in about 2 months.
Mini Cabbage, Gonzales, early maturing, sweetly spicy mini heads from
100 to 150mm in diameter. (maturity 2 months)
Mini Cabbage, Super Red, an early red cabbage with smooth, round, medium
sized heads with superb flavour. Leaves are tender, crisp and pleasantly
peppery.
Mini Cabbage, Savoy cabbage Alcosa, Small deep blue-green crinkled heads
with very light cream interior leaves, ideal for growing in cooler temperatures.
Other Space Saver vegetables include; Baby Corn, Mini Pumpkin (Teddy Bear),
3 types of Rock Melon, Mini Leeks and Mini Onions. Besides not taking
so much room in the garden these vegetables are quicker to reach maturity
from seed. For one or two person households, they are perfect for fresh
use, without the waste of a larger item that needs storing in the fridge.
Capsicums and Peppers are great for your health and the Niche range of
seeds provides 11 varieties plus a 4 pack that has two hot and two sweet
peppers in separate packets on the main packet.
In fact the Niche range includes a number of multiple packets of seeds
in one packet which gives you a greater selection to grow.
Many gardeners like my self, are always looking for something different
to grow and those of us that like to do our Chef thing in the kitchen,
when entertaining, just love a vegetable that is not commonly available.
Not only can you skite about say, the purple carrots you have included
in a dish, you can also say they were grown by yourself with no chemicals
to contaminate them.
Carrot Rainbow Selection has carrots of purple, white, yellow and red.
These carrots have existed for hundreds of years and recent research has
suggested that the natural pigments of the carrots may help prevent heart
disease, cancer and reduce cholesterol. These are the types of vegetables
we need these days and though they grow with different colours, they still
taste like carrots.
Another root crop is Salsify (Black Salsify) which is sometimes referred
to as the vegetable oyster having a flavour that is oyster like.
Burdock Root Minto Shirohada, is grown like parsnips and has a crisp nutty
flavour. Used in a number of Japanese dishes and stir fries.
For the unusual try any of the following also;
Gherkin Mexican Sour, vines produce masses of 50 to 77 mm fruits like
miniature watermelons, which fall off the vine when ripe. They taste like
a sweet cucumber which is contrasted by a surprising sourness as if they
were already pickled.
Asparagus Pea is a true connoisseur’s vegetable producing copious quantities
of delicious winged pods for about 10 weeks if picked regularly and kept
well watered. Commence harvesting when pods are about 25mm long
and cook lightly (steamed) to bring out their unique flavour. (bit like
asparagus)
Okra Burgundy is a colourful, decorative plant with flashy red pods which
turn dark purple when lightly cooked. Pods remain tender up to 175mm long.
Shallots can be grown true from Niche seed for their mild onion flavour.
Zucchini Super Kumi is an interesting one to grow, developed from the
original Kamo Kamo (Kumi Kumi). Picked when the fruits are 120 to
180 mm long they are zucchini, allowed to keep on growing they become
2kg Kumi Kumi instead of the traditional marrows that one obtains off
normal Zucchini.
Is that enough to wet your appetite? You will find the full range of Niche
Vegetables seeds in most garden centres, if not see my website at www.gardenews.co.nz
To obtain the best flavours and results follow the information supplied
above and remember you can only get out of your gardens what you put in.
Please check out the Event Calendar.
If you want your activity included, just let us know. Thank you.
BOOK: WALLY’S Down to Earth GARDENING
GUIDE
It is now 23 years since I wrote my first weekly
gardening article back in 1983. Back then it was pen to paper, long hand
with numerous re-writes before the editor received the copy. Once computers
started to become available, I spent $15,000 on a Armstrad IBM compatible
computer and a HP scanner/printer. This made life easier in some ways
but a learning curve to ensure that the PC worked correctly.
Later on when the very popular garden writer,
Nick Scott retired, I took over his syndicated column of newspapers which
meant weekly publication in several papers, nation wide.
During the following years more papers were added to the list and in some
areas of the country I was replaced with local writers. Now days I am
published in up to 30 odd papers either regularly or occasionally each
week. Regular publications have brought a following of gardeners who prefer
my more natural methods of gardening. Many gardeners over the last few
years have asked if I had written a book.
The answer had always been no.
So this last winter having reached 60 years of age, I decided it was time,
and that there would be a book by spring 2006. Once committed it was many
winter days and nights with the heater and the computer, typing out information
from years of experience.
I could have just taken the past article files off
the computer and put them together in a reasonable order and published.
Instead I felt that many would have these articles in scrap books already
so much of the book was written fresh, devoting much more material to
main areas of gardening such as Roses, Lawns, Tomatoes, Weeds, Vegetables
etc. than could be placed in a 1000 word article.
The book has resulted in 340 pages of information, A5 size with soft cover.
There are very few diagrams or pictures, just information.
The book is divided into 5 sections which include some past articles brought
up to date plus information on natural products, soil health, plant health
and our own health.
Not finding a publishing house that was interested in a first book from
myself, it was decided to print and distribute the book as well as write
it.
Thus Wally’s Down To Earth Gardening Guide is now available from some
garden centres or by mail order from 0800 466464 or on the web at www.gardenews.co.nz
Some book shops may stock the book later on as well, but in the meantime
if you are interested ask at your garden centre and if not available,
use the above contact details.
A book review is likely soon from the Gardening Editor or Editor of a
number of the papers that publish my articles each week. The book’s recommended
retail is $27.95.
I have endeavored to make the book a good read as well as supplying lots
of helpful advice.
Problems ring me at 0800 466 464 (Palmerston North 3570606)
wallyjr@gardenews.co.nz Email
Web
site www.gardenews.co.nz
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at www.sharpei.co.nz
Please check
out the Event Calendar. If you want your activity included, just let us
know. Thank you.
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