Question How many edible plants do you grow?

Mark

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this week 2 coconut palms arrive!
Oh? Now that is bold... I so love growing unusual things and a coconut tree is really thinking outside of the box when it comes to food gardening - that's awesome!
 

Steve

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I thought I'd plant them really close to the garage, so that harvesting would be a little easier by just climbing onto the roof.

I've gone for dwarf coconut palms so they are much easier to harvest. Lets hope they get to that stage of fruiting so it pays off. They say they can be grown all the way down to Coffs Harbour so I thought I'd give it a go. And if they dont fruit hopefully I'll still have a nice little palm which I'd be happy with too.

pardon my ignorance, but I keep seeing the curry leaf trees at nurseries and I'm wondering if that's what the genuine curry powder comes from?

I'm no curry expert but all I know is we were spending a bit of money on buying curry leaves from the supermarket/fruit shop to go in various curry recipes. These recipes ask for 10x curry leaves and this is the plant to take care of that.
I believe 'Curry Powder' is actually a mix of various spices, including curry leaves, and so it's a bit more involved than just one leaf. They really do have a nice curry smell to them when you give them a rub.
 

OskarDoLittle

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I've gone for dwarf coconut palms so they are much easier to harvest. Lets hope they get to that stage of fruiting so it pays off. They say they can be grown all the way down to Coffs Harbour so I thought I'd give it a go. And if they dont fruit hopefully I'll still have a nice little palm which I'd be happy with too.



I'm no curry expert but all I know is we were spending a bit of money on buying curry leaves from the supermarket/fruit shop to go in various curry recipes. These recipes ask for 10x curry leaves and this is the plant to take care of that.
I believe 'Curry Powder' is actually a mix of various spices, including curry leaves, and so it's a bit more involved than just one leaf. They really do have a nice curry smell to them when you give them a rub.

Well now that's a bit embarrassing as I consider myself a reasonable cook...I even make my own red and green curry paste! But I've never actually bothered to look at the ingredient list on curry powder, and you're quite right...my Sri Lankan curry powder is a mix of chili, coriander, fennel, black pepper, cumin and cinnamon. Some of the others have other bits and pieces in them in addition. Ya learn something new everyday! :)
 

Mark

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Is this the curry plant you're talking about? The berries are edible also but they have a bit of a pungent flavour.

curry plant.jpg
 

ClissAT

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Steve you can add curry leaves alone to any food to give a mild curry flavour.
Curry powder or paste is as you say, a combination of many spices & sometimes a few herbs also.
I have always made my own curry powder for the last 10yrs or so. I don't make pastes although I could if needed as I also have those things growing.
I started with the biryani spice mix which is a great sweetish curry for use with veg & lamb.
Then by juggling the quantities & adding this or that you can really change the flavour of a curry powder to suit what you are cooking.
When I have lots of cucumbers, I make a quick wet curry with just an onion, my biryani curry mix, a capsicum, a whole large cucumber & when frying strongly I pour in a can of coconut milk & it is done. I think it actually took me longer to type the recipe than it takes to cook it!
The only thing is you have to have the rice cooking well before you start the curry or it goes sloppy as the cucumber gets overcooked. Plus have everything cut up into large chunks ready.
 

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are the peachacot and peacharine two trees grafted onto one root stock, or are they some sort of crossbreed?

Hi Oskar,
They are two trees on different rootstocks - not sure what rootstock they're on but they are growing very well in the black soil I've got. They're a Fleming's crossbreed (peach/apricot = peachacot, peach/nectarine = peacharine). I'm told they have the consistency and texture of peaches but flavours like the cross bred fruit.
 

OskarDoLittle

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Thought I'd update you on the gem squash, as I seemed to have lucked out with timing (apologies Mark, this is probably not the most appropriate place for this post...feel free to move it!)
So I've got a few fruit coming on (but I did miss a few female flowers to fertilise - the bees seem more interested in the lilli pillies at the moment, so I'm hand fertilising)
image.jpg image.jpg
Also thought I'd add in pics of the new garden beds...not quite finished yet (the other half sanded of some corners, so they need re-staining)...and def not as big as most other peoples' impressive gardens...but it's my little bit!
image.jpg
And just some random pics of things about due for harvest...
Honeydew...
image.jpg
Pumpkins...
image.jpg
And Jerusalem artichokes (sun chokes)
image.jpg
 

Mark

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You've done really well @OskarDoLittle to grow pumpkins, squash, and honeydews over summer in Brisbane I usually only plant those types of crops from March through to about September because it's just too hot for them! It goes to show what a difference microclimates can make - well done :)

Those DIY raised beds are pretty swish I love the step down too and the staining is very nice. You guys should get many years of use out of those beds. Is that an automated drip system?

I've been harvesting some of our Jerusalem artichokes early this year - it's quite nice young but probably better when the tuber has matured (more crisp I think). They look lovely in the garden with those big yellow flowers.
 

OskarDoLittle

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I probably should be more diligent about actually checking when the ideal growing times are, but I have this habit of planting and seeds or scraps from whatever we're eating at the time! So the pumpkins, gem squash and melons (and a bunch of tomatoes and capsicums I just pulled out) were just grown from seeds from stuff we ate. I also re grow onions, shallots etc from the leftover roots. I probably shouldn't do this as I'm sure they're not heritage, and weren't organically grown initially etc etc, but it's kinda cool to get something for nothing! (And it doesn't matter if they fail)
 

Ash

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Oskar you have a very neat set up and it's amazing how much you can produce from the space you've got.
I agree with Mark that the beds look great and are so practical.
Very inspiring and thanks for sharing it!
 

Mark

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I have this habit of planting and seeds or scraps from whatever we're eating at the time! So the pumpkins, gem squash and melons (and a bunch of tomatoes and capsicums I just pulled out) were just grown from seeds from stuff we ate.
What a great food gardener attitude you have! Yes growing guides are handy but they are just that "guides" and everyone has a different garden so experimenting by growing things at different times or pushing the norm not only unlocks the hidden attributes specific to your garden, it's also a lot of fun. :twothumbsup:
 

OskarDoLittle

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Awww, thanks guys. My Mum (lives in Tassie) was up for Christmas and thought it weird that I had a pumpkin growing.
Perhaps I should be putting in new melons & pumpkin vines now then!! The little hot house in the background is mostly used for ornamental grasses/flowering plant production (I have a big bank on the other side of the house which is too steep for veggie gardening & completely open to damage from possums, wallabies & deer...so not much good for food production - though I'm thinking of moving a pumpkin and sweet potatoes out there). However at the moment I have an enormous cucumber vine going berserk in there. Thought it would be too hot and planned to transplant it, but it seems to be thriving with bucketloads of cucs coming on...so I'm going to leave it and see what happens. No mould as yet...
Any new pics of coconuts Steve? (apologies if that seems a bit rude...I'm sure you know what I mean)
 

OskarDoLittle

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Is that an automated drip system?


Yup, but it may need more lines as I added a pressure reducer, which may have slowed the flow rate too much.
I'm pretty lazy about gardening during the week when I'm at work, so irrigation works a treat - saves a lot of disappointment.
 

Mark

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I added a pressure reducer, which may have slowed the flow rate too much.
Yeah but still a good thing to add the reducer - just run the timer a little longer?

Coming into winter you'll find your garden beds will hold more water. I reduce my watering considerably over winter even though rainfall is usually less.
 

Steve

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So my coconut is coming along well. It's potted out in a 50cm pot and looks really happy.
I was supposed to be getting another coconut from Daleys Fruit Trees but there was a mix up with our postal addresses (our bad) and then they gave us the wrong BSB to pay for shipping again. It's just a real mess....
For the last couple of weeks they wont answer phone calls or messages! :dunno: and I have no idea where that coconut is? I've had great service from Daleys in the past so I'm really disappointed that this transaction is not going smoothly.:confused:
Anyway, here's a couple of photos of the coconut I do have.:thumbsup:
The big leaf close to the camera was about a quarter that size when i bought it so it's really taken off. There is even a new leaf just starting to poke his head out in the middle which is great to see.
Coconut 1.jpg


...and the overhead view. You can see the large leaf on the left is the one that's grown so much in the last couple of weeks. I just hope moving to our new house in a month or so wont upset him. :)
Coconut 2.jpg
 
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