Gardening Thread

[Shell]

Na dont think ill do any - we'll be going from 2 apple trees, pear, peach, plum, cherry, dwarf lemon, dwarf lime, dwarf orange and olive tree to nil.

Apart from the Lemon, Peach and both apple trees, the others we havent gotten much from - cherries get picked off by birds, lime and orange have never done much, couple of pears but this year looks a bumper - has about 20 growing, plum is a young tree and hasnt fruited yet, same with olive.

Have you considered turnips? So you can enjoy cool glasses of turnip juice?

 

[Hawk Dork]

Got the tomatoes happening, some of last years chili plants are coming back too, looking good. Got heaps of thyme and just dried a shitload of parsley, basil yet to take off though

wat ?
Parsley grow all year you dont dry it ? same with basil it loses its stuff

I dry chillies, thyme, oregano, sage, marjoram,mint and savoury.... .most taste better dry than fresh....except sage but it dies in the wet season
Bay leaf tastes better fresh than dry
Parsley grows all year so does mint (mint is a one that goes well dried or fresh)

 

[ioppolo]

wat ?
Parsley grow all year you dont dry it ? same with basil it loses its stuff

I dry chillies, thyme, oregano, sage, marjoram,mint and savoury.... .most taste better dry than fresh....except sage but it dies in the wet season
Bay leaf tastes better fresh than dry
Parsley grows all year so does mint (mint is a one that goes well dried or fresh)

Do you harvest the seeds from your herbs too?

 

[Hawk Dork]

Do you harvest the seeds from your herbs too?

Its not easy its really fine like dust then you have to get the temp and moisture right for it to grow.

I keep 2 plants of Italian basil on the patio and let one go to seed and then when it self sows I pick out the plants and put them where I want ,that way I never run out of Italian Basil
I do the same with Thai basil down in the garden beds....I keep them apart so they dont mix

When you have a pizza in Asia you see why thats important

Thyme and oregano just creep and put down roots
Parsley self seeds after a year or so
Mexican cilantro /saw tooth coriander self seeds well

 

[Scotland]

It's hotter here a bit away from Perf but I have a complete mish mash of rosemary bushes, natives, lots of small annual/biannual flowers planted in winter, pine trees and a tiny patch of lawn.

Various trees/shubs from natives, olives and a mulberry out the back. Vegie patch sometimes usually only in winter.

Rosemary is another winner. Had a heap of it along a fence at my old place and the dog would come inside 'seasoned'.

Gonna do my verge eventually, possibly next Autumn/Winter. Probably some native shrubs and ground cover, maybe one or two trees. ****ed if I am putting in more lawn to maintain on land that isn't even mine. Most my planting is trial and error. Find stuff at the nursery that reads like it suits what I want, then plant it according to instructions. Have put in some things that have taken off and others that have withered and died.

 

[Hawk Dork]

I was given two small bonsai plants as an early Christmas present today. Any practical advice as I've never had bonsai before and am mainly relying on what I've found via web searching?

When Ive finished with travelling Im getting Bonsais and a cat, up until then I dont want the commitment.

 

[ioppolo]

Rosemary is another winner. Had a heap of it along a fence at my old place and the dog would come inside 'seasoned'.

Gonna do my verge eventually, possibly next Autumn/Winter. Probably some native shrubs and ground cover, maybe one or two trees. f’ed if I am putting in more lawn to maintain on land that isn't even mine. Most my planting is trial and error. Find stuff at the nursery that reads like it suits what I want, then plant it according to instructions. Have put in some things that have taken off and others that have withered and died.

Do you need council approval/permission or can you just start toiling away?

 

[Gough]

Rosemary is another winner. Had a heap of it along a fence at my old place and the dog would come inside 'seasoned'.

Gonna do my verge eventually, possibly next Autumn/Winter. Probably some native shrubs and ground cover, maybe one or two trees. f’ed if I am putting in more lawn to maintain on land that isn't even mine. Most my planting is trial and error. Find stuff at the nursery that reads like it suits what I want, then plant it according to instructions. Have put in some things that have taken off and others that have withered and died.

I just put daisies on mine and let them spread.

 

[the_interloper]

wat ?
Parsley grow all year you dont dry it ? same with basil it loses its stuff

I dry chillies, thyme, oregano, sage, marjoram,mint and savoury.... .most taste better dry than fresh....except sage but it dies in the wet season
Bay leaf tastes better fresh than dry
Parsley grows all year so does mint (mint is a one that goes well dried or fresh)

I wanted to plant something else in the planter box, was sick of the parsley sitting there, I don’t use it much really.

Bay leaf tree is starting to come good actually finally. And mint is shit and grows like a weed, never again

 

[Caesar]

I just put daisies on mine and let them spread.

your neighbours must love that

 

[Gough]

your neighbours must love that

It's that or gravel.

 

[Caesar]

at least gravel doesn't self-seed into other people's lawns

 

[Hawk Dork]

I wanted to plant something else in the planter box, was sick of the parsley sitting there, I don’t use it much really.

Throw it in the corner of the garden and let it do its job as it self seeds its finds its own spots
Im making a tabouleh for lunch today we have it at least once a week
Parsley goes into the mirepoix of virtually every dish.
Garlic butter needs parsley
You cant make a pasta sauce with out it.


Mint is good in Middle eastern stuff goes well with beans and lamb
not bad in a mojito either

Need it for the raita in your Indian dishes too

Doesnt grow like a weed here I think it likes it cooler with more constant water...so I dry it if I get a big bunch going

Mum used to trap it in the corner of her garden with tin jammmed into the dirt around it so it couldnt spread

 

[the_interloper]

Throw it in the corner of the garden and let it do its job as it self seeds its finds its own spots
Im making a tabouleh for lunch today we have it at least once a week
Parsley goes into the mirepoix of virtually every dish.
Garlic butter needs parsley
You cant make a pasta sauce with out it.


Mint is good in Middle eastern stuff goes well with beans and lamb
not bad in a mojito either

Need it for the raita in your Indian dishes too

Doesnt grow like a weed here I think it likes it cooler with more constant water...so I dry it if I get a big bunch going

Mum used to trap it in the corner of her garden with tin jammmed into the dirt around it so it couldnt spread

Yeah fair call i should probably plant some more. But I never use parsley in a pasta sauce, fresh (preferably) basil and that’s it.

Mint is just crook for mine, never really have a use for it, maybe I’ll chuck some down the back for a laugh

 

[DickieKnee]

I wanted to plant something else in the planter box, was sick of the parsley sitting there, I don’t use it much really.

Bay leaf tree is starting to come good actually finally. And mint is sh*t and grows like a weed, never again

I got a herb garden just outside the kitchen door with a bay leaf tree and a lemon tree.
Italians lived in this joint for years. Got fig trees olive trees the whole works.

 

[Kram]

your neighbours must love that

2 minutes with some roundup and problem solved!

 

[Hawk Dork]

Yeah fair call i should probably plant some more. But I never use parsley in a pasta sauce, fresh (preferably) basil and that’s it.

Mint is just crook for mine, never really have a use for it, maybe I’ll chuck some down the back for a laugh

your not pasta saucing right

Garlic onion carrot celery bayleaf parsley EVOOO....tomatoes stuff.... Oregano + basil (maybe)
or
for a simpler version

Garlic bayleaf parsley EVOOO...tomato ..stuff..... no oregano but definitely Basil

 

[the_interloper]

your not pasta saucing right

Garlic onion carrot celery bayleaf parsley EVOOO....tomatoes stuff.... Oregano + basil (maybe)
or
for a simpler version

Garlic bayleaf parsley EVOOO...tomato ..stuff..... no oregano but definitely Basil

Nah I don’t do celery or carrot in pasta sauce, sauté onion, add garlic at the end, brown mince, add tomato paste, add red wine and cook out alcohol, add same amount beef stock, good Passata, bay leaf, pinch salt and teaspoon sugar, add fresh basil at the end.

This is the only right way (and no ****ing parsley)

 

[Hawk Dork]

Nah I don’t do celery or carrot in pasta sauce, sauté onion, add garlic at the end, brown mince, add tomato paste, add red wine and cook out alcohol, add same amount beef stock, good Passata, bay leaf, pinch salt and teaspoon sugar, add fresh basil at the end.

This is the only right way (and no ******* parsley)

 

[Scotland]

Do you need council approval/permission or can you just start toiling away?

Good question, guess it depends on your LGA to some degree. They all have policies about verges like they have policies about everything. You can pretty much do what you want within the guidelines. You can't build a shed or plant a wall of 10m high trees but if you want to put in woodchips or shrubs etc. it would take a particularly dickish council worker to get out the clipboard about it.

Typically council position is that verge maintenance is the responsibility of the resident. And most residents seem to take the attitude of 'well it's not my land why should I look after it?'. I currently have one tree (I planted it and it's about a metre high so won't be mature for a long time) and lawn on my front verge. The lawn is in decent nick because I've bothered to maintain it. Other front verges in the street are dusty sandpits because they get no love from council or residents. Lawn is a pain in the nuts because you usually can't run retic to the verge and you have to regularly water and mow, then once you have it looking nice some flog comes along and parks on it.

Friends of mine took up their council/Water Corp program of getting a contribution ($250 I think) towards waterwise plants when they did theirs. It's now a mix of shrubs, ground cover, wood chips etc. and they had an existing street tree.

 

[Kram]

Rosemary is another winner. Had a heap of it along a fence at my old place and the dog would come inside 'seasoned'.

I can only get about 1/10 to work but you can also simply make new bushes out of cuttings.

 

[Caesar]

Our council is pretty militant about nature strips - you have to submit a written application before you make any changes to it, and there's a whole host of stuff they won't let you do

If your neighbours complain that you're not maintaining it properly a ranger will swing by and slap you with a fine if it's too unkempt

The hippies a few doors down tried to plant a veggie garden and the council made them rip it up

 

[the_interloper]

Our council is pretty militant about nature strips - you have to submit a written application before you make any changes to it, and there's a whole host of stuff they won't let you do

If your neighbours complain that you're not maintaining it properly a ranger will swing by and slap you with a fine if it's too unkempt

The hippies a few doors down tried to plant a veggie garden and the council made them rip it up

A veggie garden on the nature strip? Interesting idea, I wouldn't have to mow it then.

 

[Hawk Dork]

at least gravel doesn't self-seed into other people's lawns

surprisingly it does and you find it with the lawn mower

 

[DickieKnee]

I remember years ago a family in Northcote turned their nature strip into a veggie plot. The council made them put it back to grass, something about people should be able to get out of a parked car parked on the road near the nature strip.