Midsummer in a Bellingen seedsaver's garden.

Even in the hottest of midsummer with heatwaves pounding Australia we have produce available and an exciting garden to explore.

Perennial Capsicum with a bite

Perennial Capsicum seem to grow more of a bite and end up like mild chilis as they age.

Baby custard apple alongside chili

This Amarillo Chili has grown up supported by the branches of the Custard Apple.

Amarillo Chili

Our first really ripe Chili of the season

Mexican Weeping Bamboo

This clumping bamboo screens and weeps. It is easy to manage.

Baby Golden Hornet Crabapples

Golden Hornet is a universal apple tree pollinator. The fruit is small.

Path to explore at the pond

Even tiny mango trees can produce.

We grew this small tree from seed. It may turn out to be dwarf. This a five year old tree.

The Amla has suddenly shot up.

Perhaps we will have fruit this season.

Curious chooks

Not all eggs.

Grey Mugwort makes a great nest liner and discourages mites.

Tamarillos

Tamarillos are our most productive fruit. Use as a tomato or a desert fruit.

Green Sapote

Although this Green Sapote is yet to fruit it still contributes a fabulous tropical evocative shape to our garden.

Golden Lyre Grevillia

This Grevillia is loved by all of our local birds.

Baby Acerola cherries

The fruit is scarce but delicious.

Bellingen Seedsavers Visit Rasa's Garden in the Byron Hinterland

We visited Rasa's garden at Goonengerry in July and discovered her superb food forest of five acres. We especially enjoyed her emphasis on growing edible perennial vegetables in her garden. Abundant flowers attracted beneficial insects and created not only a useful garden but an attractive one.

Here is a link to her local seedsavers facebook Page which has lots of useful information.

"Gardening...is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes!" says Rasa.  Check us out on Facebook 

..................................................

This iris was growing beautifully on a well drained slope in full sun.

We think this is Iris lazica / WINTER IRIS

Rasa grows a selection of yams and finds them a very useful vegetable. African Yellow Yams are contained on a wire mesh trellis.

Butterbur (Petasites)grows well

 Rasa makes tempura with the emerging shoots.  References refer to a level of toxicity.

A large Chili

Ethiopian Cabbage

Ethiopian Cabbage pops up in a few places after escaping from the vegetable garden. Rasa is happy with her plant volunteers. The plant we sampled had a mild flavour.

Seedsavers in the Food Forest

The edible white pulp of the Mountain Paw Paw

Rasa says she scatters the seeds and has good germination.

 Paw Paw (Del Monte)

Paw Paw

A Dragon Fruit reaches up towards a Del Monte Paw Paw (Papaya)

A Male Fruit Fly Trap

Rasa is very diligent about collecting fallen fruit. She has a special recipe for her Male Queensland Fruit Fly Traps. Here is  a recipe for found online.

This recipe is not specific to Male Fruit Fly.

1L hot water
1/2 tblspn Cloudy Ammonia (available at supermarkets in the cleaning section)
1/2 tspn Vanilla Essence
100gm Sugar
1 tspn Dishwashing Liquid
1 tspn Vegemite
Dissolve the sugar and Vegemite in the hot water.  Allow to cool before adding in remaining ingredients and mixing.  Makes enough for approx. 3 - 5 traps.

Here are some more links re baits and controlling fruitfly.

A mauve Salvia

Rasa's Pineapple Garden

Rasa sells plants as well.

 Rasa enjoys eating raw Plantain.

Strawberry Bed

Tahitian Spinach is a type of Taro

Taro

Yam

Can you detect the large Yam tuber pushing through the soil at the base of the black post?

Rasa grows Lotus for food. This how the bed looks in winter.

"Gardening...is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes!"

Check us out on Facebook 

 Of interest: 

https://permaculturenews.org/2014/07/25/tropical-salad-leaves-different-cut-panama/

Garden Visit to a Repton Oasis

Saturday May 27, 10am

Three years ago, Shann and her family were lucky enough to make the move from Canberra to the delightful hamlet of Repton. A bushland setting opens out on valley views of farmland and circling Osprey. Terraced paths wend down the slope, through palms and frangipani to a pond and banana grove full of potential.

Shann has inherited an established garden mix of natives and exotics.

Views from Shann's balcony looking south

Chilis grow well at Shann's

Ctenanthe setosa

Alstromeria (Peruvian Lily

Pink Alstomeria makes an attractive groundcover on a slope in Shann's garden.

Camellias at the front entrance.

Crotons add colour to shady areas

Begonia in pot

Foliage and path seen from Shann's balcony

This sweet melon is available in local shops

Rae once again demonstrated how to incorporate fresh fruit into cake.

Georgie's Beetroot salad also has beetroot leaves.

Shann demonstrated how to stylishly use cook potato and capsicum.