Charles Cant Spell's Edible Backyard

Joined: 01/09/09 Updated: 13/03/10 Frost: None
Location: 35 Norman St, Innaloo, WA, AU

About My Edible Backyard

Comments

Awesome!

Hi Charles, Could I met up with you sometime, regarding Turkey Berry Cuttings?

Sunflower - Geraldton Giant

Comments: -

Multiheading long lasting sunflower, can get very large. Great for attracting, bees and other things like parrots and doves etc.

Pollination: No

Raspberry - Chilliwack

Pollination: No

Banana - Cavendish

Comments: -

4 years old and finally setting bananas. I didnt keep then out of the wind in summer and winter and the leaves got heavily damaged I think that stunts them a lot. Now i have a bit more shelter there we will see if the suckers grow better than the first plant.

Corriander - Perenial

Zucinni - Yellow Crook Neck

Comments: -

A tastier more button squash tasting zuc. Good for climbing over stuff. Pretty bad on the mildew front in my garden, needs full sun, no overhead water, I suggest those water gell granuals and drip or or ru nthe house along the ground.

Pollination: No

Lemon Verbena (Seedling) ^10/10

Comments: -

Great for herbal tea, very tasty, comparible and easier to grow and make than Lemon Grass. Mainteneace free, prune often to bush plant, using the tips to put in your food and tea will suffice for pruning.

Great in food as well for a lemony edge, A bit like Lemon Tyme.

Planted: 2009

Height 2 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 2

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: No

Fertiliser or Organics Used: BnB

Pest Control:

None

Organic Status:Organic

Comments

This lemon verbana, the leaves are too coarse and rough surface, what do you do with them ? I had mine pulled up from the garden bed. But it smell nice though.

Well most people make tea. Pick off half a dozen leaves or 2-3 tips pour boiling water over laeve for 5 mins. Is good. I use it in my cooking though as my daughter gets rash from citrus at the moment so its my citrus flavour. If you dice it fine and put it in most dishes you wont notice the texture. its just a little rough to eat raw.

Berry - Thornless Blackberry

Berry - Marionberry

Malabar Red Spinach

Banana - William Cavendish

Berry - Silvanberry

Curry Tree

Sun Rose

Lime - Kaffir (Grafted) ^3/10

Comments: -

The rind of the kaffir lime is commonly used in Lao and Thai curry paste, adding an aromatic, astringent flavor. Its hourglass-shaped leaves (comprising the leaf blade plus a flattened, leaf-like leaf-stalk or petiole) are also widely used in Thai and Lao cuisine (for dishes such as tom yum), and Cambodian cuisine (for the base paste known as "Krueng"). The leaves are also popular in Indonesian cuisine (especially Balinese and Javanese), for foods such as sayur asam - literally sour vegetables, and are also used along with Indonesian bay leaf for chicken and fish. They are also found in Malaysian and Burmese cuisines.

The leaves can be used fresh or dried, and can be stored frozen.

The juice and rinds of the kaffir lime are used in traditional Indonesian medicine; for this reason the fruit is sometimes referred to in Indonesia as jeruk obat - literally "medicine citrus". The oil from the rind also has strong insecticidal properties. The juice is generally regarded as too acidic to use in food preparation, but finds use as a cleanser for clothing and hair, mainly in Thailand.

The zest of the fruit is widely used in creole cuisine and to impart flavor to "arranged" rums in the R%uFFFDunion island and Madagascar.

Planted: 2009

Height 1 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: No

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control:

Non Required

Organic Status:Organic

Apple - Granny Smith (Grafted) ^5/10

Comments: -

I bought this as a lanky plant from Tass1, it has not done well. I have shade clothed it this year to try and get more growth.

The Granny Ramsey Smith green apple is a tip-bearing apple cultivar. It originated in Australia in 1868 from a chance seedling propagated by Maria Ann Smith (n%uFFFDe Sherwood, b. 1799, d. 9 March 1870), from whom comes the name.^[1] It is thought to be a seed from Malus sylvestris, the European Wild Apple, with the domestic apple M. domestica as the polleniser, which would make it a hybrid.

Granny Smith apples are light green in colour. They are crisp, juicy, tart apples which are excellent for eating raw and cooking. They are favoured for salads because the slices do not brown as quickly as other varieties. They also tend to have a harder texture than other green apples.

This cultivar needs fewer winter chill hours and a longer growing season to mature the fruit, so it is favoured for the milder areas of the apple growing regions.

Planted: 2007

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Cross Pollination

Cross Pollinator Variety: Pinkabell

Fertiliser or Organics Used: BnB,Manure,SulfofPotash

When I Fertilise: Yearly

Organic Status:Organic

Apple - Pinkabelle (Grafted) ^5/10

Comments: -

Pinkabelle^%uFFFD is a compact, spur bearing dwarf Pink Lady apple. It grows to approximately 2m tall by approximately 1m wide. It produces full size, export quality Pink Lady^TM apples. It also requires NO PRUNING! Pinkabelle^%uFFFD can be used in all sized gardens and has many uses including pots, tubs, small screens or hedges, specimen shrub/trees, feature plants for the courtyard, deck or balcony.

Planted: 2008

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: Cross Pollination

Organic Status:Organic

Berry - Elderberry (Seedling) ^5/10

Comments: - Not sure which species.

Sambucus (elder or elderberry) is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence. Two of its species are herbaceous.

The genus is native in temperate-to-subtropical regions of both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. It is more widespread in the Northern Hemisphere; its Southern Hemisphere occurrence is restricted to parts of Australasia and South America.

The leaves are pinnate with 5%u20139 leaflets (rarely 3 or 11). Each leaf is 5%u201330 cm (2.0%u201312 in) long, and the leaflets have serrated margins. They bear large clusters of small white or cream-coloured flowers in late spring; these are followed by clusters of small black, blue-black, or red berries (rarely yellow or white).

Planted: 2008

Height 1.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Pollination: No

Pest Control:

Non Required Yet

Organic Status:Organic

Watercress (Seedling) ^7/10

Comments: -

Watercresses (Nasturtium officinale, N. microphyllum; formerly Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, R. microphylla) are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. It is an invasive species in the Great Lakes region where it was first sighted in 1847.^[1] These plants are members of the Family Brassicaceae or cabbage family, botanically related to garden cress and mustard %u2014 all noteworthy for a peppery, tangy flavou

Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C.^[4][5] In some regions watercress is regarded as a weed, in other regions as an aquatic vegetable or herb. Watercress crops grown in the presence of animal waste can be a haven for parasites such as the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica.^[6]

Many benefits from eating watercress are claimed, such as that it acts as a stimulant, a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants, a diuretic, an expectorant, and a digestive aid.^[7] It also appears to have cancer-suppressing properties; it is widely believed to help defend against lung cancer.^{[8][9][10][11]} Due to its high iodine content, watercress has a strengthening effect on the thyroid gland, thus beneficial for suffers of hypothyroidism.

Planted: 2009

Growing: In the Ground

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Pollination: No

Pest Control:

Non Required yet

Organic Status:Organic

Olive - Kalamata (Grafted) (Grafted) ^5/10

Comments: -

'Kalamata', a large, black olive with a smooth and meatlike taste, named after the city of Kalamata, Greece, used as a table olive. These olives are usually preserved in vinegar or olive oil.

Planted: 2007

Height 2.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Pollination: No

Pest Control:

Non Required

Organic Status:Organic

Bay Tree (Cutting) ^10/10

Comments: -

The Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis, Lauraceae), also known as True Laurel, Sweet Bay, Laurel Tree, Grecian Laurel, Laurel, or Bay Tree, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub reaching 10%u201318 m tall, native to the Mediterranean region.

The aromatic laurel leaves are used in many countries of central and southern Europe to flavour stews, soups, meat dishes, and even fish. They are used to season canned cucumbers or herring, or added to give aroma to vinegar.

It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in regions with mediterranean or oceanic climates, and as an indoor plant in colder regions.

Mainteance free. Its in a herb garden bed so get s water and manure from them. I think this must have been in the pot to long before I bought it and the plant seems dwarfed. Very little growth in 3 years.

Planted: 2007

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Water Given in: Winter

Pollination: No

Pest Control:

None required yet. SOmetimes the tree gets scale if you let it get to dense and out of control.

Organic Status:Organic

Olive - Azapa (Grafted) ^8/10

Comments: -

Planted 2007 years ago as large tubestock. Growing well.  Low maintenace.

Azapa, Azapena and Sevillana de Azapa

General - Table Olive, Fruit size can vary greatly - it is medium to very large (8gms average) yielding anywhere from  60-300 olives/kg and has an elongated shape with a somewhat pronounced point on  the end. Fruit is very fleshy with a thin skin. Derives its name from the  Chilean valley in which it is grown, where it accounts for about 90% of the  total plantings. Seems to originate from the Gordal Sevillana.

Climatic Considerations - Suitable  for warmer 'no frost' regions. Also being tested in other regions of Australia to check its tolerance to cold and ability to adapt

Planted: 2007

Height 2.5 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Water Given in: Spring

Fertiliser or Organics Used: Sheep Manure BnBone

When I Fertilise: Spring

Pest Control:

Nothing required. Olives are pretty indestructable.

Organic Status:Organic

Eggplant - Japanese

Turkey Thyme

Lemon Thyme

Oregano

Guava Indian

Lemon Balm

Wild Bergamot

Horseradish

Valerian

Wormwood

Mandarin - Imperial

Turmeric

Berry - Elderberry

Avocado - Hass (A)

Mango - Bowen

Capsicium

Guava - Strawberry

Tomato - Mortgage Broker

Raspberry - Heritage

Raspberry - Williamette

Leek - Musselburg

Comments: -

Busy going to seed like most my garden, I am a seed saver it it hasn't become obvious already, I mean who eats vegies here ?

By the way flowering leek, onions etc are very attractive to wasps if you need some of these helpful predators in your garden/area.

Tarragon - French

Comments: -

Rediculous plant doesnt set seed, can only be grown by cutting, now thats a plant that has some issues. Clearly french taragon...

Mint - Common

Comments: -

Hysop in the forground mint around it.

Tree Tomato - Yellow

Paprika

Stinging Nettle

White Currant

Comments: -

Never seen it before bought it at Bunnings we will see how it tastes (apparently like reds), I thought white and red currants whould make a nice alternating hedge/row.

Comments

Charles, Have you had any luck with currants in Perth? I'd love a few red currants but I'm worried we don't get sufficient chill hours in Perth (the internet tells me 800 hours - but I'm not sure)

Sweet Potato - Non Running

Comments: -

I think that the variet, feel free to correct me.

Globe Artichoke

Comments: -

This may or may not be one. My mum tells me its something else where you eat the petals......O_o what she thinks you do with a Globe Artichoke then I dont know...

Jerusalem artichoke

Comments: -

Out the back against the fence, they get to 2meters so plant them accordingly, think sunflowers then you should be safe. Wait invasive sunflowers.....with tubers...

Kale - Heirloom - Lacinato (Tuscan)

Comments: -

Busy going to seed. While these may be the tenderest/mildest Kale variety, due to all the curls and leaf shape (and tastyness) that are heavily hit by affid and other suckers. I will give them a few more goes to prove a suitable food choice for my limited space.

Kale - SIBERIAN - Red Russian’

Comments: -

I would rate this the overall best performing Kale in my garden. Tasty cooked or raw, long growing, easy growing and reasonably pest resilliant.

I suggest letting it get knee high then picking out the lead head stem, when it branch you get many more smaller leaves. Better for salads etc. Lesss stalk and tenderererer. :)

Kale - Siberian - White Russian

Comments: -

A bit subject to mildew attacks but other than that a good choice.

Spinach - Warrigal greens

Comments: -

Down beside the Pinkabell the weed is in submission :)

Berry - Thornless Loganberry

Comments: -

Out the back young plant coming on.

Raspberry - Nootka

Pear Barttlet

Freckles Brunte Lettuce

Cape Gooseberry

Aloe Vera

Comments

Hi Charles, do your aloe vera do well in shade? I have one in pot and thinking of putting the pups under the eaves of my house...Do you know if aloe vera grow well in rocky/pebbly soil? The soil there is such and not sure if they survive.

They are very hardy. I found they are not fond of direct sun as they yellow and die. Hence the shadey location. They should be fine, find some way of keeping some moisture near the roots (mulch sounds out of the question) maybe use those moisture crystal and water once a week to hydrate them to keep the babies alive till they get established.

Snow Pear

Ginger

Basil

Apricot - Glengarry

Comments: -

Doublegraft

Nectarine - White Satin

Comments: -

Double Graft

olives

Comments: -

Third Plant picked for fuiting time. Will finalise name later.

Bush Lemon Tree

Comments: -

x2 to be grafted or remove 1. Provides bland but juicey lemons fine for lemon juice. Being utlised for shade and grafting potential as they were on the block and rampant when I bought in 2003.

Chia - Salvia hispanica

Quinoa - Black

Quinoa - Red

Quinoa -White

Basil - Thai

Basil - Sweet

Parsley - Italian

Parsley - Curly Leaf

Parsley - Japanese Green

Bean - Green Bush Bean

Bean - Green Runner

Bean - Purple Queen

Bean - Purple King

Curry Plant - Helichysum augustifolium

Sage

Brocolli - Chinese Broccoli

Brocolli - De Cicco Broccoli

Amaranth - Amaranthus cruentus

Tomato - Palmwood

Tomato - Tommy Toes

Tomato - Green Grape

Sweet Potato - Northern Star

Sweet Potato - Beauregard

Potato Pink Eye

Comments

Good choice of yummy potato varieties, Charles. Potatoes are much more efficient sources of starch than grains (3 months instead of 6, and you can grow enough for a family at home, not like wheat). Diana.

Potato Royal Blue

Potato Dutch Cream

Watercress

Comfrey

Sugar Herb - Stevia

Ashwaganda (Indian Ginseng)

Malabar Green Spinach

Galangal

Passionfruit - Black

Passionfruit - Panama Gold Grafted

Passionfruit - Banana

Blueberry - Misty

Blueberry - Sharpblue

mammoth Dill

Peach

Comments: -

Will update variety