Brad1's Edible Backyard

Joined: 01/11/09 Updated: 24/11/10 Frost:
Location: Como

About My Edible Backyard

Small duplex block, Swan river under 1km away. Rear courtyard has garden bed : full sun in summer, shaded in winter by northern wall. A shadeclothed area has lots of pots amongst fence, shed and table. I've got more space in the front yard. I grow both fruit and vegetables. The fruit trees in pots, for the day we need a larger house. A HUGE potting up mission was completed Dec20-22 2009.

Natural soil is sandy, but I've dug in kitty litter (clay), zeolite (rock minerals) and spongelite (a natural water absorber) and manure. Some of the front vegie beds received purchased  soil, but these were disappointingly low in organic content. Drip irrigation getting there, but still too much hand watering

I very much make it up as I go, read a lot and learn from experience. e.g. I found the best way to grow coriander here is nothing like what I was told. (seed in May)

Comments

Hi Brad. Oh strawberries, I forgot all about those for my garden. I'll have to make room. In response to your post I got my pots from Bunnings 50lt for about $11. 'Trees A Green' (off Tonkin Hway) have large plastic pots too $15 for 50lt and $34 for 100ltr. I got my soil from Port Kennedy landscaping 50/50 compost and potting mix. I got vegie mix last time but it was too clayish when watered and went hard. How are your pot babies going? My Longan is looking terrible, leaves are going a khaki green colour, and my persimmon is hating the wind. How does your garden cope with Perth's strong winds?

Brad, If you're interested in pot mixes and soils I've found free horse-poo from ascot useful (although full of weeds ... it needs to be composted first). Also you can get cheap sheep poo from 9524 3841 (they deliver in 100L bags, min 500L). I'd love to know how your ugni go!

Brad, you're probably already know this ... but I've found coffee grounds to be great at improving WA soil. A local cafe gives me a box of their used grounds each week for free and I just dig it in. Worms love it, the soil retains moisture better and the plants really seem happy. Plus, snails and slugs don't seem to like it and have stopped visiting (my strawberries are saved!)

Strange... I don't seem to be able to edit this part any more???? This garden is no longer mine. Most plants moved with me to the Perth hills but I left the passionfruit, avocado a banana (not on here yet...) and some strawberries and herbs

Pineapple - F180 (Cutting)

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Taken from the top of a Wanneroo Market bought pineapple that tasted great in Jan 2010. So far, easy to grow but needs to go in a bigger pot now

Planted: 2010

Height 30 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Question:

what pot side do they need to fruit and produce a pup or two?

Vegetables

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I've grown or am growing the following. I generally grow from seed and do a small amount of seed saving:

Vegetables: Tomatoes (lemon drop, ida gold, green zebra, white beauty, roma, grosse lise and red cherry), bell peppers, capsicum, chillies, spinach, brocolli, brussel sprouts, squash, zuchini, sweet peas, sugar snap peas, broad beans, dwarf beans, sweet corn, lettuce (mixed varieties), pak choy, coriander, rocket, carrots, parsnips, garlic, shallots, onion

Herbs: rosemary, sage, thyme, chives, basil, oregano, parsley, mint, peppermint

Blueberry - Sharpblue

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Labelled as Sharpe. Bought in small pot Dec 2009. Potted up Dec 22 (the rightmost plant). Mix of commercial grade unfertilized potting mix, peat conditioning mix (~half-half), plus some zeolite, spongelite, cow manure, pine fines, coffee grounds and a final squirt of lemon juice. Have azalea slow release fertilizer for use when its adjusted to the new pot. Some leaf damage jan 2010 - maybe a grasshopper? Flowering August 2010, was a bit late with fungicide spray. Still young, so thinned fruit and flowers mid september, only leaving a handful to taste.

Height 30 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Blueberry - Misty

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Bought in small pot Dec 2009. Potted up Dec 22. Mix of commercial grade unfertilized potting mix, peat conditioning mix (~half-half), plus some zeolite, spongelite, cow manure, pine fines, coffee grounds and a final squirt of lemon juice. Have azalea slow release fertilizer for use when its adjusted to the new pot. pH rose to 7, so iron sulphate used to lower it longer term. Flowering August 2010, was a bit late with fungicide spray. Still young, so thinned fruit and flowers mid september, only leaving a handful to taste.

Planted: 2009

Height 40 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Pest Control:

copper spray, pest oil, lime sulfur as needed

Curry Tree

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Originally, my girlfriend, fiance then wife's potted plant. Nearly died in 2009 winter (I left it out to see what happened), but nursed back in Spring. Doesn't like winter cold, needs water in summer. Put in a larger self-watering pot, Dec 22 09. Decided that this plant thinks its deciduous. Again lost its canopy and is putting out new flush in september

Planted: 2004

Height 75 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Question:

How to keep potted curry tree happy in winter? maybe this needs to go in the ground

Dwarf Apple - Pinkabelle PBR

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Received 1m high tree Oct 09. Flowering Oct/Nov 2009. Did not set fruit that year (but no known polinator nearby). Potted out Dec 22 09. Location receives morning and late afternoon sun. Manually removed remaining leaves Jun 09. At Pink bud stage for a few weeks early sept 2010,not yet flowered (16.9)

Planted: 2009

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Pest Control:

Copper Oxychloride sprayed twice in autumn (a fortnight apart) before leaf drop.  again and separate Lime Sulfur with pest oil sprays before spring burst

Question:

Keep the 2nd trunk coming up or trim it to a branch? Advised to let it grow. trying to encourage gap in trunks

Comments

Nice side branching, use clothes pegs above the buds to keep the new shoots horizontal.

great idea, thanks!

Lemon - Meyer

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Given by friends in a pot, took 3 clumps in spring 2009 and put them out in different spots in the garden. The one in front of the airconditioner seems to be coping with the extra hot wind in summer and hand watering daily. Makes sensational ice tea: infuse 800ml lemongrass for about 10 mins, separately infuse 500ml grean tea for 1 minute. Mix and stick in the fridge. I've found the roots a bit too woody. Maybe I need to harvest younger. Leaf also useful as mulch / compost ingredient, but watch for paper cuts

Planted: 2009

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 3

When I Fertilise: Spring

Comments

yep its lemon grass not a meyer lemon, but there's no easy way to fix this

Hi Brad, you can just delete & then start again-I had to do that on a few of mine.Kath

Passionfruit - Select Black

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Nelly Kelly label from Tass1 in small pot in Dec 09. Intended to shade the metal shed, via training to a new 1.8m high picket and wire trellis. Put in ground Dec 23 09. Sandy soil, added clay (bentonite from kitty litter, zeolite, spongelite and cow manure. Within 2 weeks smal rootstock growth grew as much as the original nelly kelly. Cut off when planted out. Grafted variety then grew extremely quickly when gripped a bamboo stake, climbing that inside 2 weeks. Pinched out top growth above top wire Jan 24 2010, need it to split into 2 branches as only one leader grew. Cut back to wire after growth commenced at and slightly below desired height. Some yellow spotting of leaves, hopefully sucking pest rather than virus. Reached Across the middle of top wire May 2010. Previous leader and branch to the right stopped growing (for now?). Across all of the top September 2010. Hoping for branching falling down and then flowers and fruit - I've tried small cuts a couple buds, but not seen them shoot yet. Might be another year for fruit, but I won't be in this house to see them. A bit worried about rootstock shoots that I've needed to pull up. Hope this stops and doesn't happen the other side of the neighbours fence

Planted: 2009

Height 175 Centimetres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

When I Fertilise: Spring

Comments

Flowered for the first time, just as I moved out October 2010. Good luck in the future

Fig White Adriatic

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Fig cuttings taken from a Karagullen Orchard in winter 2009. The orchardist labelled them: white, late, 2 fruit in season. Potted up to larger pots Dec31 2009. Lost a few white and late figs, but the 2-season much more reliable in this batch. I've now given most away and kept 1 of each in a 50L tub. Plan is to braid the trunks into one multi-variety fig tree

Planted: 2009

Height 20 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 3

Comments

Rangur Lime

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ok its in the ground at my new house, not como, but I may as well enter the competition :)

Fruiting Months July and August

Height 2 metres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Question: Research indicates this is an awesome citrus. Anyone growing one in Australia

Blueberry - Northland

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Bought in mid size pot Dec 2009. Potted up Dec 22. Mix of commercial grade unfertilized potting mix, peat conditioning mix (~half-half), plus some zeolite, spongelite, cow manure, pine fines, coffee grounds and a final squirt of lemon juice. Have azalea slow release fertilizer for use when its adjusted to the new pot. Affected by scale autumn 2010. The other two are flowering in august 2010, this still looks like brown twigs with poor looking buds. Might not be happy

Height 50 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Strawberry - Hokowase

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From one original Bunnings pot in 2008. Propagated over 20 plants in 2009 and kept about half. Hanging baskets and planter boxes. Mulch well in winter to get (earlier) spring fruit. Putting out runners Feb 2010 after fruiting later and less than I'd like. One plant pushed out first 2 flowers mid august 2010. Giving them liquid feeds now

Planted: 2008

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 12

Question:

Quite a lot of red (and then dead?) leaves heading into winter. Is this normal? What do you do to get strawberries going again early in spring?

Comments

Brad, do you prune your strawberry plants since 2008? What do you feed them with? I have a pot of strawberry delight. Got two plants out of it so far and more runners coming. Just wondering what I should with them when the weather starts to cool down.

Hi au0rey... not sure how to reply so that I know you'll see it.... if you want to propagate the runners, wait until you see crowns form. You can tease these up and if they have roots, pot them up. If you cut the runners too early, you'll likely lose the plants. If you want the original plant to continue flowering over summer, cut the runners that come, when you see them. To answer your question, I only removed tired leaves (generally sunburnt). I let all runners go in 2008 from the pot shown below and I propagated those in 2 batches. This year I've no use for runners, so I'll remove them, but they haven't come yet (probably because I didn't mulch over winter and they've been slow to get going)

Hi Brad, thanks so much! I 'favourited' your page and check regularly to see if you had replied. :)My plant is having like 5 runners. For the 1st runner, I potted it before seeing roots and my son actually knocked it over one day and I saw roots, so i cut it off from the parent. I suppose it would be self-sufficient thereafter. That same runner also produced another baby so I potted that one as well. Would that be good idea? Yesterday I potted 3 other runners as they do have leaves (not sure if that is called crown) and pegged them down with wires. It's making a guess if they are ready to be cut off from the parent. I mean I cant have my son knocking it over again to see the roots haha.. So now I know from your advice, wait for the roots to appear before potting. If i do not trim off runners, does that mean smaller fruits?

Hi au0rey. Last first, no I don't think you'll get smaller fruits. But the plant will put energy into the runners rather than more flowers and fruit, so you'll get less. If a new plant has a runner attached, the energy drain on the small amount of roots might be too much. So only cut it away from the main plant when all the runners can be cut. It sounds like yours are going great. best of luck

Thanks Brad! :)

Hi Brad, how deep is your planter above..the one with 4 strawberry plants in it...can the plants in that planter last through at least one year without repotting? Do you know if strawberry have shallow or deep roots? Thanks loads!

Hi again. This thing really needs to alert me to comments... I only planted out this year. I'm sure you can go at least one year. That planter is not deep at all, ~20cm, I'd say. I've also got 2 self-watering pots in that rectangle shape of similar size. The roots do get to the bottom. The round hanging basket also has roots come through to the water resevoir. So far they seem to like it.

Lime - Tahitian

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I took this from a cramped space in my dad's new house and transplanted into a pot as a 1.2m tree in winter 2009. Repotted in large pot Dec22 09. Growth flush by January. Ants moved in by Jan 15, I added coffee grounds and numerous soakings to try move them on. Canopy was not looking happy in winter, but strong spring flush. Tip pruned for shape and removal of weaker limbs leaving some early flowers.

Height 1.2 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

When I Fertilise: Spring

Finger Lime - Sunshine Yellow

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I nearly lost this plant summer 2008-09. Installed new drippers, I think it was dry then drenched, Lost canopy but when water was managed got lots of water shoots. In 2009 Spring I pruned for growth in original canopy and now looking ok. I gradually chopped back the water shoots. Some trunk damage evident, but here's hoping for a healthy tree. First Flower, Nov 2009, didn't hang around. Repotted and relocated Dec 22 2009 - canopy happy again and water shoots removed, but trunk damage still evident. Centre of canopy a little crowded, so pruned before spring 2010

Planted: 2008

Height 1 metres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

When I Fertilise: Spring

Kumquat - Nagami

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Received as a gift in Nov 2005. Made Liquer in 2007, marmalade in 2008 but vinegar flies ruined the fruit in 2009. 2010 irregular fruit ripening and a lot of fruit drop. So I gave it a major prune, reshape before spring. For Liquer I infuse the fruit in vodka (there are other recipes that use higher % alcohol!) which I try to leave for over 3 months. I've experimented with both cut fruit and whole, results to be tasted soon. I squeeze the juice out of the fruit and filter it through some cloth. I then make up a 50-50 sugar and water syrup (heat till disolves). If I have 1L of infused vodka, I add about 330mL syrup (when cool). A week or more after bottling (sterilize first) it tastes great cold.

Growing: In a Pot

Question:

Dropping a lot of near ripe fruit in June. Any tips to try and manage harvest time?

Comments

Fruit remaining on trees hinders bud developemnt, so pull off when ready ie as they sweeten up or the will regreen and stop the next lot of fruit buds being initiated.

thanks jimmy - they never reverted back to green. They were green for most of winter and turned orange early spring. I don't think thats normal. Maybe too little sunlight in autumn? Alternatively, maybe it flowered late or lost early flowers to a hotspell? I'm keeping up the water with flowers on now and will move in autumn if needed, so hopefully this time will be ok.

Dwarf Avocado - Wurtz (A)

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Planted June 13 2010, in my improved sandy soil with added fine coir fibres dug in at planting and sugar cane straw mulch. Tip pruned to ecourage width rather than height. Full morning sun, afternoon shade by house verandah

Planted: 2010

Height 70 Centimetres

Growing: In the Ground

Qty: 1

Sun/Shade: Full Sun

Comments

Left behind. good luck

Ugni ( Tazziberry )

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aka Chilean Guava. I fell in love with the description of these in the Diggers book. My first attempt grew well but then died quickly at the tail end of a summer. I bought another during that time and it suffered the same fate the following summer, despite being moved to a morning (full) sun only location. However, this time I took cuttings. I have 2 larger plants and took another cutting when i accidentally snapped a branch. They propagate easily. I'm now keeping them away from our summer sun. A filtered sun location away from the wind in a water holding soil seems adviseable for Perth.

All this and I'm yet to see or taste a little fruit

Planted: 2007

Height 50 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 2

Sun/Shade: Medium Sun

Lime - West Indian

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Even as a little tree gave three small fruit in 2008-09. Potted up Dec 22 09. Was slightly rootbound. Didn't stop a few small fruit noticed late Jan 10

Fruiting Months January and February

Planted: 2009

Height 110 Centimetres

Growing: In a Pot

Qty: 1

First Fruited: 3 Months from Purchase in Pot

Comments

Only just found out that West Indian, Key and Mexican Limes are all the same tree

Dwarf Mandarin

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Dug up from cramped space at my father's house in winter 2009 as a 1.2m tree. Strong first flush of new growth and flowers. Pruned heavily to correct shape (thanks Jimmy) in Dec 09 and repotted in large pot . Growth buds almost immediately. Rubbing off unwanted locations

I've listed as Dwarf, but I've not yet got a clue what variety it is...oops, this is supposed to be an orange, not a mandarin

Height 0.8 metres

Growing: In a Pot

When I Fertilise: When Fruiting and Spring

Comments

Oops again ... this 'mandarin' should be some kind of orange.