This is the mid-Autumn post for the ongoing research project about perennial plants and self-perpetuating annual plants providing food in temperate climate Australia. The original article introducing this project, stating its aims, and providing participant instructions, can be found here. Growers are sending me information on a month-by-month basis, then this information is collated and published the following month. All previous posts from this series can be found by clicking on my author name (Susan Kwong), just under the post title above.
Grower #4
Grower # |
4 — Yvonne, Melbourne |
Latitude |
37° |
Broad climate information |
Mediterranean temperate |
Brief description of garden/farm |
Inner city urban garden full of edible plants – the majority perennial – with more than 20 fruit trees,
40 herbs, a constantly updated array of berries (trees, shrubs and vines) and many other edible goodies. |
Botanical name |
Allium fistulosum |
Common name(s) |
Spring Onions |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh, cooked |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Allium schoenoprasum |
Common name(s) |
Chives |
Parts used for food |
Leaves, flowers, bulbs |
How used |
Leaves – fresh, cooked, dried. Flowers – fresh. Bulbs – cooked. |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Aloysia triphylla |
Common name(s) |
Lemon Verbena |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh, cooked as greens, tea |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Beta vulgaris |
Common name(s) |
Silverbeet |
Parts used for food |
Leaves, ribs/stems |
How used |
Fresh, cooked, juice |
Notes |
Self-seeded |
|
Botanical name |
Capsicum pubescens |
Common name(s) |
Perennial Chilli, Rocoto Chilli |
Parts used for food |
Fruit |
How used |
Fresh, cooked |
Notes |
Two years old and bearing well. |
|
Botanical name |
Centella asiatica |
Common name(s) |
Gotu Kola |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Citrus hystrix |
Common name(s) |
Kaffir Lime |
Parts used for food |
Leaves, rind |
How used |
Leaves – fresh, dried, frozen. Rind – fresh. |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Citrus limon |
Common name(s) |
Lemon |
Parts used for food |
Fruit |
How used |
Fresh, cooked, juice, preserved |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Fragaria spp. |
Common name(s) |
Strawberries |
Parts used for food |
Fruit |
How used |
Fresh, preserved, frozen |
Notes |
Autumn ones are very nice looking but a bit tart. |
|
Botanical name |
Helichrysum italicum |
Common name(s) |
Curry Plant |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh, cooked |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Melissa officinalis |
Common name(s) |
Lemon Balm |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh for salads or tea, cooked |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Mentha spp. |
Common name(s) |
Mint |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh, cooked, tea |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Ocimum gratissimum |
Common name(s) |
Perennial Basil |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh, cooked |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Rheum x cultorum |
Common name(s) |
Rhubarb |
Parts used for food |
Stems |
How used |
Cooked |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Stevia rebaudiana |
Common name(s) |
Stevia |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Raw, cooked, dried |
Notes |
|
|
Grower #5
Grower # |
5 — Susan Girard |
Latitude |
33.714043 S; Altitude 1017m |
Broad climate information |
Rainfall approx. 1,400 millimeters mostly in summer.
Summer daytime temperatures low 20°C, with several days over 30°C + (more recently!) Nighttime temperature in the low teens.
Winter temperatures <10°C in the daytime with approx 0°C on clear nights and 3 – 4°C on cloudy nights. Regular frost overnight. There are 1 – 2 settled snowfalls per year. |
Brief description of garden/farm |
South facing site, ¾ acres block, adjoining part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area (approx ¼ is protected, so Zone V). Mandala gardens X 2 – front and back yards, orchard, hothouse; chickens and ducks
|
Botanical name |
Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ |
Common name(s) |
Figs ‘Brown Turkey’ |
Parts used for food |
Fruit |
How used |
Fresh, cooked, dried, preserved |
Notes |
Picking the last of them. |
|
Botanical name |
Helianthus tuberosum |
Common name(s) |
Jerusalem Artichokes |
Parts used for food |
Tuber |
How used |
Raw, cooked |
Notes |
Roasted tubers can be used as a coffee substitute. |
|
Botanical name |
Laurus nobilis |
Common name(s) |
Bay Laurel |
Parts used for food |
Leaves |
How used |
Fresh, dried |
Notes |
|
|
Botanical name |
Solanum tuberosum ‘Purple Congo’ |
Common name(s) |
Potato ‘Purple Congo’ |
Parts used for food |
Tuber |
How used |
Cooked |
Notes |
These just come up year after year. I find the Purple Congos develop on runners more than sit in clumps like other potatoes seem to do, and I just can’t get rid of them. What was once a novelty, and a big seller at one of the local restaurants, is now a bit of a weed! |
|
Botanical name |
Stachys affinis |
Common name(s) |
Chinese Artichokes |
Parts used for food |
Tuber |
How used |
Raw, cooked |
Notes |
The Chinese Artichokes are very productive, perhaps even a bit weedy, but the family will only eat just so many… |
|
Grower #5 is still harvesting food from Malus domestica ‘Granny Smith’ and Citrus x meyeri ‘Meyer’.
As per usual, lots of appreciation to the growers for their plant info, and I’m hoping you’re feeling inspired! For anyone else who is growing perennial food plants and/or self-perpetuating annual food plants in temperate climate Australia, and who’d like to contribute plant profiles, you can email me for the proformas on 5555susana [at] gmail [dot] com
Until next month, happy growing, harvesting and eating!
Great article series. It is really fascinating to see what other people are growing at the same times of the year in slightly different climates. For example, the tomato vines haven’t died here, yet in the valley below they are but finished. An interesting and much appreciated series.
Susan,
Thanks for this great collection of articles. We are hoping to make the transition to a more home based way of life as of next year. And the info you provide seems a very good starting point for plant selection. Happy Gardening.
Susan, thanks, love the additional information in the ‘notes’ section :-)
@ Glenn, thanks, and good luck with the transition!
@ Chris, thanks, and yes, it is fascinating to see what’s giving food where and when, loving that part of the ‘yield’ of this research. I’m so glad you mentioned tomatoes, as you reminded me of a wonderful anecdote that Yvonne (Grower #4) gave me for the above article, which I totally forgot to include, oops! Here ’tis, and I’ll include it in May’s article so everyone catches it, it’s inspiring :)
“My stepfather has two prolific spinach plants, in a veggie plot facing East with a net over the top to protect from harsh summer sun and autumn/winter frosts, that are now four years old, which he harvests from abundantly and presses on all guests as they leave. His capsicum bushes, which are also bearing well, are now two years old. He keeps tomato plants going through winter in a sheltered warm spot in the garden, but only the cherry toms keep fruiting.”
Thanks Penny, I do too! :)
also it could be good to try some amish deer tongue, goji berry, thornless blackberry and raspberry, asparagus, hostas, chayote squash, walking stick kale, gynura procumbens, sweet potatoes, ostrich fern, pineapple guava, lovage, blood veined sorrel, canna edulis, nettles, mallow, comfrey, hardy kiwi, walking onion, potato onion, perennial oregano, peppergrass, lambs ear, skirret, and if your feeling very adventurous Goa bean.