Heat and windy, sunny weather continue delaying sowing and planting summer crops.

Since the last ‘in production’ blog, the drying windy weather has intensified, with gales almost strong enough to break down the bananas.

I got heat exhaustion and needed help with watering while I recovered.

Little has changed in the garden. I continue keeping what is growing satisfied. Fruit trees, especially two bananas forming fruit, cuttings and seedlings continue to get priority.

The last of the ‘Paris Market’ carrot and Florence fennel are starting to flower, so it’s time to eat them. The Golden purslane have been cropped and removed as leafminer started spoiling their foliage. The last ‘Jap’ pumpkin has also gone, but volunteer West Indian gherkins are flowering freely and growing strongly.

I didn’t want to add to the existing watering commitments, but the eggplant seedlings either had to be transplanted or abandoned and I decided to start a trial crop of snake lily (Amorphophallus bulbifer). So this morning I transplanted enough eggplant to fill a whole bed, mulched and covered them with net curtains. I transplanted ‘Casper’, ‘Rosa Bianca’, ‘Udumalapet’, ‘Little Fingers’ and the commonest eggplant cultivar of all: ‘Supreme’.

The garden menu is now down to 80 taxa, the worst for a long time. So much for the predicted La Nina. Here’s to useful rain.

Edible roots
Arrowroot, Canna edulis
Cocoyam, Xanthosoma saggitifolia
Carrot, Daucus carota ‘Paris Market’
Carrot, Daucus carota ‘Lunar White’

Edible leaves

Cassava, Manihot esculenta
Cassava, Manihot esculenta ‘Variegata’
Celery stem taro, aka Tahitian spinach, Alocasia esculenta
Chaplu, Piper methysticum
Chinese cabbage, Brassica rapa var. pekinensis ‘Tokyo Bekana’
Chinese celery, aka smallage, Apium graveolens
Chinese spinach, Amaranthus tricolor
Chinese spinach, Amaranthus tricolor ‘Flying Colours’
Chinese spinach, Amaranthus tricolor ‘Mekong Red’
Chinese spinach, Amaranthus tricolor ‘Red Callaloo’
Chives, Allium schoenoprasum
Curry leaf, Murraya koenigii
French Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus
Garlic chives, Allium tuberosum
Goldenrod, Solidago sp.
Good King Henry, aka Lincolnshire spinach, Chenopodium bonus-henricus
Green amaranth, Amaranthus viridis
Golden sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas ‘Marguerite’
Heart leaf ice-plant, Aptenia cordifolia
Huauzontle, Chenopodium berlandieri
Japanese parsley, Cryptotaenia japonica
Kaffir lime, Citrus hystrix
Kale, Tuscan, Brassica oleracea Acephala Group ‘Laciniato’
Kale, variegated, Brassica oleracea Acephala Group
Kohl rabi, Brassica acephala Gongyloides group ‘White Vienna’
Lebanese cress, Aethionema coridifolium
Lemongrass, Cymbopogon flexuosus
Lovage, Levisticum officinale
Love-lies-bleeding, Amaranthus caudatus
Moroccan mint, Mentha spicata ‘Nana’
Multiplier spring onion (aka multiplier scallion) Allium fistulosum
Multiplier leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
Native mint, Mentha satureioides
Parsley, Petroselenium crispum ‘Triple Curled’
Phillip Island hibiscus, Hibiscus insularis
Purple fennel, Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’
Radicchio, Cichorium intybus ‘Palla Rossa’
Radicchio, Cichorium intybus ‘Red Verona’
Radicchio, Cichorium intybus
Sacred basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum
Sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum
Society garlic, Tulbaghia violacea ‘Variegata’
Society garlic, Tulbaghia violacea ‘Fairy Stars’
Stinking Roger, Tagetes minuta
Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas ‘Marguerite’
Turmeric, Curcuma longa
Variegated four seasons herb, Plectranthus amboinicus ‘Variegatus’
Vietnamese mint, Persicaria odorata
Welsh onion, aka spring onion, scallion, Allium fistulosum
White peppermint, Mentha x piperita ‘Officinalis’
Wall or wild rocket, Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Warrigal greens, Tetragonia tetragonioides

Edible petals
Goldenrod, Solidago sp.
Green banana, Musa x sapientum ‘Dwarf Ducasse’
Green banana, Musa x sapientum ‘Java Blue’
Heartsease, Viola tricolor ‘Johnny Jump Up’
Begonia x semperflorens

Fruit

Chilli, Capsicum annuum ‘Siam Gold’
Chilli, Capsicum annuum ‘Red Cayenne’
Finger lime, Citrus australasica
Mouse melon, Melothria scabra
Naranjilla, Solanum quitoense
Pepino, Solanum muricatum
Tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum ‘Sweet Bite’
West Indian Gherkin, Cucumis anguria
Winter melon, Benincasa hispida

Medicinal / Spices
Aloe vera – leaf juice used to heal sunburn, scratches
Bulbine frutescens – leaf juice used to treat burns, rashes, as an infusion for sore throats
Cinnamon, Cinnamomum verum
False cardamom, Alpinia nutans
Galangal, Alpinia galangal – spice used like ginger with similar properties
Ginger, Zingiber official – spice that helps decongestion of catarrh, aids digestion, blood flow
Greater celandine, Chelidonium majus – stem juice kills warts on hands
Phillip Island hibiscus, Hibiscus insularis – used as a tea to soothe sore throats
Rosemary, dwarf, Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Benenden Blue’
Rosemary, fastigiate, Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Miss Jessopp’
Summer savoury, Satureja hortensis – herb used like sage
Thyme, Thymus serpyllum – antibiotic, used as a gargle against sore throats
Turmeric, Curcuma longa – spice with anti-cancer properties
80 taxa

Snake lily (Amorphophallus bulbifer) produces starchy corms but is rarely grown for food.

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’

So much for a La Nina year: six months without useful rain!

Jerry Coleby-Williams

1st January 2013