Some vegies in the garden and the aquaponic set-up.

Oakleaf lettuce about to start flowering.

Flower buds on dwarf apple.

New aquaponic bed.

These beds have been going since April.

A peek beyond the bed. Won't be able to see past here for much longer.

Silverbeet always makes a garden look like it's going well.

It's gotta be edible or useful.

I work at a garden centre. It is easy work for me, too easy, I find it boring, but it is permanent part-time, which is handy while I am at uni.

However, I'm less and less interested in selling people anything that isn't edible or native. Why plant an Azalea in that acid soil when you could grow delicious healthful blueberries? Plenty of native plants can grow in semi-shade areas (after all, there was an overstorey of tall Eucalypts or Banksia in most areas to give shade and protection to the plants below. In fact it works both ways, the little plants act as mulch and provide a sanctuary for soil microbes for the larger species to develop).

Flowers do have a place in a garden of course, but it's best if they are insect attracting ones, to encourage pollinators into your garden to help with fruit fertilisation. Beneficial insects rely on pollen to give them the energy to come and lay their eggs in your garden so their young can destroy the bad guys who damage leaves, buds and flowers.

There are plenty of ornamental looking edible species that can be integrated into gardens, so at least there is some edible yield coming out of it. Rainbow chard, lettuces of all kinds and colours, parsley and all the herbs are pretty. Peas can be grown in spots where deciduous vines are bare over winter.

Many fruit trees are also quite handsome too. Many dwarf varieties are available these days so even small gardens can have an orchard of sorts, even in tubs. Citrus are excellent for very sunny spots. Stonefruit love the climate here in Perth. There are effective controls for Mediterranean fruit fly and citrus leaf miner which are both prevalent; regular and dedicated resetting of traps and sprays are necessary for organic control.

Everybody needs to learn how to grow food so get out there and grow something to eat.

Urban agriculture.

Really, everyone should be planting useful and edible plants in their gardens. There are so many beautiful fruit trees and decorative but delicious vegetables to choose from. Theres nothing wrong with a few exotics for show or to attract beneficials and, of course, there needs to be (preferably local) native plants too to support local biodiversity of insects, birds and small reptiles.

Fruit trees have pretty blossoms and if more folk were growing fruit tress and caring for the ones in their garden organically then I suspect that less fruit fly problems would exist, because correct hygiene for fruit fly is quite simple but needs to be done regularly.

With less chemicals for gardens available now and more food gardeners aware of the health benefits of organics there are increasing populations of predatory insects. This year there was a huge aphid population followed within weeks by hundreds of ladybirds and tiny parasitoid wasps. Frogs and small lizards play their part in pest control too, consuming slaters and other bugs.

Growing potatoes in a bag.

Permaculture is largely about growing food and using resources wisely. I don't grow as much food as I should but we have recently got the little vege patch going again and the season allows parsley and other herbs to grow unaided. I don't really like to have to water the garden; it is meant to be winter after all, despite the lack of rain so far.
They've grown since last week.

This year I am trying spuds in a tree bag as a method to grow in a small yet sunny space in the garden. Last year the potatoes were in too much shade and died a slow drawn out death. I am also using it as an experiment in reusing/composting some old cocopeat mulch and leaves. The tree bag was rescued from work. I went thirds in a bag of White Star seed potatoes. I've never heard of them or seen them for sale but they sound like a good versatile variety, having checked out their credentials on the Potato Marketing Corporation site.
Not very interesting so far.

This morning I put a layer of coco mulch and some cow and sheep poo in the bottom of the 45 litre tree bag, then some leaves from the honey locust and placed the spuds on top of that, about 15 cm apart. I then had to get a big pot out and do that one with layers too as there were too many spuds for one container.
Then I layered a bit more mulch and poo on top of that and now we wait. It's important to not let them dry out and also not to drown them. It is cool during the day at the moment so they won't dry out too fast.

So now the trick is to gradually keep putting more layers of dry materials around the stems of the potatoes as they grow. In this way the stems will produce tubers from the sides all the way along and you get a good crop of spuds. Every now and again add some more manure or feed with some fish emulsion. You must ensure that the potatoes are kept buried as they form, so keep on adding mulch or straw around the stems.
After a couple of months the leaves at the top will die back and you can harvest your potatoes. Store them in a dark dry cool place.
We shall see how mine go...

Finger lime time.

Not a finger lime. It's a Sunrise lime, a hybrid between the finger lime and a calamondin.
I was very excited this morning to finally get my hands on some finger lime fruit. It's very tasty, the little vesicles of juice are crunchy and pop in your mouth to release a little lemony burst.
The fruit and some other products were being sold at the Western Farmers Market at FERN at one of the stalls there.
I was also happy to recognise the man selling them was a fellow I met a few years ago at TAFE doing a bit of a bush regeneration course. It had been his intention back then to get a bush food business going, so I was extremely happy to see it had come to fruition.
Also exciting is that they will be selling the trees in about 18 months time. They had some quandong trees for sale and jars of bush fruit marmalade and relish. Fantastic.
This is their website...marvick native farms.

Vegetable planting guide for Fremantle and Perth.

Food miles.

When you drive your car home from down the road with some asparagus, ginger or other fruit and veg it may be th end of quite a long journey for those items. A lot of machinery may have brought you to those vegetables. Tractors, trucks, aeroplanes, more trucks then your little car driving it home for tea. Many foods travel halfway round the planet to get to us, including those things that we consider 'fresh'.
Supermarkets now have to label the country of origin on their fresh produce shelves. This gives us the chance to choose whether we want to buy food that has used a ridiculous amount of fossil fuels before they were delivered to our local store, such as asparagus from Argentina or garlic from China and Mexico.
By electing to buy locally grown fruit and vegetables you will be reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from transport vehicles and supporting your local economy. The food will be heaps fresher too as it will have generally only been picked a day or so earliler.
Next time you go shopping have a look at where things are from; you could be suprised.

Eating local.

There are two places in Fremantle that make great food.
'The Local' on Paget Street in Hilton. They do a great breakfast or lunch and make great coffee. They source their ingredients locally, where possble, using free range eggs and good quality local bread.

'Gypsy Tapas House' in Fremantle is also delicious. Great way to eat - little plates of different delicious things. Great for vegetarians or people who want to try a variety of tasty meats.

Ahh, lovely clouds.

I don't want on harp on, but this bit of rain is great. It isn't enough to do anything towards filling the dams but it just feels good to have a bit of the stuff.
During summer it's just too hot and dry to establish new plants so it's fantastic to be able to go out there and grow a bit of food.
Growing your own vegetables and fruit is an important thing you can do to reduce the carbon emissions needed to provide your food. It's ridiculous that so much food is flown to us from other countries.
Buying locally produced foods is another way to reduce your impact.
The Fremantle Markets has a great selection of locally grown (and some imported) fruit and veg. I like to get exotic ingredients occasionally, but generally only get local grown.
Jerry's Organics has lots of good organic, biodynamic and conventional fruit and veg.
He's been selling veg there a long time. Good bloke!
There's a good organic health food shop down South Terrace, too, called Manna Wholefoods. They sell organic and biodynamic fruit and veg and dry goods.