Pekepeke-Kiore is the NZ native Lion’s Mane Mushroom and I had never even heard of it a month ago, let alone contemplated growing it. I have recently become very interested in functional mushrooms and their health-promoting benefits. Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine, let medicine be thy food” and I had come across several recipes for using various mushrooms. Most of the favoured mushrooms are only available as powdered supplements here so I was keen to see if there were any … [Read more...]
How to Propagate Moth Orchids
White moth orchids (Phaleanopsis spp) are an absolute favourite indoor plant for me. I love their clean simple elegance and long flowering time and, if you find the right spot for them, they will continue to reward you with flowers for years to come. I always wanted to have masses of them but they are so expensive to buy and there didn't seem to be any way to propagate them. I read that you could take leaf cuttings if you exposed the cut edge to steam to induce growth. Someone might have … [Read more...]
Growing Turmeric At Home
Turmeric is a cousin of ginger, a perennial plant that is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Like ginger it is the rhizomes (roots) that are used for cooking and as a medicinal herb. Turmeric is known for giving curry its bright yellow colour. Having successfully grown ginger in my garden, I was very keen to try growing turmeric at home when I saw a plant at the garden centre. Although the plant is subtropical/tropical, it does grow in semi-shade and seems to do reasonably … [Read more...]
Growing Mushrooms at home
Ages ago I tried growing Oyster Mushrooms and found it quite easy and satisfying. I do prefer button mushrooms or brown 'flats' though so this year I decided to grow them instead. The kit was from the same company so I was quite surprised to find the process seemingly much more complicated and taking a much longer period of time - there were pages and pages of instructions that were a bit daunting. There are 2 separate incubation stages: firstly to get the mushroom spawn established in the … [Read more...]
Growing and Enjoying Globe Artichokes
Globe artichokes are basically a giant thistle that comes originally from the Mediterranean area. They are one of the oldest cultivated vegetables in the world and were eaten by the early Greeks and Romans - although why you would think to try eating a thistle I don't know. Still they must have been onto a good thing because artichokes have remained part of Mediterranean cuisine for thousands of years. The edible portion of the plant is the young flower buds before they open up to become … [Read more...]
Growing Asparagus at home
Growing asparagus at home has been a long time dream of mine but it needs a fair amount of space in a permanent home so I haven't previously been able to justify allocating precious space for it. However, now that I have expanded my edible garden somewhat, it is such a joy to be able to harvest my own asparagus. I grew mine from seedlings but you can buy dormant crowns in the winter or grow it from seed. It needs a nice sunny, well-drained spot with lots of organic matter like sheep pellets … [Read more...]
Finally Success Growing Eggplants
I have previously posted about my variable success growing eggplants or aubergines, and how some years I throw them out in disgust at the end of the season after only managing to produce one or two eggplants. Each year I plant them again in the seemingly vain hope that I will get a bumper crop. I've tried them in different positions in the garden, in self-watering pots, in my glasshouse, and sometimes achieved a reasonable harvest. This summer though I hit the jackpot! I was later than usual … [Read more...]
My Expanding Edible Garden
Even though I've grumbled a bit over the summer about the amount of effort that has gone into my expanding edible garden, I am extremely grateful now that I have all the fruits of my labour to sustain me through the COVID-19 lockdown period. The pantry and freezer are filled to overflowing and still the harvest continues. My work from home outlook isn't too bad either. I thought I would share with you the changes that have happened since some of my previous posts. When I first started … [Read more...]
Sculpture in the Gardens 2020
The Auckland Regional Botanical Gardens hosts a biennial Sculpture in the Gardens. This free event is a great opportunity to see large-scale artworks from New Zealand's best-known and up-and-coming sculptors on a 2km sculpture trail throughout the Gardens. It is really well planned so that you get to amble around the gardens and appreciate all the new developments that have happened since you last visited whilst you enjoy the sculpture exhibits (20 new ones and many permanent sculptures that … [Read more...]
Growing Bananas at Home – Success!
Back in 2015 I first wrote about growing bananas at home and how I had got some ladyfinger banana suckers from my friend Michele. Three years on I have finally seen success: this year I have 3 bunches of bananas. I had been beginning to wonder whether I would ever see success with my bananas. I had taken care to provide water and nutrients. Soil moisture is apparently one of the most important factors: lack of water at any time may cause a reduction in fruit numbers and size. Even though … [Read more...]
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