Yandina Community Gardens

41 Farrell street, Yandina

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You are here: Home / Archives for Nursery Plants

Taro (Colocasia esculenta)

23/11/2017 By

Clumping perennial with large tubers and green or purple stems. Note the cut in the leaves does not go through to the stem.

Other Names: Talo, Dalo, Dago

Origin: South-East Asia

Size: 1.5m high, 1.5m spread

Growing conditions: partial shade to full shade

Propagation: Separate pups from main plant.

Growing tips: Grows well in boggy or partially submerged conditions.

Use: Harvest in winter, when the leaves begin to look tatty. The corm is harvested 8-10 months after planting. Starchy corms are a good source of calcium and iron.  Wash the taro after harvesting and allow to dry.  Harvested taro corms can be stored in a dry airy place for 2 – 3 weeks at most. After this time they will rot.  Roast or cook whole to preserve nutrients. Poi is a lactic ferment made from boiled taro corms. The leaves can be picked 2-4 weeks after planting and take about 6 weeks to mature. They can be boiled, pulverised in a blender then added to soups, casseroles and stir-fries. They are traditionally used as food wraps and cooked in a mumu or cooking pit. Young leaves will take 5-10 minutes to cook while older ones 15-20 minutes before the oxalate crystals have been rendered neutral. Can be frozen.

Availability in shop: all year

Recipes: Taro Fries with Coriander Pesto

Filed Under: Know Your Plants, Nursery Plants Tagged With: edible corm, Permaculture, Taro, water plant

Tahitian Spinach (Xanthosoma brasiliense)

23/11/2017 By

Clumping perennial herb with large edible leaves leaves. Note the wavy edges to the leaves.

Other Names: Belembe, Tannier Spinach

Origin: hot, humid tropics

Size: 1.2m high, 1.2m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to full shade

Propagation: root division

Growing tips: Grows well in boggy or flooded conditions.

Use: The Tahitian spinach leaf is better than taro and cocoyam as a “tropical green” as it has the least amount of irritating crystals and does not need a long cooking time – ten minutes is adequate. Serving the leaves with coconut milk or cream will help the body to use the Vitamin A, which is a fat-soluble vitamin. Harvest the young leaves and cook in stews, casseroles and leaf wraps. This plant does not have an edible corm.

Availability in shop: all year, best in summer

Filed Under: Know Your Plants, Nursery Plants Tagged With: edible leaves, Permaculture, Tahitian Spinach, Tropical greens

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajun)

23/11/2017 By

Hardy perennial legume shrub that thrives on poor soils.

Other Names: Toor Dhal, Congo Pea

Origin: India

Size: 2m high, 1.5m spread

Growing conditions: full sun

Propagation: Easily grown from seed in spring and summer. However, if you want to take advantage of the plant’s ability to fix nitrogen then you may have to inoculate the seeds. You can use any Rhizobium of the cowpea group such as that used for Dolichos lablab seeds.

Growing tips: Pigeon pea is a legume shrub that improves soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen. When they are pruned, (and also when the plant dies) the root nodules release nitrogen that can be used by other plants. The open canopy shelters young, delicate plants, but lets enough light through for other plants to grow underneath. Pigeon pea has a very deep tap root that is able to break through hard pans and improve the soil structure. It also brings nutrients from the subsoil to the surface. It is used extensively as a cover crop, green manure, intercrop etc. The plant is a short-lived perennial shrub, and lives for about five years. The flowers are yellow or yellow and red.

Use: Use for chop & drop or used seeds in cooking.  Pigeon Pea is a staple food crop that provides a good source of protein. You can use the green peas like fresh peas and the dried peas like any other dried peas, beans or lentils. (In India they are actually one of the most popular pulses. Dhal is made from pigeon pea.) The peas can also be sprouted to make them even more nutritious, and they can be ground into flour.

Availability in shop: plant and seeds available all year

Filed Under: Know Your Plants, Nursery Plants Tagged With: edible seeds, nitrogen fixer, Permaculture, Pidgeon peas, Support plants

Pepino (Solanum muricatum)

23/11/2017 By

Perennial small shrub or ground cover from the tomato family.

Other Names: Melon Pear

Origin: Colombia, Peru, Chile

Size: 0.5m high, 1m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to partial shade

Propagation: layering, will root readily from stems lying on ground

Growing tips: The Pepino is a small bush closely related to the tomato. This shrub grows in a sprawling habit and makes an excellent ground cover plant. It tends to fruit better when grown over a trellis. The foliage is susceptible to damage by light to moderate frosts, however, will quickly recover with warmer weather.

Use: To determine if Pepino are fully ripe, press with the fingers into the flesh and you will find a bit of “give”.  Colour should also be a pale yellow to gold with purple flecks. Eat only when fully ripe for a taste between a cantaloupe and a melon. Great garden snack and for fruit salads and sweet curries. Once the fruit has started to grow, cover with a white paper bag for insect protection.

Availability in shop: all year

Filed Under: Know Your Plants, Nursery Plants Tagged With: edible fruit, ground cover, Pepino, Permaculture

Galangal (Alpinia officinarum)

23/11/2017 By

Clumping perennial with aromatic roots used in asian cooking.

Other Names: petit galanga, colic root, catarrh root, lesser galangal

Origin: China, South-East Asia

Size: 1.5m high, 1m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to partial shade

Propagation: from tubers during summer

Growing tips: Cut back stems that have flowered, as they will die down. Use prunings as chop & drop.

Use: With a spade, dig into the galangal clump from the outside and break off whatever root mass you can. Look for the curled, pink-coloured rhizomes. These range in length from 4 – 7.5cm and are about 2cm thick.  Use like ginger within a week.

Availability in shop: all year, best in summer

Filed Under: Know Your Plants, Nursery Plants Tagged With: edible rhizomes, Galangal, Permaculture

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Yandina Community Gardens acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) people, past and present and emerging. We recognise and wish to learn from their spiritual and cultural connection to the land.

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