Yandina Community Gardens

41 Farrell street, Yandina

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Sweet Leaf (Sauropus androgynous)

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Leafy shrub that loves hot humid conditions but goes dormant in winter.

Other Names: Tropical asparagus, Chang Kok, Star gooseberry, Katuk

Origin: Tropical and Sub-Tropical Asia

Size: 2-5m high, 1-2m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to partial shade

Harvest: all year

Propagation: from semi-hard cuttings or seeds

Growing tips: Sweet leaf will grow in most soils, including acidic and heavy clay soils. It tolerates high rainfall as well as dry conditions. Growth is prolific in the warmer months and slows down or goes dormant in winter. Fertilise regularly and mulch to retain soil moisture.

Use: Sweetleaf is used extensively in cooking in East Asia as the leaves taste like fresh peas, with a nutty flavour. Leaves can be added to salads, sandwiches, scrambled eggs, tossed in curries, dips, casseroles, stir-fries or used as a garnish. Consuming large quantities of raw plant material can cause serious lung damage so cooking is mostly recommended.

An extract made from the plant has been found to have strong activity against pine-wood nematodes and may have use against other species.

Availability in shop: summer

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)

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Hardy, herbaceous perennial vine.

Other Names: Kumara

Origin: wet, cool highlands of South America

Size: 0.3m high, 2-3m spread

Growing conditions: full sun to partial shade

Harvest: Approximately 5 months after planting or longer until needed. Use a digging stick for harvesting as the wood won’t damage the tubers. Leave tubers to sweeten up in the sun for a week. Store in a well-ventilated cool, dry, dark area for up to 6 months.

Propagation: from soft cuttings (slips) or tubers

Growing tips: Will not set good tubers in sandy or clay soil.

Use: Tubers are best eaten cooked or baked, while new leaves are best cooked like spinach to remove slightly bitter flavour.

Availability in shop: spring to summer

Betel Leaf (Piper sarmentosum)

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Hardy perennial scrambler related to betel pepper.

Other Names: Wild betel, Lolot, Kadok

Origin: Southeast Asia

Size: 0.4m high, 1m spread, spreads by suckering

Growing conditions: partial shade

Harvest: all year

Propagation: from soft cuttings or layering

Growing tips:  Spreads by suckers to form dense ground cover.

Use:  Leaves can be eaten raw in salads or used to wrap food like vine leaves.

Availability in shop: spring to autumn

Horseradish Tree (Moringa oleifera)

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???????????????????????????????Heat-loving, tall shrub or tree with edible leaves, seeds and roots.

Other names: Moringa,  Drumstick Tree

Origin: India

Size: 10-12m high, 5m spread ( or pruned to size)

Growing conditions: full hot sun, drought hardy, does not tolerate frost

Harvest: anytime except winter

Propagation:  50cm long hardwood cuttings planted in spring directly into soil or pots

Growing tips: Keep tree well-pruned by cutting back annually to 1 – 2 metres; this will encourage new leaves and also keep leaves and pods within easy reach.  Plant trees as a living fence.

Use: The leaves are the most nutritious part of the tree, being high in calcium and protein and leaves can be picked for salads and stir-fries or sprinkled over pumpkin soup just before serving (can take pumpkin soup to another level).  They have a mild mustard taste, while the roots of the tree can be substituted for horseradish where required. The seeds can be fried or roasted and the young pods can be added to soups and stews. Flowers can be eaten also (make a batter using besan flour, dip the flower in the batter and drop in hot oil until lightly browned). Pods freeze well. High-quality oil is extracted from the seed and the seed powder left over from this process has been trialled for purifying water. The sap is used for a blue dye.

Availability in shop: sometimes when mature cuttings are available

Ceylon Spinach (Basella alba)

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Ceylon Spinach (Web)Fast growing, perennial, soft-stemmed climber with succulent leaves. Red stemmed variety ‘Rubra’.

Other Names:  Malabar Spinach

Origin: Tropical Asia and Africa

Size:  climber to 6m high

Growing conditions: full sun

Harvest: when leaves are at a size you desire

Propagation: best from seeds, but can use soft cuttings

Growing tips: A perennial, soft-stemmed sprawling plant which prefers to climb if given the opportunity. Lush-green, heart-shaped leaves (up to 20cm length) form alternately along the stem (red and green varieties available, red variety is called ‘Rubra’). They have small flowers and dark black seeds, which are great for use as a natural dye. Plants adapt to any soil but prefer richer soils for fast growth. Ceylon Spinach can be used as a living mulch to shade trees from the Western sun and then pulled back or cut and harvested when no longer needed.

People living in flats or with only a small back yard can grow them in a bucket-sized pot providing a stake or fork for climbing growth. Tip pruning allows stems to develop multiple branches and flowers can be nipped off early in their season to encourage further leaf growth.

Use: Leaves and shoots are delicious in salads, stir fries, soups, and stews. Needs cooking to remove mucilage.

Availability in shop:  Best in late summer to autumn.

 

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Permaculture People

Elizabeth Fekonia - Permaculture Real Food
Anne Gibson - The Micro Gardener
Morag Gamble - Our Permaculture Life
Dee Humphreys - Eatin Garden Edible Garden Tours

Acknowledgement of country

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.