| The soil warms up rabidly this month and you
can now sow all the cucumbers, zucchini, melons and gourds with confidence outside, even
watermelon seed. Plant Okra or "Lady
Finger" if you hanker for Northern Indian, Lebanese or 'ole Southern (USA) Gumbo
cooking but make sure you plant it in the warmest spot in the garden.
"Egg plant" or Aubergine similarly need the
sunniest spot. If you like the large Mediterranean round varieties plant seedlings rather
than seed, because they take at least four months to mature. The small round white
Vietnamese varieties, grow and yield quickly from seed, as do the long thin almost black
Lebanese cultivars and they are not as bitter as the large varieties, so they don't need
salting to cook.
The gorgeous white or purple orchid flowers on a large tree
all round the district at present are Bauhinia variegata and they grow easily from seed
that develops in long pods well after flowering. They resent any root disturbance though,
so they must be spot sown where you want them to grow. Mark your tree and collect your own
seed!
Looking for a dense ground cover to replace Ivy or
Periwinkle? Well plant Hypericum calycinum at 45cm centres, with its masses of bright
buttercup golden flowers right now, it's one of the best. It out-competes most weeds and
thrives in shade or full sun.
First Sunday of November is the famous Herb Day at the
Fullarton Park Community Centre, 411 Fullarton Road, Fullarton from 10am to 4pm. Simply
the best venue to find unusual herbs. |
