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00:05Hey!
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00:16Hey, honey.
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00:33Hello and welcome to Gardening
00:36Australia. There's always
00:38something to do in the veggie patch
00:40and it's this time of the year
00:42when we get to enjoy
00:43the fruits of our labour.
00:45Picking, eating,
00:47preserving and storing.
00:49It's showtime.
00:51And to lend a hand, we've got
00:53some stories to keep you
00:55fired up. Take a look
00:57at what's coming your way.
01:01These colourful little characters
01:03are the unsung heroes
01:05of my garden and my kitchen.
01:07I'm going to show you the
01:09many ways I put seed to
01:11use at my place.
01:13What happens when two doctors
01:15set their mind to creating a
01:17water-wise productive patch in the Adelaide Hills?
01:20Well, this!
01:21An extremely fruitful
01:23and beautiful garden.
01:25How many tomato varieties
01:27do you think there are in the world?
01:29Hundreds? Thousands?
01:31What about 10,000?
01:33Well, today I'm going to try and eat
01:35as many as I can
01:37and meet a grower who is passionate
01:39about the perfect tomato.
01:41And we take in
01:43some stunning arid scenery.
01:45Dawn is my favourite time
01:47of the day here at the Australian
01:49Narrowlands Botanic Garden.
01:51This is where the desert meets the sea.
01:59As the weather heats up,
02:01a lot of flowering perennial plants
02:03put on a show.
02:05Hannah's visiting a nursery that's
02:07an absolute feast for the eyes.
02:13Perennials are certainly having their moment.
02:15People can't seem to get enough of them.
02:18Here, in Granton,
02:20in the northern suburbs of Hobart,
02:21I'm in a gorgeous perennial nursery
02:24where I'm going to meet
02:25avid perennial grower and manager,
02:27Richard Hull.
02:28In the last, say, five to ten years,
02:30there's been a huge interest
02:32from the general public,
02:33whereas before,
02:34people...
02:35It just wasn't in people's
02:37front of mind sort of thing,
02:39but they're certainly
02:39becoming a lot more popular now.
02:41Richard, what is a perennial?
02:42A perennial is a plant
02:44that will live more than one year.
02:46It can be either
02:47a herumbaceous perennial,
02:48like what we grow here,
02:49or it could be a woody perennial,
02:50like a shrub or a tree.
02:52And which perennials are just so popular,
02:54people just ratch for them all the time?
02:56Certainly the more drought-tolerant ones,
02:58things like the agastache,
02:59like this one here,
03:02similar to a salvia,
03:03very easy to grow,
03:04loves it hot and sunny,
03:05it'll take it cold in winter,
03:07it'll be dormant then anyway,
03:08it doesn't need a lot of water.
03:10And also the grasses,
03:11the ornamental grasses in recent years
03:13have become very, very popular.
03:14The true ornamental grasses
03:16that we grow,
03:17they do need to be cut back,
03:18most of them,
03:19once a year,
03:20but they're really nice
03:22for softening up the garden
03:23and they can be used
03:23in lots of different styles.
03:25Do you think perennials
03:25play an important role
03:27in building climate-resilient landscapes?
03:29Oh definitely,
03:30without a doubt,
03:30because the fertiliser requirement
03:32is very low
03:34and it's actually in many cases
03:35a benefit not to use
03:36chemical fertilisers on them
03:38and also once they're established
03:39they need very little water
03:40so there's much less opportunity
03:42for runoff to become a problem
03:43in the environment.
03:44So you're having more stable
03:46and healthy ecosystems?
03:47Definitely,
03:47and they attract insects
03:49which is a good thing
03:49and so these insects
03:50may be in to feed on the plants
03:51and at the same time
03:52they're going to benefit
03:53other plants in your garden.
03:54And Richard has some sound advice
03:56for customers
03:57first meeting a perennial
03:58at a nursery.
04:00The perennials
04:01can often look quite underwhelming
04:03in a small pot
04:04but once they get in the ground
04:05the rapid growth
04:06they'll establish pretty quickly
04:09and especially
04:10if you're planting them
04:11in groups,
04:12multiples,
04:12which really is the best way
04:14to show them off
04:14you won't be worried
04:17about them not looking
04:18particularly impressive
04:19in a pot.
04:21When Richard's not at the nursery
04:23he's tending to his
04:24one hectare property
04:25andromedry
04:26just 15 minutes
04:27down the road
04:28along the river Derwent.
04:31I can see some gorgeous
04:33perennials around the house
04:34but I'm curious
04:35to see the rest
04:36of the block first.
04:38So Hannah,
04:39we bought this property
04:40about 20 years ago
04:41and the original plan was
04:43I was going to plant
04:45lots and lots
04:46of silver birches
04:46and liquid ambers
04:47lots of deciduous trees
04:49in this area
04:50and then over time
04:51I started to realise
04:52that we just didn't have
04:53the rainfall to support
04:54a lot of these plants
04:55that I wanted to grow
04:56so rather than
04:57waste time
04:58babying them
04:59I suppose
04:59I just let them
05:00take the natural course
05:02so after a year or so
05:04it was pretty obvious
05:05that I wasn't going to be
05:06successful with some
05:07of these choices
05:08so I switched my thinking
05:10over to putting
05:11a lot of native trees in
05:11and that's what I did
05:12so well I've got the benefit
05:14of maybe a little bit
05:15of a bush block
05:15as well as a reasonable
05:17garden up near the house
05:18as well
05:18so it's a little bit
05:20of both really
05:22time to check out
05:23the perennials
05:24around the house
05:30oh this garden
05:32is pretty beautiful
05:33Richard
05:34oh thanks Hannah
05:35thank you
05:36yeah I'm loving
05:37the diversity
05:37you've got these grasses
05:38that really hold the space
05:39with these colourful
05:40herbaceous plants
05:41running through the whole lot
05:42that's right
05:43that's what we tried to do
05:44here was really soften
05:45the front of the building
05:46especially when you come in
05:47through the driveway
05:48to start with
05:48and I think the grasses
05:50especially combined
05:51with the perennials
05:52has created a nice
05:53soft area effect
05:54and looking around here
05:55it's pretty crowded
05:56there's maybe no bare space
05:59yeah that's right
05:59that's a good observation
06:00that's a deliberate thing
06:02I think the more bare space
06:03the more space for weeds
06:05and also I think
06:06having it packed in
06:07quite tightly
06:07tends to conserve
06:09a bit of moisture
06:09in there as well
06:10some people might think
06:12oh I guess you just throw
06:13different plants in
06:13that are perennial
06:14but you've got a really
06:16clear strategy here
06:17there's a pattern
06:18I can see
06:18yeah
06:19how do you determine that?
06:20well there is a pattern
06:21and the grasses are used
06:23predominantly for
06:23to give it a little bit of height
06:24not necessarily just at the back
06:26but they create a bit of punctuation
06:29through the rest of the plants
06:31with the things like
06:33the different shapes
06:34that's quite important as well
06:35I think we've got flat shapes
06:37of things like the Achilles
06:38and we've got uprights
06:39from the Salvias
06:40and then we've got round shapes
06:41from the Echinacea
06:42and the other daisies
06:43so that's what we've tried to do
06:44there is just repeat
06:45patterns of shapes really
06:47why do you love grasses so much?
06:49oh I think
06:50I really like grasses
06:51because they move
06:52first of all
06:53the garden gets movement
06:55instead of having shrubs
06:56as you can see
06:57they move at the slightest
06:59breath of wind
07:00and I also like again
07:01that they grow so quickly
07:03throughout the season
07:03so that you do get a change
07:05going on in the garden
07:06you're not waiting a long time
07:07as you might be
07:08for a shrub or a tree
07:09what are some of your
07:11top grass species
07:12that you turn to
07:13again and again?
07:14yeah well
07:15these three here
07:16you've got
07:16Calamogrostis carlforster
07:18at the back
07:18we've got Steepa itchu here
07:20and we've also got
07:21the Anamantheli
07:22or the New Zealand windgrass
07:23they're my three favourites
07:25and they offer different shapes
07:27and they offer different things
07:28to the garden
07:29the Steepa itchu
07:30really gives movement
07:32at the slightest puff of breeze
07:33where the carlforster's
07:35just so upright
07:35it's really really nice to use
07:37at the back of the border
07:39and then the windgrass over here
07:41that's a really nice rounded shape
07:44and it gives a nice hazy effect
07:45when it's in flower like that
07:46oh it's beautiful
07:47I want to see more
07:49sure
07:50I love the yellow arrow
07:51yes
07:52trying to create a bit of rhythm
07:53and repetition as we go
07:54through the garden
07:55I want everything to flow
07:57because especially at the back
07:58you can see everything
07:59relatively easily as you drive in
08:01so I don't want a sudden dramatic change
08:03in what people are looking at
08:04and that way I think
08:05you get quite a restful effect
08:07along with rhythm and repetition
08:09there's a third R in Richard's approach
08:11restraint seems to be the hardest part
08:14for a lot of people
08:14especially gardener lovers
08:17but if you can adhere to those principles
08:20to some degree
08:20it certainly makes a difference
08:22in my opinion
08:22yeah I'm going to have to learn
08:23a bit more restraint I think
08:24I think we all are
08:27when it comes down to picking a good flower
08:29this type of garden
08:30yes
08:30what is it that you're looking for
08:31well I'm basically looking for
08:32as simple as possible
08:33and what I mean by that
08:35we're trying to look in this garden
08:37to get away from double flowers
08:39and hybridized plants
08:40that the modern nursery industry
08:42really pushes these days
08:43I like more simple flowers
08:45and so do the insects
08:46they find it a lot easier
08:47to access the pollen
08:49which is part of the reason
08:50that we have this garden
08:51so simple is really what we're looking for
08:53when it comes to selecting plants
08:56Richard is all inclusive
08:58originally it was all Australian native plants
09:00and I enjoyed that for a time
09:02but I was looking for something
09:04a little bit more dynamic
09:05and something that would change
09:06as the seasons change
09:07and so we decided to go
09:10with the herbaceous perennials
09:11I tend to look at plant selection
09:13similar to the United Nations
09:15it doesn't really matter to me
09:16where the plants come from
09:17as long as they all get together well
09:19and they all want the same things
09:21and play well together
09:22I think that's more important
09:23than the actual origin in my opinion
09:26much like this Scotsman
09:28who has made Australia home
09:29his diverse range of perennials
09:31are also thriving in their home
09:34every day you come into the garden
09:35it looks different
09:36there's always a new flower to look at
09:37or a new
09:38something's emerging out of the ground
09:40so it's never boring
09:41it's continually changing
09:42and that's what I love
09:51Will Hardenbergia grow vertically?
09:54Purple coral pea, Hardenbergia
09:56is a native garden favourite
09:58in the wild it will carpet the bush
10:00tumbling over the ground
10:02but if you give it the right support
10:04it will also climb
10:05just a year ago
10:07we planted it at the base
10:08of a bamboo pyramid
10:09and look at it go
10:11these poles are 4 metres tall
10:14Hardenbergia's climbing secret
10:16is called stem twining
10:17it spirals up something relatively slim
10:20like these poles
10:21so it won't climb a wall like Bougainvillea
10:23but if you can help it up the wall
10:25with a pole or trellis
10:26you might tempt it to run along the top
10:29I've now planted this white variety
10:31of Hardenbergia
10:32it's called whiteout
10:33and it's going to weave its way up
10:35and join its purple cousin
10:37and it's going to form
10:38a beautiful colour contrast next season
10:40I can't wait
10:42Can I coppice a Mallie?
10:45Mallies are small eucalypt trees
10:47that produce multiple stems
10:49off a woody base
10:50called a lignotuber
10:52for an example
10:53is this eucalyptus caesia
10:55I cut it back hard
10:56but it re-established
10:57it's got multiple trunks
10:59and it's presenting beautifully
11:00What are cotyledons?
11:03Well they're those first leaves you see
11:05that come out of a seed
11:06they are actually stored within that seed
11:09and when they come out of the ground
11:10they unfurl
11:11they hit the sunlight
11:12start to photosynthesize
11:13and fuel the growth of that little plant
11:16Now we have monocots
11:18monocotyledons have a single seed leaf
11:20things like grasses and corn
11:22and then you've got many diacots
11:24and they have two seed leaves
11:26they come out of the ground
11:27and they are interesting to look at
11:29but they're also really useful
11:30you can use them to hold the seedling
11:33without doing any damage
11:34and it's a great little fact
11:35to have in your pocket too
11:43As summer draws to a close
11:45a gardener's mind turns to
11:48seed
11:49those tiny unassuming
11:52little packages
11:54that carry the promise
11:55of next year's garden
11:57but that's not the only role they play
12:00they also star when you move
12:02from the garden to the kitchen
12:04Jerry knows exactly what I mean
12:07and he's here to show us
12:09how to get the most out of your seed
12:28As a passionate gardener
12:30I never underestimate the power of seed
12:33of course every plant's life begins as seed
12:37and today I'm going to show you
12:39the various ways I work
12:41with these tiny little wonders
12:51That sounds a little seedy
12:53You've probably saved seed
12:55to propagate plants in your own garden
12:58and for the more than 500 species
13:00I have in my garden
13:02propagation by seed
13:04is probably the most cost effective
13:06and efficient way
13:07of growing plants
13:09Here in subtropical Brisbane
13:11it can be hot and dry in spring
13:14and I use this time
13:15to let my winter crops go to seed
13:18and rather than watering
13:19which can be really hard work
13:22I use the conditions
13:23to help ripen my seed
13:25so I use spring
13:27to create my primary seed crop
13:31This is my Ethiopian cabbage
13:33and to save the seed
13:35you just harvest a few pods
13:43and then it's simply a matter
13:45of pressing the seed along the seam
13:48and that liberates the seed
13:52and I can save them
13:53and sow them again next year
13:57Don't they look cute?
13:58like peas in a pod
14:00except they're cabbage
14:04For really small seed
14:06like this Nicotiana
14:08you need to use pantyhose
14:10The seed from this plant
14:12make the cabbage seed
14:14look like footballs
14:16and the problem is
14:18they disperse so easily
14:19but pantyhose is just brilliant
14:22You put this over the end of the plant
14:25and all of the seed are captured
14:28You just tie it up at the end
14:30Now the brilliant thing about this
14:33is that if it rains
14:35the seed will dry very quickly
14:38They won't get spoiled by moisture
14:41My top tips for successful seed storage
14:44are to always dry the seed before storing it
14:47Use silica gel packs to help remove excess moisture
14:51Use an airtight jar and label it clearly
14:54Store the seed in the fridge
14:56and common seed like peas, beans, tomato and capsicum
15:01will last for up to 10 years
15:04Of course, a lot of seeds aren't just used to grow food producing plants
15:09They are food in their own right
15:13Rice, lentils, peas feed billions
15:16but I've got a few
15:19which you can get a good crop out of
15:21and you don't need acreage
15:24And these are my much loved sword beans
15:27These are the seed
15:28and these are the plants
15:29They've just started growing
15:31I'll harvest these in winter
15:33and they're a heavy cropper
15:35You peel the fresh seed and boil them
15:38and as far as protein content goes
15:41they're every bit as nutritious as steak
15:45Another favourite edible seed of mine is sesame
15:49It's a heat tolerant, quick growing crop
15:52and these seedlings here are just ready for thinning
15:56I find the flavour of black sesame is far richer
16:00than the shop bought white sesame seed
16:02and it's far more nutritious as well
16:09Many spices are made from seeds such as cumin, coriander and mustard
16:15I've got a few spicy numbers growing in my garden
16:19including this black pepper
16:21which is happily climbing a fruit tree
16:23It's more commonly grown on palm tree trunks
16:26because it accepts quite a lot of sunshine
16:29The seed is black peppercorns
16:32and this is a distinct before and after moment in your life
16:36because once you've grown your own
16:39and you've smelled the aroma
16:41and the flavour of homegrown peppercorns
16:44there's no going back
16:47My black cumin has just started flowering
16:50It's an easy ornamental that produces seed with ease
16:53and the seed are slightly bitter and peppery
16:56and they're amazing for breads, curries and pickles
17:00Take a gander at my coriander
17:03This spice is absolutely essential
17:06and look how easy it is to harvest
17:08It's just so simple
17:10you just rub the seed off using your fingertips
17:14People complain that coriander goes to seed
17:17but that's the second crop
17:19My curries wouldn't be the same without it
17:27Seed can also be turned into fresh tasty sprouts
17:30in a matter of days
17:32The process of sprouting is so simple
17:35Sprouts are essentially germinating seeds
17:38So most things work
17:40Think beans, radish, mustard seed and pumpkin
17:43So why not experiment?
17:45You don't need a garden to grow sprouts
17:48All you need is a well lit windowsill
17:51To get them going
17:53You use a sterilised jar
17:54I put a tablespoon full of mung bean seed in
17:57Soak them in water overnight
18:01The following morning
18:02You put a little bit of shade cloth over the top
18:04Use a rubber band to hold it in position
18:06And then you turn it upside down
18:08to drain off all the surplus water
18:11Every morning, every evening
18:13You fill it with water
18:14Rinse it around
18:16And then drain off the water
18:17And in days you've got nutritionally dense food
18:21Which is at its best
18:22Before the seedlings produce their first pair of true leaves
18:28I think seeds are absolutely wonderful
18:30In particular, the way they give a gardener agency
18:34They give you a real sense of power
18:37And they're portable
18:38This is half of my garden
18:41If you exploit their potential to the max
18:44Your garden and your kitchen are going to flourish
18:56At this time of the year, productive gardens really come into their own
19:02And Sophie's visiting one in the Adelaide Hills
19:05That's mixing up plenty of produce with some interesting plant choices
19:13This lovely Adelaide Hills garden
19:15Is the meticulously planned, waterwise creation of two doctors
19:20Cathy and David Sprod
19:22They've designed a garden featuring an abundance of productive plants
19:26On their 2,000 square metre property in Mount Barker
19:30Cathy, David, I can see there's so much going on here
19:34Look at the produce in the front yard, the pistachios
19:36Yes, they're fabulous
19:38Welcome to our habitat
19:39We live in our garden
19:41We've got vegetables
19:42We've got nuts
19:43We've got shady garden
19:46Shady in summer
19:47Sunny in winter
19:49It's our habitat
19:51And a habitat for the birds
19:53And the lizards
19:54And the possums
19:55There's a lot more to see
19:56Why don't you come through and have a look?
19:58Oh, please
20:05Wow, look at this
20:07What a view
20:08Look at that stunning, weeping Japanese maple
20:12This is probably the hardest part of the block
20:16Because it's the north-west corner
20:18So it gets intense sun and heat
20:22This plant would not survive if we didn't create a microclimate
20:26We manage that by putting a nice pergola with a glory line on it
20:30Which creates shade all through summer
20:32And then in winter, they all lose their leaves
20:34And you get a totally different view out into the whole garden
20:39Out the back, there's a veggie patch
20:41Lots of lovely native and exotic plants
20:44Carefully chosen to suit the conditions
20:46Including at least 100 fruit and nut trees
20:49Providing bountiful crops
20:52Wow, look at this beautiful lawned area
20:55So the lawn is on top of the rainwater tank
20:58It's 115,000 litres
21:00Wow
21:01And it supplies the whole house
21:02The house only needs about 50,000 litres
21:05But that leaves us 65,000 to drought-proof us for the garden
21:09How amazing
21:10And how much soil is on top then?
21:13About 400 mils, which is not a lot
21:15That's not much at all
21:16So we've got to be careful what we plant on top
21:19So that grevillea, the standard grevillea
21:21Is growing in 400 mils of soil
21:23And the only reason it can do that
21:26Is that it's grafted onto grevillea robusta
21:29And that is such a tough plant
21:32It's actually thriving
21:33David has to keep cutting it back
21:35Because it wants to take over the lawn
21:37Wow, and it's just about to come into flower?
21:40Yes, yes, we're very excited about that
21:43What colour flowers does this cultivar have?
21:45Golden yellow
21:46Beautiful
21:48And someone said to us
21:50Why have you got your clothesline right in your view?
21:53It's because it's iconic
21:55And it's beautiful
21:56Look at the water stains on it
21:58It's so functional
21:59It's so beautiful
22:00Absolutely
22:01So you've got ponytail palms over there
22:04I bought those when I was at university
22:06More than 40 years ago
22:07And I also love the Kasonia
22:09The South African cabbage tree
22:11They're gorgeous
22:12And they have that similar interesting bulbous root system
22:15I really like architectural plants
22:18And it just makes this artistic approach to the garden
22:25Cathy and David have lived here for 30 years
22:28But in 2017, a fire thought to have been sparked by a power fault
22:33Destroyed their house
22:37It was very devastating
22:39And you already had a beautiful garden around your home
22:44What then?
22:46Well, we were essentially in no man's land for quite a while
22:49Trying to work out what we were going to do
22:51It was a very, very difficult time
22:54But the fire did come with a silver lining
22:57It allowed Cathy and David to start again from scratch
23:00They built their dream house
23:02An eco-friendly, north-facing home
23:05Where the garden is central
23:06There are a variety of beautiful views of the garden
23:09From every room in the house
23:11The garden informs the house
23:14And the house informs the garden
23:16We were really keen to minimise the barrier between the inside and out
23:22It's not planned on a piece of paper
23:25But it is very planned
23:27It is very intentional
23:28But it's also aiming to be natural
23:31Following the fire
23:33We were able to build the garden
23:37But we still had the bare bones of the previous garden
23:41With the big trees like this one
23:43And the gum trees
23:45We love our gum trees
23:46They were all still present
23:48And allowed us to have these mature trees
23:53Incorporated into what we wanted to do
23:57So what are your roles in the garden?
23:59We've learnt to work together
24:02This is our 40th year of marriage
24:05I've trained him
24:06He's just about right now
24:07And I've finally learnt as well
24:11But we work together
24:13And we respect each other
24:15And we have lots of discussions
24:16And those discussions don't always have words
24:19David has an incredible artistic eye
24:23My thing is I like shade
24:25So I like big trees
24:27To be able to go into the garden
24:28And under the garden
24:29I also like space
24:31I like the empty space between the plants
24:35I feel that's just as important
24:38If not more important than the actual plants
24:40And we learn from each other
24:42David says he likes the space between
24:44It's very tempting for me to go
24:46Ooh, there's a space
24:47Ooh
24:51Now you've got a fabulous looking veggie patch
24:54With, you know, corn and beans
24:55And cake gooseberries and zucchinis
24:58And the tomatoes and self-seeded
25:01Tommy toe
25:02Would you like to pinch one?
25:04Please do, please do
25:05Let me try
25:06Nothing beats the flavour
25:08Mmm
25:10Mmm
25:13Heaven
25:14Sun ripened
25:17Warmed
25:17And flavour rich
25:19Absolutely
25:21So you produce a lot of food
25:23Oh yeah
25:24What do you do with all that?
25:26We share with neighbours
25:27We share with our children
25:29We share around our community
25:31So Cathy also preserves
25:34And so we usually can preserve enough
25:39To last a year
25:41How much has your work as doctors affected your garden?
25:47I think it's actually had a very significant effect
25:52Working as a doctor you are looking after people's wellbeing
25:56And the garden, it's not designed for wellbeing
26:00But it's certainly turned out that way
26:04We both feel really happy when we're out in the garden
26:08Sort of just to recharge
26:10And move around, do things
26:14Basically, yeah, live life
26:16And live a very contented and well life
26:20We get regenerated when we come out
26:24Fatigue tends to fall away
26:25We come out to look at something
26:27Just check something out and see how it's going
26:31And hours later David says
26:33Dinner's ready, come on in
26:35I've just got to do one more thing
26:39It's on the table, come on
26:41It's our happy place
26:46Well it's been a delight to tour this carefully thought out garden
26:49And see the productive plants that are thriving
26:52A little later in the program
26:54We're going to take a look at several special fruit trees that are growing here
26:58That you may not have tasted before
27:00Or even heard of
27:05Still to come on Gardening Australia
27:08Josh's fig tree feels the heat
27:10We sample the delicacies of some unusual fruit trees in an Adelaide home orchard
27:18And we're off to a botanic gardens that will take your breath away
27:29If you're gardening down south this season
27:32Chances are you're up to your earlobes in tomatoes
27:36But if you're anything like me
27:38You're already thinking ahead to next season
27:41What worked? What didn't?
27:43What varieties can I experiment with?
27:47Well Millie's visiting a tomato farmer
27:49Who's got the scoop on what's hot?
28:03I reckon it doesn't matter what country road you go down in Australia
28:08You're bound to find an interesting grower
28:11And there are not many growers more interesting than Florian Hoffinger
28:16On his property at Mount Franklin, north of Daylesford in Victoria
28:20He grows an incredible variety of beautiful heritage tomatoes
28:30So, in the interests of research and journalistic integrity
28:34I'm more than willing to make the ultimate sacrifice
28:37And sample as many of these varieties as I can
28:42How many different varieties have you got in the paddock here Florian?
28:46Uh, roughly about 60
28:48Wow
28:4860 plus
28:50And do you keep track of them?
28:51Like, do you know what's where or are they all planted in together?
28:55Um, no, I keep track of it usually inside my head
28:59But I do have a little, uh, sort of a farm map
29:02Where I do write it down for crop rotation purposes
29:05And also just to see, you know, what, uh, what's good enough and what isn't
29:17In here we've got another 50 varieties of tomatoes under cover
29:22What makes these varieties need to come under cover, Florian?
29:26Uh, two purposes
29:27One, to extend my growing season
29:29Because we can get very cold summer nights
29:32And, second, uh, to keep the rosellas out, uh, which are great lovers of tomatoes
29:40Who isn't?
29:41Who isn't, yes
29:43We've got a beautiful variety here, Millie, it's called Black Beauty
29:45And I believe it's the darkest of all tomatoes
29:49And totally midnight black
29:50Red inside, super sweet
29:52Time to try
29:55Oh, beautiful
29:58Go your halves
30:03Mmm
30:03Mmm
30:04Oh, yum
30:06It's sweet, but it's still got that acid, isn't it?
30:08Like, it's, um, it's really bright flavour, not that real honey sweet
30:14And here we've got a variety
30:17Called, uh, Chocolate Stripes, which is another super sweet beefsteak variety
30:23Also red inside, but your beautiful, bronzy-looking colour with green stripes
30:28Does it go even more chocolate colour as it gets riper and riper?
30:31It will get darker and softer as well, and sweeter
30:35Ah, delicious
30:38Nice
30:39Mmm
30:40See, that's much sweeter sweet
30:43Like, almost a bit richer in flavour than some of the really high acid tomatoes
30:47Yeah, great snack
30:49This is a variety called Cosmic, which is a small size heirloom tomato
30:55Red inside, very sweet
30:57This one, still a bit under right, but if you look at the colours
31:02Really delicious
31:04I feel like, with all those colours, it's like all the food groups in one
31:08This variety here merely is called Helsing
31:11Helsing?
31:12Helsing, and, uh, I'll show you why
31:16Oh, wow
31:17It's Dracula's killer
31:18Peach black with a red star on top and red inside
31:22It's absolutely spectacular
31:24Super sweet
31:25Well, it looks absolutely beautiful
31:28Try the taste
31:31Mmm
31:33Oh
31:34Sweet, isn't it?
31:35You could eat a lot of those
31:37Florian, you grow heirloom tomatoes
31:40What's the definition of that?
31:42Well, heirloom tomatoes, the definition is true to type
31:45So in theory, um, if you save the seed
31:49You can grow the same tomato again the following year
31:53Even in a mixed situation like this?
31:55Only occasionally things go wrong
31:57Which happened last year
31:59With these two varieties
32:01This is a black trifle
32:02And these are tigerellas
32:05Um, had a bit of a hanky-panky
32:08And produce a tomato variety
32:10Which I named a triferella
32:13What is it that makes you think that it's these two that have crossed?
32:17Uh, because I grew them next to each other last year
32:19The stripes look like a bit, um, tigerellarish
32:23And the size, uh, a bit like the trifle, you know
32:26I'm gonna grow some in another polytunnel next year
32:29See to isolate them and see
32:30See what happens
32:31This is a beautiful little variety known as blueberry
32:35It's a truss type
32:36And you can see it's named after these gorgeous little berries
32:39But it has this beautiful soft skin, lovely to eat
32:42But for a market gardener, hard to put in a box and take to market
32:45So this is one that's great for the home gardener
32:47But not as much for someone commercially growing
32:50But perfect for you to eat
32:56Has anyone checked the science on how many tomatoes you can eat before it goes wrong?
33:05I really do marvel at the variety of tomatoes Florian grows
33:09The shapes, the colours, the sizes, and of course, the taste
33:14But surprisingly, Florian hasn't always been a grower
33:18In fact, for many years, he had an entirely different career
33:23I was a chef for 29 years, that's right, yeah
33:26So it was still a food-related profession, of course
33:29But I took the produce, you know, from the grower
33:33For now I'm on the other end, you know
33:36I always wanted to have a veggie garden
33:38That was one of the main reasons to move to the country
33:41And, yeah, it's just sort of got out of control
33:45And taken over my whole life
33:48So what's the key for growing a really good tomato?
33:51Well, for starters, you need the right soil acidity, like pH
33:56About 6.5 pH is pretty good
34:00You want reasonable good drainage in your beds
34:02What I basically do as soon as my growing season finishes
34:06I grow a cover crop of fava beans for nitrogen
34:09And mustard to fumigate the soil
34:12Then that gets turned into the ground in spring
34:17And then I apply compost, potash
34:22A little bit of palletised fertiliser, not too much
34:26And I mulch with straw
34:29I only use drippers
34:31Because you don't want to get water on your leaves
34:33For, you know, disease spread
34:36Then I raise my seedlings in a hothouse
34:39And plant them after the last frost
34:43How do you know when that is?
34:44Yeah, well, farming is just another form of gambling
34:48Half the time
34:49And then really the only other thing I do, I suppose
34:54I spray them with a sulphur solution
34:58To keep mildews at bay
35:04And as if I hadn't eaten my fill of tomatoes already today
35:07Florian's promised to pull out some of his old chefing skills
35:10And prepare a special treat
35:19Here you go, Millie
35:20My favourite tomato
35:21Rainbow
35:23That is beautiful
35:24I love it when chefs do good things with good produce
35:27Which is often nothing
35:29Less is more
35:30Well, it does have my friend Beata's olive oil on it
35:35Basil from the garden
35:36And a drizzle of salt
35:37And some burrata cheese
35:39That's all it really needs
35:40All it needs, alright
35:41So we slide a slice out
35:43Oh my gosh, that cheese
35:48It's incredible
35:49It's so fresh, yeah?
35:50Cheers
35:51Cheers, enjoy
35:52Sorry, you're going to watch me eat one more
35:56Oh, that's beautiful
36:01It's amazing you get so much flavour still in such a big tomato
36:04It's hard not to feel smug sometimes when you're eating your vegetables
36:08That you've grown yourself in that
36:12It's always such a treat to get to spend time with someone who's really thought so deeply about growing something
36:19we love
36:19The tomato, it's a humble vegetable, some say, but it is also one of the most joyful things you can
36:25grow
36:26And I love also when that person is as passionate about eating them as the rest of us
36:33Thank you for it
36:34Delicious
36:34Oh, it's been a pleasure
36:35Mmm
36:45Check out the bark on this fig
36:48See how it's rough and scaly
36:51Last summer here in Perth was one of the hottest on record with a number of scorching days
36:56Which resulted in this tree getting sunburnt
37:00The bark has dried out and cracked
37:02Damaging the vascular tissue underneath and making the tree vulnerable to rot
37:07Now in a healthy tree with a strong canopy, the leaves protect the branches
37:12But when the tree gets moisture stress and loses its leaves, which is what happened here
37:17The branches are exposed
37:19And the same thing can happen if you heavily prune a tree
37:23Now one response is to coat the sun-facing side of the branches with a water-based lime paint
37:31Or make sure the tree is properly fed and watered to get a really vigorous canopy
37:36Which is going to be my focus here
37:39I'm applying pelletised manure
37:43Compost
37:46And mulch
37:48And making sure the irrigation is working properly
37:53This combination will encourage healthy leaf growth and keep the branches well protected
38:06Earlier in the program I caught up with Doctors Cathy and David Sprott in their amazing Adelaide Hills garden
38:12Now I'm going to have a look at some of the more unusual fruit trees they're growing here
38:19Look at these fascinating fruits, they're called medlars
38:22And in medieval times they were all but essential in a royal orchard or a monastery
38:29Don't be put off by their appearance
38:30They have rough brown skin and talon-like sepals because they're a member of the rose family
38:35And here's a cheeky fact
38:37It's impossible to ignore that open centre they have
38:41And the French actually call them
38:43Which means dog's backside
38:46They're mentioned in literary classics by Chaucer and Shakespeare
38:50But they've been outdated by their cousins which are apples and pears that you can eat straight off a tree
38:56While I don't actually like the flavour of the fruit raw
39:00I love it when you take the time to cook it to make paste or jelly
39:05With medlars you actually have to pick the fruit towards autumn
39:09And then you let them ripen inside
39:12And you actually have to wait till they blet or go mushy before you can cook them or eat them
39:18So why would you grow them?
39:20Well I've always grown them because I love their autumn colour
39:23Their leaves turn the most beautiful tones in autumn
39:26And actually they're holding fruit at the same time
39:30So if you want to, you can pick stems with fruit on them
39:33And enjoy the autumn colour and the fruits in a vase
39:39Another fruit that's closely related to the medlars
39:42That's not as commonly grown as it once was
39:44Is the quince
39:45They also enjoy many historical references
39:49As the so-called golden apples from literature in the Middle Ages
39:54These days they've fallen out of favour compared to their apple and pear cousins
39:59That have been highly cultivated to be more palatable and transportable
40:03And can be eaten straight off the tree
40:05However, the quince has a distinct flavour
40:08And is a beautiful long-lived tree
40:11They're remarkably hardy to grow in many areas of Australia
40:14And they're drought, heat and frost tolerant
40:18Now as far as eating them raw goes
40:20Their texture's a bit tough
40:22And they're extra tart
40:24Like an extra tart apple
40:25So many people don't like them raw
40:28But cooked, they're amazing
40:30You can use them to make jellies or paste
40:32But they can also be steamed or poached
40:35They could be baked or roasted
40:37And that way the flavour becomes really sweet and delicious
40:41And they get that beautiful ruby red colour to them
40:44So quinces are a great tree to grow for their produce
40:48But also they're highly attractive in your garden
40:53These are jujubes
40:55Although some people call them jujubies
40:57They're like tiny little apples
40:59But they're rather underappreciated here in Australia
41:02Native to China, Mongolia and Korea
41:05Jujubes are one of the oldest known cultivated fruits in the world
41:09Dating back 7,000 years
41:12They're hugely popular in parts of Asia
41:15But jujubes have only recently been gaining attention in Australia
41:19And because they are tolerant of salinity, alkalinity and dry conditions
41:25They are one to consider if you need a robust fruiting plant for a tricky spot
41:30They grow 7 to 10 metres high but can be pruned lower if necessary
41:35And they also can be espalliate
41:38Most are self-fertile
41:39Although multiple pollinators will give you better fruiting
41:42Most jujubes you'll find in Australia are grafted onto a hardy rootstock
41:47So that the trees grow better
41:49There are a number of different cultivars
41:51And they vary in size from small fruits like this
41:54To ones that are about that size
41:55Almost small passion fruit size
41:58They can be eaten fresh when they're ripe
42:00And they have a crisp, sweet taste
42:03A bit apple-like
42:04Absolutely delicious
42:06Or they can be dried and they go brown
42:09Which gives them the name the Chinese date
42:12It's fun to try your hand at fruit growing
42:14And we all love the usual suspects like apples and pears
42:18But why not branch out and try your hand at some fruits favoured in ancient times
42:27To one of the kids
42:36For their friends
42:53This can be produced by kids
42:53For their children in the Titans
42:53To a new world
43:26Huge parts of Australia are arid and I know from all of my travels that it's some of the most
43:33beautiful and precious country you'll see anywhere. There's a botanic gardens in South Australia that really champions the plants that
43:42grow in these areas and today we're taking a tour.
44:02Dawn is my favourite time of the day here at the Australian Narrowlands Botanic Garden.
44:10I really like the early morning light. It's cooler and the birds are just magic.
44:18We are looking across Spencer Gulf to the wonderful Flinders Ranges.
44:23This is where the desert meets the sea and below we see the beautiful grey mangroves which are a unique
44:30part of our botanic garden.
44:33I'm Brian Reichelt from the Friends of the Australian Narrowlands Botanic Garden and I'm absolutely passionate about this garden.
44:42We're in Port Augusta, South Australia. We're on Bangla and Nookuna land.
44:48This area is the entrance to Eyre Peninsula and it's also known as the Crossroads of Australia because you can
44:55move north, south, east and west across our corridors.
45:00The garden is 250 hectares. All of the plants that are grown here are known as low rainfall, under 250
45:09mil of rainfall.
45:10So they're all desert species and they cover approximately 70% of Australia.
45:17We are an arc for the plants that will be grown across Australia in the future with climate change.
45:28We're on the Kenopod plains of the arid zone of Australia.
45:32These plains support many, many different species of salt bushes, blue bushes, mariana species, all of those different types of
45:41plants.
45:42It's a haven for reptiles, small bird life and insects.
45:47It covers a very wide portion of the arid zone of Australia.
45:52As people drive past Kenopod country right across Australia in the arid zones, they treat it as, oh, it's just
45:59another dry, lifeless area.
46:01But when you get out of your car and take a stroll and depending on the seasons, the variety and
46:07the things that you see,
46:08they're such beautiful plants, but unless you get out of the car and take a walk through it, you're not
46:13going to see it.
46:16It's amazing to see these marvellous little lichens and fungi which are growing in this arid zone.
46:24They are amazing. They survive right through the hot, dry summers.
46:28The first little bit of rain, they come back to life.
46:31You see here, we have an example of black bush, which is really a great home for our birds and
46:37insects.
46:38It's also an excellent garden plant because you can prune it to whatever shape you'd like to have.
46:43It's one of those plants that, once you put in the garden, it needs minimal amount of water.
46:48Another great example is the pearl salt bush, Marianna cetifolia.
46:53It has this very unusual bead-like leaf in a soft grey and it has very, like, fine little hairs
46:59on it.
46:59It's actually a beautiful plant, very nice in a native garden setting.
47:05In this sort of region, you're going to see birds of prey, in particular the little nankeen kestrel
47:10because it's much easier for it to hunt for its prey.
47:13We also have lots of little wrens, fairy wrens, mainly the white-winged fairy wren in the open country,
47:19but also we have a little rufous-filled wren, which are very secretive and occasionally rise to the top of
47:25a salt bush and sing
47:26so that you get an opportunity to see.
47:27But unless you take the time in this type of country to look, you're going to think it's lifeless and
47:33barren.
47:38Bird watching is a passion of mine along with the garden.
47:42There is something about the birds that if you have the interest to take and look,
47:46you'll find little different variations within birds, their calls, their songs.
47:51Everything is just brilliant and exciting to think about.
47:56I've been watching birds since I was about 12 years old, so that's about 55 years now.
48:01Original studies showed that we had around 49 species recorded here, and we're now recording around 160 species in total
48:09that come and go from the garden.
48:12It's a good sign that we are acting as a home for birds, in particular in the bad times out
48:18in the bush.
48:19They know they can migrate into this region and there is a safe place with food and water.
48:32We're now in the sandhill country of the Aridlands Botanical Garden, and we're in the home of the iconic Western
48:37Mile.
48:38It's a tree that has long lived, up to a hundred years, some of the specimens that you're seeing here
48:44at the moment.
48:45It's so dry here that you can see the roots that are sitting above the surface, which have been eroded
48:51by the wind.
48:52However, there are still minute rootlets that move out from the bottom to sustain moisture for the plant in the
48:58dry seasons.
48:59You can see the silver foliage that we have here compared to the green.
49:03This is a change in the foliage. It acts as a reflector of the heat and reduces its moisture loss.
49:11It's been recorded that this lowers the temperature beneath the tree by up to 15 degrees during the hot 45,
49:1950 degree days.
49:20They are extremely tough. They can go for up to five, six years without any decent rainfall,
49:27and so therefore they have to be hardy. You get a nice rainfall and they seem to come back automatically
49:33to full life.
49:41We have this beautiful splash of yellow from Eucalyptus pimpiniana,
49:46very useful to birds and insects for pollination and food sources.
49:51This is a dwarf eucalypt, which would be excellent for home gardeners.
49:59This is another one of our beautiful lemon yellow flowering plants.
50:03It's the desert melaleuca.
50:05It's a plant that grows in the northern areas of South Australia towards the Northern Territory border.
50:11Such an exquisite flower.
50:13And it has these tiny little capsules which contain the seed,
50:16which are very much like a nut off of a casuarina or some other species.
50:22A true desert plant.
50:24This plant would be quite frost tolerant because of the type of foliage it has,
50:28and I would suggest that you could probably grow this in a lot of gardens across Australia.
50:40The plants that are grown through all of the arid zones of Australia
50:44run in temperature gradients of at night down minus three, minus five,
50:49to as high as up to 49, 50 degrees,
50:52and maybe in some days even higher than that
50:55when we get into some of the northern regions of the arid zone.
51:00We have some very rare trees in the botanic garden,
51:03and this is one of them.
51:05It's the waddy wood, which is an extremely rare plant
51:09that grows around the edge of the Simpson Desert region of Australia.
51:12The wood is the hardest wood known in the world,
51:15and these trees can live to be around 500 years old,
51:20and I absolutely love them.
51:23This is another one of our rare trees.
51:25This is the leopard wood.
51:27This is an extremely rare tree which grows from white cliffs in New South Wales
51:33north into Queensland.
51:35This tree is about 30 years old,
51:37and once it loses all of its lower foliage and the trunk enlarges,
51:41it will blotch out in white, hence its name leopard wood.
51:55This is our Eremophila garden,
51:56and we have 200 types of Eremophila within the garden.
51:59We think that it is probably one of the biggest collections of Eremophila
52:03in a botanic garden in the world.
52:05They all vary in shape, colour, size and colour of flower.
52:09This Eremophila is Eremophila bigniflora,
52:12and you can see it has fruit and flower on it at the moment,
52:15and it's a very popular garden plant
52:18and a nice shade tree within your garden.
52:22These plants are ideal for growing
52:25in many different environments across Australia,
52:28cool and temperate climates as well.
52:30However, you must be careful about whether they are frost tolerant,
52:34and secondly, that the soil type is important.
52:37Most of these plants tend to grow in more sandy,
52:40aloamier soils, so they require free drainage, moisture,
52:45but not wet feed.
52:52The idea of us having a garden in Port Augusta
52:55commenced approximately 40 years ago
52:57with the friends and council staff.
53:00Eventually, we were able to convince council
53:03and the state government to be involved,
53:05and that was the beginning of our garden.
53:07We live on a very low budget
53:09and rely heavily on donations.
53:12The Botanic Garden here is free admission,
53:15which is really great.
53:16The garden itself is very, very popular.
53:19We're averaging just over 120,000 visitors a year now
53:23to the garden,
53:24which makes all of us extremely proud
53:26of the achievements this garden has.
53:28And it's the highest regional botanic garden numbers
53:32of anywhere in Australia.
53:46My love for these plants is not only the beauty of the plants,
53:50but their ability to withstand such huge changes in climate,
53:56because as we warm,
53:57these plants are already able to tolerate those hotter, drier climates.
54:12It's time to roll your sleeves up.
54:15Your jobs for the weekend are knocking at the door.
54:23Cool temperate gardeners, it's time to pop in your parsnips.
54:26Sowing now allows them to settle in and get cranking
54:30before the cooler weather hits.
54:32Sow fresh seeds into fluffy soil about three centimetres apart.
54:36If some of your foliage is looking furry and funky,
54:40reach for the full cream milk.
54:41One part milk into nine parts water is a fantastic fungus fighter
54:46and will make short work of powdery mildew.
54:50Add colour to your cottage garden with wallflowers.
54:53Plant in a sunny spot where their showy flowers and clove scent
54:57can be appreciated from autumn right through to spring.
55:02In warm temperate gardens, wisterias are romping away,
55:06so it's time to tame them.
55:08Prune back young, whippy growth
55:09and cut side shoots back to within ten centimetres
55:13of the main lateral stem.
55:15Prep for autumn plantings is underway,
55:18so it's time to turn to your compost, literally.
55:21Aerate and turn your heat.
55:23The more love you show it now,
55:25the better it'll be come planting time.
55:28Lift and divide old clumps of daffodils
55:31which failed to flower last season.
55:33Shake off the loose soil and store in a cool, airy spot
55:37like the shed or garage for replanting in April.
55:42Subtropical gardeners, if your camellias are producing
55:45bucket loads of buds but few flowers,
55:47thin them out by twisting off some of the buds,
55:50leaving one to two at the tip and two along the stem.
55:54If you're a lover of lawn, summer in the subtropics can be tough.
55:58To keep your turf tip top and lawn luscious,
56:01mow as high as possible to conserve moisture
56:03and prevent weed infestation.
56:06With autumn on the doorstep,
56:08take time to plan your patch before you plant.
56:11Nurseries and public gardens are great places for ideas
56:14and inspiration on trees, shrubs and plants,
56:17perfect for your place.
56:20Amaranth is an amazing addition to tropical veggie gardens
56:23that can be sown now.
56:25The leaves are edible when cooked and are a super spinach substitute.
56:29Plus, they're great companion plants.
56:32Get a green manure crop going and add life and nutrients
56:36to fallow beds before autumn planting.
56:39Sow barley, lucen, peas and beans,
56:42cutting and turning into the soil before seed set.
56:45It's a very good time to prune your mulberry tree,
56:49cutting it right back to around waist height.
56:52Mulberries fruit on new wood,
56:54so pruning hard now means more fruit
56:56that are easier for you to pick next season.
57:00Arid gardeners, aphids are active,
57:03but spraying with white oil can do more harm than good in the heat.
57:07Instead, squash them with your fingers or blast with the hose.
57:11While we're talking pests, set up some molasses traps
57:14to catch hungry grasshoppers.
57:16Add 500ml of molasses to a bucket of water and pop it in the patch.
57:21You'll catch handfuls of hoppers in no time.
57:24Native hibiscus is a tough, tidy shrub for a sunny spot,
57:28growing two metres by two metres.
57:30This stunner will reward you with masses of showy purple flowers
57:35from spring through autumn.
57:37With autumn around the corner,
57:39now's the time to get prepping and planning
57:42before some serious planting.
57:44Let us know what you get up to on the GA socials.
57:53Well, that's everything we have on the roster this time,
57:57but there's plenty more coming your way next week.
58:02Some gardeners have that extra special something
58:05and Dolores Milak is one of them.
58:08Wow, you've trained these figs into archers.
58:10The garden is a celebration of her Maltese culture,
58:13family and friendship.
58:15When it comes to form, structure, privacy
58:18and creating space in gardens,
58:20our gardening minds often turn to thinking
58:22about hedging and screening.
58:24I've got some top tips on the perfect natives to use.
58:28And can pools be a safe space for humans and wildlife?
58:32Well, I'll be finding out how to make both things possible.
58:41That's what looks like.
58:42See you later.
58:43We'll be reading.
58:43If you know who you're seeing a lot of stuff like that.
58:43OK, do you know who?
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