Category: Annual Plants
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Purple amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus)
When planning an edible garden it is a good idea to plant a variety of nutrient sources. Starchy vegetables are a good basic but many peoples go it are crops like potato but there are a range of undervalued, and very low maintenance crops, which will thrive in our wonderful subtropical climate. Crops like Cassava…
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Lablab (Lablab purpurea)
If you ever need a productive Autumn cropper, Lablab Bean (Lablab purpurea, Hyacinth bean) is excellent. The bean is high protein and full of nutrients, just a bit coarse and containing a toxin that requires good cooking, like stews and curries. Leaves and flowers are edible and nutritious as well. Prepare green lablab beans like…
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Tomatoes
By Jason Hauser There’s thousands of varieties, hundreds of strategies for growing them, and just as many ways to be UNsuccessful growing them! I reckon I’ve tried many of the latter over the years and learned plenty the hard way Our subtropical climate seems hell bent on making sure we seldom see a perfect ripe…
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Pumpkins
By Jason Hauser We usually fail to grow them on purpose but succeed spectacularly when growing them by accident, and usually in places we didn’t really want to grow them. In a food forest setting they also have a place. The common notion is to grow them as a ground cover like you see on…
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Saw-Tooth Coriander
Saw tooth coriander (Eryngium foetidum), also called Thai coriander, absolutely loves the rain. A hardy, self-seeding alternative to traditional coriander (Coriandrum sativum, also know as cilantro). Shown here thriving in North Queensland conditions. Does well in South-East Queensland, though rarely reaches this impressive size.
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Rosellas
Rosella’s. Grown as an annual in our garden, rosellas are a very rewarding crop. A beautiful asset in the garden they produce exquisite calyx which can be eaten raw or cooked and preserved in a multitude of ways. Rosella jam of course but also candies, jellies, savoury pastes to enjoy with cheese or simply dried…
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Jerusalem Artichoke
Jerusalem artichokes. Delicious root crop, great for roasting. Also known as the sunchoke due to the beautiful flowers. These Jerusalem artichokes were over 2 m tall with abundant flowers. In subtropical Brisbane they will grow well but be very careful to provide adequate drainage and minimise the use of high nitrogen fertilisers. It is also…
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Late November in Olga’s annual veggie patch
We have been making the most of the cool, overcast weather here in Brisbane at the moment by taking the opportunity to put in a summer crop. We spent the morning digging over Olga’s annual veggie patch and planting corn, capsicum, eggplant, dwarf beans, perpetual spinach and summer lettuce. We also added a few more…
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Planting Guide – December and January
Annual seeds ready for Brisbane gardeners to plant directly in the ground at this time of year include: While regular lettuce, kale and spinach is bolting to seed or growing bitter, now is the perfect time to plant leafy green alternatives that will thrive over summer. These include: Lebanese cress growing in wicking boxes.
Brisbane Edible Gardening 