Ariston’s “Best of the Best” in Spring
19 Friday Sep 2014
19 Friday Sep 2014
11 Thursday Sep 2014
12 Tuesday Aug 2014
Posted gardening tips, Gardens
inTags
In ancient times when man had not quite got round to inventing the wristwatch, the most reliable source of telling the time was the sun, moon, and stars. There seems to be several opinions of who came up with the moon planting calendar first. Was it the Egyptians or the Babylonians? It is more than likely that each and every farmer had a planting calendar based on the moon phases, and there would be different variations depending on the geographical location. As their calendars where passed on through the generations they evolved to cover the different crops they tried to grow, and the more productive farming techniques used.
14 Monday Jul 2014
Posted Flowers, Gardens, Herbs, Organic, Perennials, South African Endemic
in18 Friday Apr 2014
Posted Garden Creatures
inTags
Citrus, Citrus Bud mite, deformed, food, fruit, garden, home grown, Lemon, nature, plants
04 Friday Apr 2014
Posted Herbs, Honey Bee, Organic, Perennials
inTags
athletes foot, brinjals, companion plant, Cymbopogon citratus, fleas, food, gardening, herbs, home grown, insect repellant, lemon grass, marinade, Mosquitoes, organic, plants, skin ailments, stirfries, sweet potatoes, Thai cooking, ticks, tomato
Lemon grass originates from Southern India and Sri Lanka. It has long been characteristic of Far Eastern Cuisines. It has found it’s place in Gourmet dishes as well as fragrant toiletries around the world. Apart from culinary and cosmetic uses, Lemon grass has an array of medicinal properties.
To increase your stock of Lemon grass, divide it by pulling apart sections. Potted Lemon grass should be divided every two years. It makes a good companion plant with sweet potatoes, peppers, brinjals and tomatoes. Lemon grass requires full sun.
Culinary :
Medicinal:
Cosmetic :
Gardening :
11 Tuesday Mar 2014
Posted compost, earthworms, Flowers, Gardens, Growing, Organic, Pest control
inTags
butternut, Cape Porcupine, earthworms, Flowers, food, home grown, organic, plants, pollination, Red Wriggler, vegetable garden, Vegetables from scraps
A few months ago I conditioned my Grow Zone with lashings of Worm Compost. As usual I had the normal tomato and Paw Paw seeds spout, which I weeded out, as I had enough already. These sprouts may also be transplanted into more suitable locations, to grow into mature plants. I had this butternut which sprouted and I moved it.It soon started growing lushly. I started to notice that all the female flowers just dropped off. So I when I noticed a female flower open, I would pollinate it from a male flower by hand. I managed to successfully pollinate 2 flowers. This is the result. This butternut weighs in 1,1 kg. I have harvested it a little early because Our resident Cape Porcupine (Mrs Schnoof) is finding it very hard to resist. She is gnawing away at my grow zone.
03 Monday Mar 2014
Posted ecology, Garden Creatures, gardening tips
inTags
butterfly, caterpillar, clivia, crinum, environment, green tip, home grown, jeremy taylor, nature, netting, organic, Pest control
Do you have a problem with caterpillars on your Crinum and Clivias?
This innovative method was sent to me via Jeremy Taylor from Sydney.
Simply drape netting over your plants, this stops the butterfly from laying her eggs on your plants.
Photo credits Jeremy Taylor
02 Sunday Mar 2014
Tags
Cashew, cashew nut, dinner, Eruca sativa, food, gardening, home grown, Italian, Mediterranean, Olive, olive oil, organic, pesto, rocket, Seed, skin blemishes, teaspoon cayenne pepper, vegetarian
USES:
Medicinal: Rocket has been used to treat bruises and sprains. Crushed seeds are spread on top of a warmed flannel bandage and holding against the skin without allowing the seeds to touch the skin. Crushed petals are made into a paste to treat skin blemishes. In Medieval times the flowers and green seeds were crushed and mixed with honey to treat coughs. Rocket is an invigorating tonic taken when tired or anxious. To make the teas, use 1/4 cup rocket and 1/4 cup parsley, pour over 1 cup boiling water, allow to steep for 5 minutes, strain and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Drink slowly.
Cosmetic: Rocket juice is used as a facial cleanser for oily skins. It is often used to treat itchy inflamed spots, bites and rashes. Rocket seeds, pounded and mixed with Olive oils is used to treat broken nails and calluses.
Culinary: Rocket is used in many Italian dishes and designer salads. Steam the leaves and make a rich white sauce, and use over baby potatoes of leeks. Rocket pesto is also a firm favorite.
Rocket Cashew Nut and Chili Pesto Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh Rocket leaves
1 clove garlic crushed
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
50g crushed Cashew nuts raw
1 small chilli
Place all ingredients in food processor, blend until smooth, more Olive oil may be added to make into a creamy paste.
Bottle and enjoy with all your favorite pesto meals.
20 Thursday Feb 2014
Posted Epiphyte, Gardens, Organic, Perennials
inTags
Banana Peels, elk horn, Elk Horn Fern, epiphyte, Fern, fertile fronds, Flora and Fauna, Frond, garden, home grown, nature, organic, ornamental plant, plants, Platycerium, Platycerium superbum, stag horn, worm castings
This is my “MOTHER” superbum ( Platycerium superbum ). She arrived in my family of plants in 1988, which makes her the ripe old age of 25. Obviously then she was only a pup, looking like the pup pictured below.As she is an epiphyte, a container like the one above was created for her years ago. It was filled with a mixture of potting soil and worm castings. She was then attached using soft string and hung underneath a tree. The leaf drop replenishes the container with humus. She loves a twice weekly spray of water. Chopped Banana peels and mashed banana are added twice a year.
These ferns develop a humus collecting “nest” of non-fertile fronds and in doing so can grown up to 1 metre wide. The ferns also develop hanging fertile fronds that can reach up to 2 metres long.]
Both fertile and non-fertile fronds are broad and branching and grown to resemble the horns of a stag or elk, thus the common names stag horn or elk horn.
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