Feijoas
Not a lot of people (including me just today!) know that Feijoas need chill hours! Feijoas (Acca sellowiana) generally require 50 to 200 chill hours, depending on the variety. Chill hours refer to the time spent in temperatures between 0°C and 7°C in June-August, which are necessary to trigger proper fruiting. Without enough chill hours, flowering and fruiting may be poor. ATM, Perth averages aroung 250-400 chill hours annually. For example, some varieties thrive with as few as 50 chill hours, but 100-200 hours is considered optimal for better fruit production. Feijoas typically fruit once a year, usually between late autumn and early winter (April to June in Perth). However, there are occasional reports of out-of-season flowering, That's why I did some quick research as my White Goose has flower buds now! This is not common btw. In terms of growing season, feijoas prefer cool winters and mild summers (around 25-33°C). They are suited to subtropical to temperate climates and can tolerate a range of soil types, as long as waterlogging is avoided. For fruiting, feijoas benefit from cross-pollination, although there are self-fertile varieties available. If planted in full sun with good moisture during the fruit development stage, feijoas will remain productive for over 30 years, making them a long-term investment for the garden.
What is Primal Fruits Perth?
Mission
Blueberries in the ground in Perth?
Yes I've changed my tune and now saying to people it's possible... Just I little extra work.
Mixing 25L of acidic soil conditioner (Green Life Soil Company) 50/50 with your soil will help lower the pH, but it may only bring it down to around pH6.5-7 from pH 8.
To reach the ideal pH of 4.5-5.5 for blueberries, you'll need to add more acidic materials regularly like pine mulch and pine needles or elemental sulfur. Most of us water with scheme water that can be pH 8-9, undoing our efforts. Btw Coco Peat just won't cut it as it's not acidic enough.
Including a blueberry-specific fertiliser weekly can further acidify the soil and support plant health. ($20 a bottle at Primal Fruits Perth) The effect might holds for several months, but regular pH testing and ongoing amendments will be necessary for maintaining the correct pH.
Additives That Won’t Help Lower Soil pH:
1. Mushroom Compost: Typically has a neutral to slightly alkaline pH, which won’t help lower soil pH.
2. Lime: Used to raise pH, making the soil more alkaline.
3. Wood Ash: Increases soil pH, making it more alkaline.
4. Manure: Generally has a neutral to slightly alkaline pH.
5. Bone Meal: Alkaline additive that raises soil pH.
6. Dolomite Lime: Raises pH due to its alkaline nature.
7. Eggshells: High in calcium carbonate, they raise soil pH.
8. Crushed Oyster Shells: Alkaline, will increase soil pH.
9. Seaweed/Fish Emulsion: Typically neutral and doesn’t affect pH significantly.
10. Perlite: Neutral pH, mainly used for aeration and drainage.
Additives That Likely Help Lower Soil pH:
1. Peat Moss: Highly acidic, commonly used to lower soil pH.
2. Pine Needles: Acidic, slowly lowers soil pH over time.
3. Elemental Sulfur: Strongly acidic, effectively lowers soil pH.
4. Aluminium Sulfate: Quickly lowers pH, commonly used in gardening.
5. Iron Sulfate: Acidifies the soil, helping to lower pH.
6. Coffee Grounds: Slightly acidic, can help lower soil pH.
7. Cottonseed Meal: Acidic, often used to lower pH in soil.
8. Sphagnum Moss: Acidic, useful for lowering soil pH.
9. Vinegar (Diluted): Can temporarily lower pH when used in small amounts.
10. Composted Oak Leaves: Acidic, helps reduce soil pH over time.
Mineral Magic
The question I’m asked most often—whether someone buys one tree or 30—is: *How do I prepare the soil?* The answer depends on how good your soil is to begin with.
How can you tell? Does your soil have white filaments running through it? That’s microbial gold. Or is your yard just a water-repelling sandpit?
If you’ve followed me, you’ll know I’m all about building soil structure to support microbes, fungi, and bacteria. When they thrive, your plants thrive—with less fertiliser, less watering, and less stress. The trick? Continuously adding compost, manure, and organic matter to keep the cycle alive.
But wouldn’t it be great to build that microbial “housing” in one go, like when transplanting? Is there a shortcut for a long-term solution? Finally, the answer is *mostly* yes.
Mineral Magic, a WA-made Garden Conditioner, is a game-changer. For just $45 for 10 kg, it’s a one-time application that transforms your soil.
Made from ancient plankton fossils, it boosts water and nutrient retention while creating a habitat for soil life. Even at 500 g/m², it helps sandy soil hold water and nutrients for decades. Mix 5-20% into soil or garden beds—simple as that.
It also releases plant-available silicon, strengthening plant cells to resist drought, heat, and pests. Certified organic and waterwise-approved, it’s ideal for all gardens.
Want bigger blooms or more veggies? Use higher rates for exotic plants and veggies. Even native plants benefit with just a handful.
One application. Decades of benefits. Save water, grow stronger plants, and stress less. It’s that easy.
Buy now for pickup or delvery.
Fighting off Dementia
Could the greatest improvements to fighting off dementia begin in your garden and the community garden?
Incorporating diverse fruits, herbs, and vegetables in your diet can reduce dementia risk.
Replace alcohol with herbal teas like lemon balm or chamomile for better sleep and brain health.
Blueberries, blackberries, and pomegranates offer antioxidants to protect against high cholesterol and blood pressure.
Leafy greens like kale and spinach improve eyesight, while longevity spinach helps manage diabetes, reducing dementia risk.
Saffron and turmeric lift mood and fight inflammation too.
A biodiverse garden in a community garden setting also encourages social engagement, fighting isolation, and boosts brain resilience through mental stimulation.
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Want more info? Read on ...
To lower the risk of dementia, adding specific fruits, herbs, and vegetables to your diet can make a big difference.
Swap alcohol for herbal teas like lemon balm or chamomile to improve sleep and brain health. Drinks like coconut water or kombucha provide hydration and probiotics as alternatives.
Leafy greens like kale and spinach, rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, improve eyesight and lower dementia risk. Carrots and sweet potatoes, high in beta-carotene, also enhance vision and protect the brain from oxidative stress.
Longevity spinach helps lower blood sugar and fight diabetes, a key dementia risk factor. Including it in your diet improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammation, both critical for brain health.
Antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries, blackberries, and pomegranates protect the brain from high cholesterol and blood pressure, supporting vascular health and reducing cognitive decline.
Saffron and turmeric fight depression and inflammation, protecting brain circuits from damage that could lead to dementia. Swiss chard and St. John’s wort also offer mental health support.
To combat social isolation, a community garden encourages gatherings, while visual stimulation in a busy garden engages the brain, improving cognition and boosting overall brain health.
Diverse gardens provide nutrients that promote healthy neural activity. The colors, textures, and smells stimulate multiple senses, strengthening brain function and reducing dementia risk.
Colourful gardens also foster physical activity and exploration, improving memory through increased blood flow.
These spaces offer learning opportunities, building neuroplasticity and resilience in the brain.
A garden full of plants like capsicum, broccoli, walnuts, and flaxseeds supports sensory organs and brain function. Biodiversity strengthens your body and mind, creating a natural defense against dementia.
Finally finishing off with the ever controversial glass of red wine. Drinking one glass of red wine might help with dementia prevention due to antioxidants like resveratrol, which may protect brain cells. Moderate consumption is linked to better heart health, which supports brain function. However, excessive alcohol increases the risk of cognitive decline. Some studies show benefits, but it's hard to know if red wine alone helps or if other factors like diet and lifestyle matter more. It's better to focus on a healthy lifestyle overall—exercise, a good diet, mental stimulation, and managing chronic conditions are proven ways to reduce dementia risk.
Spinach & Teas
The term "spinach" is often used to describe various leafy greens that generally require light cooking. While some of these greens can be eaten raw in small amounts, they are usually considered salad greens when consumed this way. Examples of such greens include Sisso spinach and young passionfruit leaves.
Spinach as a General Term
"Spinach" is not limited to the common spinach plant but can refer to many different types of greens, even those from other plant families. Amaranth and chard, for example, are often considered "spinach" in some regions. This broad definition allows for a wide range of leafy greens to be used in cooking.
Fruit Tree Leaves for Consumption and Tea
In addition to common greens, many fruit tree leaves can also be used for culinary or medicinal purposes, particularly in teas. These leaves are packed with nutrients and have long been used in traditional remedies.
Famous tea leaves:
- Guava leaf, known for aiding digestion and lowering blood sugar levels, with a mild taste
- Coffee leaf, less common but offering a tea with lower caffeine than coffee and a pleasant, mild flavour
- Mango leaf, traditionally used for blood sugar regulation and gut health, with a slightly sweet, earthy taste
Leaves Commonly Used as Edible Wraps
Large, broad leaves are often used as wraps in various cuisines, adding subtle flavours to food during steaming, grilling, or baking.
Examples include:
- Grape leaf, commonly used in Mediterranean dishes like dolmas, with a tangy taste
- Banana leaf, often used in Asian and Latin American cooking for wrapping food during steaming or grilling, imparting a mild, sweet flavour
- Papaya leaf, used in some cultures for wraps or in curries, with a slightly bitter taste and medicinal properties
- Mulberry leaf, high in nutrients and used in wraps, particularly after being steamed or boiled to soften
Other Edible Leaves
Some leaves, though not commonly eaten, are nutritious and can be used in teas or cooking.
Examples:
- Strawberry leaf, often used in tea, contains tannins and vitamin C, known for aiding digestion and reducing inflammation
- Passionfruit leaf, young leaves are edible and can be added to salads or cooked, commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisine
My Favourite Spinach Varieties
Right now, my two favourite spinach varieties are:
- Longevity spinach, also known for its medicinal properties, often used in traditional remedies to help with blood sugar control and inflammation. It can be eaten raw or cooked and thrives in warm climates
- Brazilian Sissoo spinach, a perennial green with a mild, earthy taste. It is easy to grow and is often used in stir-fries, soups, or salads
These greens offer a rich variety of uses, both for their nutritional value and their culinary versatility. Have you tried any of these, or do you have a favourite green you like to cook with?
Mineral Magic
Gardening Journey
Gardening is more than just a hobby; it's a heartfelt journey, a nurturing act that binds us to the earth.
As gardeners, we dream of creating lush, bountiful jungles that not only feed us but also provide a sanctuary for our wellbeing and nature itself, like insects. Frogs, birds and more.
Yet, this path is not without its challenges. The capricious weather can test our patience like Perth's bloody hot summers, financial constraints can limit our resources, and the relentless reminding of water restrictions can seem like an unyielding adversary. These obstacles can sometimes feel overwhelming, casting shadows over our dreams.
But even in the face of these trials, we press on. We strive to cultivate beauty and sustenance, to create a refuge from the chaos of the daily modern life. Gardening is a labour of love, a testament to our resilience and dedication. Each seed we plant, each bud that blossoms, a fruit seen for the first time brings us closer to that dream.
In this journey, we all have aspects we find challenging. Perhaps it's the frustration of watching a cherished plant wither despite our best efforts, or the weariness that comes with endless weeding. What is your greatest fear? The worry that our garden won't thrive, or the anxiety over the unpredictable nature of weather and pests?
Yet, these fears and frustrations are also part of the journey. They teach us patience, resilience, and the importance of nurturing not just our gardens, but also our own spirits. They remind us that gardening, like life, is full of ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks. The journey itself, the learning, the improving, the progress, all of this make the dream a reality.
So, what do you strive for? Will you see your hard work bear fruit, the satisfaction of a garden that feeds you and nourishes your purpose?
We strive for a place where our families can gather, where nature can find a foothold amidst the concrete and chaos of urban life. Most importantly, we strive for the peace and fulfillment that comes from being a part of something greater than ourselves, from knowing that we are contributing to the beauty and sustainability of our world.
In the end, gardening is more than just growing plants; it's about cultivating hope, resilience, and a deeper connection to the earth and to each other. It's a journey of love and learning, one that shapes us as much as we shape the land.
When people visit my ever-evolving garden, I love to hear where they are at in their journey. Gives me warm tingles when I hear this and I'm not afraid to admit gives me great joy to know that whatever early or mature stage they are in their garden the experience they had at mine may have inspired them enough to bring them a little closer to theirs.
For those wondering why the Indian Blackboy Peach is named as such?
The name Indian refers to American Indians, while peaches aren’t native to the USA, they arrived so early that settlers believed they were. Spanish explorers introduced the peach, and by 50 years after Cortez, they were widespread in Mexico and grew in St. Augustine, Florida by 1565, thanks to missionaries.
John Lawson, traveling Carolina in the early 1700s, described the “Indian Peach,” a large, juicy fruit with reddish skin and a thick stone, believed to be native. This hardy peach, known as the "Vinegar Peach," was valued for its resilience and ability to withstand harsh conditions.
French settlers in Louisiana encountered peaches in 1698, likely from Spanish influences. The Indian Peach reached South Carolina by 1806 and was prized for its deep brown skin and unique ability to grow true from seed, unlike most peaches.
Although this variety faded from markets by the late 1800s, some nurseries still offer what they call “Indian Blood Peach,” though its authenticity is uncertain. Those interested in heirloom fruit trees may find joy in seeking out the closest relative to this historic peach.
Yes I'm stocking these currently 😊
The dreaded citrus gall wasp
What to do
Scientific Name: Bruchophagus fellis.
Native to: Australia, especially in NSW and Queensland.
Why Mediterranean Citrus? They fancy the good life—mild winters, warm summers, and fresh growth in spring.
Travel Distance: They’re homebodies, rarely wandering more than a few hundred metres. Lazy or loyal?
Lifespan: Adults live just 5-10 days but plan their year-long larval takeover well in advance.
Egg Laying: Mums start in spring (October to December), laying up to 100 eggs in soft branches—imagine that many kids!
Control Methods
- Drowning: Dunk infested branches in water. It’s a swim lesson they won’t survive.
- Peeling: Get surgical—peel the bark, evict the larvae. House rules! But this method is the most unreliable.
- Burning: For when you’re really done with them, torch the branches. It’s a BBQ with a twist.
- Galls are like wasp condos but at the expense of your citrus tree.
- Monitoring in late spring is like catching a sneaky neighbour before they wreck the joint.
Photo: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/plan.../citrus-gall-wasp-control
Banyan Fig
Ficus benghalensis, the Banyan tree, holds deep cultural significance in India, symbolising life, wisdom, and shelter.
Its vast canopy offers shade for gatherings, and its figs sustain wildlife.
When kept as a bonsai in a pot, it brings those same virtues into your home. The intricate roots and branches symbolise growth and patience, making it a serene and beautiful addition to any space.
Easy to care for, it thrives with light and minimal pruning, capturing its majestic presence in a small, manageable form, perfect for any environment.