Feijoas light up the autumn
GROW FEIJOAS
The thing I look forward to most in autumn would have to be feijoas.
I absolutely love their tanginess and eat the whole thing – skin and all. The solitary feijoa tree at the front of my flat is drooping under the weight of the ripening fruit and proving tempting to everyone that walks by – since it’s right beside the footpath. I quite often catch schoolkids (and their parents) practically hanging off the branches in order to get a taste. When they spot me they slink off trying to look innocent with shirt fronts bulging with oval bumps!
Feijoas are native to South America but they’re more popular here than
anywhere else. These prolific fruiting, dry-tolerant trees need very little care (I do absolutely nothing to ours). Their pretty pohutukawa-like flowers are pollinated by birds but, if you have the space, you’ll get a better crop if you plant a mix of varieties for improved cross-pollination. It also pays to choose a combination of early, mid and late season trees to enjoy feijoas from March until June. Varieties include, ‘Kaiteri’ for early fruit, mid-season ‘Kakapo’ and ‘Triumph’ for late fruit. Bushy ‘Opal Star’ is a great choice for hedging. Feijoas are hardy to -10°C and tolerant of most soils.
RAKE LEAVES AND MAKE LEAF MOULD
When leaves start falling, collect them and turn this free resource into leaf mould. This can be used as an organic mulch, incorporated into your compost bin, dug into garden beds, used to improve the composition of heavy soils or added in small amounts to barrels of homemade liquid fertiliser. Leaves are an excellent source of carbon. Rake up as many as you can, pile them into rows, then run them over with your lawn mower to help it break down. Pile the leaves into a homemade leaf cage, cover with carpet or corrugated iron to keep off the worst
of the rain and leave them to break down, turning over every month or so.
HARVEST BASIL
It can be hard to know what to do with a bumper crop of basil, but there are plenty of options that don’t necessarily involve making copious amounts of pesto.
Pinch out the youngest leaves and add whole into salads or as a topping for pizza. If using older basil leaves, tear them roughly to minimise some of the pungency! Make a refreshing sorbet with basil and lime juice or a basil pannacotta. You can also whizz up leaves in your food processor with olive oil and store in a jar in the fridge where it will keep for several months.
If you are a fan of pesto, why not freeze some to enjoy when fresh basil is no longer available? Get Growing reader Carol Houghton from Nelson likes to freeze pesto into ice cube trays for single-serve portions.
Fresh leaves can also be frozen for use in pasta sauces. Put the leaves in a freezer-safe plastic bag, extract the air and freeze. They can’t be used like fresh basil once thawed, but will still provide the taste of summer in the depths of winter.
GROW RED LEAF LETTUCE VARIETIES
When the temperature starts to drop, red-leafed lettuce varieties come into their own. The red pigment (anthocyanin) helps the leaves to absorb UV radiation – particularly in low light – and is even thought to slightly raise the plant’s temperature, which in turn improves growth in cool conditions.
This might explain why they also tend to suffer more during summer than their green-leaf cousins. Anthocyanins are also thought to make plants less attractive
to birds and pests and, from a health perspective, red-leaf lettuces are rich in vitamin A and K and have good levels of the This column is adapted from the weekly e-zine, get growing, from New Zealand Gardener magazine. For gardening advice delivered to your inbox every Friday, sign up for Get Growing at: getgrowing.co.nz antioxidants beta-carotene and lutein. Plus they look great in the garden!