Mikes' garden - produce in quantity

Although a recently established property Mike’s yard had a few stories to tell as far as growing vegetables. A number of the vegetables he has grown have resulted in bumper crops and a good amount of produce for the kitchen.  Like other good gardens he had plenty of sun on most of his garden.

Rockmelon was a big producer last season

Barrels  in Mikes’ front yard had been very successful supplying him with lots of rock melons, recently and Passionfruit last year but unfortunately those plant met an untimely death – possibly from too much soluble fertiliser.

Mike had used lots of seaweed and organic matter in his pots and about a 50/50 mix of organic matter and sand. He did not find Casuarina needs to be dramatically effective  - unlike Geoff.

He used slow release fertiliser quite successfully on his trees and plants in pots.

Some pots were set up almost like wicking beds, where they were essentially sitting in a well that didn’t let the water level get too high and a hole punched in the side of the box for it the water level got too high. Originally this was to try to cater for hot weather as the plants were drying out too quickly.

The hydro setup - the large tank pictured was the most expensive item

Mikes Hydroponic setup was quite successful and he had got lots of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber and Chinese greens, parsley and rocket. Mike had various kinds f hydroponics set up but overall it set him back about  $700 in set up costs and nutrients. Mosquitoes were a problem that had to be a addressed in one of the hydro systems where water sat in the system rather than draining away at night.

Mike had plants growing in cement pots placed on the ground with gravel on the surface and these included some of the best Parsley we had seen so far as well as sage!!, lavender (lovely smell to bring back memories) and Garlic chives.

herbs in cement pots with gravel mulch

Mike had a very successful Sweet potato crop on an area that had lots of buried scraps and organic matter.. I think the organic matter was buried rather deeply then more soil placed on top. Originally this area was to be for a Banana circle but the windy site proved too much for bananas and they burned off with the salt.

What proved to be too much for the bananas was quite ok  for the figs. The figs looked great and had benefited from the application of slow release fertiliser. Figs should produce 2 crops a year in the tropics as should mulberries.

Rats were quite a problem with eating produce and Mike trapped to reduce them. They were a particular problem with Paw paw and tomatoes.

Mike has had big crops of eggplants both in hydroponics and large pots. He says he hand pollinated them so perhaps that is the key to his success, as many other people had great eggplants but no fruit. Mike also used blood and bone but recommended  one brand that had trace elements added.

Snake beans were also a high producing successful crop.

Seasonal recommendations

Mike said that he had most success with planting from June onwards which meant that there was less heavy rain and pests.

JCR's Garden - a living experiment

Johns garden  is a diverse and interesting collection of food plants and ornamental plants. John has been trying different plants here for a long time and is still trying different species to see how they fair.

There were 2 different areas in the garden. One area had full sun and this is where most of the vegetables were growing in pots or bags. A shadier area on the other side of the house was used for sun sensitive ornamental plants, some vegetables such as lettuce and mint and a whole range of seedlings which John was propagating. John mentioned that Coconut and Frangipanni roots made it impossible to grow food plants effectively and his food plants were well away from any large trees.

Pepper vine (culinary pepper)

 There were several species that John was trying that I did not see anywhere else. The Pepper vine was in a pot in full sun and was full of fruit. I think John said it was less than 12 months old. Considering it’s age it was doing very well. John had not been able to grow it from cuttings even though he had tried a few so he is waiting to propagate it from seed.

Horseradish tree

The Horseradish or drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera) is a small leguminous tree or shrub which produce edible flowers, leaves and fruit and roots. John had this species growing in the ground and it was quite happy with the situation, having set a number or large fruits or pods.

Pigeon pea

Pigeon peas were also growing well in the ground and were flowering and seeding. John had tried chick peas which  were not successful. The pigeon peas have the potential to be good fodder for goats and will produced seed that poultry can eat.

 John found that Turmeric was successful at times but seemed to suffer from pests. He was wondering if he needed to keep it out of the rain.

Other veges and herbs that John was successfully growing include Dill, Parsley, Garlic chives,Basil, Coriander( good harvestable amounts), Mint (Korean), Lettuce (Either oakleaf or everlast), Capsicums, French beans, Zucchini in pot (need hand pollination) and all Chinese greens did well.

Lettuce (looks like a variety called "everlast")

When planting seeds of annuals John recommends putting lots into each pot to take into account that quite a few of them might get eaten by pests during the germination process.

John also talked about successfully  growing both Jerusalem and globe artichokes in the past and Asparagus.

Annual plants in pots

John was growing most of his annual plants in pots or large bags which were either placed in trays to improve the amount of water that was soaked up by the plants. John has some soil mixtures that included gravel which he believed was a deterrent to Beetle larvae and cut worms. (John said that there were three types of cut worms) He also advocated soaking pots to kill pests but then the plant recovers and outgrows the pest attack. Putting iron sulphate or other salts in the soaking water was he believed even more effective at killing the pests in these pots.

On the fruit tree Front John had a pretty amazing bisexual Paw paw. Not all of these did well but there is at least one stunning specimen covered in fruit.

John also had a Lime tree which he has stressed to bring it into early fruiting. This involved greasing the trunk which leads to some sort of stunting of the tree. The results on the trunk look a bit ghastly but it was getting the desired result with fruit on the tree.  There were a couple of Pomellos sitting in pots waiting to be planted, According to Scott Brain the Pomello and Ruby grapefruit should do well on Cocos.

Carob

The Carob tree in a pot was a bit of a surprise to see in the tropics, but there are generally pretty tough trees so they might have half a chance at being successful. They are a legume so have the ability to fix nitrogen into the soil which is a good strategy for a plant on a sand island.

For control of grasshoppers John said Guinea fowl were the most effective control he had seen seen as they worked in a bit of a team to catch the hoppers. I’m not sure how friendly they are to vege gardens though – at least they wouldn’t scratch. They were on the island at one stage but died out because they make very poor mothers and lose their chicks.

On the subject of grasshopper control, there is an organic product called greenguard which provides control through a fungus which parasitises the grasshoppers. It takes about a week to work and is sprayed onto vegetation where grasshoppers hang out. It is however washed off by rain but perhaps spraying it on the underside of leaves of some plants will keep it around for longer. It is available from Elders stores.

Geofs' Garden

The best way to work out how to grow things on Cocos is to visit the gardeners who are already doing it. To that end we went for a visit to Geofs house.  Geofs yard is a a lovely mix of Ornamentals and food plants but not excessively shady with the one large tree being a Calophyllum inophyllum (Beauty leaf).

Paw Paw with Curry Leaf at the rear

 Geof showed us his  2 varieties of bananas which were in pots as they were not doing so well in the ground. Geoff said that people have had success with growing Bananas on this island where they are growing amazingly well on old rubbish piles that have been burned. This is understandable because Bananas are heavy feeders and love potash.

Cassava (also known as Tapioca) was growing well in Geofs' yard with relatively little attention. and there were big roots to see sticking above the ground.

The Cassava was flowering which I had not seen before. The virtues of Cassava are many. It is a starchy root and can be used in a way similar to potatoes although not as mash. It must be cooked well (boiled or roasted) because it has some toxins in the skin and the root - these are the same toxins which protect it from all sorts of pest attacks and this means that you have a trouble free crop. The easiest thing about growing Cassava is that you cut a section of the stem and stick it in the ground. 5 months later you harvest or you leave it in the ground until you need it as it doesn't keep well once picked. The young leaves if this plant are also edible when cooked - a truly versatile plants.

A quite successful setup that Geof had was a very large pot - or half plastic rainwater tank. This was filled with sand, compost, lots of seaweed, Casuarina needles? and worm castings. Not so long ago the pots was full of lush growth of salad plants and even now there sere some pretty healthy looking Ceylon Spinach. This growing mixture in the big pot did not seem to have so many problems with pests.

 Geof has also found that overtime the organic matter goes to the bottom of the pot and the sand comes to the top. Turning this soil over to bring the organic matter back up to the top has a noticeable benefit on plant growth.

Ceylon Spinach, Italian Parsley and Rocket



Pot culture for annual plants is the conclusion that Geof has arrived at as there seems to be a veritable army of pests in the soil. These include Cut or snip worm, Rhinoceros beetle and nematodes to name few. Although the beetle pests can also get into the pots and cause havoc. If Geof suspects beetle larvae in his pots he puts them in a bucket of water for 3 days to drown them. Growing things in these pots after the drowning seems to be more successful with less pest problems.

Pot culture also gets over the problem of tree roots. 

Other plants successfully growing in this garden were Jap pumpkins (although not big),Tomatoes in pots, Lemon grass, Dragon fruit (still Young and no fruit as yet), Oregano, mint, parsley, Tahitian Lime, A type of ginger whose leaves smell like Cardamon and the small tree Japanese Cherry (Muntingia calabura).

The Japanese Cherry has a delicious pink fruit when ripe.

Geof uses fertiliser such as blood and bone, seaweed, worm castings, Iron sulphate and recommends manganese supplements.

Cocos (Keeling) Isands first impressions: Wild chickens and other relics

I landed on this speck of land in the Indian Ocean (2900km's NW of Perth) to look at gardens and native vegetation. An unlikely place to look at gardens i must admit. An unlikely place to start a vegetable garden one might say, but isolation from Australia also isolates the residents of this island from readily available inexpensive fresh food. Many perishable food items need to be flown in and this understandably adds significantly to their price.
So grow your own. Sounds easy - you are on a tropical island! However I'm lead to believe that all is not what it seems.

My learning curve began with a quick tour of the old orchard and farm. On the way to the farm i am introduced to the wild chickens which seem to be doing quite well with no predators other than rats to bother them. They make peace with the land crabs and they both share the mown verges of the roads before retreating to the impenetrable coconut forests beyond when they are disturbed.

At the orchard there is an old hydroponics setup where a food farming venture started up once upon a time - and died an untimely death. There are many stories about how and why it failed but i think the consensus was that it failed due to human foibles rather than an inability to grow food. They grew food and they grew lots of it, both in the ground and through hydroponics.

The other farming relict that are all around are the old Coconut plantations that cover the islands and were once the livelihood of 2000 people are now overgrown with Scaevola taccida (Cabbage bush) and Morinda citrifolia (Rotten cheese fruit or Noni in the pacific).  Boats would come  from Home island to harvest the coconuts on the other islands. These would then be processed for export but the industry was regarded as unviable years ago. Millions of coconuts now drop to the ground here each year with only a handful harvested by locals.

Rows of  limes are still evident while there are individuals of other fruit trees scattered here and there.

Lime trees

Guava

Black Sapote

These scattered trees and shrubs include Mango, Fig, Carambola (Star fruit) and Breadfruit. Black Sapote (chocolate pudding fruit)  and  Curry leaf. There were a lot more there in the past including Custard apple, Soursop but many have died or been salvaged by locals. Some fruit species that were tried but were thought not to be successful due to pollination difficulties were Jack fruit, Avocado, Mangosteen. One untried species was Cashew, which should enjoy this climate. Maybe someone knows if it has been tried somewhere on the islands?

Mangoes are a popular fruit that people would like to grow but they were badly affected by disease on the farm and only a few fruiting trees exist on all of the islands. There are some theories that they do not successful flower due to the lack of variability in the seasons or because of the presence of a fresh-water lens.  I the Darwin area growers of Mangoes induce them to flower earlier by cutting off their water supply (stressing them) so there presence of a permanent freshwater lens would mean that the trees are never stressed due to lack of water. There are one or two trees known to fruit well (at least sometimes) on home island. It is possible that this could be grafted on other root stocks as it may be a variety that is genetically more suited to this climate.  Generally the Mango needs a lot of TLC and if root stocks that were resistant to diseases could be obtained, this may add to the chances of successfully growing Mangoes.

Home Island stroll: Anyone for a coconut?

Or perhaps you prefer limes?

I have been a bit spoilt for fruit over here on the Cocos islands but not so with veg - which is surprisingly hard to come by.

Guavas do quite well

as does the Jambon (Bellfruit or Wax Jambu) - which is a type of Syzigium. the fruits are about the size of a medium plum.

Breadfruit is a bit of a winner, seemingly needing no special care and providing fruit ( from a plant grown from a root cutting) in its' second year. The Cocos Malay people have amazing gardens made up of almost totally food plant poly cultures.  However the soils and climate mean that they almost totally focus on a variety of perennial plants rather than annuals.

This photo says it all - food plants, seafood and coconuts. More coconuts below.

They have also worked out  local solutions to problems without imported inputs.

Pure white sand is piled around the banana trunks to deter pests. On home island where this photo was taken there are many magnificent stands of Bananas while on west island i struggled to find any fruiting plants. I think this success is a combination of tried and true techniques and a focus on food plants without the competition from ornamental plants that is an issue on West Island.