Grant Douglas's Garden Diary

Week 39: First week of October

Hope you are enjoying this pleasant spell of settled weather - as a number of my customer's have said "we deserve it". But, not to put a damper on it, don't get carried away with early planting of tender crops such as Peppers and Tomatoes, Beans, Cucumbers, unless you have a warm site or are prepared to do some protecting if the weather again turns to custard.

Hope this is not a boring subject this week but I read an interesting article which I thought related quite nicely to the idea of 'Heirloom Seeds'. It was Brian Easton, the Economics journalist, writing in the Listener. He mentioned the Chinese forbidden city and how the only way it was able to be built was because of the surplus of rice available at the time to feed the workers (this was nearly 600 years ago).

One of the main reasons for the surplus was because of the development of more productive rice varieties, and it got me thinking how plant variety development has been happening ever since man decided to put a seed in the ground, rather than just gathering.

So from here, my thoughts were at what point along this continuim of development do we stop and say "this variety is an Heirloom Variety", but anything since then is not. You can be fairly sure that most of the 'original' varieties were probably low-productive and less edible than later developments.

I know that there is a problem with the seed companies having too much control over the comings and goings of varieties and believe we should be maintaining older varieties for future developments, but putting the name Heirloom Variety on a seed or plant, does not automatically make it superior. Neither does calling it a Hybrid.

Every variety should be judged on it's own merits eg. a new Hybrid Lettuce has been developed which is resistent both to mildew and aphids. This development has come about through the discovery of a wild Lettuce growing in Europe and crossing it with some modern varieties.

Sowing or Planting this week:

Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillis, Egg Plant (Don't plant outside yet if you are in a cooler area)
Basil (Don't plant outside yet if you are in a cooler area)
Beetroot
Beans - Scarlet, Runner (Shiney Fardenlosa), Dwarf (In punnets for planting out)
Broad Beans (I am trying a new variety for me this year called Imperial Green, where the beans stay green, even after cooking) Standard Variety - Exhibition Longpod - Getting quite late.
Brocolli Spouting (Marathon Variety)
Cabbage (Spring or Summer varieties)
Cauliflower (Frieda - Summer variety)
Cucumber - too early for planting outside
Garlic (Getting fairly late)
Lettuce (Loose-leaf Fancy and Hearting (Webbs or Greatlakes)
Onions (for early areas)
Peas (I choose Easy-peasy variety)
Potatoes (for those in warm areas get a second succession sprouting, for those in colders area, get your first sowing sprouting)
Red Onions
Shallots
Silverbeet and Perpetual Spinach
Snow Peas (Snap Peas)
Spinach (winter varieties eg. Hybrid No.7)
Spring Onions
Sweet Corn (sown in punnets for planting out later)
Zuchini - planting outside in warmer areas. Protect at night.

Sow Direct: (Protect soil surface from heavy rains)

Carrots (In warmer areas only - I find Topweight a good early variety)
Chinese Greens (Warmer areas)
Corn Salad
Corriander/Dill (Marginal)
Mescalin Mix
Parsnips
Rocket
Radish

Happy Gardening. This week I'll sign off the way the Country Life Team did on the radio on Saturday with "Keep the gumboots close and stay positive".

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