August Newsletter

Dwarf Black Mulberries

All three mulberries we produce are deciduous and vary significantly in size with the black mulberry being the smallest of the three. The dwarf black mulberry is a grafted tree that remains below 5 metres, however it responds very well to an annual pruning aimed at keeping the tree to around 3 metres. This makes it ideal to harvest the fruit, net the tree and can have the added advantage of producing a second minor crop.

The Dwarf Black Mulberry has a very low chill factor making it ideal for our subtropical climate. The trees are self-pollinating and very long-lived with some trees been known to produce fruit for over 100 years. It is best to pick the fruit when ripe, as it doesn't ripen further off the tree. A benefit of a mulberry tree is that the fruit ripens over an extended period of time unlike other fruit that often ripens all at once.

The fruits of the black mulberry, considered the tastiest and most versatile of the mulberries are large and juicy with a good balance of sweetness and tartness. The fruit of the dwarf black mulberry is the same as that on the large black mulberry that we all know and love. The fruit is large, resembling a blackberry, sweet and luscious. When not devoured fresh it is ideal to use in jams, wines and mulberry pies.

Mulberries make an ideal choice for any garden because:
The trees are easily managed,
They make great ornamental shade trees with their huge heart shaped leaves
As deciduous trees they get new leaves in early spring but allow the sun to shine through during winter.
The fruit forms from late spring through to early summer.

Mulberries Love:
Deep, fertile soil.
To be well watered, especially through summer.
Protection from coastal winds.

Mulberry and Rhubarb Pie

2 ½ cups black mulberries
1 ½ cups finely chopped rhubarb
1 ¼ cups white sugar
¼ cup plain flour
1 T butter
1 20cm piecrust

Mix together the mulberries, rhubarb, sugar and flour.
Pour into an unbaked 20cm piecrust
Bake at 205 degrees C for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees C and continue baking for 30 minutes or until pie is done.

Growing Seasons around the world

The Internet is a brilliant source of information for all types of gardening. Californian organisations such as the Californian Rare Fruit Growers and the Californian Tropical Fruit Tree Nursery are especially useful sources of fruit tree information as their climate is very similar to ours. University of California Fruit Nut Research and Information Centre is responsible for some of the excellent varieties of fruit trees introduced to Australia and offer extensive research and development information. The only confusion when reading this information can be the fast conversion of their growing season in the northern hemisphere to suit our growing conditions in the southern hemisphere.

In the Northern Hemisphere Spring begins about March 21. In the Southern Hemisphere autumn is beginning.

How many people have observed the Coriolis effect in the Garden. It all has to do with the effect of the earth's rotation on moving objects. In our Southern Hemisphere beans will grow up a pole in a clockwise direction whilst in the Northern Hemisphere they will grow in an anticlockwise direction.

Spring Fertilising for best results

Citrus like to be fertilised for best growth and fruit production. Feed your citrus with a specially formulated Citrus Food once in the Spring, once in the early Summer, and once in the early Autumn. The Citrus Food you select should contain the following micro-nutrients for best results: calcium, iron, sulfur, manganese, and zinc. A 0-10-10 fertiliser applied in early May is great for promoting root development and flowers for early in the bearing season.

Time spent in the orchard now (August) is the most important time you can spend to really get a productive orchard. If you are short on time like most of us, don't miss this time to really get your trees off to a good start. Now is the time to fertilise, weed, mulch, water and if not already done prune. Application of fungicides like copper sprays and lime sulphur can also be very beneficial on some fruit trees too, especially deciduous trees and citrus. In the subtropics Spring is usually dry so watering and weeding is very important to get your trees moving with the natural growth cycle at this time of year.

Gardening in the Shade

Perhaps its the winter months when the sun's rays are low but we have had a lot of gardeners asking us which fruit trees will grow well in the shade. There is no doubt that shade is a challenge but some fruit trees perform well in low light while others will thrive under these conditions.

When selecting plants for shady areas there are a few factors to look at apart from the low light levels. Determine whether or not the shade is caused by competing shade trees or some type of structure. Plants growing under the shade of other trees may also be competing for nutrients, water and poor air circulation.

Defining shade levels
Light shade is an area that is shaded but bright. It will only be completely shaded for a few hours each day or could receive filtered or dappled sunlight for longer periods. Edges of shady gardens or areas under the canopy of solitary tree is typical of filtered sunlight. Rather than being detrimental light shade during the heat of summer provides a beneficial cooling effect. Flower and foliage colour may be more brilliant as a result.

Partial or medium shade is when direct sunlight is blocked from an area for most of the day. Many established gardens with mature trees have large areas of partial shade but receive some direct sun early or late in the day.

Full shade lasts all day. Little or no direct sunlight reaches the ground at any time of the day. There may be reflected light from sunnier areas of the yard or off light-colored walls. Dense shade refers to full shade under thick tree canopies or in dense groves of trees. Areas under stairways, decks or covered verandahs on the south side of a house receive full shade.

Before selecting plants be sure to study your garden through all seasons to accurately measure the type of shade is present.

Fruit Trees
Here is a list of fruit trees that are more suitable to shade growing however often the higher degree of shade equates to a lesser fruit yield.

Berries, loganberry, youngberry and boysenberry
Ugni, Ugni molinae
Grumichama and jaboticaba (light shade)
Monstero deliciosa (deep shade)

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