Boo's attempt

[boo]

Thank you Lollykoko, pa_friendly_guy & Matt for the replies (and encouragement). My banana will now be referred to as "lucky" from now on (thanks Matt LOL). I also get pleasure from seeing things growing and, although we are getting some really hot days this summer (quite a few about 39 degrees Celsius so far but expecting up to 48 degrees Celsius before the end of summer) the garden seems to be holding up pretty well. Vegetables are doing OK - half are in buckets with holes drilled for drainage and the other half are in raised beds with shademesh over the top to protect them from the direct sun - not very pretty but practical. 3 raspberry patches (about 6-8 plants in each) - one patch has been severly burnt by hot north winds and has only two raspberry plants still green, but I'll leave them alone and just keep watering every few days and see what happens.
We can now get "moringa" plants here - "miracle tree" from Africa (also known as a drumstick tree or horseradish tree) and the plan is to get one in autumn (your fall) so that it can establish itself before next summer. Have you heard of them?
FYI http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... rl5mf_qF3M

[Lollykoko]

Boo, I have heard of them. I don't think they'll do in my climate, however.

[pa_friendly_guy]

You are right Lolly, they grow in zones 9 and 10 in the US. It is a tropical plant. Not hardy for you or me up North here.
[ I did not know that, I had to look it up ]

[boo]

I'm in zone 3 (most of inland Australia is in this zone) but it's not considered a tropical zone (hot, dry and arid maybe due to drought).
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/research ... zones.html

I did a little research and have found a US site that says you can plant it as an annual in cooler climate area's (or grow it inside). If you can grow berries would this not be a similar situation? (pardon my ignorance but I've never been to your beautiful country)
Here is the site I mentioned http://www.moringamatters.com/about.html
Extract:
[The more that I read, and the more Moringa that I ate, the more I was convinced that all of the wonderful things I had heard about the Moringa tree, were based on solid facts. Not only do the leaves LOOK good, they TASTE good, too! I have always loved spinach, and salad greens, and Moringa can be eaten in the same manner. It's taste and it's nutritional value amazed me!

I started planting Moringa here in Florida, like it was the only nutritional tree on earth - which it is not - and before I knew it, we had lots of other people eating it, too. We started offering the seeds of both Moringa Oleifera and Moringa Stenopetala, young seedlings, and Moringa leaf powder, online, at our http://www.ilovemoringa.com website.

If you cannot grow it, due to weather or space, you can at least get the benefits of the nutritional value in its leaves, by using the Moringa Leaf Powder. If you live in the southern hemisphere, you can probably successfully grow a Moringa tree. If you live farther north, you can grow it as an annual, because Moringa trees grow FAST! We start stripping the leaves off our Moringa trees, when they are still very young little seedlings, and they don't mind a bit. The more you trim them back, the faster they grow, and a few months of heat and sunlight will provide you with lots of leaves to eat!]

[pa_friendly_guy]

I am colder than your zone 1 Boo, it can get down to -5 to -10 F here on occasion. It does not get that cold every year, but it has in the past and will again every few years. It was about 10F last night with wind chills in the single digits. That is the coldest its been so far this year, but its only early Jan, we have a lot of winter left around here. I think I would have less luck with moringa than you have with Bananas, It might grow as an annual here, but even with very heavy mulching in fall I don't think it will winter over. From what you have given us to read about it the plant does seem to have a lot of merit and is worth growing. I may have to try it as an annual in the veggie garden. They are all annuals in there anyway, except the asparagus that I planted last year.

[pa_friendly_guy]

I just saw on the internet that your weather service has had to add 2 new colors to your weather maps because of the extreme heat down your way Boo. Pink and purple can mean temps in the 50 c range. That's 122 f for us here in the US. It also said there were a lot of wild fire in the south east. How are you holding up in your area? I hope all is well.

[boo]

It's rather hot here (understatement) and we've had a lot bushfires (in every state). Tamania has been hit the worst so far, but warnings are out for every other state as well as the heatwave grinds on. Garden is not liking this heat though!
The fire near Ballarat was a real threat to my place (it got to within 30 kilometres if my place before they got it under control)...I'm putting a link to footage of some of what is happening here....
http://news.linktv.org/videos/raw-video ... -australia

[pa_friendly_guy]

I am sorry to see the devastation caused by the wild fires Boo. Glad that you are Ok at your Home. Nature has a way of coming back strong. In a few years I am betting the News People will be talking about all of the benefits to wild life that would not be there if it had not been for the fires. Things will come back in time, trees grow, flora and fauna will rebound. It just feels bad as it is happening. I am very sorry for those people that lost their homes and properties. I hope no one was killed by the fires. Houses can be rebuilt, people can't be. I never worry about property damage, its the Bodily injury or death that always bothers me. People are much more valuable than things, never forget that.

[boo]

I totally agree pa_friendly_guy - people are more important than things. I feel awful for the people who have been affected by the fires....we were saddened to hear that a volunteer firefighter has died while fighting the fires in Tasmania.

http://www.firerescue1.com/wildland/art ... ush-fires/
January 14, 2013

[pa_friendly_guy]

That is awful Boo, I am so sorry to here about a Volunteer Firefighter loosing their life. There are all volunteer Firefighters in my area, no paid staff firemen here at all. They do so much for the community. They are the ones running into the burning building while everyone else is running out. You have to be a little crazy to do that, risk your life for others. But they do it every day, and all hours of the day or night. We are truly blessed in this area to have so many Volunteers who give so much. I feel it is a great loss to lose even one of them.