Sunday 5 May 2013

Perennial Vegetables For Sale in Australia

Even though this blog post was written a decade ago I update it often.  It is the year 2024, and I am still selling seeds and plants.  If you are viewing this on your mobile phone you may need to scroll down below the comments and click on 'view web version'. 

To order send me an email, my email address will need the spaces removed, @ instead of the 'at' and . in place of the word 'dot': damien_beaumont at yahoo dot com dot au

This is my For Sale page, with heirloom vegetable seeds, berry plants, and perennial vegetable plants for sale in Australia, this page is updated regularly.  For notes on how to grow perennial vegetables please visit here.  Many of the plants or seeds below also have a hyperlink to a blog page on growing them.  If you would like growing notes on anything that is not listed on the growing notes page please let me know and I can email them through to you.  I can't tell you the 'right' way to grow them, or even the 'best' way to grow them, I can only tell you what works well for me.  

For a list of vegetable days to harvest from planting seed please click here.  

 

Immali Corn Australia
 

To order: please send me an email saying what plants/seeds you would like and I will reply with prices/payment methods.

My email address will need to remove the the spaces, put @ instead of the word 'at' and . in place of the word 'dot': damien_beaumont at yahoo dot com dot au



Organic Perennial Vegetables for sale – plant once, harvest forever!
 
POSTAGE: for plants/bulbs I post at cost $10.90 for regular post.  I post plants bare rooted on the Monday after payment has cleared.
 
Perennial Babington's leek
Perennial Babington's leek

Babington's Leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii)  This is an extremely rare and fun perennial vegetable to grow.  Similar to a tree onion it grows many bulbils on the flower stalk instead of producing seed.  It is used in the same way and has the same taste as a regular leek.  This will prove to be a talking point in any garden and a great heirloom to pass on to your kids.  Extremely hardy and productive but for some reason it is so rare that it is almost extinct.  Please read my Babington's leek growing notes prior to ordering   $5 per dormant bulbil or very small plant depending on the season 

Perennial leeks Australia Perennial Leek (Allium ampeloprasum) rare and hard to find but one of the best plants for home growers.  These grow and taste like regular leek but instead of growing viable seed they reproduce by sending up numerous babies from their base.  Much faster and easier than growing from seed.  If hot and dry over summer they can die down to bulbs.  These are hardy once established and incredibly productive  $4 per small plant







Everlasting Onion (Allium cepa perutile) grows like a spring onion but does not often produce viable seed, reproduces quickly by splitting in half.  Will also grow a small bulb similar to a French shallot in some climates.  This is possibly the hardiest, most productive, and easiest to grow of perennial vegetables.  One of the best permaculture vegetables.  Very easy to grow, you will never have to buy spring onions or shallots ever again!  $5 each 

 

Tree onion, aka topsetting onions, aka Egyptian walking onion (Allium × proliferum, formerly Allium cepa var proliferum).  It is a stable hybrid dating back to the 1850s that is worth having around.  Bizarre looking plant grows a golf ball sized onion that divides underground then grows tiny onions instead of seed on the flower stalk.  Sometimes a flower stalk will have a tiny onion with its own flower stalk with tiny onions on that and you end up with three or four levels on the one plant.  These flower stalks bend under the weight of all the onions allowing the plant to “walk”.  These were very common once and are now rare and hard to find  $3 per small plant or bulbil

  
Amiah diploid potato
Amiah potato, the great taste of a diploid potato without the low yields that are common among diploids. The size of potatoes is reasonable, they don’t need peeling, and easily produces two crops per year.  It is healthier and better looking than white potatoes due to its rich yellow flesh and interesting skin colour. They produce two crops per year here, and always survives over winter in the soil with no care from me.  As well as all this they produce huge numbers of beautiful purple flowers.  Plant them now as they don't store well out of the soil   $6 for three small seed potatoes  SOLD OUT FOR NOW Should have more Jan/Feb



Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) a massively productive low maintenance perennial vegetable that is high in inulin.  Can be eaten raw or cooked and is used in any way that you would use a potato.  Very productive, one small tuber fragment can produce well over 1kg!  When grown in good soil and watered occasionally each plant can produce well over 3kg of tubers.  Great food for people, pigs, poultry, sheep, cattle, guinea pigs etc.  Masses of yellow sunflower like flowers in autumn attract honey bees and are good to use as cut flowers.   ONLY available in Winter/Spring,  $3 each  tuber 



Duckweed (Lemna sp most likely Lemna minor) is a free floating plant and one of the smallest flowering plants in the world.  I have grown this continuously and moved it with me for the past 20 or so years and have never actually seen the flowers.  It grows very fast and can be used to clean water, as animal food, in aquariums, and can be eaten raw by people if you are certain there are no water snails.  It has a mild taste, good levels of many important nutrients and is surprisingly high in protein  $3 for a scoop
 

 Azolla (I'm not certain of the species, likely Azolla pinnata) also known as mosquito fern, fairy moss, and a few other cute names.  Azolla is a free floating water fern.  It sequesters nitrogen from the atmosphere and can be used as living mulch, biofertiliser, animal feed, human food, water cleanser, mosquito control etc.  This has high percentage of protein and is readily eaten by poultry and fish.  It grows fast and doubles every day under ideal conditions   $3 for a scoop


Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is commonly grown as an ornamental houseplant, but the leaves and roots are both edible.  Tolerates low light, poor soil, and dry conditions.  Grows white flowers and cute little baby plants on long stolons that can dangle from the mother plant and look very attractive.  Perfect for hanging baskets and a great office plant.  Spider plant survives a lot of neglect and should be protected from heavy frost.  Choose from variegated (white in middle of the leaves, green outside), reverse variegated (green in middle, white outside), or completely green.  Small plants  $3 each



Pink dandelion (Taraxacum pseudoroseum) is a different species than regular lawn dandelions.  All parts are edible by people, poultry, and livestock.  Leaves are more nutritious than most vegetables, roots can be made into a caffein free coffee substitute, and the flowers are pink with a yellow center.  The pink gets darker each day the flower is open.  These perennial plants are more fragile than common dandelions so tend not to escape into your yard.  $5 per bare rooted plant






Asparagus 'Precoce D'Argenteuil' (also called 'Early Argenteuil'), the history of this fast growing gourmet heirloom variety is rather obscure and vague, some sources state it was developed in the 1700’s, others claim it was developed as late as 1885.  Produces fat flavoursome spears that are green tipped with pink to purple.  This is likely to be the best tasting green variety you will ever eat, I have heard it described as ‘delicacy incarnate’.  One year old plants $5


Duck Potato (Saggitaria sp) also known as arrowhead, wapato, swan potato and a host of other names.  It is an attractive edible aquatic perennial vegetable similar to Chinese water chestnuts but better suited to cooler climates.  Large green arrow shaped leaves.  Highly productive and simple to grow.  This particular one does not flower which means that is poses no weed threat   $3 per small plant



Skirret (Sium sisarum) very rare, endangered, and ancient perennial root vegetable which is very simple to grow.  Sweet roots taste like a delicious sweet potato or parsnip but far better.  Used in any dish that calls for potato, carrot or parsnip.  The celery tasting leaves can be added to salads and the seeds are edible but it is the sweet roots that are the main crop here.  This is the most delicious roasted vegetable ever.  Flowers attract many beneficial insects to your garden   $5 per small plant or offset


Affiliate program - follow the link, buy some of these

Fruit shaping moulds - grow square lemons, heart shaped apples, scary face pumpkins, square watermelons and more.  It is so much simpler than you think, plus you do it at home with your organic produce.  To order plastic fruit shaping molds use this link and note this is an external site, and I do earn a commission from each sale. 








Organic Heirloom Vegetable Seeds - most are not perennial but it is certainly worth growing these.

Postage of seeds only within Australia: $3.50  for any number of packets.  If also buying plants use the plant postage rate as I will send everything in the one package.  I can also post some seeds overseas but I post at cost so need to confirm postage costs with the post office
 
Immali Corn (Zea mays) a beautiful and delicious coloured sweet corn.  I have created this amazing variety myself, the colours are not changed during cooking (we ate the cob in the photo).  Produces 2 to 6 cobs of coloured sweet corn per plantThis is high in anthocyanin, antioxidants and vitamins.  Why grow yellow corn when this is prettier, tastier, and healthier for you!  Corn will cross pollinate with other varieties of corn so you may have some yellow seeds if someone is growing yellow corn near by   $4.00 per packet of about 20 seeds

Giant Heirloom Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) a mix of seeds containing both "Julia Child" and "Giant Siberian Pink" (known in Russian as: Sibirskiy Velikan Rozovyi).  They are both delicious and large tomatoes.  'Julia Child' grows regular leaf and 'Giant Siberian Pink' grows potato leaf so you can tell from a young age which seedlings are which.  These are open pollinated varieties that are both indeterminate.  $4.00 per packet of about 20 seeds



Angora 82 tomato small plant which grows to about 1 foot tall, may or may not be dwarf, very productive with about 20 flowers per truss.  Small, red, round tomatoes which taste really nice and sweet.  This plant gave a large yield very early, has regular leaf and appeared to be determinate but kept putting out occasional new branches with flowers until the frosts.  $4 per packet of about 20 seeds



Igloo tomato, stocky plants, around 1 foot tall.  Highly productive, producing about 12 kg of remarkably consistent red round fruit that weighs just under 50g each.  Each truss usually contains about 16 flowers.  Very early cropping, great for producing a lot of food under short seasons and small spaces.   $4 per packet of about 20 seeds
Little Oak Like tomato small determinate tomato that produces red ping pong ball size tomatoes.  Like many other old Russian varieties it has a very rich tomato taste.  Looks much like 'Igloo' but slightly less stocky, a bit tastier, and less productive.  Very early cropper great for areas with a short growing season.   $4 for a packet of about 20 seeds

Micro Tom tomato the smallest variety of tomato in the world!  I have never had one grow over 10cm tall.  Being so small they can easily be grown in a cup of soil, easy for kids to grow, easy for elderly people who no longer have a garden, easy to grow in apartments if you have a sunny window, and great for school experiments due to its short life cycle   $4 for 15 seeds


 
Yellow Pear Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum) a sweet, yellow, pear shaped cherry tomato.  This is an old and loved heirloom variety dating back to the 1700’s.  It was the first yellow tomato I ever grew.  It can grow to be a large plant if given support and is very productive if treated well.  Beautiful, delicious, sweet and easy to grow, kids love the look and taste of the fruit.  Heirloom tomato can and will cross with other varieties of heirloom tomato so be a little careful if saving seed  $4.00 per packet of about 20 seeds

Skirret (Sium sisarum) very rare, endangered and ancient perennial root crop which is simple to grow.  Sweet roots taste like a delicious sweet potato or parsnip.  Used in any dish that calls for potato, carrot or parsnip.  Leaves can be added to salads but it is the sweet roots that are the main crop here.  Flowers attract many beneficial insects to your garden.  Unlike many other perennial vegetables, seed grown plants will produce a crop, divide numerously, flower, and set seed the first year   $4 per packet of tiny seeds


Superior Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) mixed seeds of around a dozen varieties including 'slow bolt', 'long standing', and 'Bengal Giant'.  This is an excellent producer of both leaves and seeds.  There has been deliberate crossing of varieties so you will have great genetic diversity and be able to breed a superior variety that performs well in your garden.  Cull plants that flower early and only save seed from later flowering plants to quickly and easily develop your own variety that is is slow to flower and produces abundant leaves   $4 per packet of seeds



Cape Gooseberries (Physalis peruviana) is also known as Incaberry, goldenberry, pichuberry, and a few other common names. Highly productive plants producing over one kilogram of small ~2g fruits that are covered with a protective paper husk. The fruits fall from the plant when ripe. For me they take a little over 80 days from planting the seed until eating perfectly ripe berries  $4 per packet of tiny seeds



Hillbilly tomato has firm flesh that is reasonably dry and somehow smells very fruity.   Produces a medium yield of glossy fruit over the season, it has regular leaf and is indeterminate.  Good size for slicing on a sandwich, the colour, glossiness, and fruity smell are all enjoyed by my kids.  $4 per packet of 20 seeds




Cherokee Purple grows large tomatoes, some round, some a little odd shaped.  People often say this tomato has a smoky taste or taste of good red wine.  A little salt adds more depth and complexity to their taste - Unbelievable!  This plant produces a medium to large yield of large fruit, it has regular leaf and is indeterminate.  $4 per packet of 20 seeds



Japanese Black Trifle (spelled various ways,  originally called "Yaponskiy Trufel Chernyi" or in Russian "Японский трюфель черный").  This old Russian variety has a deep, rich, sweet, tomato taste that is difficult to describe but easy to remember.  One of my all time favourite tomatoes.  Japanese Black Trifele tomato has potato leaf and is indeterminate.  $4 per packet of 20 seeds


Helsing Junction Blues are great high anthocyanin cherry tomatoes.  These taste sweet and are very productive.  The unripe fruit is bright purple, only goes blue/black where the sun hits and stays red when shaded by a leaf so you can make patterns using stencils similar to apples.  Ripe fruit is red with black where it used to be purple.  Plants have regular leaf and are indeterminate.  $4 per packet of 20 seeds

 

Tommy Toe tomatoes (I didn't take a photo) grow into a large plant with high yields of small tomatoes.  An excellent tomato for back yard growing due to their rich tomato taste, abundant yield, and pretty red round cherry tomatoes.  One of the more common varieties I grow as they are well worth growing.  Plants have regular leaf and are indeterminate.  $4 per packet of 20 seeds

Sarah's Galapagos tomatoes grow a large plant, high yields of small red cherry tomatoes.  They have a surprisingly deep rich taste for such tiny fruit.  It is said to be originally found on Galapagos Islands where they were eaten and dispersed by giant tortoises.  Plants have regular leaf and are indeterminate.  $4 per packet of 20 seeds




Giant Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is an absolutely massive strain of flat leaf parsley that is very simple to grow.  Leaves can be used as vegetable or herb, petioles can be used in place of celery, roots are delicious roasted.  Contains wide genetics and will produce a diverse population containing some large plants and some stunningly massive plants.  If allowed to flower it will attract many beneficial insects and pollinators, and will gladly self seed.   $4 per packet of seeds

Giant Edible Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) produces incredibly large plants from improved parent stock.  Dandelion leaves are more nutritious than most vegetables, the thick long roots can be roasted or turned into delicious coffee substitute, even the pretty flowers are edible.  Poultry and livestock love to eat dandelions.  Deep tap roots mine minerals from deep in the soil, leaves can be used as compost activators.  They are great companion plants for most fruits and vegetables.  The flowers are pretty and are great for bees, and kids love to blow the seed heads.  Open pollinated plants may display some genetic diversity   $4 per packet of seeds 
Wasabi salad herb (Diplotaxis erucoides) is a leaf vegetable/herb that is far simpler to grow than true wasabi, tastes similar to wasabi, gives a similar nose tingling feeling as wasabi, and lacks the extreme heat of true wasabi.  Great in salads and on sandwiches.  It happily self seeds in my garden, sometimes pops up in my lawn, and is low/no maintenance.  It is can form a self sustaining patch that flowers all year and is excellent bee forage.   $4 per packet of tiny seeds

Purple Mustard - back in 2012 I bought some seeds for purple mustard.  My son loved purple mustard, and has saved seed and grown it every year since.  Leaves can be used as vegetable, or garnish, and seeds can be used to make condiment.  They produce large purple leaves with some green, profuse yellow flowers attract honey bees and other beneficial insects.  All profits from this go to my son for pocket money  $4 per packet  


Glass Gem Corn (Zea mays) - this is good popcorn, beautifully coloured and incredibly ornamental.  These cobs grow all the colours of the rainbow and are incredibly beautiful.  If popped as pop corn they still pop white (just like regular yellow popcorn).  The cobs average around 15 cm long, and I average 4.5 cobs per plant but could have had more if I gave them more space.  Do NOT grow near other types of corn, popcorn, sweet corn, as it will cross pollinate and ruin your cobs.   $4 for packet of about 20 mixed seeds



Pink Glass Gem Corn (Zea mays)  - I planted some glass gem corn in blocks of the same colour.  My daughters like the pink popcorn.  These are seeds from cobs that were mostly pink, they were growing in my pink block.  There was some cross pollination with other colours of glass gem corn, and some hidden genetics that are not expressed in these seeds, but the cobs produced should be mostly pink with only a few seeds here and there of other colours.  The cobs produced should look similar to the photo on the left.  All types of corn will cross pollinate a lot, do NOT grow other types of corn nearby or they will cross pollinate a lot.   $4 for a packet of about 20 pink or white seeds


Litchi tomato (Solanum sisymbriifolium) also known as Morelle de Balbis, Fire and Ice plant, or my kids call them "Prickle Tomatoes".  Litchi tomatoes are somewhat related to tomatoes, tomatillos, and ground cherries.  Like many of the fruiting vegetables we grow, they are a perennial that is treated as an annual.  Intriguing plants with delicious berries.  Difficult to describe the taste as they vary depending on how ripe they are when picked.  They can taste like cherry, kiwi fruit, or sometimes really bland.  I am told you need more than one plant for pollination and fruit set so I grow several seeds in one hole to save space   $4 per packet of about 20 seeds


Organic black nebula carrots

Black Nebula Carrot (Daucus carota sativus) these heirloom carrots are the darkest of the dark.  They are so dark purple I would almost call them black. They really are incredible to see.  They are dark purple/black all the way to the core and will have a small amount of white flecked through.  I am told that these have undertones of berry taste, but I can't taste berries at all.  I found them to taste like a mix of carrot and beetroot, which I really like.  Even if you are not a fan of carrots these taste great.  These carrots retain their intense purple colour when cooked.   The juice can be used as a dye, and if you add some acidity it will turn bright pink.  Carrots will cross with other varieties of carrot and Queen Anne's Lace so take care if seed saving    $4 per packet of seeds

Huacatay (Tagetes minuta), is also called Peruvian Black Mint, is an annual herb.  It is not related to mint, but does taste and smell similar to mint, and can be used in similar recipes.  Used in sauce or herbal teas and an essential ingredient in many Peruvian dishes.  This herb is very simple to grow and very productive.  It grows tall over the warmer months, often about 5 or 6 feet tall (I had some reach over 9 feet tall) or shorter in poor soils.  Simple to save seed and grow the following year   $4 per packet of seeds


Pink dandelion (Taraxacum pseudoroseum) is a different species than regular lawn dandelions.  All parts are edible by people, poultry, and livestock.  Leaves are more nutritious than most vegetables, roots can be made into a caffein free coffee substitute, and the flowers are pink with a yellow center.  The flower opens white/light pink with a yellow center, pink gets darker each day the flower is open.  These perennial plants are more fragile than common dandelions so as much as I wish they would they tend not to escape into your lawn   $4 per packet of seeds




Organic Culinary Herb Plants

Unless started all herbs will have been grown from cuttings so that I can assure the quality of the plants, some herbs grow true to type from seed whereas others tend to be a little variable.  Most herbs (other than root cuttings, which are just a segment of root) are sold bare rooted, or with minimal soil on the roots to lower weight and reduce the postage cost.  Most will be wrapped in damp newspaper and put into a plastic zip lock bag.  Some may be dormant over winter and will not put on a lot of growth until Spring.  


I do not have large quantities of any herbs, if you want a larger quantity please ask me and I will let you know if I can help out.

Winter Savory (Satureja montana) is a highly aromatic perennial herb with peppery flavor with notes of marjoram, mint, and thyme.  Winter savory looks similar to thyme but has larger leaves.  It does well in roasts and stews, used to make salami, and is an essential ingredient to make Bouquet garni.  This was a popular herb in Europe and used in similar ways as pepper back when pepper was an expensive spice.  It flowers well and is very attractive to bees and other pollinators.  I don't know why this is not grown more frequently in Australia as it is an excellent perennial edible herb.   $5 per small seed grown plant 




Native Water Mint aka native rivermint, native peppermint (Mentha australis) this perennial Australian native herb is very rare in the bush and is rarely found in shops or gardens.  Flowers are great for native bees and other native pollinators.  It likes being well watered but can cope with reasonably dry soil.  It is used in much the same way as regular peppermint but is far less invasive and the small flowers are great for native pollinators.  It makes an excellent herbal tea served hot or iced   $5 per small plant 

Variegated Water Celery aka water parsley, Java waterdropwort, Japanese parsley, Chinese celery etc (Oenanthe javanica - flamingo)  is a perennial vegetable that is under utilised and strangely uncommon.  Extremely prolific and simple to grow.  Can be grown in the vegetable garden or as an emergent water plant.  Smells and tastes a lot like celery, add at the end of cooking or much of the taste will disappear   $5 per small plant

Vietnamese Coriander aka Vietnamese mint, laksa herb, hot mint, Cambodian mint, praew leaf (Persicaria odorata) is an amazing perennial edible herb.  Simple to grow, extremely productive, delicious, and versatile, I can't believe how uncommonly this is grown in Australia.  The internet says Vietnamese coriander has a “lovely coriander taste with a clear citrus note; refreshing with a hot, biting, peppery after taste”.  I grow as an emergent water plant but also happily grows in vegetable garden.  It goes well with chicken and combines well with lime, chillies, garlic, ginger and lemon grass, what is not to love about this plant!   $5 per small plant  



Vietnamese Fish Mint (Houttuynia cordata) also known as dokudami, 'poison blocking plant',  lizard tail, heartleaf, fishwort, bishop's weed, and a bunch of other names.  Commonly used in Vietnamese cooking, herbal tea, as well as a host of different traditional medicines.  It tastes like fish sauce.  I am selling small plants of the vigorous green form.  This plant can become invasive if planted in the garden so please restrict it to growing in a pot.  Dormant over winter   $5 per small plant or well rooted cutting
 
Jekka's thyme (Thymus sp) is an extremely vigorous growing edible thyme with relatively long green leaves.  This has a strong thyme smell and taste.  It is the most vigorous thyme I have ever grown.  It flowers like crazy in spring and provides great bee forage.  Taking cuttings every few years will refresh it and provide you with more plants.   $5 per small plant


Common Spear Mint (Mentha spicata) this fragrant, strong smelling plant is one of the easiest and most rewarding herbs to grow.  Great plant to get children introduced to gardening and connected to the land.  Used to make mint sauce, garnish and in a host of different ways while cooking.  When I was a child it was grown in every garden, starting to become difficult to find for some reason.  Grown organically from cuttings as seeds can be variable and often give undesirable traits.  Grow in a pot to prevent it from taking over your garden   $5 per small plant 

Lavender mint (Mentha piperita 'Lavendula') this edible mint smells like lavender!  I use it in herbal tea and my kids love it, it also goes well in cold summer drinks, and I am told it goes well with chicken and other white meats where it imparts a floral aroma.  Lilac flowers attract bees and butterflies.  Large almost fluffy leaves not only smell great they also look and feel nice.  Lavender mint is my second favourite variety of mint, and it is the most vigorous in growth so please grow it in a pot to prevent it taking over your garden  $5 per small plant



Willow herb (Epilobium parviflorum).  Other common names include 'small flowered willow herb', 'hoary willowherb' and 'small flowered hairy willow herb'.  This is a perennial edible herb, the leaves can be added to a salad and eaten raw or cooked, or dried and used in herbal teas.  This herb has been used as medicine to treat prostate and kidney issues and to reduce tumor growth, there are a few studies indicating it could be effective in treating these ailments.  This plant loves water.   $5 per small plant 


Organic berry plants

Atilla Alpine Strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is a red fruited wild strawberry that is day length neutral.  It is an extremely rare alpine strawberry that produces runners and can form an edible ground cover.  The strawberries are much smaller than supermarket strawberries, but they taste meltingly delicious and they smell truly amazing.  If you have never eaten a wild strawberry you don't know what you are missing.  Alpine strawberries are also known as gourmet strawberries or fraise des bois   $5 per plant

 
Pineberry strawberry produces small white berries with red seeds.  They get a pinkish blush when ripe and taste a bit like pineapple.  These only produce female plants, so need another strawberry to pollinate them and they never grow true from seed.  It crops twice per year in my garden.  Throws a lot of runners  $5 per plant


Fragaria virginiana breeding


Virginian strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) are a species of wild strawberries from North America.  They taste similar to garden strawberries you can buy from the markets but with far more intense and sweet flavour.  These have been selectively bred for larger sized berries as wild plants produce tiny berries.  Berries have deeply set seeds.  Grows lots of runners, flowers twice per year in my garden.  Very hardy plants   $5 per plant 




Carnivorous Plants
I know this page is mostly for perennial vegetables and other organically grown edibles, but please don't get confused and start to eat your carnivorous plants!    

Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) are the most famous and one of the most intriguing of carnivorous plants.  They grow best in areas with frosts but can be grown in frost free climates.  Never shut the traps with your finger, don't feed them, and don't fertilise them.  Growing notes can be found here$8 each small bare rooted plant 


Cape Sundew (Drosera capensis) is one of the easiest of all carnivorous plants to grow.  They were the first carnivorous plants I ever grew successfully as a child and from them I learned how to grow other carnivorous plants.  These catch numerous flies, moths, mosquitoes, and other insects.  Don't feed them unless you know what you are doing or you may kill the plant.  Grow them in damp peat moss (never soil) in a tray of water, never fertilise, and protect from heavy frosts.  They tend to lose their 'dew' and sulk after being posted, but it doesn't take them long to pick up again.  You choose between 'typical' and 'alba' varieties.   $6 per small plant
Cape Sundew
(Drosera capensis) SEEDS.  These carnivorous plants are surprisingly simple to grow from seed but very few places ever list seed for sale.  Simply place damp peatmoss in a small pot, keep a tray of water under at all times, and sprinkle the fine dust like seeds on top.  Most will germinate in a few weeks.  I have 'typical' has red tentacles and pink flowers, 'alba' has green or light pink tentacles and white flowers.  Seeds are tiny as per the picture on the left. The seed packet is a mix of 'typical' and 'alba' seeds   $4 per packet containing hundreds of tiny freshly collected seeds





Ornamental - non-edible plants or seeds

String of Pearls plant (Senecio rowleyanus).  Very simple to grow and very beautiful.  They grow tiny white flowers in winter that smell like cinnamon.  Grow them somewhere that they can trail over the side of their pot.  When you receive the cutting please remove the lower few pearls (leaves), plant the stem in soil and water it well.  If you buy a plant it will need to be planted in a pot of soil.  These look delicate but are surprisingly hardy and grow reasonably fast.  These are ornamental only, please never eat any part of them   $5 per small bare rooted plant, $2 per cutting

Muscari seeds (Muscari armeniacum) also known as grape hyacinth, are a spring flowering bulb that produces sweetly fragrant blue flowers, sometimes blue and white, or even just white.  Simple to grow, naturalises well, loved by honey bees, and dies down over summer so is water wise. Simple to grow from seed but won't flower the first year.  Seeds are far cheaper than bulbs so you get far more plants for your money.  Each seed grown plant will be genetically unique but most look similar to their siblings   $4 for packet of 35 fresh seeds

Candle Making

I have seen these candles for sale for up to $13, with $9 each being about average, so buying a mould and making some of your own works out well.  If you enjoy it you can get more wax and make more candles, or experiment with fragrances and essential oils etc.

Candle making mould - skep

These produce really cute little beehive candles with bees on them.  I use around 40g to 50g of wax.  One silicone skep mould can be used to make hundreds of  candles, and I can provide simple instructions  $10 for the mould
Note: candle not included, you are buying a pink silicone mould to make your own candles

 

Candle making kit - owl
This mould is easy to use and produces little owl candles with an incredible amount of detail.  Candle making is a great project to do with kids on a rainy day.  The price is for one owl silicone mould can be used to make hundreds of candles,  and I can provide simple instructions $10 for the mould 
Note: candle not included, you are buying a pink silicone mould to make your own candles



 

 

1 Corinthians 3:6-7  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 

46 comments:

  1. Great article, but isn't Rotenone prohibited by the ACOS in their 2013 standard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Normara you are correct, ACOS did prohibit rotenone a few months after I wrote this blog post. This was an important step in the right direction, but they still have quite a way to go. I believe that the only way to have any real assurance of the safety of your food and knowledge of what toxins have been used on it (either organic toxins or otherwise) is to grow your own. By growing your own you get to decide what is safe and what is not worth the risk.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Damien

    just wanted to say thanks for the corn and snow pea seeds, and the perennial and tree onions, and for how quickly they arrived! My neat rows of snow peas went awry when one of my hens managed to get into the bed before I'd closed it off, but they are sprouting all higgledy-piggledy anyway so it obviously did the seeds no harm. The tree onions are looking good, even the one that Laertes has decided is the perfect one to sit on when she wants to lay an egg. I shall be planting the perennial onions out this weekend, if we don't get snow.

    Between hens, quails, wildlife, and weather, I'm amazed that we can keep ourselves in vegetables here!

    Here's hoping you get a good crop of Lacy Ladies so I can order some of them next year.

    Melanie

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  4. Hi Damien, your communication and service is impeccable. I contacted you re tree onions and potato onions and within the week I had both. The onions were mailed on Monday, arrived Tuesday lunch time in Sydney and were planted in the vegie patch before sundown and all look very well (Thursday). A very smooth transaction with a few extra plants for FREE! That's very rare! So thank you Damien, and I'll be studying what else I can buy from you and placing another order soon.

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  5. Couldn't agree more with the above comments about the excellent service and quality. Thanks so much for sending such good quality vegetables so quickly, and the extras were much appreciated. I can't wait to get them into the vege patch and get them growing, and I'm looking forward to ordering some different veges soon.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Damien, we are enjoying our perennial leeks and everlasting onions. Baking a quiche using them as I type! I am really interested in the milk kefir as I have decided to try baking gluten free sourdough and many recipes call for some milk kefir. Then I read your blog about how it is a probiotic drink and I am keen to try this too. Please could you email me with info about how to purchase and how much I would need to buy. Also I am interested in Babbington Leeks when thet are ready. Kind regards Sue ...gaznsue@gmail.com

      Delete
  6. Thank you all for you kind words!

    I always try to include a few extra plants or seeds but sometimes this is not possible. I mostly sell these vegetables because I want more people to grow them, giving a few extras help you to get a decent crop out of them and see their true value in the first year. All of these plants are things that I grow for my own family and find them to be productive and delicious.

    At the moment we are still planning on moving from our lovely home but I will continue growing and selling vegetables, herbs and seeds until that happens. I will most likely remove this page while we are moving if I can not sell plants and put it up again when we are settled.

    I probably wont add too many new plants/seeds until we have moved as moving a lot of plants can be tricky. That being said I do have a few new things I am growing that I would love to sell, I am building up their numbers at the moment. I have a few other things that I am trialling which look like they are proving themselves to be worth growing. They will be listed above when I have enough to offer them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi I was wondering how I could buy some reisetomate seeds from you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I now have a contact form on the lower right hand side of the blog, it is best to contact me through that.

      Delete
  8. What would be the best time of year to check back for availability of Babington's leek?

    I can't believe I only discovered your blog after you are selling your place! Having a lovely time reading, will you still be posting after you move to another place?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Polly,

      Thank you for the kind words about the blog.

      I should have a small number of Babington's leek plants ready soon as I planted all of the remaining bulbils and they are starting to sprout. Send me an email and we can talk.

      While I can make no promises, I do have every intention of continuing to grow these vegetables and posting when we eventually move. As far as I am concerned growing and breeding vegetables isn't a bad hobby to have.

      Delete
  9. Searching for wapato & found your interesting site. Can you post plants, seeds or cuttings to US? Hope to buy....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Pamela,

    Sorry for the late reply, I have been moving house and have had sketchy internet availability.

    I have no idea about posting plants to USA. If you can check with American quarantine and if they say it is ok I can send you some plants. As the Australian dollar is rather low at the moment hopefully postage should not cost too much. Let me know how you go.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Damo,
    Great website, I've really enjoyed reading your posts.
    I've built a vegetable garden and after reading your posts I would like to add some perennials.
    Do you currently have any everlasting onions for sale? Also do you recommend any garlic varieties for cooler regions (e.g. ACT).
    Cheers
    Ben

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ben,

      My everlasting onions are dormant at the moment as I replanted them in the heat, I expect to have more early in 2017.

      Hardneck garlic varieties tend to perform well in cooler regions. Giant Russian garlic can be mild in tropical regions but gets a stronger garlic taste when grown in frost.

      I have recently moved near Canberra so when I have plants if you still want any you can come and pick them up rather than having to post them.

      Delete
  12. Hi any update on the brown potato onions for sale 2017 thanks Karl

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    Replies
    1. Hi Karl,

      Sorry, I moved too many times in a year so only have 3 of them left. Hopefully they reproduce quickly.

      Delete
  13. Hi Damo,

    Very interesting posts, thank you.
    Do you currently have any Non-flowering Sorrel for sell?
    Thanks.

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  14. Hi Damo
    This is a great website. you grow so many plants that i have been looking for ages... any possibilty to have skirret, yacon, everlasting onion, babington's leek, perennial leek and potato onion this year
    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Damo
    Great blog... I almost finished reading everything, and try to get in contact with you.
    i keep asking of some plant's availability but not sure if you get the message or not.
    I am after Babington's Leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. babingtonii) especially. Could you please tell me if you have some available soon? Thanks
    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kaktus,

      thank you for the kind words about the blog. Sorry I have not gotten back to you, I have had computer issues that are hopefully fixed now.

      The Babington's leeks are starting to sprout now and should hopefully be ready by the end of winter. If you want to send me an email by using the contact form on the right hand side of the blog it should come through and I can reply to you.

      Delete
  16. If you would like to order please contact me via the contact form on the lower right hand of this blog and I will send an email in reply.

    When using the contact form please make sure you double check that your email address is correct as I can not reply if there are any typos.

    I have had a few people contact me lately and I am not able to reply as they must have spelled their email address incorrectly.

    ReplyDelete
  17. thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I am new to gardening. I found the comfrey article very interesting, and will be reading your articles as much as possible. janette south australia

    ReplyDelete
  18. Just a quick note to say how delicious the Immali corn is, best corn ever!!!

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  19. Hi Damo, Im looking for plants or seeds for Mesona chinensis or Grass Jelly (Chinese Variety) as seen on this website https://www.the-clayton-farm.com/product-page/grass-jelly-mesona-chinensis. Do you have any? Thanks. CL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous,

      Sorry, I don't have any Mesona chinensis plants. To be honest I had never heard of them and had to look them up. I don't know anyone who grows them, I hope you find one!

      Delete
  20. Thanks for this. I really like what you've posted here and wish you the best of luck with this blog and thanks for sharing. Perennial Vegetable Plants for Sale

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hey, I made an order but haven't heard from you. Just wondering if you received it? Please advise. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Michael,

      I am really sorry about that, I have had some issues with the form not sending through to me lately.

      It looks like a lot of people have sent me messages lately and I haven't got any of them. It explains why it has been so quiet lately. I think/hope I have fixed it now.

      If you are still interested can you please send through your order again.

      Delete
    2. Hi Damo, thanks for the reply. I have just re-ordered. Cheers, Michael

      Delete
  22. hi, Im not sure how to order or if this is all available. I am setting up my gardens so very excited about so many of your plants. what area are you growing in? This is my list I am interested in buying yacon crown, everlasting onion, Babingtons leek, Perennial leek, giant russian garlic, jerusalem artichoke, qld arrowroot, garlic chives, onion chives, chinese water chestnut, chinese artichoke, duck potato, skirret, horse radish, duck weed, saffron, asparagus unnamed green, asparagus precoce dargenteuil, asparagus connovers colossal, asparagus purple passion, hangjiao space chilli, trinidad scorpion butch t, superior coriander, giant parsley, papalo, quilquina, amaranthus caudatus, rhubarb champagne giant, Atilla Alpine Strawberry, cheers Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,

      I am near Canberra. If you are near here you can pick up, otherwise I can post. I can't post to WA or Tasmania.

      To order please send me an email using the 'contact form' on the right hand side of the page. If you are viewing this with your mobile phone you may need to click on 'web view' to be able to see the contact form.

      Thanks,

      Damien

      Delete
  23. Hi, you write, that "azolla" can be eaten also from fish, Which kind of fish will eat azolla?
    Further you write, that "azolla" is good against mosquito: Why that?

    Thank you very much in advance, Klaus

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Klaus,

      from what I have seen pretty much every fish that eats plants and has a mouth large enough to eat azolla will eat it. I am no expert here so there may be exceptions to this, but I am yet to see any fish that won't eat it.

      I linked to a post about azolla and mosquito control above. In case you can't see that link it can be found here: http://living-mudflower.blogspot.com/2018/06/does-azolla-work-for-mosquito-control.html I only read peer reviewed papers that dealt with species of mosquito that are present in Australia. I assume similar trends are seen with exotic species but didn't look too far into it because I only really care about the species that are here.

      Have a great day!

      Delete
  24. Hi Damo. I’ve tried to get in touch using the contact form, but I guess it’s not getting to you. There are a few plants and seeds I’d like, so hope you can get in touch with me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi LillyPilly,

      I am so sorry my contact form is not working properly. I am at a loss as to what is happening.

      Let me know your email address and I will email you. If you write a comment and include your email address I will NOT publish the comment, but I will email you.

      Delete
  25. Hi, thank you very much for the link and information ! All good for you, Klaus

    ReplyDelete
  26. Hi again, do you are able to send Azolla to the philippines? Do you have experience in that?
    Thank you very in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Daniel Nörten19 July 2020 at 07:54

    Hello Damo,
    I live in Germany and would love to buy your perennial leek. Instead of sending plants, do you think it would be possible to sent bulbs? I'm worried that the plants won't make it to their destination...
    best

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Daniel,

      They normally go dormant November/December so I should be able to post bulbs then. I am not sure what postage will cost, but the Australian dollar is pretty weak which should lower the cost a bit. Send me an email and we can work out something.

      Delete
  28. Hi Damien. Have you grown Hablitzia tamnoides (Caucasian spinach) before? It looks a useful salad leaf, but I haven’t seen the seeds in AU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi LillyPilly,

      I haven't grown it but know I have seen it for sale somewhere. It might be worth sending and email to Christina from https://www.midsummerherbs.com.au

      Delete
    2. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction. She has some growing and they will be available in a while. Sounds a useful salad leaf, can’t wait to try it

      Delete
    3. That's great news, i hope they grow well for you. I have bought and swapped plants with midsummer herbs a few times and they are always high quality plants, I have never been disappointed.

      Delete