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First published 5th November 2022
NOTE: this newsletter went out to subscribers of two previous sites mentioned herein: Urban Heirlooms and Garden Clippings, which have since been combined into this single site Wollongong Nursery.
Hello everyone, it has been a while since I last emailed a newsletter — and thank you for having subscribed at all! A big welcome to you all.
This is long, please bear with me :)
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It is impossible to write a newsletter about personal doings without ‘I’, ‘I’ and ‘I’ everywhere — I (!) cringe every time, just so you know!
Item 1: Stink Bugs
These are back in force here. I wrote this piece about how I managed to get them under control, and had a bumper Imperial mandarin harvest last winter for the first time in years!
I do hope this can be of help to others.
I’ll be experimenting with botanical fruit fly deterrents over summer - fingers crossed because both traps and netting is a pain with too many trees!
Item 2: Garden Beds and Composting
These may also be of interest:
Compost in Two to Three Weeks - The Robert D. Raabe 'Berkeley Method'
Raised Vegetable or Garden Beds - Part One
Raised Vegetable or Garden Beds - Part Two
Item 3: The Urban Heirlooms and Garden Clippings Websites
One reason I’ve been so slack with this newsletter is just from being torn in too many directions at once. This has sadly also manifested in the sites not offering as many items as intended.
The past couple of years were especially full on with getting the jujube tree business established. Now at last is the time for Urban Heirlooms (food plants) and Garden Clippings (ornamentals)!
As with the jujubes, these two sites are passion projects, and I’ve met some truly wonderful people via all three. People into plants are just lovely, warm people. We need more lovely, warm people in this world!
Urban Heirlooms and Garden Clippings are sites intended for the rarer, more unusual plants that are hard to find. Or which just aren’t known about, but deserve better recognition than they get.
It’s all about sharing the love with like-minded people more than anything, and if bills get paid along the way then that’s just a bonus.
Item 4: Upcoming Ethnobotany/Phytochemistry Something-or-Another Blog/Site
This plant obsession has meant that I have spent the past two years collecting some truly exotic and bizarre seeds and plants with the intention of investigating them more deeply.
And from *that* came an intense passion for ethnobotany and phytochemistry.
Ethnobotany is the study of plants traditionally used by cultures all over the world — for food and medicine especially, but for other practical reasons such as shelters and clothing.
Phytochemistry is plant biochemistry. (‘Phyto’ means ‘plant’.) I mostly know human and microbial biochemistry, so this is a natural gravitation I guess.
(I’ve been writing about photosynthesis here if of interest — still ongoing!)
My interest in ethnobotany and phytochemistry comes from wanting to know what’s true and what’s not, about how plants work as medicines, or otherwise contribute to good health. The chemistry of health I guess!
So that is an upcoming project and I’ll let you all know once it’s up and running should you be interested to read along.
Item 5: Plants For Sale
Best postage value is in lots of three for anything in same-sized pots. (eg 3 × 50 mm pots or 3 × 90 mm pots)
Postage is itemised at checkout, but if some combination I didn’t account for means I can pack an order cheaper than what is quoted I will absolutely refund the difference.
Feel free to query the postage before actually placing an order too.
Right now listed are:
Very advanced heirloom and dwarf tomatoes. I wanted these up two months ago but weather and other things conspired against me. These are strong, robust plants and you should get fruit by Christmas.
Please read Determinate, Indeterminate, and Dwarf Tomatoes for more info.
Nagaimo/Chinese/Japanese/Wild Yams — new to me this year. Apparently they have cinnamon-scented flowers and I’m so looking forward to that!
Thank you SO much for getting this far, I really do appreciate your interest! Please never hesitate to get in touch with any questions either. I am more than happy to help in any way I can.
Best regards,
Kristi Ellinopoullos
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