Lesson 5 - Choosing plants, tools and equipment

Plant selection for your climate

Matching your food plants to the climate you live in is important for growing success. but climate can be a little complex. We have already introduced climate in Lesson 3 - Site assessment. In terms of your growing space, at the largest scale there is a macroclimate.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au) recognises several different classification systems for climate zones, based on temperature and humidity, vegetation (Köppen) and seasonal rainfall. To make this simple for gardeners, Diggers recognises five broad climate zones or regions in Australia, mainly based on temperature: Tropical, Subtropical, Hot (Arid/Semi-arid), Warm (Temperate) and Cool (Temperate).

To further help with plant selection, we have also identified specific ‘heat zones’ and ‘cold zones’ across Australia. Temperature plays a significant role in regulating plant growth and functions. Some plants require warmer temperatures to grow successfully, while others are the opposite and require cooler temperatures, particularly ‘chill hours’ to initiate flowers and then set fruit. Prolonged hot and dry weather, particularly extended periods of days exceeding 30°C, can cause physiological damage and even the death of many species.

Heat zones are determined by the average number of days above 30°C a site experiences each year, ranging from Zone 1 (<2 days, e.g. higher alpine regions) through to Zone 14 (>350 days, e.g. Darwin, NT). By contrast, many plants are not adapted to colder temperatures, leading to stunting and a lack of vigour, even in relatively mild conditions. In very cold conditions (i.e. <0°C), plant tissues can freeze, causing frost damage and, in some cases, plant death. Cold zones have been calculated based on the absolute minimum temperature at a location. Eight cold zones are included, ranging from a minimum of -16°C, such as some alpine regions, to a minimum of 16°C, like in the tropics. Could we link to our maps or include images?

To better understand and profile your climate, it's helpful to know your microclimate and mesoclimate.

Microclimate includes site-specific factors affecting things like temperature, rainfall and light, as covered in Lesson 3 - Site assessment.

A Mesoclimate can change across relatively small geographical distances. Mesoclimate is the climate of your locality or suburb and is strongly influenced by topography, altitude and orientation. For example, your site may be in a cool south-facing valley subject to high winds and rainfall over winter; or perhaps you live a few kilometres away in a protected east-facing location at a higher altitude (800 metres) that often experiences a ‘rain shadow’. While these locations may be geographically close, they will have different seasonal conditions, particularly rainfall, temperatures and wind. These need to be factored into profiling your site climate as accurately as possible to help choose appropriate food plants to grow.

Plant selection

As part of choosing plants, it’s a good idea to ask some key questions in terms of your inputs and needs. How much space will be dedicated to growing? How you will design this space for growing based on your climate profile and site assessment, remembering where are the opportunities, and where are the limitations? How much time do you want to spend gardening your food plants? What do like to eat, cook and harvest?

Different food plants have different requirements to successfully grow the ‘food’ you are cultivating. Some research will help you determine what will work best for your site and requirements.

Consider crop cycles and when things grow best, some require warmer temperatures to both grow and produce, while others benefit cooler temperatures to do the same. The time from sowing or planting will vary significantly – some need a good 12-14 weeks to produce, while others can grow from seed to harvest in a few days or even weeks.

Diggers tip

Start with some easy to grow annual vegetables and simple indestructible perennial herbs. Plants like zucchinis and cucumbers, herbs like chives and sage.

Vegetables and herbs

While most vegetables and herbs are annuals, some are perennials, and a tiny number can even be woody, including shrubs and trees. To classify vegetables, we will use five main groups:
1. Roots and stems
2. Leaves and greens
3. Flowers
4. Fruiting vegetables and seeds
5. Herbs

Roots and stems include bulbs, particularly Alliums such as onion, leeks and garlic; true root crops like beetroot, carrots and parsnips; tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes, and stems, including asparagus, celery and rhubarb.

Leaves and greens include lettuce, cabbage, Asian greens, spinach and kale, even microgreens could be considered in this group.

Flowers are plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, globe artichokes.

Fruiting vegetables are a very large group, including the Cucurbits (pumpkins, cucumbers, squash), tomatoes and related crops, like capsicums, chillies and eggplant.

Seed crops, like legumes (peas, beans) and sweet corn.

Herbs include both short-term herbaceous annuals, such as basil, coriander and parsley, through to woody perennials such as sage, rosemary and thyme.

Fruits and nuts

Like vegetables, it's easiest to group fruits and nuts into the types of plants they are. And while most are woody plants, a small number are herbaceous, including annuals such as peanuts, and perennials such as strawberries, bananas and pineapples. A large group of temperate fruits are the cane and vine bearing plants, including many berries (e.g. raspberry, loganberry), through to climbing plants (e.g. grape, kiwi fruit, passionfruit). Most of these plants benefit from some form of support structure and annual pruning to manage growth and sustain fruit production. Bush fruits are shrubs including warm temperate species such as pomegranate and fig, but also some cool temperate fruits such as blueberries and currants. Many fruits are shrubs and trees, some growing to several metres in height, although increasingly dwarf versions of these species are available.

Fruit trees can be divided into the pomes, such as apples and pears, stone fruits, including apricots, cherries, plums and peaches. Citrus trees such as lemons and oranges, and nut trees such as almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts. Subtropical fruit trees including trees such as avocado and citrus, while true tropical fruit trees include the mango and lychees.

Diggers tip

Diggers tip: Take into consideration the storage and use of your planned food crop – some crops will store for long periods (weeks), even in temperate conditions such as potatoes, while other crops will be used very quickly – leafy greens for example.

Tools and equipment

Every gardener needs to have some tools and equipment to grow food successfully. And tools need to be selected based on your capability, considering your size and physical abilities.

Hand tools include those for cultivating and those for digging. Spades are used for cutting into turf or garden beds to turn over soil, shovels are used to move quantities of soil or mulch around a garden. Forks are excellent for helping to break up the structure of a garden bed to allow aeration and water filtration. Hoes are very useful for weeding amongst plants and also creating planting lines. A good pair of secateurs will always come in handy when pruning and generally tidying up a garden.

Wheelbarrows and carts are essential when moving large amounts of soil or plant material. Buckets are necessary when collecting produce, hand-weeding or mixing fertiliser. A good hose that doesn't kink is a great investment, and a wand with a gentle rain setting makes deep watering a pleasure. Watering cans are great for container gardens and enable you to easily mix up liquid plant food.

Diggers tip

When you invest in garden tools, it is a good idea to physically try them out to see if they suit your height and physique, especially when buying a wheelbarrow or cart. Be sure to invest in a pair of quality gloves.

Growing food