Tree tomatoes, who knew? Gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON’S got one, but they come with their challenges, she says.

Tree tomatoes aren’t really grown in Canberra, but as an indoor plant in winter and outdoor plant in summer or in a glasshouse, anything is possible. 

Tree tomatoes, or tamarillos, produce lovely egg-shaped fleshy fruit, but unlike their cousins the tomato have big, lush tropical leaves. Shallow rooted, they need moisture while growing and fruiting. 

Growing one of these in Canberra is only possible in a pot because they have to be kept out of the frost. Mine has survived two winters in the glasshouse and will begin to branch after it is about two metres tall.

There is different coloured fruit for different flavours, so know what you like before growing one. The largest fruit is a vibrant red that is least tart and can be eaten raw. 

They have lovely purple solanaceae flowers in spring. There will be an abundance of fruit that is tangy and great for cooking chutneys, desserts and sauces. 

The skin is not palatable, but the flesh can be scooped out and eaten raw or used for cooking. 

NOW the warm weather has arrived, it’s a great time for semi-hardwood cuttings of plants such as camellias, viburnums or any evergreen spring-flowering plants. 

A semi-hardwood cutting is a piece of stem on the tip of the plant that is flexible and strong. It is generally two-coloured: first it’s brown, which is old growth, and green, which is new spring growth. 

Remove all the leaves that will be under the potting mix and bunch a few cuttings the right way up and dip into some honey or hormone gel and plant into 50 per cent potting mix and 50 per cent perlite. Water gently and keep in the shade, but do not let them dry out. 

This method can be used for daphne, azaleas and westringias as well. 

I have the propagation bug again and it’s easy to do and a cheap way to multiply plants for the garden. 

THE vegetable patch should be in full swing and all seedlings will need to be in the garden for any harvest in the holidays. 

Lettuce, silverbeet, snow peas and radishes can all be planted now and, if grown fast, they’ll be ready for the Christmas table and the holidays.

Plant out another batch of seedlings again in a few weeks’ time to extend yield over the season and sprinkle a little diatomaceous earth around seedlings while they are young. 

SUMMER-flowering plants such as gazanias and gaillardias can be planted now. While short lived, they make up for it in their blooms. Gallardia’s vibrant yellows, reds and oranges all in one big flower are magnificent and thrive on neglect. 

Planted in the right spot they can bloom for up to nine months of the year. Gallardias need full hot sun and are not fussed by the soil they grow in. Tip pruning will promote bushy growth with more flowers. 

Jottings

• Keep watering blueberries and all berry canes. 

• Take green-shoot prunings from dahlias now. 

• Net apple trees to prevent coddling moths. 

• Place diatomaceous earth around new seedlings. 

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au