Another autumn return to Dubai from Herefordshire, and another chance to update the back yard #potager. Neil grew loads of veg here through lockdown, but after the customary scorching humid summer it is time to refresh and replenish the big pots, the long bed and also to bring some order to any survivors. I have written before about how easy gardening is here in the cooler winter months, inasmuch as you have perfect propagation temperatures and adequate hours of daylight, but that also requires a steady supply of water and nutrients. We compost when possible, and you can now buy seaweed and organic fertilisers here, providing some reassurance when growing edibles. As far as watering goes, unless you have a bore hole in your garden, you are typically paying a rate not too far from the price of petrol here (currently hovering around approx 57 pence per litre), so it is essential to bulk up the sweet (non-saline) sand typically used here as the planting medium to enable some water retention. Once these essentials are in place, rewards come in the form of rapid and prolific growth, and a range of beautiful pollinators.
On my return here it was also great to see that last year’s papaya babies had not only come through the summer, but are developing into really attractive trees. We might think only of that fabulous coral coloured fruit, but the plants are worth growing in their own right: huge glossy star shaped leaves, and exquisitely curled flowers which emerge from tiny nodules along the trunk on the female plants. It looks as if our trees are only females, so no fruit will appear unless we rapidly germinate some new specimens and they turn out to be male. Meanwhile, these youngsters are most welcome anyway for their graceful form and ample shade.
By November it had cooled down enough to start seed sowing, with cavolo nero, lettuces, pak choi, tomatoes and golden beetroot going in first. I had always thought of that green-black kale as a vegetable of northern autumns, but it is perfectly happy here, germinating quickly and growing on right up until temperatures reach the mid-high 30s. Tomatoes are of course in their element, with seedlings popping through in about three days, and doubling in size every week. We currently have the varieties Marmande and Black Russian on the go, with reminders to selves not to get carried away and start twenty tomato plants which then have to be housed in this relatively small space. I also threw some lemon basil seeds in last week, which are coming through well, and which will fill gaps in the large bed.
A little food and refreshment around the roots has revitalised the old troopers too. My little pomegranate is stepping up to the festive mark with its shiny decorative fruits, and the myrtle is slowly recovering from its summer stress. Three plants in particular stand out for exceeding all expectations. The stripy cannas (var. ‘Bengal Tiger’) are racing upwards, and once again are pushing up numerous young plants, which are easily separated and potted on. Five years ago I bought a pack of crimson amaranth seed (var. “Hopi Red Dye”), and then watched while a horde of damson and plum pink plants erupted. I saved seed from that first crop, and each year since have sprinkled some on the big bed. I had to thin out the young plants last week, as they once again towered over their neighbours. The plantain palms, now 6th generation from an original plant given me by a friend, are also slowly unfurling and stretching out after their summer battering.
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