Cabramatta… A Sydney Gardener’s Best Friend
Located in the south-western suburbs of Sydney, the suburb
of Cabramatta is home to people of diverse backgrounds. Most of these people
trace their ancestry to a number of Asian nations, the strongest representation
being Vietnamese, but also comprising those of various Chinese ethnicities, and
others from Lao, Thai and Cambodian heritage… and the list does not end here!
Because of this cultural diversity, Cabramatta has acquired
a reputation as a centre for purchasing all things Asian, including a wide
range of fruit and vegetable offerings. For those, like me, who have an
interest in growing Asian-origin fruit and vegetables, this accessibility is a
real attraction: you never know what delicacies you might find for sale in the
shops and stalls of Cabramatta.
And the gardener has a very real opportunity to secure some
unusual, but valued, seed-stock for the Asian garden.
With our time in Sydney drawing to a close, and a move to a
new garden in a warmer, more northerly and less frenetic clime ahead of us, the Better-Half and I made
many excursions to Cabramatta during the warmer months. Here, we were able to
purchase many wonderful fruits for the table, with the added bonus that we
could extract the seed to grow our own trees for the new one-hectare property.
Now, don’t let anyone tell you that seedling-grown fruit is
difficult. Grown the way nature intended, the trees may take a year or two
longer than grafted trees to bear their prized fruit. However, they will grow
very strongly on their own roots. And the seeds cost you only the price of the
purchased fruit…
Now there’s a bargain!
Be careful, though! Some mango and avocado varieties will
not bear fruit true to the original type. The advantage of these varieties,
such as Keitt mango or Hass avocado, is that you might even produce a very
worthy mango or avocado differing in some respects from the original fruit.
Our excursions to Cabramatta were bountiful. Most prized
among our finds were the various Asian mangoes. With luck on our side, we have
been able to sprout successfully Nam Dok Mai, Chokanan and Falan mangoes, all
of which should grow true-to-type from seed. One needs to be careful, however,
to source fruit which has not spent too much time in cold-storage, as this will
inhibit germination. Our local friends have advised us that the best time to
shop for the freshest fruit is on Tuesday morning in season. Of course, if you
should fail at the first attempt, keep trying… Keep eating those
deliciously-sweet, ripened Chokanan and Falan mangoes and pop the seeds into
some potting mix: there appears to be no chance of purchasing trees of such mango
varieties in Sydney nurseries.
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| Chokanan mangoes are always sold as ripened fruit, making their seed relatively easy to grow. |
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| Keow Saveoy are the most famous of Thailand's green-eating mangoes. In Cabramatta, it is always sold green. Because of this, it is a much more difficult proposition for growing from seed. |
Fortunately, we have not only sourced mango seed, but also
the seed of luscious longans and lychees, custard apple, juicy jackfruit,
starfruit and even Malaysian chiku (sapodilla)… all successfully grown for the
new garden.
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| Starfruit seedlings |
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| Beautiful longan seedlings |
Now, if you are considering a move to Far North Queensland,
you might even consider growing rambutan and Musang King durian from the seeds
of locally-purchased fruit. In the diverse suburb of Cabramatta, it becomes a
possibility…
Shopping in Cabramatta is not like shopping in a major
supermarket. There is a myriad of fruit stalls throughout the shopping
precinct, and so, you will need to take your time to inspect each of the
stalls, which carries its own particular range of fruit and vegetable products,
making it a little difficult to source some varieties. For example, I know of
only one stall which carries Falan mango in season. Consequently, you will need
to know exactly what you are looking for, and search diligently! Good luck in your quest…
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| Falan mangoes are delicious when ripe. However, they are sold as green-eating fruit locally. You will need to be patient: ripen your fruit in rice and hope for the best when you extract the seed for planting. |
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| A seedling of Falan mango |
Wishing you hours of enjoyment and contentment in your
garden…
