Gardening tips: How to grow a stir fry garden

Green vegetables are the ultimate ‘fast food’. They cook fast, grow fast and will be devoured pretty quickly too when you experience their vibrant, fresh, homegrown flavours.

The cooler temperatures are perfect for all of these stir fry favourites with most growing just as well in a container as they do in a garden plot.

Pak Choy (aka bok choy) and Tatsoi – These Chinese staples have edible leaves and flowers with the outer leaves ready to pick around four weeks after planting. Pick the outer leaves as you need while the inner leaves continue to grow. Delicious in soups and steamed too!

Shallots (Spring Onions/Scallions) – Harvest the green tops and the white bases will continue to grow sending up new green growth. An essential ingredient in a stir fry for their onion flavour, you can use them raw, cooked and even fried.

Spinach – there are several varieties available including native ‘Warrigal Greens’, so plant a mix to enjoy the different flavours and leaf textures. Rich in iron, they’re fast growing with pick as you need leaves.

Silverbeet (Chard) – often referred to as ‘spinach’ these big-leafed beauties have a stronger flavour than spinach and feature edible leaves and stems. Another cut and come again plant, take the outer leaves, cutting from near the base to allow the younger leaves to develop.

Chinese Cabbage – these will grow most of the year and take literally a minute to cook. Repeat plant every two months for a continuous supply. You can eat the entire crinkly leaf, finely sliced is best for stir fry.

Asian herbs – for punchy flavour additions, Coriander, Thai Basil and Vietnamese Mint will give you that hint of the Orient. While basil and mint are tropical and will grow well into the warmer months, coriander is short lived preferring Autumn and Spring, so plant and use regularly or allow it to self-seed for a succession of plants.

Beans – generally a summer veggie, they will grow here if the temps are mild in the cooler months. Kids will love the ‘squeak’ when they bite into a freshly wok cooked bean!

Snow Peas – harvest when they are young and don’t forget to pick some of the sweet, tender shoots too as a garnish or added to the stir fry. Plants need a solid trellis for climbing. Cook the pods whole, thinly sliced or enjoy raw.

If you have the space ,you can complete your stir fry garden with these perennial additions…

• Kaffir Lime, use the leaves finely sliced for a burst of tropical lime flavour

• Lemongrass, plant in a large pot to manage its growth

• Chilli, grows well in the warmer months – pick a variety that’s right for your taste buds

Top Tips

• Full sun – plants need about six hours of direct sunlight a day

• Good quality, free draining soil in pots or garden beds

• Pick regularly to keep plants growing and to avoid tough, bitter old growth

• Always wash your harvest before you eat/cook it

• Fresh is best, pick as you need, just before you need it

Happy gardening and cooking!