Oh, I could not wait to write about this one. Six years ago when I took a short but much-needed break from the diaspora, the best thing I did was to plant fruit trees in my orchard. One of them was a mulberry tree. I am now reaping what I sow.
By Doreen Badze
Mulberries are ripening now and I make a trip to that precious tree every morning for a breakfast eating session that will last at least 30 minutes at a time. Last Saturday was my birthday and as I took a walk in the Harare botanic gardens, I bumped into one gigantic mulberry tree with branches that were sweeping the ground full of ripe huge berries. Let me confess, together with people in my company, everyone became really quiet while we took care of business. As a kid, even though we did not have the tree at our house, there was one down our street and we met at that house to eat some. As popular and delicious as mulberries are, it is time to really explore them to see what nutritional value they possess.
How to grow a mulberry tree The rich taste of mulberries are a reason to grow your own. There are different mulberry tree varieties. I have the one that produces the fully ripe black berries and I have seen one that produces white ripe berries. Either variety, they are all just easy to grow and care for. You do your own cutting and stick it in the ground or container with loose moist soil. As long as the soil is kept moist, it will root. If you do not have the patience, you can buy a rooted one from any nursery of your choice. The following are a few instructions on how to grow a mulberry tree.
lChoose where you want to plant your mulberry tree away from the pathway for the berries can be messy staining the driveways or pathways. They drop berries naturally, birds and other animals will be feeding from the tree as well, so determine a location with this in mind. The location should receive full sun for at least seven hours. Soil should be healthy, fed with organic manure.
- Dig a hole about a metre deep and wide, like I do with most of my trees. Add organic manure and plant. Fill the hole with soil until tree is settled.
- Water with approximately five gallons of water to help the soil settle around the roots.
- Maintain the tree by watering with about two to three gallons of water once every week.
Nutritional benefits Mulberry fruit is naturally rich in vitamin C. What I did not know is that the leaves also contain vitamin C and are used to make tea. I read that mulberry tea can be brewed just like green tea and an agricultural and food chemistry journal reported that the leaf extract may reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. The Asian culture has long been using mulberry tea as herbal control of diabetes. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has an impact on slowing down the ageing process that can result from exposure of toxins. Vitamin C like from many fruits supports the immune system and assist with the production of collagen, which is necessary for healthy skin, hair and ligaments.
How to pick and store mulberries The mulberry fruit looks like a blackberry tree, however, the mulberries mature in late spring or early summer. To harvest mulberries, place a piece of plastic sheeting on the ground larger than the width and spread of the tree. Shake the branches of the tree vigorously and collect the berries from the sheet and refrigerate in a metal container.
- Removing mulberry stains Most people avoid mulberries because of the possible staining to clothing. Here are simple steps to remove them.
- Saturate the stained area of the clothing affected with white vinegar.
- Wait for 15 to 30 minutes to allow for loosening of the stain.
- Make sure you repeatedly blot the stain with a sponge to lift out the pigment and then wash the garment as usual. Happy gardening week. This week Badze Garden Nursery has the following seedlings;
- Spinach
- Tomatoes tengeru and rodade
- Lettuce commander
- Fabiola cabbage
- Potato seedling, demand is high, come place your order before the rains.
- Strawberry
Doreen Mutobaya Badze is a retired nurse and seasoned gardener. You can reach her on cell: 0779 730 880 or come to 16 Metcalf Road, Greendale, Harare. Facebook: Badze Garden Nursery Email: [email protected]
