Hi, shelleyk. You might want to ask this in the Australian vegetable gardening forum, since your challenges and options for dealing with them are going to be different than they are in the US, where most of the folks who post here live. Here is a link that might be useful: Australian vegetable gardening

I've grown the rainbow (so pretty), but, like you said, it tends to be a bit tough. I have had good luck with the green or gold. They seem more tender and can use them as wraps, cooked like spinach, saute'd with onions, garlic and tomatoes =), chopped up in soups, stews and vege dishes. I add chard to almost everything that is a casserole type dish because it "hides" easily and is so mild that no one complains! Love love love hidden veges! Even with only the hubby left at home! LOLOL NT

I avoid bringing in soil where ever possible. Is this a new house block? Is that why you have all clay? Before you do anything test for pH; before any new soil is brought in, it is essential to improve the existing stuff as much as possible, otherwise it will come back to haunt you in the future. I would recommend adding as much organic matter as possible to the clay to make it more workable. I have seen really hard sticky, clay soils transform into excellent garden beds with patience and organic matter. In fact that is what a lot of my soil is now. You can also get a compost mix from landscape suppliers that will improve your clay soil no end. A lot of Australian clays will improve a lot if given lots of Gypsum. Here is an extract from Angus Stewart's bit on clay soils from Gardening Australia. "The next test is a gypsum requirement test to determine how to stop that dispersion. "To do this get some clean jars. Put some soil in clean water and shake it until it goes milky. Then stand it for about five or 10 minutes. If it doesn't clear in the water, chances are it is going to respond to gypsum. "Do the test adding some gypsum. See whether the gypsum makes the clay flocculate, or clump together." "Where the soil falls apart you need to add organic matter. Red or your yellow clays are more likely to slake and fall apart, whereas lots of organic matter and dark, black coloured clay are more likely to stay together." According to Simon, organic matter represents the glue. When using gypsum on a new clay start with about 200 grams per square metre. That's about two cupfuls. Dig that in, and do the gypsum test again. "If it settles out in the jar within five or 10 minutes you don't need any more," Simon says. SoÂ.clay doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. With some simple testing and the right sort of treatment, itÂs possible to turn a nasty, heavy clay into a beautiful crumbly top soil that will grow virtually anything. The secret is to throw away the green waste bin and put every bit of organic matter back into your soil. To quote Angus again "Clay often gets bad press in gardening books. But clay soils can be the best in the garden, depending on the type of clay and how itÂs managed." I reckon adding six inches of top soil should be avoided at all costs.

Spatz, Good news on the lettuce. I really miss my Oakleaf. So dependable. I'm yet to grow Broadbeans but really must. I wish I had fresh Asparagus. It's such a treat. But my Sugarsnaps are a terrific success. Will be planting 100 next year. One little tray costs about $5 from shops. Greek Spinach sounds interesting. Not in my catalogue. My Lucullus Silverbeet is tearing away. Can't get near it without the chooks screaming for some. Very nice light green leaf. Nice flavour. I wish I could get some Kohlrabi to you. The Purple Aliens are everywhere. I ended-up eating about four of the kohlrabi raw. Then I cooked a stir fry with the sugar snaps, carrot and choko tips with some slivers of Kohlrabi. So I must admit I put the KR fritters on hold. For now. I also ate the rest of the carrots raw and, get this, I bit into one that snapped so loundly I thought I had broken a tooth. Talk about crunchy carrots. Sweet and crunchy. They get the nod. The few carrots too close to the side dressing of manure for the lettuce nearby were slightly forked. But all others are nice and long. Except for the odd one that hit a stone and grew as a stub. Bottomline: I do recommend Manchester Table a top carrot to sow in Sydney in early winter and harvest in spring.