IN Citrus

 
Citrus plants seem to generate more questions than any other when it comes to home gardening. So Sabrina Hahn squeezes every last little bit of information into a new book to help.

“People take gardening a bit too seriously,” says Sabrina Hahn, a woman who has made it her life. “It’s really a lot of experimenting, having a go at stuff and learning as you go. If you’re too serious you don’t experiment. So this book gives people access to the knowledge to help them do that.”

The book she is talking about is Sabrina’s Juicy Little Book of Citrus, a pocket-sized but zesty bible for anyone who wants to grow healthy citrus in the garden. Packed with information it covers everything from propagation, pruning and care to pests and diseases. The book is handy enough to put in your pocket and take along next time you’re thinking of buying a citrus tree thanks to the section describing the different kinds of citrus for the home gardener, including a section on Australian bush tucker and native limes.

“I think there’s a good balance of technical information, fun facts about gardening and some of that mother’s wisdom.” The obsessive gardener doesn’t forget a dash of humour either, vital when you’re dealing with citrus.

Sabrina – who you’ve probably heard talking gardening on ABC Radio – says the only thing which should be overwhelming in your garden is its beauty. Equally, she considers them a constant work in progress as you learn, plant and prune. She says you don’t need to be the best gardener, just passionate about it.

Lime and lemon trees, in pots and in the ground, are a big feature of this Perth gardener’s own backyard alongside a decent vegetable garden. Sabrina is part of a wider movement of people choosing to grow more of their own produce and eat with the seasons.

“Seasonal cooking has been popular in Europe for a long time, particularly in France and we have the opportunity to do that here with excellent-tasting produce.

“I think it’s a combination of people wanting to be more self-sufficient as well as being concerned about food’s freshness and what’s being sprayed on it. They’re also more aware of the flavours of fresh food and looking at things and saying ‘I should be able to grow that in my own garden’.”

If it’s citrus, you’ve got a perfect guide in Sabrina’s book.

“We lost the last generation of gardeners and many small veg shops with the rise of the big supermarkets. With that we lost a lot of knowledge of how to grow your own food. My grandmother and mother were avid gardeners and I grew up with two generations growing their own food. Now it’s coming back around again and people are planting everything from small edible gardens and growing a citrus tree or two to full-blown fruit, veg and herb gardens.”

Sabrina’s Juicy Little Book of Citrus ($19.99) is published in October through Fremantle Press and available at all good bookstores.