Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#8.1 - 2017 i Good Organic Gardening

COOL & HIGHLANDS MAY Artichoke, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, coriander, daikon, dill, endive, eschalots, garlic, Jerusalen artichoke, kohlrabi, lettuce, mibuna, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, parsley, radish, rocket, snow peas, spinach, sugar snap peas, turnips JUNE Artichoke, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, endive, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, radish, snow peas, spinach, sugar snap peas TEMPERATE Artichoke, Asian greens, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, chives, coriander, corn salad, daikon, dill, endive, eschalots, fennel, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mint, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, oregano, parsley, peas, radish, rocket, silverbeet, snow peas, spring onions, sugar snap peas, spinach, turnip Artichoke, asparagus, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, chives, coriander, endive, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, lettuce, mint, mustard greens, onion, parsley,…

You can spend hours sitting under a mulberry tree, devouring the ripe berries one by one. A garden-fresh feast is definitely one of the best ways to enjoy them, but mulberries also make delicious pies, sauces, jams and wine. They make a sweet sun-dried treat for the kids, too. Mulberries are big deciduous trees that provide summer shade, winter sunlight and a sumptuous crop of fruit from late spring through to summer. The fruit ripens over an extended period, which is an added bonus, because you don’t get a glut of ripe mulberries all at once. Black mulberries are superyummy, the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. ‘Black English’ is a good choice for cooler areas, boasting an abundance of sweet black fruit, or try ‘Hick’s Fancy’ with long red-black…

Brrr..! It might be getting cold, wet and windy, but we’re lucky in Australia that our winters are not extreme. We don’t need to close up henhouses to keep the snow out, nor do we need to run a heater to control condensation resulting from battening down any openings. This doesn’t mean any old housing will do, though; the cosier and happier the hens, the healthier and more productive they will be. CABIN CRAZY In inclement weather, accommodation needs to be spacious enough for the flock to be contented during periods of confinement. This is where distractions are a boon. A biscuit (or section) of lucerne hay keeps most bored hens busy. Make them stretch for it by placing in a hanging netting sling or tie the hay with twine…

In season MAY FRUITS Apples, avocado, banana, cumquat, custard apple, dates, feijoa, grapes, kiwifruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, nashi, nuts (chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts), orange (Navel), pears, persimmon, pomegranate, quince, rhubarb Apple cum d VEGIES Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, daikon, eggplant, eschalot, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, kale, leek, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, olives, onion, spring onion, parsnip, peas, potato, pumpkin, silverbeet, spinach, squash, swede, sweet corn, sweet potato (kumara), taro, tomatoes, turnip, witlof, zucchini In season JUNE FRUITS Apples, avocado, banana, custard apple, dates, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, nashi, nuts (chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts), orange (Navel), passionfruit, pears, persimmon, pomelo, quince, rhubarb VEGIES Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, eschalot, fennel, garlic, ginger, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leek, mushrooms,…

INGREDIENTS • About 1.5kg quinces, peeled, cored & chopped • 2 strips lemon peel • Split vanilla pod • Water • 1kg sugar METHOD 1 Place the chopped quince, lemon peel and vanilla pod in saucepan and add water to cover. Boil, covered, for about 30 mins or until very soft. 2 Discard vanilla pod and process the quince mixture until very smooth. 3 Measure (in cups) the cooked quince and return to the saucepan. Add an equal amount of sugar. 4 Cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook on very low for 1.5–2 hours, stirring often, until very thick and a deep ruby colour. It’s thick enough when it comes away from the sides of the saucepan when stirred. 5 Transfer to a…

JO IMMIG Jo is an environmental scientist, photographer and writer. She has worked in the environment movement for decades and is co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network, an organisation dedicated to creating a toxicfree future. She has written many articles for magazines and is the author of two books: Toxic Playground and Safer Solutions. BIODIVERSITY OF SEED It’s not something that immediately springs to mind when you think about the multitude of environmental challenges we face today, but the loss of seed biodiversity in agriculture is central to many of them, including climate change. The magnitude of the loss is staggering. Up to 75 per cent of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has disappeared in less than a hundred years and we continue to lose one to two per…

If you think home orchards are only for big backyards, think again. Virtually any fruit that comes to mind, from sumptuous cherries to crisp, crunchy apples, are now available in mini form, so there’s a whole fruit salad of dwarf varieties you can grow and harvest. Pint-sized fruit trees can be grown in big pots or a cosy corner of the garden and, despite their diminutive size, often produce a full-size crop of tasty fruit. Most varieties thrive in a sunny spot with rich well-drained soil or you could create a miniature orchard on your patio or balcony with big decorative pots. Look for pots with a depth and diameter of at least 50–60cm and be sure to use a good-quality potting mix. Liquid-feed potted fruit trees every fortnight to…

Asparagus is a delicacy that can be grown in the garden if you have dedication, lots of restraint and a bit of space. The edible part is the tender new shoot that appears like a green spear pointing out of the soil. It’s easy to miss the first shoots of fresh asparagus, so keep a close watch on the bed in late winter and early spring. Unharvested shoots quickly become woody and unpalatable. The ideal size is 10–20cm long. The spears mature into tall, slender stems up to 1.5m high with ferny green leaves. In summer, they may produce yellow flowers followed by berries. Asparagus is unusual as it has separate male and female plants. The male plants are preferred as they don’t produce berries so don’t set seed like…

Gardening isn’t only about growing our own food and making things look pretty. There are other dimensions to explore when designing and choosing your planting palette. What about selecting plants that benefit your pets and even local wildlife? For me, this happens automatically. Growing edibles for our guinea pig team and, of course, our poultry flock reduces the feed bill and gives our pets their much-needed vitamin and mineral requirements via greens, herbs and vegetables. You can also create habitat and food sources for local wildlife, including insects. So which plants for what animal? FELINE FRIENDS Cat grass or pet grass helps cats with digestion and removal of fur balls and gives them a great range of vitamins and minerals in their diets. Plants such as catnip, catmint and cat…

Braiding, or plaiting, garlic and onions is a beautiful way to have your homegrown produce on show for all to see. But it also has practical benefits, providing better air circulation around your bulbs than they would get stored in a bin. This keeps them fresher for longer. Hang them where they can be admired and easily accessed for cooking. ONION STRING You’ll need about 1m length of strong string or twine. If it’s too light, it will break from the weight of the onions. Snip offany roots and clean offany dirt and papery bits from your onions. Trim the stems to 15cm (you can trim offany excess as you go). Make sure your onions are properly cured and completely dry. The number of onions depends on their size and…

INGREDIENTS • 1 bottle (750mL) vodka or neutral spirit, as high a proof as you can find* • 6–8 oranges, depending on size • 4 cups water • 2 cups sugar METHOD 1 Using a vegetable peeler, peel offthe outer skin of the oranges, being careful not to include the bitter white pith. 2 Place the orange peels in clean glass jars and pour the vodka over. Cover and store for at least a week in a cool, dark place. 3 When ready to make the arancello, bring the water to a simmer over a gentle heat. Add sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely to avoid cloudiness. 4 Strain the peels out of the alcohol and mix in the sugar syrup. 5 Decant…

INGREDIENTS • 1⁄4 cup salt • 1kg small pickling onions, peeled and left whole • 4 bay leaves • 4 cups apple-cider vinegar* • 1⁄4 cup sugar • 2 tsp peppercorns • 2 tsp mustard seeds • 2 tsp coriander seeds • 1 tsp whole cloves METHOD 1 Dissolve the salt in 1L of water in a large bowl. Add whole peeled onions, cover and leave at room temperature overnight 2 Drain the onions and rinse in cold water. Pack into sterilised jars along with bay leaves. 3 Add vinegar, sugar and spices to a saucepan and cook on low heat until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 20 mins. 4 Allow the liquid to cool, then pour over the onions, covering them completely. 5…

MELISSA KING Melissa is a horticulturist, TV presenter and writer. She has been a regular on Gardening Australia, Melbourne Weekender, Garden Angels and The Circle. She currently appears on The Garden Gurus and has launched an online show, The Gardenettes. She has written for top magazines and newspapers and is author of the book, Garden Feast. PERSIAN ROSES The plant: If you’re looking for a rose that sits comfortably in a mixed border and which mingles beautifully with perennials and other flowering shrubs, then you’ll love this new collection of Persian roses, bred in the UK by renowned rose breeder Chris Warner. The roses bloom continuously from spring right through to autumn and tough out our hot summers. Look out for ‘For Your Eyes Only’ with heavenly scented peachy apricot…

Many pelargoniums and geraniums are renowned worldwide for their blowsy blooms, but their lesserknown sisters with scented foliage are the true beauties in my eyes. I recently heard someone declare geraniums/pelargoniums to be unsophisticated plants, but I beg to differ. Any plant with scent as part of its package, whether via bloom or foliage, is a winner in my book. And plants that can take the heat and still look fabulous are great for those locations where rainfall is scarce and summer temperatures soar. With the newfound recognition of the therapeutic benefits of gardening, I believe scented plants play a huge role in the many beneficial aspects of gardening. The flowers of scented pelargoniums are generally quite small, but when the foliage is bruised, it’s fantastically aromatic. The range of…

If you’re after a tough, productive tree for your garden, don’t overlook the feijoa. It’s an attractive small evergreen tree that’s native to South America, with silvery leathery foliage, beautiful scarlet flowers in spring and a good batch of eggshaped fruit in autumn. Feijoa is sometimes called the pineapple guava because the pulp of the fruit is guava-like and the flesh tastes a bit like pineapple sherbet. You can eat the fruit in much the same way as you do kiwifruit: slice it in half and scoop out the flesh then perhaps make a batch of jam with the leftover fruit. Most varieties grow up to 4.5m tall but can be kept lower with pruning. They make wonderful edible hedges (see our feature on edible hedges in last issue). They…

INGREDIENTS • 1 red onion, finely chopped • 1 apple, finely chopped • 1 cup apple-cider vinegar* • 1⁄2 cup water • 1⁄4 tsp allspice • 1⁄4 tsp ground cloves • 1⁄4 cup rapadura or coconut sugar • 1⁄2 tsp sea salt • About 500g beetroots, peeled & cooked METHOD 1 Place all ingredients except beetroot in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the apple and onion are tender. 2 Meanwhile, coarsely grate or finely chop the beetroots. 3 Add the grated beetroot to the saucepan and simmer on low heat for a further 30–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and it has a jammy, relish consistency. 4 Spoon into sterilised…

THE URBAN FARMER By Justin Calverley & CERES, ABC Books, $39.99 Sometimes, the only thing between a wouldbe city farmer and that dream garden is space. That’s no longer an excuse as horticulturist and broadcaster Justin Calverley, who teaches at CERES Environment Park in urban Melbourne, draws on his knowledge of organics and permaculture to show how you can produce your own fruit, vegies, herbs, eggs and honey on a suburban block — even in a courtyard or on a balcony. This lavishly illustrated guide tells you all you need to know, from understanding soil to tackling pests and weeds organically. Justin’s starting point was “How does nature do it?” From there, his aim has been to mimic nature and “release the shackles of product- and chemical-based gardening”. Read all…