Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue#8.6 - 2018 i Good Organic Gardening

As we head towards the cooler months when we tend to spend a bit more time indoors, why not think about extending your gardening knowledge? Hopefully our magazine is a big help, but there are many ways to get informed and educated, from simply joining a local gardening club to undertaking a permaculture program, to signing up for a uni or TAFE horticulture course. Read our garden education overview to get inspired. If it’s a project you’re after, a great one for autumn, especially if you’ve had a big garden clearout, is Linda Brennan’s design for a meditative labyrinth, made using rocks. Of course, you need the room for it, but it’s a wonderful way to use an open space for purely aesthetic purposes and it doesn’t need any water.…

Seven years ago, Julie (pictured opposite) and Andrew Stafford sacrificed some of their back garden for an in-ground pool. Before construction began, Julie moved her rarer plants to a place she thought would be safe from the diggers. When the builders dumped bluestones on top of her special plants, Julie cried. She thought her garden would never be the same again — but she was wrong! Somehow, on a typical block in the Melbourne suburb of Ivanhoe East, she has found room for herbs and vegies among her exotics and ornamentals. She grows perennial spinach and parsley in her flowerbeds, and tubs of different varieties of herbs in the front garden. There are also two tubs in the side driveway, one of them with rhubarb, goji berry and turmeric, while…

MARCH 2018 It may officially be mid-autumn, but there are still plenty of high temperatures and lots to plant in your vegie patch and herb garden. APRIL 2018 This month we’ll see more autumn-type weather as the days get shorter and the nights cooler, and the end of the wet season in tropical areas. When the moon is waxing from new moon to full moon, it is increasing light and drawing sap flow upwards. During the waning from full moon back to new moon, light decreases and sap is drawn downwards. This movement of sap flow has an influence on how well new plants will grow. There are four phases, each lasting seven to eight days. Sowing, planting and taking cuttings should not be done in the 12 hours before…

If you think of a radish as a small, round, crunchy red vegetable, you may need to think again. Radishes are round but they can also be cylindrical or long and slightly tapering. They also vary in colour. There’s the well-known red-and-white skinned ‘French Breakfast’, which looks pretty chopped in a salad. For a complete contrast, however, grow ‘Watermelon’, which is white outside and pink inside. There are also varieties that are pure white (‘White Icicle’), purple (‘Purple Plum’) and even black (‘Black Spanish’). While black radishes are eye-catching and interesting — even a conversation starter — their very dark colour makes them a little strange to eat. Whatever their colour, we’ve been eating radishes for a long time. They originated in Asia — probably China or India — then…

Labyrinths are ancient patterns re-created in landscapes to provide a space for a walking meditation or as part of a religious ritual. Traditionally, they have been used to reduce stress and induce feelings of calm, spiritual comfort or growth. A labyrinth is a single path, taking the walker to a central point while travelling from one side of the pattern to the other. This crossing from side to side as you walk the puzzle of a labyrinth is said to develop left-right brain communication. There are many labyrinth designs but most are based on the classical or Cretan labyrinth. The palace of King Minos in Crete was the site of the legendary labyrinth of Greek myth. At the centre of the maze was the Minotaur, a man with the head…

Kim had been an avid vegie gardener for a number of years and knew by trial and error what mostly did well in her patch. But she wanted to know why some things flourished sometimes and failed miserably at other times. Then a “Suggested Post” popped up on her Facebook feed for a free Science of Gardening online course from the University of Tasmania. Perfect. “I’ve tried reading books about the scientific side of things, but frankly they were a bit too dry and over my head to see it through,” says Kim. “But the discipline of the free online course with its videos, regular tests and assignments — which were fun, by the way — made me stick at it and I learnt so much! Now I’m up for…

Extracted from MAGGIE’S RECIPE FOR LIFE By Maggie Beer with Professor Ralph Martins Photography © Dragan Radocaj Publisher Simon & Schuster Australia RRP $39.99 Maggie Beer’s many cookbooks include Maggie’s Harvest, Maggie’s Kitchen and Maggie’s Verjuice Cookbook. As well as overseeing Maggie Beer Products in the Barossa Valley, SA, Maggie appears as a judge on The Great Australian Bake-Off and heads up the Maggie Beer Foundation committed to providing a good food life for all. Professor Ralph Martin is Foundation Chair in Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease at Edith Cowan University, WA, and Professor of Neurobiology at Macquarie University, NSW.…

Serves 6 INGREDIENTS • 6 × 230g chicken thighs, skin on, bone in • ⅓ cup (80mL) extra-virgin olive oil • Sea salt flakes • Roasted carrots, kale & hazelnuts, to serve Marinade • 1 tbsp soy sauce • Finely grated zest 1 lime • 1 tbsp lime juice • 1 tsp finely grated orange zest, plus extra to serve • 1 tbsp fish sauce • 1 clove garlic, finely grated • 1 tbsp finely grated ginger • 1 lemongrass stalk, pale end only, finely chopped • 1 tsp finely grated turmeric • 1 tsp raw honey • Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper METHOD 1 To make the marinade, place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. 2 Place the chicken in an airtight…

Fuchsias are best known for their dainty, ballerina-like flowers, but some species and varieties have another string to their bow: they produce black, red or purple edible berries. Fuchsia magellanica is a good source of berries. Widely grown in gardens and often used in hedges in cool climates, it’s native to the southern regions of Argentina and Chile but may be commonly found as an introduced hedging plant in Ireland as well as in cooler parts of Australia such as Tasmania. It produces cascades of pendant flowers with red sepals (the outer petals) and a purple corolla. The flowers are appealing to small, nectar-feeding birds; in America, hummingbirds are known to pollinate fuchsia flowers. Fuchsia magellanica has contributed to the breeding of ornamental hybrids grown as basket and garden plants,…

In any discussion of superfoods, celery rarely gets a mention, yet it was a medicinal plant many centuries before it was a culinary one. It was namechecked in Homer’s Odyssey, recommended by Hippocrates and found in traditional Chinese medicine records from 5th century CE. It has an ancient history in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for numerous ailments, from colds and flu to arthritis, diabetes and liver and spleen disorders. The name is derived from the French céleri, the first recorded mention of which was in a 9th-century poem outlining its medicinal virtues. Accounts of its cultivation in gardens date from 16th-century Italy and northern Europe, though still only for medicinal purposes. The first recorded culinary use of celery was in France in 1623. Though it was mainly used as…

Universities are hubs of innovation, environments that encourage thinking outside the square. While gardening is not conventionally thought of as a valuable study resource in tertiary education, the Monash Permaculture leaders think it definitely is. Monash Permaculture is a collective that runs a permaculture garden at the Clayton campus and a community farm opposite the campus. The farm provides opportunities to develop skills in selfsufficiency and, at times, an abundance of produce for members to take home. Although begun in 2007, the Monash Permaculture garden is “now undergoing its fourth incarnation”, says Arunika Weeratunga, the current president and committee convener. “In a student-driven environment we have a massive dropout rate and there’s a large governance requirement to keep the gardens going. We are trying to set up a sustainable system,…

Apple berry, native to the eastern states of Australia, grows wild in bushland near the town where I grew up. As a child I remember seeing it clambering over other plants or sprawling along the ground in our local state forest, growing happily with very little water or maintenance. With its wiry reddish-brown stems and glossy evergreen foliage, it’s one versatile little plant that can be grown as a groundcover or climber. It can even form a small shrub in open areas. In spring it’s smothered with clusters of pendulous bell-shaped pink and white flowers, which provide nectar for honey-eating birds. The pretty flowers are followed by attractive, fleshy edible fruit, also enjoyed by birds. Billardiera scandens is a traditional bush-tucker plant, commonly called apple berry or apple dumplings because…

Lilly pilly is native to rainforests along the east coast of Australia from northern Queensland to Victoria and even King Island, but for a rainforest tree it is surprisingly versatile and can be grown in warmer and cooler areas and in both sun or part shade. Syzygium smithii grows big in the wild — some 20m tall — but in a garden situation it’s much more restrained, growing to around 7m if space allows. There are also some lovely dwarf forms that are more suitable for the home garden. Lilly pillies are great value in the garden. Their glossy evergreen foliage looks good all year round, with colourful new growth and masses of fluffy creamy white flowers through spring and summer. After flowering, the bush comes alive with masses of…

As we move from the long, warm days of summer to the shorter, cooler days of autumn, it’s time to think about providing flowers for nectar and pollen for bees and other insects through the colder months ahead. In areas with cold winters, bees hunker down in their hives through the season, feeding on the honey supplies they’ve diligently foraged and stored during spring and summer. When stored honey gets low and days remain too cold to venture out, bees may starve unless beekeepers provide supplementary feeds of sugar water. On warm, sunny winter days — when temperatures are above 8°C or warmer — bees can venture out of their hives looking for flowers. The ideal place for a winter feed is among flowers that are in a warm, sheltered…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES The warm soils of early autumn provide ideal conditions for planting crops for winter and spring harvests. Over the month ahead, night-time temperatures get colder and so will the soil. For now, though, summer crops are continuing to ripen through the warm, dry days. Keep picking beans, corn, cucumber, squash, tomato and zucchini as long as the plants are growing. Share, swap, bottle and preserve excess. As the month progresses, most summer vegetables die back and crops diminish. Zucchini may be affected by powdery mildew, while tomatoes may show dieback due to tomato russet mite. Remove pest- or disease-affected plants rather than attempt any control. Use the space to prepare for new crops. Baby spinach is tasty in salads but expensive to buy. As conditions cool,…

Serves 4 INGREDIENTS • 4 eggplants • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper • 2 tbsp sesame oil • 1 tbsp julienned ginger • 1 tbsp unpasteurised white (shiro) miso • 2 tbsp verjuice • 100mL vegetable stock • 2 tsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) • 2 bundles (180g) soba (buckwheat) noodles • ⅓ cup (50g) toasted sesame seeds • ½ cup coriander leaves Vinaigrette • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1 tbsp verjuice • 1 tsp soy sauce METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (fanforced). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 2 Peel the eggplant and cut into 2.5cm cubes. Place in a bowl, pour over the olive oil and season well. Toss to coat, then spread…

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. SOIL TO THE RESCUE Researchers at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment have been looking into soil’s ability to hold carbon and have discovered its potential is far greater than previously estimated. Soil may well play a significant role in mitigating global carbon emissions. Organic matter in soil, such as decomposing plant and animal residues, stores more carbon than plants and the atmosphere combined. Much of the carbon in soil is currently lost or degraded through…

Though best known in Australia as inula, this familiar yellow flower has several other common names, including one with a fairytale ring to it: elecampane. Other names, such as elfdock, elfwort and horse-heal, sound straight out of Tolkien. “Inula” comes from the botanic name Inula helenium, while both words derive from the name Helen. Legend has it that the plant grew from the spilt tears of Helen of Troy. The romantic-sounding “elecampane” is actually a corruption of the plant’s mediaeval Latin tag enula campana, named for the Italian region of Campania where it grew wild. When a plant has so many common names, it’s a sure indication that it grows widely and has medicinal or other values. This perennial sunflower, which may be flowering right now in your garden, came…

Autumn is planting time for members of the brassica family. Broccoli is one of the many brassicas grown in backyards during winter and is one of the easiest of all to grow. Their green heads are often called “trees” by mums keen to get their children to eat their greens. Mum is not quite right. Broccoli “trees” are actually flowers, as each head is a mass of tiny immature buds. But she’s right to encourage the eating of broccoli, which is often referred to as the healthiest vegetable as it’s packed with nutrients, valuable antioxidants and minerals. It’s also high in fibre and particularly in vitamin C, while dark-green colouring in a head of broccoli indicates it’s rich in carotenoids. SPOILED FOR CHOICE Not just easier to grow than other…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES Pumpkins are ready to eat and store. Ripe pumpkins are heavy and sound drummy when rapped with the knuckles. To store them over winter, harvest with a small piece of stem attached. Carefully inspect fruit and only store undamaged fruit. Select a cool, dark, airy spot away from heating units. Check stored pumpkins regularly and use up any that are becoming soft. Also ready for harvest are early crops of snow peas. Out in the vegie patch, clear away summer crops including green tomatoes (use them in chutney) to make way for plantings of broad beans, brassicas (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale), peas, spring onions and spinach for winter and spring eating. Save seed of summer crops for sowing later in the year. Save seeds…

In season MARCH FRUITS Apples, bananas, berries (raspberry, strawberry), breadfruit, dates, figs, finger limes, grapes, guava, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mangosteens, melons (honeydew, rockmelon, watermelon), nashi, nectarines, olives, oranges (Valencia), passionfruit, pawpaw, peaches, pears, plums pomegranates, quinces rambutan, rhubarb, tamarillo, watermelons VEGIES Asian greens, beans, broccoli, capsicums, celery, chillies, cucumbers, daikon, eggplant, eschalots, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, nuts (chestnuts), okra, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, witlof, zucchini In season APRIL FRUITS Apples, avocados, bananas, cumquats, custard apples, dates, feijoas, figs, finger limes, grapes, guavas, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mandarins (Imperial), nashi, nuts, olives, oranges (Valencia), passionfruit, pawpaw, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, quinces, rhubarb, tamarillos VEGIES Asian greens, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, capsicums, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chillies, chokos, cucumbers, eggplant, eschalots, fennel, garlic, ginger, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms,…

MOOD LIGHTING Make the most of your garden after sunset with the HOLMAN app-operated Bluetooth range of garden lighting. It’s 100-per-cent DIY-friendly and easy to install as a weekend project. The range features spotlights, deck lights and path lights, which are available in white or full-colour spectrum RGB light, and are joined by weatherproof IP68 water-resistant plug and socket cables. These come in a range of different lengths that allow you total design freedom to set up the perfect lighting display for your garden. The lights are connected to the HOLMAN LIGHTSOURCE controller, which is programmed by the iGardener™ app on your smart phone. Easily change colours and lighting intensity and set automated start and stop times via the app. Whether you want to illuminate a garden path or create…