Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue #12.2- 2021 i Good Organic Gardening

In Australia, the price we pay for our wide-open spaces and big skies is our, er, interesting wildlife — and sometimes the great outdoors comes indoors. During that unprecedented deluge over summer and autumn, because the ground at our place was like a thick wet sponge, the wolf spiders you usually only see in the garden were coming into the house in droves. And the poor things looked as confused and appalled to be inside as we were to have them there! One of their tricks was to curl up and look dead in the morning until you tried to sweep them up; then they’d tear around the place like wild things (which is what they are). We were carefully gathering them up and putting them back outside every day.…

Grapefruit is a very popular diet fruit. Many people will have tried the grapefruit diet, which includes grapefruit in every meal, and many other diets start off with grapefruit for breakfast. The link between weight loss and grapefruit is to do with enzymes in the fruit, which are said to burn fat. However, there is no research to support the notion that grapefruit, whether consumed as whole fruit or juice, has any fat-burning enzymes. According to dietitians, the weight loss achieved by following the grapefruit diet for several weeks is most likely due to the fruit’s low-carb, high-protein makeup. Despite the lack of scientific backup on fat-burning enzymes, the grapefruit continues to be seen as a health food. Like all citrus, it’s rich in vitamin C and also contains beneficial…

Foodscaping fruiting plants into hedges is a creative way to cram more tasty organic food into a garden. And, from a design perspective, there’s the colour and interest of fruit and flowers. Speaking more generally, hedges can screen out ugly views and noise, add privacy and windbreaks, define boundaries and create garden rooms. Repeated elements tend to be more visually relaxing than using different plants in the one hedge. Edible hedges don’t have to be straight vertical walls but can be circular, flowing, low as well as tall, and used to border trees or garden beds. Before you hit the nursery, here are a few things to consider. SOIL PREP AND SPACING According to Morag Gamble, founding director of the Permaculture Education Institute and host of the Our Permaculture Life blog…

THESE DAYS, CHEFS ARE ALL ABOUT SEASONAL PRODUCE, CLIMATICALLY APPROPRIATE AND GROWN LOCALLY. asilea Living Herbs is a wholesale plant nursery in Burpengary, just north of Brisbane, offering hydroponically grown herbs, salad greens and edible flowers. It’s run by Sarah Heath, a businesswoman of grit and tenacity who’s also raising three children. I arrive on a scorching 36-degree day with added humidity. After copious draughts of cold water and a dash around the garden, we sit down to chat over a divine cup of tea made from jasmine, tulsi basil and dried reishi mushroom. Sarah has been at the helm of Basilea Living Herbs for eight years. The business originally belonged to her mother Janine for over a decade and she’s still on hand if Sarah needs advice or just…

In late winter to early spring, horseradish reappears in my garden after its winter dormancy, its small green leaves peeping out of the soil. While young and tender, these leaves are edible. Though horseradish is usually prized for its zesty edible root, the leaves are tasty when picked young and add a slightly peppery flavour to a spring salad, as do the flowers. Horseradish is a member of the vast brassica or cabbage family that also includes kale, Brussels sprouts and broccoli as well as the more peppery radish, mustard and wasabi. Horseradish is grown for its long tapering root, which has a fiery taste that goes well with meat (particularly beef) and fish. Native to Europe, horseradish is now naturalised widely around the world. In Australia it grows especially…

Nothing signifies a healthy garden more clearly than the presence of frogs and lizards. Skinks and lizards, whether darting about or sitting motionless in the sun waiting for passing prey, are an assurance that your backyard will be relatively free of the obnoxious insects on which reptiles feast. Frogs are no mean predators themselves and, like the proverbial canary in the coalmine, are reliable indicators of the quality of your little ecosystem. If your pond’s not up to scratch, amphibians are the first to disappear. FROGS Australia boasts well over 200 endemic frog species. Tree-dwelling, burrowing, jumping and running frogs can be found in almost every Australian landscape, from desert clay pans to rainforests, from alpine mountains to urban spaces — including, hopefully, your backyard. But frog populations are in…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • In very cold areas when the soil temperature falls below 15°C, among the few things that can be planted from seed are English spinach and two easy-to-grow vegetables, broad beans and spring onions. Broad beans do best with a climbing trellis or stakes for support.• Also plant silverbeet and peas (podding and snow peas).• Keep greens coming by sowing seeds or planting seedlings every few weeks.• Every 7–10 days, apply organic liquid fertiliser to cabbages and tasty greens such as rocket and soft-hearted lettuce to stimulate growth.• There’s still time to plant perennials like asparagus and rhubarb, which grow from crowns and do best in wellprepared beds with added organic matter dug in well.• Continue to inspect all brassicas for snails and slugs on winter…

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 toxic-free future. She has written many articles for magazines and is the author of two books: Toxic Playground and Safer Solutions. WELCOME GOOD NEWS IN COASTAL RESTORATION Coastal ecosystems across the globe including saltmarshes, mangroves, seagrasses, oyster reefs, kelp beds and coral reefs have declined by up to 85 per cent over decades, according to CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Senior Research Scientist Dr Megan Saunders. Dr Saunders is part of a collaborative research team looking at successful marine restoration examples, or “bright spots”, from around the world that could be deployed more widely in similar marine environments to help…

A herb that links the Pied Piper, both world wars and a good night’s sleep has to be a clever crop. A medicinal herb with at least a 1000-year history of human use, valerian does all that and more. The tale of the Pied Piper, who purged the town of Hamelin of a rat plague, is cited as an early case of the use of valerian root. Its dank smell, sometimes compared to aged leather, is highly appealing to rats. The Piper may have carried the root to entice the rats from the town. Cats also like the smell of valerian, which is sometimes called cat’s valerian, though there’s no mention in the tale of felines quitting town alongside the rats. (The Piper later enticed away Hamelin’s children, but that’s…

The first floral tea I drank regularly was the Persian beverage often referred to as “sour tea”. I call it simply my flower tea. It’s an infusion of the calyces of hibiscus flowers — not the ornamental kind, but Hibiscus sabdariffa, also known as rosella. The first time I bought it at a Persian food shop, I was warned not to overdo in case I experienced a blood pressure drop. In fact, my slightly elevated BP was the reason I started drinking it in the first place. Other flowers that have turned up in teas, or as teas on their own, include rose petals blended with black tea, osmanthus mixed with green or white tea, blue pea with lemongrass and, of course, Asian favourites jasmine, chrysanthemum and magnolia teas. There…

ANGELA BREEDS CORRIEDALE AND LEICESTER SHEEP. SHE SELLS THE WOOL ALL OVER AUSTRALIA, SPUN AND NATURALLY DYED BY HER MUM KERRY. I mprint Farms is a small but intensely productive enterprise located in Heathmere in the southwest of Victoria, near the beautiful coastal town of Portland. Traditional owners the Gunditjmara people are renowned for their early aquaculture development at nearby Lake Condah. Imprint Farms, by contrast, is noted for its honey, sourdough, cured meats and homemade preserves; at least one of its 10 acres is given over to vegetable gardens. Among the souls who live there are Angela Cleary, her son Jack, his fiancée Sarah and their baby Keith, plus many feathered, fleecy and furry friends. They include two rescue donkeys called Rusty and Danny plus a retired Welsh Mountain…

Where garden space is at a premium, pots are definitely the way to squeeze in a few productive plants. You can also use the portability of containers to chase the sun or find spaces protected from cold winds. While most herbs are naturally at home in containers, vegies need a little more thought and planning. The key to success is to grow small or compact vegetables in as large a container as possible and to limit the number of plants in each pot. The recommended spacing for a vegetable is a good indicator of pot size. Most vegies are planted at least 20cm apart so they need to be in individual 20cm-diameter pots or, for two plants, a heavy-duty 40cm pot. Pot depth is also a consideration. Any vegie with…

lack mulberry (Morus nigra) is a fruit not readily available at the greengrocer or supermarket. You may find these delicious berries occasionally at a farmers’ market but, to enjoy the fruit and the other benefits of this easy-to-grow tree, grow your own. Perhaps more than any other fruit tree, mulberries are a wonderful addition to a family garden. They are reasonably fast growing, easy for kids to climb, offer summer shade, have few pests and are easy to manage. In spring or early summer, when they are full of berries, climbing the tree has even more to offer with the reward of a feed. They are also long lived. One of the world’s oldest black mulberry trees, at Syon Park in the UK, is thought to date from 1548. Mulberries…

The biggest mistake home gardeners can make when growing fruit trees is to adopt the practices used in commercial agriculture. A farmer’s objectives are completely different from those of a home grower. The intention of commercial fruit growers is to produce the largest possible harvest to meet mass-market demand. They achieve this by growing large numbers of identical fruit trees, sometimes pruned low for hand-picking, sometimes grown to full size to maximise yields, since they have no shortage of space. Having fruit trees widely spaced apart and growing to maximum size may work in large-scale commercial orchards, but that’s not the best option for backyards. WHY BIG DOESN’T WORK AT HOME Large fruit trees create a whole range of problems in an urban setting: • Limited space A typical backyard…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • Make sure the frosts are well and truly gone before putting in beetroot, parsnip, peas, radish, leek, rocket, silverbeet and spinach. • If it’s still too cold, hold off on herbs and vegetables such as basil, beans, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, capsicums, pumpkins and zucchinis. • Seeds and seedlings that don’t mind changeable weather include snow peas, lettuce, spring onions, silverbeet and herbs. Broad beans can go in, too, in cool temperate areas only. • Other plants to consider at the moment include parsley, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. If you’re trying Jerusalem artichokes, put them in a pot or they could take over. • To get a head-start with vegies in areas with short summer seasons, sow seeds in seed trays, punnets or small individual pots…

12 ISSUES OF Good Organic Gardening magazine RRP $95.40 ONLY $75 CALL 1300 303 414 OR VISIT UNIVERSALSHOP.COM. AU TO TAKE UP THIS EXCLUSIVE OFFER TODAY. QUOTE THE CODE: GG12.2 HURRY! OFFER ENDS 31ST JULY, 2021, WHILE STOCKS LAST. From garden to table, Good Organic Gardening will inspire you to be in charge of your own fresh food. If you love growing your own produce, doing things in harmony with nature, and finding new ways of putting fresh food on the table, Good Organic Gardening magazine is for you.…

A horticulturist, writer, presenter and passionate organic gardener, Chloe uses her social media profile Bean There Dug That to educate and inform like-minded gardeners, using fun, creative videos and posts. Find her on Facebook and Instagram @beantheredugthat HELLEBORE ‘ANNE’S RED’ PBR, HELLEBORUS HYBRID The plant: This is an absolute breakthrough variety, with outstanding red-to-burgundy flowers from early winter right through to early spring every year. The flowers are held proudly above the lush dark-green, leathery foliage on long stems, making this an ideal cut flower to bring indoors and enjoy. Growing: Hellebores put on an elegant display in a shaded to semi-shaded spot in your garden but they will happily grow in a decorative pot. Feed in late autumn and again in spring and remove spent flowers at the base…

Wild onions were probably eaten commonly by our prehistoric ancestors and there is evidence to suggest they were cultivated 5000 years ago, so it’s safe to say that the odiferous bulb is a long-standing family favourite. “Dice up a medium onion” is the first line to many a recipe because onions add layers of flavour, colour and even texture to any dish. But it’s not just the flavour that gave onions their popularity over time — onion is an easy crop to grow, stores well and transports easily. Archaeologists and historians have also found references in many cultures to the use of onions for medicinal purposes, even religious reasons. The supermarkets would have you believe there’s but a handful of onion varieties available these days, but in the nursery world…

Two hours south of Perth, Dalyellup is a semirural outer suburb of Bunbury on the edge of the Indian Ocean. With beaches to the west and Tuart Forest to the east, it’s a thoughtfully planned, fast-growing neighbourhood. Donna, a hairdresser, and Kev, a former haulage contractor who now works in forestry, own a half-acre property in Dalyellup. Its alkaline soil is ideal for their 600m2 or so of tropical edibles and Mediterranean fruit trees. CHANCES ARE THE COUPLE NEVER IMAGINED THEY’D BE GROWING DRAGON FRUIT, LET ALONE HARVESTING 450 OF THE QUIRKY-LOOKING EXOTICS AS THEY DID LAST YEAR. Donna grew up on a dairy farm in Brunswick Junction to the northeast, while Kev’s family raised cattle in Northumberland, near the Scottish border. Chances are the couple never imagined they’d be…

JULY 2021 Winter is all about nourishing, warming brassicas and root vegetables, along with rich herbed tomato sauces. Lighten up your dishes with peas and winter greens. AUGUST 2021 Moving towards the end of our official winter, it’s time to start thinking about preparing your soil for your spring plantings and starting them from seed. When the moon is waxing from new 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…

You may have already grown chickpeas in your garden without realising. That’s because this legume is often one of several crops in mixed green manure that we grow, cut down and turn back into the soil to improve it over time. But don’t just put chickpeas in the “green manure” corner. If you’ve got the space or you’d like to experiment with a small pulse crop, they deserve a spot in your garden this coming spring and summer. Easy to plant, chickpeas thrive in hot, dry conditions and fix nitrogen back into the soil as they grow. GROWING Chickpeas are grown commercially in northern NSW and southern Queensland as well as parts of Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Ideally suited to warm temperate climates, they prefer a full-sun spot…

Fast and super easy to grow, radishes are a reliable year-round staple that will add their inimitable peppery crunch to salads and sandwiches. Best sown directly from seed, they will be ready to harvest in as little as 35 days during warmer weather or around 6–8 weeks in winter. Choose a full-sun spot — in summer, somewhere with protection from the hottest afternoon sun is ideal — and work through some compost to make the soil friable before sowing your radish seeds. Sow the seeds in rows spaced according to the packet instructions. Seedlings can be thinned out if necessary once they have two true leaves. While the seeds are germinating, make sure the soil is kept moist. Once they’ve sprouted you can lightly sprinkle the soil along the side…

One of the safest ways to combat plant diseases in the garden is to prevent them from occurring. While organic gardeners want to limit the use of sprays and deploy them only where significant amounts of crops may be lost, there are some treatments that can be applied safely and, used well, are highly effective. At the end of winter, as deciduous plants — fruit trees and shrubs in particular — are coming back to life, there’s a window of opportunity to prevent diseases that can affect the plant later in the year. Broadly, this prevention is referred to as winter spraying or winter washing. Fungicides such as copper, lime or sulphur are used to stop diseases from taking hold as new growth develops. The fungicide prevents the disease from…

IN SEASON JULY FRUITS Apples, avocados, bananas, cumquats, custard apples, dates, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, nashi, olives, oranges (Navel), papayas, pineapples, pomelos, quinces, rhubarb, strawberries, tangelos VEGIES Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, fennel, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, shallots (eschalots), silverbeet, spinach, swedes, sweet potato, turnips, witlof IN SEASON AUGUST FRUITS Apples, avocados, bananas, cumquats, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, mandarins, olives, oranges (blood, Navel), pawpaw, pineapples, pomelos, rhubarb, strawberries, tangelos VEGIES Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, fennel, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, silverbeet, spinach, swedes, sweet potato, turnips, witlof SEASONAL TIP Chocolate-dipped bananas These fruity favourites make great sweet treats for kids’ parties. Cut your…