Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue #13.4 - 2022 i Good Organic Gardening

At the time of writing, the prices of fresh produce are through the roof and, for all we know, by the time we hit the newsstands they could be even worse. Now, more than ever, growing any food you can is not just sensible — it’s practically imperative. Coming into summer, we all love our salad greens. But what if lettuce, for example, is simply unaffordable? Obviously, you can grow your own but there are so many alternatives to lettuce for your summer salads, including a range of natives that are suited to our climate. Claire Bickle looks at some of her favourites. Still on natives, in our WellBeing section, naturopath, nutritionist and cook Meg Thompson covers some native herbs and spices that also go well in salads. And, still…

The Heart Gardening Project has launched a crowdfunding campaign to establish an Australian first: a pollinator corridor linking Port Melbourne’s Westgate Park to the Royal Botanic Gardens. When finished, the corridor will be an 8km-long urban wildlife reserve comprising 200 community-maintained street gardens, with the focus on indigenous plantings — 18,000 in all — to attract bees and other pollinators. Working with local councils and more than 20 scientists and specialist consultants, volunteers have already transformed more than 480m2 of barren and unused public land into pollinator-friendly gardens. So far, THGP has helped create more than 70 street gardens, planted over 6000 plants and given away more than 600 pollinator-loving plants to other street gardeners. Supporters are now invited to help fund the next stage of the project, including another…

Travel southwest from the outskirts of Brisbane and you’ll find yourself in semirural Mount Crosby. That’s where Doctors Ketah Silvester and Todd Silvester live with children Otis and Arlo on a property with one acre reserved as Land for Wildlife plus another acre that comprises food forest, house and ornamental garden. Ketah has a PhD in environmental engineering and has worked as an environmental consultant for the past 15 years. She inherited the gardening gene from her mother, whom she affectionately calls the “scrub hen” because she’s always pruning or digging. A lot of her friends are older than her and they see self-sufficiency as an everyday necessity, a way of life. Like them, she believes in organic gardening and environmental sustainability. Her principles were put to the test by…

Being tall and narrow, spring onions can be squeezed into nearly any vegie garden. Grow them in neat rows if that’s your gardening style or just poke little seedlings in wherever you can among other plants. Either way, this fast-growing crop is a must-have. With a sweet and mild onion flavour, spring onions are ideal for fast cooking or for use in salads or as a garnish. The best bit is you don’t even need to pull up the whole spring onion to enjoy it — simply snip it off just above ground level and it will reshoot. Spring onions can be grown year round as they are frost tolerant, though they grow faster in the warmer months. GROWING Spring onions can be grown from seeds or seedlings. If growing…

TURF WARS If you have a barren plot or paddock that’s hard to reach, put together some home-made seed bombs and throw them out there to create patches of native, local wildflowers. To make your floral missiles, mix clay, compost and seeds in a ratio of 5:1:1 with enough water to bind the ingredients. Using your hands, roll them into compact balls, distribute as widely as you can and then leave in the sun to dry. Everlasting daisies, billy buttons and Swan River daisies are good choices and you could even try native herbs. SODA WATER FOR GROWTH Studies have shown that feeding your plants plain soda water can make them grow faster. This is because soda water is rich in the same macronutrients which are essential to plant growth,…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • Until the New Year, this is as warm as it gets in the cooler regions. It’s a good time to put in capsicums, cucurbits and, if you haven’t planted some already, sweet corn. You might also try tomatillos and perhaps a crop of borlotti beans for autumn harvest. • Seedlings planted in November as well as ripening salad crops could use a feed around about now — a seaweed tea or low-environmental-impact liquid fertiliser — plus shade and regular water. Plant dwarf beans from seed for a quick crop. • It’s a good idea to check the vegie garden once or twice a day. As well as for crops to harvest, be on the lookout for pests and take the hose or watering can with…

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The beautyleaf tree definitely has a split personality. While it’s admired for its beauty and shade, there’s a dangerous undercurrent. This is a tree native to the tropics where it’s grown in parks and on large properties as a shade tree. One of its many names is mastwood as it was traditionally used to build outrigger canoes. As well as providing welcome shade with its broad, spreading branches, the beautyleaf is regarded as cyclone and termite proof, making it a very clever and useful plant, tolerant of coastal as well as inland locations. Its leaves are glossy green and it produces fragrant white flowers, attractive to birds. The flowers form in clusters, each bloom on a long stem. The round buds open to reveal flowers with thick white petals and…

The cool climate and well-drained soils of North Boyanup, not far inland from Bunbury on Western Australia’s coast, are particularly favourable for the cultivation of olives. That’s the prime crop growing on Jenny and Carlo Ioppolo’s 70-acre property, Destiny Farms. In fact, you could almost say olives are Carlo’s destiny. His family, from the rural village of Sinagra in eastern Sicily, has been in the olive oil business since at least the early 1900s. His maternal grandfather Vincenzo Sinagra — as in the name of the village — migrated to Western Australia 100 years ago and set up a business pressing olive oil in Wanneroo, now a northern suburb of Perth. The 279 acres he purchased in Wanneroo in 1946 are now named Sinagra after him and the village. To…

In most areas, it’s easy to grow cucumbers from spring to autumn and the vines are highly productive. Although cucumbers grow on a sprawling vine, they can be grown in vegetable gardens of any size or in large containers. Manage their growth by training them up tall stakes, on a tepee or along a trellis. Growing cucumbers off the ground reduces damage by pests or diseases. In cool climates, cucumbers are planted in late spring when conditions begin to warm. With the resulting short growing season, managing the size of the vine is important to ensure lots of fruit. Tip prune the vine after it develops six or so nodes rather than let it grow as high as it wants to, so it turns its energy into flowering and fruiting,…

Edible flowers are more than just beautiful — these blooms can be used as a decorative flourish or to add a dash of flavour to desserts, salads or cakes. Homegrown edible flowers are the best! They’ll be fresh, free from nasty chemicals and on hand for whenever you need them. Depending on which edible flowers you choose to grow, you can have some on hand to pick year round. But which flowers are safe to eat? Ask at your local nursery, research edible flowers in your region or try one of the well-known edible flowers listed below. Please don’t eat flowers from a florist as they may have been chemically treated. GROWING AND CARE I prefer to grow my edible flowers in the corners of my vegie beds so as…

While we know First Nations people have been living off this unique country for thousands of years, not all of us are aware of the many edible bush plants that will happily grow in our gardens. Yet more and more chefs and even home cooks who are looking for that edgy, new and sustainable ingredient are turning to native greens. Is Australia starting to see bush tucker evolve into a national cuisine or even fuse with our wildly diverse multicultural food industry? There is still so much to learn from our First Nations people and our country. Underused native plant species are truly everywhere, in every corner of the continent. Let’s start giving them a go. All it needs is a little knowhow and a sense of culinary adventure. MY…

If you’re wondering what’s so great about beeswax wraps and why they’ve become such a thing of late, there are some pretty good reasons. For starters, they remove the need for single-use plastic wrap that you’d use for sandwiches, fruit, cake, to cover bowls with and lots more. We’re all aware of the disaster unfolding thanks to our persistent use of plastic in everyday life, so this is one small step in the right direction. All it takes is a few simple ingredients and a little knowhow. Achieving the perfect consistency can be tricky as the wax coating needs just the right amount of stickiness to grip and just the right amount of flex so it doesn’t crack when moulded. The type of beeswax you use can also make a…

GARDENING CULTIVATES BETTER MENTAL HEALTH “A garden is a lovesome thing,” wrote Victorian poet Thomas Edward Brown. The notion that gardening promotes health and wellbeing has been around for at least 200 years and any gardener will tell you their patch is their happy place. In a study published in the journal PLOS One, University of Florida scientists found gardening lowered stress, anxiety and depression in healthy women who attended twice-weekly gardening classes. None of the participants, 32 women aged from 26 to 49, had gardened before. “Past studies have shown that gardening can help improve the mental health of people who have existing medical conditions or challenges,” said principal investigator Charles Guy. “Our study shows that healthy people can also experience a boost in mental wellbeing through gardening.” The…

ONE FOR ALL, AND ALL FOR ONE! Flower Blend is used by professional growers, commercial nurseries and award-winning gardeners. This secret to gardening success is as simple as throwing a handful or two around any plants in pots or in the ground. Formulated with minerals, microbes and just a pinch of fertiliser, Flower Blend is the best all-round plant food and conditioner while also being vegan friendly and safe for both pets and children. It not only boosts flowering but also keeps soil and potting mix conditioned, enhances root growth, helps plants defend themselves against insect and fungal attack and at the same time helps reduce the need to water. Ideal for roses, orchids, natives, azaleas, herbs and vegetables — in fact, all plants. earthlife.com.au HOW’S IT GROWING? Feed the…

CHLOE THOMSON 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 CALIFORNIA POPPY ‘APRICOT CHIFFON’, ESCHSCHOLZIA CALIFORNICA The plant: This pretty poppy produces big blooms with frilly, flared petals in sunset shades. It thrives in poor soils and is perfect for low-maintenance gardens where you want splashes of colour through spring and summer. Growing: These poppies are best sown in the hot and drier months from January to May. Choose a full-sun spot and sow seed direct into well-prepared garden beds, watering regularly to improve germination, which should occur within 2 weeks of sowing. Flowers should begin 8–12 weeks after planting. The…

Lemon aspen is a highly prized bush tucker plant native to north Queensland, the Atherton Tableland in particular, growing at altitudes of 100 metres. Its pulpy fruit, most abundant in summer and autumn, is edible with a lemony grapefruit tang. The commercial value of many native plants was often overlooked by European settlers — but not so the lemon aspen. It has a long history of use, whether eaten fresh or used in preserves. Today the fruit is available frozen or dried and used in many commercial products including juices and spice mixes. The tall rainforest native has also been harvested as a forestry tree. The big demand for lemon aspen makes it a crop well worth growing. In a factsheet on the tree produced around a decade ago by…

Serendipity is defined as making fortunate discoveries by accident and, in one such instance, it resulted in the unexpected creation of a pioneering style of garden with incredible productivity. Nestled in the inner northern suburbs of temperate Melbourne, along the Preston/Thornbury border, is a garden that started off as a humble experiment and grew into a demonstration garden that’s attracted many hundreds of visitors over the years since it was constructed in 2008. This particular garden happens to be my own — and this is the story of how it came to be. FROM LITTLE THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW In nature, most things begin with a seemingly insignificant seed. I was first introduced to gardening in the second year of primary school where we were given small catnip plants in…

NOVEMBER 2022 The calendar says it’s still spring but it feels more like summer in many parts of Australia. Staggered planting from now on will extend the summer harvest. DECEMBER 2022 It’s the end of another year but a good time to plant those salad vegies that love the heat, including cherry tomatoes, as well as the wonderful summer cucurbits. New moon First quarter Full moon Last quarter 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.…

The humble chickpea could hardly be considered out of this world but lately it’s been playing its part in space exploration as a pioneer in supporting human life on other planets. Space agency NASA has grown a succession of edible and flowering plants on the International Space Station (ISS). Early crops included leafy lettuce and zinnia. When these proved successful, the ISS astronauts were challenged to grow a fruiting plant. That crop was chilli, which fruited well in the artificial growing conditions on board and resulted in a spicy meal of tacos aboard the ISS. The trials are part of the preparations for a future mission to Mars so the crew can grow fresh food on long-duration exploration missions. The vegetable crops were grown under red, blue and green LED…

Passionfruit is one of Australia’s favourite backyard crops and a useful plant to grow as a living screen for shade or privacy as well as delicious fruit. Though a warm-climate plant, it grows productively in all but the very coldest parts of the country. Tropical, subtropical and warm coastal zones produce the most productive vines. In cold areas, select a warm, sheltered spot with free-draining soil. Cold conditions and wet soils lead to poor growth or vine death and poor fruiting. Fruit that does form in cold zones can be very slow to ripen. Passionfruit vines are usually sold as grafted plants. Grafting makes the vine more tolerant of poor soil and climate conditions but, as some gardeners have discovered, suckers from the graft can develop into a major weed…

Worm farms are an excellent way to recycle household waste into nutrient-rich worm castings for the garden. Compost worms eat twice as much as regular earthworms, thus getting the job done more efficiently. The purpose of worm farms is to process food waste and other materials that break down very quickly such as fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps, cooked vegetables, grains, pasta, rice, breads, cereals, flour, cheese, coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells and even newspapers. Materials that break down slowly, such as garden waste and lawn clippings, should go into the compost. Some space and ongoing effort are required to set up and maintain a worm farm. If you’re not doing it yourself there’s the added expense of buying a worm farm and worms, which puts some gardeners off the…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • Plan for the upcoming summer heat — it will come! — by preparing shadecloth tents for your more sun-sensitive vegies and delicate petals. • Even if it’s still cool, why wait to start planting herbs such as dill, oregano and Simon and Garfunkel’s favourites: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme? In warmer zones, add basil, sweet or purple. Plant lemon balm and mint in pots to stop them taking over. • If frosts are over, it’s also time to start planting some of summer’s big guns like beans, beetroot, capsicum, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, silverbeet, tomatoes and zucchini. • Pumpkins can also go in now, sheltered by a crop of tall sweet corn planted in blocks at least a metre square to maximise wind-pollination and…

Historically, dandelion root and leaves have been used to treat liver and kidney problems across Native American, Chinese and European cultures. As well as being a beneficial plant medicine, dandelion can be consumed in many ways: the root either as a casserole vegetable or roasted as a coffee alternative (two-year-old roots are best); the leaves and the flowers in salads and teas; even the sap as a topical treatment for skin infections. As it grows so well in the Australian climate, dandelion is considered a weed, but nothing could be further from the truth. Grow some in your backyard and use it for its multiple health benefits. ACTIVE INGREDIENTS Dandelion has an abundance of bitter principles in all parts of the plant, as well as sterols structurally related to bile.…

IN SEASON NOVEMBER FRUITS Apples (Lady Williams), avocados, bananas, blueberries, cherries, grapefruit, loquats, lychees, mangoes, melons, mulberries, nectarines, oranges (Valencia), papaya, passionfruit, pawpaw, peaches, pineapples, starfruit (carambola), strawberries, youngberries VEGIES Artichoke, Asian greens, asparagus, beans, cucumbers, chillies, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, silverbeet, snowpeas, spinach, spring onions, sugar snap peas, sweet corn, tomatoes, watercress, zucchini, zucchini flowers IN SEASON DECEMBER FRUITS Apples (Lady Williams), apricots, avocados, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, currants, grapes, lemons, lychees, mangoes, melons, nectarines, oranges (Valencia), papaya, passionfruit, pawpaw, peaches, pineapple, rambutans, raspberries, starfruit (carambola), strawberries VEGIES Asparagus, beans, capsicum, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas, radish, snowpeas, sweet corn, spinach, spring onions, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, watercress, zucchini SEASONAL TIP TIME TO STUFF SOME MUSHROOMS! They say life’s too short to stuff a mushroom. We disagree! This is…