Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue #14.2 i Good Organic Gardening

If you want to know something, ask a poet. This issue, their expert subject is weeds. “What is a weed?” mused Ralph Waldo Emerson before answering his own question: “A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox put it a bit more succinctly: “A weed is but an unloved flower.” The thing is many weeds are simply unlovable and their virtues undiscoverable, which is why we call them weeds. Getting rid of them can be a painful process — especially if you have to pull them by hand — so we’ve rounded up a selection of safe, organic ways to combat them before they take over your plot. Speaking of Roundup, did you know it’s standard practice for builders to require home blocks to be sprayed…

There was a time when Leptospermum scoparium was known to gardeners mainly as a pretty native shrub, commonly called tea tree. Then came the rise of manuka honey and its associated health benefits — and suddenly our native tea tree had an international profile. For many years there’s been a tussle between producers of the honey in New Zealand and Australia. The Kiwis felt they had dibs on the trademark name “manuka”; Australia disagreed. Naming rights are especially important on the export market. Manuka grows in both countries and its name has been used in Australia from at least the 1930s to describe the plant. However, since 2016, New Zealand’s Manuka Honey Appellation Society has been trying to block Australian honey producers from using the name “manuka” in export markets,…

Cape gooseberries, also known as Inca berries, goldenberries or Peruvian groundcherries, are frost-sensitive perennial plants typically grown as annuals in cooler climates. Native to Peru and Chile, the Cape gooseberry came to us via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, where it was cultivated before the turn of the 19th century. It soon became popular with early European settlers in Australia when they realised it was fast and easy to grow, even in our harsh conditions. Bright-gold berries, sheathed in a papery lantern-like calyx, cover the bush in late summer into autumn. Ripe and the size of cherry tomatoes, the berries can be eaten straight from the plant for an explosion of juicy, sweet and tart flavour. They can be cooked into chutneys or dried to enjoy as…

Green, leafy and loaded with nutrients, the group of vegies we collectively call Asian greens includes bok choy, mizuna, choy sum, wombok (or Chinese cabbage) and mustard greens, most of which you’ve probably heard of before. But there are some lesser-known Asian greens that fall under this umbrella, including edible chrysanthemum, tatsoi, perilla, kai-lan (gai lan) or Chinese broccoli, kang kong, celtuce and ‘Tokyo Bekana’, also called Chinese cabbage. Asian greens can be grown in all areas around Australia; the trick is finding the ones most suited to your climatic zone. At this time of year, Asian greens can be planted in most climates unless you have very heavy frosts. If you get regular frosts, look for varieties that are more tolerant of cold weather — or protect the seedlings…

I am regularly asked to provide advice on how to rehabilitate trees after pest or disease attack. The following article guides gardeners through the process of diagnosing common problems and developing strategies to resolve pest issues in trees. Note that in previous articles we’ve discussed soil compaction and tree root diseases, which also affect tree health. TRIAGING AN UNWELL TREE The most common problem appearing in sick trees is defoliation or dieback. This is evident when branches die in patches or large areas of the tree become devoid of leaves, as shown. Dieback may be due to any of the following causes or a combination of them: • Insect attack• Soil compaction• Waterlogged soils• Fungal or mould diseases such as Phytophthora, which are sometimes associated with poor soil conditions or…

I love eggs: their taste, their appearance and how clever nature has been to ensure everything a chick embryo needs is packaged within the shell. Eggs are amazing. Consider the wonderment on a child’s face when they handle a fresh warm egg. I like to think I know a good egg when I see one, but you can never know too much when it comes to managing hens. NUTRITION COUNTS Egg contents reflect the food and nutrients a hen has eaten. If you want nutritious eggs, you need to offer feed that meets all of a laying bird’s needs: carbohydrates, protein and the correct ratio of vitamins and minerals, plus fresh greens. Treats can be a trap because chooks soon prefer them to their regular diet and this may skew…

CUPPA ANTI-INFLAMMATORY Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds found in fruit, vegetables and drinks such as tea and coffee. In a new study, researchers investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of polyphenols when they were combined with proteins such as those in milk or meat. They created artificial inflammation in immune cells then applied either polyphenols alone or polyphenols that had reacted with proteins to the cells. The immune cells with the polyphenol/protein combination applied were twice as effective at fighting inflammation as the cells with polyphenols alone. In another study, the researchers showed that the proteins from milk quickly bind to the polyphenols in coffee. The next step is to see whether the anti-inflammatory boost happens when humans ingest the protein–polyphenol combo. According to the researchers, though, it’s easy to project that meat…

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 toxic-free future. She has written many articles for magazines and is the author of two books: Toxic Playground and Safer Solutions. FUNGI TO THE RESCUE Is there nothing fungi can’t do? They are effective medicines for mind and body and are being used to grow compostable biomaterials, replacing polluting plastics. They can also aid in the remediation of polluted soil and sequester carbon. Fungi are literally everywhere and most of them are yet to be described. Initially thought of as plants, fungi are now recognised as a kingdom of their own and include yeasts, moulds, mushrooms and…

Perennial cotton (Gossypium arboreum) is just that — perennial — which means it will last for more than one season. In fact, it will happily live for quite a few years. One of G. arboreum’s better-known relatives, G. hirsutum, is the world’s most widely cultivated cotton species. Also a short-lived perennial, it’s never commercially grown as such but invariably as an annual. Of the 50 or so species in the Gossypieae tribe, perennial (or tree) cotton is one of just four grown commercially today — and then only in India and Pakistan. G. arboreum’s origins lie within the Indus Valley Civilisation. Threads of Gossypium found in Mehrgarh, Pakistan, were used to string copper beads as far back as 7000 years ago. Fabrics made from cotton closely related to G. arboreum…

As a chef for 33 years, Glen Barratt has a special interest in growing edibles — so it comes as no surprise that he would plan his garden around permaculture principles. Glen, Justine and their five adult children, plus two dogs and three horses, live on three acres in picturesque Camp Mountain, a small community just far enough northwest of Brisbane to be regarded as rural. Half the property is a cleared ridge exposed to the elements; the rest is cliffs and embankments, a seasonal watercourse and alluvial flats with remnant scrub and forest, creating a variety of microclimates cooler and moister than surrounding areas. Glen’s first job as a teenager was four hours a week maintaining an elderly neighbour’s garden opposite his family home in Scarborough. It must have…

JULY 2023 Winter is the time for growing nourishing, warming brassicas and root vegies, along with broad beans, bright snowpeas, sugar snaps and leafy greens. AUGUST 2023 The end of winter is more like the start of spring in many parts, so it’s time to prepare your beds for spring plantings and to start crop from seed if you haven’t already. New moon First quarter Full moon Last quarter 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.…

Growing carrots can be a bit hit and miss, but the excitement of harvest and the flavour of that first homegrown crunch can make growing your own worth another try. There are two important things to do to grow carrots successfully. The first is to prepare the soil. Carrots need it loose, deep and free of clods, stones or other objects that get in the way of root growth. Deep, sandy soils are ideal. To prepare, dig the soil over but avoid adding extra nutrients, particularly fresh compost or manure, as they can lead to forking, the condition where carrots develop distorted shapes. If you can’t provide these conditions, grow small or baby carrots that don’t need extra depth. The second trick is getting the seed to germinate. Carrots take…

As well as being on trend as far as cafe menus go, avocados are becoming very popular in backyard orchards around Australia, at least in part because of the availability of smaller trees. Avocados are usually seen as tall, shady trees with crops of delicious, egg-shaped green fruit. But recently they’ve had a bit of a makeover. Today, there’s a choice between tall and dwarf trees. Dwarf varieties, which produce normal-sized fruit, can be grown in a container, courtyard or mini-orchard on a suburban block. VARIETIES Avocados are native to Central America, including the West Indies, Guatemala and Mexico, but are grown around the world in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate zones — even in parts of Tasmania. Many are seed grown as they are easy to propagate from the…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • The second month of winter doesn’t mean down tools: you can keep the greens coming by sowing seeds or planting seedlings every few weeks. Vegies you can still plant from seed include brassicas, spinach, silverbeet, sweet peas, broad beans, peas and carrots. Try some coriander as well.• In more temperate areas, add lettuce, celery, potato, radish and garlic to the list. Also worthy of consideration are Jerusalem artichokes — but put them in a pot or they can take over.• It’s not too late to plant perennials like asparagus and rhubarb. Grown from crowns, they do best in well-prepared beds with added organic matter.• Every week or so, apply organic liquid fertiliser to cabbages, rocket and lettuce to stimulate growth.• Don’t take your eyes off…

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is an edible annual flowering plant thought to have originated in ancient Persia. When introduced to India and China it was known as the “Persian vegetable”. The earliest written record comes from China around 647 CE and, by the 12th century, spinach was a popular vegetable in the Arab Mediterranean. Its popularity in England and France in the 14th century was due to its appearance in early spring when there were few other vegetables available. The name Florentine given to dishes containing spinach, often with a creamy sauce, is thought to date from the 16th century when it was the favourite food of French queen Catherine de’ Medici, who came from Florence. It’s the leaves of spinach that are eaten. These days, botanically, spinach is in the…

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, peas, 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, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, silverbeet, spinach, swedes, sweet potato, turnips, witlof SEASONAL TIP Why are Jerusalem artichokes known as “fartichokes”? The tasty tuber we know…

Two years ago, when Karen Lambeck and Bill Harvey bought their property in Yabberup in southwest Western Australia, it was the realisation of a 10-year dream to own a farm they could live off in a sustainable way. After 20-plus years in the mining industry, Karen felt she’d lost touch with her core belief in a natural lifestyle. Bill meanwhile was away working for long periods. “It was not how we wanted to live our lives,” says Karen. At Yabberup, around 20 minutes east of Donnybrook, Karen now runs a nature and wellness haven called Karrabilli Retreat. “We love to encourage people to immerse themselves in the healing properties of nature as a way of reducing stress and coming back to themselves,” she says. It goes without saying that theirs…

Chives are rarely the focus of a how-to-grow story as they tend to be passed over in favour of close relatives such as onions, garlic or even leeks. This is probably because chives are easy to grow and tend to be taken for granted. They are very versatile and grow without too much attention, usually in the corner of a garden bed or in a pot on a sunny windowsill. But they deserve a bit more of the limelight. Chives grow to around 20–30cm high and tend to be happiest in clumps. They really come into their own in spring and summer when the flowers appear. The small flower heads — pink, mauve or white depending on the variety — are highly attractive to beneficial insects such as pollinators. They…

In the world of organic gardening and permaculture, we often talk about plants within “the system” having multiple purposes to justify their place in our sustainable patch. When it comes to growing a living mulch in the form of groundcover plants, the story remains the same: how many uses do the plants have that we’re choosing to grow? The main reasons we mulch are the same whether we use living plants or traditional mulches such as lucerne, sugarcane, tea tree, pine bark and so forth. Groundcover’s spreading prostrate growth can give us great green coverage and soil protection. This growth will stop light reaching the soil surface and help prevent weed growth. It will also keep the soil cool and slow down rain penetration. In addition, the plant roots will…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • In cooler climes there still may be cold snaps ahead, so hold off for now on basil and vegies such as tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, capsicums, pumpkins and zucchinis.• In temperate zones, the frosts are hopefully well and truly over so now’s the time to put in some Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, celery, leeks, parsnip, peas, radish, rocket and spinach. You could also consider planting potatoes.• Seeds and seedlings that don’t mind changeable weather include snow peas, lettuce, spring onions, silverbeet and herbs. Broad beans can go in, too, but only in cool temperate areas.• Other plants to consider at the moment are parsley, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. If you’re trying Jerusalem artichokes, put them in a pot or they could take over.• To get a…

Bees pollinate more than 80 per cent of the world’s flowering plants, according to a 2022 report into native bees by AgriFutures Australia. While the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) gets most of the credit, there are more than 20,000 other bee species worldwide and research suggests the contribution of wild bees to pollination is even greater than that of the Apis genus. With bees of all kinds increasingly under threat from pesticides, climate change, habitat loss and parasites such as the Varroa mite, native bees have been thrust into the spotlight. Seemingly unaffected by Varroa and viewed as a saving grace for the planet, native pollinators have become the subject of growing fascination. MELIPONICULTURE While there are approximately 1700 native bee species across Australia, only 11 of these live in…

98 Pea & browned onion pullao 99 Boat Basin chaat plate 100 Achari gosht 101 Dadi’s banana & fennel seed gulgulay doughnuts Images and text from Andaza by Sumayya Usmani, photography by Alicia Taylor. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00 Andaza translates as “estimation” and the author’s mother, who ignored recipes and measured ingredients with her hands and spices with her fingers, once told her daughter, “You can’t cook with words.” Luckily for us, Andaza contains plenty of words. The story of her journey from her birthplace in Karachi via a childhood on merchant ships to law school in Glasgow is interleaved with family recipes for Pakistani favourites. But feel free to make the recipes your own because Usmani insists that “recipes don’t need to be written. Like storytelling, they guide you…

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 WANT TO REDUCE YOUR WEEKLY…