Innholdsfortegnelse for 15.4 i Good Organic Gardening

Here we are, forging ahead into the summer growing season — and what could be better after a hot day working in the garden than to reward yourself with a chilled glass of wine? But did you know that, as a rule, most winemakers don’t wash the grapes before they’re crushed for the juice? That’s right, whatever is on the skins of those grapes will also be in the wine. Here is not the place to get into the whys and wherefores, so you’d best turn to page 68 for Steve McGrane’s article on organic and biodynamic winemaking, where he explains the differences between those and conventionally made wines. It prompts the question: if we work so hard to grow and eat food without synthetic chemicals, why drink anything that…

WHAT GOES AROUND In a concept familiar to practitioners of closed-system horticulture, Bega Valley on the New South Wales southern coast is set to become the state’s most advanced circular economy by 2030. A National Circularity Centre (NCC) is planned for the region. The $19m building, designed by Cox Architecture, will be financed mainly by the state government, which has committed $14m, while the Bega Group is contributing the land and the remaining $5m. The centre will be a hub for the research and development of economic models based on sustainability as well as offering food and information for visitors and events. Bega Group executive chair Barry Irvin said the education centre would show the world how to run a region truly focused on a sustainable future. “It’s actually very…

Pomegranate, from the Latin for “seeded apple”, lends its name to the military hand grenade — and it really is a taste explosion. Originating from the Middle East way back when, the red fruit has low care requirements and unique health benefits — not to mention its scintillating flavour and the fact that it’s simply beautiful to look at. Yet it’s expensive in supermarkets and often imported, thus incurring high food miles. So why not grow your own? GROWING Pomegranates grow well in a variety of soils, from high sand content (although additional organic matter and fertiliser will assist in the quality and volume of fruit) to clay soils. The desirable pH range is 5.5 to 7.2. Find a sunny spot in the garden — or grow in a pot.…

Alwyn and Lynda Schuch’s productive patch is on a 580m2 block in Eaton, a north-western suburb of Bunbury in Western Australia. A construction electrician in South Africa’s gold mines for 27 years, Alwyn first began gardening with his father in North West Province, formerly part of the Transvaal, where the climate is quite similar to Australia’s. There they grew vegetables, ran free-range chickens and tended an orange orchard, growing fruit for export. Here in Eaton, he relaxes by reading and researching the Bible, drawing with colour pencils and cooking. Lynda, an accomplished seamstress, spent her working life as a bank officer. Right now, their focus is on their garden, which comprises 20 metres of raised Colorbond vegie beds where they grow silverbeet, tomato, carrots, spring onions, radishes, capsicum, beetroot, sweet…

Vigorous climbers known for their lush, evergreen foliage and stunningly intricate flowers, passionfruit vines, once established, are reliable heavy croppers that thrive in warm climates. However, certain varieties will happily fruit as far south as Melbourne and sheltered areas of Tasmania if protected from heavy frosts and strong winds. Passionfruit vines are ideal for covering fences, trellises or pergolas and their fast-growing nature means they quickly provide shade and privacy. Plant passionfruit vines in spring or early summer when the soil is warm and with a bit of luck you might even get fruit the following autumn. In warm climates with mild winters you can expect to get fruit all year round from a passionfruit vine. Interestingly, though, the summer fruit is typically sweeter than the winter fruit. AS PASSIONFRUIT…

Citrus gall wasp (Bruchophagus fellis) is an Australian native insect pest whose natural host is the Australian finger lime (Citrus australasica) but which now presents one of the most common problems in backyard citrus trees. All citrus trees can be attacked. The insects invade young, fresh tree growth in spring, causing lumpy, woody galls (pictured above) to form around the developing larvae. It’s easy to spot the galls on branches, but not so easy to manage. It’s a matter of taking the right steps at the right time. This pest is native to northern New South Wales and Queensland but is now widespread in most areas where citrus is grown. The adult wasps normally don’t move very far but can be carried on the wind from neighbouring properties or on…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • Get ready 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 & 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 done, it’s also time to plant some of summer’s big guns such as beans, beetroot, capsicum, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, silverbeet, tomatoes and zucchini. • Pumpkins can go in now, sheltered by a crop of tall sweet corn. Think you don’t have room for them? Check out the mini varieties…

TOUGH NEW SPRINKLER Bringing you Wobble-Tee Sprinkler’s premium product, the RolaRain Sprinkler. Why would we make a newer model when the Wobble-Tee has been so popular and successful? Well, the Wobble-Tee Sprinkler was designed as a domestic sprinkler to be used on the lawn in your backyard, but it has been utilised in so many other situations that are outside the original design concept. So, simply, we have made a tougher new design that is more suited to farming applications, sporting fields and industrial use. The wheels allow the central part of the sprinkler base and fittings to rise off the ground slightly when being pulled along, stopping the sprinkler base scuffing the grass surface and reducing wear on the hose and sprinkler fittings from rubbing against the ground. For…

MEETING THE THREAT TO GREATER GLIDERS Greater gliders (Petauroides volans) might just be the cutest Aussie marsupial you’ve never seen — or even heard of. Once abundant in eucalypt forests along the east coast from Queensland to Victoria, gliders were uplisted from vulnerable to endangered in 2022. Up to 80 per cent of the greater glider total population has disappeared due to destruction of old-growth forests, the devastating impacts of the Black Summer bushfires and ongoing land clearing. A distant relative of the koala and ringtail possum, the greater glider is Australia’s largest gliding mammal. It has delightfully large furry ears and a long prehensile tail. As they’re nocturnal, not many people get to see them as they float silently through the forest canopy, their patagia or gliding membranes helping…

Comfrey is a very clever plant with many great attributes, but it does have a dark side. Both the leaves and roots have been used medicinally for centuries and its common names knitbone and boneset provide a clue to one of its uses: it was applied as a poultice around broken bones to help heal the break. It’s also useful for healing wounds, reducing bruising and alleviating back pain. It has a long tradition as a medication taken to treat pain and inflammation. As for its dark side, comfrey is now known to contain toxins (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) that damage the liver and can cause death, so it should not be ingested. Indeed, the use of comfrey for any internal therapy is prohibited in Australia. Even topical applications may over time…

You know you’re in New South Wales’ Southern Highlands when there’s a Porsche Carrera parked in the main street, someone has yarn-bombed the pavement poles with candy-cane crochet and a couple of locals are leading two small donkeys along the footpath as if walking their dogs. The historic hamlet of Bundanoon, with its Victorian sandstone cottages and deciduous European trees, hosts an annual highland festival named after Brigadoon, the misty, mysterious Scottish village which, according to legend, appears for just one day every 100 years. Luckily, we were there on the right day. On the other side of the railway line, we pulled up at Wynlen House — or, to give it its full name, Wynlen House Artisan Village Farm and Learning Centre. We find Bronwyn Richards and Helen Lynch…

If you love the idea of picking your very own fresh, crisp, organic capsicums straight from the bush and heading to the kitchen to cook up a storm, then read on. There are many different forms and colours, too. Some are long and look more like chillies; others can be small and round, while the giant varieties are great for stuffing. Originating in South and Central America, the capsicum is thought to have been part of the human diet since 7500 BCE. From there, thanks to Columbus, the capsicum and other nightshade family members such as tomatoes, eggplants, chillies and potatoes made their way back to Europe and from there on to Africa, Asia and the rest of the world. The capsicum’s nutritional benefits include vitamins A, C and K…

Until you’ve eaten a fresh home-grown watermelon, you truly haven’t experienced the delight that watermelons can deliver to your tastebuds. More than 1000 varieties of watermelon are cultivated all over the globe these days. Originating in Africa, they were grown extensively around the Mediterranean and southern Russia. These days, it would have to be the most popular of the summer fruiting vines we grow. Aside from its delicious taste, there are plenty of other reasons to eat watermelon. It is high in antioxidants such as lycopene, beta-carotene, betacryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, all of which support healthy blood pressure and heart and eye health as well as protecting against oxidative stress. And why is it called watermelon? You guessed it — it’s more than 90 per cent water. GROWING AND CARE…

Biodynamic winemaking follows the methods established in the 1920s by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. This method of organic agriculture avoids the use of manufactured pesticides and depends mainly on compost rather than synthetic fertilisers for nutrient enrichment. There is evidence to suggest this method produces more complex flavours as a result of the microbial investment (bioactive composts) it employs. Biodynamics also uses an astronomic calendar to maximise the uptake of nutrients and minerals and help the plants avoid diseases. The farming calendar aligns with moon and planetary phases and indicates the optimal times for agricultural activities such as grape harvesting, root days (pruning), leaf days (watering) and flower days (when the vineyard should not be worked). While some may question the astrological aspect of biodynamics, independent studies have shown that…

Perching: it’s instinctive, right? But anyone who has bought pointof-lay ISAs or Hy-Lines is likely to have been frustrated by their inability to perch. Chicks mothered by a broody hen learn perching skills at an early age, but those reared in a brooder are not so lucky. Most keepers of the red layer pullets have had to introduce these birds to perching and the fact they can fly. These activities rely on spatial awareness, an understanding of distance and how best to get from A to B. It’s rather sad the commercial birds appear to have no ancestral memory of the need to perch nor the skills to achieve it. PERCHING A PRIORITY Landfowl perch at night for safety out of the reach of predators. Most fowls, if given half…

Most people have smelt the distinct musky scent of patchouli oil, which is used in incense and massage oils as well as perfumes. Patchouli smells as if it has been extracted from an exotic plant — perhaps a tropical orchid. Meeting the real plant is a bit of a shock as this seductive, fragrant oil is produced by an insignificant member of the mint family. Patchouli is a soft aromatic shrub growing to around 90cm high and 50cm wide, with small leaves and spires of pink to white fragrant flowers. The distinctively scented oil is extracted from the dried leaves and stems then steam distilled. The oil is used to enhance mood and is also being examined for its antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. The crushed leaves have also been used…

NOVEMBER 2024 The last days of spring are more like summer and it’s the ideal time to plant culinary herbs, greens, tomatoes and, in warmer areas, some tropical fruit trees. DECEMBER 2024 Year’s end means summer proper is here at last and so are salad days: time to plant greens (including lettuce), tomatoes, zucchini and other 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. Sowing, planting and…

Blooms of every colour, lovely as cut flowers, attractive to bees and butterflies, often edible with aromatic foliage, hardy and easy to grow — these are just a few of the attributes of salvias. Most people know a few salvias — some know more than a few — but when you take a deep dive into this genus you’ll be struck at just how many species and cultivars there really are. Within the vast Salvia genus there are annual, biennial and perennial forms, of which culinary sage, a popular herb used in many a savoury dish, is probably the best known worldwide. I adore salvias and in my subtropical garden in Brisbane I have dozens of different varieties that flower throughout the year. Their flowers attract native and European bees,…

COOL & TEMPERATE VEGIES • Finally, it’s getting warmer though it can still be chilly early in cold regions. But that shouldn’t stop you firing up the herb patch with new plantings of basil, chives, dill, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. But keep that mint in a pot — you know how bossy it can get. • Seedlings planted in November as well as ripening salad crops could use a seaweed feed plus shade and water. • Unless you’re going away for the festive season, you might also think about putting in capsicums, cucurbits, lettuce and, if you haven’t planted some already, sweet corn. You could also try a quick crop of dwarf beans or perhaps some borlotti beans for autumn harvest. • Check the vegie garden once or twice…

88 Raw zucchini, spring onion & cherry tomato salad 89 Fusilli salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, tuna, olives & capers 90 Rose’s eggplant parmigiana rolls 91 Chicken & capsicum bake The following recipes are from Italian Family Food by Silvia Colloca, published by Plum, RRP $44.99. Photography by Alan Benson. Insalata di zucchine crude con cipollotti e pomodorini RAW ZUCCHINI, SPRING ONION & CHERRY TOMATO SALAD SERVES 4 AS A LIGHT LUNCH OR SIDE DISH A raw zucchini combination for the win, however, for this dish I prefer to use baby zucchini and, instead of slicing them, I cut them into halves or quarters, for a crunchy texture. If you can find heirloom tomato varieties, this is the salad to use them for. INGREDIENTS • 600g baby zucchini, halved or…