Issue#5.5 2014

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grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably JANUARY/FEBRUARY

JENNIFER STACKHOUSE

BACKYARD BUZZ ALL ABOUT BEES

MELISSA KING

TIME TO PLANT

WHAT YOUR GARDEN NEEDS NOW HEIRLOOM APRICOTS

CLAIRE BICKLE

CARROTS PUMPKINS

HOW TO DEAL WITH SOIL-BORNE PESTS

CLEVER CROPS TROMBONCINO WORMWOOD Vol. 5 No. 5 January/ February 2015 AUS $6.95* NZ $7.90 (Both incl. GST)

PLUS:

• POWER PLANT: TARRAGON • PLANT PROFILE: TASTY TOMATOES • FEATHERED FRIENDS: NEWCOMERS TO THE FLOCK • GREAT GARDEN SHED IDEAS

Garden to table GROWING, COOKING AND PRESERVING SEASONAL CROPS

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Young Thornless Silanberry

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Pot’n All™ Heart Starters chillies – From Zero to Hero ®

Pot’n All™ have joined with The Chilli Factory to present the definitive chilli range, Heart Starters. This range of 27 varieties caters for everyone with heat levels ranging from the zero of the extra-tasty Mini Capsicum to the hero status of Trinidad Scorpion Butch T. Here is a sample of the varieties available…

Chill l Yellow Jelly Bean

Mini Capsicum Capsicum annuum

Capsicum chinense

A compact plant with loads of jelly beansized fruits that go ‘bang’ in your mouth.

No heat but lots more flavoursome than regular Capsicums. Great for stuffing.

hhilli illi

Chilli C ZERO

6/10

0/10

Black Prince Capsicum annuum

Chilli hilli l

Thai Hot

Capsicum annuum

This hot chilli suits Asian stir fries and makes a tasty, tangy garnish to many dishes.

A mild chilli that suits salads, wraps and Mexican or Italian-style cooking.

4/10

Chilli

8/10

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Pot’n All™ Harvest Starters We have assembled a whole range of healthy options for the productive backyard. Here are just a few varieties included in the Harvest range…

Blueberry Sunshine Blue

BBlueberry Blueberry y Blue Rose

A mid-season fruiting variety that yields 2-4 kilos of flavoursome fruit.

uueberry

A mid-season prolific fruiting variety that yields large fruit.

Rubu u Thornless Blackberry Bears richly flavoured fruit from mid-to-late summer. Hard to buy fruit, so grow your own!

RRuubus

Boysenberry A vigorous, trailing grower that’s actually a cross between a Pacific Blackberry and a Raspberry. Its purple-blue fruit has a wonderful, slightly tangy taste.

Youngberry

Black/purple berries appear during summer in abundance. It has a vigorous, trailing habit and is a prolific producer of fruit.

Silvanberry

Hybridised in Australia and a member of the blackberry family, Silvanberry bears luscious large berries in abundance from early summer.

Rubuu s

Ruubus

*Pot’n All Harvest Starters available nationally. Not available in WA.

12/10

Habanero White Capsicum chinense

Chill l Trinidad 7

A fiery hot Habanero with large, jelly-bean-shaped pods that add flavour to many dishes.

10/10

Chill lli

Pod Pink

Capsicum chinense

Attractively coloured fruit is hot enough to flavour seven pots of stew! Tasty too!

Naga Bhut Jolokia Yellow Capsicum chinense This seriously hot Naga, AKA the Ghost Chilli, was once the world’s hottest.

Chilli Chilli

13/10

Peach Ghost Scorpion hhilli

Capsicum chinense

12/10

Cross a Ghost Chilli with a Scorpion and you get sexy coloured fruit and serious heat!

15/10

Trinidad Scorpion Butch T Capsicum chinense Highly flavoursome and EXTREMELY hot!

Produces 2-3kgs of fruit per season.

Available from all Masters Home Improvement stores www.potnall.com.au • Pot’n All™ is a registered Trade Mark of Ramm Botanicals Pty Ltd.

CONTENTS

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Contents 6

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Editor’s note Welcome to 2015 and an issue focusing on one of nature’s most important creatures: the bee The Grapevine Disappearing pollinators, such as bees, are telling

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us there’s something seriously out of kilter in the environment, as Jo Immig explains 10 Readers’ Forum Horticulturist Melissa King answers readers’ noteworthy questions

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Clever Crops Jennifer Stackhouse tells all about clever tromboncino zucchini and wormwood Plant Profile One of the most treasured and widely grown crops: colourful and tasty tomatoes Power Plant Tarragons are worth growing for their culinary value but they have other virtues too Family Heirloom Melissa King reveals the reliable and versatile varieties of apricot Cyber Chat Chloe Thomson tells about how to successfully and happily move house — and garden Gardening Folk One enterprising farmer with an organic vegie patch developed a product that is taking off Gardening Folk Jana Holmer introduces two dedicated organic gardeners who grow a

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wonderful range of vegies in raised beds Gardening Folk Some landscape designers and architects specialise in sustainable and organic methods — Andrew Davies is one Time to Plant Melissa King tells how to grow two favourites: carrots and pumpkins Things to Do Jennifer Stackhouse advises on how to keep it cool but still successful in the summer months Short Shoots Innovative and imaginative ideas for your garden from our young organic gardener Amazing Garden At the Yellow House, perennials, culinary and medicinal herbs and edibles abound in a free-spirited way Weekend Gardening In our special on bees, apiarist John Scott tells

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how to acquire or build a beehive for your garden The Shed Sheds — whether a home office, potting hub or for tool storage — don’t have to be ugly or boring The Underground Claire Bickle has some organic solutions for when things go wrong underground Feathered Friends Megg Miller gives advice to grow, harvest, store and on introducing newcomers preserve, plus healthy recipes to the flock from chef Joanna Rushton Professional Organics 95 Cover To Cover The story of Every Bit Organic, The latest books for from humble beginnings to gardeners and cooks one of the world’s largest reviewed range of organic oils 96 What’s New Garden to Table Our Pick of the Crop of All about seaweed plus products and services for three seasonal edibles: how gardeners and cooks

Good Organic Gardening | 5

Editor’s note JANUARY/FEBRUARY Editor Diane Norris Managing Editor Kerry Boyne Designer Katharine McKinnon Contributors Claire Bickle, Kerry Boyne, Sarah Curry, Neville Donovan, Jana Holmer, Jo Immig, Melissa King, Megg Miller, Diane Norris, Joanna Rushton, John Scott, Erina Starkey, Jennifer Stackhouse Food photography Diane Norris Advertising Manager Miriam Keen Ph: 02 9887 0604 | Fax: 02 9878 5553 Mob: 0414 969 693 Email: mkeen@universalmagazines.com.au Advertising Production Coordinator Hannah Felton Cover Photo Cherry Tomatoes by 123RF

Chairman/CEO Prema Perera Publisher Janice Williams Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva Associate Publisher Karen Day Associate Publisher Emma Perera Circulation Director Mark Darton Creative Director Kate Podger Editorial Production Manager Anastasia Casey Print Production Manager Lilian Ohanessian Prepress Manager Ivan Fitz-Gerald Marketing & Acquisitions Manager Chelsea Peters Subscription enquiries: 1300 303 414 Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office: (02) 9805 0399 Good Organic Gardening Vol. 5 No. 5 is published by Universal Magazines, Unit 5, 6-8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113. Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office: Suite 4, Level 1, 150 Albert Road, South Melbourne Vic 3025. Phone: (03) 9694 6444, Fax: (03) 9699 7890. Printed by KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd, Singapore. Distributed by Network Services, Phone: (02) 9282 8777. UK Distributor: KLM Partnership, Phone: +44 019 9244 7544.

Singapore & Malaysia Distributor: Carkit (F.E.) Pte Ltd, 1 Charlton Lane, #01-02, Singapore 539631, Phone: +65 6282 1960, Fax: +65 6382 3021, Website: www.carkitfe.com.

This magazine may have some content that is advertorial or promotional in nature. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers. The publishers believe all the information supplied in this book to be correct at the time of printing. They are not, however, in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were, after investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, up to date at the time of printing, but the shifting sands of time may change them in some cases. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements which appear in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility must therefore be on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisements for publication. While every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.

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We are a member of

T

he team from Good Organic Gardening hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday time and found lots of ways to enjoy yourself, from pottering in the patch (of course) to relaxing in your down-time.

In saying that, I notice a lot of those interested in organic living choose a lifestyle that often reaches into all parts of their lives, complementing their natural outlook on things. They look carefully at everything they do and use, which could mean choosing plantbased paints, using safe organic hair or skin products, making sensible building material choices that are not laced with toxic preservatives or treatments and not cluttering their lives with unnecessary bits and pieces.

Another thing I have noticed in those people is a heightened appreciation of nature.

Of course, many other people enjoy nature, too. For me, my love of the natural world goes hand-in-hand with my love of kayaking.

Getting out in the wilderness of the ocean is an indescribable feeling, especially when paddling in remote and wild places.

Being organic minded also means being aware of issues facing our environment and our co-inhabitants, so we are then able to pass on that message to others in the hope of making a difference. In this issue, we look at one of those concerns of the natural world: the threats to bee populations.

I recall it was David Attenborough who famously said, “Insects could live perfectly well without human beings, but human beings could not live without insects.” Stop and read that again. Food for much thought? If only we realised and acknowledged the impact of that one statement. Insects (along with some birds) are nature’s pollinators, so without them all plants, including food crops, would not reproduce.

The bee is one of nature’s most recognisable insects. It shocked but did not surprise me a couple of years ago to read that semi-trailers were carting colonies of bees around parts of America because there were no bees left to pollinate crops. Pesticides have been used (often overused or misused) on crops and in homes for decades. Pesticides kill living things — full stop. Insecticides have been developed and concocted to specifically kill insects, good, bad or indifferent. When applied, particularly in a broad-spectrum way such as aerial spraying, every insect can be killed — including bees.

We are proud to bring you this special on bees. The Grapevine sheds some light on the controversy surrounding the use of neonicotineoids (neuro-active insecticides)

Kayaking in the Johnstone Strait off Vancouver Island

and their association with the decline of bee populations worldwide. And in Weekend Gardening we give you a brief outline of the physiology of the bee and how to include a beehive or two in your garden.

Of course, an entire volume or more could be dedicated to bees, let alone other insects, but we hope this small glimpse into this most important of creatures whets your appetite to consider and know more.

One way you can help is in your choice of plants. I have photographed insects for many years and can confidently say bees love purpleflowering plants. So I suggest you plant purple.

The best of the best, in my opinion, are borage, lavender (particularly English or French), purple-flowering salvia varieties, buddlejas (find the dark purple, lilac or dark crimson ones), spurge (Eupatorium sp. or Eupatorium pupureum), Tower of Jewels (Echium candicans), dogbane (Plectranthus caninus) and anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum). Let basil bloom and you’ll notice an increase in bee numbers in your herb garden.

The next best colour I believe bees like is yellow, so let some of your crops, like broccoli or bok choy or lettuce, go to flower. I recently saw hover flies, native bees and honey bees visiting broccoli flowers at the same time — spectacular!

We hope you enjoy this summer edition and you are inspired to attract bees, native particularly, to your garden with considerate plantings, and perhaps you’d like to install a hive or two.

Happy gardening,

See us on facebook at www.facebook.com/ GoodOrganicGardeningMagazine or contact us via email: infoGOG@universalmagazines.com.au

THE GRAPEVINE | News

the grapevine Environmental news and updates compiled by Jo Immig Honey bees are one of the most important plant pollinators

You’ve probably heard about the global bee emergency. Honey bee colonies and wild bees are dying off at alarming rates, particularly in the USA and Europe, and scientists are scrambling for answers.

The seriousness of the situation can’t be overstated. Pollinating insects like bees play a fundamental role in the production of many food crops we and other animals rely on. But an even bigger problem looms.

Like the canaries in coalmines that fell off their perches, alerting miners to a build-up of toxic gases, disappearing pollinators are telling us there’s something seriously out of kilter in the environment.

Apiarists attest to the continuing decline of their bee colonies in a phenomenon known as “colony collapse disorder” whereby bees abandon their hives and die. But who’s monitoring the less “economically important” species and looking for the knock-on effects higher up the food chain?

The systemic neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, are emerging as key suspects in pollinator deaths. As gardeners you might be unwittingly contributing to the problem by purchasing neonicotinoid-treated seeds, potting mix or ornamental plants, or even treating your pets with them.

Neonicotinoid pesticides aren’t the only concern. Researchers are speculating that honeybees are succumbing to a perfect storm of stressors, including disappearing habitats, poor nutrition, viruses and genetically modified crops.

8 | Good Organic Gardening

The European Commission has enforced a two-year ban on the neonicotinoid pesticides thiamethoxam, imidacloprid and clothianidin after a review by the European Food Safety Authority found data gaps and inadequate assessment of their potential ecological impacts.

What are neo-nicotin-oids, aside from being difficult to pronounce? They’re a relatively new group of insecticides designed to kill insects by overstimulating their nervous systems (think uncontrolled twitching), ultimately leading to paralysis and death. Not a particularly humane method, you’ll have to admit.

Imidacloprid was the first neonicotinoid insecticide to come into commercial use, in 1991. It’s now the most widely used insecticide in the world.

Neonicotinoids are systemic pesticides. This means when applied to a seed, plant, soil or animal, they move from the area first applied into untreated tissues, turning the whole plant or seed into something indiscriminately poisonous. For instance, seeds treated with neonicotinoids grow into plants that produce guttation fluids that can contain toxic levels of the pesticide first applied to the seed.

Guttation fluid happens when the plant expels xylem sap, which forms droplets on the tips or along the edges of leaves, not to be confused with the formation of dew.

Bees and other insects love it as a source of water and if it contains pesticide residues, their health can be impacted, leaving them vulnerable to other diseases.

When something’s amiss with bees, the whole ecology is out of kilter

Photos: Bigstock & Diane Norris

Bee alert

Like the canaries in coalmines that fell off their perches, alerting miners to a build-up of toxic gases, disappearing pollinators are telling us there’s something seriously out of kilter in the environment.

Here’s what Rachel Carson said about systemic pesticides in her prophetic book Silent Spring, published in 1962: “The world of systemic insecticides is a weird world, surpassing the imaginings of brothers Grimm ... It is a world where the enchanted forest of fairytales has become the poisonous forest in which an insect chews a leaf or sucks the sap of a plant and is doomed. It is a world where a flea bites a dog and dies ... where a bee may carry poisonous nectar back to its hive.”

Unlike the European Union, Australian regulators have not placed any bans on neonicotinoids. Instead, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) has produced an overview report, Neonicotinoids and the Health of Honey Bees in Australia (2013), in which it declares: “The introduction of the neonicotinoids has led to an overall reduction in the risks to the agricultural environment from the application of insecticides.” This is a big call that doesn’t appear to be based on any independent research or monitoring.

The APVMA’s conclusion is also at odds other regulators’ opinions and not supported by their own findings that there are gaps in the regulatory risk assessment processes and labelling requirements for pesticides in Australia to protect bees and other pollinators.

Neonicotinoids are used extensively in Australia, so let’s hope the APVMA gets on with the job of fixing the inadequate assessment processes to better protect bees and other pollinators.

Imidacloprid, for instance, is currently used as a direct spray on cotton, fruit, stonefruit, apples, vegetables, turf, ornamentals, shrubs and roses. It’s applied as a seed treatment in numerous crops,

including maize, sweetcorn, lentils and lupins, canola, sorghum, cereals, pulses, sunflower, cotton, forage and seed pastures. It’s also used to treat soil for sugarcane, vegetables, apples, potatoes and ornamentals in pots.

Other neonicotinoid pesticides in Australia with uses that could impact on home gardeners include acetamiprid used in potting mixes, clothianidin used on turf and thiacloprid used as a foliar spray on roses and camellias in commercial nurseries.

Neonicotinoid use in ornamentals and home garden products has prompted targeted campaigns in other countries to remove them from use. Unless you’re buying certified organic seeds, inputs and plants, you should start asking questions about neonicotinoid residues and steering clear of them for your home garden. ■

Jo Immig is a writer and photographer who is passionate about all things organic. She’s the co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network, a not-for-profit organisation working to eliminate toxic chemical pollution, and an environmental scientist with expertise in issues such as pesticides, genetically engineered food, indoor air pollution and children’s environmental health. Jo represents the environment sector on the Community Engagement Forum of the Commonwealth industrial chemical regulator, NICNAS. She has published several books and contributed numerous articles on household chemical issues and sustainable living. Contact Jo at the National Toxics Network info@ntn.org.au or visit www.ntn.org.au.

Good Organic Gardening | 9

Q&A | Readers’ Forum

ask melissa Horticulturist and TV presenter Melissa King answers your cultivation questions Harvest eggplant when they are shiny and firm

In warm humid areas, loose-leaf lettuce varieties do well

sweet. Enjoy them roasted whole or stuffed.

(See more about growing pumpkins on page 99.)

Q A

Q

I got a good harvest of eggplant this year but the fruit was quite bitter. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

Overripe eggplants can tend toward bitterness, so make sure you harvest them when they’re shiny and firm. Eggplants are less bitter when the seeds are the same colour as the flesh. If the seeds are brown, the fruit may make your mouth pucker. If eggplants are moisture stressed, the fruit may also become puckery, so be sure to keep the water up to your crop, particularly when the young fruit begins to develop. I find that varieties like the Greek eggplant tend to be a bit sweeter.

It has really attractive light-purpleand-white-striped fruit that tastes wonderful in traditional Greek dishes like moussaka. The unusual white eggplant is often sweeter, too. You can reduce bitterness during the cooking process as well simply by slicing or dicing and salting it well. Leave the salted fruit to sit for half an hour or so, then wash it or dab off any excess salt with a paper towel before cooking. The salt draws out excess moisture and bitterness.

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10 | Good Organic Gardening

I’ve just moved from Melbourne to a subtropical garden and I want to grow lettuces but they keep bolting. Do you have any advice?

In warm, humid areas you’ll have more success with loose-leaf lettuce varieties.

Hearting types are more prone to bolting and disease. Darker-leaf varieties like ‘Red Perpetual’ also tend to be more heat tolerant and less likely to bolt. Look out for varieties that cope better with summer heat and humidity, like ‘Summer Harvest’, which has attractive red-tipped ruffled leaves, or the rich maroon-coloured ‘Summer Bowl Red’. If it gets too hot you could try growing them under shadecloth or planting them next to a crop of corn, which provides some afternoon shade.

You may also have more success growing them through the cooler months and sowing seed from April through to July.

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Look for popping corn varieties to make popcorn

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I’m told you can grow baby pumpkins for kids. Are there any varieties you can recommend?

Yes, there are miniature pumpkins that are both decorative and edible and are always a favourite with the kids. The two varieties I’m most familiar with are ‘Jack Be Little’ and ‘Wee B Little’. ‘Jack B Little’ has bright-orange kid-sized fruit, just 5cm tall with sweet flesh. The vine is also quite compact, spreading from three to four metres across, so it won’t take over your whole garden. ‘Wee B Little’ produces baby pumpkins on a compact vine, too, with golden flesh that’s deliciously

Email your queries to Melissa at infoGOG@universalmagazines.com.au

Photos: Bigstock & Diane Norris

Q

I thought it might be fun to grow popping corn with the kids. Are there specific varieties I should look out for?

There are different types of corn for boiling, barbecuing, making into flour and popping, so look out for a popping variety. Popcorn kernels contain a small droplet of water encased by soft starch and surrounded by the kernel’s hard outer layer. Without being too scientific about it, as the kernel heats up the water expands and turns to steam and pressure builds, eventually bursting the hull open — that’s when you hear the “pop”. The aptly named varietal ‘Popcorn’ is a good choice, with sweet yellow kernels that can be dried and popped. You might also like to try ‘Painted Mountain’ with its decorative cobs packed with kernels in all shades, from white, yellow and black to burgundy and red. It’s a good choice for grinding into flour or drying for popping. ‘Ontos Oval’ is another one for a movie marathon, with white oval-shaped kernels that pop well.

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CLEVER CROPS | Tromboncino

Tromboncino Cucurbita moschata

Words by Jennifer Stackhouse

I

f you think about what a zucchini looks like, you probably come up with an image of a straight green vegie that grows in a leafy clump. Well here’s the news! There are many zucchini and one is the oddly shaped but aptly named tromboncino, which has a long neck and a bulbous base.

This zucchini grows on a vine that’s best trained up a trellis or across an arch so the trombone-shaped fruit can hang downwards.

It is a type of summer squash.

The tromboncino is a heritage variety that makes good eating. Despite its great taste, this zucchini isn’t widely known or grown by gardeners today. To find seeds,

Tromboncinos are pale green. Each fruit can grow to a metre long, but don’t let them get that big. They are far tastier and just as shapely at a compact 25cm long.

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Tromboncino grow best when supported

search among the offerings of specialist vegetable seed suppliers.

Tromboncinos are pale green. Each fruit can grow to a metre long, but don’t let them get that big. They are far tastier and just as shapely at a compact 25cm long.

The other big bonus of tromboncino plants is their resistance to powdery mildew, which is a real plus for organic gardeners.

Growing tips Grow tromboncino much like any zucchini, but plants need a support to climb on.

Sow seeds in spring and summer when the weather warms and all threat of frost has passed. As plants take around 10 weeks to start producing, stop planting in mid-summer in cold zones to avoid damage by early frosts and cold conditions. In tropical areas, tromboncino can be grown in the dry season.

These plants grow best and the fruits mature well when the plants are growing in full sun in good, moisture-retentive soils. Keep plants well watered to reduce the likelihood of fruit loss.

All zucchini can develop blossom end rot due to calcium deficiency when watering is erratic.

If this problem strikes, small fruits fail to grow; they get soft and brown and fall from the plant (for more on this problem see page 42). 

Tromboncino label Common name: Tromboncino, zucchetta Botanical name: Cucurbita moschata Group: Annual vegetable Requires: Full sun, well-drained soil, regular fertiliser Dislikes: Frost, cold conditions Suitable for: Vegetable garden, trellis Habit: Vine Needs: Regular watering Propagation: Seed Difficulty: Easy

Photos: Courtesy of The Diggers Club, www.diggers.com.au & Bigstock

Zucchini are among the most rewarding of plants to grow. Try this variety for something a bit different

Wormwood | CLEVER CROPS

Wormwood Artemisia absinthium Despite its unappealing name, this interesting plant has a number of diverse uses Words by Jennifer Stackhouse

S

ome plants don’t get the best of common names, do they?

Wormwood is more properly known by its scientific name of Artemisia absinthium, which hints at its other common name of absinthe.

It’s thought the name wormwood was bestowed on this plant because it was used as a treatment for intestinal worms. Organic poultry farmers and backyarder chook owners still swear by it to help control worms and other parasites in their flocks.

Bitter flavour Wormwood has a bitter flavour and is listed as one of the bitter herbs along with rue,

dandelion and yarrow. Apart from worm control, its main use is to flavour absinthe, vermouth and bitters. Only the smallest amounts are used, however, as thujone, which is found in the essential oils derived from this plant, is addictive and can be neurotoxic in excess.

Substances in wormwood also stimulate secretions in the digestive tract. This is why it may be used in herbal medicines to stimulate appetite. Don’t go self-treating with wormwood, though, as it can cause harm if overdosed.

The closely related A. annua (Chinese wormwood or qing hao) has been shown to contain artemisinin, which can prevent and cure malaria. As there are strains of malaria that are resistant to mainstream medicines, artemisia may be useful in ongoing malaria treatment.

Organic poultry farmers and backyarder chook owners still swear by it to help control worms and other parasites in their flocks.

Wormwood label Common name: Wormwood, absinthe Botanical name: Artemisia absinthium Group: Perennial herb Requires: Full sun, well-drained soil Dislikes: Humid conditions, wet feet Suitable for: Chook runs, low hedge, herb patch, ornamental garden Habit: Woody shrub Needs: Regular pruning to shape or remove flowers Propagation: Cutting Difficulty: Easy

Growing wormwood As well as having intriguing medicinal properties, wormwood is an easy-to-grow garden plant for a sunny spot. Try it where you need a low hedge 80–100cm high.

Wormwood is a ferny-leafed perennial with slightly hairy, silver-green pungent leaves on woody stems. Expect clusters of fluffy yellow flowers from late spring to early autumn. This plant is easy to grow from cuttings and suits all but tropical climates. 

Good Organic Gardening | 13

PLANT PROFILE | Tomatoes

tomatoes Compiled by Neville Donovan, Greenpatch Organic Seeds

o summer vegie patch is complete without tomatoes and nothing can beat the flavour of a ripe homegrown beauty picked fresh from the garden. They are not necessarily the easiest plants to grow, but they provide a great challenge and much gratification for gardeners.

A successful harvest is a rewarding pleasure with this simply amazing fruit.

Tomatoes are one of the most essential crops to grow organically as it’s not uncommon for chemicals to be used on commercially grown crops and some of those can be readily absorbed by the fruit.

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Homegrown tomatoes are also a healthy nutritional package. They provide lycopene, an antioxidant found in red fruits, along with vitamins A, C and carotene, and they’re brimming with dietary fibre.

The variety and choice of colours includes yellow, red, orange, pink, striped and dark blushes, and they range in size from a small marble to large meaty fruit, making tomatoes an exciting option to grow in the home garden.

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Climate and planting In subtropical and tropical climates tomatoes can be planted and grown year round except for the wetter months, but in cool and temperate regions tomatoes grow best in the warmest parts of the year. 

Homegrown tomatoes are also a healthy nutritional package. They provide lycopene, an antioxidant found in red fruits, along with vitamins A, C and carotene, and they’re brimming with dietary fibre.

14 | Good Organic Gardening

Common name: Tomato Botanical name: Lycopersicon lycopersicum Family: Solanaceae Aspect and soil: Sun, moist soil Best climate: All Habit: Annual vine, fruits summer to autumn (year-round in warm zones), dwarf varieties great in tubs or pots Propagation: Seed, seedling or grafted plants Difficulty: Moderate

Photos: Courtesy of Greenpatch Organic Seeds & The Diggers Club

Nothing says summer in the garden like rich red tomatoes ... or yellow, green, orange, pink or striped

Tomatoes | PLANT PROFILE

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2 1 Big Rainbow 2 Green Zebra 3 Cherry Tomatoes 4 Tomato Toe 5 Beams Yellow Pear 6 Green Zebra 3

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Good Organic Gardening | 15

PLANT PROFILE | Tomatoes Kale

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Tomatoes are tall vine-like plants that do best in a well-prepared garden bed (but not over-rich) with good drainage. They can be staked or trained onto a trellis or tripod to at least 2m high. In all but the hottest climate tomatoes are grown in full sun. Light shade in hot climates reduces plant stress and avoids sun damage on the fruit.

Space plants 40–50cm apart and, if growing tomatoes in rows, keep the rows 60cm apart.

How to grow Seeds can be started in containers — sow sparsely and cover seeds with 3-4mm of fine soil. When plants reach 7-8cm high they can be hardened off in a sunny position. Either plant directly into the garden or pot to be planted out at a later date.

Tall varieties can be trained on supports, otherwise they tend to flop and sprawl. As tomatoes grow, keep tying the growth to their support using a soft tie so as not to damage the stem. Tie below a leaf stalk and not around the flower cluster. This will minimise any damage to fruit development.

Bush varieties are generally easier to grow and can be planted in small spaces, plus they’re ideal for container gardening.

Excess growth can be removed by pinching out lateral side shoots and allowing 1–3 stems to grow. As the plant reaches the top of the stake, it can be tip-pruned.

Tomatoes enjoy regular deep watering during dry weather conditions and light mulching.

Rotted compost, organic fertiliser, blood and bone or pelletised chicken manure can be used at planting time. Liquid-feeding with a seaweed emulsion or an organic fertiliser during the growing period will benefit the fruiting of the plant.

Pest watch Watch out for pests and other problems.

Budworm, or heliothis caterpillars, bore holes into the green fruit. They can be organically controlled using Dipel (a biological insecticide based on the naturally occurring compound Bacillus thuringiensis.

However, fruit fly is the main culprit that damages tomatoes, so to protect crops as

they ripen use baits containing spinosad (a bacteria-derived insecticide), such as Eco Naturalure. Other organic methods to control fruit fly include covering fruit clusters before they ripen with mesh or calico exclusion bags or covering the whole plant with fine netting to exclude both insects and other pests, such as birds.

To reduce leaf diseases, water the plant from underneath and also cut and remove any diseased leaves. Good plant spacing is essential for air flow and reduces the potential for leaf-borne diseases.

Harvesting, storing and preserving Fruit can be picked when it turns from a whitish appearance to the first blush of colour.

It’s best to allow fruit to ripen to full colour for optimum flavour and nutritional benefits.

Tomatoes can be eaten fresh or cooked.

They may be bottled, dried or used to make sauces. Green tomatoes that fail to ripen in autumn make delicious chutney.

So many choices ...

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‘Amish Paste’ A vigorous and very hardy climbing oxheart tomato with solid-fleshed fruit that’s suitable for cooking or sauces.

Good cropper.

‘Apollo’ Mid-sized fruit.

‘Aunt Ruby’s German Green’ A big, beefsteak variety that’s green when ripe with flesh that can be rainbow-coloured.

‘Beam’s Yellow Pear’ Tasty yellow, pearshaped fruit with wonderful flavour.

‘Black Cherry’ Dark-purple or black-toned, round cherry-style fruit boasting burst-inthe-mouth sweetness.

‘Black Russian’ Medium-sized round, purple-tinged fruit with dark reddishbrown flesh.

Tomatoes | PLANT PROFILE 11

‘Green Zebra’ Green-and-yellow-striped fruit with a tangy bite — one of the most popular heirlooms.

‘Grosse Lisse’ Regarded by many as the best variety for the home garden, it’s tallgrowing with large deep-red fruit.

‘Jade Beauty’ Dwarf type that reaches 70cm and has green fruit.

‘Lemon Drop’ Tiny yellow variety with a lovely zing to the fruit.

‘Oxheart Pink’ Popular old staking variety good for cooler areas, with low-acid, pink heart-shaped fruit.

‘Patio’ Dwarf variety that reaches 60cm tall and has clusters of red fruit.

‘Red Fig’ Pear-shaped red fruit.

‘Roma’ A popular, tasty, oval-shaped variety particularly good for cooking and drying.

‘Stupice’ Early fruiting variety particularly suited to cooler areas.

7 Black Cherry 8 Lemon Drop 9 Aunt Ruby's German Green 10 Diggers 11 Golden Jubilee

‘Tigerella’ One of the most bountiful of all tomatoes, producing up to 20kg of fruit per plant. Fruit is smallish, round and ripens with striped tones of red and yellow.

‘Tiny Tim’ Dwarf bush tomato with small, round fruit, ideal for pots.

‘Tomato Big Rainbow’ Flesh varies from green to yellow, red and pink; a prolific cropper.

‘Tommy Toe’ A top-tasting heirloom with larger cherry-style red fruit.

‘Tumbling Tom’ A cascading tomato that can be grown in a hanging basket with both red and yellow fruiting forms.

‘Yellow Pear’ Spreading variety producing many small fruits to 3cm long, very tasty and acid-free.  Neville Donovan is a horticulturist and owner, with wife Sophia, of Greenpatch Organic Seeds & Plants. For more information see www.greenpatchseeds.com.au

For more in-depth information about tomatoes see our relaunch issue January/February 2013, where Melissa King gives the best heirloom tomato varieties to grow, and last year’s January/February edition, where they appear in our Garden to Table feature with Jennifer Stackhouse revealing how to grow tomatoes well.

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www.greenpatchseeds.com.au Good Organic Gardening | 17

POWER PLANT | Tarragon French tarragon

Medicinal properties French tarragon is generally grown only for culinary purposes, though one scientific study found that compounds derived from the plant exercised potent anticancer effects by inducing DNA damage in cancer cells. Another study

Tarragon vinegar Tarragon vinegar has deliciously zesty minty-licorice undertones that complement vinegar perfectly. It can be expensive to buy but so simple to make — and the homemade stuff will taste better, too. Plus, if you put it in a nice, decorative bottle it makes a simple but lovely gift. It’s traditional to use white wine vinegar but for an extra health boost (and a different flavour) you can use raw apple cider vinegar. Be careful not to heat ACV too much as it will kill the health-giving “mother” and turn it into an ordinary vinegar. Purists would use only French tarragon but you could use Mexican if that’s all you have.

Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa, Tagetes lucida Worth growing for their culinary uses alone, tarragons possess virtues other than their zesty licorice flavour Words by Kerry Boyne hen cooks talk about tarragon they of course mean French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa). It has long been a herbal staple in European cuisines. It’s one of the herbs in fines herbes seasoning mix (along with parsley, chives and chervil) used in French cooking. It’s also the main flavouring ingredient in béarnaise and other sauces and, obviously, that French classic, tarragon vinegar.

It’s the plant’s aromatic anise-like taste, due to the presence of estragole, that makes it valued in the kitchen, pairing beautifully with chicken, fish, pork and eggs, and especially with asparagus. Tarragon is commonly used to flavour vinegar, pickles, mustard, mayonnaise and even honey.

Russian tarragon (A. dracunculoides L.) rates a quick mention here, if only to warn against buying it by mistake. It’s not valued as a culinary herb as its flavour is not good. In the garden, though, it is a hardier, more vigorous plant and, unlike French tarragon, can be grown from seed. So, unless you have your own reason for choosing Russian, make sure the label on the plant you buy says French tarragon.

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There is a third kind, though, one that almost matches the French tarragon for culinary value: Mexican or Spanish tarragon (Tagetes lucida), which, though from a different genus, has a good flavour that is certainly much better than the Russian kind. Also known as winter tarragon, in mild climates it keeps growing while French tarragon dies back, so the trick may be, depending on where you live, to grow both.

Mexican tarragon was used by the Aztecs in a ritual incense. They were said to blow a medicinal powder containing T. lucida into the faces of those about to become human sacrifices to the gods. The plant was associated with the rain god, the deity responsible for “water illnesses” such as gout, colds and rheumatism. Dried Mexican tarragon was also mixed with wild tobacco and smoked by other American indigenous people for its psychotropic effects. (Don’t try this at home.)

The leaves of Mexican tarragon were an important flavouring of chocolatl, a foaming cocoa drink enjoyed by the Aztecs. A tea made from the leaves and flowers is still popular in Latin America today.

Ingredients 2 cups white wine vinegar 1 cup French tarragon leaves 6 pink or black peppercorns (optional) Sprig of tarragon for decoration Method Bruise the leaves to bring out the oils and the flavour and place in a clean mason jar or similar (a run through the dishwasher gets it clean enough). Add peppercorns if using.

Pour in the vinegar to completely cover, top with a lid and allow to steep for at least two weeks.

Strain into a clean decorative bottle and place the sprig in the bottle for decoration and easy identification. Label if desired.

Photos: Bigstock

Tarragon

Mexican tarragon in flower

found that one of French tarragon’s components (PMI 5011) improves insulin action, with a further study showing that the anti-diabetic polyphenols became more bioavailable and bioaccessible when used in complexation with soy protein (so perhaps we should add tofu to the list of foods it goes with). Tarragon is also a natural diuretic, laxative and antispasmodic. It’s should not be consumed in large amounts, though.

Meanwhile, the leaves, stem and flowers of Mexican tarragon made into a decoction have been shown to have an antidepressant effect on rats. Studies have also demonstrated its strong activity against a number of fungal and bacterial strains. Plus, it has been proven to possess significant free-radical scavenging activity, making it a potent antioxidant.

Perhaps best of all for gardeners is Mexican tarragon’s potential for controlling pests. Secretions from the roots have an insecticidal action on soil against nematodes and a deterrent effect against some weeds, such as couch grass. The plant also repels pests like the asparagus beetle and bean weevil. Dried, it can be burnt as an incense to repel insects.

Growing A perennial native to southern Europe across to central Asia, French tarragon prefers a Mediterranean to cool climate. It will grow in part shade but does well in a sunny spot with light, well-drained soil. It is drought-resistant and cold-hardy. As it rarely sets seed you need to buy a plant or acquire a cutting or root division.

Spring or early autumn is the best time to plant. It will die back in winter and become dormant, shooting again in spring. Mulch well before winter frosts and during the growing season pinch out tops and harvest regularly. Lift and divide roots for new plants every couple of years — it loses flavour after about four years.

Mexican tarragon, also a perennial, is native to Central and South America and so enjoys hotter climes, thriving in coastal humidity where French tarragon may struggle. It needs full sun and a moderately fertile soil. As a member of the Asteraceae family, the plant also goes by the name of sweetscented marigold for its pretty yellow daisy flowers. The plant grows from seed and will continue to grow through winter in frostfree areas, when it can become a substitute for French tarragon.

Both are pretty trouble-free but can be susceptible to rusts, mildews and root rot if too wet. Be careful not to over-water French tarragon.

6RDVW %HHWURRW 6EHMGGLMS 7EPEH Sweet, salty roasted beetroot with syrupy balsamic and ¾axseed oil creates a beautiful crisp salad with bitter, colourful radicchio leaves and bright orange citrus.

Serve with extra beans as a meal or as a side salad.

3 medium beetroots, peeled and quartered ½ cup pecans, toasted 100g chèvre (goat’s cheese) Handful of radicchio and endive leaves 1 orange peeled and sliced into half segments 250g cannellini beans Olive oil Cayenne pepper and salt to taste Dressing: 1 tbsp balsamic, 1 tsp icing sugar &1 tbsp Stoney Creek Flaxseed Oil stirred together.

Toss beetroots in a roasting pan with olive oil, salt and cayenne pepper. Roast at 180ºC for 20/30 minutes or until caramelised and soft. Arrange ingredients in a bowl or platter, crumble with chèvre and drizzle with dressing.

Stoneyy Creek Organic g Flaxseed Oil is nature’s richest source of Omega 3 (60% as ALA).

Available from your local organic or health store, independent supermarket, selected pharmacy or visit stoneycreekoil.com.au

Harvesting Pick A. dracunculus from spring to autumn and T. lucida most of the year if in a frost-free area, though the oils in the plants are at their most potent in mid-summer. The leaves of both plants can be dried but will lose flavour and will need to be used in larger quantities. You can also freeze the leaves in ice cubes for use out of season. 

Healthy Farm. Healthy Food. ®

Good Organic Gardening | 19

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Apricot multi-colored RipePlump, apricots on the tree bell peppers

Amber apricots When the apricot blooms, you know winter is truly over and a crop of juicy, golden fruit is on its way Words by Melissa King

resh apricots don’t store very well, so the sweet, sumptuous fruit picked from your own tree is worlds away from those less-than-ripe shop-bought ones. And that’s just one reason to grow them at home.

Apricots are closely related to peaches but the fruit is smaller, with velvety goldenorange skin and flesh that’s smooth, sweet and musky, even a bit tart. The fruit originated in China but was grown and embraced thousands of years ago by the Armenians, which explains its botanical name Prunus armeniaca.

Apricots are the earliest of the summer fruits and can be used in everything from apricot and almond tart to pies and upside-down cakes.

They also combine beautifully with chicken and pork in sweet savoury dishes and taste delicious dried or made into jam, chutney or nectar. Health-wise, apricots are a good source of vitamins A, C and potassium.

In the garden, I think apricots are one of the prettiest fruit trees, with masses of snowy white blossoms and bronze-yellow autumn foliage.

They burst into bloom early in spring when the daffodils are still in flower and are a welcome reminder that there are warmer days ahead.

The variety I grew up with was the ‘Moorpark’. We had a tree in our front garden

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and I could devour the fruit until my stomach ached. It’s a classic late-fruiting English variety that has stood the test of time — and for good reason. The fruit has a wonderful true apricot taste and is delicious eaten fresh or made into jam. For best flavour, leave it to hang on the tree until golden orange and blushed with crimson.

The only thing to bear in mind is that ‘Moorpark’ can be biennial, meaning it will bear heavily one season then not produce a lot the following year. And if you’re into preserving, it doesn’t hold its shape particularly well, so it’s not ideal for bottling. Despite the odd downside it’s still one of the best apricots around and my choice for outstanding flavour.

‘Storey’s’ apricot has similar characteristics to those of ‘Moorpark’ but fruits earlier in the season, through December and January, and is sometimes called ‘Early Moorpark’.

The ‘Trevatt’ apricot is another well-known variety with big, round fruit bursting with flavour if you harvest it mid-season when it’s ripe and ready. It has light-yellow skin and brilliant orange flesh that’s perfect for drying, bottling or eating fresh from the tree.

‘Divinity’ apricots are worth a try as well for their divine, sweet flavour. Trees produce fruit late at first but as they mature they ripen earlier in the season, with a heavy crop sometime around November or December. 

The variety I grew up with was the ‘Moorpark’. We had a tree in our front garden and I could devour the fruit until my stomach ached.

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Apricot |

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS

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FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Apricot 1

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The ‘Goldrich’ apricot has been around since the 1970s, but this retro variety is still popular for its rich golden fruit and wonderful flavour. It’s a good choice for colder climates, ripening through mid- to late summer. Grow it with a ‘Moorpark’ apricot for a superior crop.

One of the last varieties to harvest is the ‘Hunter’ apricot, which ripens around late February. The flesh has a lovely rich flavour but is low in juice, so it’s perfect for drying.

If you’re after something just a little bit special, keep an eye out for the heirloom French apricot ‘Tardi de Bourdonel’. You might have to hunt it down, but it’s worth the effort for its romantic name and flavourful late-summer crop.

Growing apricots Apricots are generally medium-sized trees that mature to around 3.5m tall. They grow well in most temperate climates and enjoy warm, dry summers but there are low-chill varieties like the ‘Glengarry’ that can be grown in the subtropics. They like full sun and well-drained soil, so prepare garden beds well before planting by incorporating plenty of compost and organic matter.

Apricots are one of the first fruit trees to blossom so they dislike spring frosts, which can really knock the flowers about.

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Photos: Courtesy of Flemings, www.flemings.com.au/potc/potc_apricots.asp

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1 Gorgeous apricot spring blossoms 2 Storey’s apricot (Early Moorpark) 3 Divinity apricot 4 Prunus Divinity apricot 5 Storey’s apricot (Early Moorpark) on the tree 6 Moorpark apricot

It’s important to keep the water up to new plants until they are well established, particularly when the young fruit starts to develop and swell. Feed with an organic flower and fruit fertiliser in early spring and top-dress with compost and well-rotted manure.

Most varieties are self-fertile so don’t require a cross-pollinating partner to produce a good crop, but some gardeners find they get a bigger batch of fruit if they plant a second apricot nearby or handpollinate trees to increase yields.

It’s best to prune apricot trees as soon as you’ve harvested the fruit, when the weather is still warm and dry, to reduce the chance of bacterial infections getting into open pruning wounds.

Harvesting Apricots are generally ready to harvest when soft but not mushy and detach easily from the tree. Some varieties, like ‘Moorpark’, can ripen from the stone out, so the fruit can still feel quite firm even when ripe.

Fresh apricots don’t store well for more than a few days, so are best eaten straight from the tree, dried, bottled or made into delicious apricot jam or nectar.

Birds love ripe apricots as much as we do, so net your crops in the latter stages of ripening. 

Apricots burst into bloom early in spring when the daffodils are still in flower and are a welcome reminder that there are warmer days ahead.

Good Organic Gardening | 23

BEAN THERE DUG THAT | Cyber chat

Plan before you plant Whether moving house to a new garden or just planning another bed in your existing one, preparation and observation pay off Ah ha! I wondered why there were no weeds growing.

Taking advantage of our full north-facing front deck — my Mediterranean herbs are thriving

or chatting with your local nurseries about what edibles work best in your new area.

Get to know the locals

Words & photos by Chloe Thomson

ix weeks ago my little family and I moved house. A week later, we welcomed our second son into the world — so it’s fair to say I haven’t had much time for gardening lately. Instead, I’ve been using the time to ponder and plan my edible garden-to-be.

While it’s been tempting to jump in and start planting out my barren backyard straightaway, I’ve come to realise the positive side of having this time to observe my future garden.

Whether you’re creating a new edible garden space or making over an entire garden, there are a few things worth considering before you start buying plants and digging holes.

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and mint. I’ve also noticed that a seemingly well-exposed northwest-facing bed actually gets mostly dappled light, thanks to an arch of large gumtrees nearby.

Remember to consider the seasons as well when watching the sun’s movements. In winter, the sun is lower, while the summer sun takes a higher arc across the sky, turning areas that are partly shaded in winter into spaces perfect for heat- and sun-loving summer vegies.

Productive fruit trees are a great way to screen windows from the harsh afternoon summer sun. But if those same windows benefit from the warming touch of winter sunshine, you might like to consider deciduous trees like peaches, nectarines, apples and pears to allow the winter sun into your home.

Sunlight Plant labels will tell you how much sunlight a plant requires, so working out where to plant is easy — right?

Well, yes, but only if you know how the sun moves across your garden during the day. It’s not as simple as just presuming that because an area faces northwest it will get full sun. Only by monitoring the area over the course of a day can you make this judgment. Perhaps a tree shades the area for most of the morning so it actually only gets an hour or two of sun in the afternoon.

I’ve discovered my south-facing back deck gets a few hours of morning sunshine; this will make it an ideal place for pots of coriander

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Climate I’ve moved only 10km up the road, but I’m surprised at how much the climate has changed. I’m in a more frost-prone area and the mornings are much cooler. However, our garden is considerably more sheltered than my last patch, thanks to our hillside position and surrounding gum trees.

Chatting with my neighbours, it seems they often get a frost in late September, so this is something to consider when planting out seedlings and selecting fruiting trees.

If you’ve completely changed climate zones, it’s worth joining a local gardening club

By locals I mean the not-so-friendly ones: your local cohabiters. I’ve spotted pesky poo on the patio and heard thumps on the roof during the night, so I know I’m in for a battle with possums. Rigging up netting over my garden beds is going to be essential. I’ve also spotted several neighbourhood cats prowling the yard and digging in the dirt — yet another good reason to net my patch.

It’s also likely that in your new garden you might encounter pests or diseases you’re not familiar with, so a good pictorial book such as What Garden Pest or Disease is That? by Judy McMaugh is essential for helping you identify and organically control any nasties.

Soil Don’t leave getting your hands dirty until after you’ve bought your plants — take a shovel and investigate the soil in different areas of your garden. Remember, most gardens won’t have the same soil profile throughout.

Pay particular attention to existing garden beds, as many vendors will go a little crazy spreading mulch around before selling as a way to hide problem spots or poor soil.

In what looks like an inviting (albeit empty) garden bed, I’ve discovered 10cm of mulch and a layer of weed matting on top of a rockhard base of poor soil. Little wonder there are no plants in the ground here!

Improve your soil before planting using organic compost and certified organic animal manures. Don’t forget to top-dress with a layer of good-quality mulch to retain moisture.

Keep reading Cyber Chat and my blog Bean There Dug That to see how my edible garden develops.  To follow my edible gardening adventures and for more tips and information, visit my blog: www.beantheredugthat.com.au

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GARDENING FOLK | Sarah & Josh Curry From left: Catherine, Josh, Sarah, Edward & James

Farm garden When it’s a 120–200km round trip to the shops, as it is for this farming family, it makes sense to produce as much food as possible at home Words by Sarah Curry ur property, ‘Major’s Point’, is in southwest NSW in an area known as the Bland, near the tiny village of Quandialla. We farm 3170 hectares of beautiful sedimentary floodplain country, but as Dorothy Mackellar so beautifully put it, we live in “a land of drought and flooding rains”. We’ve experienced the extremes of both, but water is a big concern for us.

I grew up living on an isolated farm in central west NSW where we ate what was in season from the farm and garden. We had lamb and milk from the farm, eggs from our chickens and fresh fruit and vegetables from Nanna’s huge, rambling garden. She had a massive clump of rhubarb, grapes, strawberries growing wild and

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large, old fruit trees for shade and fruit. I have the fondest memories of playing in her garden and collecting native quandongs, which Nanna used to make delicious tarts. I want the same for my children: to eat fresh from the garden and farm and value the food they eat.

Days after the birth of my son Ted, we planted pumpkins together (well, he lay in his pram and I planted them) and it was the start of a beautiful tradition — planting out seasonal vegetables together, caring for them and enjoying the harvest. We used to grow our vegetables among the perennial plants in our garden but have recently changed to raised vegetable beds, mostly because they have vastly different water requirements and can be more easily managed.

Our raised beds are made from timber sleepers, half filled with topsoil and the top layer, which we plant into, is compost produced on our farm. To manage the seasonal change of crop types, I inter-row plant new-season crops among maturing crops. For example, our brassicas have eggplant seedlings planted inter-row. We have done the same in another bed, planting tomatoes among Asian cabbages.

The seasonal changes here can be extreme. In spring we have a mix of frosty nights followed by days of over 30 degrees. Our inter-row planting method provides frost protection but also gets the new crop established before the extreme heat of summer kicks in and the days are consistently over 40 degrees; and the

Sarah & Josh Curry | GARDENING FOLK

The seasonal changes here can be extreme. In spring we have a mix of frosty nights followed by days of over 30 degrees. Our inter-row planting method provides frost protection but also gets the new crop established before the extreme heat of summer kicks in and the days are consistently over 40 degrees.

Our French Lavender border with lucerne Mulching pellets

Majors Mulch Lucerne Mulching Pellets and Complete Compost

staggered planting ensures a steady supply of vegies throughout the season.

We have seven large raised vegetable beds growing some perennial and annual vegetable crops and herbs. In our perennial beds we have rhubarb, blueberries, raspberries and asparagus. Our herb bed is closest to the kitchen for easy access while cooking. We can grow a huge range of fruit and vegetables. We currently have potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, strawberries, capsicums and sweet peas, with carrots, beetroot and brassicas yet to be harvested.

Pumpkins and watermelons, which are a family favourite, are grown where our run-off water pools, making the most of any summer storms. Our vegetable beds are watered with dam water caught from rain, run-off from the roads and flood-water carry-over. A large part of our ornamental garden is watered by our recycled house water. All the water used in ď § Good Organic Gardening | 27

GARDENING FOLK | Sarah & Josh Curry Edward, Catherine and James mulching a newly planted vegie bed

our home is rainwater harvested from the roof and every drop is recycled onto our garden.

Our vegetable scraps feed our chickens. It’s a beautiful, simple lesson for children: feeding and caring for chickens that in turn give us Seedling lettuce mulched with our lucerne mulching pellets

lovely fresh eggs. Our chickens roam free around the garden, scratching around, eating insects and plants and following the children.

We use a chicken tractor with a sheltered section to house them at night. It’s a fantastic

concept. Continuing the nutrient cycle, when we clean out the chicken tractor we add everything to our garden compost bins.

Insects mostly manage themselves through the cycle of beneficial predators. Occasionally, if we really need to discourage pests, like aphids, I will use a garlic and chilli spray to repel them.

To buy groceries, we have to make a 120–200km round trip to our two nearest towns. It just makes sense to grow as much as possible at home and enjoy organically grown fruit and vegetables fresh from our garden. It’s a beautiful activity for young children, too, who enjoy it so much. Ted and Cate, my budding little entomologists, are always searching for insects and asking, “Are they goodies or baddies, Mummy?” They love to plant, water, harvest something fresh for dinner and, of course, mulch.

Our mulching pellets Our summers are long, hot and dry, so the key to the garden’s survival is mulch, mulch and more mulch. Organic mulches like lucerne and

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Photos: Holly Bradford Photography, www.hollybradford.com

Days after the birth of my son Ted, we planted pumpkins together (well, he lay in his pram and I planted them) and it was the start of a beautiful tradition — planting out seasonal vegetables together, caring for them and enjoying the harvest.

Sarah & Josh Curry | GARDENING FOLK The Curry family on ‘Major’s Point’ driveway — an avenue of Populus simonii

Edward (Ted) and Catherine (Cate) helping in the vegie patch

organic pea straw hay are best, as they add organic nutrients to the soil as they break down, improving water-holding capacity and soil structure and boosting soil microbial activity.

I found traditional lucerne hay and pea straw in the bale difficult to use; they’re messy, challenging to spread around small seedlings and tend to blow about in the wind. Common pea straw and lucerne hay also contain weed seeds that sprout after spreading.

When I was heavily pregnant with Ted and trying to mulch my large half-hectare garden before his arrival, I realised how difficult mulching can be, particularly if you have a physical constraint. I also became concerned about the dust in the straw and how safe it was for our young family to use. So I decided there needed to be an easier, safer and quicker way of mulching and so developed Lucerne Mulching Pellets.

the right time to commercialise our mulching pellets and compost, and launched our new business, Major’s Mulch (named after our farm), at the Australian Garden Show in Sydney in September.

As an agronomist and fourth-generation farmer, I know that soil health is the key to productivity and sustainability. A balanced soil, high in organic matter, is the perfect environment for optimum soil microbial activity and has a greater moisture-holding capacity, which will lead to naturally higher yields.

We had a beautiful cut of lucerne hay that was spoilt in a flood, no longer suitable for stockfeed. We composted the lucerne hay, blending it with sheep manure and wheat straw to produce our Complete Compost. It’s recycling as nature intended, using by-products from our farm to create Lucerne Mulching Pellets are simply 100 per rich organic compost. cent organic plant material condensed into a Every winter I have a busy period in the pellet for easy mulching. They provide all the garden, replenishing each bed with our normal benefits of mulching and eliminate the Complete Compost. The roses, perennials common problems. It’s easy to apply, with no and vegetable beds are all topped up with weed seeds, no dust, no mess, and is so much compost, organically supplying the nutrients quicker than pulling apart a bale of hay. used for fruit and flower production.  We use premium lucerne hay, hammer milled and steamed to ensure there are no weed seeds. Then it’s compressed into a pellet Top tips for easy application. The pellets are simply 1. Mulch, mulch and more mulch. sprinkled from a standing position, one layer 2. Capture, store and recycle all the thick, just touching, then thoroughly watered. water you can.

They then swell to three times their size, 3. Compost is the best way of crumbling to form a beautiful thick mulch layer. replenishing organic nutrients in your soil.

I’ve worked on the concept for several years, 4. Recycle and repurpose as much as stopping and starting with the arrival of our possible from your home and garden. three beautiful children, Ted, 5, Cate, 3½, and 5. Inter-row plant for continuous James, 22 months, and trialling it extensively in production. our own garden. We decided spring 2014 was

Good Organic Gardening | 29

GARDENING FOLK | Bodo & Anna Schlegel Bodo and Anna Schlegel

Wellbeing

garden This Victorian couple look after their own health and wellbeing by looking after their amazingly productive garden Words & photos by Jana Holmer odo and Anna Schlegel’s nicely sized two-acre organic garden is in Maryknoll, on the rural fringe of Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, adjacent to the Bunyip State Forest. The couple started gardening about 15 years ago on their suburban property in Melbourne. After experimenting and some trial and error, they decided to move out to Maryknoll to grow on a larger scale and

B

30 | Good Organic Gardening

took many of the young trees with them to start them on their new journey.

Bodo was inspired by his parents, who rented a 600-square-metre garden in Germany. The family spent many hours working in the garden or entertaining relatives and friends there, as well as harvesting produce, making preserves and storing some of the produce for the winter.

Anna’s inspiration came from her grandmother, who lived with her family on

Bodo & Anna Schlegel | GARDENING FOLK

Raspberries perfectly trained to grow upwards

Recently, they introduced rock dust to replenish the soil with trace elements to promote growth and protect against pests. a large suburban block in Springvale. She supplied the family with produce and shared the overflow with neighbours and friends. One year she won a prize for third-best suburban garden. “It was a garden that everyone in the street admired,” recalls Anna.

Bodo and Anna feel it’s important to know how food has been grown and what’s been used to grow it, to ensure a safe and wholesome diet for optimal health. “Growing food ourselves enables us to pick fruits that are fully ripened and rich in taste,” Anna says.

As committed organic gardeners, they’ve taken a number of quite mandatory steps in their patch. They compost and use local  Good Organic Gardening | 31

GARDENING FOLK | Bodo & Anna Schlegel A bountiful harvest of organic broccoli

Anna’s German Sour Cherry Cake 4 moderately heaped tbsp cornflour 2 jars Morello cherries 2–3 tbsp sugar 200g unsalted butter 130g castor sugar 1 egg + 1 egg yolk 1 tsp vanilla essence 400g self-raising flour Milk or dark chocolate for grating on top

The orchard is protected from harsh elements and insects

products like aged horse manure to nourish the soil. Recently, they introduced rock dust to replenish the soil with trace elements to promote growth and protect against pests.

Their gardens are blanketed with locally produced mulch from roadside tree clippings and loads can be stockpiled on-site for future use. To attract birds and beneficial insects to the garden, Bodo and Anna have undertaken a regeneration program, replacing a local weed, sweet pittosporum, with non-invasive native shrub species.

Getting started There were a couple of particular difficulties Bodo and Anna faced in planning and setting up their garden. The soil was very hard clay with only a shallow layer of topsoil, which meant it needed a lot of improving. There were limitations on how much water was available as they rely solely on tank water so are at the mercy of the weather. Even though they harvest a capacity of 90,000L, they are always conscious of their water usage.

“We use comfrey for contusions, aloe for sunburn and burns, camomile and locally harvested centauri flowers for upset tummies, mint and fennel seeds to reduce bloating and sage tea for sore throats.”

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Preheat the oven to 170°C. Dissolve the cornflour in a small amount of cherry juice. Add the sugar to the cherries in a saucepan. Add dissolved cornflour and bring to boil stirring constantly, till thickened. Allow to cool.

Soften butter in the microwave. Cream butter and castor sugar together.

Add the eggs and essence, then mix in the flour to make a dough.

Use just over one-third of the mixture to cover the detachable base of a buttered round tin (diameter 26–28cm).

Line the side of the tin with a 3cm wide strip of dough.

Place the base in the pre-warmed oven for approximately 5 mins till only slightly coloured and beginning to rise.

In the meantime, roll out the top layer on some floured baking paper, to fit the tin.

Once the base is ready, remove from oven, attach the side and carefully spoon in cherry mixture (you can leave out a few spoonfuls if you feel it’s too much — and never pour as it will break up the dough).

Cover with the top layer, being careful not to allow any cracks to form or gaps at the sides. In the event of a crack forming, attempt to cover over with additional dough and smooth out with a little milk.

Even out the edges with a spoon.

Bake for about 30 minutes or till golden brown. I turn the tin around every so often to achieve an even browning. Remove from oven and sprinkle with finely grated chocolate while the cake is still hot.

Do not remove the tin sides till cooled.

Tastes best cold and served with freshly whipped cream.

Good luck and guten Appetit!

Bodo & Anna Schlegel | GARDENING FOLK

Plus, possums and birds ate most of the fruit they produced until it was properly protected, so this prompted their decision to go up, rather than on, in creating their patch.

The productive garden is housed in five raised beds, each a massive but practical 1.8×7.2m. And in each of these a veritable organic feast is grown. “We grow several varieties of tomato, lettuce and cucumber as well as zucchini, squash, cabbage, kale, potatoes, sweet peas (for fragrance, beauty and bees), corn, herbs (dill, parsley, coriander, basil, thyme, mint, rosemary), radish, beans, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, rhubarb, spring onion, leek, silver beet, capsicums and eggplant,” says Bodo.

And that seems only for starters, as these beds are brimming with produce.

Bodo adds that the tomatoes, zucchini, lettuce and potatoes seem to do best in terms of abundance. They also keep a few hens for egg production.

The couple fertilise the beds with aged sheep and horse manure, liquid seaweed emulsion (Seasol) and rock dust. For pests and diseases they like making up their own formulations. “We use a bicarb soda and water mix against fungal infestation and a garlic, detergent and vegie oil blend for aphids and cherry slug,” Anna explains.

They enjoy composting and have plenty.

By using all their kitchen food scraps, garden waste, chicken manure, wood ash and shredded paper, they create a really rich blend.

And here’s a clever little growing technique Bodo told me about. In spring, after moving the compost heap, he adds seeds on top (such as lettuce), which grow rapidly into healthy seedlings, ready for transplanting in no time.

Garden pride Bodo and Anna are rightly proud of what they have achieved in their garden. They say they are particularly chuffed with the massive and very effective home-made covering on the two orchards to keep out possums, birds and other marauding wildlife. They also constructed their composting/mulching compartments themselves and they love the recently set up 8m×2.5m hothouse. It goes without saying they take enormous delight in the variety of fruiting trees and edible shrubs they nurture organically.

The Schlegels enjoy only vegetarian dishes, dabbling in vegan, and use herbs from their garden for medicinal purposes. “We use comfrey for contusions, aloe for sunburn and burns, camomile and locally harvested centauri flowers for upset tummies, mint and

Healthy lemon in a raised bed

fennel seeds to reduce bloating and sage tea for sore throats,” Anna says. They are yet to learn how to make a pine needle syrup (using foliage from the pines on their property) that they’ve tried. “It was made by a friend and had amazing effects on irritable coughs,” she says.

Bodo and Anna store, cook and preserve as much as they can. “We pickle cucumbers, freeze excess silver beet, beans, rhubarb, broccoli and herbs, and freeze readymade dishes using our produce — things like zucchini slice, Hungarian letcho (with sweet paprika), pumpkin soup, basil pesto, cauliflower soup etc,” Anna says.

Excess produce is given mostly to family but also to close friends and neighbours. The couple like supplying lemons for flus and colds, as well as seedlings and anything else they have too much of, especially tomatoes, cucumbers and kale.

Bodo and Anna’s garden is a treat and they love watching garden shows and reading

gardening magazines to get inspiration. “It’s really hard to measure up to some of the amazing stuff others are doing,” Anna says modestly. But I think they more than measure up with their amazing garden. 

Bodo and Anna’s top tips • Give rock dust a go to remineralise your soil.

• Use local products, especially in rural areas, such as horse manure and mulch, which are available at very reasonable cost in large quantities.

• Borrow gardening magazines from your local library for valuable ideas.

• Exchange seeds and cuttings with friends in your area, as these are more likely to be successful.

Good Organic Gardening | 33

GARDENING FOLK | Andrew Davies Design Borage, society garlic and other edibles border the play area

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Andrew Davies Design | GARDENING FOLK

Feel-good

factor A large suburban block in Sydney’s leafy northern suburbs has been transformed into a productive, permaculture-style garden with equal attention to its aesthetics Words & photos by Diane Norris rom time to time we like to showcase gardens put together by expert designers, landscapers and architects who specialise in organic methods.

Of course, not all of us can afford this, but for those who are time-short or lack confidence and can afford it, the sensible solution for them may be to get the expert in to at least set things up. Plus, it’s always good to see how professionals food-garden with aesthetics — along with organics — as a guiding principle.

I had the pleasure of meeting landscape designer Andrew Davies many years ago when I worked on a number of other magazines.

His mantra then, and now, was to “reset the landscape”. What does that mean, you ask? “I like to use the term ‘reset’,” says Andrew. “It’s what I am passionate about and what I do. By

F

‘reset’ I mean manage the landscape, consider its productivity, do it to scale and keep the quintessential feel-good factor.”

So it was good to find this large Pymble garden that has been transformed, or “reset”, by Andrew. The gardens in this part of Sydney are mostly quite generous, well established and often boast old plant favourites — azalea, magnolia and camellia species particularly. Andrew says this is very reflective of the typical old Sydney style.

The block is around 1100 square metres and climbs steeply from front to back. There’s a delightful old Federation house, typical of this area, about one-third into the block from the street, but the garden was rather bleak. There was a flagpole, an ugly concrete driveway, no yard suitable for children to play in and certainly no productive plants. 

The raised bed is planted out with healthy seasonal edibles

Good Organic Gardening | 35

GARDENING FOLK | Andrew Davies Design

Passionfruit meanders through the fence around the spa

Fennel thrives thanks to the drip irrigation system

So the brief was clear. The clients wanted to make the most of the garden, particularly for their children and dogs; plus, they wanted a sizeable spa, new driveway and clothesline as well as a composting system and ample space to grow edibles.

Andrew studied the site to assess the water flow, aspect and landfall of the entire block. He found the backyard the big challenge: it was sloping upwards in one steep gradient from the house. Still, there was a lot of scope for clever design hand in hand with accommodating the client’s wishes for a handsome and productive organic garden.

The first major undertaking was to divide the block into distinct garden rooms. Even though a permaculture style would be used, areas needed to be set aside as requested.

The front garden was to stay much as it was — filled with pretty flowering shrubs with some herbs, such as lavender and rosemary, added.

Andrew relaxes in a more formal part of Meg’s garden

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The driveway was a thick, grey, aggregated concrete that needed to be removed with jackhammers and a bobcat. In keeping with sustainable principles, Andrew planned to repurpose the fractured pieces.

A huge old oak tree that dominates the back corner of the block was the reference point for a terrace that would allow kids’ play space and a private contemplative area. The gardens were designed from there right down to the house, skirting around the utilities area and outdoor hottub, with the plan to have edible plants infiltrate every nook and cranny, regardless of other established trees or shrubs.

Contractors were employed to construct the garden. The driveway was dug up and the debris used to build two retaining walls adjacent to the spa and decking. Sandstone was used to create garden edges and the focal point of the yard: a large, circular vegie garden. Even though the blocks are

Rosemary, oregano, thyme and a curry plant add aroma near the clothesline

somewhat uniform in shape and colour, their natural texture and appeal provide a raised bed that ties in with the house and yard.

Edible bounty The circular sandstone bed is located at the top of the drive, inviting visitors to the back door. The family like to grow an eclectic group of popular edibles; at the time of writing they have artichoke, cabbage, lettuce, fennel, thyme, mint, sweet peas, nasturtiums, spring onion and leek. Andrew has allowed plenty of room in the bed for seasonal plantings and even one or two fruit trees.

The path leads past the fenced-in spa and passionfruit and kiwifruit grow along the black arms of the fence. They double as an attractive and productive screening.

A huge patch of bee-attracting borage forms a welcome mat to the next garden room.

The gently sloping grassed area is skirted by a wide garden brimming with lemons, limes, oranges, more herbs, seasonal brassicas and greens. The Aerobin composting system, sitting next to the citrus, is a wise choice for suburban hubs. It’s enclosed, which ensures odour isn’t a problem for neighbours, and means rodents, particularly rats, aren’t attracted to the rotting scraps.

One of the things Andrew likes, and something I’ve noticed more and more, is the use of herbs for not just their aroma and flavour but their lovely landscaping forms, too. The clothesline sits atop a raised sandstone bed, the steps and randomly laid path infilled with variegated thyme — a good move away from that staid old “filler-inner”, non-productive Mondo grass. I walk up to do some close-up photography and the fresh, sweet smell of thyme wafts up as I tread lightly on the rambling foliage.

Andrew Davies Design | GARDENING FOLK

A few herbs are in the front garden but all the action is around the back

Stepping stones allow good access to the patch

The brief was clear. The clients wanted to make the most of the garden, particularly for their children and dogs; plus, they wanted a sizeable spa, new driveway and clothesline as well as a composting system and ample space to grow edibles.

Another trend I’ve been seeing is the use of low-growing edibles, like strawberry plants, for landscaping forms. Here, they have been used to fill the gaps between steppers and around the base of the otherwise nude galvanised

pole, looking pretty when flowering and providing organic nibbles from under the line.

There’s also rosemary, lavender, oregano, parsley, sage and thyme nearby to suffuse the area and drying clothes with sweet aromas

while providing more pickings when needed for the kitchen.

Birds and insects are invited into the garden with a number of birdbaths and nectar-rich plants. The reused concrete from the driveway has been neatly stacked to form two large retaining walls that provide a home for lizards, skinks and frogs under the spa deck.

The front garden has retained its heritage value and been left virtually untouched throughout the redesign and reset. The garden is a wonderful example of how a rather formal and period-predictable landscape can be transformed into a productive permaculture-style garden with buckets of feel-good factor.  Andrew Davies is principal of the Banksia Design Group. For more information visit www.banksiadesigngroup.com.au

Andrew’s tips

A lovely mix: sweet peas and parsley

• Look, listen, feel all around you first.

• Dig several holes, then pour water in to test soil type and drainage.

• Look at the relationship between the garden, house architecture, people and animals (if any).

• Think about things and do things seasonally and for the long term.

• Don’t forget the feel-good factor!

Good Organic Gardening | 37

TIME TO PLANT | Carrots

Daucus carota ssp. sativus Perhaps the most used vegie of all after potato, carrots, whether eaten raw or cooked, deliver flavour, crunch and fantastic health benefits to our meals Words by Melissa King

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e’ve all heard the old story that eating carrots can help you see in the dark. Carrots won’t give you superhero vision but they are a good source of vitamin A, which is important for eye health. Studies have shown that if your diet is deficient in vitamin A, eating carrots may help to improve night vision.

Beyond their health benefits, carrots are easy to grow and deliciously crunchy. They can be used in everything from carrot and ginger soup to carrot cake.

Many of you would have grown up eating long pointy orange carrots but when you explore the world of heirloom varieties the assortment of colours and shapes gets a whole lot more exciting. Try unusual purple carrots like ‘Purple Haze’, which is packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, or ‘Atomic Red’ carrots with flavoursome sunset-red roots.

38 | Good Organic Gardening

There are even head-turning yellow carrots like ‘Yellow Lobbericher’, with sunshine-yellow roots, and white carrots, which could almost be mistaken for parsnips. There are unusual shapes, too, like ‘Paris Market’ with small round roots and ‘Royal Chantenay’ which produces thick, stocky carrots; both of them grow well in pots. See Good Organic Gardening September/October 2014 for more information about heirloom varieties.

Harvest: Carrots take roughly 10—14 weeks to grow from seed to table, depending on the variety. Baby carrots can be harvested earlier when the roots are about the size of your finger.

Growing conditions: Carrot seeds are best sown where they are to grow, because transplanting can cause forking. They enjoy a sunny position with friable, well-drained soil, so dig in plenty of compost and organic matter before planting. Avoid adding fresh animal manure to the soil because it can also

Moroccan Carrot Salad This salad is a good side accompaniment to couscous and tagines. The honey sweetness makes it very popular with kids.

Ingredients 3 cups coarsely grated carrot 1 cup chopped coriander (or parsley) ½ cup currants (optional) Sea salt & cracked pepper 2 tbsp lemon juice 1–2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp cumin 1 tbsp honey Method In a salad bowl, mix grated carrot, coriander and currants if using. Season with salt and pepper.

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and honey and drizzle over salad.

Toss to mix through.

Photos: Diane Norris

Carrots

encourage forking and keep the water up to newly planted seeds and seedlings.

Health benefits: Carrots are a good source of fibre and rich in vitamins A, K, C and B6.

They are also packed with disease-fighting antioxidants.

Sowing tip: Carrot seeds are tiny and can be difficult to sow, so try mixing them in a jar

Pumpkins | TIME TO PLANT

Pumpkins Cucurbita maxima If you have the room, pumpkin are easy and productive plants for your patch Words by Melissa King

T

here’s a whole lot more to pumpkins than the typical orange Jack O’ Lantern types. Pumpkins are vigorous vines that can take up a lot of space in the garden, but they are highly productive and the fruit can be stored for months, so you get a lot out of them. If space is limited, you can always grow the vines vertically up a fence or opt for some of the smaller bush types that don’t take up as much room.

Among the heirloom types, I’m a fan of ‘Galeux D’Eysines’, which is French and fabulous. It produces large salmon-pink pumpkins covered in what looks like crusty warts. Don’t be put off by my description; it’s really pretty in a grotesque sort of way and the orange flesh is sweet and delicious — a great choice for baking and tasty pumpkin soup.

‘Australian Butter’ is a garden-worthy Australian heirloom with tan-coloured skin and tasty orange flesh that’s perfect for baking, or

you might like to try Pumpkin ‘Ironbark’ with thick dark skin reminiscent of the ironbark tree and dense orange flesh that’s packed with flavour. If you’re after something to excite the kids, try growing one of the miniature pumpkins with wee fruit you can fit in your hand and bake whole.

Growing conditions: Pumpkins grow best in full sun with good drainage, so incorporate lots of compost and organic matter before planting.

The vines need space to grow. Where space is limited, look for more compact varieties or grow them up a sturdy fence or trellis. Plant seedlings or sow seed direct into mounds of compost. They are shallow-rooted plants, so keep the water up during dry spells.

Harvest: Allow pumpkins to stay on the vine until the skin is fully coloured and the stems are brown. Harvest with 5cm or so of the stem still intact and allow them to dry in the sun before storing.

History: Native Americans grew pumpkins and made use of every part of the fruit.

They boiled and baked the flesh, added the blossoms to stews, ate the seeds and dried the shells for storing seeds and grains.

Growing tip: When pumpkin vines begin to really take off, try pinching back the growing tip. This forces the plant to put more energy into lateral growth and prevents the vine from sprawling everywhere. You may also get more fruit.

Companion plants: Marigold, nasturtium and oregano deter pests. Pumpkins love growing alongside corn, melon and squash.

Add beans to corn and pumpkin and you have a “Three Sisters” garden. 

Good Organic Gardening | 39

GARDEN DIARY | Mid-summer

Things to do in

January Will January bring floods, fires and heatwaves or just weeks of pleasant summer weather? It’s an unpredictable month, but be prepared for extremes if you want to keep enjoying the fruits of your vegie patch and orchard

By Jennifer Stackhouse knitted netting, which is less likely to entangle birds, bats and reptiles than other COOL & TEMPERATE bird netting. Stretch nets taut and don’t allow If pumpkins, squash and zucchini are reluctant them to pool on the ground. Always inspect to form fruit but are flowering, step in and hand nets daily to free any trapped animals. Fruit pollinate. Vegetables that wilt or dry out may baskets that snap over clusters of fruit bolt (that is flower and set seed prematurely) or are a safe option to protect crops against their crops may be damaged (see blossom end predators. Although more expensive than rot under February’s Things to Do). To avoid netting, they can be reused over and over water stress, water morning and evening and, on and will not damage wildlife. Mow around fruit hot days, shade crops with temporary netting. trees to stop weeds seeding. Deep-water fruit Regularly liquid-feed all edibles, especially leafy trees once a week when rain is scarce. greens. Hoe to keep weeds under control and cover bare soil with a thin layer of organic mulch TROPICAL — just a few centimetres will do. Plant a row Hand-pollinate passionfruit flowers if fruit of dwarf beans, extra lettuce and more cherry is slow to form. Keep harvesting summer tomatoes and cucumbers to keep the produce crops, including avocado, custard apples, coming on through summer. mango and pawpaw. Bottle, freeze, dry or swap excess fruit or even consider taking TROPICAL a stall at a local market. Where fungal Keep sowing crops that enjoy the muggy diseases are evident on fruit or foliage, conditions. Capsicum, cucumber, snake beans apply a copper-based fungicide. Fertilise and leafy greens such as lettuce are all worth avocado, banana, custard apple, jackfruit, growing through summer. Shade new plantings loquat, passionfruit and pawpaw with a to protect them from the heat or heavy rains. complete organic fertiliser.

Harvest crops regularly to eat them while they are small and tender. While this is vital with Compost & soil zucchini and cucumber, which quickly become COOL & TEMPERATE large and watery, it also applies to leafy crops, Keep worm farms in a cool location and which can become bitter. cover them with a wet towel or hessian Fruit bag when it is very hot. Chop up green prunings and seed-free weeds to add them COOL & TEMPERATE to compost heaps. Compost is forming Allow chooks or geese to forage in the rapidly now, so regularly use it by spreading orchard to clean up fallen fruit and reduce over the soil as mulch. This helps to protect insect pests. Use nets to protect crops soils from the weather, keeps them cool and against bird and bat damage. Select white deters weed growth.

40 | Good Organic Gardening

TROPICAL Where there are no crops growing, plant a green manure crop to add fertility to the soil. Dig in ahead of next season’s planting.

Regularly renew mulches or simply lay down fresh-chopped prunings to protect the soil. Soil that’s well mulched is less likely to be leached or eroded by heavy rain. Apply potash-rich fertilisers to rapidly growing plants, including fruiting crops and vegetables. Use the cooler evening to do vigorous work such as turning the compost heap, spreading mulch or digging. 

For all areas Fruit-fly control Fruit fly has the potential to ruin entire harvests of soft summer fruits, including peaches and raspberries, and vegetables, including tomatoes and capsicums.

Crop protection is vital right through the summer months in all fruit-fly-prone areas.

Use organic fruit-fly baits or cover fruit with exclusion bags or nets.

Regularly reapply fruit-fly baits to keep them attractive to the female flies. Extend the usefulness of baits by protecting them from rain.

An easy way to do this is to apply the bait to a stake or board and cover it with an upturned container. Where fruit fly has struck, remove fruit-fly-affected fruit and collect spoiled fruits from the ground.

Destroy the larvae by placing the fruit in a clear plastic bag and leaving it to stew for a few days in the sun. It can then be buried or binned.

Photos: Bigstock & Diane Norris

Vegetables

Mid-summer | GARDEN DIARY

3 1. Fruit fly has the potential to ruin entire harvests of soft summer fruits including peaches 2. Use organic lures or baits for fruit fly during the summer months 3. During the summer months is when fruit fly are at their most virulent 4. Let geese forage in the orchard to clean up fallen fruit to reduce insect pests 4 1 2

Good Organic Gardening | 41

GARDEN DIARY | Late Summer

Things to do in

February Late summer is a time of bounty in edible gardens. Make the most of late-summer crops by picking frequently. Swap or preserve whatever you can’t eat fresh

By Jennifer Stackhouse

COOL & TEMPERATE As hot days continue, shade crops to prevent sun damage and to allow new plantings to establish. Seedlings are particularly vulnerable to heat damage. Leafy crops such as lettuce and parsley may bolt (begin to flower and seed) if allowed to dry out. Make the most of the cooler hours of the day to water and tend crops. Stay on top of pests, diseases and weeds by inspecting plants daily and dealing with any problems quickly. Hunt for and squash 28-spotted ladybirds and pumpkin beetles and their eggs and larvae. These pests skeletonise leaves on pumpkins, zucchini and squash. Pull out spent crops or those that are hard hit by fungal diseases to make way for autumn plantings of brassicas, garlic and leeks.

TROPICAL Regularly remove spent crops or those badly affected by diseases such as powdery mildew.

Don’t put diseased material into compost heaps.

Instead, it can be buried. Continue to renew fruit-fly baits with a fresh mix and reapply.

Liquid-feed leafy crops so they are encouraged to keep growing. Plant cherry tomatoes for an autumn harvest. Begin to dig in green manure crops before next season’s planting.

Fruit COOL & TEMPERATE Continue to maintain fruit fly protection (see page 40 for details on fruit-fly control) and dispose of any affected fruit. Check

42 | Good Organic Gardening

protective bird netting over crops. Always remove and store nets after fruit is harvested.

Also, lightly prune trees after harvest. Feed citrus trees now using citrus food or an allpurpose organic fertiliser such as pelletised chicken manure. Where areas are dry and water is limited, greywater can be used to water fruit trees. Don’t store untreated greywater for longer than 24 hours as it can become a soup of dangerous bacteria.

TROPICAL Fertilise all citrus trees using an organic plant food formulated for citrus, compost or mulch enriched with well-rotted manure. Also feed other productive plants not already fed this summer, including passionfruit, banana and pawpaw. Continue to bottle, freeze or dry excess crops. Regularly collect and dispose of spoiled fruits by burying them. Poultry help clean up fallen fruits and reduce pest problems, so allow them to free-range around fruiting plants but keep them out of the vegie garden and away from new plantings.

Compost & soil COOL & TEMPERATE Cover soil lightly with a fine layer of compost topped with a thin layer of coarse organic mulch to help prevent it from becoming hard to wet. Compost is preferable to soil wetting agents in the organic garden. Don’t mulch too heavily as this can stop moisture from reaching the soil — a 3–5cm layer of loose mulch is sufficient. Turn compost heaps to keep them working efficiently. Where

blackbirds are disturbing mulches around plants, peg a strip of chicken wire over the mulch. If this is too unsightly, replace mulches with spill-over edging plants such as daisies, lavender, parsley and nasturtiums, which will also attract pollinating insects as they flower.

TROPICAL Prepare for dry times ahead by improving the moisture-holding ability of your soil by adding organic matter such as compost and well-rotted manures. Dig the organic matter into new areas that are being prepared for planting and also add it as surface mulch around existing plantings and let the earthworms do the work of incorporating it into the soil below. Chopping up green and woody material helps it break down faster as mulch or in the compost heap. 

For all climate zones Blossom end rot Blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency brought on by erratic watering. It particularly affects tomatoes, which develop a telltale brown leathery patch at the base of the fruit (at the point where the flower was attached). However, cucurbits such as zucchini, pumpkin and squash are also affected. In these crops the fruit may be yellow and rot while it is still small. Combat blossom end rot with regular watering. Before planting next summer’s crops, dig lime into the soil.

Photos: Diane Norris

Vegetables

Late Summer | GARDEN DIARY

3 1. Blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency brought on by erratic watering 2. Keep leafy crops, such as lettuce, well watered so they don’t bolt (go to flower and seed) 3. Feed citrus trees now using citrus food or an all-purpose organic fertiliser 4. In tropical areas continue to bottle, freeze or dry excess crops

1 2 4

Good Organic Gardening | 43

SHORT SHOOTS | Earthy ideas

3 Stumped Removing a dead tree stump is often costly and difficult to manage.

Incorporate an unsightly tree stump back into the garden design as a planter. Hollow out the centre of the stump with a hammer and chisel and fill with potting mix. Rainforest beauties such as bromeliads, ferns and orchids, which require little soil, will happily transform your ugly stump into a pretty new home.

10

Top Tips Words by Erina Starkey

8

harmful chemical residue. The list includes apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, capsicums, nectarines, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas and potatoes. These are the most important varieties to grow at home or buy organic.

Sunscreening

2

In the summer months, sunscreen should be worn every time you head out into the sun’s harmful rays. When choosing a sunscreen, buy a brand that’s friendly to both you and the environment.

Be aware there is some controversy over the ingredients oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate and their possible links to toxicity.

Since these chemicals are not essential ingredients, be on the safe side and avoid them altogether. While spray sunscreens may be a popular choice for squirmy, reluctant kids, they also pose an inhalation risk and make it harder to achieve an even coverage.

Sunscreen shouldn’t be your only defence against the sun — clothing, hats, sunglasses and shade are equally important. And try to garden in the cooler hours of the day — you’ll get more done. Also, there is growing concern about sunscreens containing nanoparticles.

See earthfirst.net.au or ecoxpo.com.au for information on nano-free sunscreens.

The dirty dozen

3

Some fruits and vegetables you buy in the supermarket are more affected by pesticide exposure than others.

Beware of the “dirty dozen”: high-risk items that experience greater amounts of potentially

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5

Steamed greens

4

Sadly, the bathroom is often an overlooked spot for greenery. Use your bathroom’s humid environment to grow moisture-loving plants such as moss, ferns, African violets and peace lilies, which look lovely and add a lush tropical feel.

Finito mosquito

5

Don’t waste your money on artificial mosquito-repellent products that are just as likely to be highly toxic and repel your guests as well. Refresh your outdoor entertaining area or doors and windows with nature’s version instead. Plant basil, catnip, citronella, garlic, lemongrass, mint, tea-tree and marigolds to keep those biting bugs at bay. You can also rub the plant oils directly onto your skin for added protection.

Seedy advice

6

To collect tomato seeds, squeeze the pulp of ripe fruit into a bucket and leave for a few days to ferment. Rinse the seeds until they are clean under fresh water, washing away the tomato pulp and the gel coating that surrounds the seed. Reserve the dense, healthy seeds that sink to the bottom and discard the ones that float to the top.

Sieve the seeds for a final clean and then

Photos: Diane Norris

1

leave to dry on a newspaper or plate. Store in an airtight container.

Seeds can last up to 4–6 years if stored in cool, dry conditions.

Location, location, location

7

When buying outdoor furniture, consider tables and chairs that are either lightweight, collapsible or have wheels. This ensures you’re not confined to the one spot and can take advantage of the different areas in your garden, chasing the morning sun or enjoying the dappled afternoon shade. If looking for timber outdoor furniture, find types made from environmentally responsible FSC-certified timber.

An alternative route

8

Consider a lawn alternative such as sedum, chamomile and thyme to create a tapestry of colourful flowers and foliage in your garden. Lawn alternatives often use less water and fertiliser than grass and also require less maintenance. They can also spread across shady areas, steep banks or in barren patches where grass can’t thrive. Some groundcovers can also double as vines, growing vertically to blend in beautifully with walls, fences and tree trunks.

Healthy hounds

9

Vegetables are nutritious for the whole family — dogs and cats included. If your furry friend is fussy, try grating or pureeing cooked vegetables (think carrot, celery, zucchini and broccoli) and mix it through your regular pet food. Not only will this provide valuable vitamins and minerals for good health, it’ll also extend your pet food, saving you money. Make sure any raw vegetable pieces you feed to your pet are cut into small bite-sized bits so there’s no chance of choking.

Tin can lanterns

10

Turn an empty tin into a twinkling outdoor lantern to add ambiance to your summer evenings. Soak the emptied tin in soapy water to loosen the label, and remove. Mark out a pattern of decorative dots in any design that takes your fancy. Insert a narrow bit into an electric drill and drill holes to create your perforated pattern. Make sure you also drill two holes opposite each other at the rim so you can hang your lantern. Place a tea-light (beeswax ones are perfect) inside and thread ribbon through the holes at the top. Hang from a branch in the garden for magical effect. 

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Good Organic Gardening | 45

AMAZING GARDEN | The Yellow House

Going with the flow The skills of a herbalist and a conservation architect have come together to create something free-spirited and very special on this coastal property Words & photos by Diane Norris ’ve visited many inspiring gardens and their remarkable creators over the years, but once in a while I walk into something truly special, even mesmerising — a space that arouses all senses. That was the case when I opened the gate to the garden belonging to Mim and Neville Burkett.

Last year’s Sydney Garden Show again provided a lot of constructive interaction and that’s where I met Mim and Neville. I

I

46 | Good Organic Gardening

strolled into their stand after I noticed the interesting and eclectic potted specimens amassed on tables. As soon as I spoke to them I knew a friendship and garden bond were bound to happen.

I visited Mim and Neville in early spring when their garden was starting to awaken and bloom into life. Mim’s gardening expertise and botanical knowledge were profound. As we walked through the distinct garden rooms, she pointed out and named each specimen,

telling me its relevance in the garden and its growing abilities. In particular, it was fascinating to hear the botanical names roll off Mim’s tongue so effortlessly and be told about the culinary and medicinal attributes of the hundreds of herbs throughout the garden. Inspiring is the word!

Mim and Neville had lived on large acreage on the northwestern outskirts of Sydney before moving to a “simpler life” in the south coast town of Nowra, just 15km from the sea.

The Yellow House| A rare find: Paintbrush Lily (Scadoxus puniceus natalensis)

AMAZING GARDEN

Mulched pathways, soft under foot, lead to each garden room

Geum rivale ‘Jess’ potted and labelled in the nursery

They had friends in Nowra and loved the spot, so starting searching for an old house they could restore — one with space for a large garden. “In November 2009 we moved into a large, rambling, weatherboard California Bungalow built in the 1920s,” Mim says.

“We painted the house butter yellow and it became known as The Yellow House.”

At that stage the garden was “wild and unkempt”, but the couple were well up to the challenge. There was a lot of concrete and impenetrable thickets of plants like oleander, privet, plumbago and tangling ivy, which were fashionable in the 1920s and 30s but needed to be removed to make way for more relevant plants. 

Mim’s want-list was huge: a cottage-style garden, herbaceous borders, a herb garden, vegie patch, small orchard and chicken coop.

She also needed a working hub where she could propagate and pot plants.

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AMAZING GARDEN | The Yellow House Potted perennials ready for sale - right up to the backdoor

Pineapple sage, forgetme-not and figs grow handsomely together

harmonious but uninhibited fashion. That’s the essence of this garden’s charm: it’s not ordered, manicured or structured but rather an exciting, stimulating place where plants grow arm in arm with one another, finding their own growing companions.

Food gardens

Once the house had been beautifully restored (thanks to Neville’s architectural talent), it was time to plan the garden. Mim’s want-list was huge: a cottage-style garden, herbaceous borders, a herb garden, vegie patch, small orchard and chicken coop. She also needed a working hub where she could propagate and pot plants. “Our vision was of a sort of city farm, but we certainly didn’t envisage a nursery,” she says. “It was very exciting to have a blank canvas.”

The Yellow House sits on a large corner block, which allows for two entrances. There are a few good old established trees and

48 | Good Organic Gardening

plants, like the magnificent Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica) that welcomes visitors to the front door, now thriving after being rescued from the strangling arms of the rampant ivy.

The front garden is ideal for the cottage garden and is full of old-fashioned varieties, including penstemons, species geraniums, dianthus pinks, giant cardoons, echiums, salvias, buddlejas and many historic bearded irises. It’s an exciting mix of plants, with old favourites like foxgloves, nasturtiums, nigella and forget-me-nots being allowed to self-seed and “free-range”, popping up in a

“As gardeners and lovers of homegrown organic produce, we quickly established a kitchen garden for salads and vegetables while planning how to develop other areas of the garden,” says Mim. “Coming from Hawkesbury sandstone country to a more coastal, frost-free area with rich loam on clay has required many adjustments. But it’s a delight to dig a hole exactly where we want it rather than where the rock dictates!”

The open area east of the house was originally a knotted mess of invasive plants and concrete. What vision and stamina Neville and Mim must have mustered to get it like it is now. The orchard is just lovely; here reside figs, limes, peaches, nectarines, a damson and a King Billy plum, an apricot, a cherry guava, a navel orange and a kaffir lime. Of course, there are the essential lemons — Lisbon and Eureka — and a dwarf form of pink lady apple. The adjacent fence supports a choko, passionfruit and muscatel grape. Mim quite loves the choko, relating how she set up a little table on the footpath and gave away over 150 chokos last autumn.

“Sharing produce is fun!”

The Yellow House| Spring-flowering Echium is a sight to behold

AMAZING GARDEN

Edibles are allowed to grow in a free-spirited way — no space is wasted!

Pretty bee-attracting annuals and perennials are part of the orchard

The amazingly eclectic plantings fill every single space in this garden

That’s the essence of this garden’s charm: it’s not ordered, manicured or structured but rather an exciting, stimulating place where plants grow arm in arm with one another, finding their own growing companions.

The orchard also boasts an understorey of flowering plants — annuals and perennials, like the bee-attracting favourite borage, poppies, cosmos, stocks, linaria and cornflowers — as well as potatoes, sweet potatoes, chicories and giant red broccoli. Along the fence are clumps of the now rare but “real” culinary lemongrass, which is seldom available in nurseries.

It would be accurate to describe the vegie garden as a free-spirited kitchen potager; a garden-to-plate or garden-to-salad-bowl arrangement. It’s a diverse mix of herbs, leafy greens, brassicas and loads more. Some

plants have gone to flower, inviting bees to the patch and allowing seed to form. It’s nice to see plants allowed to grow to their full potential and, in some cases, Mim says, “to see how far they can go”.

The soil is rich and friable with aged composts and I can see water retention is excellent and growth is healthy. The pathway is soft underfoot with a thick-pile carpet of mulch.

To think that this superb garden is just a few years old is beyond ken. The plants, all grown (and propagated) organically, are allowed to grow in a healthy, uninterrupted

way. All the potting mixes are made on-site, with no artificial fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides ever used, and each is prepared to suit individual species. “It’s reassuring to know where our vegetables come from, what feeding they received and how they were treated from seed to plate,” Mim says.

She explains that she grows plants for gardeners who embrace the opportunity to grow something different. She has gathered many plant treasures from old gardens and propagated them to quell the fear that some heirloom varieties could be lost forever.  Good Organic Gardening | 49

AMAZING GARDEN | The Yellow House Mim’s working hub lives quietly in the back corner

Salvias of all sorts grow in the long “outside-thefence” garden

Vegies and herbs grow to their full potential, flowering and seeding at will

Mim and Neville are members of the Australian Garden History Society and the Garden Plant Conservation Association of Australia; they also belong to the Alpine Garden Society (UK) and the Hardy Plant Society (UK). They have participated in Open Gardens Australia, where, quite literally, the establishment of The Yellow House Heritage Perennials first took root.

I’ll leave the last word to Mim: “Above all, gardening is such rewarding fun and always full of surprises, some uplifting and inspiring, but occasionally gloom descends as one mourns the loss of a particularly treasured plant — though I’m suddenly revived at the prospect of a space for something new. It’s a good but busy life.” ■

Mim was a naturopathic herbalist and studied herbal medicine with the legendary Dorothy Hall. Apart from medicinal herbs, she also cultivates many hard-to-find culinary and household herbs as well as rare and heritage perennials. Neville is a trained conservation architect and manager of The Yellow House Heritage Perennials. For more information visit yellowhouseheritageperennials.com.au.

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WEEKEND GARDENING | Beekeeping

The life of bees The first part of our Weekend Gardening special explains all you need to know about getting started in beekeeping 52 | Good Organic Gardening

Photos: Courtesy of Diane Norris ©

It’s wonderful to attract bees to your garden or even have a hive or two

Beekeeping |

WEEKEND GARDENING

Warre hive Langstroth hive

The beehive

Words by John Scott As with most new ventures, it’s good to eekeeping can be a satisfying start with what you’ll need, so here’s the pastime and the rewards are very rundown for keeping bees. sweet indeed. Apart from the obvious — honey — there is also the improved pollination of plants and the joy of getting to know an amazing community that works so hard for the hive.

There is also a great deal of satisfaction in helping such an important part of the environment that’s under attack from a number of threats, many of them caused by human activities. (More about the crisis facing bee populations can be found in The Grapevine, page 8.)

Starting out in beekeeping can seem a daunting task; there’s a lot to learn and quite a lot of new equipment is needed. But in many ways, bees are very easy to keep — as long as you don’t mind a few hundred of them Inside the Top Bar hive buzzing around while you undertake the tasks necessary to manage them.

B

You’ll need to decide what type of hive you want to use to keep your bees. Three that easily comply with relevant state regulations on beekeeping are Langstroth, Top Bar and Warré.

Langstroth hives are the conventional commercial beehives most people will be used to seeing. These hives are readily available from beekeeping equipment suppliers. A small amount of construction is usually required, but this is quite easy.

Top Bar hives and Warré hives will usually have to be made as supplies are not very common. Designs are easily found via

Good Organic Gardening | 53

WEEKEND GARDENING | Beekeeping Essential equipment — full bee suit, gloves, hive tool and smoker

an internet search for plans for the hive you wish to use. The type of hive you choose will depend on your reason for keeping bees and how willing or confident you are to make your own hive.

Starter comb in the Top Bar hive

this equipment from other beekeepers or a local beekeeping club.

Getting started Before you get your own bees it’s recommended that you join a local amateur

beekeeping group. This can be a great way to meet other beekeepers in your area and learn a lot of the basics of beekeeping before getting bees of your own. It’s also a good way to find if you’ll actually enjoy keeping bees.

These links will help you find a group near you: • New South Wales: beekeepers.asn.au • Victoria: vicbeekeepers.com.au • Queensland: qbabees.org.au • South Australia: saaa.org.au • Western Australia: beekeepingwestaus. asn.au/associations.html • Tasmania: tasmanianbeekeepers.org.au You will also need to register as a beekeeper with your state department of primary industry. Here are the links: • dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/honeybees/beekeeper-registration • depi.vic.gov.au/agriculture-and-food/ livestock/honey-bees/hobby-beekeeping • daff.qld.gov.au/animal-industries/bees/ beekeeping-essentials/hive-registration • pir.sa.gov.au/biosecuritysa/animalhealth/ other_animals/bees/bee_identification_ movement_and_trading_

Beekeeping equipment There are a few bits of equipment you will need to keep bees. These consist of personal protective equipment (yes, the bees will sting you if they can!) and tools to manage the hive. The basics include: • Bee suit, which can be a half or full suit and will also include a veil — I recommend a full suit • Beekeeping gloves • Hive tool • A smoker Other equipment you may wish to get: • Honey extractor • Uncapping knife • Various tubs and containers for storing wax and honey These extra bits of equipment are not necessary unless you want to extract honey from your beehive. It’s also possible to borrow

54 | Good Organic Gardening

A hive of activity at the entrance as bees return with pollen

Beekeeping | Smoker step 2: A few squeezes on the bellows gives life to the flame

WEEKEND GARDENING

Smoker step 3: The smoker is smoking and ready to use

Smoker step 1: Use natural materials such as bark or pine needles to get the smoker started

• requirements/hive_registration_and_ identification • dpipwe.tas.gov.au/biosecurity/animalbiosecurity/animal-health/bees/beekeeperregistration-form • nt.gov.au/d/Primary_Industry/index. cfm?header=Honey%20Bees • agric.wa.gov.au/livestock-animals/livestockspecies/bees

Getting your own bees Once you have all the necessary equipment and have spent some time with your local beekeeping group, you may feel ready to get your own bees.

There are two basic ways to do this: one is to catch a swarm and the other is to buy a Safely removing frames from the Langstroth hive

package of bees. It’s recommended that the beginner buy a package of bees (“package” is the accurate term); catching swarms can wait until you gain a bit more experience.

A package of bees will come with a queen bred to be a good producer as well as having a good nature. The temperament of the queen has a big influence on the disposition of her hive. There are many people who sell packaged bees and your local beekeeping group should be able to suggest a reputable supplier.

The package will arrive with a queen in a queen cage with a few attendant bees and about 1kg of bees. There will also be a can of syrup enclosed for the bees to feed on before they are installed.

When you’re ready to instate the bees you should remove the can of syrup. You should

then separate the queen cage and place it in a safe place nearby, out of direct sun.

Next, shake the bees from the package into the hive. Once most of the bees have been gently jiggled into the hive you will then need to place the queen cage between the frames or bars in the hive.

This will depend on whether you choose a Langstroth, Warré or Top Bar hive.

The hive should then be closed up and the package left near the entrance of the hive to allow any bees that remain in the package to find the hive. The hive should be left for about a week to allow the queen and her bees to settle into their new home. After this time, you can have a look at how much work the bees have done in their hive and also remove the queen cage.

You should see eggs being laid by the queen after about two to three weeks of a package being installed in a hive.

Once your bees are happy in their hive and the queen is laying eggs, regular inspections will be needed to ensure the hive is healthy and to correct any cross-combing the bees may build. This is where the value of being part of a beekeeping group becomes obvious as it can really be a great source of advice and help.

Now that you have your bees, it’s time to enjoy them and learn what an interesting and vital part of the ecosystem they are. ■ John Scott is an apiarist, organic vegie gardener and garden presenter. For more information see theproductivegarden.com, youtube.com/theproductivegarden and facebook.com/theproductivegarden.

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WEEKEND GARDENING | The lifetime of a honey bee Inside the Top Bar hive

Inspecting bee activity in the Top Bar hive

The secret life of bees In a beehive, every bee has a job to do — yes, even drones have their uses. It’s a hive of activity Words by John Scott he organisation of a beehive is amazingly complex and relies on each member of the hive carrying out duties that have been assigned to them by the hive.

While worker bees do most of the work of the hive, the queen and the drones also have important roles.

T

her maiden flight as a virgin queen. During this flight she will mate with many drone (male) bees and store the sperm from these drones for fertilising eggs to produce worker bees. The queen’s role in the hive is to lay eggs to produce workers and drones for the hive.

Drones

Drones are male bees produced from unfertilised eggs. They have no useful role in The queen is a worker bee larva that has the hive other than to leave the hive in search been especially fed to produce a queen bee. of virgin queens to mate with. While not in Soon after emerging from her cell, about search of virgin queens, they hang around in 16 days after the egg is laid, she will go on the hive being fed by worker bees.

Queen

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The lifetime of a honey bee |

Workers Worker bees are female bees which, as the name implies, do all the work in the hive.

Their role in the hive will change according to their age and the needs of the hive.

A worker bee’s very first duty is to clean the cell she emerges from and for about the first 2–3 days she will be tasked with cleaning and warming the hive.

Her duties will then move on to feeding larvae. Feeding obligations will start with feeding honey and pollen to worker larvae and, after another week, they will move on to feeding royal jelly to worker larvae and queen larvae if required.

About two weeks after emerging from her cell, the worker bee will start to produce wax and move on to the duty of building honeycomb. During this time she may also be fanning nectar to dry it out and produce honey.

Once a worker bee reaches three weeks of age she will take on the role of guarding the hive and controlling ventilation within it. During the first three weeks of her life she will generally only leave the hive to defecate and orientate herself with the position of the hive.

The last role of the worker bee is to scout and forage for the hive. During this last stage of their lives, worker bees will search for sources of nectar, pollen, resin and water and report back to the hive with the position of the resources using the wiggle dance. This is a fairly accurate method for bees to communicate the direction and distance of the resources so other workers can easily find the same position and collect supplies for the hive.

Worker bees will work for their whole lives and will normally die outside the hive, unable to return because of wear and tear on their wings from many, many kilometres of flying to collect resources for the hive.

The lifespan of a worker will be about 6–8 weeks during the busy spring/summer season and up to six months during the cooler autumn/winter stretch, when much more time will be spent keeping the hive warm and less time foraging.

Honey It takes about 20,000 bees working throughout their lifetimes to produce one kilogram of honey and the average hive can produce about 20 kilograms each year —

WEEKEND GARDENING

Honeycomb frame from the Langstroth hive

depending on the size of the hive and the availability of nectar for honey production.

As you can see, the organisation of the hive requires the astonishing co-ordination of thousands of worker bees, all performing their relevant duties for the good of the hive.

All this labour benefits not only the hive but also the plants that bees pollinate, the animals that eat fruit from many of those plants and the animals, including humans, who harvest the honey for their own consumption. ■

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THE SHED | Storage Recycling stories Mim’s potting shed at The Yellow House, Nowra NSW

Shed sense What’s in a garden shed? Lots! Here are some inspiring ideas for upscaling the humble shack out back

58 | Good Organic Gardening

Storage sheds |

Clever storage will eliminate clutter and confusion, allowing you to get the most out of your shed. Floor space should be reserved for bulkier items, so look to the walls, ceilings and even behind the door for storage solutions.

A fine style of timber shed

Words by Erina Starkey garden shed is much more than a backyard storage cupboard. It has the potential to be an ecofriendly piece of architecture, delivering an inspiring venue for work, leisure and pleasure. So if you’re hiding a gloomy, cluttered shack down the back, read on as we shed light on some innovative transformations.

A

Photos: Bigstock & Diane Norris

Shipping containers Shipping containers are gaining recognition in the architecture world for their trendy industrial design, modular shape and durability. Constructed from steel, their inherent strength makes them practical outdoor sheds or creative spaces, such as personal galleries, studios, workspaces or guesthouses. Plus, they’re vermin-proof.

Used shipping containers are inexpensive and can be sourced second-hand from freight companies or online resellers. Since they already conform to standard shipping sizes, transportation is easily managed, which means you can also take your container with you if you move.

You’ll need to organise a structural foundation so the container sits level and a small crane for the initial placement. Shipping containers can make stunning outdoor structures, so consider retiring one to your backyard for a second lease on life.

THE SHED

course, also well equipped to handle harsh climates and inclement weather. They suit commercial, industrial and rural environments and, if room permits, can snug into a corner of a suburban block.

The extreme robustness of tanks makes them an ideal storage solution for flammable liquids, such as paints or motor oil, or materials like stored cement, which can attract moisture from the air and deteriorate.

As a singular structure, they are also easily transportable. Some companies sell renovated water tanks readymade; otherwise restore your own used water tank into a practical gardening storage space.

Garden office Wouldn’t it be nice to commute down the garden path to work each day? A garden shed can make a beautiful home office for professional use or for personal projects and hobbies. However, you will need to install

new features to ensure your existing shed is suitable for regular occupation.

While natural light through windows and skylights is sufficient for daytime and occasional use, you may need to look into additional lighting solutions. You will also need connection to the mains electricity if you want to operate power tools, heating and office equipment.

For ambiance, consider adding window boxes inside and out and fill with herbs and edibles to freshen the air inside and boost your levels of creativity and productivity. If you find you are being distracted by outside noise you can double-glaze the windows with a layer of perspex.

Insulating the walls will make the space feel more comfortable and ultimately keep energy costs down. To keep office equipment safe, you may want to install a weatherproof door with a lock and key. A garden office not only saves you valuable travel time but also reduces the pollution caused by commuting.

No need for garden or tool sheds to be ugly or dull

Water tanks Existing concrete tanks can be recycled and retrofitted as secure outdoor sheds or storage facilities. Engineered in steelreinforced concrete, water tanks make for ultra-heavy-duty, high-security, verminproof and disaster-proof sheds. They are, of

Good Organic Gardening | 59

THE SHED | Storage stories Tools kept dry and stored properly last for decades

roots and are sturdy, making excellent green roof plants. A green roof on your shed absorbs carbon dioxide, improves air quality and is fantastic insulation. It also makes an enchanting backyard feature.

The art of disguise

Aviary or chicken coop An unused shed can be reinvented as a fantastic fowl house. By adding an additional screen door and secondary mesh windows, you can keep the windows and doors open all day and close them at night, keeping your birds safe from predators and protected from bad weather.

To give the birds a more natural experience, remove an entire wall panel and either replace it with mesh or extend it out to make a run. Nesting boxes can be made from recycled dresser drawers, suitcases or any old tubs, crates or pails, and old shelves make great perches.

Ensure there is plenty of straw for the chickens to get comfortable and they won’t know the difference. A shed makes a safe and practical home for poultry, but be sure to also let them roam in the garden, too.

Storage solutions Clever storage will eliminate clutter and confusion, allowing you to get the most out of your shed. Floor space is valuable and should be reserved for bulkier items, so look to the walls, ceilings and even behind the door for storage solutions. Use hooks or a pegboard to hold garden tools and implements safely and in an orderly fashion.

In fact, tools should always be kept dry and preferably stored off the ground.

For smaller tools, you can draw an outline of the implement straight onto the wall so you know exactly where each item lives. For nails, screws and bibs and bobs, glue jars by the lid to the bottom of a workbench space. This will keep your small indispensible items neatly together, easily accessible and out of the way.

If you have a collection of metal handyman tools, a magnetic toolbelt can be applied to the wall. This is particularly useful for holding paintbrushes, allowing their bristles to dry straight.

Any spare indoor furniture, such as a shelving unit or cupboard, can be brought

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in or you can stack wooden crates to create custom cabinetry with rustic charm. Don’t forget that larger items such as lawnmowers, bikes and bins need easy access in and out, so ensure the door’s width can accommodate your largest item.

Green roofs A living roof creates a habitat for insects and birds while reclaiming the ground space taken up by the shed. To accommodate a green roof you will need to have a sturdy, waterresistant shed roof held up by strong pillars to ensure it can handle the extra weight of the vegetation. The roof will also need gutters around the perimeter to ensure effective drainage and keep the green roof secure. Any rainwater collected from the gutters should be recycled back into the garden.

To create a green roof, you will need to cover the roof in a waterproof, root-resistant membrane, ideally in the form of a single sheet to cover the whole area. A heavy-duty pond liner from a local garden centre is ideal. For a horizontal or gently sloping roof, the next layer should be a filter fabric — such as jute or burlap — which will filter water as well as mesh with root systems, holding everything in place.

If your shed has a substantial slope you will need to look into specialised design solutions, such as pre-grown plant mats, grid systems or specialised prefilled trays to help hold the plants in place at an angle.

The next layer should be 70—200mm of substrate, which should be a lightweight growing medium. A recommended substrate mixture includes 70% crushed recycled brick to 30% organic/composted green waste (pure garden soil is not recommended) and the depth you use will dictate what plants your roof will be able to support.

The final layer is plantings, which can either be incorporated directly as seedlings and cuttings or laid as pre-vegetated mats or blankets. Sedum, wild flowers, ground covers and small succulents have shallow

If you already have a functional shed but it isn’t quite so easy on the eye, there are ways you can hide or camouflage it. White or brightly coloured sheds stand out in the garden and draw attention, so start by painting your shed a subtle earthy colour such as beige, green, grey or brown, which will help it blend into the landscape. From there you can attach lattice or a trellis to your shed walls and encourage vines and climbers to grow and cover the space. Non-invasive exotics like clematis or star jasmine are nice while edibles such as passionfruit or grape will look soft and beautiful (and delicious!).

Screening can also be achieved with tall straight plants such as sunflowers, holly hocks or delphiniums, or beautiful bushy Australian native grasses. You can also erect a decorative screen or piece of wall art to screen the shed from your house.

A backyard shed offers you a place to escape and relax, to be by yourself, to concentrate and to get things done. It’s a sanctuary, so don’t be afraid to personalise it, making it your very own man-shed — or she-shed.  Disguised naturally: a doorway to your secret world

Garden all year round with a Maze greenhouse

To re vceicvee

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THE UNDERGROUND | Pests & diseases in the soil

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Sick soil Soil-borne pests and diseases are not always easy to see, but there are organic solutions to all these problems Words & photos by Claire Bickle always say that healthy soil equals healthy plants. But what about when things go wrong despite our best efforts?

Your plants may be looking unwell, not thriving and even — heaven forbid — dying.

You then look to see what pest or disease is attacking your beloved plants. Sometimes the perpetrators may not be visible — mites, for example, need to be seen through a microscope.

And what if the issue is underground?

There’s a multitude of pests and diseases that affect plants, but here a few that are the

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62 | Good Organic Gardening

most commonly seen in our backyards and are tricky because none of them can be seen with the naked eye.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp) Sometimes called eelworms, these microscopic worm-like creatures are not all pests. There are some 20,000-plus species that have been identified around the world and a very large percentage of them are harmless to plants, but this particular one can be a real nuisance to gardeners because it is a plant parasite.

Pests & diseases in the soil | THE UNDERGROUND 1. Inspecting tomato plants roots that are not thriving 2. Just before green mustard goes into flower, slash the plants, dig into the soil and cover with mulch 3. Water sitting in the hole for hours shows that the soil has a very high clay content and consequently very poor drainage 4. Mustard can also act as a biofumigant against root-knot nematode when dug into the soil

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2 4

This species of nematode, when young, buries its way into the roots of certain plants where it will feed on the roots, causing paralysing lumps. These lumps then interfere with the plants’ ability to take up nutrients and water, consequently weakening them, causing wilting and reduced growth, and possibly allowing other fungal and bacterial infections to take hold.

This pest is mainly noticeable during the warmer months when it is most active.

Symptoms Plants will continuously droop, even when watered. They may even be yellowing and possible dying. On closer inspection of infected plants that have been pulled out of the ground, lumps will be visible all over the roots.

Most favoured plant species attacked are vegetables in the Solanaceae family, such as tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, chillies and capsicums, as well as strawberries, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and a range of fruiting plants including peach, banana, grapes, passionfruit, pineapple and pawpaw.

Strategies Removal: Once plants or particular crops are drooping badly, there’s really not a lot that can be done, except disposal.

Addition of organic matter: Soils depleted in organic matter are breeding grounds for the unwanted root-knot nematodes. So the addition of organic matter in the form of compost, animal manures, mushroom compost and mulches will discourage the nematodes and attract beneficial nematodes that may prey on the root-knot species.

Crop rotation: Planting the same crop in the same position year after year will allow populations of the root-knot nematode to build up. Don’t create this ideal environment for them to thrive in; keep them on the back foot by mixing up your vegetable family locations each season.

Biofumigation There are several BQ mulch & mustard: These plants are in the brassica family and release high levels of glucosinolate, which when the soil is wet creates a gas that acts as a biofumigant in the soil, helping to control soil-borne fungal diseases and nematodes. Sow as you would a green manure crop and slash and dig into the  Good Organic Gardening | 63

THE UNDERGROUND | Pests & diseases in the soil 7

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soil before it begins to flower. Water the area well and cover thickly with mulch.

Oats: This crop can also be sown in areas suspected of having root-knot nematode activity but is best grown in the cooler months.

Marigolds: This old-fashioned flower has long had a reputation for being a nematode killer, but for the marigold to really be effective it needs to be dug in through the soil, just like mustard.

Molasses: Can be used as a soil drench but be aware that it is toxic to worms, so use sparingly.

Fungal wilts Fursarium oxysporum sp., Verticillium spp.

Fungal wilts such as fursarium and verticillium can be a gardener’s worst nightmare. These soil-borne fungi make their way into the plants’ vascular systems and affect the water-carrying parts of the plants, causing them to wilt and eventually die off. They will be more prevalent in soils devoid of organic matter, where crop rotation is not being practised and there are possible drainage issues.

Symptoms Wilting and yellowing of plants is an indication. To assess whether or not you have one of the fungal wilts, cut off a stem close to the base and check its internal colour. If infected with fursarium wilt it will be a pink

64 | Good Organic Gardening

to reddish-brown colour. With beans, in particular, the inside of the stem will appear dark-brown and the roots a reddish colour.

Verticillium wilt will cause the inside of stems of infected plants to turn a dark-brown to black. Verticillium wilt is more common in soils where drainage is poor.

Strategies Solarisation: Place clear plastic over the area of soil once infected plants have been removed.

Leave in place for two months, keeping the area irrigated. Then grow a green manure crop of choice and slash and turn into the topsoil layer once it has grown to around knee height. This will add much-needed organic matter to the soil.

Removal: Remove infected plants and surrounding weeds and burn, or dispose of them in a sealed plastic bag. When doing this, be aware that fungal spores can spread easily via your hands or shoes, so wear gumboots that can be washed thoroughly after working in the area and wash hands when finished.

Biofumigation: Plant BQ mulch, mustard or radish as you would a green manure crop and slash and turn in before flowering; wet down and mulch thickly.

Addition of organic matter: This is very important, as organic matter will harbour a sea of beneficial soil fungi that will outcompete the bad ones.

No glyphosate: This chemical has been proven to reduce beneficial microbial and fungal activity in the soil, creating a perfect environment for unwanted fungal species to take hold.

Root rot Phytophthora spp.

Phytophthora cinnamomi is a microscopic soil-borne organism that causes root rot in a wide variety of plant species. Generally, this disease requires moist soil conditions and warm temperatures to be active, but damage is caused by the disease during when plants are drought stressed, as damaged roots cannot absorb moisture efficiently.

Phytophthora cinnamomi infects plant roots via microscopic zoospores attaching to the plants’ root tips. From there the infection spreads throughout the root system, destroying the tissue and making it impossible for the plant to absorb water or nutrients.

It’s always in the soil, but when the environment is right for excessive moisture from poor drainage, combined with hot weather and plants that are sensitive to phytophthora, you will have disaster.

Symptoms Foliage dies off, often on one side. The plant/ tree dies from the top down. Darkening of young feeder roots.

Pests & diseases in the soil | THE UNDERGROUND

Strategies Raised plantings: Create raised garden beds to improve drainage and keep plant roots out of wet soil.

Organic matter: Addition of compost has been shown to reduce attack.

Seaweed: Application of seaweed will increase plants’ capacity to avoid infection.

Amend soil’s density: Remedy drainage by the addition of gypsum, sand and organic matter.

Plant selection: Grow plants that are tolerant of heavy, poor-draining soils and avoid plants that are known to be easily affected by phytophthora.

Garden hygiene: Be sure not to spread it around via tools, shoes or soil movement and be aware that on sloping sites the disease may wash downwards, as the zoospores move in water. * Be aware that phytophthora can remain in dead plant tissue and soil for extended periods of time just waiting for the right conditions to regenerate and become a nuisance once more.

Prevention is better than cure Beneficial fungi, worms, soil microbes and good gardening practices such as crop rotation will get your soil on the road to success.

8

Once again, it’s good old organic matter to the rescue. Organic matter in the form of animal manures, worm castings, compost, mulch of various forms and green manure crops, to name some, are important additions to your soil to create a more disease- and pest-free environment for your plants.

Most people spend a fair bit of money on plants and fertiliser as well as time working out designs and species selection with little consideration for the basics of soil preparation for planting and maintaining a healthy soil. We need to spend more time and effort on looking after what’s under our feet. 

5. These are healthy tomato plant roots not at all affected by root-knot nematode 6. Performing a simple drainage test where a young lemon tree’s health had declined rapidly to the point of removal and near death 7. Marigolds can act as a biofumigant against root-knot nematode when dug into the soil 8. Vegetables in the Solanaceae family, such as these cherry tomatoes, are a favourite of the root-knot nematode

Change the way you think about fertilising

info@ezÀofertilising.com.au (07) 4778 0180 www.ezÀofertilising.com.au

Fertigation and Nutrient delivery Systems Good Organic Gardening | 65

FEATHERED FRIENDS | Introducing new chooks Once introduced birds learn the ropes of their new situation, the poultry yard becomes a peaceful place

Poultry power play Before you rush out to add to your flock, there are a few things to know about keeping the peace in the henhouse 66 | Good Organic Gardening

Words by Megg Miller ew chooks! So exciting. But longterm inhabitants of the henhouse are never as welcoming as the happy owner. Fowls, waterfowl, guineas, turkeys and especially quail view new arrivals with suspicion and go through a period of hostility and bullying before accepting the outsiders.

Could this be an exaggeration? Individual circumstances will determine the level of aggression, but owners of new birds can anticipate some henhouse unrest for the first few days and even weeks.

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Introducing new chooks |

Peck order Poultry keepers quickly learn there is a rigid social hierarchy in flocks, whether numbers are three birds or more than 30. There is always a dominant female and numerous submissive ones that acknowledge the ruling order. Invariably, there will be a low-ranking bird (or two) that are the butt of much bluffing and bullying by higher-ranking birds.

If one member of the flock dies or is removed, even temporarily, reshuffling of the social order occurs. When new birds are introduced, they need to not only quickly identify the ranking of each bird but also establish a position for themselves.

Research shows that each bird understands who they must defer to and who they can peck or bully because of their lower ranking.

Generally, altercations only involve bluffing behaviour and the occasional peck. Pecking is differentiated by hard or soft contact, the latter used to establish superiority and gain respect.

Hard pecks are more worrying as they can dislodge feathers and even lacerate skin.

If blood is drawn from pecking you must remove the injured bird immediately, treat the wound if necessary and house the bird in

FEATHERED FRIENDS

Keep new birds in their introductory enclosure for seven to 10 days

temporary accommodation until recovered.

Severe skin damage and even cannibalism can occur if birds are left untreated and at the mercy of the bully.

Territorial feelings It makes sense that the old guard in your henhouse will be affronted by the

appearance of complete strangers in their territory. They may respond by hunting the new birds away from feed and water and forcing them to stay put on the perch. This may be the only place where the new chums can feel safe and free from aggression. How long such an impasse can be maintained depends on the temperament of both the ď §

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Good Organic Gardening | 67

FEATHERED FRIENDS | Introducing new chooks Some people temporarily screen off a corner of the henhouse with strong netting to place the new birds in

new and incumbent birds and how willing the old guard are to accept change.

However, chooks behave mildly compared to the intensity displayed by geese, turkeys, guinea fowl and quail. All can be unrelenting in their punishment of newcomers.

Geese become very emotionally damaged by the hostility they encounter when first introduced and can lose lots of weight and become ill. Never consider bringing new geese to an established flock during the mating season; jealousy can be so strong the gatecrasher risks being drowned.

Quail have a well-deserved reputation for foul play also; they will kill unfamiliar penmates that have been put into an aviary with a longstanding group. Quail introductions are best achieved by introducing new and old members into a completely different yard or aviary where there are no territorial affiliations.

Turkeys and guineas tend to gang up and prevent the new birds accessing facilities, often relentlessly chasing the newbies round the pen or paddock.

The antics and vehemence of these minor species makes the nastiness displayed by chickens a lot easier to tolerate.

Geese become very emotionally damaged by the hostility they encounter so extra care is needed with newcomers

68 | Good Organic Gardening

Individual circumstances will determine the level of aggression, but owners of new birds can anticipate some henhouse unrest for the first few days and even weeks.

Facilitating friendliness Any wire cage or transportation carrier that is spacious enough, like a mesh dog coop, is perfect for holding the new birds in a corner of the henhouse. A secondhand cocky cage or new flatpack carrier work equally well provided birds are not too crowded. Add feed and water containers and a perch if possible. All parties can get acquainted with each other in this safe situation.

Keep new birds in their introductory enclosure for 7–10 days. One benefit is they can become familiar with where facilities are situated in the house, so they won’t be too confused when released.

Leave the cage/enclosure in the henhouse for a day or two following release in case the new birds want to seek refuge behind it. Alternatively, placing a bale of peastraw in the henhouse offers a great distraction for all flock members as well as a barrier to get behind.

Release new birds at night, placing them on the perch with the incumbents. Provided a distraction is introduced at the same time, hostility should be minimal.

Some people temporarily screen off a corner of the henhouse with strong netting to place the new birds in. This may not be as easy for feeding and watering the new birds but is a cheap option. It’s certainly better than just letting the newcomers fend for themselves.

Situations to avoid Never add little chickens to an adult flock, even when accompanied by Mum. Adults can be spiteful, but in addition the chickens need to develop their immune systems before being exposed to the range of conditions older birds carry but are not deleteriously affected by.

Never introduce half-grown pullets and expect them to cope with adult power plays; it’s wiser to house them separately until they are a comparable size.

Mixed species don’t get on well, either.

Ducks and geese foul up drinking water, which can upset the fowls’ digestive systems; turkeys cannot be run with fowls because of disease transmission; and guineas can make poor bedmates with most species because of bullying behaviour.

Once introduced birds learn the ropes of their new situation, however, the poultry yard becomes a peaceful place. Use your know-how to help speed your hens’ happiness. ■

Quarantine It’s common for poultry exhibitors to quarantine new birds in case they are carrying pathogens that can jeopardise the health of breeding birds. This is a sensible precaution all poultry owners should follow.

New birds can be housed in a temporary pen in a different part of the property for two weeks and then introduced to the regular flock. During quarantine, the home flock must be fed or attended to first and then the new birds. That way you’re not risking transmission of germs on your clothes to the home flock.

Eggs are simply the best.

We give them the best certified organic grain – no meat-meal (unlike others). We value the welfare of our feathered friends; that’s why we give them an idyllic habitat with plenty of space to roam, lots of deep mulch to scratch through, shady trees and lush pasture so our eggs are nutrient dense and rich in omega 3’s. We run no more than 600 hens per hectare. Our hens are always occupied so we don’t have to debeak.

Happy hens lay sensational eggs.

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PROFESSIONAL ORGANICS |Every Bit Organic-RAW

Good for the farmers,

good for us 70 | Good Organic Gardening

Every Bit Organic-RAW |

The challenge in starting and growing this business was to make organics accessible and affordable while still giving farmers a good deal Compiled by Kon Bochrinis, Every Bit Organic-RAW he humble beginnings of Every Bit Organic–RAW came from the beautiful mind of a man named Anthony, who worked as a driver in another business I ran. For two years he would bring me samples of certified organic products. Anthony slept organics, ate organics, drank organics and dreamt organics. His passion got me interested in organics, too.

My question was, “How do we make organics accessible to Australians, supporting local farmers but at great prices?”

It wasn’t long before I also started dreaming organics and talking about the subject a lot. I realised everyone had some experience with organic products but wanted to know much more. However, there were some difficulties in selecting products. I said to myself, “There’s no brand recognition — there’s no trust.” We had to change this.

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PROFESSIONAL ORGANICS

was in the process of creating a new organics department. He also loved the idea of branding oils and supporting Australian farmers. We eventually employed sales staff and found distributors in the other states to help us promote our product. We were moving again.

How it began After months of selecting products, approaching growers, bottlers and artists and attending to everything that comes with setting up a new business, Every Bit Organic-RAW was formed. With an initial $30,000 start-up injection, we found a warehouse, prepared the office, got the raw materials in and then everything came to a stop. No more money!

We were a new company with no credit trading history and our coffers had dried up.

More money was the only solution. Thanks to the passion of Anthony, and the new love in my life, EBO-RAW, we spent days and nights creating systems, getting products ready and moonlighting in sales. Now we had a great finished product with very little selling as a lot went out on consignment.

I walked into A. Bongiovanni & Son Grocery Store in Seddon, Victoria. Anthony

Not always easy Every Bit Organic still confronts problems on a daily basis. Our aim is to use Australian suppliers and to keep organics at reasonable prices for all to enjoy. We have been operating for a bit over two years and are now supplying goods in over 350 stores.

With the business growing so much, my wife is now part of the team.

Today, Every Bit Organic (EBO) is well established. Our friendly staff members, who really believe in our products, also have become passionate about the organic ethos and our range. Their belief in our products has helped promote the range to our customers. Our sales team members cover large areas of Victoria, from health food shops and organic outlets to boutique supermarkets and other stores.

Once you try our products you’ll see how unique they truly are. They cover a wide range of items. We offer both skincare and food oils, for example.

We also have a wide range of other organic goods on-board now. Our new suppliers that have come online include Ausganica, Eco Tan, Little Innoscents, Salt for Life, Augustine Approved, Resparkle, and Bio-Dynamix. These products are developing alongside EBO to give our customers the ability to choose from a great variety of organic products.

Photos: Courtesy of Every Bit Organic-RAW

Better methods With the demands of modern life, we can often neglect the health of our minds and bodies. That’s why EBO looks for a healthier approach to life by sourcing organic produce from local farmers to create a range that’s good for all of us. EBO prides itself on providing the link between the organics industry and consumers. We also want to offer organic integrity in conjunction with our products, and that involves acting ethically and in a socially responsible manner in the process of generating our RAW organic range of oils and honey.

EBO wants to make its mark by differentiating itself from mainstream methods of farming. Our products undergo a cold-pressed method of producing organic oils and honey. Our RAW range is coldpressed, unadulterated and pure.  Good Organic Gardening | 71

PROFESSIONAL ORGANICS |Every Bit Organic-RAW

In short, the products are sourced from uncontaminated oils and minerals and are 100 per cent organic, meaning they are Australian Certified Organic.

Cold-pressed is a term used to describe the method of deriving organic oils. It involves a process of turning oils from the original form into a paste and then separating this paste using stone. For our oils to be 100 per cent raw, they cannot be heated above 46.1°C. Because our oil is raw or coldpressed, it offers very high nutritional value.

Untainted, our products are free from the addition of inferior substances or extra elements that would reduce their purity. This has enabled us to have one of the world’s largest range of fully certified organic oils, sourced from Australian farmers whenever possible and always from certified organic sources. The RAW range is fast becoming one of the most recognisable organic brands in Australia. 

Kon and Syl from Every Bit Organic

For more information please visit www.everybitorganic.com.au

With the demands of modern life, we can often neglect the health of our minds and bodies. That’s why EBO looks for a healthier approach to life by sourcing organic produce from local farmers to create a range that’s good for all of us.

72 | Good Organic Gardening

Great tasting certified organic wines, grown from grapes free of chemicals and pesticides.

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GARDEN TO TABLE | FOUR SEASONAL EDIBLES

Summer recipes from The Organic Chef, Joanna Rushton

78 Seaweed Salmon, Green Apple & Arame Seaweed Salad

82 Pineapple Simple Thai Pineapple & Pork Stirfry

84 Dried Pineapple 88 Snow Peas Snow Peas & Avocado Salad with Fresh Sprouts

92 Celery Chicken with Braised Celery, Carrot, Leek, Parsnip & Lemon Thyme

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Four Seasonal Edibles | GARDEN TO TABLE

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Good Organic Gardening | 75

ALL ABOUT | Seaweed

Seaweed

Words by Jennifer Stackhouse

S

eaweed gatherer Rob Russell watches the weather off the coast of western Tasmania. When storms are forecast and the ocean swells get up, he knows the waves will bring swathes of bull kelp to the shore.

That’s when it’s time for his son Chris to jump in the truck and make the three-hour journey west from Devonport to the coast. Using a winch on the back of his truck, Chris loads several tonnes of kelp in a matter of hours and heads back to Devonport where the long fronds of seaweed are dried then processed.

Rob Russell’s business is not unique. Kelp and other seaweeds thrown up by storms and rough seas are gathered on coasts around the world. These nutrientrich plants find their way into our gardens, kitchens and medicine cabinets as they are dried, powdered and processed in ways that capture their goodness.

Rob uses the bull kelp (Durvillaea potatorum) he gathers to make his Kelpomix range of organic fertilisers for commercial and garden use; he also adds them to potting mixes and mulches.

In Victoria, another family-owned business, Seasol International, produces the seaweed-based plant tonic and soil conditioner Seasol from bull kelp harvested sustainably from the shores of King Island.

rocks around the coast. Seaweeds grow in salt or brackish water below the high-tide line but are often seen uprooted What is seaweed? or broken off by the waves and deposited on beaches and Seaweeds are forms of algae. They include red, brown and shores. Some species also survive in intertidal rockpools. green algae but, like other plant life, seaweed is classified by Far from being weeds, seaweeds are vital to life in the genus and species. These “plants” grow in the sea and on sea and on land. Like land plants, seaweeds carry out

76 | Good Organic Gardening

Seaweed | ALL ABOUT

Kelp drying

Did you know?

Kelp is an important source of iodine for those whose diet is deficient.

photosynthesis. They range in size from the microscopic phytoplanktons, which are at the base of the food chain for marine life, to the giant kelps that grow in underwater forests. Some seaweeds grow 30m below the ocean surface.

Seaweeds have their own water-adapted structures, including air bladders that allow them to float and leaf-like blades that withstand the constant ocean swell. Many have attachments, known as holdfasts, that keep them securely fastened to rocks or the ocean floor.

Edible options While gardeners are more likely to think of seaweed as a welcome additive to soil than something to eat, seaweed does have many uses and is found in more foods than you may realise. Indeed, I’d be willing to bet you have something with seaweed in it in your pantry or fridge.

Seaweed is very much part of some Asian dishes — sushi is wrapped in seaweed sheets called nori (Porphyra) — but seaweed is also used in soups and stews in foods right around the world.

Spaghetti de mer is the name the French give to dried or pickled seaweed, while laverbread is made in Wales from laver (a local species of Porphyra) and oats.

Seaweed doesn’t just find its way into savoury dishes. It’s also found on the dessert menu as well as in medicines and health tonics. Carrageen or carragheen moss (Chondrus crispus) is the basis for a throat lozenge known as Irish moss. Carrageen is also used as a thickener in a milkbased dessert, much like a blancmange or panna cotta, a centuries-old traditional dish found in coastal parts of both Ireland and Scotland. In Belize, a similar concoction known as dulce is served as a sweet beverage.

The long use of local seaweed species such as carrageen has given rise to many names for products derived from it. Carrageenan, for example, is a vegetarian

and vegan alternative to gelatine. This thickening agent is produced from many different species of edible seaweed, much of it now farmed off the coast of the Philippines.

Emulsifiers derived from seaweeds are used to thicken products as diverse as ice-cream, salad dressing and toothpaste and are also found in organic cosmetics and in diet pills.

Seaweeds are used to make agar, the gelatinous substance in which laboratories around the world culture bacteria. There is also research into seaweed farming to produce products as varied as biofuels, animal feeds and pharmaceuticals.

Seaweeds can also help remove nutrients from water to help clean up polluted areas — food for thought the next time you bite into a sushi roll. 

Gathering seaweeds from the seashore Seaweeds provide nutrients that help nurture both plants and the soil they grow in. As seaweeds are such a vital part of life in the sea, even seaweeds washed up along the shore may be sustaining life. In most areas, seaweeds can be harvested from the shore above the high-tide line; however, restrictions may exist along some coastal areas. It is not permitted to harvest seaweed from beaches in national parks or other protected marine areas and living seaweeds cannot be harvested. Seaweeds don’t usually need to be washed but can be added to compost heaps or placed over the soil as mulch.

Good Organic Gardening | 77

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Seaweed

Star ingredient: Seaweed

Salmon, Green Apple & Arame Seaweed Salad Serves 1 Step 2

• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce • 1 tsp coconut vinegar • 5g fresh ginger

Method 1. Panfry, grill or barbecue the salmon until cooked medium — about 4 minutes each side — using coconut oil or ghee.

2. Combine apple, onion, carrot, seaweed and herbs. Add lime juice mixed with half the dressing.

3. Serve the salmon on top of the salad mix and drizzle the remainder of dressing over it.

Ingredients • 1 salmon fillet, seasoned with a little salt and pepper • 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee • ½ medium apple, sliced into matchsticks • ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced • 1 small carrot, sliced into matchsticks • 1 tbsp arame seaweed • ¼ cup mint leaves • ¼ cup coriander leaves • ¼ cup lime juice Dressing Combine these ingredients in saucepan, bring to boil, remove and allow to cool before using.

• 1 tsp raw honey

78 | Good Organic Gardening

Health benefits of arame seaweed According to Seibin Arasaki and Teruko Arasaki, authors of Vegetables from the Sea, “All of the minerals required by human beings, including calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron, and zinc, are present in sufficient amounts. Edible plants from the sea also contain important vitamins, including A (in the form of beta-carotene), B1, B2, B6, niacin, C, pantothenic acid and folic acid.

Analysis has shown trace amounts of vitamin B12, which rarely occurs in land vegetables.”

Seaweed | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON

Good Organic Gardening | 79

GROWING | Pineapple

Rainbow Pineapple Thyme chard Thymus Beta vulgaris vulgaris Ananas comosus Words by NevilleWords Donovan,

by Melissa Greenpatch King Organic Seeds

Did you know?

Although most people eat pineapple for its sweet flavour, these long-maturing fruits have valuable nutrients as they are high in manganese and vitamin C.

By Jennifer Stackhouse

I

f you’re looking for a fast-growing and quick-to-pick crop, turn back the pages to snow peas and forget about growing your own pineapples. However, if you are patient, like something that’s a little different and crave the adulation of friends and family, then plant a pineapple.

Actually, to grow a pineapple, that’s exactly what you do. The rough end of the pineapple (the leafy bit you cut off when preparing a pineapple to eat) eventually forms a new plant and produces fruit.

The quicker but far more expensive way is to buy a pineapple plant complete with a small pineapple already growing. These novelty plants are sold at garden centres and plant markets through summer and early autumn.

Pineapples are a type of bromeliad. Now I’ve told you, I bet you can see the similarity. The pineapple fruit forms in the centre of a tuft of grey-green serrated leaves. One fruit is formed per plant and plants grow 1–1.5m high and nearly as wide when growing in a warm climate in the ground. The long, greyish leaves may be serrated and spiny, although some varieties have smooth leaves.

80 | Good Organic Gardening

Small suckers or “pups” also form around mature pineapple plants to make a clump. These can be detached from the mother plant and replanted or potted up to grow a new plant.

Getting started Originally from South America, pineapples need warmth to grow and fruit. They are grown commercially in tropical and subtropical parts of Australia such as along the east coast from Coffs Harbour north. Even in these balmy conditions, pineapples take months to mature.

After about 12 or more months they produce a flower head (actually a head of up to 100 small mauve to purple blooms) that matures to form the fruit.

In colder southern areas, grow a pineapple in a pot in a very warm, sheltered spot. In very cold areas, move the plant and its container into a heated glasshouse from autumn to early spring.

Pineapples have always been a challenge for gardeners in cool climates. Vast sums have been spent creating just the right conditions. The high brick wall

Pineapple | GROWING

In cold areas where they need winter protection, place pineapples in the warmest, sunniest spot available.

If you want to try to grow a pineapple fruit from a pineapple top it’s important to prepare the top before it’s planted. Make sure all the flesh is cut away to leave just the leafy top, then set it aside for a few days to dry.

Take the prepared top, pull off a few of the lower leaves to reveal a short “stem” and plant this large cutting in a well-drained sunny spot in the garden or in a pot filled with a well-drained organic potting mix. Firm the top (it may topple over otherwise) and water it in.

Like other bromeliads, pineapples can grow in a pot that’s small in relation to the size of the plant. This is because they don’t form a large root system. However, if the pot is too small, the plant may tip over, so select a 20–25cm pot for your pineapple cutting then pot it up into a larger pot as it grows.

Troubleshooting

that encloses part of the Royal Tasmanian Botanic Gardens in Hobart is an example of the extremes gardeners went to in the 19th century to grow delicacies such as pineapples. Designed to be heated through winter, it was built so plants such as pineapples and bananas could survive Hobart’s winter chills nestled next to its warmth.

In the UK in the 18th and 19th centuries and even up to the beginning of World War I, it wasn’t unusual for wealthy landowners to have a heated pineapple house for the production of homegrown pineapples produced to delight dinner guests for dessert.

One wealthy British landowner, Lord Dunmore, took the pineapple as status symbol to extremes. In 1761 he created a large folly, shaped and decorated as a pineapple. Built in his walled garden in Scotland, the ornate pineapple included a circular banquet room. Dinner guests retired to the pineapple banquet room to enjoy lavish desserts that included hothouse fruit such as pineapples and peaches.

Although commercially grown pineapples are afflicted by pest and disease problems, one or two growing in a home garden are fairly trouble free. The long period between planting and fruiting, which can be more than two years, can mean there’s opportunity for things to go wrong, so be vigilant. Be patient, don’t over-water or over-fertilise and the small pineapple fruit will eventually form, grow and ripen.

Harvesting and storing You’ve probably watched this fruit for so long you never thought it would be ready to eat. As the fruit matures it’s held up above the leaves on a stem, almost like an offering. It starts off green or red and gradually gets larger. As the colour changes to yellow, it is getting ripe.

The sugars in the fruit are intensifying as this happens, so leave the fruit until it is nicely yellow.

Pineapples keep uncut in the fruit bowl for a week or do what my grandmother did and remove the top and skin then chop the fruit into bite-size chunks to store in a jar in the fridge for whenever a sweet refreshing snack is needed, or to add to fruit salad. Pineapples can also be juiced.

The skins can be used to make pineapple jam (remove the cooked skins before adding sugar) and, of course, you can regrow the top to produce another pineapple. 

Growing needs Pineapples need mollycoddling as far as providing warm growing conditions are concerned, but they don’t need much other care. They get by with little water and, as bromeliads, are not too fussy about soil as long as it’s well drained.

Don’t douse them with full-strength liquid fertiliser — that will just burn their leaves — but do feed them with diluted liquid organic plant food. Small amounts of pelletised organic manure placed around the base of the plant in spring and summer or a dressing of aged manure or compost also provides nourishment, particularly for pineapples growing in the ground.

As well as warmth, they need good drainage, which is why they do well in pots. They also grow best in full sun but can tolerate a little shade in the tropics and subtropics.

Pineapple label Common name: Pineapple Botanical name: Ananas comosus Family: Bromeliaceae Aspect and soil: Sun; well-drained soil Best climate: Tropics to subtropics Habit: Perennial Propagation: Cutting (pineapple tops), side shoots, suckers (pups) Difficulty: Moderate

Good Organic Gardening | 81

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Pineapple

Star ingredient: Pineapple

Simple Thai Pineapple & Pork Stirfry Serves 2 Step 1

Method 1. Cut the pineapple in half and cut out (or scoop out) the flesh.

2. Dice the pineapple flesh into cubes and set aside.

3. Heat the coconut oil in a sauté pan and add the garlic, chillies and ginger and sauté for 1 minute.

4. Add the pork mince and continue sautéing until the pork is cooked through.

5. Add the herbs and then apportion the pork mix into each pineapple half.

6. Present on a platter with additional herbs for garnish if desired.

Health benefits of pineapple Ingredients • 1 whole pineapple with stem (leaves) still attached • 1 tbsp coconut oil • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 red chilli, finely sliced • 1 green chilli, finely sliced • 1 small knob ginger, minced • 500g pork mince • ¼ cup mint • ¼ cup coriander

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Pineapple has been used for centuries to treat digestive problems and inflammation.

It’s rich in vitamins C, A, B2 and B6, minerals such as thiamin, riboflavin, folate, magnesium, manganese and potassium, and antioxidants. Fresh pineapple is the only known source of an enzyme called bromelain, which has been used in studies to determine its effectiveness in alleviating joint pain and reducing inflammation.

Pineapple | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON

Good Organic Gardening | 83

PRESERVING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Pineapple

Star ingredient: Pineapple

Dried Pineapple Makes 30 portions and will keep in freezer for up to three months.

Step 4

Method 1. Cut the skin off a pineapple.

2. Chop the pineapple flesh into slices or chunks about 1–2cm in thickness.

3. For easier clean-up, line dehydrator trays with baking paper to prevent the pineapple from sticking to the trays.

4. Place a single layer of pineapple slices on the trays of a dehydrator and set the temp to 55°C for 12–16 hours.

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GROWING | Snow peas

Snow peas Pisum sativum var. saccharatum

Words by Jennifer Stackhouse

T

asty, fast and easy to grow: what better credentials could a plant have? If you are a beginner vegie grower, have kids, are gardening in a small space or just want a ready source of vegetables for the dinner table, snow peas are the plant for your garden.

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the sweetness of snow peas that appeals to our palates and the reason children often eat snow peas but refuse to eat garden peas. Their rapid growth is also appealing for kids, who can enjoy the way the plant quickly grows and begin to harvest the pods long before theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve grown tired of waiting.

Snow peas | GROWING

Also, unlike carrots or radish, which are also fastgrowing vegetables that kids like to grow, the harvest is obvious without the need to pull up the vegetables to examine their roots.

Snow peas are not just sweet morsels, though. As they are eaten pod and all, they are high in fibre and contain useful amounts of protein and a wide range of vitamins and nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin B and folate.

Getting started Snow peas grow best through the cooler months but will grow and produce pods year round in cooler areas.

Autumn through into spring is snow-pea planting season.

Snow peas can be grown from seed or from a punnet of seedlings bought at the garden centre. Whichever you choose, give your plants a climbing support. This can be as sophisticated as a trellis or as simple as a tripod of three sticks or stakes pushed into the ground or even into a large container or the centre of a raised vegetable bed.

Make the climbing support at least 2m high.

Peas climb by wrapping their delicate tendrils around their support. When they are just starting to climb they need a bit of encouragement to grab onto the sturdy climbing frame or stake. Use twigs placed around the plants to encourage them to get climbing where you want them to grow.

Growing needs These peas grow quickly and produce their first pods within 8–10 weeks of planting. Encourage this rapid growth and pod production with regular doses of organic liquid fertiliser. If you have access to wee from the worm farm, use diluted worm wee as a liquid fertiliser.

Snow peas grow best in full sun but can tolerate some shade and still produce pods. Too much shade, however, leads to poor growth with few pods and increases the likelihood of fungal disease such as powdery mildew.

Snow peas vs garden peas The difference between the traditional garden pea and the snow pea lies in the pod. Snow peas have edible pods.

You don’t have to wait for the peas inside to develop before you can begin to harvest your crop. Snow peas are ready to pick and eat while they are still flat and the peas inside are immature.

This is because snow-pea pods have thin walls that lack the fibre found in a garden pea pod. Sugar snaps can also be eaten pod and all and are the peas usually described by the French word mangetout (literally “eat all”) that you may come across in some recipe or gardening books or at growers’ markets in Europe.

However they’re eaten, both types of peas are legumes and this means they are plants that benefit the soil. As pea plants grow, they add nitrogen to the soil. This is normally called “fixing” as the plant is able to take nitrogen from the air and, because of beneficial bacteria in their root nodules, can add nitrogen into the soil. Other plants that use nitrogen — such as leafy greens like lettuce and rocket — are good companions to plant with snow peas.

Troubleshooting As these plants are so quick to grow and flourish through the cooler months of the year they rarely suffer from pests or diseases. Caterpillars can be removed by hand if discovered on the plants.

As the weather warms, the peas may decline, suffering bacterial spot or fungal disease, but by then the crop is well and truly picked and the easiest way to deal with the problem is to remove the plants to make way for a warmseason vegetable such as tomato or cucumber.

Harvesting, storing and nutrients As soon as the broad, flat pods are around 5–6cm long they are ready to harvest. Left longer they get bigger and coarser, so early picking leads to the tastiest snow peas. Several plants in the garden generally yield a few handfuls every few days, which is ideal for a family meal. They can be eaten raw, sliced into a salad, steamed as a green vegetable or stirfried.

If you accidently pick off the growing tips as you harvest, don’t be concerned; they too can be tossed into the stirfry.

Snow peas are very productive, so you may find you have more than you can use. They can be stored in the crisper section of your fridge or frozen to use later. 

Snow pea label Common name: Snow pea Botanical name: Pisum sativum var. saccharatum Family: Fabaceae Aspect and soil: Sun, well-drained soil Best climate: All areas Habit: Annual climber Propagation: Seed, seedling Difficulty: Easy

Good Organic Gardening | 87

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Snow peas

Star ingredient: Snow peas

Snow Peas & Avocado Salad with Fresh Sprouts Serves 2

Ingredients • 8 snow peas • ½ avocado • 2 cups mixed fresh sprouts, eg broccoli, sunflower, rocket, watercress Dressing • Juice ½ lemon • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • Pinch Himalayan rock salt

Method Combine salad ingredients in a bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and toss through salad.

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Health benefits of snow peas Snow peas are a great source of fibre, carbohydrate, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, magnesium, folic acid and other antioxidants.

Along with a healthy diet and lifestyle, these anti-cancer nutrients have the ability to naturally relieve and prevent inflammation, eye diseases, scurvies and digestive issues.

Snow peas | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON

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GROWING | Celery

Celery Apium graveolens var. dulce

Tip Provide adequate soil nutrients and ample soil moisture.

By Neville Donovan, Greenpatch Organic Seeds

C

elery is a long-time popular vegetable whose long, slender stalk can be eaten fresh, delivering a crisp, healthy choice to the diet, or cooked to add flavour to any meal.

Celery originated in the Mediterranean around 850 BCE. There are wild relatives of celery found in a number of countries throughout the world — in England it is called “smallage” and used to flavour soups. In the 1700s the Italians carried out variety improvements.

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Today’s celery has valuable nutrients including vitamins A, B1, B6, B9 (folate), C, E and K and minerals potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.

To produce delicious celery, allow a growing season of up to 140 days. It takes a little extra effort to grow this succulent plant.

How to grow Celery does best in cool, moist growing conditions with ample soil moisture, so regular, consistent watering is

Celery | GROWING

essential as it has shallow roots to only 10cm. The plant stores up to 80 per cent water.

Plant seedlings in a sunny to part-shade position.

Celery enjoys fertile soil to 20cm deep that is rich in organic matter. Fertility can be increased by digging in aged manure or compost, or adding a side dressing of organic fertiliser during the growing period. Plants that are growing well will have a dark-green leaf and stalk colour and a stronger flavour with high nutritional value.

The blanching of plants while actively growing will produce a mild-tasting bunch of celery, plus it will be lighter in colour. Basically, this can be achieved by reducing the amount of light the plant receives, which in effect blanches the vegetable — it grows more rapidly, producing soft, tender growth. Providing shelter for the plants encourages the stalks to elongate.

Empty milk containers come in handy to encircle plants.

Cut off the top and end of each container and use the long tube section by placing over the top of the plants to fully enclose all the stalks. Leave on until ready to harvest.

Another method is to use wide sheets of timber placed along both sides of the celery plants to shelter them from the light. Celery can also be planted in trenches so extra water can be provided. The plants will stay moist longer and the trench walls provide shelter for the plants.

Mulching plants also helps retain soil moisture.

Celery seeds are small and can be sown in containers or direct in the garden. Cover seed with a fine soil 3–4mm deep. Once the small seedlings are 5cm high, they can be transplanted to a permanent position in the garden.

Spacing plants 40cm apart is adequate and be sure to keep moist at all times. As the days get longer and the spring weather begins to warm up, celery will naturally go to flower. The small creamy-white-coloured flowers are produced in dozens of umbel-shaped heads that can stand up to 1.2m. This attracts bees, lady beetles and lacewings, which are always welcome.

To collect celery seed, look for the tiny seeds in the umbel when it’s a light-brown colour and cut individual florets as they are ready. Place florets in a paper bag for further drying. Just one plant can produce thousands of seeds.

Planting time Cool climate: Sow seed March to September, avoiding summer heat.

Temperate climate: Sow seed March to July.

Subtropical climate: Sow seed March to July.

Tropical climate: Sow seed April to June.

Varieties Tall Utah Dark-green stringless stalks to 70cm.

Tendercrisp Green, smooth, stringless stalks.

Red stalk Maroon to red stalk with similar colour in the midrib of the leaf.

Golden self blanching Dwarf, compact, thick, stringless stalks, pale golden leaves.

Chinese celery Thin, short stalks, strong flavour.

Troubleshooting Because celery is mainly grown in cooler weather, plants generally encounter few problems, though slugs and snails can infest plants. They are generally found hiding in the base of the stalks, which make perfect hiding spots.

As the weather warms up, white fly is an insect to keep an eye out for. This pest can multiply quickly and live among the leaves by sucking the nutrients from the plants. Red spider attacks plants in dry conditions, so watering leaves more regularly will help. Eco-oil will assist with the control of these small pests.

Something else worth mentioning is hollow stem, mainly caused by lack of soil moisture and essential nutrients.

Harvesting, storing and preserving Celery stalks are ready to pick once they are up to 40cm long. The leaves and stalks can be used at any time to make fresh juices or smoothies and can be added to soups, stews and casseroles. Leaves are packed with nutrients and flavour, so pick, chop and dry them. When thoroughly dry, they can be stored in a glass jar next to the other spices and added to various dishes. When added to Celtic salt, you have celery salt.

Once harvested, celery can be stored in the refrigerator and can keep for up to six weeks at 0–5°C. The leaves and small petioles freeze well for up to three months and are a handy size for soups when packaged in small zip-lock bags.

Preserving celery as pickles with other vegetables in season, such as cauliflower, carrots, and pickling onions, is a good way to extend the harvesting period. Also try celery chutney on its own or with mixed vegetables, fennel or dill. 

Celery label Common name: Celery Botanical name: Apium graveolens Family: Apiaceae Aspect and soil: Part shade; fertile soil Best climate: Cool, temperate, sub-tropical Habit: Upright Propagation: Seed Difficulty: Moderate

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COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Celery

Star ingredient: Celery

Chicken with Braised Celery, Carrot, Leek, Parsnip & Lemon Thyme Serves 1 Step 1

Step 2

Method 1. Heat the ghee in a large sauté pan and lightly sauté the chicken, breast side down, along with carrots, leeks, parsnips and celery.

2. Turn the chicken over and add the stock and lemon thyme.

3. Pop a lid on and let the whole dish simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Remove the chicken breast and cut into 5 or 6 slices. Serve the chicken over the braised vegetables and stock.

Health benefits of celery

Ingredients • 1 tbsp ghee • 1 chicken breast, seasoned with salt & pepper • 2 baby carrots • 2 baby leeks • 2 baby parsnips • 1 celery stick • 250mL chicken stock • Sprig of lemon thyme

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Celery leaves have a high content of vitamin A, while the stems are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, with rich supplies of potassium, folate, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and sodium plus plenty of essential amino acids.

Celery is cooling and can help reduce blood pressure and balance pH levels.

The polyacetylene in celery relieves all inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, asthma and bronchitis.

Celery | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON

Good Organic Gardening | 93

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Books | REVIEWS

Cover to cover

Leafing through books for gardeners and cooks

Garlic An organic guide to knowing growing and using garlic, from Australian Whites and Tasmanian Purples to Korean Reds and Shangdongs

By Penny Woodward, Hyland House Publishing, RRP $29.95 Have you tried to grow garlic and had limited or no success?

Well, grab yourself a copy of this fantastic book by one of Australia’s most popular, award-winning horticultural writers, Penny Woodward.

How to grow, preserve, cook, dry, plait and do all the things with garlic you could possibly think of are detailed. Penny has collated information gleaned from years of personal growing experience, as well as info she has collected from commercial growers around the country, to create this must-have publication. There are more than 50 cultivars covered — not an exhaustive list, she says!

— as well as other plant species that will give a similar flavour. This extensive information is well set out and backed up by lush photographs throughout the book, which make it a visual delight as well.

Australian Country Cooks 2015 Diary Kirsty McKenzie, Universal Magazines, RRP $19.95 The Australian Country Cooks Diary for 2015 rolls through the year, focusing on an ingredient in season for each month with recipes and selection and storage tips, celebrating the pick of the crop. From tomatoes, figs and rhubarb to pears, asparagus and peaches, the diary offers useful information and beautiful photographs of the produce at its prime and the dishes that can be made from it. Divided into a week for each spread, the pages have an elegant linen background, cute pencil illustrations and a handy elastic binder, so notes and cards can be stored inside.

Connected: The sustainable landscapes of Phillip Johnson

By Phillip Johnson, Murdoch Books, RRP $59.99 “Connecting with the earth is one of the most invigorating and energising things you can do,” writes the author of this coffee table book filled with lush images of beautiful, inspiring landscapes. Phillip Johnson made his name by winning Best in Show at the Chelsea Flower show in 2013 — the pinnacle for any landscape designer. This book is a collection of 20 of his designs that range from the Meditation Garden to the Turtle Habitat, from the Produce Garden to the Bushwalking Garden and many more. While you won’t find a lot of food-growing ideas, you’ll discover swimming pools that look like a natural part of their surrounds, backyard boardwalks, mini-waterfalls, rocks in the landscape and even great decking ideas. He includes his own beautiful Dandenongs home too. A book to savour over and over.

Grow

Grow: The Gardeners Almanac for 2015 Diane Norris, Universal Magazines, RRP $19.95 This is not just a typical hands-on The Gardeners Almana c for 2015 diary to keep track of events, birthdays and special occasions — it’s much more. We have brought you a stunning detailed gardeners almanac filled with handy monthly gardening tips and advice. Also, there are 36 edible plants featured, complete with growing instructions and gorgeous photographs, to set you on the right path to growing fresh, organic produce in your own garden space. And, as a special feature, the back pages contain a summary of how to deal with garden pests and weeds in an effective, safe and non-chemical way.

The Gardeners Alman ac for 2015

Grow

Good Organic Gardening | 95

PICK OF THE CROP

pick of the crop Our selection of products and services for gardeners and cooks 225 *based on foliar application

PowerFeed Organics Change the way you fertilise Known as fertigation, the technology of EZFLO is commonly used in commercial agriculture and horticulture to deliver plant nutrients, fertilisers and other supplements such as soil wetters.

It allows the user to deliver either very small quantities (parts per million of nutrients) as well as large amounts (grams per litre).

Fertigation is increasingly being used to provide plant nutrients for landscapes in home gardens, school grounds, council gardens, golf courses and sporting facilities. EZFLO offers delivery tanks to operate from either click-on hose fittings attached to a tap or units installed with the irrigation system. Nutrients are diluted and can either be foliar sprayed or dispensed via your irrigation. There’s a range of models to suit every application and they require no power or maintenance.

Plain, simple EZ — just change the way you think about fertilising! ezflofertilising.com.au

Happy hens — supplements for your chickens Planet Poultry has a range of natural supplements for chickens (Happy Hens products): Garlic Granules: This herb has been universally used as a medicine and tonic food for thousands of years. Garlic stimulates the immune system and is an antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and antiparasitic.

Seaweed Meal: Contains over 70 naturally balanced elements, minerals and amino acids, including vitamins A, B1 and E, cobalt, copper, magnesium, iron and natural iodine.

Molodri: A mix of molasses and fine diatomaceous earth (non-toxic fossilised diatoms). Regularly used, may assist in the control of worms and coccidiosis. Diatomaceous Earth: Used for the control of lice and mites on birds and in their housing. Apple Cider Vinegar: Causes an alkaline effect in the fowl, which reduces the likelihood of illness and helps fight existing maladies by helping to support the immune system. Specially formulated double-strength, unpasteurised and still retaining “the mother”, which is vital in preserving all vitamins and minerals. planetpoultry.com.au

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PLANT FOOD

Seasol introduces a new product to its organic range with ORGANIC PowerFeed ORGANIC. This premium certified-organic fish fertiliser is suitable for all plants, including edible crops, flowering plants and natives. PowerFeed ORGANIC is a fastacting liquid that goes to work immediately whether applied to the foliage or the soil. This ensures the maximum amount of natural nutrients, vitamins, proteins, amino acid and trace elements to sustain healthy productive growth. The dual effect of PowerFeed ORGANIC naturally conditions the soil through its highly active liquid compost. This helps to break up clay soil, reduce nutrient loss in sandy soil and make nutrients easily available to all plants. Team PowerFeed ORGANIC with certified organic Seasol for an amazing health treatment. Seasol promotes healthy growth in all plants all year round. It stimulates root development, enhances flowering and fruiting and increases resistance to heat, drought, frost, pests and diseases. seasol.com.au For Fruit, Vegies and Herbs Promotes sustained healthy growth Adds liquid compost to soil

Angove Family Wine Angove Family Winemakers has been growing grapes and crafting fine South Australian wines for five generations. The range of organically grown and made wines includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and a Shiraz Cabernet. As any winemaker will tell you, the quality of a wine begins in the vineyard and is driven by the quality of the grapes. Organic grape growing ensures that the entire vineyard environment is managed for maximum natural nutrition for the vines and their resulting grape crop. At all levels of viticulture, organic systems help the vine produce better fruit. Organically grown vines tend to be smaller, with lower crop levels than ordinary vineyards, resulting in more flavour-filled grapes. In the winery these wines are crafted with just the gentlest touch of the Angove winemakers to ensure flavour-packed pleasure in every glass. angove.com.au

Plant — pot’n all What’s better than harvesting your own delicious fruits? Doing it in an environmentally friendly way, of course. Last year welcomed the new Pot’n All Harvest Starters range, which celebrates several passionfruit varieties, several more strawberry varieties, favourites from the Rubus family as well as two varieties of blueberry. These varieties start life in the tissue culture lab at Ramm Botanicals, which means they are produced in the best environment possible for strong plant growth. They are then transferred into the Pot’n All coconut-fibre biodegradable tube and are soon ready to produce. Not only does the Pot’n All tube reduce the amount of plastics used in retail plant sales, it also makes gardening quicker and easier. Ornamental plants are available in the Pot’n All Garden Starters Range and, if you’re mad about spicy foods, be sure to check out the Heart Starters range with 30 chilli varieties that have heat ratings from Zero to Hero! potnall.com.au

PICK OF THE CROP Trust organically produced wines Organic wines are becoming increasingly popular and, according to Wild Fox Wines Director, Arielle Markou, there are three key reasons: • The increasing awareness among consumers about the benefits of healthier eating and drinking • An alarmingly high percentage of people experiencing adverse reactions to conventional wines because of chemicals and excessive preservatives • Increased confidence in the quality and value of organically produced wines Over the past four years, Wild Fox Wines has participated in more than 50 shows, expos and festivals around Australia to promote the brand and the benefit of organics. With selective media advertising, in-store tastings and promotions as well as targeted social media campaigns, a growing band of loyal consumers are converting to the brand and to organics. Within the organic wine category, another segment is experiencing significant growth: raw wines (organic wines with no added preservatives). Wild Fox is pioneering this market and currently boasts six varieties in its preservative-free range. Follow Wild Fox on Facebook facebook.com/wildfoxwines. organic, or visit wildfoxwines.com.

Mother Nature’s soap Have you ever wondered what your laundry detergent or shampoo is doing to the environment after it goes down your drain? You don’t need to look hard to find reports of environmental damage from household chemicals, but I was worried about these products even before they went down the drain. My mum who, like her mum, died too young from cancer, had always warned me never to touch laundry powder because it’s carcinogenic. She was right and I was careful — but I’m not any more. I discovered a laundry detergent that literally falls off a tree, does a better job than the powder I was using and is actually good for the environment. It didn’t take long to find that this “detergent” (soap nuts) made my windows shiny, cleaned my floors and cleaned my kids from head to toe — even keeping head lice away. I’m so proud to be able to share soap nuts with many other people through our home business, go green at home.

— Lee-Ann Wilson, gogreenathome.com.au

Heritage Cottage Garden Plants Old-fashioned perennial cottage garden plants were once very common in gardens. As new gardening trends are introduced, the cottage garden plants have quickly disappeared and are harder to find. Here are a few favourites of ours, like the sunloving Marguerite daisy that comes in an array of soft pink and white shades, with single and double row of petals. The many spectacular colours of drought-tolerant hardy pigface require minimal watering and flower throughout spring. For summer colour vibrancy, it’s hard to overlook verbena, a low-growing groundcover that flowers until the end of autumn. Easter or Michaelmas daisy comes in a selection of mauve, pink, white single and double rosettes and adds a medium-height accent of colour in autumn. Who can go past convolvulus, a gorgeous blue-flowering groundcover? Greenpatch Organic Seeds has been collecting many varieties of hardy, colourful plants, now available in 100mm pots. All plants are $4.75 each or five for $20. greenpatchseeds.com.au, facebook.com/greenpatchseeds

Looking forward to the wet on the Organigrow farm Long, languid days of summer send everyone on the Organigrow farm to seek shelter from the scorching sun. My feathered friends are all hanging out in the deepest shade available, occasionally mustering the energy to scratch for their favourite morsel or peck at any reachable fallen mangoes. Chooks like it around 21 degrees; above 32, they start to get very uncomfortable. All I can say is, bring on the wet season. The increased cloud cover and constant showers are all that keep us from roasting. I contemplate whether we will set another record global temperature in 2014; global warming is more and more on my mind. It seems our government is owned by the coal companies and is doing everything possible to thwart any action on climate change.

It’s up to each of us to do what we can. Apart from planting over 10,000 trees on my farm as a carbon sink, I have just put in another 5kW of solar panels, bringing my total to 16kW. This not only saves me money on power but will help to save the planet. I would urge everyone who cares about our planet to do what you can. It’s not up to our governments — it’s up to us to change and be part of the revolution. — Simon, organigrow.com.au

Good Organic Gardening | 97

PICK OF THE CROP

Strawberry Spinach — pretty, nutritious and delicious This exotic but very easy-to-grow spinach is pretty well unknown to most Australian gardeners but one that will become very popular in the future as more and more people come to discover it. It is native to North America and Europe and grows low to the ground, looking like any usual spinach until at maturity it begins to develop 50cmlong tendrils, which form fruit in the axis of each leaf. The fruit of Strawberry Spinach is bright red and about 2cm in diameter. As the fruit fully matures it changes to a dark-red colour and becomes sweet and juicy. The leaves look and taste like any common spinach and are used like any spinach leaf. The fruit can be tossed in a salad mix for added colour and an exciting taste bonus or made into a jam with the addition of sugar. It even teams well in jams when blended with many other types of fruit. A bowl of the delicious red fruit topped with a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream is enough to temp just about anyone. The plants are very easy to grow and you can get your seed from Rangeview Seeds. rangeviewseeds.com.au

Greywater reuse Greywater is the wastewater stream from all sources other than the toilet. Kitchen greywater, however, is not to be reused as this can contain oil, fats and food scraps, which do not break down easily and can easily clog irrigation filters and pipes. This means that householders can easily reuse greywater from the bathroom/s (shower, handbasins and bath) and the laundry. The average Australian household uses about 800L a day for both inside and outside use. That’s 300kL of water each year, and 40 per cent of that use is on gardens. Typical values for the volume of greywater produced is 100L per person per day, so delivering greywater into the garden could give you an extra 100 kilolitres (100,000L) of free water a year. Reusing laundry and bathroom wastewater on your garden is just another way of moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle. What’s more, it’s a practical step that is just as easily applied in the suburbs as it is in the country. waterinstallations.com

Mulch you can trust Flower power!

More and more people are unhappy with the rising cost of power. The politicians would have you believe that solar power is pushing up the prices when it is actually the upkeep of the poles and wires causing this. If you don’t want to be paying ever-increasing power prices, what are your options? On a grid-connect system, by using most of your power during the day you just pay for the power you use at night. There will always be a few appliances running at night (like your fridge, TV, lights) and you will always have a standing charge per quarter. If you’re about to go solar, ask if the inverter is battery-ready — this means at a later date you can expand your system to include storage, meaning power for the night! The cost of batteries is coming down and the options of lithium-ion are now a reality. Rainbow Power Company — 27 years living and breathing all things solar. rpc.com.au

98 | Good Organic Gardening

After returning home from your local garden centre, have you ever found that your bag of sugar-cane mulch doesn’t spread as far as you first thought? The general rule of thumb for sugar-cane mulch is to spread it at 50mm thick for optimum weed suppression and water retention. Rocky Point Mulching’s top-selling bag of sugar-cane mulch covers seven square metres when spread at 50mm thick. To achieve this coverage, two things are essential: • The mulch is fully dust-extracted • The bag weighs 12–13kg If you purchase mulch and it fails in these areas, it won’t achieve the coverage as promised. So ask yourself, is your garden getting what you pay for? Don’t be fooled by bags that aren’t cleaned up, don’t weigh up and therefore don’t measure up!

For more information about the most trusted brand of sugarcane mulch in Australia, visit rpmulching.com.au.

PICK OF THE CROP The fruit and vegie mincer The benefits of the fruit and vegie mincer include being able to make cold-press frozen desserts, ice-cream, gelato and sorbets — great for summer!

— as well as dips, sauces and baby food. It’s easy to clean, easy to use and now compatible with all Kuvings model juicers. RRP $69 available at kuvings. net.au or phone (02) 9798 0586.

Breathing easy The beauty of steel If you are after great-looking raised planters to blend in with your garden, you can’t go past the FormBoss Corten steel option.

With profiles from 75mm to 580mm, they come with a round top edge of 6–7mm for strength and safety. The pictured rings come in standard sizes of 700mm or 1400mm in diameter, or you can custom-order any shape or size you like. In fact, you can actually shape these edges onsite to create a truly uniquelooking garden with different levels. The FormBoss edging system has a range of stakes to support the edging to make it suit any edging application, from flush or raised edges to steps or even retaining walls. If you don’t like the rustic look, there is also a shiny alternative in the ZAM steel. And for your confidence, FormBoss is made in Australia. formboss.com.au

Good news for the many fans of compostable, breathable clingwrap! It’s back in stock in a new, exciting package. The pack has a cutter and tabs at the end to lock the roll in position, making it more convenient. The pack also illustrates the unique and highly convenient “pinch and tear” feature. As before, the film clings well and it’s highly breathable, so foods stay fresher longer. rainbow88.com.au

Water only when needed with the Toro Precision™ Soil Sensor The Toro Precision™ Soil Sensor reduces water waste by measuring moisture levels in your soil and determining when to allow your controller to water. “We’ve taken the same technology found at professional golf courses and sports fields and created a sensor intended for residential use,” says Ben Hall of Toro Australia. The Precision Soil Sensor is a two-part system that includes a battery-powered sensor and a receiver connected to your irrigation controller. Communication between the sensor and receiver is wireless, with up to 152m line-of-sight range. It’s very easy to install and no digging is required. First, connect the receiver to the controller, then find a representative area of your property for the sensor. Push the sensor probe in the ground and it will automatically calibrate itself to your soil type and begin communicating wirelessly with the receiver. toro.com.au

“Builders of Health”: Robinvale’s story The Robinvale family vineyard, farming and on-site processing was established in 1976. The family have been pioneer growers and producers of certified organic and biodynamic grapes and related products since 1985. Robinvale Wines grows and produces table grapes, natural dried fruit, table wines, fortified wines and preservative-free wines. This family company also produces non-alcoholic wine-alternative sparkling drinks and pure juices. Vegans, vegetarians and coeliacs are catered for, and there’s no doubt that the food and beverages produced by Steve and the family are aimed at assisting with building the health of consumers and our environment. Bake your bread, cakes and scones with Robinvale natural dried fruit and enjoy the chemicalfree wines and other healthy drinks. Savour the fruits of their labour. (“Builders of Health” Copyright © Robinvale Wines).

Ph (03) 5026 3955, organicwines.com.au

Good Organic Gardening | 99

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Things to do in

mid-autumn temperate & ch/ Cool Mar Apri

l 2015

Vegetables beans, summer stalwarts such as ing summer crops. Although As well, early crops so of your best-perform o some rom mushrooms and pumpkins.

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30

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31

FRIDAY Good Friday

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Vegetables TUESDAY bolt to as coriander, basil and lettuce growing and leafy. Plants such time to put rops each day to keep them as they grow. This is a good Water leafyy crops lack of water or nourishment th become stressed from eed if they flower and seed before the wet season returns. in a crop of potatoes to harvest

4 SATURDAY Easter Saturday

Fruit g your harvest by planting late-maturin or room in your backyard, extend in orchards harvest avocado. If there’s ha to forage among fallen fruit Continue to har winter to spring. Allow chooks compost heap. uchh as Hass, which crop from varieties, such up the debris to add to the under backyard trees or rake

1

April

APRIL

WEDNESDAY

5

st & soil

Compo some leaf bins fall in gutters) by erecting moist to leaves (including those that and winter. Keep the leaves re too make the most of fallen Prepare To These can be filled over autumn into soils in spring and summer. sttar pickets and chicken wire. using star leaf mould, which can be worked wire leaf bin is m break down into nutritious em hem An alternative to the chicken help them it. rake with good-quality tines. joo easier, use a wide leaf bag with holes punched in he job make the or sacking) or a large garbage string from (made sack leaf a

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THURSDAY

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Is Your Garden Getting What You Pay For? Rocky Point Mulching packs every 7sq metre bag of Organic Sugar Cane Mulch with 12-13kgs of fully dust extracted product to meet our genuine coverage claims.

HOW DOES YOUR MULCH MEASURE UP?

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