G o g 2013 09 10

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Vol. 4 No. 3Sep/Oct 2013

AUS $7.95*NZ $8.90

(Both incl. GST)

GOOD ORGANIC

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably

Vol. 4 No. 3

PLUS:ORGANIC SOLUTIONSAPHIDS & WHITE CURL GRUBWEEKEND GARDENINGESSENTIAL GARDEN TOOLSPOWER PLANTBEE-ATTRACTING BORAGE

SPRING EDIBLESGROW, EAT, PRESERVE

ARTICHOKES, ASPARAGUSBROAD BEANS, PEAS

AND CUMQUATS

GARDEN TO GLASSJUICE IT!

MEGG MILLERHOME-GROWN CHICKEN

MELISSA KINGCOLOURFUL CAPSICUMS

TIME TO PLANT PINEAPPLE SAGE & MINT

SIMON BRYANTDELICIOUS DISHES FOR SPRING

JENNIFERSTACKHOUSESEPTEMBER/OCTOBER IN THE GARDENCLEVER CROPS CUCUMBERS & COFFEE

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6 | Good Organic Gardening

8 Editor’s noteReflection on what it means to be organic with words of wisdom from an Indian chief

10 The GrapevineJo Immig tells us about Ellen White’s more peaceful approach to dealing with weeds

12 Ask MelissaHorticulturist Melissa King answers our readers’ curly questions

14 Clever CropsJennifer Stackhouse explains why she classes cucumbers and coff ee as clever crops

16 Power PlantBorage is a herb with tasty leaves and pretty, blue edible flowers that attract bees to your garden

18 Family HeirloomMelissa King tells us about the colourful and tasty varieties of capsicum

21 Cyber BlogChloe Thomson reveals her “to-do list”, sharing some of her quick and simple tasks that will improve her harvest

22 Gardening FolkOur contributor Chloe Thomson gives us a look at the beautiful organic garden she has created for her family

26 Garden FolkA suburban block in a quiet country town produces abundant produce for owners Lynette Hadson and Mikala Five

30 Garden FolkIan Nash is a landscape gardener and uses his wealth

30

of knowledge to create a garden for food and fun

34 Time to PlantTasty and aromatic pineapple sage and mint are right to be planted in early spring

36 Garden SolutionsAphids are tiny sap-

sucking insects that are easy to spot and simple to organically eradicate

38 Garden SolutionsWe tell you how to deal with White Curl Grubs that can be in the soil of plant pots, garden beds and lawn areas

22Contents

CONTENTS

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Good Organic Gardening | 7

40 Gardening TipsArthur and Rosemary Lathouris, our sustainable gardeners, share their 10 Top Tips

42 Weekend GardeningPropagating your own plants is easy, rewarding and a great way to add new plants to your garden

46 The UndergroundHow to grow abundant produce in just one square metre of space — a taste from Square Metre Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

50 The ShedGood tools make jobs in the garden easier and we tell you the essential ones needed

54 Things To DoFor most, spring is the best season in the garden and Jennifer Stackhouse shares advice for September and October

58 Feathered FriendsThere is a growing trend towards raising chickens for meat. Megg Miller tells us how to thoughtfully go about it

62 Professional OrganicsHidden deep in a valley in northern NSW, David and Kerrie Flinter have established a thriving organic macadamia farm

66 From Garden to GlassNature’s Wonderland share their juicing recipes, using delicious spring produce that will keep you healthy

68 From Garden to Table Five seasonal edibles — how to grow, harvest, store and preserve — plus delicious recipes from chef Simon Bryant

91 Plant Profile Beans — popular and easy- to-grow

94 Cover To CoverThe latest books for gardeners and cooks reviewed

96 What’s NewOur Pick of the Crop of products and services for gardeners and cooks

18

68 90

76

15

CONTENTS

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Spring is here and it’s the perfect time to be reinvigorated in your organic garden. But why is eating, or more particularly growing your own, organic food so important?

Dan Shapley is an award-winning environmental journalist and the senior editor of TheDailyGreen.com. He has just compiled a feature for 2013 — The New Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Eat Organically. “The latest list of foods with the highest pesticide residue includes some familiar fruits and vegetables, and some surprises” he says.

For years, similar lists have been circulated warning consumers of the dangers of pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables and it’s not only surface residue that is of concern; chemicals can be absorbed by edibles and infiltrate their fleshy interior. The Dirty Dozen List is of significance as chemical residue on, and absorption of chemicals in, produce is the same worldwide since chemical farming is a global practice.

So here is the 2013 Dirty Dozen List (with a couple of extras included):• Apples — whole apples, as well as apple juice and apple sauce• Celery • Tomatoes — including all varieties as well as tomato sauce,

paste, soup and tomato-based products• Cucumbers • Grapes — also sultanas, raisins and wine• Capsicums and chillies• Nectarines• Peaches• Potatoes• Strawberries• Blueberries• Spinach• Kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage• Lettuce

For more information visit www.thedailygreen.com. The good news is you can avoid pesticide exposure by buying

certified organic produce or, of course, growing your own. If you buy non-organic produce wash as thoroughly as possible.

This has got me thinking about what we, as humans, are doing to our environment and has reminded me of a note sent to me by a friend. It contained a thought-provoking quote by Chief Seattle (born 1786), who was an ancestral leader of the Suquamish Tribe that traditionally lived along the Kitsap Peninsula, across Puget Sound from the present Seattle. He said, “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect”.

So, I hope you enjoy your organic garden during this beautiful time of the year.

Happy gardening

Diane Norris

Editor’s note

Diane Norris is the editor of Good Organic Gardening. She has written for Burke’s Backyard magazine, Backyard & Garden Design Ideas, Gourmet Kitchen, Greenhouse Living and Organic WellBeing. She was the editor of Sustainable & Waterwise Gardens and Good Gardening Guide. Diane has lived an organic lifestyle for more than 26 years and is committed to doing things the way Mother Nature intended. Unashamedly earthy, she promotes sustainable and organic living solutions while advocating an awareness of nature and wild places through her photography and writing.

Editor Diane NorrisManaging Editor Kerry BoyneDesign Katharine McKinnonSub-Editor Kerry BoyneHorticultural Consultant Jennifer StackhouseContributors Kerry Boyne, Simon Bryant, Jo Immig, Melissa King, Arthur Lathouris, Rosemary Lathouris, Megg Miller, Nature’s Wonderland, Diane Norris, Jennifer Stackhouse, Chloe Thomson Food photography Diane NorrisAdvertising Manager Miriam KeenPh: 02 9887 0604 | Fax: 02 9878 5553Mob: 0414 969 693Email: [email protected] Photo Getty Images

Chairman/CEO Prema PereraPublisher Janice WilliamsChief Financial Off icer Vicky MahadevaAssociate Publisher Emma PereraAssociate Publisher Karen DayCirculation Director Mark DartonCreative Director Kate PodgerEditorial Production Manager Karina PiddingtonPrint Production Manager Lilian OhanessianPrepress Manager Ivan Fitz-GeraldSubscriptions Manager Chelsea PetersLicensing & Export Manager Samantha Roberts

Subscription enquiries: 1300 303 414 Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head off ice: (02) 9805

0399 Good Organic Gardening Vol. 4 No. 3 is published by Universal Magazines Pty Ltd, Unit 5, 6-8 Byfield Street, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia. Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Printed by KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd, Singapore. Distributed by

Network Services, Phone: (02) 9282 8777.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 eff ect 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.The opinions expressed by individual writers in Good Organic

Gardening are not necessarily those of the publishers.*Recommended retail price

ISSN 1837-9206Copyright © Universal Magazines MMXII

ACN 003 026 944www.universalmagazines.com.au

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WELCOME SPRINGTHE AUSTRALIAN GARDEN SHOW SYDNEY – September 5-8, 2013The inaugural Australian Garden Show Sydney will set the scene for what is to become the leading floral and gardening show in South East Asia and the key event for NSW each spring. It will be set within the parklands of Sydney’s Centennial Park and will mark the first days of spring.

The Australian Garden Show Sydney will be a collaboration of horticulture, gardening and landscape design that will attract participants and audiences from all over Australia and internationally.

Amateur and professional gardeners, design enthusiasts, families and home owners will flock to the show for inspiration.

We hope to see you there! For more information visit www.australiangardenshowsydney.com.au

Find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/GoodOrganicGardeningMagazineOr contact us via email : [email protected]

September/October issue 4.3

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THE GRAPEVINE | News

Making peace with your weeds

As with all wars, the one on weeds has its casualties and lasting impacts. It’s also expensive, says botanist Ellen White. Rather than

seeing weeds as the enemy she is taking a more peaceful approach, which may prove more eff ective in the long run.

In 2010, with a grant from the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority, Ellen and a dedicated team began work on a 4.5ha coastal site in NSW’s Brunswick Heads. The Byron Shire Chemical Free Landcare Group was established and, three years on, it’s well on the way to restoring the spot to its former glory.

Ellen developed her approach after witnessing the damage caused by aerial spraying with herbicides to control bitou bush, now a listed weed of national significance. A native of South Africa, bitou bush was deliberately planted to stabilise dunes after coastal sandmining in the 1960s and 70s. Ironically, children were paid to plant it at the time but now governments spend millions trying to control it with herbicides.

After several years of aerial spraying in the Dirawong Reserve and Bundjalung National Park in NSW, Ellen documented the impact on native species, including hectares of dying coastal banksia woodland. She believes the glyphosate herbicide used

disturbed the delicate balance of microbes and nutrients in the fragile coastal soils and damaged the plant’s health.

Animals were aff ected, too. Local wallabies, birds and insects essentially had nowhere to go when vast areas were sprayed. Ellen says nobody has ever investigated the impact on earthworms, frogs, bees and other animals when areas are repeatedly sprayed.

“Taking an ecological approach to restoration off ers many benefits over chemicals,” she says. “Keeping the soil healthy is the key. While some plants may

be exotic, they are providing soil cover, helping it to recover below ground. Unless a plant actively inhibits natural regeneration, it’s likely to be beneficial.”

Ellen maintains that it’s “important to consider the whole ecology before jumping in and clearing large tracts. Lantana, for instance, can provide protection for birds and mammals and food for butterflies. By working with nature, you encourage native species to regenerate naturally.”

The “crowning method” she developed for bitou bush is elegantly simple: “Working in pairs, branches are cut off using loppers, leaving a stump of about half a metre. One person holds and gently pulls the stump to put tension on the roots. The second person cuts the roots with the loppers just below the main part of the plant. You can’t pull too hard because it leaves a piece of the main part of the plant attached to the roots and the plant will regrow. We leave the roots, push the sand back over to stop the light and that’s it.”

The bitou branches are spread over the ground and left to control soil erosion. They also provide mulch and habitat and help stop people walking through the area and stepping on new native seedlings that quickly start germinating. The cleared areas are revisited several times to pull out new bitou seedlings.

Another benefit of the chemical-free approach is it’s safe for the whole family and there’s less equipment to carry around.

“Rather than one guy in a helicopter spraying

the grapevineEnvironmental news and updates compiled by Jo Immig

Gently removing a bitou bush stump

The South African native was originally

planted to stabilise coastal sand dunes

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chemicals from the air, the local community gets a chance to reconnect with the land,” Ellen says.

While some may say the approach is labour intensive and not cost eff ective, Ellen, unsurprisingly, doesn’t see it that way. “What’s wrong with manual labour? It’s a great opportunity to be physical, to learn and to build relationships with community and country. It also provides opportunities for paid work and volunteering.”

In terms of its cost-eff ectiveness, she says, “There’s never been an analysis to work that out; just an assumption that it costs more.”

For ecosystem restoration, Ellen says the recovery rates using her method are more rapid because the soil is kept healthy and native seed stock bursts out of the ground: “In the coastal environment, there’s no need to plant anything — just sit back and watch nature do the work.”

An unexpected surprise has been the return of endangered plants: the Pink Nodding Orchid, a species with fewer than 20 populations in NSW, and Stinking Cryptocarya, brought in by birds attracted to the exotic Brazilian Cherry.

Weeds in Australia are spreading faster than they can be controlled and their management is consuming an enormous amount of resources, according to government sources. Climate change is bringing even more challenges.

Ellen White is developing a website detailing the methods used in northern NSW. She’s looking for other groups or individuals restoring ecosystems with an ecological approach to also feature their methods, share photos and network.

If you’d like to connect with Ellen White, please email [email protected].

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. She’s an environmental scientist with expertise in a range of areas, including pesticides, genetically engineered food, indoor air pollution and children’s health and chemicals. She represents the environment sector on the Community Engagement Forum of the Commonwealth industrial chemical regulator NICNAS. Jo has published several books and contributed numerous articles on household chemical issues and sustainable living. Contact Jo at the National Toxics Network: [email protected], www.ntn.org.au.

A coastal banksia seedling pops up after bitou bush is cleared

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Q&A | Ask Melissa

ask melissaHorticulturist and TV presenter Melissa King answers your curly cultivation questions

Q I’m looking for a climbing rose to cover an arbour my husband just built for

our garden. I would love a soft-pink variety. Can you recommend any good ones?

A You’ll love the old pink climbing rose ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’. It was

named after Empress Josephine’s garden at Malmaison and boasts masses of gorgeous blush-pink flowers with a lovely old-world shape and delightful fragrance. It repeat-flowers throughout the warmer months. If you’re after a variety with extraordinarily fragrant blooms, look no further than the Delbard climbing rose ‘Nahema’. It displays large light-pink, double, deeply cupped blooms from October right through to May and many gardeners and growers believe itto be the best fragrant climbing rose around.

Q All over my vegetable beds, potato patch — everywhere — I have oxalis!

I dig the bulbs out and collect them in pellet bags, which I take to the tip or we burn. It’s a never-ending job. I once asked a shire gardener in town what to do about it. His response was, “Sell your place.” I hope you have a better answer. I am looking forward to it and thank you in advance.

A There is no doubt that oxalis is a pain to deal with, but I wouldn’t resort to selling

your place just yet. Unfortunately, digging oxalis out generally results in spreading the bulbils further so, if it has invaded large patches, I would recommend blanket-mulching the area. Put down a heavy layer of newspaper on top of the aff ected areas — six or so sheets is ideal. Make sure you overlap the pages so light can’t get through. The idea is to starve the weeds of sunlight. Then apply a good layer of organic mulch, such as lucerne or pea straw, on top of the newspaper; 5–10cm will do the job. Starving oxalis to death won’t happen overnight, so try to keep the area undisturbed

for up to six months. You might also like to try some of the newer organic weed killers on the market such as Beat-A-Weed, which combines acetic acid (vinegar) and sodium chloride (salt) and works by dehydrating the weed from the top down.

QI would love a serious discussion on how to control possums in suburban

gardens. I am close to giving up and planting yuccas and white pebbles.

A I wish I had one magic organic answer for you. Instead, I’m going to suggest a

number of diff erent methods, all of which the gardeners I have chatted with over the years have had varying success with. You might like to sprinkle blood and bone around the garden. The scent has been known to deter possums. If it doesn’t work, at least you are giving the garden a good feed. You could also apply a natural spray made from Quassia chips to plants that are particularly attractive to our furry friends. Quassia chips come from the bark of a Jamaican tree, Picrasma excelsa, and if applied regularly may deter possums from attacking favoured plants. Just be sure to reapply it after rain. One of the most eff ective but not necessarily the most practical or attractive methods is to physically protect your plants, be it with netting or some other kind of guard around the trunk of trees or bigger plants. Or you could even try feeding them fruit as a means of luring them away from your favourite plants — they love organic apples. There are also devices on the market that emit high-frequency sounds that we can’t hear but annoy the hell out of possums!

Email your queries to Melissa at [email protected]

QI find that colour really drops off in my garden towards late

summer. Are there any plants you can recommend to bridge the gap between summer and autumn?

Salvias are a good choice for late colour, flowering well into autumn.

‘Ember’s Wish’ is a lovely variety that grows to around 80cm tall with vibrant, coral-pink blooms. ‘Aztec Blue’ is another beauty with almost iridescent blue flowers and copper-tinged foliage. At just 30cm tall, it’s a top choice for decorative pots. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is a favourite of mine. It bursts into bloom around February and continues flowering well into autumn. Even when the masses of pink flowers fade, the seed heads are really attractive and, if you’re not too quick to cut them off , they make a pretty display through the cooler months. Bursts of late colour are provided by dahlias, too. Look for dwarf forms such as Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff ’ with striking scarlet flowers and burgundy foliage. These flower well and are an excellent choice for filling the gap between late summer and autumn.

Salvia sp ‘Wendy’s Wish’

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Brushtail possum

Oxalis

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Yes 2 Green.indd 1Yes 2 Green.indd 1 18/06/2013 11:09:57 AM18/06/2013 11:09:57 AM


CLEVER CROPS | Cucumber

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Words by Jennfier Stackhouse

Cucumbers are so widely grown you may wonder why I am classing them as a clever crop. Perhaps it is the gardener, not the cucumber, who is

clever. Let me explain.Cucumbers are part of the pumpkin family

(Cucurbitaceae). One of the features of this large group of warm-season edible plants is they produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant (or occasionally on separate plants). For fruit to form, pollen has to be transferred from the male flower to the female. The normal way for this to happen is for honeybees or other pollinating insects to carry the pollen from flower to flower.

Many cucurbits make pollination tricky even for hardworking bees. Flowers only last only a day and the production of male and female flowers can be uncoordinated, especially early in the growing season, when there can be lots of pollen-filled male flowers but no females. Sometimes the reverse occurs, with “girl” flowers open for business when the boys have taken the day off . The result is little fruit.

This is where cucumbers and gardeners have come together to develop plants that produce only female flowers that don’t require pollination to form fruit. The ability to form fruit without pollination is termed parthenocarpy and fruit is seedless.

Parthenocarpic cucumbers were bred for cold-climate commercial growers to avoid the problems of a lack of pollinators inside a glasshouse. The shrink-wrapped telegraph cucumbers sold in supermarkets are parthenocarpic.

Cucumbers come in a large range of shapes, sizes and even colours. Most are cylindrical and green but some are round and white (usually known as apple cucumbers). Popular cylindrical varieties include Lebanese and “burpless” (sweet and easily digested), both of which require pollination. It’s best to pick Lebanese cucumbers while they’re small (about 10–12cm long).

Downy and powdery mildews are two diseases that can aff ect cucumbers, so look for varieties bred for resistance.

Growing tipsCucumbers are easy to grow, quick to germinate when soils are warm (20°C and above) and suited to gardens and large containers.

They sprawl over the ground but are easier to tend if grown on a trellis. They grow best in fertile soil enriched with organic matter several weeks before planting. Seeds are direct-sown or started in punnets. Space plants 40–50cm apart.

Once cucumbers start to fruit (14–16 weeks from sowing) they do so abundantly. To avoid a glut and have cucumbers right through summer, plant seeds every four to six weeks. Keep all plants growing strongly with regular watering and applications of an organic fertiliser every four or five weeks.

Cucumber labelCommon name: CucumberBotanical name: Cucumis sativusGroup: Annual vineRequires: Sun, moist soilDislikes: Drying outSuitable for: Vegetable gardens and containers in all climatesHabit: ClimberNeeds: Protection from frostPropagation: Seed, seedlingDiff iculty: Easy

Cool as a cucumberCucumbers get their cool from their high water content: they are more than 90 per cent water. Slices of cucumber are used traditionally to soothe tired eyes — and the mouth when eating spicy foods. With that high water content they are also low in fat and calories. They contain useful vitamins, including B vitamins and vitamin C, and even several cancer-fighting chemicals. Most of the good stuff is the skin, so eat the skin along with the cool white flesh to make the most of their nourishment.

CucumberCucumis sativus

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Coffee | CLEVER CROPSPh

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by

Bigs

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Coff eeCoff ea arabica

Words by Jennfier Stackhouse

Coff ee grows best in tropical and subtropical climates but there’s nothing to stop gardeners in cooler climes attempting to grow coff ee

plants. However, if you think you can be self-suff icient in coff ee with a few backyard plants, think again. There are many steps between planting and settling back with a steaming cup of homegrown coff ee.

Coff ee is a handsome shrub to small tree, growing to about 3–4m high and wide. It has shiny green leaves and sweetly scented white flowers. The flowers are borne in autumn and followed quickly by berries. The berries start off round and green but gradually ripen to cherry red. There are also varieties such as ‘Gold’ that ripen yellow.

When berries form you are on the way to that cup of coff ee. Start by harvesting the ripe berries, then remove the flesh, saving the seeds (usually two per berry), and finally remove the mucilage layer around the seeds by fermenting the seeds then rinsing them clean.

Before roasting and grinding, the seeds are dried (for example, on a drying rack in the sun). Finally, the coff ee is roasted (some coff ee shops will do this for backyard growers) and ground. It takes 70 beans to make a cup of coff ee, which equates to 35 berries.

Growing tipsGrowing coff ee is like growing more familiar ornamental shrubs such as gardenia (to which

the coff ee plant is closely related) or camellia.Coff ee is slow to grow from seed or

cutting, so start with tube stock or a potted shrub — or, indeed, several — to speed up the wait for a cuppa. Plant the shrubs into moist soil well endowed with organic matter and well drained. Expect flowering and berry production after three or more years of growth.

One of the best ways to produce a useful amount of coff ee in a garden is to grow it as a hedge. One of the most productive mini coff ee

plantations I have seen in a suburban garden was a hedge grown on the narrow, shaded space between neighbouring houses.

Keep plants pruned to a size that makes them easy to harvest: usually to about 2–3m high. Prune after harvesting. Coff ee plants are generally free of pest and disease problems in home gardens.

Coffee LabelCommon name: Coff eeBotanical name: Coff ea arabicaGroup: Evergreen shrub or small treeRequires: Part shade, moist but well-drained soilDislikes: FrostSuitable for: Orchards, edible hedges, containersHabit: Dense, shrubbyNeeds: Protection from frost and coldPropagation: SeedDiff iculty: Moderately diff icult

Clever coffeeThe jury is always out on the benefits or pitfalls of drinking coff ee but there’s agreement about the value of caff eine in the garden. Snails and slugs, in particular, have a bad reaction to caff eine, which is why it can be used to deter or even kill these molluscs. Bees, however, appreciate a caff eine boost. Research from Newcastle University in the UK showed that bees, feeding on flowers whose nectar contains caff eine — including coff ee, oranges and grapefruit flowers — were more likely to remember the flowers’ scent. The researchers say caff eine could encourage bees to remember these blooms as a good source of nectar. Now, that’s clever.

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POWER PLANT | Borage

Words by Kerry Boyne

Borago off icinalis is known by many names — borage, burrage, common bugloss, bee-bread, bee fodder, ox-tongue, langdebeef, tailwort, cool

tankard — but perhaps the one that gives the most clue as to why you would want it in your garden is its “starflower” moniker. It is indeed a star of the vegie garden for several reasons, not least those lovely vivid-blue five-pointed flowers with contrasting black anthers.

The rather lanky plant reaches more half a metre to a metre high and wide, and its stem and leaves are covered with coarse, prickly hairs. It looks best grown among plants of a similar size to hide its foliage — not the attractive part of the plant — so that only the blue flowers are on show. It is a native of Europe but has been widely naturalised in many other regions due to its hardiness and ability to self-seed prolifically.

Medicinal usesThese days, borage doesn’t enjoy the sort of healing reputation many other herbs do, yet as we’ve mentioned before on these pages, that word off icinalis indicates it was an important item in pharmacies of the past. Traditionally, it was used for stomach ailments, respiratory

problems and cardiovascular ills. Now it’s mainly the seed oil that’s used for therapeutic purposes as it’s one of the richest plant sources of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA): 21 per cent and higher compared with, say, evening primrose oil at 9 per cent.

Interestingly, some people feed borage leaves and flowers to horses when they have a cough, and chickens like it as well.

The herb is said to have mild sedative and anti-depressant eff ects and can

increase perspiration and have a diuretic action. It contains mucilages, which is what makes it helpful for respiratory ailments. It has also been used externally in eyewashes and poultices as well as in mouthwashes. The oil is excellent for skin texture and several skin ailments, and has been shown in clinical trials to significantly reduce

morning stiff ness, joint tenderness and pain from rheumatoid arthritis.

Borage’s status in herbal medicine has declined because, apart from its highly beneficial constituents, it also contains trace amounts of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that in large quantities can be liver toxic. However the levels in borage are extremely low and these compounds are not present in the oil. The plant’s widespread historical use as a vegetable in countries like Germany, Spain,

Greece and Italy suggests safety is not an issue in normal, moderate consumption. Some authorities counsel against taking it regularly as a tea, however.

Culinary usesBoth the leaves and flowers may be used in salads, soups, stirfries, pasta fillings, sauces and drinks. For salads, the leaves, which have a cucumber-like flavour, should be picked young,

usually just before the plant flowers. The older leaves may be used like spinach in cooked dishes and sauces. They need to be chopped finely because of the prickly hairs.

The slightly sweet-tasting, cucumbery flowers are also excellent in salads for colour, or crystallised with egg white and fine sugar for cake decoration. Immersed and frozen into ice

If you want a herb with tasty leaves and pretty, edible, bee-attracting fl owers for your salads and summer drinks, borage is the one

One of the best things about this pretty plant for garden health is its

irresistibility to bees — it’s not called bee plant for nothing. As long as you

have borage fl owering, you’ll have bees to pollinate your vegies.

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Borage (Borago off icinalis)

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Borage | POWER PLANT

cubes, they make a lovely addition to summer drinks. In fact, borage was traditionally used to garnish the Pimm’s No 1 Cup cocktail, though it’s often replaced by cucumber peel.

GrowingBorage is a plant that needs a lot of elbow room in the garden. It really likes to spread itself out (and around) and is likely to choke other plants if it doesn’t have enough space. One of the best things about this pretty plant for garden health is its irresistibility to bees — it’s not called bee plant for nothing. As long as you have borage flowering, you’ll have bees to pollinate your vegies.

A hardy annual, borage is happy with average to rich soil and is very easy to grow from seed, which should not be planted deep as it needs light to germinate. After it flowers, it will self-seed readily, so once you have it you’ll never be without it. If you want to contain its spread, make sure you pull out the new plants before they set seed.

Borage needs full sun to dappled shade and good drainage and, once established, is quite drought-tolerant and can be allowed to dry between waterings. Pick the leaves and flowers just before using as they wilt quickly.

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Starflower Salad3 handfuls favourite salad leavesSmall handful young borage leavesSmall handful borage flowersA few nasturtium flowers if available, torn into petalsPomegranate seeds of ¼ small pomegranate, if in season½ avocado, diced½ punnet cherry tomatoes, halved1 tbsp olive oil1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or lemon juice2 tsp pomegranate molasses*Sea salt & cracked pepper to taste

Combine all leaves, flowers, avocado and cherry tomatoes in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds if available. Mix together the oil, vinegar or lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses and drizzle over salad just before serving. Season, toss and serve.

*A Middle Eastern ingredient available in delis and some IGAs. It makes apple cider vinegar very palatable as a healthy salad dressing ingredient.

Gluten-free Orange CakeThis delicious, moist cake is gluten-free by tradition and will ll your kitchen with the enticing aroma of whole cooked oranges. Organic ax our adds a healthy twist to this popular recipe.

2 oranges250g caster sugar6 eggs150g almond meal100g Stoney Creek Organic Flax Flour1 tsp baking powdericing sugar for dustingbutter/oil to grease pan

Wash oranges and simmer whole for two hours. Drain and cool before pureeing whole (this can be done day prior). Preheat oven to 160ºC. Grease 20cm cake tin and dust with caster sugar. Beat eggs and sugar, stirin puree, then dry ingredients. Pour into tin and bake1 - 1½ hours or until golden brown. Dust with icing sugar to serve. Stoney Creek Organic Flax Flour is gluten-free, high in protein and dietary bre - and is the richest

natural source of lignans. Available from your local organic or health store, independent supermarketor visit stoneycreekoil.com.au

Healthy Farm. Healthy Food. ®

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CapsicumsThere’s so much more to the capsicum family

than the familiar green and red varietiesyou see at the fruit market

By Melissa King

If tomatoes are the heroes of the summer vegetable garden, surely capsicums are not far behind. When I talk about capsicums, I’m referring to

the sweet, large-fruited varieties that bring colour and added crunch to summer salads, not the hot chilli peppers that can really knock your socks off .

If you’ve only ever eaten capsicums from the greengrocer, you could be excused for thinking there are only red and green varieties. In fact, capsicums come in a kaleidoscope of colours, from tiny chocolate-coloured ones through yellow and orange to varieties that change from green to purple to red throughout the season.

Capsicums hail from Central and South America, where they are used in everything from soups to stews. Given their birthplace, it’s not surprising that capsicums enjoy the heat. While technically perennials, they are frost-sensitive, so most gardeners tend to grow them as annuals.

If you live in a cold climate, it’s best to plant them now in spring to grow through

the hottest months of the year. Gardeners in tropical and subtropical climates can grow and harvest them virtually all year round. In cooler climates they ripen through summer and autumn just in time for the barbecue and garden party season.

Capsicum seeds can be a bit finicky to germinate. One thing’s for sure: they need warm temperatures to sprout successfully,

so if you’re sowing seed early you might want to do it somewhere warm, like a hothouse, and then transplant the seedlings outdoors later in spring. Otherwise, now that the weather is

warming up, look out for capsicum seedlings in nurseries and garden centres.

Choose a sunny spot and dig some organic matter and rotted manure into the soil before planting. Capsicums enjoy good levels of calcium, so add a bit of dolomite lime to the soil, too. Be sure to feed throughout the growing season with a good registered organic fertiliser that has the right balance of nitrogen for leafy growth and phosphorous and potassium for good root and fruit development.

I also stake young seedlings as they are beginning to take off because the branches

Capsicums come in a kaleidoscope of colours, from chocolate through to yellow, orange, green,

purple and red.

Plump, multi-colored bell peppers


FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Capsicum

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Capsicum | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS


of mature plants have a tendency to snap or split with the weight of a mature crop.

Among the modern varieties, ‘Sweet Mama’ is a favourite for its heavy crop of sweet, green, bell-shaped fruit that turns red when mature. ‘Hungarian Sweet Yellow’ is another good choice with long, golden fruit that’s perfect for frying. Where space is lacking, try growing ‘Sweet Red’, an extra-compact variety that’s tailor-made for pots on a sunny patio.

Delve into the world of heirlooms and the choice of varieties just keeps getting more exciting. Sow some seeds of old-fashioned Capsicum ‘Purple Beauty’ this spring and you’ll be harvesting pretty purple capsicums, which will be perfect chopped fresh in salads or for adding a bit of extra flair to homemade pizza. If you’re after big red capsicums, try growing the heirloom ‘Chinese Giant’. It’s been grown for over a century and for good reason. The big, bell-shaped fruit is sweet, full of flavour and delicious fresh or hollowed out, stuff ed and baked.

Capsicum ‘Gilboa Orange’ is another worthy choice. With thick, succulent flesh and a sunny, orange complexion, it’s delicious chargrilled on the barbecue or roasted and peeled. The kids will love ‘Sweet Chocolate’ for its chocolate-coloured bite-sized fruit — and you will, too, for the fantastic colour it adds to fresh summer salads. There are mini yellow and mini red capsicums, too. Gourmet gardeners will enjoy growing Capsicum ‘White Diamond’. The white fruit looks striking and unusual hanging on the plant before it ripens to a lovely creamy yellow.

HarvestJust one or two plants can supply enough capsicums for a small family. Capsicums can be slow to develop, so expect to wait up to four months for fruit to appear, especially in colder areas. Many capsicums change colour over the season from green to yellow, orange, purple, dark brown or red, depending on the variety. You can pick at any stage; just bear in mind that the more mature the fruit is, the sweeter it is. Regular picking can also encourage more fruit. It’s best to harvest the fruit with a pair of secateurs rather than handpick them, as the brittle branches are prone to snapping.

1 Long Sweet Yellow2 Sweet Red3 Purple Beauty


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FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Capsicum



Chloe’s Blog | CYBER CHAT

By Chloe Thomson

As spring takes hold in the garden, let your chooks in to scratch around the base of fruit trees. They’ll catch any codling moth

caterpillars that are making their way back down your fruit trees looking to pupate.

If you have a younger orchard, be careful as the chooks’ scratching can expose the roots of your trees. I’ve found that placing a piece of chicken mesh on the ground around the base of the tree and pegging it down allows the chooks access to the soil for foraging but stops them scratching the soil away.

Before spring takes over my garden and things get away from me, my to-do list includes some quick and simple tasks that can save me a lot of time throughout the

Spring to-do listThis time of year is the gardening blogger’s busiest with so much to write about

leaves, sprinkle them with white pepper.The codling moth life cycle starts again

in spring as the moths emerge from their overwinter cocoons looking to mate. To help break the cycle, hang pheromone traps now. There are several types available for the organic gardener and all work on the principle of reducing the numbers of moths available that will readily produce eggs.

I like to add even more colour to my spring garden with pockets of flowering and fragrant plants to attract the good bugs into the garden to deter (or better still, feast on) the nasties. The team from Eco Organic Garden (www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au) sell a great seed packet of Backyard Buddies, a mix of annual and perennial plants designed to provide food and shelter for all those beneficial insects.

Spring has sprung, so enjoy!

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To follow my edible gardening adventures and for more tips and information visit my blog: www.beantheredugthat.com.au

season and hopefully improve my harvest.Getting on top of weeds before they take

over and set seed is something I am obsessive about. BEFORE you top up your mulch this spring, put down six or seven sheets of newspaper (wet them down with a hose as you go or soak the sheets in a wheelbarrow full of water if it’s windy) and top with a sprinkle of organically certified animal manure and then your mulch of choice.

This thick newspaper layer suppresses weeds. Those that do eventually make it through don’t grow as densely, making it easier to pull them out by hand.

I’m a year-round coff ee addict, but my addiction is particularly useful at this time of the year. Save your used coff ee grounds and sprinkle them on the garden to form a barrier around young seedlings in order to deter snails and slugs.

My mum swears that a night-time find-and-squash raid is the best control method for snails and slugs, but I’m a wimp and can’t stand the sound eff ects under my boot. Instead, I prefer to pick the little pests off and joyfully feed them to my chooks or drown them in a bucket of warm water before tipping them into the compost.

If slugs are getting into hard-to-reach places, such as between tightly furled lettuce

Join Australia’s largest gardening club! The home of heirloom plants and seeds Discounts and free offers for members

Six seasonal magazines Information and advice to help you succeed in the garden 03 5984 7900

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Words by Chloe Thomson

As much as we love calling it our garden, we are more caretakers of it. My parents bought this property 14 years ago and began

by transforming the very run-down 1930s Californian bungalow into a magnificent, eco-friendly, mud-brick masterpiece. Much of the building was done by my father and a team of labourers who often included me and my three younger brothers.

For many years, the “garden” was largely a mass of (regularly mown) grass and weeds with several lovingly planted fruit trees and raised vegetable beds nestled among it all. It wasn’t until 2006, when the house was finished, that my parents turned their full attention to creating a garden space that both complemented the house and provided a space for food production and relaxation.

In March 2009, my parents decided to move overseas with my father’s work and my husband and I very willingly moved in to house-and-garden-sit. In August 2012, we were joined by our son Remi, who is already showing a love of the colourful garden and chooks. I’m very proud to say the first sweet potatoes, peaches, plums, carrots, potatoes and herbs

he ever tasted all came from my organic vegetable patch — and he loved them all.

An organic planAt just under an acre (a bit less than half a hectare), hard landscaping and designing a garden for this space was a daunting prospect so, in 2010, we enlisted the help of Phillip Johnson Landscaping. Their brief was to create, using some permaculture principles, an organic garden that would become a usable space for grandkids to play in and adults to enjoy and relax.

Because the property is largely open with limited large established trees, we wanted to create a sense of rooms or separate spaces in the garden. This has been achieved with winding paths, little seating areas and the planting of tall-growing trees or shrubs, many of which are actually edible as well as practical. After six months of heavy earthworks, landscaping and planting, the garden was finally completed in March 2012.

Banned from using any herbicides on site (as they might have done normally), the team from Phillip Johnson Landscaping became experts at laying down huge amounts of wet newspaper before topping with mulch. Thankfully, this has

Our garden, our passionA colourful acre built on sound biodynamic and permaculture

principles — because we are what we eat

Attracting native birds is so important here

Chloe among the raised vegie beds


GARDENING FOLK | Chloe Thomson

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made weed control in a developing garden much easier and, once the garden is well established, it will be relatively low-maintenance.

My parents are passionate about organics and biodynamics, believing we are what we eat. They wanted the garden to provide the very best and freshest food for their family. Saying that, we believe too much of the food we buy now is tampered with in some way, whether by pesticides, herbicides or genetic modification.

With more than 25 diff erent fruiting trees and eight raised vegetable beds, the garden produces year-round fruit and vegetables

for our enjoyment. In fact, with seven apple varieties we hope to be harvesting fresh apples for several months of the year.

Wildlife & plant lifeA mix of indigenous and exotic plants attracts native wildlife. The tiny, nectar-feeding Eastern Spinebill has taken up residence in the bay tree and can be seen feeding on the salvias and penstemon in the cottage-style front garden. Spotted Pardalotes enjoy the nesting opportunities in hollow logs and between the large

rocks, while numerous frogs have taken up residence in the two billabongs. Bees are drawn to the various flowering plants and blue-tongued lizards appreciate the hiding places between the larger rocks.

Not all animals are welcome in the garden, though; rabbits are in plague proportions in the area. But, thanks to new boundary fencing, the height of the raised vegetable beds and the use of some barriers to protect young plants during establishment, we seem to have stopped rabbits actually living on the property. The occasional one still finds its

With more than 25 diff erent fruiting trees and eight raised vegetable beds, the garden produces year-round fruit and vegetables for our enjoyment.In fact, with seven apple varieties we hope to be harvesting fresh apples

for several months of the year.

Metre-high cypress garden beds keep herbs and vegies safe from predatory rabbits

Native birds love taking refuge in our fruit trees

Water adds movementto the garden space

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Chloe Thomson | GARDENING FOLK


way in but at least it can’t ravage my vegie garden any more.

Our vegetable garden is one of my favourite spots. The metre-high raised beds, made from golden cypress (Cupressus

macrocarpa), were filled using the lasagne technique of repeated layers of organic matter, rich soil and organic pea straw. It has been a challenge getting some true organic life into these new beds — my old

vegetable beds used to be teeming with worms. A combination of worm castings, green manure crops and certified organic fertilisers has been employed to put some organic oomph back into the soil. I’m looking forward to seeing how this year’s garlic harvest compares to the rather small and sad bulbs from last year’s crop grown in the virgin beds.

There are numerous relatively uncommon edibles in the garden that my mum in particular is very proud of, including native finger limes, Tasmanian myrtus berries, pomegranates and oak trees that have had their roots impregnated with Périgord truff le spores. We’ve not harvested any truff les yet but there are promises of something in the future, as the oak trees are starting to show the distinctive ring of “burnt” grass, or brûlé, a circle of relatively bare dirt around the base of each tree, suggesting truff le growth beneath. At up to $65 or more per kilo, here’s hoping!

In December 2012, the Chook Mahal was added to enclose an area of the orchard trees and, of course, provide a home for our nine chooks. In keeping with our love of the

A garden for Chloe’s family to enjoy and

tend together

Attracting pollinators like bees is vital in the organic garden


GARDENING FOLK | Chloe Thomson


unusual, we have several interesting breeds including Coronation Sussex, Barnevelder, Lavender Araucana and Plymouth Rock.

Although they’re not all laying yet, I look forward to collecting the blue-tinted eggs from the Araucanas and, thanks to our resident rooster, we hope to have a few batches of chicks for Remi to enjoy raising.

Healthy soil, living waterImproving the overall soil health of the gardens is an ongoing task and, given the clay loam we have, it’s at times a challenging one. In the heat of summer, the soil dries rock hard and cracks, making it hydrophobic. During the winter time it can become waterlogged and in high-traff ic areas it gets compacted when wet.

Generous applications of homemade compost, worm castings, dolomite lime and organic fertilisers are needed on all areas of the garden. My parents also love to use the biodynamic 500 preparation once a year; I have childhood memories of stuff ing cows’

horns to make it but these days they buy it when needed.

There are two billabongs within the gardens and each features a flow-form waterfall. As well as sounding beautiful, the water flowing through these handmade pieces moves in a manner that is supposed to “emulate the swirls and vortices of a mountain stream, enabling water to reoxygenate, revitalise and rejuvenate, bringing it back to its more natural state”. It’s worth checking www.livingwaterflowforms.com for information if you are interested.

Water, its catchment and use, has played a big part in the design of the garden. Dry creek beds have been used to channel excess surface water into a low-lying billabong for reabsorption into the soil. Not being connected to mains water or sewage, we have two 35,000-litre tanks to collect rainwater from the roof.

Our greywater passes through a worm and sand purification system. The attached UV lighting system, which purifies it, makes it suitable for irrigation. The irrigation

system is all sub-surface and can be programmed to suit the season. Each year, this system saves us thousands of dollars in water overuse and allows the garden to flourish over summer.

Our garden is our passion and we look forward to each season and watching our organic space thrive.

Chloe’s tips1. Plant mixed beds, using companion plants and fragrant flowers to attract “beneficials”.2. Apply fortnightly doses of “worm juice” from a worm farm if you have one. (It’s worth getting a worm farm.)3. Sow green manure crops in autumn and/or late spring to improve your soil.4. If you are inundated with an oversupply from a particular fruit or vegetable, find a preserving recipe that will allow you to enjoy your crop even when it’s no longer in season.

The Chook Mahal was added to enclose an area of the orchard trees and provide a home for our nine

chooks. In keeping with our love of the unusual, we have several interesting breeds including Coronation Sussex, Barnevelder, Lavender

Araucana and Plymouth Rock.

The family transformed the run-down bungalow and surrounded it with an organic garden

A house is not a home unless happy hens roam


Chloe Thomson | GARDENING FOLK


Words by Lynette Hadson & Mikala Five

We purchased Keewatin, a rambling, character-filled house in the quintessential country town of Wingham,

in 2001. The third-of-an-acre block (about 1300 square metres) was on a rocky ridge with minimal topsoil. In a mere 12 years, what was once a barren suburban yard has been transformed into a productive garden and peaceful haven — a vibrant area of vegetable gardens and water gardens filled with fruit trees and ornamentals.

It was no easy feat; it took determination and hard work to develop Keewatin into the

wonderful, productive space it has become. The garden consists of herb beds, natives, succulents and cottage garden plants and in the corner we built the “chook palace”. These are all integrated to form microclimates, shelter belts and shade areas, which create wonderful contrasts of foliage colour and diff erent leaf textures.

In the gardenOur organic garden overflows with produce year round and here is a proud summary of what we have.

Our fruit-bearing trees comprise two mandarins, a naval orange, a lemon, lime, black fig, persimmon and mango. We have

A third-acre havenThe story of Keewatin — “The Northwest Wind”

— a small yet abundantly productive organic garden in the heart of Wingham

Mikala (left) and Lyn ,the proud gardeners

Giant mustard

Chocolate capsicum

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GARDENING FOLK | Lynette Hadson & Mikala Five

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two nicely espaliered plum trees, two pecan nuts, a macadamia, two weeping mulberry trees and a sapote tree.

Our edible herb collection includes lemon balm, stevia, curry bush, oregano, thyme, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. There is a handsome bay tree, too.

Aromatics and medicinal plants are significant and hold great importance to us. Patchouli, mugwort, evening primrose, comfrey (great in the compost, too), borage, dogbane and mint grow profusely, as do bergamot, soapwort, squill, an olive bush and the ever-popular nasturtium.

The land was almost a clean slate to start with. The soil had to be built up and garden beds were developed using Esther Dean’s no-dig garden principles. This tried-and-true method means newspapers are put down and organic matter heaped on top to build up a soil structure.

The garden is arranged into areas or “rooms”. The recycling centre has four compost bins and also the chook palace, with Henoble and Henamel the resident chooks. We consider this the industrial area of the garden.

This leads into the two vegetable gardens with fruit trees and a large herb bed. And from there it glides into the next section, which has the ornamentals, water gardens and a variety of more unusual plants and succulents.

The hard yardsThe garden is based on a commitment to sustainability and an organic growing ethos. We compost vegetable scraps, prunings, lawn clippings, coff ee grounds from the local cafe, washed seaweed collected from the beach and used straw from the chook palace. These give the garden beds a repeated boost.

Harvesting water via a rainwater tank and water wells in the vegetable beds are ways of minimising water use. We blanket each bed with a thick layer of mulch to prevent the soil from drying out and to discourage weeds.

By following basic permaculture values, we have developed a productive organic patch. The raised beds are beneficial in adding organic matter for soil structure as well as to help slow down water run-off in wet weather. We can get more than 100mL of rain in

The garden is based on a commitment to sustainability and an organic growing ethos. We compost vegetable scraps, prunings, lawn clippings, coff ee grounds from the local cafe,

washed seaweed collected from the beach and used straw from the chook palace.

A flourishing cropof fresh chilli

A spade load of rich, worm-filled compost

The lettuce spot


Lynette Hadson & Mikala Five | GARDENING FOLK


just eight hours if there is a low weather depression sitting off the coast.

The vegetable gardens follow a three-stage cycle: the “medieval method”. In the initial stage, beds are built up with organic matter — chook poo — then seeds or seedlings are planted. In the second cycle, plants grow and a crop is achieved and harvested. During the third phase, the hens are allowed to scavenge over the soil for a few days and then the soil is heavily mulched to prevent weeds and regain nutrients and soil structure. It then lies fallow for a few months before the cycle starts again.

Organic, naturallyThe garden grows on organic values and poisons aren’t used. The hens are allowed

closely structured time in the garden as they can dig up everything in a scratching, worm-getting frenzy. We know our hens are good for pest control but they can also be counterproductive due to their destructive enthusiasm.

Companion planting has given mixed results for pest control. The vegetables are planted in random patterns to confuse the pests. Marigolds are allowed to self-sow to prevent nematodes in the soil. Snails aren’t bothersome as there is a resident native blue-tongued lizard that gourmandises on them.

It’s always a pleasure to share the produce we grow. Too often people say, “Why grow vegetables as they all mature at the same time and can’t be eaten?” Share them; give them away to friends and neighbours. There’s nothing better than picking the makings for a

The hens are allowed closely structured time in the garden as they can dig up everything in a

scratching, worm-getting frenzy.

Mikala with a favourite hen


GARDENING FOLK | Lynette Hadson & Mikala Five


great salad, grown in your own garden, after a day at work. In spring, the garden gives silverbeet, cauliflower, garlic, carrots, artichokes, broccoli, eggplant, strawberries and peanuts.

The foliage plants complement the garden and off er more than a brief flowering period. They create depth and height and a striking visual frame. Deciduous trees create mulch in autumn and open up the understorey to more

light during the winter months. Little borders of box hedging, pigface and forget-me-nots (self-sown rapidly) add another dimension, giving some parts of the garden a slightly formal feel. There is always something among the diverse range of plants to provide interest and pull you in.

Our garden is healthy, vital and organic and brings untold peace and joy to our lives.

Lyn and Mikala’s tips• Make friends with your local cafe

owner and get coff ee grounds for the compost — as much as you can. We obtain up to 30kg per month and the worms love it. (Don’t worry about the sugar sachets; they will decompose.)

• Coff ee grounds mixed with finely chopped orange peel deter ants and sometimes remove them altogether. Sprinkle the mix as needed.

• Going to the beach? Always take a bucket to gather seaweed, which you wash and add to your compost bins. It’s full of minerals.

• Compost bins should be turned fortnightly to aerate. This is the food source for the soil and will be ready to use in two months.

• Just a couple of marigold plants go a long way. They add colour and provide pyrethrum deterrent for flying insects while the roots prevent nematodes.

• Don’t be afraid of letting lettuce and rocket go to seed. It’s amazing where they will resurface as healthy plants.

• Always remember, “Whoever plants a garden plants happiness.”

Basil flowers attracthelpful bees; at right,

an espaliered plum

Edible ground cover:Lyn checks the peanuts


Lynette Hadson & Mikala Five | GARDENING FOLK


Words by Megg Miller

Imagine the havoc an errant broody hen and chicks could create in a picture-perfect vegie and flower garden. Though not a regular catastrophe for Ian Nash,

it’s one of the challenges he works with on his

two-acre house block (almost one hectare) in Teesdale in rural Victoria.

Ian has combined his love of horticulture with an equal passion for purebred fowls. His stunning Silkies and Hamburg chickens have spacious, well-maintained yards and, in the

For this landscaper and former nurseryman, traditional gardening is all about food, fun and fowls

main, the birds are kept separate from the gardening area.

Landscape rootsA landscape gardener, Ian specialises in the restoration and maintenance of traditional homestead gardens. From this he has learnt the clever use of hardy plants and waterwise techniques that are as as relevant today as when originally established a century ago.

Ian credits his current passions with growing up with backyard chooks and a productive garden. He recalls, “I never gave the backyard much thought; it was simply where food came from. It was an area Dad called his own and was a well-organised, high-producing garden.”

He says it was also the starting point for his love of nature and that he wants kids today to experience this. It’s one of the Ph

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GARDENING FOLK | Ian Nash

A bloke and his block

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reasons he runs workshops with children on keeping chooks and starting a vegie garden.

“It’s thanks to Dad and his garden that I went on to do a four-year horticultural course,” says Ian. “I realised I could have a good outdoor job creating and maintaining gardens and also put fresh food on the table. I hope I can inspire a few kids to follow a similar path.”

Tackling the issuesOnce the land was purchased, Ian admits to great impatience to get started. He’d spent years working in retail nurseries and was ready to start his garden and freelance business. The block was a blank canvas with just a few established eucalypts.

“I couldn’t rush in like I wanted to,” he says. “I knew I had to take the seasons into account. It’s hot and dry in summer; windy


Ian Nash | GARDENING FOLK

Ian uses straw bales for compost hubs and as raised garden beds

A rustic edging aroundsome rainbow chard


and very cold in winter. Heavy falls of rain are common in winter and spring. These result in lots of topsoil being washed down the gently sloping land in the backyard and dictated the plan of the vegie beds.”

“I knew, too, that with rocky soil it wouldn’t hold moisture well and so whatever I planted needed a low requirement for water.”

Large-scale composting was a priority, so Ian quickly established poultry yards so he would have a regular supply of manure and litter. His gardening work gave him access to lawn clippings, prunings and other organic matter.

After trying several methods of composting, he settled on building large rectangles with straw bales and filling the centre with poultry litter, green waste from his work, animal manures plus blood and bone and certified organic Dynamic Lifter. This was well mixed and dug, kept moist and turned at six weeks; the process continuing until ready.

A growing planThe garden has evolved slowly: lots of natives and succulents in the front of the house and a range of feature gardens,

trimmed hedges, fruit trees and the food and flower areas in the backyard. Ian says it’s all a reflection of the plants he wanted and where he could establish them.

A friend contributed ideas, off ering a diff erent perspective, but time and understanding of local growing conditions have largely determined the style and scope of the garden. Vegie gardens and flowerbeds have been raised and bordered with rocks. There are no disciplined rows such as Ian’s father favoured; irregular shapes appear haphazardly placed but are pivotal in slowing the flow of water after heavy rain.

Ian thinks outside the square. The garden design is unconventional: eye-catching sculptures from recycled materials like barbed wire and wooden fence posts are strategically sited, while formal and informal elements, such as hedged natives and colourful bulbs, grow side by side.

You almost need a map to find your way through the meandering paths in the vegie area. Growth is abundant due to the fertile soil and herbs vie with cut flowers for space alongside broad beans, rocket, caulies and cabbages, silverbeet and root veg.

These beds are a riot of colour: purples and greens, blue flowering borage, multicoloured silverbeet, kale — the list is endless. Thymes of diff erent colours grow over retaining rocks, rosemary and curry plants may be hedged and shaped — there are delightful surprises wherever you turn.

Extensive bay tree hedging is becoming established on the southern edge as a wind barrier but Ian also hopes it keeps adventurous hens from discovering the nearby vegies.

Ian is adamant an attractive garden can be established without costing the earth. He uses

foliage plants extensively because they look good all year long. He sows in clumps rather than a

single plant and repeats these again and again.

Edibles plus artworksmeans a feast for the eyeas well as the stomach

Tools at the ready for a day’s work


GARDENING FOLK | Ian Nash


Imagination & balanceIan is adamant an attractive garden can be established without costing the earth. He uses foliage plants extensively because they look good all year long. He sows in clumps rather than a single plant and repeats these again and again.

Extra interest is achieved with contrasting hues of green or foliage texture. Then there’s the hedging that creates neat formal pockets. Drought-tolerant homestead plants, like geraniums, are scattered everywhere. Natives, including correas, grafted grevillea (they are hardier), small wattles and even a boab tree are thriving.

Another standby is succulents. “I love their sculptural quality,” Ian says. “They are hardy and useful for smothering weeds. Many flower over winter, which is great for bees. I’m mad about succulents and could create a garden with these alone.”

We can all benefit from Ian’s strategies, including raised beds, which improve the organic content of soil and prevent plants, especially natives, suff ering wet feet.

Selecting appropriate plants is a must. Hardy grey-leafed natives and cottage favourites are ideal where water is short. Succulents are an option.

Group plants with similar water needs together. Spring classics such as hollyhocks,

foxgloves and delphiniums grow in Ian’s garden alongside water-loving vegetables.

Paths can be spread with gravel, which is easy to weed and maintain and, if shovelled around succulents, suppresses weed growth.

Practices like crop rotation, self-seeding and even saving your own seed are sustainable and cost-eff ective.

Bees are integral for pollination, so selecting flowers and herbs that bloom one after another keeps these helpful insects visiting. The Iceland poppies Ian grew last year proved a great magnet.

Sustainability is a key driver for Ian Nash but he admits gardening has to be fun, too. His colourful, verdant Eden suggests he has the balance right.

Ian’s top tips• To attract bees, plant flowers and

herbs that bloom at diff erent times of the year.

• Don’t be afraid to use edible plants, like bay trees, in a more formal way; for instance, as hedging.

• Always have a compost hub of some sort.

• Organic gardening is not just for the vegie patch; it applies to the overall garden.

There are no disciplined rows such as Ian’s father

favoured; irregular shapes appear

haphazardly placed but are pivotal in slowing the fl ow of water after

heavy rain.

A chook with a look of its own: one of Ian’s favourites, a Silkie

Ian’s natural, informal garden wonderland

Succulents and garden art oddities


Ian Nash | GARDENING FOLK



TIME TO PLANT | Pineapple Sage

Words by Melissa King

Rub a pineapple sage leaf between your fingers or just brush against the foliage and the sweet pineapple-like fragrance will transport you to a

tropical paradise. OK, that might sound a little over the top, but the resulting fruity, tropical scent and flavour are really lovely.

In my opinion, this is an underutilised and unappreciated herb. We tend to put most herbs in the “savoury” category, but this is one herb that is right at home in the sweets

section. In fact, the leaves bring a delightful fruity tang to cakes and desserts. I’ve even been known to float the leaves in summer “mocktails” or just plain sparkling water, to add that bit of extra zing. The foliage can even be used as a substitute for common sage in chicken and pork dishes. In Mexico, the herb’s country of origin, the leaves are used to make a tea to help ease anxiety.

While you would grow pineapple sage in the garden for its flavour alone, don’t forget it’s also an attractive perennial shrub that

Pineapple sage (Salvia rutilans)

Common sage (Salvia officinalis)To eliminate confusion here is the more recognisable sage plant, a versatile culinary herb that has long been known to possess significant medicinal powers as well. A perennial that likes plenty of sun and good drainage, it has soft, fleshy, grey-green leaves with a pebbled surface. It’s not easy to grow from seed but can be propagated from cuttings. The plant can become quite woody in time so will need to be cut back to promote fresh, new growth.

Best spot: Pineapple sage enjoys full sun or part shade and well-drained soil. It likes to be protected from cold, strong winds.

Harvest: The leaves can be picked at any time of year, but frost will knock the foliage around a bit. The flowers can be harvested during autumn and winter.

Care: Prune — quite heavily if you want to — after flowering to promote bushiness.

Tip: Try freezing pineapple sage flowers in ice-cubes and adding them to mocktails and cool summer drinks.

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This herb is at least as lovely for its aroma as it is for its fl avour

grows to just over a metre tall with spikes of pretty red flowers that begin to appear from late summer and last through autumn and into winter. Even the flowers have a tangy citrus-mint taste and can be used to add flavour and interest to salads and drinks.

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Mint | TIME TO PLANT

Mint (Mentha species)

Best spot: Mint thrives in a moist, shady spot, but also in full sun. Mint is best grown in a big pot. If you’d like to grow it in the garden, try putting it in a pot first and then bury the whole lot into a garden bed.

Harvest: Pick fresh mint as you need it or hang it in bunches to dry. Tip-prune regularly to promote new growth.

Tip: Most mints die back and look ratty through winter, so don’t be afraid to give your plants a good haircut. You can be certain of fresh growth again in spring.

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Nothing can substitute for the fresh taste of mints in both savoury and sweet dishes

Words by Melissa King

Mint has a reputation for being, shall we say, “over-enthusiastic” and taking over your garden, but don’t let that put you off growing it,

especially if you confine it in a pot all of its own on the patio or in a container below ground in the garden. On the upside, it’s fast growing, easy to grow and extremely versatile in the kitchen.

Mint comes in so many forms it can be hard to keep track of them. What a choice, starting with spearmint, peppermint and common mint, which most of us are familiar with, followed by chocolate mint, apple mint and pineapple mint, which make up the who’s who of sweet dessert herbs. Even lemon and ginger mint, which both make a lovely soothing tea, don’t even complete the list.

The uses for mint in the kitchen are equally diverse, from cool minty drinks to mango mint salsa, honey mint glazed lamb and mint chocolate chip ice-cream. You can even add leaves to the bath for a natural pick-me-up before a big night out. Mint generally flowers through the warmer months and the flowers are very edible, tasting the same as the leaves though much milder in flavour. You can pinch out mint flowers before they develop to promote more leafy growth.

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GARDEN SOLUTIONS | Pest patrol

Words by Diane Norris

Aphids, scale, mealybug and whiteflies are closely related — they are all sap-sucking insects. They also produce honeydew, a

sweet, sticky liquid that oozes from them as they suck plant juices from various plant parts. One problem is that wherever the sugary honeydew solution lands (on leaves, fruit or stems) sooty mould can take hold. This ashen-looking fungus does not infect plants but can interfere with photosynthesis, aff ecting plant growth and causing leaf drop and unsightly, sooty-coated foliage and fruit.

Aphids are especially common on roses but can also aff ect plants in the vegie garden. They particularly like beans, peas, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, potatoes and cabbages. Apart from sucking, they can transmit diseases to many edible crops when they move from plant to plant. Their actions can result in young foliage looking distorted or curled. Leaves become yellowed and growth becomes stunted.

These soft-bodied insects are about 2.5mm long and usually wingless and pear-shaped. They can be green, black, grey or milky-cream in colour, depending on climatic zone, species and host plants. They have tiny mouth parts perfectly designed to suck the juices from plants.

The aphid life cycle is unusual in that females give birth to live young and can do so without mating. Aphids lie dormant through winter as eggs and hatch in spring as wingless females. The females quickly disperse the next generation of aphids and the cycle continues throughout the growing season. Be warned: these pests reproduce quickly.

Organic control1. Use your fingertips or a soft, moist cloth and simply wipe aphids from stems and/or foliage. This is a little time consuming but very easily done and the eff ect is immediate. Monitor every day or two and repeat until you stop seeing them.2. Wash these little sap-suckers off with a strong jet of water from a hose. Again, you

may need to check back after a couple of days to see if there are any more aphids on your plants. You can then wipe off the soaked aphids with gloved hands or prune the damaged shoots or foliage.3. Attract beneficial insects to your garden by planting flowering annuals and companion plants and letting your herbs go to flower. Most predatory insects, such as ladybird beetles, hoverflies, parasitic wasps and lacewings, love aphids. You can buy ladybirds from insect breeders like Bugs For Bugs (www.bugsforbugs.com.au). Being voracious predators, ladybirds will clean up an aphid infestation in no time. It’s important to realise that pesticides, even organic ones, kill not just the pests but also the beneficial insects.4. Leave ants alone. Ants will not bring aphids to a plant; in fact, the aphids are usually there first. Ants are attracted to the sweet honeydew produced by aphids as they suck sap. Trying to keep ants out of a garden is impossible but it’s good to know they are useful decomposers and predators that drag aphids away.

AphidsOften strongly associated with roses, these pests can wreak havoc in the vegie garden, too

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Pest patrol | GARDEN SOLUTIONS

5. Refrain from over-fertilising plants. When you give aphid-infested plants too much nitrogen-rich fertiliser, you’re merely adding to the aphids’ feed and that in turn will increase their numbers.6. Weed your vegie patch or ornamental gardens regularly and keep a lookout for aphids as you go.7. Prune shoots from plants that are heavily infested with aphids — cut them from the plant, aphids and all, and bin them.8. Apply Eco-Oil, neem oil, horticultural oil or soapy spray. These products work on contact with aphids but you may need one or more applications. Look under leaves, too, as that’s where they often like to hide.9. Homemade recipe: Spray on two tablespoons of pure soap flakes mixed with one litre of warm water.

Nature’s helpersAphids are attacked by a wide range of predators including parasitic wasps, ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies. Growing suitable flowers, like Good Bug Mix, throughout the year will help to maintain the numbers of beneficial insects.

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GARDEN SOLUTIONS | Pest patrol

Words by Diane Norris

Many organic gardeners like green space, too, but sometimes lawn areas are attacked by pests such as white curl grub. However, there

are some great preventive measures and organic solutions to deal with this pest,.

White curl grub, scarab beetle larvae, lawn beetle larvae or cockchafer are all correct common names for the juvenile stage of lawn beetle. They are also sometimes incorrectly referred to as lawn grubs and some people call them witchetty grubs, which are the wood-feeding larvae of two families of giant Australian moth.

If you want to check whether white curl grub is in your garden beds or lawn (particularly new turf), simply place some wet hessian on a patch overnight. By early morning, the grubs should have surfaced and will be easy to spot. They are plump, C-shaped, whitish grubs with orange heads. Their bodies look a little segmented and their three pairs of legs are near the head. They are around 4–5cm when uncurled.

These larvae infiltrate garden beds, pots and lawn areas and feed on plant and lawn roots, which inevitably causes damage to the plant. The scarab beetles they come from lay eggs and can be a problem year round, particularly in warm, wet weather from November to May.

If white curl grubs have infected lawn areas, the telltale signs are easy to spot: general yellowing, then browning of the grass, followed by patchy death of lawn areas. You may also notice green or brown droppings on lawn areas and white moths flying closely over grass at sunset. If you have an infestation, you’ll need to take action. In garden beds or plant containers, the signs are less obvious and you may only notice them when you disturb the soil.

Prevention

Native birdsYears ago, when I was involved in the Safer Solutions program, a school oval was infested with white curl grub. Over a few weeks, they were completely eradicated by a flock of white ibis who took up residence there, digging and eating the grubs. Of course, these large birds may not congregate in your garden but other birds should be encouraged, as they find these fat, white grubs a delicacy. Encourage them by planting native trees and shrubs and install a birdbath that contains fresh water daily.

Magpies, kookaburras and grey thrush are a few of the native birds that can spot, dig up and eat curl grubs. That’s why it’s so important not to use chemical sprays. If you spray a pesticide to control curl grubs, the birds may be poisoned as well.

To give the birds a helping hand, pour a bucket of cool, soapy water made with a biodegradable detergent onto aff ected lawn areas or into pots. The larvae and beetles will migrate to the surface where they become easy pickings for birds.

It’s worth mentioning that free-range poultry will also keep white curl grub numbers in check.

Mowing heightMow lawns higher — about 4cm. For those who like to scalp lawn areas, this may seem a bit long but it pays dividends in a number of ways. Both beetles and moths love laying their eggs as close to the soil as possible, so longer grass discourages them. The added bonus is that grass with a decent length reduces water usage and keeps lawns healthier in summer. Also, weeds are less likely to take hold.

WateringWhite curl grubs flourish in a moist environment. The soil in which grass or lawn grows doesn’t need to be constantly moist. Water deeply and only when necessary — when the grass is showing signs it needs a drink. Your lawn areas will become more drought tolerant and much less appealing to white curl grub. However, this method is impractical for potted plants.

White curl grubIncorrectly known as lawn grub, this pest does damage not only to lawn areas but also to garden beds and pots

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Pest patrol | GARDEN SOLUTIONS

Aeration for lawnsHealthy plants need good soil to grow strong roots and grass is no exception. Regular lawn aeration is needed. You can use a garden fork or long-handled cultivator to do the job. Aeration will encourage a deep root system that’s far more resilient to grub attack. Prick the surface of the lawn area or gently push the spiky cultivator over the grass without dislodging it. Predatory waspsSeveral species of wasps lay their eggs inside beetle larvae which, eventually, kill the grubs. You may not be comfortable with wasps nesting in your garden but they are one of nature’s most valuable predatory insects.

FertiliserAfter white curl grub have done their damage, help your lawn and other plants recover by applying an organically registered seaweed solution every 2–4 weeks.

Organic controlIf those prevention methods are not absolutely satisfactory, there are a couple of control methods considered safe to use in the organic garden. These should be a last resort, though.

Eff ective control of white curl grub is only achievable with insect-killing nematodes, otherwise known as entomopathogenic nematodes (ENs). They are safe to handle and safe for plants and are active only against specific soil-dwelling insects, such as grubs. These nematodes were commercialised in 1999 after extensive research by the CSIRO

Division of Entomology in Canberra.Bacillus thuringiensis is a biological

(bacterial) control marketed as Dipel. It’s important to follow the instructions on the packaging. The solution is considered safe for bees, fish, birds and pets, and can be applied to vegetables, fruits and other plants. It contains no poisons. ■

White curl grub is the larval stage of the scarab beetle

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1Pumpkin protectionProtect your pumpkins from very

hot sun and early frost. When your pumpkins are developing, they can be burnt on very hot days if the leaves of the plant are not covering the fruit. Use shadecloth (or any material will do) to cover them as the skin can burn — just like human skin. Similarly, when your pumpkins are ripening in late autumn, make sure they are covered if there is risk of an early frost. In both these cases, the damaged skin can deteriorate, become mouldy and even rot. Damaged pumpkins will not store into the winter.

2Artichoke flowersIf a few artichokes go past the

edible stage, leave them to grow and you will be rewarded with beautiful blue-mauve

flowers. These last for many weeks and can be picked and dried to put inside in a dried arrangement. They fade over time to a lovely, soft silver ball of fluff .

3Weedy sorrel means acidityWeedy sorrel is an indicator of

acidity in the soil. Use lime or dolomite to “sweeten” the soil and the sorrel should lose its vigour. A pH soil-testing kit will give an accurate level of acidity in soil.

4Flowers for saladsNasturtiums are great companion

plants because they attract beneficial insects to your vegie garden. The flowers are a colourful and tasty addition to salads with their nice peppery flavour.

5Bird perchAn interesting perch for birds can be created by driving two old forks

into the ground and using them as a support for a strong horizontal stick. Birds can safely perch here and feed on whatever you wish to off er them. It’s still contentious whether to feed native birds or not: they could become dependent on you and may starve if you suddenly stop feeding them — when you go on holidays, for example.

GARDENING TIPS | 10 Top Tips

6

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Great ideas from successful gardeners

10 Top Tips

Words by Rosemary & Arthur Lathouris

Flowering trees,herbs and plants like lavender attract bees

Rustic bird perch: add feeder if you like

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10 Top Tips | GARDENING TIPS

6Bring in the beesAttract bees to your garden by planting a range of flowers they

love. Herbs such as thyme, lavender, oregano and peppermint are good for both nectar and pollen while currants, raspberries and blueberries are desirable, too. Trees such as apples are attractive to bees in their flowering season, as are citrus, such as lemon, which can flower several times a year.

7Tool hygieneEmploy stringent hygiene practices after you have used saws and

secateurs to cut out diseased plant material. Wipe tools with disinfectant, rinse well and allow to dry. Spores and infections can be carried to other plants if you don’t take care.

8Codling moth trapCodling moth cocoons overwinter

on the ground in bark or crevices under apple trees. When the caterpillar leaves the fruit, it moves down the trunk searching for a suitable place to spin a cocoon. Smear organic palm oil or beeswax generously on the trunk of the tree below a band of

corrugated cardboard and this will help to force the larvae into the cardboard bands. You can remove the cardboard occasionally and squash the cocoons. This barrier can also stop the moths climbing into the tree from the ground.

9Tomatoes for longerTomato plants can have an extended

production season even when the weather turns cold earlier than usual. Dig up the whole plant and lay it out in a shed or under cover, or even hang indoors, and the green tomatoes will slowly ripen as the vine dies.

10Join and enjoyJoin a community garden — you’ll find it a great place to share

knowledge and introduce novice gardeners to good practices. If you are an experienced gardener, you may be pleasantly surprised that you are regarded as a great source of information and advice. On the other hand, newcomers are always welcomed and can learn without having to use trial-and-error methods. Companionship while working in the garden makes tedious jobs much more enjoyable.

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Hang tomatoes under cover to

ripen on the vine

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Words & photos by Diane Norris

Breeding your own plants can be a very worthwhile and satisfying thing to do in your garden and it’s relatively easy once you know all

the basics. Plus, it will undoubtedly enhance your understanding of your garden and reignite your enthusiasm.

There are several methods by which you can reproduce plants. The easiest and main methods of propagation for home gardeners are by seed, cuttings, division or layering.

SeedThe most common way in which flowering plants reproduce and nature’s way of ensuring plant species are perpetuated is by seed. Because of pollination by birds or insects,

variations in genetic combinations may happen, allowing plants to adapt to their environments and enabling plant breeders to cross-pollinate to create cultivars with new or desirable characteristics. Plants grown from seed, therefore, may not be identical to the parent plant if cross-pollination between diff erent plants occurs.

Collecting seedChoose a dry, windless day to collect your seeds. Select a healthy, pest- and disease-free plant whose seedpods look as if they’re about to split open. To avoid dropping any seed, cut off the entire seedhead.

Have a clean paper bag or envelope at the ready, labelled so you know what seed type you are about to store in it. Invert the

WEEKEND GARDENING | Propagation

Plants for free Propagation — using your vegies, herbs or other

garden plants to breed new ones — can be the most interesting and rewarding of all garden pastimes

entire seedhead into the bag or envelop and carefully close without crushing the seedhead. Place in a cool, dry, airy place until you are ready to use.

Annuals are some of the best and most popular plants to grow from home-saved seed but bulbs, perennials and even some shrubs and trees can give equally good results.

Sowing seedFor germination to occur, seeds need water, air, warmth and light. The growing medium needs to be a fine seed-raising mix, which you can buy from garden centres or large hardware outlets. Don’t skimp; specialised seed-raising mix is formulated especially to provide seeds with the optimum medium needed for growing and surviving.

Fill a flat seed tray with seed-raising mix. Gently press down until it becomes flat, pushing out any air pockets. Thinly sprinkle seeds over the level soil then cover with a thin film of seed-raising mix. Mist with water (a hand-held sprayer bottle is best) to moisten the soil well. Watering is crucial and the seed-raising mix should never be allowed to dry out or become waterlogged. Cover your seed tray with glass or plastic and set in a warm spot.

Every day, check the seeds’ progress and make sure the soil is moist. Within a couple of weeks you will see little green “heads” popping through the soil. It won’t be long before you have seedlings.

When these little plants become large enough for you to handle confidently, you can start planting them into little pots: 75mm eco or biodegradable pots are best. This needs to be done to encourage individually strong and healthy seedlings.

Use a certified organic potting mix in each of the pots and plant one little seedling per pot. Discard any that look feeble. Place in a warm, sheltered position for one or two weeks and keep gently watered.

Allow the plants to grow to a size suitable for potting into a large container or planting straight into the vegie patch.

CuttingsBreeding new plants from cuttings is a common means of propagation and ensures that off spring are identical to the parent plant. Taking a cutting involves taking a small part of the mature plant and getting it to root. There are three main types: stem, leaf and root.

Stem cuttingsStem cuttings can be taken from softwood (tip), semi-hardwood or hardwood, depending on the species from which they are harvested.

Soft-tip cutting from a young gardenia shoot

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Softwood or soft-tip cuttings are taken from the young, vigorous shoots of current-season growth. Usually 5–10cm long, taken in spring or early summer, stem cuttings are used for many common shrubby pants (fuchsia, pelargonium, azalea, gardenia, hypericum), some herbaceous perennials and many herbs.

Semi-hardwood cuttings are 15–20cm side shoots of mature but not woody stems, taken largely in midsummer from shrubs with harder stems such as hydrangea and many evergreens, including lavender and conifers.

Some plants require a small “wound” on the stem and others, such as conifers, rosemary and natives like Leptospermum, require heeled cuttings. Pull off a side shoot with a heel or small sliver of old wood from the parent stem and trim the ragged edge of the heel.

Hardwood cuttings are taken from the fully mature, woody stems of deciduous trees, shrubs, vines and some roses. They are taken in late autumn or winter when the plant is dormant. Leaf cuttingsYou can propagate some plants by full-leaf cuttings — that is, using the whole leaf with or without the leaf stalk — or sections of leaves may be taken as cuttings. These are often taken from indoor plants that don’t have a lot of stems. There’s a number of diff erent types.

For thick, fleshy-leafed plants, cut the leaf stem near the base of the plant, trim the stem to 1–2cm and place in a hole made in potting mix, inserting up to the leaf. Place these around the outside of pots to prevent rotting. Cover the pot with plastic.

You can take leaf bud cuttings from semi-mature wood. The cutting should consist of a piece of stem with the top cut made just above

a leaf and a growth bud in the axil. Insert the cutting so the bud is just above the surface of the soil mix. Reduce the leaf area if necessary. Cover the pot with a plastic or glass dome.

Root cuttingsSome herbaceous and some shrubby plants with thick, fleshy roots can be propagated this way. It’s a useful method of propagation

Lightly mistseed tray

with water

Biodegradable pots are great for seedlings — plant pot and all

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Propagation| WEEKEND GARDENING


WEEKEND GARDENING | Propagation

for plants that won’t root easily from cuttings or division. This simple technique involves removing small sections of root from a plant to then use to propagate a number of new plants.

Root cuttings need reasonable compost, a steady temperature and a bit of space. The one drawback, though minor, is that, unlike stem or leaf cuttings, root cuttings develop underground, so you can’t see what’s going on.

Choose firm, healthy roots in the dormant season. It’s best to take them from plants that are two to three years old and established. Sections should be 5–10cm long and about pencil thickness. Give them a slanting cut at the base and a straight cut at the top. Trim lateral roots. Insert cuttings for their full length into potting mix so the top is just at the surface of the soil mix. Thinner roots can be placed horizontally 1cm below the soil surface.

Root cuttings can be taken any time between September and March. Lift the parent plant, taking as much root as you can. Cut off portions of root from the parent plant using a sharp knife and divide these portions into several cuttings.

Slice the roots into sections 1cm to 7.5cm in length. Thinner roots should be cut into slightly longer pieces. Place root cuttings on a tray of moist compost and cover with 1cm of compost. Once the shoots have emerged in the spring, lift the young plants carefully from the compost and repot.

DivisionMany perennials are propagated by dividing plants into two or more sections. This is an easy way to increase your stock and is also used for dividing overcrowded plants and rejuvenating old plants.

Winter is usually the best time. Choose a cool day when the ground is damp. Dig up the whole plant, roots and all, or a large section of a very large clump. Divide by hand or lever it apart using two garden forks on large, tough clumps. A knife may be necessary to cut the crown.

If the clump is very large, it’s advisable to discard the central portion and replant only the younger outer growth. Cut away any dead roots and woody shoots and pull out any weed roots. Add some fresh organic matter and replant or pot up for later planting. Water well.

Fibrous or fleshy-rooted plants, such as clivia and agapanthus, can be pulled apart by hand. This can be done in spring or autumn. It’s better to replant young plants and discard the older ones. Wash away soil and trim off any rotten or damaged roots. In hot weather, cut off the long leaves of these sort of plants to reduce transpiration.

Plants with tuberous roots, such as day lily and peony, are divided by splitting into sections of three or four tubers, each with a strong growth bud.

Plants with rhizomes, such as bearded iris and bergenia, are divided by taking a young root piece from the main rhizome. This is best done in spring. Dig up the rhizomes and, using a sharp knife, cut off healthy side growths with strong growth buds or new shoots and healthy roots. Discard the old ones, removing any rotten parts and dead leaves, and replant with the roots facing downward.

LayeringLayering is a simple form of propagation that involves bending a low branch or shoot down to soil level, “wounding” the shoot, then covering this section of branch with soil to encourage it to take root. When the root has grown it can then be severed from its parent to produce a new plant.

Many shrubs and small trees layer themselves naturally if a piece of branch close to the ground is wounded and takes root. This rooted section can be severed from the parent plant to form a new plant. Many plants (eg rhododendron, magnolia, daphne and gardenia) can be induced to do this.

To layer, select a vigorous non-flowering shoot that is thin, flexible and low-growing so it can touch the soil easily, and bend it into an S-shape towards the soil. If

necessary, trim off several of the leaves to give a clear length of stem along the section to be embedded in the soil.

Using a knife, make a slanting cut (called “wounding”) through the underside of the stem at a leaf joint, which will provide the opening from which roots will sprout. Be careful not to cut more than half the width of the stem. The cut can be kept slightly open with a sliver of wood.

Dig out a small hole or trench about 5cm (2in) deep using a hand trowel. It may be a good idea to add some organic compost, as it will provide the best medium for the new young roots that will grow from the cut.

Gently press the prepared length of stem into the trench or hole; the little nick will open slightly, which is exactly what is needed to happen. The implanted stem can be held in place by pinning it into the soil with a forked twig or small piece of wire bent into a U shape.

Cover the stem with new soil mixed with compost and gently firm down. The finished level of compost/soil mix should be slightly higher than the surrounding soil. You may need to stop the stem from moving so you can pop a stone or brick carefully on top.

Water the area well and keep it moist throughout the following growing season. When a good root system has formed (three months to two years, depending on the species), cut the branch from the parent branch. Leave it for a few weeks before lifting and transplanting.

Neat propagationtable: a setting

for seedlings



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By Mel Bartholomew

My special growing mix is the backbone of the entire Square Metre Gardening (SMG) method. It is the reason all the other

improvements are possible. So, please, pay careful attention so you can give your plants the best possible start and reap the benefits for years to come.

Now, with my SMG method you’ll never have to do all the time-consuming, back-breaking labour of improving your garden soil every spring. Your Mel’s mix is ready to go whenever you are. It never has to be replaced and you don’t have to do any soil cultivation except plant your crops.

Mel’s mix may be the most costly part of SMG, yet at the same time it is the most cost-eff ective. How can it be both? The answer: if you try to skimp on this item, you’ll be disappointed in all the rest. But if you do it right, all the other advantages of SMG will fall into place and you will be the richest gardener in your area. Sorry to be so adamant, but this is really what makes SMG so diff erent and

successful. We have never had a failure of SMG except when someone decided to skimp on the ingredients to save money.

Let’s review what this perfect soil will do for your garden, then the why and how so you fully understand the nature of the mix.

We’ll go through each of the three ingredients indicated: garden compost, peat moss and vermiculite. Then what each one is, why you need it and where to obtain it all. Then I’ll discuss how to mix, moisten and place it in your boxes. If you do it right, you’ll have the most enjoyable gardening experience of your life. That wonderful feeling will be repeated every time you plant and replant every single square. Your hand will just slip through the loose, easily worked, earthy-smelling soil, and you will sigh with happiness and smile every time. But enough talk and teasing — let’s get started!

So simpleSquare Metre Gardening is so simple you don’t have to learn all the intricate details of soil structure, texture and drainage. You don’t

even have to know what pH means, how to pronounce it or which letter is a capital and which is lower case (or why people are always getting that mixed up).

Why, you may ask? Because I’ve designed a perfect growing mix that is suitable for just about all plants. For those of you who crave more information: the well-rotted garden compost balances out the acidity in the peat moss. In addition, since we don’t use your existing soil (remember, we only need a 15cm/6in depth of pure Mel’s mix), you won’t be concerned with what type of soil it is or what the pH is. You won’t have to buy a pH soil-test kit or take soil samples.

Things you oncehad to knowGarden soil for traditional cultivation:• Structure• Drainage• Texture• Organic content• pH• Fertiliser

Mel’s Mix

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This extract from Mel Bartholomew’s bestselling book details his simple recipe for the perfect soil mix to have you raising your own produce and reducing your global footprint in no time

THE UNDERGROUND | Square Metre Gardening

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• Digging• Weeding

All you have to know nowMel’s simple formula for Square Metre Gardening:• ⅓ garden compost• ⅓ peat moss• ⅓ vermiculite

Mix equal parts of each, measured by volume not by weight. No fertiliser, no worry.

Mel’s mix has all the nutrients, minerals and trace elements that plants need. So you can forget all about adding extra fertiliser. Isn’t that amazing? Not only do you not have to buy it, you don’t even have to learn about it. After the initial setup and filling of the boxes, in subsequent years you’ll find there is no work to do; there is no going to

the garden centre reading labels, lugging big bags or bales of soil-improvers home, no working in lime, getting a rotary hoe working and trying to turn over that wet, mucky soil. Why, you don’t even have to do the soil-ball test in the palm of your hand only to find out you have to wait another week because your soil is too wet or still frozen. What’s the soil-ball test, you ask? I’m not going to tell you because now you don’t need to know.

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Square Metre Gardening | THE UNDERGROUND



Your Mel’s mix is always ready to plant, no matter what the weather. It’s always loose, friable (which the experts define as that which is easily worked, ie good and crumbly) and ready for the right time of year to plant. It drains and becomes unfrozen so much quicker than regular garden soil.

Where have you been?Planting a garden will no longer depend on when the soil is ready but only on the right date to plant seeds and young plants. This is just one more simplification of gardening the Square Metre way. How does that all sound? Simple and easy, no work and no fuss. I have had people ask me, “Why weren’t you born 100 years ago so I could have started with Square Metre Gardening instead of having

to do all the work of single-row gardening all my life?” Good question!

No diggingBy using Mel’s mix you completely eliminate all the hard work of digging and moving existing soil. All gardening in the past has been based upon improving your existing soil. Now you don’t have to know anything about soils. Just start with a perfect growing medium of ⅓ garden compost, ⅓ peat moss, and ⅓ vermiculite. All ingredients are measured by volume.

Like a spongeThrough many experiments, I came up with the very best ingredients for that perfect growing soil. Of course, I made sure they

About the author: Mel Bartholomew is the creator of the Square Foot Gardening system. He is a retired engineer who saw the joys that come with gardening but also the problems associated with it. He spent years developing a system that would allow the average person to have the benefit of gardening without the typical headaches. He is an accomplished speaker and has written the best-selling gardening book of all time, All New Square Foot Gardening, which has now been adapted to metric in the new edition, Square Metre Gardening.

Mel’s method takes the hard work out

of vegie gardening

were inexpensive, readily available and able to hold just the right amount of moisture for plants while not becoming too soggy for roots, which would be fatal for your plants. I created a formula that holds moisture, yet drains well. At first this seemed like an impossible task, but then I thought about sponges. When you take a dry sponge and slowly add water to it, the sponge just keeps soaking up water until it’s finally saturated. At that point, any extra water just drains out the bottom. Well, it turns out that two of our ingredients, peat moss and vermiculite, do exactly that same thing. It may take a while to wet them and keep them moist, so you have to keep adding water, but finally, when they become saturated, any excess water just drains right out the bottom.

Peat moss and vermiculite are sold at garden centres, DIY stores and online horticultural suppliers.

Extracted from Square Metre Gardening, by Mel Bartholomew. Available from www.exislepublishing.com and all good book stores. RRP$29.99

THE UNDERGROUND | Square Metre Gardening


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50 | Good Organic Gardening50 | Good Organic Gardening


Many of us already know what we need in terms of garden tools, but let’s go over the basics for those starting out. If you’re like many

gardeners, you probably already have a few hand-me-downs and various bits and pieces. But, just as every good cook equips their kitchen well, the same applies to gardening.

The range of tools now available is enormous, so the choice is somewhat daunting. Try to source the best you can aff ord. Be frugal, though, and buy only what you need. Tools need to be well constructed, durable and ergonomically designed.

Good-quality tools can be quite expensive but with proper care will be around for many decades and won’t be damaged under pressure like cheaper ones. There are wooden-handled tools and more lightweight aluminium types, some made in Australia (still), while others, also of premium quality, come from Germany, Poland and England.

Whether you’re digging a hole, raking up leaves or pruning, the job is always easier when you’re working with the right equipment. Our last issue covered pruning tools, so here’s a brief guide to what else is needed to make life easier in the organic garden. We will look at other gardening accessories — wheelbarrows, lawn mowers, mulchers, hoses and their fittings, clothing and gardening gloves — in a future issue.

Choosing toolsWhen selecting tools, ensure they are sturdy, durable, functional and comfortable to use. Test them for weight while in the shop and make sure the length of the handle is suited

THE SHED | Good Tools

Jobs in the garden are easier and done more effi ciently if you stock your shed with good tools

from the start. Try to buy the best you can aff ord, as they will be with you for years to come

Essential tools

Tilling time: ahandy cultivator

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Good Tools | THE SHED

to your build. Some tools can easily be adjusted to suit more than one gardener if they have a twisting lever adjustment on the handle that allows the tool to be shortened or lengthened. Some are ergonomically designed and others are angled to reduce stress on the wrist.

WOLF-Garten produces a range of tool heads that fit onto the one handle. One or two handles in diff erent lengths allow you to interchange at will. These are particularly useful if storage space is limited.

Speaking of storage, always keep your garden tools and equipment in a shed, under a carport or somewhere out of the weather as the elements will damage them. Consider installing a tool rack, which can be as simple as nails or screwing hooks hammered into a wooden beam, so you can hang your tools up and off the ground. Shelves are also handy.

The essentialsSpades and shovelsUnless you have a totally no-dig garden, a good spade and shovel are essential. They serve a variety of purposes, from breaking soil and shifting compost to mixing concrete and scooping leaves.

A spade generally has a relatively flat blade, straight edges and, usually, a shorter handle than a shovel. Spades are better suited to moving material such as soil, sand or mulch.

Shovels usually have longer handles to get deep into holes and a rounded or pointed blade, though the square-blade shovel is gaining popularity.

For most people, a 72cm handle length is ideal. The best blades are made from stainless steel and the best handles are hardwood. The top of the handle, where your hands grip, can be T-shaped or D-shaped, so you need to choose which feels best for you.

Garden forksA good fork is as important as a spade as it’s used for many diff erent tasks. When autumn comes, gardeners need to work the ground thoroughly in preparation for the following year and a good digging fork will be worth its weight in gold. Use your fork to dig up weedy soil and separate the weeds by shaking them vigorously, dislodging all the dirt from their roots.

Forks are designed to make turning the soil easy and they allow you to mix in compost and manures well. Never try to dig earth that is rock-hard with a garden fork until it is softened by rain or watering.

Hand toolsHand tools are essentially small working tools that suit digging around and planting in more confined spaces or working with smaller plants. The main types of hand tools include the trowel (a little spade), the hand fork, the hand cultivator (like a clawed fork) and various sorts of scoops. It’s also possible to get hand forks and trowels with long handles. The best are made of stainless steel.

SecateursA detailed coverage of pruning tools was in our last issue but the need for a good pair of secateurs cannot be overstated. Secateurs are small, easy-to-use cutters that come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and applications. They are one-handed, two-bladed devices for cutting material up to about 15–20mm in diameter. Typically, the cutting blade is on the upper side with the leverage from the lower blade.

Look for ergonomic design and sturdy construction with a comfortable feel, weight and size. Make sure there is a safety catch

Tool maintenanceWith proper care, your tools should last for decades. They should always be wiped down or washed to remove soil or mud after use and then stored in a shed or undercover. Wooden handles need wiping over with a cloth dipped in linseed oil every few months.

Sharpen blades at least once a year or whenever you notice they are becoming blunt. Don’t stand tools on their blades — hang or store them with their handles down.

No matter how good your tools are, to work easily and eff iciently they must be kept dry, lubricated and sharp.

Garden tools, if looked after, willlast many years

An old half fork/ half hoe: look for ingenious oddities

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THE SHED | Good Tools

and that replaceable blades are available, preferably of stainless steel, so you can sharpen or change them. There are also ratchet-operated secateurs designed for gardeners with arthritis or hand/wrist injuries.

Garden knifeKnives may not enjoy the glory of other tools but a garden knife is useful for many tasks, from cutting twine, opening bags, dividing plants and cutting rootballs to harvesting fruit and vegies. You can buy specialised garden knives but an old kitchen or bread knife serves the purpose well.

HoesHoes are for the backbreaking job of scraping out weeds without having to bend down to pull them out. There are several types of hoes — square, wide, V-shaped and bar-shaped — and they all do an excellent job. Generally, a rolled-steel blade riveted to a wooden handle will be the sturdiest.

MattocksA mattock is a hand tool with a chisel-like blade at one end of the head and a broad blade at the other end. It is particularly good for digging or breaking up moderately hard ground or removing strong tree roots or stumps. The broad-bladed end can be used as a hoe as well. Look for a strong hardwood handle that sits securely in the mattock head.

RakesThere are many diff erent rakes but generally there are three main types: garden rakes, lawn rakes and leaf rakes.• Garden rakes are mainly used for moving or

levelling soil.• Lawn rakes are similar but have stronger,

sturdier, heavier heads.• Leaf rakes, as the name suggests, are for

raking up leaves.

CultivatorsA garden cultivator is used to till soil and break up the top layer of dirt. It can also be used to mix soils with manures and fertilisers in preparation for planting. Freshly tilling the soil leaves ample room for nutrients, air and water to flow around the plant’s roots. This is also beneficial for decreasing the likelihood of weeds.

Some cultivators are hand tools. They may have a fixed-prong head or a rotating mechanism that acts like a mini-tiller, and a sturdy metal or wooden handle.

Other garden cultivators are powered by small motors and controlled by an operator walking behind them. They cultivate the soil and break up lumps and clumps. These are ideal for large gardens. ■

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Australian Garden Show FP.indd 1 18/06/2013 11:11:02 AM


THINGS TO DO | September

Vegie patchCOOL & TEMPERATE

As soils warm and frosts recede, it’s safe to plant summer crops. Sow seeds or plant out seedlings of chilli, capsicum, tomato, eggplant, cucumber (see more on cucumbers on page 14), pumpkin, squash, zucchini and beans. Also plant lettuce and herbs, including basil and coriander. In cool to mild areas, chance a crop of broad beans, broccoli and English spinach. Where late frosts are likely, delay planting frost-sensitive crops such as tomatoes for a few weeks.

TROPICAL

As the dry season nears its end, switch to planting vegies that tolerate increased rain

and humidity, including beans, cucumbers and Chinese greens. Try cherry varieties as these are less prone to problems than larger forms. Herbs really prefer a dry climate so do better in pots, where they can be assured of good drainage and shelter from tropical downpours.

Fruit COOL & TEMPERATE

Peach leaf curl aff ects peaches, nectarines and apricots and must be prevented with the use of a copper spray before the leaves appear. If trees have leafed up, it’s too late to treat. Aff ected leaves become distorted then drop. Feed and water any aff ected trees well to encourage a healthy crop of new leaves.

Water newly planted fruit trees regularly as temperatures rise. Remember to finish planting bare-rooted deciduous fruit plants or they’ll start to grow where they’ve been left. Prune and feed overgrown passionfruit vines to encourage vigorous new growth. Also feed other fruiting plants, including citrus and avocado, as the fruit sets.

TROPICAL

In hot areas, fruiting trees such as citrus and lychees may appreciate light shade, especially as they establish. If birds and insects regularly destroy fruit crops, grow fruiting trees and shrubs in a large, netted area. Spring is a good time to start a crop of rosellas. These small shrubs produce red hibiscus-like flowers that are used for jams and preserves.

Compost & soil COOL & TEMPERATE

Dig in green manure crops that have been growing over winter before they flower and seed. Also get the compost heap revved up as the weather warms by turning it to let in more air and by adding a few spades of manure. Throwing a cover over the heap will help it warm up on a sunny day.

TROPICAL

Where soil drainage is poor during the long wet summer, make raised rows or beds, especially in the vegie patch or orchard, to assist drainage and reduce root-rot diseases. Spread compost under fruiting trees and renew mulches to protect soils and reduce weeds — but not too close to the trunk.

SEPTEMBERSpring is so aptly named. Plants really do spring out of the ground as

the days lengthen and temperatures warm. September is an exciting time, with plants to go in the ground and a garden to feed and nurture

By Jennifer Stackhouse

1Note on seed sowingCheck viability of stored seeds (see the use-by date on the packet) and remember to plant saved seed from last year’s crops. Seed that’s been poorly stored — for example, exposed to heat, moisture or air — may have poor viability. When seeds sown directly into garden beds fail to germinate, try another sowing in punnets and keep the punnets in a warm spot such as a foam vegetable box or seed germinator. Low soil temperatures can prevent germination, so also try again in a few weeks’ time. Weeds aren’t so fussy. Keep on top of germinating weeds by regularly hoeing between the rows in the vegie patch.

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1 If seeds sown directly in garden beds don’t germinate, try sowing in punnets

2 In tropical areas, grow edibles in a large netted area to protect from wildlife

3 Finish planting bare-rooted deciduous fruit plants

4 In cool or temperate areas, plant lettuce seedlings now5 Prune and feed overgrown passionfruit vines

to encourage vigorous new growth


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September | THINGS TO DO



THINGS TO DO | October

Vegie patchCOOL & TEMPERATE

Keep crops coming in succession by starting a second crop of summer vegies to extend harvests into late summer. Pay attention to crops already growing vigorously by tying tomatoes to stakes and training climbing beans and cucumbers onto a tepee or trellis. To help shade crops as summer arrives, sow a row of sunflowers along the western side of your vegie patch, or use this space for a block of corn.

TROPICAL

Sweet potato makes an excellent weed-suppressing groundcover and shoots or sprouted tubers can be planted now. If your family likes sweet corn, plant seeds or seedlings now. For best results from this wind-pollinated plant, sow corn in blocks at least a metre square rather than in long rows. Also plant beans now. Snake beans do very

well in hot climates but should be trained on to a support such as a trellis.

Fruit

COOL & TEMPERATE

In areas where fruit fly is a problem, it’s time to start monitoring and baiting these pests, especially around plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines that are starting to ripen. Use organically friendly baits such as Eco-Naturalure, replenishing after rain. Also set up pheromone traps to monitor for codling moth in apples and pears.

TROPICAL

Bait for fruit fly with organically safe baits, like Eco-Naturalure, and pick fruiting crops regularly to try to beat the birds. When planting fruit trees, combine a handful of dolomite along with generous spadefuls of compost before planting. Enrich the top 30cm of soil, as this is the area where most roots will feed and seek water. If conditions are likely to become waterlogged through summer, plant fruit trees into slightly raised beds to allow better drainage.

Compost & soil

COOL & TEMPERATE

Where the soil or subsoil contains clay and is prone to waterlogging in periods of heavy rain, always dig a test hole before planting new plants. Fill the hole with water and monitor how long the water takes to drain away. If it is still there after eight or more hours it will be necessary to improve drainage before planting. Improve drainage with gypsum and organic matter dug through the soil. An alternative is to plant into a raised bed or mound rather than dig into the soil.

TROPICAL

Grow groundcovers and prostrate plants to cover the soil with a green alternative to mulch. Even grass can help protect soils from erosion caused by heavy rain. For a dense cover, select plants that form roots as they grow. Groundcovers can also help to keep soils cool and discourage weed growth. Groundcover plants grow quickly at this time of the year.

OCTOBERConditions are now much warmer everywhere, so water productive

plants regularly, especially those in fl ower or forming fruitBy Jennifer Stackhouse

1Ph

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Nor

risNote on pollinationA lack of bees in the garden can lead to poor fruit set. Attract bees by planting lots of flowering herbs, such as basil and borage, along with flowers such as daisies and lavender. If the bees are scarce and you already have pumpkin and squash blooming, try hand-pollination by using a small paintbrush or a cotton bud to transfer pollen from the male to female flowers. Gently shaking or vibrating tomato plants is usually enough to aid their pollination.



1 Stake young tomato plants2 Flowering herbs such as basil attract bees

to your garden3 Plant tall sunflowers on western side to

shade vegies from afternoon sun4 Plant corn in blocks rather than in rows5 Train climbing beans up stakes, teepees or

onto a trellis6 If bees are scare try hand pollination with a

small paintbrush7 Sprouted organic sweet potato tubers can

be planted now

October | THINGS TO DO

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Words by Megg Miller

Raising homegrown chicken ticks a number of boxes. You get to reduce some food miles, know that the birds have not been fed

pharmaceuticals or unnecessary additives and you’re able to off er quality of life, even if it is a short one. The experience will also provide an opportunity to see first hand some of the environmental issues of producing poultry meat, albeit on a mini scale.

It’s not necessary to be based in the country to raise meat chickens. All you need is a room or shed with power to run a light and heat globe and keep the brooder box of chicks safe from cats, kids and cold draughts.

As the chicks grow — this is surprisingly speedy — they will need an outdoor pen or shed plus a small area to wander in, peck grass and enjoy a dustbath. Lots of city dwellers

committed to sustainability raise a batch or two of chicks each year in small backyards.

Meat chickens raised commercially are ready for despatch in just 42 days. Your chicks will mature more slowly if you allow them to access a grassed area and enjoy activities such as scratching and walking. They are slower maturing because exercise burns energy and distractions lure chickens from the feeder. The same bloodlines that are ready for the chop at 5–6 weeks at a commercial operation may take up to nine weeks in the backyard.

Realities explainedFriends who regularly raise and despatch meat chickens have costed out the exercise at $23 per bird. An organically raised chicken of a similar weight would cost around $30, so the project isn’t a financial blowout.

The hurdle for most people is despatch. There is no shame in deciding you’re not up to it but careful planning to co-opt a friend, neighbour or country relative with experience is necessary. It is unforgivable to inflict suff ering on the birds.

A glimmer of hope is off ered by the recent release of a chook-despatching device that breaks the neck quickly and humanely. The manufacturers say they were confronted by lack of skill when their meat birds were due for despatching and sought a more acceptable option to inept axemanship. More details can be found at www.morriganfarm.com.au.

What to feedSelecting feed may also present a dilemma. Should you buy organic or take pot luck with the specialty feed off ered at your local

CHICKEN WITH CARERaising chickens for meat is a diff erent proposition. If you are

considering it, here are some things you should know

Hamburgs

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Chickens should be rubust, bright eyed and curious

about their world


FEATHERED FRIENDS | Meat Chickens

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produce store? Most certified organic feed comes from Queensland and so the issue of food miles must be weighed against the importance of using organic rations.

The chicks will initially require a starter crumble and then graduate to a finisher for the last couple of weeks.

Setting upRequirements are simple: a brooder box, an ongoing supply of litter for the floor, a heat source, feed and a feeder, and a drinker.

A cardboard box (about 600mm long × 400mm wide and 350mm high) makes an

ideal brooder for 12–15 chicks for the first weeks. Subsequent boxes need to be larger to allow for increased body size and activity.

A thick wad of newspaper on the box base aids warmth. Absorbent litter, such as chemical-free sawdust or rice hulls, is placed on top of the paper to a depth of 3–5cm.

A drinker with a shallow lip (to prevent drowning) and a durable automatic feeder should be obtained.

Heat is supplied by a ceramic infrared globe suspended above the brooder box. A metal shade is advisable as it directs heat downwards. The globe will be raised

The chickens will be deliriously happy if

they can range in the backyard. They crush

plants rather than scratch vigorously

and will ingest bugs, seeds and greens.

In winter, even chickens of this size appreciate warmth at night from the heat globe

Chickens gather at the self feeder

in the outdoor run

A wanderer in the garden — or just

scratching for bugs?

Even a few hours outdoors for sunning and scratching

can be beneficial


Meat Chickens | FEATHERED FRIENDS


a couple of centimetres weekly as the chicks grow and toughen up.

What to expectThe chicks will travel by plane or bus from the hatchery, so have the brooder box warm to welcome them. Dip each chick’s beak in water and observe drinking before releasing into the brooder.

To encourage feeding, cover litter temporarily with newspaper (in case they mistakenly eat it) and sprinkle chick starter over it. A pinch of canary seed will attract attention. Once chicks have found the feeder, the newspaper can be removed.

Observe chicks daily. If bottoms appear pasted up, remove poo with a moistened cloth. Ensure any slow chicks get access to feed and water.

Cracked wheat can be introduced by the end of the second week: a flat teaspoonful per chick. This helps develop the gizzard, which

is part of the digestive tract and critical for boosting the immune system.

Fibre from the cracked wheat, as well as in finely cut grass, helps prevent feather pecking. Give a tablespoon of grass, 1–1½cm long, daily from the seventh day. Increase volume of grain and greens as chicks grow.

Excessively wet droppings can be firmed up by sprinkling a little slippery elm powder on top of crumbles. The high feed and water intake of the chickens produces the wet droppings.

Last weeksThe chickens not only grow speedily but feather quickly, too, and can slowly be weaned off the heat from the ceramic globe. They benefit from sunshine and exercise and will be deliriously happy if they can range in the backyard. They crush plants rather than scratch vigorously and will ingest bugs, seeds and greens.

You can increase grains in their diet but don’t totally replace the proprietary feed. Discuss the grain options with your feed supplier.

Short but good lifeEven in small batches, some birds grow faster than others. You may like to despatch the early maturers first. Some households find two birds is all they can manage at a time, while others set a day aside and bring in as many helpers as possible.

By nine weeks, leg mobility may be challenged; the meat birds have not been bred to make old age. Guidelines are usually sent with the chicks, advising on appropriate weights for despatch and covering other issues that may arise.

Of course, if you decide you would rather raise slower-growing chicks from traditional farm breeds next time, you can. There is a handful of breeds to select from and rearing is quite diff erent. But that’s another story.

Meat chick sourcesBond EnterprisesWebsite: www.bondenterprises.com.auEmail: [email protected] Phone: (07) 4697 7800

Peak Poultry SuppliesWebsite: www.freewebs.com/peakpoultrysuppliesEmail: [email protected]: (07) 5467 2882

Barter & Sons HatcheryWebsite: www.barterandsons.com.auPhone: (02) 4773 3222

Nulkaba HatcheryWebsite: www.poultryonline.com.auEmail: [email protected]: (02) 4991 2501

The hurdle for most people is despatch. There is no shame in deciding you’re not up to it, but careful planning to co-opt a friend, neighbour

or country relative with experience is necessary. It is unforgivable to infl ict suff ering on the birds.

One third grown and you can see the cobby shape emerging

These chickens are ready for a larger box because there is minimal room for activity


FEATHERED FRIENDS | Meat Chickens


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Find us on Face book!nn uuuuuuuuuuuuuu !FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd uuuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssssssssss oooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnn FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaaaaaaaaaaaaaaFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF cccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeee bbbbbbbbbbbbbbboooooooooooooooooooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For more information contact Hand ‘N’ Hoe Organic Macadamias:PO Box 8 Wingham NSW 2429 • Phone/Fax: (02) 6550 5180 • Email: fl [email protected]

061_GOG043.indd 1 18/06/2013 11:06:09 AM


T he Comboyne Plateau and its environs are unsurpassed in their variety of natural features, including deep, rich volcanic

soil, breathtaking scenery, tall-timbered subtropical forests and unpolluted creeks and streams. All these combine to provide an idyllic setting for a number of organic or biodynamic farms that dot this unique landscape. This is the second story we bring you from this outstandingly beautiful and unspoiled part of Australia.

I was invited to Wingham Farmers’ Markets in May, where I had the pleasure of meeting Tristan Flinter. He was manning a stall with a tempting array of macadamia nut products, many already familiar to me. As Tristan and I chatted, I learned from him the fascinating story of a thriving family-owned and -operated business, a story I knew at once needed to be shared with and enjoyed by our readers.

First, though, I had to familiarise myself with what goes on at grassroots level and that involved a day-long visit to this special farm.

The visit On arriving at Hand’N’Hoe I was met by owner David Flinter at the “front gate”. Then came a pleasant surprise: the 7km drive to his home and farm. And what a spectacular drive that was, along a meandering, leaf-littered dirt track that was gift wrapped in natural features. Gullies, gorges, distant escarpments and lush, tall-timbered forest greeted me, filling every sense with the beauty of an unspoiled natural environment.

David and his wife Kerrie own and run Hand’N’Hoe along with two of their four children, Keiran and Tristan. Both David and Kerrie grew up in the bushland surrounding Sydney and believe they owe their love of nature to that early experience.

plantationHidden in a remote, pristine rainforest on the

Comboyne Plateau on the mid-north coast of NSW is a remarkable certifi ed organic macadamia farm

The bush

PROFESSIONAL ORGANICS | Hand’n’Hoe

David inspects macadamias ready for harvest

A handful of fresh macadamia nuts


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In 1979, David told me, he was looking for something more meaningful in his life as well as a new environment. After much painstaking exploration here and there he discovered this stunning 600-acre (around 240ha) parcel of land. The property is surrounded by the forests of Killabakh Nature Reserve, through which flows Dingo Creek, its waters untainted by human activity. All in all, it seemed that David had found perfection.

For the next few years, David and Kerrie would drive seven hours from Sydney to visit their paradise. The last 5km of rough dirt road into their property would take 40 minutes to navigate. But it was well worth it.

By 1983, they’d moved permanently to the property, literally setting up camp there. For two years they lived in small tents; then, as time passed, they graduated to a larger one. But by that time a baby was on the way and they

needed more comfortable accommodation, so a timber shed was built on a hand-cleared spot using mainly material from the block.

In 1985, the couple started building their present home, a comfortable, open-plan timber abode. The timbers were all handcrafted: no power tools; just handsaws, hammers and nails. They moved into the house in 1988.

“We always thought an organic lifestyle was common sense and it didn’t seem

David is proud of the fact that nothing foreign has been introduced onto the farm. They use their own soil and water

and the property is solar powered.

Hand’N’Hoe’s extensive product range

Nut shells are recycled as mulch

Nuts are harvested manually

Good Organic Gardening | 63Good Organic Gardening | 63

Hand’n’Hoe | PROFESSIONAL ORGANICS


unusual to us at all,” says David. “And that, of course, led us into our organic farm.”

David and Kerrie were partners in their quest to start an organic farm, taking inspiration from permaculture principles set down by Bill Morrison. Permaculture involves growing food, building houses and creating communities with minimal environmental impact — the very principles David and Kerrie wanted to live by.

What to grow?David and Kerrie speak of the early “experimental phase” when they worked out what they wanted to grow. The idea was to plant a variety of fruiting trees to see which would perform best in their location.

In a valley with near-perfect soil, adequate rainfall and protection from extreme weather, you’d think anything would grow. This turned out to be true but, if organic principles were to be applied and subsequent organic certification achieved, the crops had to be relatively disease and pest free, strong and vigorous.

David explains what happened during the trial period. Citrus trees were great but vulnerable to borers; kiwifruit was OK but labour intensive and too “viny”; stonefruit were tried — peaches, plums, apricots — but the birds and wildlife helped themselves too actively and fruit fly was also an issue. Finally, they planted pecan nut trees and macadamias. The pecans were inconsistent and, like the citrus, had borer problems as well as attracting native rats. But the macadamia nut trees excelled. So that was the answer: Hand’N’Hoe was to be an organic macadamia farm.

David is proud of the fact that nothing foreign has been introduced onto the farm. They use their own soil and water and

the property is solar powered. The whole sequence of growing, harvesting, processing and packaging is done by hand.

Hand picking is labour intensive, as is the de-husking process, which David let me try. Hand-eye co-ordination is needed here, I must say! The trees are pruned when the nuts are harvested and undergrowth cut around the trunks and tracks. These clippings are left as mulch.

When it comes to planting, there are many varieties (and cultivars) of macadamia to choose from. David and Kerrie agree that the process of choosing stock was quite challenging and they trialled many varieties.

Says David, “Since we were among the most southern growers of macadamia nut trees, it came down to a lot of trial and error. For instance, we found, as expected, that the Byron Bay types of macadamia were unsuitable.”

The varieties finally chosen were planted into allocated allotments spread widely over the acreage. This avoided the problems of a monoculture (one plant type) and allowed the trees to grow in the correct situations with plenty of space and light.

All the trees are grafted. The best are ‘Nutty Glen’ and the newer variety, simply known as A4. There are also A16, A29, A38 and ‘One Choice’. Asked if they have a desire to develop their own cultivar down the track, David says that’s something they will consider but it’s a little way off yet.

Product rangeAs with most organic goods, you will notice the labels have a natural earthy look. As Kerrie, who does the label design and manufacture, points out, “It’s 100 per cent vegetable ink printed on recycled card — natural all the way.”

As well as whole and half unsalted kernels, there is a range of macadamia butters available in natural crunchy, roasted crunchy, natural smooth and crunchy smooth. There is also extra-virgin macadamia oil.

Value-adding has been one of the farm’s most rewarding and exciting progressions, with honey-roasted macadamias and chocolate-coated whole macadamias in white, milk or dark, “packaged with love”, as Kerrie puts it. And there is a range of organic honey and shortbread on the way.

The farm, its products and processing are all Australian Certified Organic registered.

Small-scale farmers like the Flinters are to be congratulated for their tenacity and dedication, particularly the organic growers and producers. As Kerrie and David point out, marketing is the hardest part of the job.

But their business is steadily growing thanks to farmers’ markets and organic food stores nationwide stocking their Hand’N’Hoe goods. David and his sons travel near and far, covering Sydney at Eveleigh, Frenchs Forest, Castle Hill, Kirribilli and Lane Cove markets as well as markets at The Entrance, Newcastle, Gloucester and, of course, the monthly market at Wingham where this story began.

My day at the farm ended with a brew of organic coff ee and a feast of dark chocolate-coated macadamias, too moreish to resist. I came away with the thought that David, Kerrie and their family have enjoyed a privileged lifestyle, one surrounded by nature, beauty, community and like-minded people — quite simply, something to be envied.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-N-Hoe-Organic-Macadamias.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANICS | Hand’n’Hoe

Keiran cuts brusharound the trees

Dehusking is fastand labour intensive



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FROM GARDEN TO GLASS | Seasonal Juices

By Nature’s WonderlandHealth and Wellness Store

It’s spring and time for a fresh start. With everything starting to bloom and flourish, now is the perfect time to try out juicing or revive your old recipe collection with some

new, fresh juices.Spring is a great time to try juice “cleanses”

to give your body a head start for the warm weather ahead. Or you can add an energising drink to your daily meal — breakfast or lunch. Spring produce off ers sweet and mild flavours bursting with goodness.

Nothing is more refreshing — or healthier — than sipping a cool drink at lunch in the pleasant spring sunshine, so try some of our recipes and get your tastebuds inspired.

When preparing these recipes, note the diff erence between juicing and blending. A juicer will separate juice from pulp automatically, eliminating the need to peel, remove seeds etc.

When using a blender, all parts of the food remain in the drink, hence the need to core, peel etc. Blended food will have a thick result and is best for smoothies.

Directions for juicingFirst, rinse your produce. You may peel anything with very tough skin. A small amount of rind on citrus imparts more zest, but never use the fruit with the whole peel as it is too strong. Cut produce into finger-sized pieces before putting each ingredient through your juicer and combining in a glass. Drink immediately.

Directions for blendingRinse produce. Peel tough-skinned foods and core or remove the seeds from foods such as apples and pumpkins. Cut produce into finger-sized pieces and place all ingredients into the blender. Process for about two minutes or until completely smooth.

About the author: Nature’s Wonderland is a family-owned and -operated business, the result of years of dedication and innovation by four young siblings. From a single store in Warburton, Victoria, in 1996 to online since 1999, Nature’s Wonderland has built up a reputation with a diverse and high-quality product portfolio, with only the most superior merchandise available.

Spring sipping

Phot

o by

Dia

ne N

orris

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Seasonal Juices | FROM GARDEN TO GLASS

Sunrise SonnetA beautiful red juice bursting with the flavour of fresh, tangy grapefruit and sweet carrots. This zesty juice is perfect to get you going in the morning.

Makes 2 servings

2 red grapefruit, peeled5 carrots2.5cm piece ginger

Health benefits: Liquids in the morning are easy on your digestive system and great as an energy boost for the new day. The carrots and grapefruit deliver a blast of immunity-boosting vitamin C and enough fibre to sustain you until your first snack. Grapefruit is high in enzymes that burn fats and has high water content and low sodium. A combination of these three characteristics make grapefruit a perfect food for increasing your body’s metabolism and helping you to lose fat. (Note that grapefruit juice may intensify the action of some medications. Check with your doctor or pharmacist.)

Orange OstaraNothing is better than a glass of fresh orange juice. Give it a new twist with this great recipe, which adds a burst of zest with sour lemons, the unique flavour of ginger and the sweetness of grapes and raspberries.

Makes 1 serving

1 orange1 cup grapes1 lemon½ cup raspberries¼ tsp minced ginger

Health benefits: Red grapes have strong antibacterial and antiviral properties and can protect you from infections, while light and white grape juice replenishes your iron content and helps prevent fatigue. Raspberries have significant levels of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals. These antioxidant compounds in berries have potential health benefits in fighting cancer, ageing, inflammation and neuro-degenerative diseases. Breezy Berry

This smoothie is creamy, sweet and absolutely scrumptious with delicious nutty cashew milk.

Makes 1 serving

1 cup honey cashew milk½ cup berries1 banana, peeled½ cup plain yoghurt

To make the delicious honey cashew milk: Soak 1 cup cashews for 2 hours and strain. Place in blender with 2 cups water and blend until smooth. Strain well to remove pulp.

To make smoothie: Put cashew milk in blender with 1 tbsp raw honey, 1 tbsp organic vanilla extract, 1 tsp cinnamon and blend again until silky smooth.

Health benefits: About 75 per cent of cashews’ fat is unsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid making up the majority. Oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health and improves overall health. Nuts are extremely high in antioxidants. Cashew milk is nutritious and power packed with B vitamins, magnesium, copper, selenium, zinc, vitamin E and phosphorus.

Fresh ForestThis is a wonderful juice, full of a variety of diff erent vegies and fruits, giving it a huge array of benefits. Try with fresh strawberries, blueberries or raspberries. Later in spring you may replace the pineapple with a variety of melons as they come into season.

Makes 3 servings

2 red apples1 orange2 celery stalks2 medium carrots½ cup berries1 cup pineapple1 leaf & stem of silverbeet1 beetroot

Health benefits: Packed with vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, this juice has it all. Apples help protect against Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases as well as cancer and diabetes. Berries are nutritional powerhouses that boast a variety of disease-fighting goodness. Pineapples contain manganese, a trace mineral that helps build and maintain healthy bones.

Blossoming ButterflyAnother beautiful crimson juice, this unusual recipe calls for red cabbage, a vegetable that surprisingly tastes absolutely delicious and lends a gorgeous hue to this refreshing new recipe.

Makes 3 servings

½ medium red cabbage1 large cucumber2 pears½ beetroot2 stalks celery2.5cm piece ginger

Health benefits: Red cabbage is one of the best vegetables for you. It helps lower cholesterol and may help lower the risk of many types of cancer. Red cabbage contains almost twice as much vitamin C as green cabbage. The flavonoids act as anti-inflammatories and play a therapeutic role in a number of diseases. Red cabbage is packed with fibre, vitamin K, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese.

Spring Shower SmoothieA rich, thick, satisfying smoothie that is perfect for breakfast or lunch. Use organic milk or your favourite vegan alternative, or try it with the honey cashew milk recipe (below) for a creamy honey-cinnamon experience.

Makes 2 servings

2 cups nut milk (see Breezy Berry recipe)1 avocado, peeled1 banana, peeled1 cup baby spinach leaves1 apple, sliced

Health benefits: Avocadoes are superfoods and among the best foods you can eat. Packed with nutrients and heart-healthy compounds, they can protect against eye disease, have a healthy fat content and can actually help you lose weight.

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70 ArtichokesArtichoke Tagine

74 AsparagusAsparagus Frittata with

Goat’s Curd & Oregano

78 Broad BeansPotato & Broad Bean Salad

with Prosciutto & Mint

82 PeasLentil & Pea Risotto

Green Garden Soup

87 CumquatsCumquat Marmalade

Steamed Cumquat Pudding

91 Plant Profi leBeans

Grow, harvest, store, preserve and cook


GARDEN TO TABLE | Five Seasonal Edibles

with recipes by Simon Bryant

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Five Seasonal Edibles | GARDEN TO TABLE

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Globe artichokes are long-lived perennial vegetables, which means they grow, are harvested then die back to regrow again in spring

from the same roots. They are part of the thistle family, which provides a clue as to how easy they are to grow and also tells you about the way they flower.

We eat artichokes as flower buds. Left to bloom, they become inedible. Even as buds, however, the beginning of the thistle flower can be found in the part of the bud called the “choke”.

As they grow as a clump, artichokes take up lots of space in the garden. They are also among the most striking of all vegetables, so it’s not unusual to see them growing in flower beds rather than banished to the vegie patch.

Artichokes are native to the Mediterranean region and this remains their centre for commercial production. Although artichokes have been harvested in Europe and North Africa for thousands years, there are not many varieties available for Australian gardeners. Many are sold without a varietal name, although named varieties include ‘Green Globe’ and ‘Imperial Globe’ along with ‘Purple’ and ‘Violetto’, both with purple-tinged buds.

What you’re eatingWhen you eat an artichoke you scrape the fleshy part off the bud scales and then eat the succulent heart of

the unopened flower. It can be time-consuming to eat an artichoke but there’s a lot of good nutrition and great flavour. As well as being rich in dietary fibre, artichokes provide vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and other minerals. Before you apply butter or sauce to a lightly boiled artichoke, they are low in kilojules, providing around 105kJ per bud.

But there’s more to an artichoke. The buds contain a chemical (an organic acid) which, for most people, alters the taste of water and wine. Water will taster sweeter than

Artichoke labelCommon name: Globe artichoke

Botanical name: Cynara cardunculus var. scolymusFamily: Asteraceae

Aspect and soil: Sun to part shade; well-drained soilBest climate: Cool, Mediterranean, temperate

Habit: Perennial clump to 1.5m high and 1m wide, flowers spring to autumn

Propagation: Best from off shoots planted any time, or sow seed in spring

Diff iculty: Easy

Artichoke(Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus)

Words by Jennifer Stackhouse

GROWING | Artichoke



normal after you’ve eaten an artichoke but wine will lack its true taste, so serve artichokes with a jug of water and leave the wine until later in the meal.

How to growArtichokes can be grown from seed planted in spring but are more usually grown from dormant crowns planted in winter or from off sets: small plants produced on the edges of a clump, which are divided from the parent plant and replanted from late spring until autumn. If you know someone who is growing artichokes already, begging an off shoot or two is a great way to get plants started in your own garden.

Plant off sets or crowns (sections of roots) into a garden bed that’s been prepared by digging in well-rotted compost. Allow lots of space between plants as each individual can measure 1m across. Plants grow up to 1.5m tall and each clump has lots of large, spiny leaves off stout, hairy stems.

All that growth means artichokes grow best in rich, fertile soil. As the plants grow, they appreciate a few handfuls of potassium-rich fertiliser. They have a large root system, which also needs room to grow. Although plants wilt on hot, dry days, they bounce back with additional watering. A lack of water, especially at flowering time, can aff ect the size of the buds. In hotter areas, afternoon shade in summer reduces the need for extra watering. So, too, does keeping plants free of competing weeds and including a thin layer of organic mulch around each plant.

TroubleshootingThere’s very little that troubles an artichoke. Its spiny leaves and tough buds render it impervious to most caterpillars and other pests. Plants that lack water or nutrients may produce fewer flower stems and have smaller, tougher buds. Poorly drained soil may lead to root rot, so in wet or humid areas grow artichokes in raised garden beds.

HarvestingArtichokes flower in spring with subsequent blooms through summer and autumn. The round, scaly buds must be harvested before they open. Any sign of a purple thistle at the top of the flower means it’s too late to harvest that bud.

Use a sharp knife to pick the unopened buds with

Dipping DelightRecipe by Nature’s Wonderland

Health and Wellness Store Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients3½ cups rehydrated (see below) artichoke hearts, roughly chopped½ cup grated parmesan cheese + extra 2 tbsp¼ cup mayonnaise¼ cup sour cream½ tsp ground black pepper½ tsp onion salt½ tsp garlic, finely chopped1 cup Italian cheese blend¼ tsp paprika

Method1. Blend artichoke, grated parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, pepper, onion salt, and garlic until smooth. Transfer mixture to ramekin or other suitable dish.2. Sprinkle dip with extra 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese, Italian cheese and paprika.3. Preheat oven to 190°C. Bake dip until heated through, about half an hour. Serve hot or cold with crackers or vegie dippers.

Dehydrate, rehydrateToo many artichokes to use all at once? Try dehydrating them. Wash and remove the outer leaves. Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters. Steam-blanch them for 4 minutes, then drain well. Dehydrate at 40°C for 18 hours, or until dry and brittle. Store dried artichokes in a clean, dry, airtight container in a cool, dark location. The better the seal on the container, the longer they will store; try vacuum-sealing for best results.

To rehydrate, simply soak in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Add a little lemon juice to help keep the colour if you like.

a small piece of stem attached — around 3cm is ideal. Expect to harvest about six artichokes in the first year of growth. Once the clump is established you’ll reap between eight and 30 or more buds from one large plant.

Storing and preservingArtichokes are best cooked and eaten as soon as they are picked, which is a good reason to grow some in the garden. If you do want to store the buds, they keep for a few days in a lidded container in the fridge. Artichokes can be preserved by removing the outer leaves and bottling the inner area known as the heart. They can also be frozen.


Artichoke | GROWING


Star ingredient: Artichoke

Ingredients100g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water300g mograbiah (jumbo cous cous)Sea salt100mL extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)6 medium-sized artichokesJuice of 2 lemons2 onions, chopped2 cloves garlic, chopped2 tsp ground coriander1 tsp ground cumin2 cinnamon sticksPinch saff ron threads1 preserved lemon, pith & flesh removed, finely sliced2 bay leaves100g toasted almonds, choppedCracked black pepperLoose handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

Handful coriander leaves & stems, roughly choppedHarissa to serve (optional)

Method1. Drain the chickpeas, discarding water. Place in a saucepan and cover with a few centimetres with cold water. Cook the chickpeas for about 50 mins until tender. Drain and set aside.2. Cook the cous cous as you would pasta — ie, in plenty of salted water at a rolling boil. Give it 15 mins or until tender to the bite, drain, splash on a bit of EVOO and toss to prevent clumping. Cover to keep warm.3. To prepare artichoke, pare down the stem a little with a peeler, cut the top third off , remove tough outer leaves and ease the hairy chokes out of the centres with a dessertspoon. Chuck into some water with a splash of lemon juice as you go to prevent oxidisation.4. Simmer the “cleaned” artichokes for around 10 mins in salted water or until soft. Drain, slice in half lengthwise.5. In a big frypan (or tagine), sauté onions and garlic in remaining oil until soft. Add spices, preserved lemon, bay leaves and sea salt and saute a minute or so. Add artichokes and chickpeas plus a couple of cups of water and simmer for about 15 mins.6. Place cous cous on plates, top with chickpea/artichoke mix and sauce, sprinkle with toasted almonds, pepper, chopped parsley and coriander. Add a little harissa if you like.

Artichoke TagineRecipe by Simon Bryant

Serves 4


COOKING| Artichoke with Simon Bryant



Artichoke with Simon Bryant | COOKING


If you’ve ever wondered why this plant is called asparagus here’s the story I’ve heard. The name we use today is a corruption of “sparrow grass”, a

mediaeval name for the plant that probably described the fact that this vegetable is harvested very early in spring. Asparagus is native to much of Europe, where it is an important early spring green. Wild asparagus is a delicacy harvested in early spring in parts of Italy.

While asparagus has been introduced to Australia as a vegetable crop, it can be found growing wild in some parts of New South Wales, where it has naturalised around Griff ith. There are also many forms of ornamental asparagus that have become weeds in Australia, including asparagus fern and bridal creeper, but these are not edible.

Good to eatThe edible part of the asparagus is the tender new shoot. It appears like a green finger pointing out of the soil. If you’ve seen asparagus growing on a farm you’d

be excused for thinking there was no crop and the field had been ploughed and left fallow. This is because the shoots are harvested each day and only allowed to grow to maturity later in the season.

Asparagus(Asparagus offi cinalis)


Asparagus labelCommon name: Asparagus

Botanical name: Asparagus off icinalisFamily: Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae)

Aspect and soil: Sun to part shade; well-drained soilBest climate: Cool, Mediterranean,

temperate, subtropicalHabit: Herbaceous perennial 1–1.5m tallPropagation: Plant crowns in winter or

sow seed in springDiff iculty: Moderate


GROWING | Asparagus


The mature asparagus is a woody stem with ferny green leaves. Asparagus plants have male and female flowers on separate plants. The botanic name for this is “dioecious”, literally meaning two houses. Female plants produce red berries. As the male plants grow with thicker stems, they are preferred in cultivation and female plants are usually removed from seed-grown crops.

Over the years, plants have been selected for stem size and colour. ‘Mary Washington’ is commonly grown but, for something a little diff erent, try the variety ‘Purple’, which has purple shoots, or the aptly named ‘Fat Bastard’. White asparagus isn’t a variety but is grown by blanching the stems. This is done by covering the row with at least 30cm of soil to exclude light.

Fresh, homegrown asparagus is delicious but it is also packed with good nutrition in the form of vitamins A, B

6 and C, along with some potassium. It also

provides dietary fibre.

How to growAs a perennial, asparagus is a long-lived plant. Once established it can continue to grow and crop for 25 years or more. Plants are best grown in their own bed, planted in rows for ease of harvest. Select an open, sunny spot for an asparagus bed and prepare the soil before planting by digging in well-rotted manure and complete organic fertiliser such as blood and bone. Some growers recommend planting asparagus in a trench with a layer of well-rotted manure in its base. If this is done, cover the manure with a 5cm layer of soil to keep the asparagus out of direct contact with manure.

Plant crowns in winter, burying them in the base of a shallow trench dug to about 30cm deep. If you don’t want to dig a trench, just dig a hole for each crown that’s about 30cm deep and wide enough to accommodate the crown’s root system. Each crown will have roots, which should be carefully spread out at planting. Space each crown about 45cm apart and then cover them with about 5cm of soil. As the crown begins to grow, cover it with more soil until the trench is filled. This style of planting is done to encourage deep roots.

Don’t plan to eat fresh asparagus just yet. The young plants need their shoots to help them grow strong roots, so for the first two years simply let the shoots grow without harvesting any spears. Give a side dressing of fertiliser and manure in early summer to keep them growing. The ferny growth begins to yellow and die back in autumn. At this stage, cut the old growth to the ground. Keep the area weed-free. At the end of winter, hill soil over the rows to encourage long spears to grow.

TroubleshootingIf plants are well grown for the first two to three years, there are few problems experienced with asparagus. Thin stems may indicate the plants lack nutrients or water, so lightly dig in an organic fertiliser around the plants and increase the amount of water you are providing. If your soil is heavy clay, grow asparagus in raised beds to avoid problems with waterlogging or root rot.

Spring SoupRecipe by Nature’s Wonderland

Health and Wellness StoreServes 4

Ingredients1kg asparagus, ends trimmed2 tbsp olive oil½ small onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, chopped2 cups vegetable broth/stock1 tbsp raw cashewsBlack pepper & sea salt, to taste

Method1. Cut the asparagus into roughly 3cm pieces. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3–4 mins or until soft.2. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add 1½ cups of the broth and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 mins.3. While the asparagus is cooking, blend the remaining ½ cup of the broth with the cashews and a bit of pepper until smooth. Leave in the blender.4. When the asparagus mixture is done, place in the blender along with the cashews and broth, and salt to taste. Blend on high until perfectly smooth.

This soup can be frozen in freezer containers or bags for up to a year. Make sure you leave some space to allow for expansion. Simply thaw and reheat in a pot on the stove. Garnish with orange peel and dill sprigs.

Harvesting, storing and preservingUse a long, sharp knife to harvest asparagus spears. They are cut below ground once the spears protrude 10–15cm above the soil. Cut spears each day as they quickly become woody. Spears appear from August until September and can be harvested for 10–12 weeks from mature plants.

In some areas, an autumn crop can be grown, but cut the ferny growth back to ground level in late summer and feed and water the rows to encourage regrowth.

It’s diff icult not to eat all the asparagus you can harvest fresh from the garden, whether it’s raw or lightly steamed. If you do have excess, it can be kept fresh by standing the spears in a few centimetres of water and covering them with plastic. You should keep fresh asparagus in the refrigerator.

Another way to store it for up to a week is to place the bunches upright in a glass with about 5cm of water. Cover with a plastic bag.

To keep longer, blanch asparagus spears in boiling water, then freeze. Asparagus can also be bottled.


Asparagus | GROWING


Star ingredient: Asparagus

Ingredients6 free-range eggs300mL cream½ cup grated parmesan cheeseSalt flakes & black pepper½ onion, diced3 cloves garlic, minced60g butter1 tsp dried oregano1 bunch asparagus spears100g goat’s curd

Method1. Mix eggs and cream, add parmesan and season with salt and pepper. In a saucepan, fry onion and garlic in butter until soft. Add dried oregano.2. Chargrill asparagus spears until soft.3. Grease a heavy pan (or ovenproof dish), pour in egg mix, add knobs of goat’s cheese and pop asparagus on top.4. Bake in a moderate oven 15–30 mins (depending on how thick your frittata is; test with a skewer to see if cooked).


COOKING | Asparagus with Simon Bryant

Asparagus Frittata with Goat’s Curd & Oregano

Recipe by Simon BryantServes 4 as a light meal with a salad

2



Asparagus with Simon Bryant| COOKING

3


I love broad beans — but I am the first to admit they can be fiddly to prepare for cooking. Of course, if you grow your own crop, you can begin to harvest

the broad beans when they are young and tender and eat them boiled or steamed, pod and all. Once the beans mature into the broad green pod that gives them their name, they taste better podded before they are cooked. I also remove the tough outer skin from the cooked broad bean to reveal the bright-green bean inside.

From a nutritional point of view, broad beans provide vitamin C, iron and, of course, dietary fibre. To maximise their nutrition, eat the beans pod and all.

Broad beans are both diff icult to find and expensive to buy in the shops, so growing your own provides you with lots of this delicious and nutritious vegetable. As broad beans crop in winter and spring, they are also a valuable vegie to be harvesting when other crops (such as French beans and summer vegies) are still underway.

How to growThere are two main forms of broad beans: tall climbing broad beans, which need stakes for support or a trellis to climb on, and shorter, bushier varieties that need less staking. The tall growers, such as ‘Early Long Pod’ or ‘Aquadulce’, produce more beans over a longer period, but they do take up more room in the garden than the

dwarf forms such as ‘Coles Prolific’. They can reach 2m in height. Dwarf forms can reach 1m.

In true Jack and the Beanstalk style, climbing broad beans are handsome, vigorous plants with pretty white or pinky-red pea flowers that are seen before the large green pods appear. Indeed, they look so good, I’ve often admired broad beans growing happily in front gardens, especially if that’s the sunniest place to grow vegetables over winter.

For something a little diff erent, look for heritage varieties with coloured flowers, such as ‘Crimson

GROWING | Broad beans


Broad beans(Vicia faba)Words by Jennifer Stackhouse

Broad bean labelCommon name: Broad beanBotanical name: Vicia faba

Family: FabaceaeAspect and soil: Sun; well-drained soil

Best climate: Cool, Mediterranean, temperate, subtropical

Habit: Annual climber or bushPropagation: Seed or cutting

Diff iculty: Easy



Flowered’ and ‘Black Flowered’ (more of a chocolate-purple colour than true black). Both varieties produce succulent green pods despite their flower colour.

Broad beans are grown from seed planted from autumn to early spring. Plants crop in winter in frost-free zones but, in colder areas, flowering and fruiting may be delayed until spring. This is especially the case if the weather is very cold or frosty. In cool zones, broad beans planted in early spring may still be cropping in early summer.

Sow broad bean seeds directly where they are to grow or start them in punnets filled with seed-raising mix, transplanting the seedlings into the garden once they are big enough to handle.

Plant seeds or seedlings in rows or along a trellis or climbing frame. Dwarf varieties can usually be grown without staking individual plants but they may need some support. For example, use a bamboo cane or try planting them in a block, then surround the block with stakes and twine.

Liquid-feed the growing plants regularly or apply a side dressing of organic fertiliser along the row as the plants grow.

Broad beans are legumes, which means they add nitrogen to the soil as they grow. Make the most of this naturally produced fertiliser by following a crop of broad beans with leafy vegetables such as lettuce, silverbeet or spinach.

Even when broad beans have finished cropping and are pulled out, they add nourishment to the compost heap. They can even be tossed into the chook shed to give your hens a nutritious feed.

TroubleshootingBroad beans have few problems, although aphids can attack the growing tips. These pests are easily controlled by squashing the little insects or by simply pinching out the aphid-infested growth.

Many gardeners worry that their plants are not producing any pods. Plants can take 60–120 days to begin cropping but may be slower in cold weather. They

Broad beans | GROWING

Broad Bean Blender Brownies

Recipe by Nature’s WonderlandHealth and Wellness Store

These scrumptious fudge-like brownies are absolutely easy to make and gluten-free. They

are moist, sweet and chocolatey; the perfect way to treat yourself if you need a gluten-free dessert

or just have a lot of beans to use.Makes 1 serving

Ingredients2¼ cups broad beans, shelled4 large eggs½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder1 tbsp vanilla6 tbsp butter½ tsp sea salt1½ cup brown sugar1 tsp baking powder½ tsp baking soda

Method1. Add beans and eggs to blender and blend until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend again until completely smooth and silky. Scrape down the sides occasionally to combine cocoa powder properly. Pour batter into a baking tray, muff in tin or ramekins. Place in oven at 160°C and bake for 35–40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs.2. Store the brownies by slicing and individually wrapping each slice thoroughly with clingwrap. Place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, unwrap and let them stand at room temperature for 4–5 hours.

may have strong growth but no beans for many months. The lack of pods is usually due to cool weather and both flowering and fruiting start as soon as the weather warms.

Harvesting, storing and preservingHarvest small pods at around 6–8cm to cook and eat whole like beans, or wait until the pods are large and plump to shell like peas. Each pod contains several large beans nestled in a fibrous shell. Add the pods to your chook bucket or compost heap. Pick the crop regularly to keep plants productive.

Broad beans keep well when picked if they are popped in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator. Large, mature beans can also be shelled and the beans dried to be used in stews or soups. Shelled beans can also be blanched in boiling water, then frozen.


Star ingredient: Broad beans

Ingredients500g waxy potatoes, whole90mL EVOOSalt flakesCup shelled broad beans12 slices prosciuttoSqueeze lemon1 or 2 three-minute (soft) poached eggsHandful mint, ripped1 tbsp seeded mustardCracked black pepper

Method1. Bring the potatoes to a simmer in salted water and cook for 15 or so mins until soft. Scoop out, cool and break into chunks. Toss with a little of the olive oil so they suck it up, then season with salt flakes.2. Blanch the shelled broad beans in salted water for a couple of minutes until soft. Drain and toss in a little EVOO and salt.3. Meanwhile, crisp up the prosciutto in a moderate oven by placing on a tray covered with baking paper for a few minutes.4. Make a dressing with the remaining olive oil and lemon juice.5. Place the spuds and beans in a bowl, dress and season. Add the eggs, ripped mint and prosciutto on top with a dollop of the mustard and pepper.


COOKING | Broad beans with Simon Bryant

Potato & Broad Bean Salad with Prosciutto & Mint

Recipe by Simon BryantServes 4 as a side



Broad beans with Simon Bryant | COOKING


82| Good Organic Gardening

GROWING | Peas

Peas(Pisum sativum)


When I was a kid, shelling the peas was a regular occupation when I arrived home from school. I’d sit at the table with my mother or

grandmother and chat while we slipped the round, green peas out of their pods and heard them plunk into the saucepan. A kilo of peas is a great conversation starter.

It is now rare to find podded peas at the greengrocer, but there are plenty of bags of frozen peas in the freezer section of the supermarket. The only reason my own kids know peas come from pods is because we grew them in the garden.

Children who won’t eat green vegies can usually be drawn into eating peas they’ve plucked straight from the garden. Immature green peas are very sweet. Indeed, snow peas — the flat, green peas you eat in the pod — are a good choice to grow to get children involved in gardening as they are delicious pod and all and crop very quickly. Snow peas are perhaps even easier to grow than main crop peas because they grow so fast. But all peas are easy to plant, quick to grow and, of course, can be picked and eaten straight from the plant.

To keep a steady supply of peas, make several sowings through autumn and winter, selecting early-, mid- and late-season varieties such as ‘Earlicrop Massey’,

‘Sugarsnap’ and the later-maturing ‘Telephone Pole’. Peas take 12–16 weeks from sowing to harvest. Snow peas can be producing pods in as little as 6–8 weeks after planting.

The reason kids like eating fresh peas is because they are sweet and crunchy. If you can encourage the children (and the adults, too) to eat fresh peas they are getting protein, vitamin C, iron, niacin and zinc along with plenty of dietary fibre. Frozen peas, because most are frozen soon after picking, are also rich in these dietary goodies.

Peas labelCommon name: Peas, snow peasBotanical name: Pisum sativum

Family: FabaceaeAspect and soil: Sun; well-drained soil

Best climate: AllHabit: Annual climber

Propagation: Seed or seedlingDiff iculty: Easy



Peas | GROWING

Peas have a reputation for being fattening. But this is undeserved, says nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, as a typical serve of peas, which is around 50g, has only 125kJ. A 50g serve of snow peas has just 70kJ.

How to growPeas grow best through the cooler months of the year but snow peas can be planted well into spring to harvest in early summer. They are quick from seed or buy punnets of seedlings to plant. Peas of all sorts can be grown in vegetable gardens of all shapes and sizes. If you have the space, grow them on a trellis in the vegetable garden. If space is short, peas can be trained to grow up a tripod of stakes in a raised vegie bed or even in a large pot. For container growing, select a dwarf pea variety such as ‘Earlicrop Massey’.

Peas are legumes, so they fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil via the nodules on their roots. To maximise the nitrogen, plants are dug into the soil after harvest or even grown as a green manure crop through winter, then dug into the ground in spring. Pea straw (spent pea plants) makes a nutritious garden mulch and is often available in spring in bales from garden centres or produce suppliers.

Sow seeds in a small hole or a drill (a furrow) 15–25mm deep. Space them about 5cm apart. Peas respond to well-prepared soils, so before sowing dig in organic fertiliser where the peas are to grow, incorporating it well into the soil to about 15cm depth so it’s available to the growing roots. Hose the soil so it’s damp at planting time.

TroubleshootingProblems with pea plants usually occur either at the beginning or end of their lifespans. If peas are grown quickly with ample moisture in the cooler months, they are usually trouble free. A lack of flowers or pea pods in winter may be due to cold or frosty conditions, which delay flowering and fruit set.

In warmer weather, they may fall victim to powdery mildew, which aff ects the leaves, or foot rot, a disease that attacks the base of the vine. Remove and destroy diseased vines.

Things can be perilous for pea seeds before they germinate. Seeds may be stolen by ants or the nutritious seedling can be killed by damping off , a fungal disease. If these problems occur, try growing peas in a diff erent area of the garden or in a large container, or start with seedlings rather than sowing seeds in situ. Seeds are also less likely to become diseased if they are sown into damp soil and then not watered until they emerge a few days after sowing.

Young seedlings can be attacked by cut worms. Cut worms are the larvae of click beetles and live in the soil. They cut off pea and other seedlings at their base. One way to protect seedlings from cut worm is to protect each seedling with a cardboard tube, or a foam cup with its base cut off , sunk into the ground to surround the seedling. Once the seedling has hardened up and before it has reached its climbing frame, the tube can be gently removed.

Harvesting, storing and preservingPick peas frequently to keep the vine productive. Peas are ready to harvest when they are plump and the pods are firm, but peas can be eaten when the pods are immature as baby peas (known in French as petit pois — literally, little peas).

Peas keep well in their shells and can be stored wrapped in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Shelled peas can be bottled or frozen. Take a tip from food processors and freeze or bottle peas right after harvesting for maximum sweetness.

Old peas at the end of the season can be gathered and dried, then stored to add later to casseroles or pea soup.



Star ingredient: Peas

Ingredients150g red lentils, skin on (these are brown, red inside)700mL vegetable stock40mL olive oil1 onion, finely chopped1 garlic clove, crushed1 leek, sliced1 cup shelled peas1 tbsp ground coriander1 tbsp ground cumin1 fennel bulb, chopped150g uncooked arborio rice 150mL dry white wine2 bay leavesSalt & pepper50g freshly grated parmesan cheese½ bunch chopped dill or fennel¼ bunch chopped parsleyExtra olive oil to garnish

Method1. Place lentils in a pan, cover with hot water and let sit for an hour. Then bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15–20 mins. Drain and set aside.2. Pour the stock into a pan and bring to the boil.3. Heat oil in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, leek, celeriac and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 mins or until softened. Add ground coriander and cumin. Add fennel, rice and lentils and sauté until rice is glassy.4. Add wine, bring to the boil, add the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. When most of the liquid has been absorbed, add most of the hot stock. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, checking to see if it needs the rest of the stock. 5. Check for seasoning.6. Add parmesan and herbs, stir through and serve.

Lentil & Pea RisottoRecipe by Simon Bryant

Serves 6

COOKING | Peas with Simon Bryant

4



Peas with Simon Bryant | COOKING



Green Garden SoupRecipe by Nature’s Wonderland Health and Wellness Store

Peas are actually in season and freshest in the warm weather of spring, so fresh pea soup is not only a winter favourite but wonderful in spring, too!

Serves 5

PRESERVING | Peas

Ingredients2 garlic cloves, minced1 red onion, diced1 tsp Celtic sea salt2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil1kg shelled green peas1 cup fresh mint leaves1 large carrot, sliced4 cups vegetable stock2 large potatoes, boiled & diced3 tbsp fresh lemon juice or more to taste

Method1. Sauté the garlic, onion and sea salt in a bit of olive oil until soft.2. Add the peas, mint and carrot and stir until well combined. Cover with the vegetable stock, bring to the boil and let

simmer until peas are just turning tender — about 15 mins. Meanwhile, make sure the potatoes are boiled.3. Add the potatoes and simmer for a further 5 mins.4. Allow to cool slightly and then transfer to blender. Puree until smooth and creamy.5. Return to the pot and add in the desired amount of lemon juice. Then season with Celtic sea salt and garnish with parsley or mint.6. Green Garden Soup freezes quite well and can be safely stored in the freezer for up to 12 months. The soup does separate a bit when frozen but returns to a creamy texture when reheated on the stovetop. A little water or milk can also be added to the soup during the reheating to keep the correct consistency.




With Sandy Moore | GARDEN TO TABLE

Cumquats(Citrus japonica, syn. Fortunella japonica)


In Chinese culture, cumquats (also called kumquats) are the lucky plant and prized as gifts for Chinese New Year. Indeed, cumquats are among the most

widely grown gift plants in China and are admired for their small but prolific orange fruit that makes the tree appear bedecked in gold coins. Even if you don’t believe they’ll bring luck or riches, they certainly enrich winter and early spring when in fruit.

Good to eatI struck it lucky with cumquats recently when a bag of them came my way. Visions of jars of cumquat marmalade

flashed before my eyes. If you can bear to harvest such a decorative crop, there’s plenty to do with cumquats. They can be added to both sweet and savoury dishes, as chef Simon Bryant explains on page 90, or they can be preserved in brandy or eaten fresh, skin and all, although fresh cumquats are tart. Like all citrus, cumquats are rich in vitamin C and high in dietary fibre.

VarietiesCumquats can be grown in the garden or in a large container. Indeed, they make a highly decorative potted plant for a sunny balcony or courtyard. The potted plants

Cumquats | GROWING




GROWING | Cumquats

look particularly good placed as a pair on either side of a set of steps. Cumquats are also grown as bonsai specimens.

Although I love the look of golden fruit against the dark-green cumquat leaves, there is a variegated form (‘Variegata’) that has cream and white leaves all year round. It still produces fruit, but it is less obvious.

Cumquat fruit can be oval or round. ‘Nagami’ has oval fruit and is popular for marmalades. The fruit can be eaten raw but the skin is tough and slightly bitter. ‘Marumi’ has round orange fruit on a thorny but cold-tolerant tree. ‘Meiwa’ has round, seedless fruit that’s perhaps the best of all the cumquats to eat fresh. It needs protection from cold and frost.

There’s also a plant sold as the Australian cumquat. This is actually a calamondin, which has larger fruit than a true cumquat but which is often grown in Australian gardens as a cumquat and used in the same way.

How to growWhether your cumquat is in a pot or the ground, it likes to be placed in a sunny spot with good drainage. All citrus, including cumquats, prefer a slightly acid soil with regular feeding and watering.

In containers, use a potting mix formulated for good water-holding capacity. As cumquats can be left in containers for many years before they need repotting, add some weed-free garden loam to the mix at planting to prevent the mix from slumping. A ratio of one part soil to nine parts potting mix creates a long-lasting growing medium. Regularly add organic compost as a surface mulch, along with a small amount of citrus food each month from late winter to autumn.

In the ground, cumquats are fed with a good organic fertiliser or citrus food in late winter and midsummer. They need little additional care other than regular watering and the occasional trim to keep them in shape.

TroubleshootingWhile most of the citrus group are troubled by lots of pests and some diseases, cumquats seem mostly immune to the normal citrus problems. However, they can be attacked by scale, an insect pest that clusters on the stems or leaves. Scale is often accompanied by sooty mould, a fungus that coats the leaves black. Scale outbreaks are brought under control with applications of an organic registered horticultural oil and by keeping the plant growing strongly. Scale can be an indication that the plant is too dry or too shaded, so try to improve its care and growing conditions as well as treating the pest.

If the fruit drops prematurely or has small sting marks on the skin, it may have been attacked by fruit fly. Use orgnanically friendly baits, like Eco-Naturalure, for fruit fly to protect the crop.

HarvestingFruit is ripe and at its maximum sweetness when the skin is fully orange. Cumquats hang on the tree for months from autumn right through winter and into spring. Some

plants, particularly those in subtropical and tropical climates, have fruit at other times as well. Harvest small amounts as they are required rather than strip the bush. Towards the end of winter and in early spring, the tree may begin to discard its crop as new flowers appear. That’s an indication it’s time to get bottling.

Storing and preservingStore cumquats on the tree until they are needed. They keep well once picked, but discard any that become soft or mouldy. To have cumquats on hand, preserve them in brandy and sugar by first pricking the skins all over with a darning needle and then placing the fruit in a sterilised jar. Only use firm fruit. Pour brandy and sugar over them and seal the jar. Allow the fruit to mature in the jar.

Cumquats can also be frozen whole, candied or made into delicious marmalade (see Simon Bryant’s delicious Cumquat Marmalade recipe on the opposite page).

Cumquat labelCommon name: Cumquat or kumquatBotanical name: Citrus japonica (syn.

Fortunella japonica)Family: Rutaceae

Aspect and soil: Sun; well-drained soilBest climate: All areasHabit: Evergreen tree

Propagation: Seed, cutting, graftingDiff iculty: Easy


Cumquats with Simon Bryant | PRESERVING

Star ingredient: Cumquats

Ingredients1kg cumquats5 cups water2 tbsp lemon juice3 cups sugar

Method1. Slice the cumquats in quarters lengthwise and knock aside as many pips as you can.2. Put the pips in some muslin cloth and tie up. Place pips and cumquats in a bowl,

cover with water and sit overnight.3. Next day, place pips and fruit in a saucepan and boil for 20 mins. Turn down heat, add lemon juice and sugar and bring back to a rapid simmer for about 20 mins.4. Test setting by popping a smidge on a pre-frozen plate in freezer for a couple of minutes. If it gels, it’s ready; if not, simmer another 5–10 mins and retest.5. Discard muslin cloth full of pips and store marmalade in a sterilised jar.

Cumquat MarmaladeRecipe by Simon Bryant




Ingredients20 large or 30 small cumquats, cut roughly into halves or quarters60g dark brown sugarPinch ground lemon myrtle80g cold butter, cubed120g suet, minced220g self-raising flour60mL cold milk60mL cold waterPinch salt

Method1. In a mixer, combine suet and flour, add liquids and knead until well combined. Roll out on a floured bench to 4–5mm thick.2. Line a 12cm (approx) heatproof bowl with butter. Cut a lid the size of the base of the bowl and use the rest of the pastry to line the bowl.

3. Mix all ingredients and stuff into the lined pudding bowl. Pop the pastry lid on and pinch all the edges closed.4. Cut a piece of baking paper in a circle double the size of the pudding bowl. Place a pleat (about 1cm doubled over) down the centre of the paper to allow for expansion and place over the pudding and tie very tightly with string to ensure it is sealed (you can pop on a thick rubber band as well if you like).5. Place a pot containing around 6–10cm of water on the stove, bring to the boil and place the bowl in it (ensuring the water level is below the top of the bowl). Cover with a lid and steam for a couple of hours, checking the water level periodically (or use a steamer tray if you prefer).6. Invert the pudding to serve with a good ice-cream and a few sprigs of mint.

Steamed Cumquat PuddingRecipe by Simon Bryant

COOKING | Cumquats with Simon Bryant



Beans | PLANT PROFILE

(Phaseolus spp.)

Beans are popular, easy-to-grow, versatile vegies

that everyone loves to eat straight off the plant

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PLANT PROFILE | Beans

'Purple King' and 'Rattlesnake'

Climbing green beans

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Beans are warm-season vegetables that come in both bush varieties and tall, twining climbers that can reach around 2m in height.

Time to plantSeed can be sown from October to January in temperate to cool zones. In tropical areas, it can be sown any time except during the wet season.

Planting guideBeans are best sown from seed. Push the seed gently about 4mm into moistened soil. Cover with the dislodged soil and leave watering-in until the following day. A little green head will emerge after a week or so.

CareWater growing beans but don’t flood. Every four weeks, feed with organic liquid fertiliser. As the twining varieties grow, they will need

to be trained onto a support such as a stake, tepee, wire mesh or trellis. When climbing beans reach a good picking height, simply snip out growing tips as they appear.

HarvestBeans are ready to pick when about 15–20cm long. It’s best to use scissors or small snips rather than pull them from the plant.

ProblemsWind and hot weather can cause browning of the foilage. Water any aff ected plants well and they should recover during the cool of night. Whitefly can be a problem. The adults are small white moth-like flies, 1mm in length, that lay eggs on the underside of leaves. Suggested organic control includes vacuuming or wiping them off or the use of Eco-Neem, Eco-Oil or Sticky Yellow Traps — follow the instructions on the packaging.

Beans labelCommon name: BeansBotanical name: Phaseolus spp.Requires: Sun, moist soilDislikes: Drying outSuitable for: Vegetable gardens in all climates ; bush varieties can be grown in potsHabit: Twining climbers or low bushesNeeds: Liquid fertiliser monthly; twining varieties need support by trellis, tepee or stakeDiff iculty: Moderately easy


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REVIEWS | Books

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WHAT’S NEW | Products

A Kuvings Silent Juicer ... taking you on a healthy journeyJuicing with the Kuvings Silent Juicer opens a whole new world when it comes to health and nutritional value. Cold-press juicing using organic fruit and vegetables is a good way to get your full nutrition the natural way. Green vegetables are a must in your daily diet to assist in healing your cells while enjoying green juice. A fundamental quality of greens is chlorophyll, the product of

plants turning light into energy for insects and animals to eat. Without this, life as we know if would not exist. Some of the many amazing benefits of chlorophyll include powerful detoxifying properties against parasites and mould. Chlorophyll can also improve our blood quality. It also helps the repair and growth of all tissues in the body. Try this delicious green juice recipe: 100g kale, 2 kiwifruit, half a lemon with skin and ½ a pineapple. www.kuvings.net.au

pick of the cropOur selection of products and services for gardeners and cooks

BIO Mineral Ace PotThe BIO Mineral Ace Pot is a great portable solution for providing naturally alkalised mineral water on the go at work, when travelling, exercising or on holidays. Composed of organic compounds, the BMP Ace removes at least 85–90 per cent of fluoride, residual chloride, dirt, heavy metals, viruses, bacteria and nitrates. This is done using an iodine-rich seaweed resin and activated coconut shell carbon-bonded with activated silver. After impurities are removed, water passes through its next stages of mineralisation. Calcium-rich coral and silica sand naturally alkalise water molecules while adding 60 organic trace minerals. The BMP Ace also contains magnets to structure the water molecules and assists with water ionisation. Turning complexity into simplicity, this product is made from BPA-free perspex and has a long-lasting two-year filter life at six litres a day. For just 2¢ a litre, enjoy clean, healthy drinking water as nature intended. www.livingconscious.com.au

Grow-Fresh Greenhouses®Grow-Fresh Greenhouses® is a fast-growing Australian-owned family business off ering a wide range of domestic greenhouses and glasshouses. As the leader in the domestic greenhouse market, Grow-Fresh Greenhouses® maintains a wide selection to suit all requirements and budgets while ensuring quality is matched with value for money. Old-fashioned principles of customer service are applied from the time of first enquiry through to completion and beyond, whether your requirement is for a greenhouse for practical growing purposes or as part of a large garden feature. 2013 has been a big year with the unveiling of new greenhouse and glasshouse ranges along with new colour options. Sizes range from 2m in length to 11m and beyond. Colour choice includes silver, green, black and white. Such a large selection, there is a greenhouse to suit every garden. Call 1300 GO GROW (1300 46 4769) or visit the website. www.growfreshgreenhouses.com.au

PowerweederThe Powerweeder is all Australian owned and made. Manufactured from high-quality mower-blade steel and specially formulated nylon plastic, it will do anything from a light trim down to bare earth, mulching up the weeds and soil, aerating soils and allowing water to penetrate evenly. It’s also good for mixing in fertiliser. Standards Australia had deemed it unadvisable to use any metal fittings on a bent-shaft brushcutter/whipper snipper as they have a much weaker structure than the high-powered straight-shaft units. Because of this, the smaller domestic high-quality plastic Mini Powerweeder version was developed. It does an amazing job on new growth in established soils — the very time it’s advisable to tackle weed problems before they spread and seed. The Mini Powerweeder makes weeding easier in a domestic garden, enabling you to get between the plants with ease. www.powerweeder.com

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Great giftsEden’s Organic Gift Ideas is an Australian owned and operated business specialising in gift hampers that support the Australian economy and environment. Founder and organic advocate Karen Anne was determined to create a gift hamper experience that was second to none, choosing organic products that were boutique quality, not available in the major supermarkets, and made from ethically sourced ingredients using sustainable business practices. All products are made right here in Australia and, where possible, are gluten-free and vegan. www.organicgiftideas.com.au

Greensmart SydneyDesigned by a Melbourne-based company and first introduced to Australian gardeners in 2008, the GreenSmart Pot was developed with the objective of providing a self-reliant, sustainable gardening initiative that would be suitable in any space. The GreenSmart Pot is ideal for balconies and small patios as well as large backyards and paddocks. With its unique patented visual water level indicator and built-in reservoir, the GreenSmart Pot will provide healthier, fresher vegetables and herbs with low maintenance and no water wastage. What makes GreenSmart the smarter alternative?• The GreenSmart pot maximises growth with minimal

eff ort and water usage.• Cross-cut overflow holes prevent over-watering and

mosquitoes breeding in the reservoir and create an air cushion between the potting mix and water reservoir for the roots to be aerated. The aeration enhances plant growth by about 30 per cent.

• Food-grade plastic prevents contamination of the potting medium and the plant.

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• Depth and width of the pot allow the flexibility to grow a wide range of plants. www.greensmartsydney.com.au

Healthy from root to fruit!Dr Grow It All is a balanced organic liquid plant nutrient and soil rejuvenator. This complete growing solution, containing biological compounds and billions of beneficial plant-acceptable bacteria, promotes bio-stimulation for exceptional plant growth with the added benefit of replenishing the soil. It stimulates microbial activity deep down in the soil, creating a sustainable environment for strong cellular-developed roots necessary for withstanding the strains of climate change, transplanting, and producing abundant tasty, nutritious, pest-resistant fruit and veg. Suitable for all plant types, including fruit, vegetables, lawns, shrubs, herbs, natives, flowers and trees, Dr Grow It All is a highly concentrated, cost-eff ective and easy-to-use product for both the home gardener and commercial grower. Available in retail sizes 1L, 2.5L, 10L and 20L and bulk commercial 1000L shuttles. www.drgrowitall.com.au

Simply divine!Organic Times homestyle organic cookies are so delicious and full of natural goodness you will be able to taste the flavour of every special ingredient used. Using premium couverture chocolate and organic butter from pasture-fed cows, Organic Times guarantees cookies that will impress. Varieties include Triple Chocolate, White Chocolate & Macadamia, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Almond, Little Gems and Chocolate & Cranberry. Triple Chocolate and Chocolate & Cranberry are also available in a gluten-free alternative. Organic Times is an Australian-owned business off ering an extensive range of quality organic products made from the finest natural ingredients, including chocolates, butter and milk powder, cocoa powder, carob powder, icing sugar, rapadura sugar and more. Stockists include David Jones, Thomas Dux Supermarkets and good healthfood and organic stores. www.organictimes.com.au



WHAT’S NEW | PRODUCTS

Preserve food naturallyDehydrating food is the world’s oldest method of natural food preservation. Now drying food is easy due to the eff icient and reliable Ezidri range of dehydrators allowing all types of food to be dried at home. Dehydrating intensifies the aroma and taste of food, transforming it into the perfect ingredient for enhancing the flavour of your favourite snacks and dishes. Not only does dehydrated food taste great, it’s good for you, too. By drying food with an Ezidri, you retain over 96 per cent of the food’s original nutrients. Drying at the correct temperature also does not destroy valuable enzymes that are the very essence of raw food, and there is no need for preservatives. And by buying your produce in season, or using your own surplus fruit and vegetables, you can save money and avoid waste. Ph 1800 671 109, www.eziconcepts.com.au

BronrobBronrob first established its niche in ceramic products but has continued to keep up with the current trends in the other popular niche products, including garden furniture, ornaments, wall art, wall décor and novelties. Bronrob sculpture is created with iron sheets, metal, scrap and recycled parts. Unique and whimsical, the works are perfect to decorate your home and garden, inside and out. Dogs, cats, birds and sculptures are formed in bare metal and rust naturally with age. That’s their beauty — they look better as they get older. Bronrob off ers a large range of high-quality garden ornaments, furniture, ceramic pots and planters as well as sculptures of large birds and metal animals, wall pot holders and bird feeders. Classic Chinese blue and white and contemporary indoor/outdoor planters complete the range. www.bronrob.com.au

Water only when needed with the Toro Precision™ Soil SensorThe 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. www.toro.com.au

Land use and bioplasticsBiofilm is often asked about the eff ect of bioplastics on land use for food production. The eff ect is negligible. Recent information from European Bioplastics (April 8, 2013) is that the land surface needed to grow feedstock for today’s bioplastic

production is less than 0.006 per cent of the global agricultural area of 5 billion hectares. In graphic terms, that’s like a cherry tomato sitting next to the Eiff el Tower! Most of the bioplastic is sourced from Novamont, which grows most of its corn (maize) in Italy (non-GMO production). The amount of land used to grow corn as feedstock for Novamont was under 1 per cent of total Italian corn production. The aim of producing biooplastics that can be composted is to return the materials to the soil where it is well known that compost has a very positive eff ect on soils. www.biobaganz.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 www.gogreenathome.com.au



Products | WHAT’S NEW

Felco saws cut itFelco pruning saws off er exceptional performance and durability with a choice of models for all pruning tasks. Their innovative blade design and an easy-to-use pull action combine to ensure faster, smoother cuts of all wood types with less eff ort. The Felco range features three models, each with an ergonomically designed non-slip handle for operator safety and comfort. The compact Felco 600 is a handy folding saw with a hard-chromed, rust-resistant 16cm blade and exceptionally durable teeth. The Felco 611 and 621 have 33cm and 24cm blades respectively and come with a sturdy scabbard and belt hanger. The unique blade design cuts cleanly without clogging. In the Felco tradition, these pruning saws feature replaceable blades, ensuring they are true tools for life. Ph 1800 730 257, www.felco.com.au

Angove Organic Sauvignon BlancAngove Family Winemakers, one of Australia’s oldest family-owned wineries, is proud to grow the number of wines off ered under the Angove Organic label. Initially launched in 2007 as a Shiraz Cabernet and Chardonnay pair, with a Merlot added in 2011, the first vintages of Angove Organic wines sold out in record time following fantastic support from a broad retailer and restaurant network and strong reviews for all wines. With more of the Angove vineyards achieving organic status in 2013, Angove has the opportunity to increase the range and this year sees the addition of an organic Sauvignon Blanc to the line-up. Sauvignon Blanc is the largest-selling single varietal in Australia and this recent addition, being one of only a handful of Sauvignon Blancs that are organically certified, is sure to give a massive boost and exposure to the Angove Organic brand. For more information or to purchase direct, www.angove.com.au

Maze GreenhousesHow satisfying would it be to grow your own healthy plump fruit and vegetables rain, hail or shine? How beautiful is the thought of fresh flowers or herbs no matter which season it is? Over the past couple of years Maze, a leader in

garden and outdoor products, has sold thousands of these greenhouse structures to the Australian market. Based on this overwhelming success, Maze has increased the range to off er both larger and more compact structures. You don’t even need a garden — just a small designated area on your land. The greenhouse is a great way to teach kids how things grow and the new extra-large model makes a great outdoor room that’s maintenance-free, 100 per cent UV-protected and made from a rust-resistant aluminium frame and virtually unbreakable crystal-clear polycarbonate panels. These quality greenhouses are made in Israel, known for its advanced greenhouse technology both in the domestic and agricultural market. Go to Bunnings Special Orders Desk to order or visit the website. Ph 1300 449 107, www.mazedistribution.com.au

Eden SeedsThe aim at Eden Seeds is to distribute old, traditional, open-pollinated varieties of vegetable seed, preferably old Australian varieties and organically or biodynamically grown where possible. They are more nutritious and better tasting, hardy and easier to grow for the home gardener. Old varieties produce over an extended period and home gardeners obtain relaxation, enjoyment and quality from a most rewarding hobby. Eden Seeds off ers the traditional non-hybrid varieties that have had no chemical treatment and no genetic engineering. Alf Finch, founder in 1987 of Eden Seeds, also established Select Organic certified organic seeds, which off ers nearly 400 varieties of organic seeds. Check the Eden Seeds website for special off ers and for the planting guide to all the popular vegies in all climate zones. www.edenseeds.com.au, www.selectorganic.com.au

Dry it — you’ll like it!Experience the superior functionality of Excalibur Dehydrators. Dry and prepare your food in style with the best dehydrator on the market, now available in six new colours. Choose from Twilight Black, Radiant Raspberry, Radiant Blueberry, Radiant Cherry, Copper or Antique Copper. From drying fresh fruit to preparing gourmet raw food, Excalibur Dehydrators take pride of place in the health-savvy home. Dry fruits and vegetables. Make your own granola. Dry fruit purée into a fruit roll-up. Make all-natural pet treats. Use for arts and crafts. Ideal for families, gardeners, crafts people and pet owners. Featuring the Parallex™ Forced Fan design and the Hyperwave™ Adjustable Thermostat/Timer technology, Excalibur Food Dehydrators come in standard, stainless steel and coloured steel models, available at Nature’s Wonderland. Call 1800 044 722 or visit the website. www.natureswonderland.com.au



WHAT’S NEW | PRODUCTS

Rainbow PowerThe Rainbow Power Company started with green ideals at local market stalls 25 years ago, building the business to what it is today — a leader in the field of renewable energy that doesn’t cost the earth, providing solar systems across Australia and the Pacific. The most recent innovation has been the development of pre-wired remote-power solar systems designed to the customer’s specs and shipped direct anywhere in Australia, for installation by a local electrician. Also on off er is a wide range of low-cost mini and micro solar-power options for use in the field, farm shed and home, from portable low-wattage lighting kits to direct solar chargers for USB devices, to solar powering a small fridge and more. You can combine all your gardening activities with clean, renewable energy from the sun and cook in the garden with a solar box cooker. Rainbow Power Company can design an off -grid solar system for your home. Call 02 6689 1430 or buy online via the webshop. www.rpc.com.au

The beauty of bambooMargareta Wahlstrom, UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, said, “We live in a world where clean water is becoming scarce.” She went on to suggest we should all think about how much clean water we use. The bamboo plant grows under rainwater in its native areas, whereas cotton needs heaps of water — 4000 litres to grow enough for one T-shirt (The Coming Famine by Julian Cribb, CSIRO) — and the runoff contains poisonous pesticides. Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial, so it doesn’t need pesticide and the runoff is drinkable water. Clean water is just one of the reasons why Eastwind Textiles insists on 100 per cent bamboo for top-quality twill sheets in all sizes from king down to cot. Luxuriously soft, easy to wash, long lasting and beneficial for those with skin problems such as eczema, 100 per cent bamboo towels absorb three times better than cotton. One touch and you’re dry! www.eastwindtextiles.com.au

Neoflam Nature Chef RocaWith its state-of-the-art design, Neoflam Nature Chef Roca won the 2012 iF Product Design Award. Engineered for healthy, eff icient cooking, Neoflam Cookware incorporates the innovation of Ecolon coating, which is made all natural materials such as sand, stone and silica. The coating leads to environmentally friendly, perfectly safe, scratch-resistant non-stick, non-toxic cooking performance. Both the inside and outside of body and lid are coated with Ecolon, making cleaning a breeze. With its simple flowing lines and soothing colours, Neoflam is highly functional art, sure to be a conversation piece on any dining table. The product is designed to be multifunctional as cookware, bakeware and table/serving ware through to refrigerator storage. Neoflam Cookware is manufactured to be just one-third the weight of conventional cast-iron cookware and heat is conducted to create a convection eff ect for eff icient energy use and thorough cooking. Steam vent holes are hidden under the Bakelite knobs, a design inspired by nature. In addition, the steam vents prevent boilovers. Fully detachable silicone grips mean that no oven mitt is needed. www.neoflam.com.au

Eco!ogic pressure cleanersKärcher has a long history of sustainable production and design. The new Eco!ogic range of home cleaning products extends that green ethos. Kärcher has developed a brand-new generation of Eco!ogic appliances to combine sophisticated engineering, outstanding performance, user-friendly features and ecological common sense. The result are extremely eff icient, environmentally friendly and high-quality tools that set new standards in the field. www.karcher.com.au


Directory

What is this? It is a Soap Nut. It fell out of a tree and we challenge you to see for yourself

how these natural little wonders can tackle all of your cleaning - from your laundry to your hair.

The Environmental Toothbrush.

Made from sustainable Bamboo, these gorgeous toothbrushes are

100% biodegradable.

Visit our website to learn more about these great products as well as

Bamboo Hairbrushes, Microfibre Cloths and more...

Did you know?

We Australians put over 30 Million Plastic

toothbrushes into landfill each year. The plastic they are made from will not break

down in your lifetime or in the lifetime of

your children.

For whiter brighter clothes try some of our Oxygen Bleach, it is also fantastic for that

Bleach cleaning around the home.

FREIGHT FREE AUSTRALIA WIDE Are all chook feeders the same, or do some leak, break and encourage rodents and wild birds?

3 common problems that you can now overcome

Grandpa knew that the way he originally fed his poultry was attracting large numbers of rats, mice and sparrows. It was only after he had created his famous feeder that he realised that he could save up to 50% of what he was spending on feed.

Not able to leave chooks

The Grandpa’s feeder keeps poultry (depending on numbers and size) fed for up to 10 days.The feeder cannot jam or malfunction – now you too are able to go away for the weekend and know your poultry are happy and well fed.

Your chooks nasty pecking order!When you throw feed on the ground for your chooks the ones high on the pecking order dominate and eat more. This is bad for their wellbeing and your egg numbers! Even bossy chooks won’t be at the feeder long enough to bother or hinder the others.

“We had terrible problems with rats

For more information and to hear what our customers say about their feeders please visit our website, contact us by email or give Jenny and Rob a call today!

341 Barwon Heads Rd, Marshall, Vic 3216Ph: 0406 154 274

Call us or go to our website now.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR OWNCHOOKS, HAVE THE NEXT BEST EGG!

Organigrow true free range eggs, voted thebest tasting eggs by folk who appreciate ataste sensation because we really care forour chooks and give them the best organic

feed and idyllic chook friendly habitat.

Natural goodness, naturally good.

Green Oil 9 Pty Ltd trading as Organigrow I ABN 35 116 061 502

PO Box 6222, South Lismore NSW 2148 I Phone Simon Cripps Clark on 0421 705 848www.organigrow.com.au I [email protected]

LIGHTWEIGHT UNBREAKABLE POTTERY

ShopOnline! E [email protected]

W www.classicoaust.com

T 1300 255 765ShopOnline! E [email protected]

W www.classicoaust.com

3 55 7 5

Designed in Italy; Made in Australia.

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Directory

Living Conscious. .Awareness Wisdom Action. .

www.Living Conscious.com.au. .

Drink Water As Nature Intended!

The BIO Mineral Ace Pot

For more information and related products visit:

Removes: Fluoride, Chloride, Heavy Metals, Dirts, Virus’s, Bacteria & Nitrates.

Adds: 60 Organic Trace Minerals, that also naturally Alkalize.

Uses: Magnets To Structure & Ionize Water Molecules ForGreater Hydration.

BPA FREE Perspex 2 Year Filter Life All Products Come With A Life Time Warrantee

...• Compost in just 14 days• Help save our precious water• Fully aerobic and odorless compost• Help retard weed growth• Engineered to last

www.easycomposter.com.au Ph: 1300 308 336

Ample room for a wheelbarrow !

• Australian Made• Immediate Delivery

Easy Composter

> The GreenSmart® pot creates the ideal environment for organic plant growth due to its patented design> Unique visual water level indicator prevents over watering & under watering> Works on the principle of capillary ac on> Built-in water reservoir, low-maintenance & no weeding> Food-grade plas c prevents contamina on of the po ng medium & the plant

AVAILABLE IN 2 SIZES AND 3 COLOURSVisit our website for more informa on.

Men on this ad with any purchase from Greensmart Sydney to receive your 78-pagee-book lled with Greensmart gardening ps.

CONTACT USTel: 02 8004 2844 I Mob: 0405 344 844Email: [email protected]

Website: www.greensmartsydney.com.au

ProduceGROWSGROWSfaster than conven onal methods

Organic Self-Reliant SustainableGardening Ini a ve for any Space.

This scarer will save you money because it only costs $35 and comes with a money back guarantee.

said John Vankerchof of Port Macquarie, NSW.

This full size replica, of a hovering hawk, is made of tough weatherproof plastic, so it lasts.

saidRay Kench of Wahroonga, NSW.

You can protect your stone & pome fruits, nut, berry or broad acre crops on calm or windy days because you suspend your hawk over or near your crop. No power, wind or poison needed which protects the environment.

so it scares all birds including Cockatoos, Crows, Galahs, Corellas, Starlings, Jays, Parrots, Bulbuls, Mynahs and Silver Eyes.

Stops Pigeons, Swallows and Seagulls roosting on boats, sheds, verandahs and roofs. Scares ducks off dams & swimming pools. But does not give 100% results for Sparrows.

GOG

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Directory

We stock a wide range of rare & unusual seedsGMO free heritage varieties, Vegetables, Flowers, Herbs & more

We have the widest & cheapest range of

sprouting seeds in Australia

For FREE POSTAGE Quote GOG 0912

PO BOX 19 • Derby, Tasmania 7264 • Ph & Fax 03 6354 2464

www.rangeviewseeds.com.auwww.rangeviewseeds.com.au

Bamboo Sheets wick away moisture keeping you cool on the hottest nights. 100% bamboo sheets

are often recommended to help with eczema.

Wash well, wear well, gentle on your skin.

The bamboo plant doesn’t need pesticide or fertilizer so the run-off after rain is just clean drinkable water.

BUY ONLINE - Spend $100 and quote ‘organicYes’ to receive a bath towel gift!

www.eastwindtextiles.com.au

Ph: 0407 616 571 Fax: 08 8312 3056 Email: [email protected]

Choose 100% Bamboo Sheets- Soft, Organic, Odour Free -

Automatic Flusher Valve for IrrigationHose Incorporating Spiralfast™ Tension

Ties. Available in four sizes to fi t 13mmand 15mm Israeli & Australian 17mm

and 19mm dripper irrigation lines.

PLASTIC PRECISE PRODUCTSCO. PTY. LIMITED

Phone: (02) 9482 5663Email: [email protected]

Specially developed for the viticulture

industry to provide positive wire-to-

post fastening, will not dislodge with

harvesting or pruning, single or double

ended. Screws are protected by a high

durability coating for longer life.

The Vini Clip System

Now you can allow air to evacuate from the

end of your dripper line and automatically

shut off when the water reaches the valve.

When water pressure is turned off the valve

automatically opens, allowing fl ushing and

drainage of line. Also can be wedged open

for power fl ushing.

The Flusher Valve

w w w . p l a s t i c p r e c i s e p r o d u c t s . c o m

ghgh Screw clips. Single and double ended.Nail Clips also available.

stemm

h

doN

Screw cllips. Single and ouble ended.Nail Clips also available.

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Directory

Please visit our website at www.bronrob.com.au andcheck out the full range of our Metal & Ceramic collection.

Bronrob is a Sydney based Wholesale Company. This means, we supply our products to the registered wholesale and trade (Garden Centres, decorators, interior designers, event organisers etc) customers who resell our product to the end consumer.

Bronrob fi rst established its niche in ceramic products but has continued to keep up with the set trends for the other popular niche products including garden furniture, ornaments, wall art, wall décor and novelties.

Bronrob sculpture is created with iron sheets metal, scrap and recycled parts. Unique and whimsical, they’re perfect to decorate your home and garden inside and out. Dogs, cats, birds and sculptures are bare metal and naturally rust with age. That’s their beauty and that’s whyit looks great with their age.

Bronrob off ers high quality range of garden ornaments, furniture, ceramic pots and planters.

For retail enquiries, please contact us for details of your nearest stockist.

Australian-made StainlessSteel Gardening Tools.

Mittagong NSWPh: 02 4878 5361

www.digadoo.com.au

A

Fossil Shell Flour

‘Earth Friendly’ Organic Products

‘‘Earth F i dl

0438 195 067 • [email protected]

Australia’s No.1 Supplier of Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth

Buy online atwww.windsongchimes.com.au

Elegantly designed, superior quality,Australian made wind chimes,

to grace any style of home or décor.

phone: 02 6655 9899email: [email protected] coom

fi nd us on: Phone: 0429 681 921Email: [email protected]


Directory

Buy quality recycled composts, mulches and gravels made at Kimbriki. For the list of products, loaded 7 days see www.kimbriki.com

Visit the Eco House and Garden education centre or book for FREE eco workshops www.ecohouseandgarden.com.au or phone Mon-Fri 9486 3512

Have a great garden - visit Kimbriki

Kimbriki Resource Recovery CentreKimbriki Rd, off Mona Vale Rd, Ingleside NSW

Peter Rutherford, Senior Ecologist

Learn to live a healthier,

sustainable life

A great place to see recycling in

action

SKIN CARECertifi ed Organic &Local Chemical Free Ingredients

Australian Made Locals Supporting Locals

We grow our herbs & manufacture all our creams & ointments, on our farm from scratch!

Aloe vera skin care range. Fresh Aloe vera gel, blended with low heated honey, fresh herbal infusion & sebum oils.

Not tested on animals

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SKIN CARECertifi ed Organic &Local Chemical FFree Ingredients

Saar

inen

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www.saar inenorganics.comwww.saar inenorganics.com

SAVE the cold water from the hot tap to your garden automatically.

Fit an Enviro valve and deliver the saved water to your garden.

www.enviro.net.auemail. [email protected]. 07 4691 3506

A complete organic clean green chemical free do it yourself garden with full easy assembly instructions.

It can be erectedon any flat surface;Poor Soil, No Soil,Concrete or Grass

www.nodiggarden.com.au

• GROW YOUR OWN• SAVE MONEY• SAVE TIME• SAVE WORK

It has been trialled for many years with unbelievably high yields. You will be amazed at how easy it is to grow your own produce at home.

Ph: 0249828576 Mob: 0408108915Email: [email protected]

KIT INCLUDES:Borders, Mulches,

Soils, Fertiliser,Seeds etc

PETE’S NO DIG GARDEN KITA complete organic clean green chemical free do it yourself

garden with full easy assembly instructions.

Even BIGGER savings for quantity buys!

Or free call Phone 1800 858 977 to order now!Log on to www.envirobug.com.au

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P. 07 5448 84111 [email protected]

Organic neem seed oil foliar sprays and concentrate for all fruit trees, owers, vegetables, plants & lawns

Neemgreengree ticvision of Naturapeticsdiva d N pA dream product for organic horticulturists & home gardeners.


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Subscriptions will commence with the first available issue. Existing subscriptions will simply be extended. Free gifts arrive separately to the magazine subscription and are sent as soon as possible. Free gift offers do not apply to subscribers currently on the Easy Payment Plan or those upgrading with the Early Bird offer. Offer open to Australian residents only. By subscribing you acknowledge that you understand that ‘tip-ons’ and gifts or bonus issues that may be available with non-subscriber copies of this magazine may not be provided to subscribers and is at the discretion of Universal Magazines Pty Ltd. The Promoter shall not be liable for any loss or damage which is suffered or sustained (including but not limited to, indirect or consequential loss) or for personal injury which is suffered or sustained as a result of taking part in this or any other gift offer. By subscribing, you consent to receive any direct marketing material including emails which inform the recipient of the Promoter’s other publications, products, services or events and to receive promotional material from third parties. Please tick the box if you do NOT wish us to use this information for the purposes stated above .

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Six issues (one year) of Good Organic Gardening magazine + FREE Easy Organic Gardening and Moon Planting, by Lyn Bagnall

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I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO GOOD ORGANIC GARDENING MAGAZINE

FREE when you subscribe!Six issues of Good Organic Gardening magazine — normally $47.70

+ FREE Easy Organic Gardening and Moon Planting, by Lyn Bagnall- RRP $45

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GIVE THE GIFT THAT LASTS ALL YEAR!

An essential resource for all Australian and New Zealand gardeners who care about

their family’s health and the environment. Organic gardening leaves your patch of earth

in a better condition than when you found it by working with nature rather than against

it. A practicable and better alternative to chemical-dependent and environmentally

unsustainable cultivation practices, organic gardening prevents soil damage, and results in

more nutritious food, and fewer contaminated waterways and poison-resistant pests.

Written by a certified-organic farmer and gardener, Easy Organic Gardening and Moon

Planting is an indispensable reference to organic cultivation methods. It also contains an

easy-to-follow moon-planting guide to help gardeners to work with the cycles of nature,

listing the best planting, harvesting, and pruning days from 2012 to 2017.

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Share our family with yours!

Share our family with yours!

Stockists include...

Thomas Dux · Health food stores

David Jones · Organic speciality stores

ELTHAM, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA [email protected] +61 3 9439 7799 WWW.ORGANICTIMES.COM.AU

®

CERT NO 3412P

Organic Times have an extensive

range of certified organic products

your whole family will enjoy.

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