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PLANT: PLUMS, PEACHES & POMEGRANATES
BEETROOTS: OUR ROOT TO LEAF EATING GUIDE 03
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issue 141 2023

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 EDITOR’S LETTER

LEARNING TO LOVE
FABULOUS FUNGI
T
here is an increasing understanding of the
role fungi play in our ecosystems and the
potential they have for healing land and
people. In order to play that role though, fungi
need to be protected, nurtured, researched and
better appreciated.
One person seeking to achieve all that is
ecologist and photographer Alison Pouliot, who
has featured occasionally in these pages. This
issue we have a short extract from her latest book
Underground Lovers, delving into the world of fungi
and what we can learn from them, brought to life
by her wonderful images (see page 29).
Fungi have not been popular in our world, seen
as mysterious, lurking under the soil or perhaps
on fallen wood – we know we need them but what Fungi play an important role in restoring terrestrial
do they really do? Alison has a lot to say about ecosystems, creating habitats for other organisms.
their role. Here’s the gist:
Another thing I knew little about is growing
“The benefits of restoring fungi extend beyond
currants. If you ask around, people will say, “Aren’t
the fungi themselves, yet ecologists rarely mention
they just small, dried up grapes?” As Helen McKerral
fungi in the restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
reveals (page 34), they are luscious berries that grow
But when we recreate the habitats, climates and
on modest-sized bushes and can be turned into
conditions that encourage fungi to colonise,
cordials or jams, or in the case of white currants
ecosystems are rebuilt. Bringing back fungi
(there are white, red and black), can be eaten freshly
contributes to the architecture in soils, creates
picked. If you are in a cooler climate, give them a go.
habitats for other organisms, and restores
Lastly, a couple of special mentions this issue.
ecosystem processes and integrity.”
Jessamy Miller praises amazing bantams. They don’t
Of course, fungi do provide us with an interesting eat as much as full-sized hens, still produce eggs, are
and nutritious food source – what we simply call less destructive if they get into the vegie patch and
mushrooms. Once again, the growing of mushrooms you can fit more of them into small spaces!
seems a bit mysterious and tricky but Kirsten Bradley Also, Phil Dudman reckons garden mulchers (or
and Nick Ritar from Milkwood are doing something shredders) that turn branches and prunings to mulch
about that, running mushroom growing workshops or material for compost are invaluable in small to
and writing about it in their book Milkwood: Real skills large gardens and properties. They help you keep
for down-to-earth living. This issue (page 24), Kirsten green material on site and out of landfill.
PHOTO: ALISON POULIOT

explains how to grow king stropharia mushrooms in Until next issue.

your own backyard, or in tubs if space is an issue. This
is just one species and one way to grow mushrooms
yourself but as Kirsten says, they are large and tasty
and can make use of shady areas under trees.

organicgardener.com.au 3
 Editor Steve Payne
Art Director Karen Berge
deputy & Digital Editor Leanne croker
Horticultural Editor phil dudman

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 contents
may/june 2023

on the cover
16 Homegrown beautiful broccoli
24 Get started with mushrooms: in the garden or in tubs
32 Plant: plums, peaches & pomegranates
34 Enjoy your own tasty berries
48 Shred: your waste into compost
51 Must do winter jobs
68 Beetroots: our root to leaf eating guide
78 Go bantamweight! Beaut chooks in a small package
82 Green choices: eco-friendly bedrooms 16
organic gardening
16 grow: bringing it to a head
Jian Liu introduces her favourite broccoli varieties and top
tips for getting them growing strongly and producing well.
24 grow: create your own mushroom garden
Kirsten Bradley explains a growing technique that will set
you up for regular harvests of delicious mushrooms.
29 ecology: thinking like a fungus
In a new book ecologist and photographer Alison Pouliot
invites us to explore the intimate world of fungi.
32 plant: fruit for the future
It’s time to make a long-term investment in food security
by planting deciduous fruit trees, writes Angie Roach.
34 grow: the currant fashion
Currants are a delicious addition to a summer berry
cover photo by helen mckerral/PHOTOs: top: ALAMY. bottom: helen McKerral.

harvest. Helen McKerral describes how to grow these

tart favourites, plus a few of their tasty cousins.
42 organic living: larger than life
Emmanuela Prigioni dreams big but lives small,
connecting young farmers and landowners, while
living in a tiny house, writes Jacqueline Forster. 34
48 organic basics: saving every shred
Phil Dudman reckons shredders are fantastic for turning
garden waste into a resource you can add to your
compost and cycle back into your soil.
OUR COVER
Growing mushrooms can
51 action: go with the seasonal flow help build your household’s
The Organic Gardener team suggest their top tips, food security and enhance
must dos and planting ideas to keep the garden healthy your garden’s ecology. (See
and pumping in the cooler months. page 24). Our gorgeous cover
image is by Helen McKerral.
NEXT ISSUE ON SALE june 22, 2023

organicgardener.com.au 5
 Subscribe to
Organic Gardener
for your chance to win
an audiobook of
The power
of trees
organic living Head to page 56

60 harvest: happiness is in the hazelnuts

For the couple behind Happy Wombat Hazelnuts,
sustainable farming goes well beyond the rows

60 of an orchard, writes Annemarie Bolduc.

68 organic kitchen: and the beet goes on
There’s no need for waste with these tips from the
Cornersmith’s Jaimee Edwards and Alex Elliott-Howery.
72 conservation: safe refuge at inala
A driven conservationist has turned her property
on Bruny Island (Tas) into a wildlife haven.
78 organic poultry: benefits of bantams
If you’d love to keep a few low-cost chooks for eggs
but live in an urban area or have limited space, bantams
are the answer, writes Jessamy Miller.
82 organic life: green, serene bedroom
Jessamy Miller looks at organic and natural options for
the bedroom, from mattresses to linen and air quality.
90 losing tHE PLOT: a flash of fox
Simon Webster ponders the fate of foxes when he

68
spots one on his farm… was it fishing?

regulars

PHOTOS: FROM TOP: ANNEMARIE BOLDUC @BOTTLEANDBRUSHSTUDIO/CORNERMSMITH/ANNEMARIE BOLDUC.

3 Editor’s Letter
8 MAIL: Reader questions and thoughts
10 MATTERS: News and events
12 Market: Our top natural picks
14 Library: The latest books reviewed
58 Yours for gardening

89 1 of 3 heavy-duty tool
WIN! packs from wolf-garten
valued at $169 each!

Organic Gardener magazine is printed using PEFC

Certified paper. This ensures the source forests are
controlled and managed by responsible principals
using sustainable operating methods. Every
purchase of a PEFC-labelled product makes a
difference for forests and forest communities across
the world. The text is printed on UPM Star Matt 1.2.

78 ABC Organic Gardener magazine acknowledges Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and
traditional custodians of the lands where we live and work.

6
 S I N C E 1 97 8

Heritage Dwarf Apple ‘Snow’ at The Garden of St Erth

The home of heirloom seeds and rare plants

For over 40 years, it’s been our mission to source the most amazing heirloom seeds and rare
plants for Australian gardeners. All of our selections are carefully trialled in our own organically
certified gardens first, to ensure success in yours.
Shop our autumn range and become a member for more inspiration, savings and all the advice
and support you need to succeed.

diggers.com.au/join Save
Enter code OG10 at checkout to
save $10 off your membership.
$10

Membership supports our charitable work through The Diggers Foundation

ORGANIC FEEDBACK

BEETLE INSPIRATION
I loved the ‘Beetle Mania’ article
(by Denis Crawford in OG 139) and
my son was absolutely thrilled.
He is an avid gardener and insect
inspector – your vivid pics of beetles
(also by Denis) have inspired him to
become a nature-life photographer.
He loves discovering new creatures.
Gardening presents so many hands-
on experiences for children. As a
IN THE CLEAN UP ZONE teacher, I have seen an increasing
Thanks so much for the ‘Time to Clean Up’, article (OG 139), which offered
number of schools introducing vegie
so many practical tips on garden maintenance. I especially liked the ‘Zone
patches in the playground. The
Method’ concept. At certain times of the year, different parts of the garden
vegetables and fruits then go to the
can thrive and become overgrown. By segmenting the garden into zones,
school canteen to be made into
there’s a definite plan to monitor such growth on a weekly basis. Even
healthy snacks. I truly believe every
my letterbox was being taken over by succulents because I had stopped
child should be involved in gardening.
paying attention to that part of the garden. Already, after putting this
Stella Lombard , Lane Cove (NSW)
organisational approach into practice, I feel more on top of the situation.
It’s all about not letting the grass grow under your feet without a plan.
I’m definitely in the ‘Zone’ now!
Linda Nathaniel, Lane Cove (NSW)
WINNING
WORDS
Above: Tackling
JUST PEG IT your garden by
I am just reading zones makes

PHOTO TOP RIGHT: DENIS CRAWFORD/TOP LEFT: ISTOCK/ BOTTOM LEFT: PHIL DUDMAN
Thank you, Stella, for your
my new issue of OG things easier.
letter. We’re sending you a
and came upon the Left: You could copy of The Complete Guide to
storage article and add pegboard to Butterflies of Australia. Enjoy!
DIY tool rack by Phil the front of Phil’s
tool rack for
Dudman (OG 140). extra storage.
They are a great idea.
I made my own tool
rack around three
years ago but I also
put some pegboard Please include your town/suburb. Photos are helpful, and any details
on the front, which such as climate and soil. The more information we have the better.
is very handy for
small tools.
post Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards NSW 1590
Janice, via email. email editor@organicgardener. com.au
web organicgardener.com.au
Find us on:

8
 Drinkable skincare
AWARD WINNING - ANTI-AGEING SKIN TEA
Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine| Naturopath Formulated

I
ntroducing Naked Klay’s Anti-Ageing Skin Tea – the first
tea blend on the Australian Market specifically designed
to help combat the signs of ageing skin with Green Tea to
kickstart your daily routine. Inspired by Chinese Medicine,
this tea blend focuses on what’s happening internally from
a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective that causes the
skin to age. 
This tea blend is rich in antioxidants and medicinal ancient
herbs; Goji Berries, Hibiscus, Ginkgo Biloba, Siberian Ginseng
Root and Pai Mu Tan to help to assist in combating the signs
of ageing skin, aid in hydration/dullness whilst reducing red-
ness and puffiness.

Let’s chat drinkable skincare. 

How does it work? Our Anti-ageing Skin Tea is formulated
with 100% organic ingredients to nourish the skin from the
inside out. It addresses ageing skin concerns from within the
body by providing support on a cellular level, your body will
be able to absorb the ingredients more effectively than if
you were to apply them topically.

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 Next time you go out
for a walk, tread gently
and remember that we are
both inhabitants and stewards
of nature in our
neighbourhoods.
David Suzuki, who after 44 years has
Gardeners galore! retired as host of The Nature of Things.
It was another great year at the Melbourne International
Flower and Garden Show this April, with over 108,000
enthusiasts making the most of the sunshine (and a little bit
of rain), checking out the landscaped gardens for inspiration,
as well as all the displays of plants that were oh-so tempting.
The creativity and skill of tertiary students was recognised
in the Achievable Garden Competition with the Award
of Excellence going to ‘Tea in the Woods’, designed by
Oliver Ashworth-Martin from Melbourne Polytechnic.
Focusing on the sensory experience a garden can Top: The winning
Achievable
provide, the use of a variety of flowering tones and a
Garden, ‘Tea in
warm pallet creates a green oasis to sooth the senses. the Woods’.
Another favourite of ours was ‘Lunaria Pods’, designed Below: The
and constructed by Inge Jabara Landscapes, drawing ‘Lunaria Pods’
inspiration from the plant, Lunaria biennis. For all of us takes its name
and shape from
at the ABC Organic Gardener stand, the highlight was
the translucent
chatting with all the flower and vegie-growing fanatics pods of the Plant pathogen could be
about their gardens! See you again next year! Lunaria plant. antibiotic saviour
A new plant toxin produced by the bacterial
plant pathogen Xanthomonas albilineans
(which causes leaf scald disease in sugar cane)
is shaping up as one of the best new candidates
in the battle to overcome superbugs that have
become resistant to antibiotics. The potential
antibiotic is known as albicidin, a toxin believed
to be used by the pathogen to attack the sugar
cane plant. But until researchers discovered
how it interacted with its target, they couldn’t
safely harvest its potential to kill bacteria,
PHOTOS: GARDENS:MIFGS/PILLS: ISTOCK

including E. coli and S. aureus. New advances

in microscopy have allowed the workings of
albicidin to be revealed. It is estimated
that more than a million people worldwide
are dying each year because of antibiotic-
resistant bacterial infections.
More details:
nature.com/articles/s41929-022-00904-1

10
 events
Get herby in
Brisbane
The Queensland
Herb Society

CANVAS
is holding its
annual Herb

WATERPROOF
Awareness
show on
Sunday, May 28.
The free event TARPAULINS
will feature stalls
AD
selling a wide range of GREAT FOR COVERING A LO
medicinal and culinary herbs CAMPING, PICNIC RUG AND MORE
and plants, as well as herbal and garden related
products from preserves and spices to skin care and Good Breathability
tools. There will be free demonstrations and talks Waterproof
by expert herb growers, along with food and Anti UV
refreshments at Café Sage.
Anti Mildew
Eyelets every 60cm
When: May 28, from 9am–4pm
Where: Albion Peace Centre, 102 McDonald Road, 4x6’ (1.2m x 1.8m) $63.00
Windsor, Queensland 6x8’ (1.8m x 2.4m) $89.00
8x10’ (2.4m x 3.0m) $139.00
Details: qldherbsociety.org.au 10x12’ (3.0m x 3.65m) $199.00

Queensland Garden Expo

Organic Gardener’s horticultural editor, Phil Dudman,
PHONE ORDERS: 1800 222 800
and regular subtropics contributor, Leonie Shanahan,
will be among the wide range of expert gardeners
offering over 120 talks and demonstrations at
the Queensland Garden Expo at Nambour this July.
There will be a host of permaculture and organic $45.00
gardening stands and experts in the Giant Kitchen
Garden Section – part of more than 350 exhibitors
and 40,000 plants for sale at the show. Organic
Gardener will have a stand offering a special
subscription deal with a show bag packed with
gardening goodies.
Where: Nambour Showgrounds
When: July 7–9, 8am–4pm
Details: qldgardenexpo.com.au CANVAS
GARDEN BAG
TOP QUALITY CANVAS BAG
FOR PICKING UP ALL YOUR
PHOTOS: TOP: ISTOCK/BOTTOM: SUPPLIED.

PRUNING’S IN THE GARDEN

The original canvas that is as tough as nails.
You will have this bag for many years
550mm diameter and 450mm tall
2 strong webbing handles plus additional low
handgrips when you want to tip the contents out

aussiegardener.com.au
 Natural support
From prepping your soil for your next harvest, to cleaning
your kitchen, there’s plenty of things to help – naturally.

BOUTIQUE SEEDS
Ericavale Seeds is a second
generation, Brisbane-based supplier
of rare and unique varieties of seed.
As a boutique seed company, they
source their product from the best
seed houses in Australia and abroad.
Their aim is to help gardeners
grow healthy harvests with seeds
that are handpacked to ensure
quality control and consistency.
You will find everything from tasty
vegetables and herbs to exotic fruits
and edible flowers. For stockists
visit: ericavaleseeds.com.au; $4.85
(code E seeds), $5.50 (code F seeds). JUST THE TONIC
Trying to create a lush indoor jungle, but feel like
your pot plants could do with a lift? Rocky Point
Indoor Plant Tonic will help provide the necessary
nutrients to give your greenery a healthy boost.
The easy-to-apply spray contains a mix of trace
elements from seaweed extract and chelated
trace elements, along with natural aminos and iron
and calcium from blood and bone – all nutrients
that will encourage stronger growth. For more
information and stockists, visit: rockypoint.com.au/
products/indoor-plant-tonic; $12.

NATURAL FORMULA
Wash Wild has blended nature with
science to come up with a formula
for natural antibacterial cleaning
and personal care products that are
affordable, effective and smell terrific.
Working with the CSIRO, Wash Wild
developed a unique blend of native
Australian oils effective against a range
of bacteria. Among the products are
shampoos and body washes, dishwashing
and laundry liquids and a variety of
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK

cleaners. All are made in Australia

and packaged in post-consumer PET.
Available from washwild.com.au;
$7 (300ml); $13.90 (1L).

12
 ORGANIC MARKET

GIVE IT THE CHOP

The Ozito RSH-2535 Rapid Garden Shredder is a tool
that will make life easier in your garden and keep plant
nutrients on site. Two hardened steel blades will turn
tree and hedge cuttings and garden waste into material
for recycling, that you can use as mulch, or turn into
valuable compost. Tool-free access to the blades allows
for regular maintenance and cleaning, while handles and
wheels mean you can move the shredder around with
ease. Available from Bunnings; $199. Visit: ozito.com.au.

THE BARE ESSENTIALS

One sniff of the Freshwater Farms Lemon Myrtle Oil
and Manuka Honey body bar and you are enveloped in
gorgeous aromas. The lemon myrtle and manuka are natural
antiseptics while being gentle on the skin. Other ingredients
in Freshwater Farm’s traditionally triple-milled soap bars
include Australian olive oil and shea butter, both of which
provide moisturising properties. Treat yourself. Available
from freshwaterfarm.com.au; $6.

WORM MAGIC
Worm castings make a fantastic organic fertiliser, perfect for
vegie patches and balcony gardens, but it’s not always easy
to maintain your own worm farm. That’s where Worm Hit
Pellets come in. The pellets are full of the many beneficial,
healthy soil micro-organisms that you would get from having
your own farm but in a format that’s easy to store and use.
Organically certified, you can add to your garden, knowing
you are using a safe, tried-and-tested organic fertiliser. For
stockists visit: wormhit.com.au; Quickstarter pellets $22
(2.5kg) and $38.50 (5kg); Bricks $13.20 (twin pack).

organicgardener.com.au 13

Grounded
James Canton
BLACK INC, 2023, $29.99
Before humans became
estranged from nature
(a separation sparked by
attempts to conquer it
through farming), they
revered it, says Dr James
Canton. Today, as many of
us seek to restore relations
with the natural world,
perhaps places of ancient
reverence might help us
reconnect. Here, Canton
takes us on a personal
journey through some of
England’s sacred places,
from Bronze Age burial sites
to relatively modern
medieval abbeys. Of course,
not all sacred places have
survived unscathed: the bog
where the Dagenham Idol,
a 4000-year-old wooden
figure, was discovered,
now lies beneath an Asda
supermarket on the A13.
But Canton explores
an abundance of less
desecrated spots with an
engaging fascination and
enchantment. “By stepping
into places where humans in
the past have experienced
the most profound feelings,”
he writes, “we can better
know ourselves.”
Simon Webster
14
The Insect Crisis
Oliver Milman
ATLANTIC, 2022, $32.99
The Guardian’s environmental
correspondent, Oliver
Milman, has penned an
astonishing account on the
fall of the tiny empires that
run the world; a riveting read
with a vital call to action.
Never before in their entire
400-million-year history
have insects faced an
existential threat. They are
the glue that holds land and
freshwater ecosystems
together. The Insect
Crisis presents solutions to
repair chemically doused
monoculture farmlands.
European farmers and some
in Australia, have begun with
vengeance to resuscitate
the renowned pollinators by
planting herbs, vegies, spices,
fruits along the borders and
unused spaces at the fringes
of fields. Nature-based
farming is the future. It
cherishes trees, nurtures
insects, builds soils that
drawdown atmospheric
CO2 and it yields more
lucrative organic crops.
It’s imperative to protect
wilderness while elsewhere
diligently mimicking nature
to mend insect populations.
Reese Halter
The Power of Trees
Peter Wohlleben
BLACK INC, 2023, $34.99
Peter Wohlleben, a German
forester turned ecologist, had
a surprise hit with his 2016
bestseller, The Hidden Life of
Trees, which described how
forest trees communicate
with each other, and even
protect each other. Some
in the scientific community
objected to his
anthropomorphisation of
trees, but readers loved it.
This follow-up, first published
in Germany in 2021, and now
available in Australia, brings
climate change into the
equation, looking at how
trees adapt (or not) to
changing conditions, and how
our forestry practices need
a serious rethink if we are
to avoid turning our own
era, the Anthropocene, into a
tragedy. Trees will ultimately
be fine (and would no doubt
be better off without us).
But if we don’t start paying
them more respect, we
may not be so lucky.
Simon Webster
Scan this QR code to buy these books
and other OG selections.
All books are chosen independently by our editorial team to review.
The QR code contains an affiliate link and we may receive
a commission for purchases made.
EDITOR’S PICK!
No Miracles Needed
Mark Z. Jacobson CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2023, $22.95
Engineer, Stanford University
professor and climate
crusader, Mark Jacobson, has
assembled a masterplan for a
zero-combustion 2035 world.
Each year, an estimated seven
million humans die from air
polluted by burning fossil
fuels, palm oil and wood
pellets. Electrifying civilisation
with wind, water, sun (WWS),
using battery storage and
heat pumps, all existing
technologies, will erase
air pollution, decelerate
global heating and give the
under-31s, some 4.1 billion,
a chance for long life spans.
Meanwhile, WWS-powered
hydrogen fuel cells with
electric motors will propel
long-distance air and marine
transport, while helping power
steel-making and many other
essential industries. No
Miracles Needed provides a
how-to for policy makers and
a citizen’s action plan. Don’t
get depressed, get active!
Reese Halter
 Romanesco is among
the most architecturally
striking vegetables. This
lime-green broccoli is
a work of art with its
geometric spirals.

The flavour of the

‘Romanesco’ is a mix of
broccoli and cauliflower.
Facing page: Fully grown
broccoli head, ready
for harvesting.

16
 ORGANIC GROW

Bringing it to a head
Jian Liu introduces her favourite broccoli varieties and top
tips for getting them growing strongly and producing well.
PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS_ MARTIN HUGHES-JONES
PHOTO: ALAMY

organicgardener.com.au 17
 Right: These seedlings have been
‘sized up’, that is, planted in small
pots initially, then moved into
larger pots before going into soil.
Far right: For an optimal harvest,
broccoli should be planted after
the extreme heat of summer.

The first and

most important
tip for growing
broccoli is
careful timing.

F
rom its head of tasty florets and
tender leaves to its crunchy stalks,
broccoli is a generous vegie providing
high rewards. A gentle giant in the winter
vegie patch, broccoli plods along, until one
day you notice the green florets peeking
beneath its emerald leaves. It is one of my
favourite vegetables – not only because of
its taste and versatility in the kitchen, but
because it packs a nutritional punch.
The best news is there are far more
varieties than what you’ll find in the
supermarket. I am captivated by the
geometric Fibonacci spirals of ‘Romanesco’
broccoli, the bright violet shoots of purple
broccoli and the heritage broccoli varieties
that continue to produce side shoots long
after you’ve enjoyed your main harvest.
PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS_ ANDREA JONES

Broccoli can be a difficult vegetable to

master due to a number of pitfalls that can
trip you up along the way. The key is all
in the timing, soil and some clever tricks
during the growing season. Read on for
my tips for a rewarding broccoli harvest.

18

Beat the heat
Have you tried to grow broccoli only to be
disappointed by a tiny head bearing little
resemblance to the large, delectable broccoli
that you are used to buying?
The first and most important tip for growing
broccoli is careful timing. Broccoli is a cool
season crop – if planted in temperatures that
are too high, you will have a tiny head that bolts
to flower before you have a chance to harvest.
Ideally, broccoli heads should be forming and
maturing while the temperatures are still cool.
Cooler temperatures produce deliciously dense
PHOTOS: TOP: JIAN LIU/RIGHT: GAP PHOTOS_MARK WINWOOD
heads that are sweet and crispy. In fact,
broccoli can handle frosts with ease, tolerating
temperatures as low as -5C°.
This means that for an optimal harvest,
broccoli should be planted after the extreme
heat of summer, typically in autumn or early
winter (especially in warm climates). It should
then be allowed to mature over winter and
harvested in late winter and spring.
ORGANIC GROW
Seed or seedlings?
Growing broccoli from seed opens you up to a whole
new world of interesting and exciting heirloom
varieties, such as the geometric ‘Romanesco’ variety
and jewel-like purple broccoli. While it’s easy to
germinate broccoli seed, raising young plants can be
challenging and demands a good deal of patience.
Buying established seedlings may give you a few
weeks head start and is an easier option for new
gardeners. However, be especially careful when
choosing broccoli seedlings at your local nursery –
larger is not always better. When broccoli plants
outgrow their punnets, they become hungry and root
bound. A stressed broccoli plant can bolt to seed
prematurely – which is great if you want to save seed,
but not so good if you want a head of broccoli to eat.
Rather than size, look for healthy, vibrant seedlings
and avoid plants that display signs of pest attack such
as chew marks on the leaves.
We practise the technique of ‘sizing up’ for both our
seed-grown and nursery-bought seedlings. Rather than
planting tiny seedlings directly into the garden, we pot
up seedlings into small pots and move them into
increasingly larger pots. The goal is to raise robust and
strong seedlings, hardened to the weather and more
resistant to pests before we plant them out into the
garden. Aim for 10–15cm tall seedlings before planting
them out into the garden.
For those in cool temperate climates, it is a bit late
to be starting seeds in late autumn, unless you can get
them going fast in a glasshouse. Better to wait until
August to sow and then plant out your seedlings in
mid spring. Or, just go for the seedling option.
It’s easy to start broccoli seed in
punnets of moist seed-raising mix.
19
ORGANIC GROW

CHOOSING YOUR BROCCOLI

VARIETY DESCRIPTION HARVEST TIME
FROM SEED
‘ROMANESCO’ One of the most architecturally striking vegetables in the garden. This lime- 4–6 months
green broccoli is a work of art with its geometric spirals. A medium-sized,
tender variety with tight, dense heads and a delicate flavour resembling both
broccoli and cauliflower, hence its other name Roman cauliflower.
‘DE CICCIO’ A heritage Italian broccoli producing small, compact heads that don’t take First harvest at 4–5
up the whole fridge. The best part is that once you harvest the main head, it months, and side shoots
keeps rewarding you with broccolini-like side shoots for many months. for another 2+ months
‘WALTHAM’ An heirloom variety originating from the US, this is the closest to your standard 4–6 months and side
supermarket broccoli in terms of size. Produces large, crisp green heads with shoots for another
long stalks. Will also produce further harvests of smaller side shoots. 2+ months
‘HAPPY RICH’ A modern hybrid variety that performs well in warmer areas and is slower 3–5 months and
(F1) to bolt, and quicker to provide a harvest. Produces continuous ‘mini’ heads of side shoots for another
broccoli that are extremely tender and sweet, even when it bolts to flower. 2+ months
While standard broccoli has yellow flowers, this variety produces white
flowers reflective of its heritage (it is an Italian broccoli crossed with white
flowering Chinese broccoli or gai lan).
‘SPIGARIELLO’ An heirloom from Southern Italy, this is an unusual variety grown for its 1–2 months and
curly spaghetti-like leaves, which are produced in abundance and have continuous leaves for
broccoli/kale flavour. Doesn’t form a significant head, so it is ideal for those another 3+ months
with shadier winter yards. Pick off and eat any developing flower heads to
promote a constant supply of leaves. Robust and delicious in soups.

‘Happy Rich’ (F1) is good in warm

PHOTOS: JIAN LIU

climates. Note frame for pest

exclusion net.
Right: ‘Spigariello’ is an heirloom
from southern Italy.
 ‘Purple Sprouting’ broccoli keeps
on producing for months.

Location, soil and watering

As broccoli is grown over the
cooler seasons when days are
short, choose the sunniest spot in
your garden to grow it in. The
more sunlight (that is, energy)
it gets, the larger the head it will
produce. Conversely, the smaller
heading varieties, such as
‘Purple Sprouting’ or leaf broccoli
‘Spigariello’, can be grown in
shadier spots. In warmer areas,
broccoli should be planted in
a spot with afternoon shade.
Good soil preparation is also
vital for growing large broccoli
heads – this plant adores rich,
friable, free-draining soil. You can
improve the structure of your soil,
regardless of whether it is clay
or sandy in nature, by adding
loads of organic matter, in the
form of compost and well-rotted
cow or sheep manure (this can
be purchased from garden
centres). Rake gently into the
top 2–5cm of your soil.
Broccoli is a hungry plant.
When planting out each seedling
into the garden, add a small
handful of fertiliser, such as worm SPROUTING
castings, blood and bone or BROCCOLI
chicken manure, into the planting Sprouting broccoli is ideal for those in shadier
hole to feed your plants as they winter yards and for impatient gardeners. Keep
grow. To boost growth, follow up with fortnightly cutting those tender shoots before the buds break
applications of a liquid fertiliser such as fish into flower, and you will be rewarded with many
emulsion, or more frequently if you notice plant more months of broccoli shoots.
growth stalling or yellowing. Our favourite varieties are:
Consistent moisture is important, so check soil
moisture levels every few days and water when dry. ‘Purple sprouting’ is a giant and impressive plant
Broccoli has shallow roots, so mulch heavily, that will provide you with an abundance of pretty
especially in warmer climates, to reduce the risk of purple broccoli shoots for up to six months.
plants drying out. Any organic mulch you have on GAI LAN, also known as kai lan or Chinese broccoli,
PHOTOS: TOP: JIAN LIU/RIGHT: ALAMY_CLARE GAINEY.

hand, such as pea straw, lucerne or even autumn
leaves, will not only protect your soil moisture levels,
but gradually break down to nourish your soil.
Don’t underestimate how large broccoli plants
become as they reach full size. Good spacing of
plants from the outset is vital for decent sized heads.
I recommend allowing at least 50cm between plants.
Extra breathing room offers so many benefits: it
reduces competition for moisture and nutrients
and promotes airflow, which helps to minimise
mildew and other diseases.
produces a continuous supply of broccolini-like
heads throughout the cooler seasons. The stems
are sweet and succulent, with a great balance of
broccoli leaf and stem to head.
Rapini, also known as broccoli rabe or cime di
rapa, has an addictive, slightly bitter, mustardy
flavour and produces a constant supply of thin,
long and tender shoots that come to life in
Italian pasta dishes.

organicgardener.com.au 21
 ORGANIC GROW

Check your
plants at Pests and diseases
least once
a week for Aphids are one of the most frustrating broccoli pests. They
aphids. will suck the life out of your plants and can also transmit
disease. If left unchecked, their numbers can explode in a
short amount of time. Early intervention is vital. Check your
plants at least once a week for small, grey aphid insects,
looking carefully at the underside of leaves where they like
to hide, as well as at the tender new shoots in the centre of
the plant. Squish any aphids as soon you notice them or
spray them off with a hose. For larger infestations apply
a horticultural soap or oil spray to smother them (available
at garden centres or you’ll find a recipe at organicgardener.
com.au/blogs/home-made-pest-remedies), or remove heavily
infested leaves and feed to your chickens or compost pile.
The larvae (or caterpillars) of cabbage white butterfly are
less of a problem over colder winter months and may be
absent in some areas. Keep an eye out for them though,
especially in warm regions and as spring approaches. The
easiest way to avoid caterpillar damage is to keep plants
covered with pest exclusion netting all season to stop
butterflies laying eggs on the leaves. Alternatively, check over
leaves regularly and find and remove caterpillars and eggs
(look for tiny yellow dots on the undersides of leaves), or
spray with a bioinsecticide such as Dipel every 10 days.
Slugs and snails can be a pain for broccoli in cold and
wet weather, and you will need to squish them or set beer
traps to keep their numbers in check. You can also purchase
organic baits if needed. Establishing large broccoli
seedlings in pots before planting out into the garden
will also minimise damage.
Rats and mice can cause growing broccoli heads to
disappear overnight. Minimise food and water sources
to keep their numbers in check.

Harvesting and storage

Once your broccoli head has reached a good size,
harvest with a sharp knife, cutting the stem on a
diagonal to help shed water and prevent rot. Harvest
time is generally 4–6 months after sowing seed, but
quicker in warmer climates.
If you look closely, broccoli heads are actually
composed of a compact cluster of tiny flower buds.
For the best-tasting heads, you need to harvest
before any of these buds open. If you do happen
to notice any yellow flowers opening, you should
harvest immediately and consume soon after, as
the quality and storage life of the heads decline
PHOTOS: TOP: JIAN LIU/BOTTOM: ISTOCK

more quickly once flower buds open.

Most heading broccoli varieties will produce smaller
side shoots after the main head is cut. If you keep the
water and food up to the plants and cut off side shoots
as soon as they are established, you could be rewarded
Harvest your broccoli with
a sharp knife, cutting the
with a small but ongoing harvest of broccoli for a few
stem on a diagonal. months to come. The small tender leaves of broccoli
are also delicious, so don’t neglect these!

22
 GREAT GARDEN
SPECIES
Our favourites for beginner
mushroom gardeners are:
King stropharia
(Stropharia rugosoannulata)
Wood blewit (Lepista nuda)
Pearl oyster
(Pleurotus ostreatus)

Create your own

mushroom
garden
Kirsten Bradley explains a growing technique that will set
you up for regular harvests of delicious mushrooms, while
building your food independence and saving money.

L
earning how to grow edible mushrooms in equipment to begin. You can get started with a few
your garden is a great way to increase your basic ingredients and then slowly build from there –
PHOTO: HELEN MCKERRAL

household’s resilience, enhance your garden’s soil
– and make your tummy very happy, all at once. It’s
safe and easy, and even potentially free, once you
have the basic bits you need. The best thing about
growing mushrooms? You don’t need any fancy
up to an abundant garden of mushroomy goodness.
Mushrooms are a much-loved part of our backyard
growing environment. They not only support our
garden ecosystem as they grow, but with very little
fuss, pop up as regular harvests of tasty mushrooms.

24

Above: King stropharia are big and have a distinctive taste.
Left: Wood blewit is a favourite for growing and eating.
If you don’t have the room for a mushroom
garden outdoors in your patch, then a tub on your
balcony or back step can work well for this DIY
growing technique, too.
Once you understand the basics of creating a
mushroom garden, the fungi-filled sky is your limit
– you can experiment with different edible species
that suit this technique. Note that not all mushrooms
grow this way – there is a whole kingdom of fungi,
and different types grow in very different ways.
The type of edible mushrooms that will grow well
using this technique are called saprobic fungi, the
decomposers, which are in charge of breaking down
dead organic material (such as old woodchips, or the
contents of your compost pile) into delicious food for
the soil food web of your garden.
Like any gardening we undertake, there’s some
basic ID skills to learn here. You need to get to know
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
the characteristics of what you’re growing, give them
ideal conditions and a head start by following the
technique described in the following pages. When
your harvest pops up, just check they’re the right
mushrooms and enjoy!
ORGANIC GROW
Getting started
We love growing king stropharia
mushrooms in our garden. Partly because
they are big and beautiful, and partly
because they are quite different in taste and
texture to any of the other mushrooms we
grow, or can source from local markets and
shops. You can purchase mushroom spawn
for this variety from a number of reputable
online Australian suppliers. Spawn is a bag
of super-charged mycelium of that specific
species, to get your garden growing.
The mushroom garden technique I will
outline has two stages. We start growing
mycelium in a big tub.
After the first harvest of king stropharia
mushrooms, the tub will be full to the brim
of the mushroom’s strong mycelium. Now
that it has adapted to our climate and
conditions, we move that mycelium into a
prepared garden where it can spread out,
continue to live its best life, and pop up as
intermittent harvests of king stropharia
mushrooms. Our other favourites for
this technique are wood blewit and pearl
oyster. Read on for how to do it.
organicgardener.com.au 25
 ORGANIC GROW
Stage 1
tub culture
Step 1: Equipment and placement
Gather your supplies – you will need:
King stropharia grain spawn: around 1.5 kg, easily
bought online.
A large tub: ideally 80L (21 gallons) with a plug
or hose outlet at the bottom.
Hardwood wood chips: enough to fill the tub, from
landscape suppliers.
Timing and location
Choose an outdoor location that is cool, protected
from wind, sun and frost – under a big tree, perhaps?
Make sure you can reach your tub with a hose, so you
can keep it moist, especially in really dry weather.
Step 2: prepare your woodchips
Put your tub in its final, protected position. To
prepare your woodchips, fill the tub up with wood
chips and turn on the hose. Once full of water, leave
it for a week to start fermenting, then empty the
water (this is why a plug or outlet in the bottom is a
very good idea), while leaving the woodchips in the
tub. This process will kill off most of the microbes
that will compete with the type of mycelium you
want to grow and is a quick kind of ‘pasteurisation’.
Step 3: inoculate
Mix your grain spawn through the freshly
pasteurised woodchips with your hands, making
sure to cover it all with more of the woodchips
(keep some aside for this job).Then cover the lot
with some shade cloth or hessian.
26
Mushrooms fruiting through the
‘casing’ layer, described in Step 5.
Left: King stropharia grain spawn.
Step 4: Incubate
Within a month, you will be able to see the mycelium
– white, thread-like webs of life – spreading through
the woodchips. It’s amazing! You might be lucky
enough to have fruit in as little as six weeks, but it’s
more likely the mushrooms will sprout in six months.
During this time, make sure the tub’s contents get a
bit of water each week, either due to rainfall or get
your hose and give it a light sprinkle.
Step 5: fruiting
As the next autumn, or spring, comes around
(depending on when you start), you can give your
tub a bit of a help with fruiting. Keep it cosy warm
on cool nights by covering it with a plastic tarp.
Or you can give it a ‘casing layer’ (essentially a
biological blanket) of 10cm of compost and coir
fibre on top. The mushrooms should pop up within
two weeks of doing this.
Step 6: Harvesting
While king stropharia can grow very big (they’re also
known as garden giants!), it’s best to harvest them
young and small as they will taste more delicious
and you are less likely to share them with pests.
These mushrooms are designed to be eaten by other
life in your garden, so the trick is getting them first,
up to a few days after they emerge. If they are a little
munched around the edges by slugs or whatever, we
still eat them, we just give them a good wash before
cooking. Harvest your mushrooms with a sharp
knife, just above ground level.
Step 7: Mushrooms for lunch
Once harvested, use the mushrooms as needed. We
love mushroom burgers: slice, pan-fry with garlic and
load onto a bun with your favourite condiments,
PHOTOS: MILKWOOD
garden greens and whatever else warms your burger-
loving-heart. They are also great sliced and braised,
fried and tossed through rice or pasta, or add 10
minutes before the end of cooking a hearty soup.
 Stage 2
into the garden
Now your tub of mycelium is strong and robust, you
can move it to a patch of grass-free earth, in a shady
spot. Under a tree is great. This type of mushroom will
not hurt your tree, as it does not eat living biology, just
the very dead stuff. In fact, your mushroom garden will
aid the tree’s growth, by making more good soil.
If you can, place the garden somewhere you pass by
daily, such as a path from the back door or next to the
chicken coop – you’ll be more likely to notice the
mushrooms when they appear. If there’s grass or weeds
where you want to locate your garden, first lay a few
thick layers of watered cardboard.
Treat the whole tub of mycelium as your spawn:
mix the contents through more pasteurised woodchips,
repeating the process from Steps 1–3 in Stage 1, but
in your garden bed instead. We’ve found that the
mycelium does best added in chunks throughout the
woodchip for this garden establishment.
From here, your mushroom garden will periodically
keep fruiting, a little less each time – the mushrooms
may also migrate and pop up in other places! Lucky
you. You can ‘re-charge’ your garden by adding another
tub of mycelium every other year or so.

The whole process is a fantastic

way to get to know fungi, while
PHOTOS: MILKWOOD

feeding your household and From top left: Nick covering the ground with woodchips after laying
down wet cardboard; tidying up the layer of woodchips with the
making your garden happy. mycelium mixed in; students spread mulch over a mushroom garden
bed to protect against heat; a wonderful harvest of king stropharia.

organicgardener.com.au 27
 ORGANIC GROW

A tasty harvest of pearl oyster

mushrooms and king stropharia.

WHEN TO START
No garden?
Everyone’s climate is different and each species of
mushroom will thrive in slightly different growing
if you don’t have a garden and you’re
conditions. So how do you know when to begin the doing this on a balcony or back step,
growing process in your garden? you can repeat stage 1, using your tub
Your mycelium will take a few months to run of mycelium as your spawn to inoculate
through the substrate, so it’s best to avoid exposing more tubs of woodchips.
it to freezing winters or hot, dry summers during
this early phase. Extreme temperatures could kill
the contents of your freshly inoculated bed or tub,
Kirsten Bradley is a gardener, educator and writer
but once the mycelium is established it will be a
who grows a lot of mushrooms, among other things.
lot more hardy.
She co-authored the book Milkwood: Real skills for
So, it’s generally best to establish your garden in
down-to-earth living with Nick Ritar, which has a
the milder part of the year, when the temperature is
whole mushroom chapter. She also teaches online
unlikely to go below freezing or above 30°C.
mushroom growing with Nick through Milkwood.
In places with hot, dry summers where the soil
will not freeze in winter, it’s best to start your
garden in autumn or early spring.
In places with very cold winters, start your garden Resources
in late spring to early summer, this way your garden Course and more information:
will have time to get established before having to forestfungi.com.au
deal with very cold temperatures. littleacre.com.au
If your climate is very cold you could protect your milkwood.net/courses and Milkwood: Real skills
bed with a greenhouse of some kind, or do the for down-to-earth living, Murdoch Books, 2018
tub-stage inside your back porch. For mushroom spawn and other equipment look in
Once the mycelium is out in your garden, it your local area or try online:
is better equipped to withstand temperature aussiemushroomsupplies.com.au
PHOTO: MILKWOOD

extremes, because of the extended thermal mass forestfungi.com.au

and general diversity of your garden. littleacre.com.au

28
 ORGANIC ECOLOGY

Golden splash tooth (Phlebia subceracea).

Thinking like a fungus

In her new book Underground Lovers, ecologist and photographer
Alison Pouliot invites us to explore the intimate world
of fungi and their vital role in our ecosystems.

P
ush your hand through the leaf litter and into
the soil. Hold it there for a moment. Notice how
cool it is a little below the surface. Rub the soil
between your fingers. Notice the sensation. How does it
feel? Notice what is in it. Can you recognise anything?
Any creatures? Any threads of fungi? Notice the
texture. Or were you unable to get your fingers below
the surface? If you can, take a little soil in your hand.
Or if you can’t, put your nose directly down to its
surface. Take a long deep inhalation. And another.
Can you recognise its scents?
As the palette of forest scents becomes familiar, a
walk across a disturbed environment, such as an
agricultural field, can reveal their absence. A field
PHOTOS: ALISON POULIOT
others such as fertilisers (which are applied instead of
the nutrients naturally provided by fungi) replace them.
If heavy machinery is used on the field, its soils can
become compacted and lose air spaces. Some anaerobic
bacteria produce a ‘rotten-egg smell’ as they release
hydrogen sulphide.
On the other hand, forest soils have more fungi and
their synergies produce more complex scents. Restoring
fungi in damaged ecosystems, whether they have been
damaged by agriculture or logging, or by natural events
like storms or wildfire, begins with being aware of the
requirements of fungi. It’s about noticing where and
how they live, and where they don’t. Observing and
mimicking natural ecosystems is a good way to start.

typically has less biological complexity than a forest,

and most fungi, along with their scents, are missing. Looking closely at the world of fungi
Fields usually smell more bacterial than fungal. That’s Landcare volunteer Sue Brunskill and I lie on the
because tilling destroys mycelial networks and allows ground and peer at the underside of a log on her
bacteria to dominate. While some scents are absent, property in North East Victoria. It’s riddled with cracks

organicgardener.com.au 29

and crevices and holes, some lined with soft mossy
upholstery. Sunken cankers and boles accumulate tiny
pools of water. Burls and knots and knobby growths
track a history of stresses from injury or insects, viruses
or fungi, whirling the wood grain into intense patterns.
Woodworkers have sought these quirks in wood for
centuries, but other organisms have taken advantage
of the microtopographies they create for millennia.
The log is crisscrossed and squiggled with trails made
by beetle larvae. Their cryptic logic is indecipherable,
like strange hieroglyphics. Gently lifting a loosened
chunk of wood, we peek beneath. It bristles with life.
Spineless creatures scamper for cover among an
entanglement of spiders’ webs, fungus mycelium
and the frass of wood-boring creatures. We replace
it and the secret microcosms return to darkness.
‘Log’ seems too small and blunt a word for the
bustling activity and industry it conceals.
Sue and I try to imagine where in the log we’d
live if we were fungi. Pressing our fingers against it,
we notice it is mostly solid, but in places there’s a bit
of ‘give’. Would it be sufficiently decomposed for our
mycelium to course through? And would we colonise
the above or underside sections? Where were the
coolest, most shaded parts and where would we
be exposed to sun or wind?
In the slow decomposition of the log back to soil,
a succession of different fungi inhabit it and take
PHOTOS: ALISON POULIOT
part in its dismantling. What other fungal competitors
might threaten our existence, and which would
happily cohabitate? Ants trek across the log with
a cargo of plant fragments, mites cruise around,
and we wonder which invertebrates would eat us and
ORGANIC ECOLOGY
Far left: The many crevices of a wooden log bustle with life.
Left: The cobweb-like mycelium is the main fungi organism.
which might disperse our spores. It’s all just a game,
but it’s an exercise in looking closely, and imagining
the challenges in the life of a fungus in a log.
Understanding the fungi microhabitat
Thinking about the needs of fungi is about being
able to switch scales. By getting close, we discover the
various microhabitats inhabited by fungi, and can
appreciate why diverse microcosms are important
to their colonisation. We run our hands over the log
and notice how temperature and moisture vary. Its
microclimates differ between its suspended parts and
those that hug the ground. Discoloured sections provide
clues as to how water runs across it. A green sheen of
algae and moss reveals where it accumulates.
We peer at stripes and splotches of colour: taupe,
beige, liver and mauve. At first glance, you’d think
someone had taken to the wood with a palette of
paint, which is why these are known colloquially as
paint fungi. Mycologists call them corticoid or
resupinate fungi – ‘resupinate’ means inverted and
refers to their spore-bearing surfaces being on their
outer sides, rather than tucked underneath as with a
mushroom. They’re among the most important fungi
in the dismantling of the log. Their textures are
surprising. Some are waxy or velvety, others powdery
or crusty. Some are smooth, others pimpled or
intricately wrinkled or warted. The odd one has tiny
spines or pores. Most resupinate fungi are thought to
be saprotrophs (recyclers), but some are mycorrhizal,
helping seedlings establish in fallen trees and organic
matter. Although they may look benign, the mycelium
of some are equipped with a lethal arsenal of
specialised spiny structures, adhesive traps and
constrictive rings for snaring and killing nematodes
and poaching their nitrogen. Other resupinates spare
the nematodes’ lives but attach themselves to them,
hitching a ride to new terrains.
The activities of different fungi alter both the
structure and chemistry of wood. Fungi exude various
sugars, acids and proteins used by other organisms.
The intimately intertwined lives of fungi and other
organisms inhabiting the log are way too complex
for us to comprehend by simply looking. But noticing
the contours and topographies of the log’s microcosms
helps us become aware of how variety – in substrates
and microclimates – make it suitable
for diverse communities of fungi to
take up residence.
This edited extract is from
Underground Lovers: Encounters
with Fungi by Alison Pouliot
(NewSouth Books, $29.99).
organicgardener.com.au 31
 Tropical
Subtropical
Arid/semi-Arid
Warm Temperate
Cold Temperate

Fruit for the W

inter is the best time to plant deciduous
fruit trees. This is when they are leafless
and dormant, and less likely to be troubled

future
Now is the time to make a long-term
investment in food security by planting
deciduous fruit trees. By Angie Roach.
by root disturbance. Also, they are available as
bare-rooted stock in winter, which makes them
cheaper to buy than potted trees because they
are lighter and less costly to transport.
In addition to their delicious harvest, deciduous
fruit trees bring seasonal interest to the garden,
providing beautiful blossoms in spring, leafy shade
in summer, colourful foliage in autumn and bare
branches in winter that allow welcome sunshine
to penetrate the canopy. Spot them through your
garden or dedicate a space for a deciduous orchard
and you’ll have fruit for years and years to come.
Here are a few choices to get you started.

32
 ORGANIC PLANT

JAPANESE & EUROPEAN PLUM

Prunus salicina (Japanese)
Prunus domestica (European)
Homegrown plums are plump and delicious when well
cared for. There are plenty of varieties to choose from with
a range of fruit colour, in hues of purple, reddish purple, 2.5–4m W
yellow, red, green and white. European plums are the earliest
of the cultivated plums. Some, such as the ‘Prune d’Agen’,
2.5–4m H
have the classic teardrop-shaped fruit while others, including
the greenish-yellow ‘Green Gage’, are rounded. Japanese
plums, also known as blood plums, are the best choice
Full sun
for warm climates. The sweet and juicy ‘Mariposa’ and
the well-known blood plum ‘Satsuma’ are popular. Plums
require cross-pollination, so you need a suitable partner
from the same group (European or Japanese) to produce fruiting
dec–
fruit. Once you find a variety you want to grow, check march
with your supplier for the best pollinators.

POMEGRANATE
Punica granatum
Pomegranates are one of the world’s most ancient fruits.
Having a compact form with small, glossy foliage, bright
flowers, and large, round fruit, they are a beautiful addition
to the garden. They don’t mind being trained and pruned, 4m W
which makes them ideal for hedges or they can be
espaliered. Pomegranates can adapt to a range of climates
and are not fussy about their growing conditions. They can 5m H
thrive in poor soil, although they are not happy if the ground
is overly wet for an extended period. The fruit is made up
of hundreds of delicious red, juicy seeds. Pomegranate Full sun
‘Wonderful’ is a much-loved variety due to its sweet,
tender seed, while the deep red, sweet and sour seeds
of ‘Galoshna Rosavaya’ make it an ever-popular choice. fruiting
feb–may
Pomegranates are self-fertile but are more productive
with cross-pollination from another tree.

PEACH
Prunus persica
Every garden deserves a peach tree. They require little
maintenance and gift you with stunning spring blossoms
and bountiful produce. Most peaches prefer temperate
PHOTOS: MAIN, TOP RIGHT & CENTRE: ISTOCK/ BOTTOM: ALAMY.

regions where winters are cold and summers warm, and 1.5–4M W
there is a huge selection to choose from. ‘Anzac’ is a
sweet, Australian-bred peach with white flesh and
‘Redhaven’ and ‘Elberta’ have the classic yellow flesh. 1.5-4M H

However, there is a growing selection of varieties that

thrive in subtropical areas, including ‘China Flat’, ‘Tropic
Full sun
Beauty’ and ‘Newbell’, which only require 150 chill hours
(hours below 7°C) to flower and fruit. Peaches are self-
fertilising, so you only need the one tree. If your garden
is small, consider planting varieties that have been harvest
dec-feb
grafted onto dwarf rootstock. These compact forms
are great for growing in pots, too.

organicgardener.com.au 33
 DID YOU
KNOW?
Many Australian native
edibles are called
‘currants’ but none are
in the Ribes genus.
They include wild
currant (Antidesma
erostre), native currant
(Acrotriche depressa),
prickly currant
(Coprosma quadrifida)
and currant bush
(Scaevola spinescens).
 ORGANIC GROW

The
currant
fashion
PHOTOS: HELEN MCKERRAL

Currants, such as
these red and white
varieties, can be Currants are a delicious addition to a summer berry
grown in temperate
climate gardens with
harvest. Helen McKerral describes how to grow these
neutral/acidic soils. tart favourites, plus a few of their tasty cousins.

organicgardener.com.au 35
 at a glance
Currants love
Temperate climates.
Neutral to acid, organic-rich loams
or improved clay.
Full sun to dappled shade or morning
sun in hot regions.
Annual pruning to replace old canes
with new growth.
Fertilising with manure and sulfate
of potash.
Regular watering.
Netting before fruit colours.
Harvesting when fully ripe.

Left: White currants.

Currants grow on
a bush, not a vine.

R
ed, black and white currants might be less
famous than blueberries and bramble fruits
in Australia, but they are fantastic producers
and deserve a place in every temperate climate
garden with neutral/acid soils. In my Adelaide Hills
backyard they crop prolifically and are one of my
favourite summer berries.
Currants make perfect liqueurs and cordials – try
black currant cassis mixed with champagne – and
their tart, strong flavours pair wonderfully with sugar
in jams and desserts, or as savoury sauces for meat
All currant berries are ludicrously expensive in
Australia and this is probably the reason so few
people know them, but you’ll harvest 15–20kg
from five well-grown plants.
A bush not a vine
Some people think of currants as dried grapes,
but there is no connection between the two. Black
currants (Ribes nigrum), red currants (R. rubrum) and
white currants (a cultivar of red currants) are part of
the Grossulariaceae family and grow as deciduous
PHOTOS: HELEN MCKERRAL

and seafood. Not only that, but with high levels of
vitamins (especially vitamin C), minerals and
antioxidants, they are great for your health. White
currants have less vitamin C, but are sweet enough
to eat straight from the bush.
bushes rather than vines. They are native to Northern
Europe and the Caucasus.
Unlike many berries, currants have a relatively
recent history of cultivation, with the Dutch and
Belgians creating countless cultivars in the 1800s.

36

One of my childhood picture books described a little
boy gathering red currants in a forest. How delicious
those berries looked!
Keep it cool
Luckily for me, currants were among the first plants
my Dutch grandparents grew when they immigrated
to Australia, but it was only when they moved from
the Adelaide Plains to the cooler Adelaide Hills
climate that they began harvesting huge crops for
us greedy children.
Currants prefer mild summers and long, cool
to cold winters, such as in the eastern highlands,
PHOTO: ALAMY
Victoria, Tasmania and southern Australia.
Fortunately, you can expand their range into warmer
temperate regions through careful site selection.
ORGANIC GROW
Currants prefer mild
summers and long,
cool to cold winters.
Choose easterly aspects with morning sun only,
or dappled shade, so plants are protected from
afternoon heat; I harvest big crops from plants in
these microclimates. Southerly slopes that are slow to
warm work well, too, or you can shield plants from
heat with shade cloth in summer.
Ideal soils are moist, well-drained, neutral to acid
clays or loams. Add plenty of rotted compost or
manure, and if you have heavy clay, add gypsum as
well to improve drainage. For areas prone to water-
logging, create planting mounds. For success in lighter
soils, fork through zeolite and/or bentonite plus
additional organic matter. In neutral soils, especially
if your irrigation water is alkaline, apply sulfur every
winter to maintain soil acidity. If you notice plants
yellowing in the growing season, water in liquid sulfur.
organicgardener.com.au 37

Above: Netting is a must
to protect your berries.
A hole in a stem is a sign
of the currant borer moth.
Pests and diseases
Birds are big pests of all berries so covering plants
with wildlife friendly netting is essential! For many years
I thought white currants were more prolific than red ones
until I netted. My crop instantly quadrupled with white and
red performing equally well: perhaps the birds thought
the white currants weren’t ripe and left more of them!
Snails also eat a surprising number of berries, so check
through the plants regularly to pick them off.
The currant borer moth is a serious insect pest. The
larvae burrow down through stems, hollowing them so they
wilt, rot or break. You’ll see a small hole in the stem. Keep
pruning down the stem until you reach solid wood. Burn or
bag the prunings. Every decade, I replace entire bushes
because I inevitably miss a few and they bore all the way
down to the base.
Black currants occasionally get a tiny pest called gall
mite. Remove affected buds and spray with lime sulfur just
before bud burst in late winter/early spring.
38
Above: Currants do well in pots and are quite ornamental.
Planting and propagation
The good news is, currants are self-fertile so you only
need one bush. They don’t rely on cross pollination,
so can be dotted about the garden, or grouped
together for ease of care.
Black currants grow to about 1.7m in my
garden, red and white currants to about 1.2m but
can get taller to 1.6m or so. Plant each currant bush
1.5m apart at any time of year except in extreme
summer heat. Water well with seaweed extract
and mulch thickly.
Well-grown plants produce 4kg or more per bush so
it is up to you how many plants you want, depending
on space. I recommend planting about six bushes for
a household of four, with perhaps two of each colour.
I have 15 in my large plot!
All currants are very easy to propagate from
35–60cm hardwood cuttings taken in early winter:
PHOTOS BOXED: HELEN MCKERRAL/TOP RIGHT: GAP PHOTOS_FRIEDRICH STRAUSS
the plants in my garden today originate from those
my grandmother grew six decades ago. If you have
prepared soil well, place cuttings directly where they
are to grow. Prune the tip and rub off buds other
than the top three or four.
Plants also layer readily – simply direct a stem
towards the ground and bury a section of it and roots
will form. Alternatively, buy bare-rooted plants in
winter, or potted at any time of year.
Water and fertiliser
Add a generous layer of well-rotted manure, or
commercial pelletised manures (such as Rapid Raiser
or Dynamic Lifter). I use my own composted poultry
manure plus a few handfuls of balanced pelletised
chicken manure. Sulfate of potash sprinkled around
 ORGANIC GROW

each plant (18g/sqm) at the same time greatly
increases cropping. If plants yellow, try adding sulfur
to increase soil acidity, or add trace elements – boron
and magnesium deficiencies sometimes occur.
Plants must not dry out during summer. Water
regularly up to and during fruit development for
large berries. After harvest, reduce irrigation slightly
to save water.
Pruning
If you are a novice at pruning, don’t freak out. Currants
will produce adequately in Australia even if left to their
own devices, but judicious pruning will help improve
cropping and health. I’ve explained the basics here
but for more detail I suggest Louis Glowinski’s book,
The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia.
Red and white currants fruit from spurs on 1–4 year
old wood, after which productivity begins to decline.
Pruning aims to create a framework of 8–12 evenly
spaced branches on a short trunk. Once fruiting begins,
aim to shorten 2–3 branches by 80 per cent each winter
to encourage constant renewal.
Start by shortening the oldest unproductive
branches as well as weak or diseased ones, cutting
them back to within 15cm of the trunk. This is where
vigorous new replacement branches will form. Any
side shoots longer than 10cm can be shortened to
three buds. All remaining branches can be trimmed
by about 15cm to keep bushes compact.
Black currants fruit best on 1–2 year old wood, so
pruning aims to replace one third of canes each year.
When planting black currants, cut back all canes
to one bud above ground level to stimulate strong
new shoots. There’s no need to prune them in the
following winter, but each winter after that remove
one third of the older canes, pruning to a bud near
ground level. You can tell the older canes: they have
a darker bark than the young ones.

Left: The gooseberry is a

close relative of currants.
Jostaberries are a
very hardy hybrid.

Gooseberries & Jostaberries

GOOSEBERRIES: The
gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) is a
close relatives of currants, so close
that they can cross with black currants
and a North American species to form
the hybrid jostaberry (R. x nidigrolaria).
Gooseberries were widely
considered peasant food in much of
Europe (early fruits were edible only
PHOTOS: HELEN MCKERRAL
unique, and homegrown gooseberries
are incomparable to those in shops.
Gooseberries are thorny so aim to
create an open bush on a short stem,
removing low and crowded branches
and pruning to upwards/outwards
facing buds to maintain picking access.
Plants produce for up to five decades.
JOSTABERRIES: Like many
is a delicious blend of black currant
and gooseberry. Prune and fertilise
jostaberries like black currants.
PESTS: Although jostaberries and
gooseberries are prone to the same
pests and diseases as currants, some
gooseberries are also susceptible to
American gooseberry mildew, a
powdery mildew that quickly destroys

with sugar), but today’s larger, tetraploid hybrids, jostaberries are plants. To avoid endless pruning and
sweeter red varieties can be eaten exceptionally vigorous and disease- spraying, choose resistant cultivars
fresh. Sour, green varieties are better resistant. If other currants struggle in such as ‘Roaring Lion’, ‘Greenfinch’,
cooked. The flavour is subtle but your garden, try this hybrid. The flavour ‘Invicta’, and thornless ‘Captivator’.

organicgardener.com.au 39
 ORGANIC GROW

Avoid harvesting early as flavour

isn’t fully developed and berries
don’t ripen further after harvest.

Harvest and use

Red and white currants ripen all at once, and then
hang on the bush for some time. Pick red currants in
December/January when all the berries in the clusters
are fully red; avoid harvesting early as the flavour
isn’t fully developed and berries don’t ripen further
after harvest. I wait until clusters are deep red and
a few berries are just starting to over-ripen. White
currants are ready when they are a translucent, pale
yellow. Snip or pinch off entire clusters, taking care
not to damage the fruiting spur on the main stem.
You can make liqueur with fresh berries stripped
off the stem and steeped for six months in spirits
with a little sugar.
Alternatively, process berries by washing the
OMA’S RED CURRANT AND clusters. Next, cook them still wet in a large pot

RASPBERRY JELLY for 7–10 minutes to soften, crushing with a potato

masher, then sieve through a mouli (food press) to
separate stems and seeds from pulp. Squeeze the seeds
2.3–2.5kg sugar
and stems hard with your hands to extract every last
2kg red currant juice extracted using the process in
drop of juice and the gelatinous pectin, ideal for
‘Harvest and use’ (at right), seeds and stems tied
jellies. Process now or freeze in containers for later.
in a cloth
Black currants ripen in clusters but also in ones
500g raspberries, sieved or passed through a mouli
and twos. There is nothing for it but to pick berries
to remove seeds and make into a juice
when they are fully black (not purple). I harvest
every 3–4 days, and pop currants into a plastic
1. Place a saucer in the freezer. Sterilise jars and
container in the freezer to process together (as
lids in boiling water and place in oven on low heat to
described above) once all the fruit is picked. Black
dry completely. Place sugar in the oven to warm.
currants harvested fresh don’t taste great, but that
2. Pour red currant and raspberry juices into a large
strong flavour is unbeatable diluted in cordials and
heavy-based pot, submerge bag of red currant
liqueurs. The leaves can be infused as tea.
seeds, and heat until boiling. Boil vigorously for five
minutes, squishing the bag against the side of the
pot occasionally, then remove bag. Squeeze it out
over the pot and discard.
3. Add warmed sugar and return to the boil, stirring
Suppliers
constantly. Boil vigorously until jelly sets (test every Buy potted specimens from nurseries or try mail
few minutes by placing a little on the cold saucer: order. Nowadays named cultivars are like hen’s teeth
if you draw your finger through the jelly after a in Australia; join your local rare fruit club/society to
minute and it wrinkles, it is ready). Remove pan find treasures. Also, try the following online suppliers:
from heat, skim impurities and stand two minutes. yalcafruittrees.com.au
PHOTO: HELEN MCKERRAL

4. Pour the jelly into warm, dry jars. Leave 1.5 cm tesselaar.net.au
headspace and seal with sterilised lids. Invert for 10 daleysfruit.com.au
minutes, set right way up and leave until set. Store guildfordgardencentre.com.au
in a cool, dark cupboard and refrigerate after opening. woodbridgenursery.com.au

40
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 ORGANIC LIVING

Manu and Harry have one of

the Farm It Forward vegie
plots on their doorstep.

LARGER THAN LIFE

Emmanuela Prigioni dreams big but lives small, connecting
young farmers and landowners, while also living in a tiny
house on a trailer, writes Jacqueline Forster.
photography by maja baska

T
ucked away, at the end of a long gravel drive
on the bushy outskirts of Blue Mountains
suburbia in NSW, Emmanuela Prigioni (who
likes to be called Manu) has created a tiny house
haven surrounded by an abundant vegie plot. Both
the house and the garden have a strong connection
to Manu’s nurturing philosophy, which led her to
establish the social enterprise Farm It Forward.
The idea behind Farm It Forward, to unite
landowners with young people to grow food and
community, has won accolades from far and wide;
the model adopted by like-minded folk in Tasmania,

42
Manu wanted to provide a way for
people in an urban community to
connect through farming.

organicgardener.com.au 43
ORGANIC LIVING
Landowners receive a weekly
selection of fruit and vegies.
Top: The seven plots of land in the
Blue Mountains are taken care of
by urban farmers and volunteers.
Queensland, Victoria and WA. For Manu, whose
Instagram profile reads ‘artist/farmer/scientist’, the
notion of nurturing oneself and others through art
and food growing, was a seed subliminally planted
during a European childhood.
“My fondest memories growing up, those which
have really shaped me, are two very different ones,”
Manu recalls. “The first is from when I lived in
Switzerland. Our little village had a market gardener
named Monsieur Liberté, Mr Freedom, who allowed
the children from the village to play in his garden.
My family also grew food at home and whenever
I taste a tomato or smell the scent of a tomato
vine I am transported back to that place and time.
“The second significant memory is from
kindergarten when we moved to Rome. Our school
was in the middle of a big park in the city and our
teacher, who was quite unusual for those times, kept
getting in trouble for taking the class outside for
lessons. When the principal, whose office door was
right next to our classroom, forbade him from doing
so our teacher started sneaking us out the window.
“We had a wonderful time making nature
journals, watching birds, drawing all the different-
shaped leaves. The experience will stay with me
forever. In fact, whenever I feel overwhelmed or
anxious my defence mechanism is to retreat and
find solace in those memories.”
Manu travelled to Australia on a working holiday
aged 19 and pretty much stayed from then on.
“My great aunt, on my mother’s side, was a textile
artist who took up a residency at Sydney College of
the Arts in the 1960s. She, and her partner, settled
in Australia and ended up farming in northern NSW.
I guess I came here to follow in her footsteps.”
Connecting through gardens
It was some time until Manu reconnected with the
inner nature lover she’d known in her childhood.
“I didn’t find gardening again until I had my
own children,” she says. “After the birth of my second
son I developed post-natal depression and climate
anxiety. Luckily my psychologist happened to be an
amazing organic gardener, who knew the benefits
of gardening as therapy.”
Manu began devouring all the food-growing
information she could find, studying permaculture,
holistic management and soil microbiology. During
this time, while working as garden coordinator at
Lyttleton Stores Cooperative (in Lawson NSW), she
dreamed up the Farm It Forward movement.
“I visited a lot of backyard growers who sold
their produce at the local co-op and I started to
notice a recurring theme: a connection was missing,”
Manu says.
 “People wanted their gardens to be more
productive but didn’t have the mobility, the means,
the skills, or the time to do it. At the same time,
there were younger people, eager to learn and
committed to doing something about future food
security, who were frustrated because they didn’t
have access to land. I shared my idea with friends
who had the same impetus and we joined forces
to form Farm It Forward.”
Three years later the group now tends seven plots
in the mid-Blue Mountains, plus an orchard, and
joint market garden project with the Blue Mountains
Food Co-op in Katoomba. Manu shares the load with
three fellow urban farmers, James Broughton,
Hannah Axelsen and Mitchell Andrews. Together
they oversee the market gardens, hold a weekly
farmgate stall, and manage the social outreach
programs of the not-for-profit.
Landowners receive a weekly selection of fruit and
veg from their and other gardens, with excess produce
sold through the farmgate stall or to local co-ops.
All profits are used to employ more young people
to grow food and facilitate community outreach.
The most rewarding outcome has been the social
inclusion that connecting people has fostered.
“When I worked at the co-op, people would come
How Farm it
to the shop just to have a chat, essentially because Forward works
they were lonely. Now, we have volunteers from Landowners open their land up for market gardening
all walks of life and all ages helping in the various and in exchange receive:
gardens, and the landowners have welcomed us A weekly selection of regeneratively grown vegies
into their lives.” (from their own land or other gardens in the project).
A weekly visit by paid young people and volunteers
Building a new home who establish and maintain the food gardens.
One of the landowners who welcomed Manu and Get to be part of the wider organic gardening
Farm It Forward is Sylvia May. and farming community and join cross-generational
“After a difficult split with the father of my two activities and events.
boys, it was hard for me to find a suitable place to
live,” Manu remembers.
Above: Manu joined forces with
“We had been growing food at Sylvia’s property for friends to start Farm It Forward.
some time and had developed a very close bond, so Everyone involved enjoys
when she heard I was going through a bit of trouble the fresh produce they grow.
she said: ‘Come and live with me’.”
Manu stayed with Sylvia while planning her tiny
house. With a small budget of about $100,000 and
no prospect of borrowing money in the current
economic circumstances, Manu asked her friend,
Nick Grilanc, a furniture maker, to build her home.
Designing the house was a collaborative effort.
“Nick had already built and lived in a tiny house
on the back of a truck, so he had experience of life in
a small space, which greatly informed our choices
and decisions in designing and fitting out the house.”
“You realise what is important. Simple things,
like the kitchen layout. I grow my own food, so
I need plenty of space to cook and preserve things,

organicgardener.com.au 45
 ORGANIC LIVING
Above: Manu’s tiny house
has a loft bedroom, kitchen
and a bathroom with a bath.
The timber floorboards and
sash windows are recycled.
46
and I wanted two sinks for meal prep and washing
up. I also had to have a small ‘Manu-sized’ bath
for when my kids (Oscar, 11, and Leon, 8) are here,
and for self-care.”
Measuring 8m long by 2.4m wide, the house was
constructed offsite and towed to the property where it
was placed to take maximum advantage of light.
A loft bedroom frees up space on the ground floor,
where a sofa bed accommodates Manu’s boys when
they stay over.
“I love the loft because I’m basically sleeping in
the canopy of the trees,” Manu says.
Louvred highlight windows allow for cooling cross
breezes, which are particularly effective in summer.
“The western side of the house can get hot in the
afternoon, but the positioning is mostly spot-on in
terms of passive heating and cooling, especially in
winter, when morning sun floods the space.”
Manu’s tiny house is situated at an altitude of
675m above sea level so winters can be chilly, but
a miniscule fireplace, from Cubic Mini Woodstoves
in Canada, heats the space efficiently. The stove is
designed for compressed recycled hardwood bricks,
which are available from hardware stores.
“Being European, I’m used to very cold winters
 If you are going to build a
tiny house, get advice from
someone with lived experience.

Left: A 5kW solar array powers the house,

along with a heat pump for hot water.
Below: A small fireplace is very efficient,
using compressed recycled hardwood bricks.

and very well insulated houses, so good insulation
was important.”
The recycled single-glazed windows have an
insulating film over the glass to reduce heat loss,
and the walls and ceiling are insulated with wool.
“It’s so warm and cosy and the space doesn’t feel
small or poky,” Manu says.
Nuts and bolts
While the tiny house is not technically off-grid it
could be. There is a composting toilet and 10,000L
of rainwater storage. A 5kW solar array on the
shed roof, with battery backup, powers the house,
including an induction cooktop and a heat
pump for hot water.
Up to four times more efficient than electric
systems, heat pumps are not new technology in
Australia, but they are quite niche so it was difficult
for Manu to find a plumber who was up to speed with
the installation process. Heat pumps work by drawing
in cold air from outside then heating it, like an air
conditioner but in reverse, and are very cost effective.
Much of the house is made from recycled materials,
including exterior cedar cladding which is lightweight
and pest repellent. Engineered timber floorboards,
French doors, and large sash windows were found
secondhand, as well as the kitchen bench and sink.
So, what advice would Manu give someone who’s
considering tiny house life?
“It’s not for everyone,” she says. “A lot of generic
tiny houses are not designed for long-term living.
“If you are going to build a tiny house, get advice
from someone with lived experience or live in one for
a while yourself. I stayed in a tiny house for a month,
which was lovely, but it was not at all practical or
somewhere I’d want to live for an extended period
of time. I’ve been here for over six months now, and
I can’t think of anything I’d change. The design and
setting are perfect for me, and I’ve finally found a
space that inspires me to make art.”
Living onsite allows Manu to keep on top of chores
in the market garden. “I still, after all these years,
don’t see growing food as work. I enjoy it as part
of my daily activity. It has added so much to my
life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Follow: @farmitforward farmitforward5
learn more at: farmitforward.com.au

organicgardener.com.au 47
 ORGANIC BASICS

Saving every
shred
Phil Dudman reckons shredders are
fantastic for turning garden waste
into a resource you can add to your
compost and cycle back into your soil.

M
ost gardens, big and small, would benefit from
a chipper or shredder to process prunings. Small-scale electric
With one of these handy machines, it’s shredders will turn
easy to turn garden waste into a resource, chopping prunings into mulch or
branches, twigs and leaves into small pieces that compost ingredients.
can be used as mulch or added to compost.
You save time on taking green waste to the tip, electric
too, not to mention money that would otherwise be
spent on tipping fees. Most importantly, precious Machines can be electric or petrol SAFETY
nutrients and organic matter stay on site and are
cycled back into your soil, which improves soil health
powered. Electric shredders are
generally small, low cost, easy TIP
and makes your garden more sustainable. to start and easy to store and
There are many types of chippers available, in a manoeuvre. They are reasonably The extension
wide range of sizes, capacities and prices. To help you quiet when running and best cord should be
navigate the market and find a machine that suits suited to the smaller home heavy duty. When
your needs, here’s a taste of what’s offered. garden. Most models will process buying one, look
material up to 35–45mm thick, for the letter ‘W’
two ways of cutting which covers the bulk of prunings on the package
Essentially, there are two types of cutting systems: generated in the home garden. or cord. This
impact types, which use a high-speed rotating blade On the occasions when heavy indicates that it’s
to cut the materials, and crushing shredders that use pruning is carried out, thicker safe for outdoor
a cog-shaped roller to crush and cut the stems and material can be separated and use. Also, use a
branches into small pieces. processed in other ways (see portable safety
Both are effective in processing woody material, ‘Chipper tips’). Keep in mind, you switch to minimise
PHOTO: PHIL DUDMAN

but the blade option is more reliable for shredding need an extension cord long risk of electrical
fresh leaf matter. Soft sappy leaves tend to clog enough to reach where you are shock if the cord
up crushing shredders, but they chomp through going to be working. is damaged.
dry leaves.

48
 Petrol-powered
chipper mulchers can handle
thicker branches and
tips shrubs but are noisy.

When using a crushing

shredder, stockpile material
to dry first. This makes processing
more efficient. If you need to
shred fresh prunings, remove
soft, sappy material from the
tips of branches to avoid
clogging the machine.
Thick branches that won’t
fit your chipper can be split into
a suitable width using an axe,
then fed into the machine.
Alternatively, cut thick
branches into smaller lengths
and place under fruit trees and
shrubs to slowly break down –
nothing is wasted!
Don’t be tempted to overload
and clog your machine. Slow and
steady saves time in the long run.
When operating your machine,
always wear eye and ear
protection, gloves to avoid
splinters, sturdy footwear and
a long sleeve shirt and long
trousers to protect skin
from scratches.

SAFETY
TIP
Machine blockages are
inevitable. Many shredders have
a reverse button that spins
rollers in the opposite direction
to help clear blockages. If this
doesn’t work, turn off and
unplug your machine before
PHOTOS: ISTOCK
Petrol
Petrol machines tend to be bigger, more robust and capable of chipping
larger material. Heavy-duty models make a meal of material up to
100mm thick – just the thing for large properties with a lot of trees and
shrubs to manage. Being petrol powered, they can be set up on level
ground wherever they’re needed. Bigger machines need more space
for storage and are less manoeuvrable and larger models may require

investigating further. Don’t ever towing. Be aware, too, petrol models make a lot of noise, and emit
use your hands to unblock your exhaust fumes, so may not be popular with neighbours in built-up areas.
shredder while it’s running.

organicgardener.com.au 49
 ORGANIC BASICS

what’s your budget? MORE CARBON FOR COMPOST

Generally, the more you spend, the more durable the
machine. If you yearn for something that’s above your
price range, consider pooling your money and sharing
a machine with other like-minded gardeners close by,
or look out for secondhand options.
Price range: $150–$999
Mostly limited to electric machines.
A lot of backyard compost piles lack the carbon they need
to balance out the large volume of nitrogen rich vegie
scraps and grass clippings they contain. Having a shredder
is a real game changer for compost making because you
can process woody, high-carbon material from your
garden whenever you need it. Keep a pile of shreddings
next to your compost bin. Every time you toss in some
kitchen scraps, follow up with an equal volume of
shreddings to build your pile in balanced layers.

Ozito 2400W Silent Shredder Crushing action,

self-feeding, 40mm cutting capacity, 64L collection bag.
Machines with a blade cutting
Michigan 2500W Garden Shredder Crushing action, action will process most
self-feeding, 45mm cutting capacity, with a 50L plastic garden prunings.
collection container. Below: Always turn off and
STIHL GHE 355 Garden Shredder Sandwich-type unplug a machine before
cutting blades, 35mm cutting capacity, processes hard removing any blockage.
and soft plant material, with a 50L collection bag.

Price range: $1000–$2499

Includes small, petrol-powered machines that are easy to
manoeuvre. Many models mulch up paper, cardboard and
kitchen waste, as well as woody branches.
Greenfield Piecemaker 850 Chipper/Shredder
190cc Briggs & Stratton engine, 70mm cutting capacity.
RedGum GX200 Chipper Honda GX200 engine, 75mm
cutting capacity, includes a handy storage compartment
for tools, safety glasses, gloves etc.
Greatbull GBD601C Chipper Shredder/Mulcher Briggs
& Stratton OHV 13.5HP engine, 100mm cutting capacity.

Price range: $2500–$3499

Powerful, heavy-duty units suited to acreage.
Hansa C7 Chipper Honda 4 stroke GX200 engine, 70mm
cutting capacity, weighs 93kg, designed to be moved by
one person.
Red Roo C100 Wood Chipper 16hp Briggs & Stratton
Vanguard Engine, 100mm cutting capacity, weighs 350kg,
built-in trailer for easy towing.

Shredding means you can

PHOTOS: ISTOCK

add high-carbon material

to compost when needed.

50
 ORGANIC ACTION

Go with the seasonal flow

The Organic Gardener team suggest their top tips, must-dos and planting
ideas to keep the garden healthy and pumping in the cooler months.
PHOTO: KAREN SUTHERLAND

Winter gardens in
temperate regions
can go mulch-free.

organicgardener.com.au 51
 Right: This frog warm temperate
has found
Karen Sutherland
refuge in a self-
watering pot.
Plant now: Perennial edible plants are gifts that keep giving
Below: Rhubarb
gives and gives. and many can be planted now from bare-rooted stock (lighter and
cheaper to post). Rhubarb sold as bare-rooted ‘crowns’ are good-
sized plants and can usually be harvested within a year of planting
compared to seedlings that may take 2–3 years to harvest. Look for
varieties that produce well over a long period, such as ‘Ever Red’.

Self-watering pots make the most of

available water, keeping plants happy whether
indoors or out. After watering, excess water
collects at the pot’s base and plants draw
water up as needed. Great if you need to
head off for a few days. Some outdoor pots can also provide
habitat for frogs, where they can hide from predators and
feed happily on mosquito larvae (see photo).

Must do: Continue collecting and bagging autumn leaves for

use in compost as a carbon source to balance out high-nitrogen
additives, such as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds or lawn clippings.
Choose leaves that decompose well, such as ‘Manchurian’ pear,
oak, elm or linden, avoiding tougher leaves, such as plane tree,
magnolia and walnut. Leaves from ornamental trees are better
than fruit trees, which may carry overwintering pests and diseases.
Store leaves in repurposed chicken feed bags, hessian/jute bags,
wire mesh cylindrical bins or whatever you have at hand.

Leonie Shanahan

Buckwheat
Buckwheat is a fast-growing herbaceous annual that belongs to
PHOTOS: TOP: VIVIAN EVANS/BOTTOM: KAREN SUTHERLAND/ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK
the Polygonaceae family. It’s not related to common wheat and
is gluten free. The seed is triangular shaped, about 5mm across
and can be used for making flour or sprouting microgreens, so
it’s a good survival food. To save its seed, harvest when 80 per
cent of the plant has dried. Cut stems off at ground level, put on
a sheet or tarp and dry further in the sun. Then beat the stems
to release the seeds. Remove as much chaff as possible, collect
seeds in a container, then use a hair dryer (on cold) or fan to blow
chaff away. For small quantities, hand pick and rub seed between
your fingers into a sieve then blow chaff away. Store in sealed
containers in a dark, dry, cool space. Label with name, date and
where harvested. Seed will remain viable for a few years.

52
 ORGANIC ACTION

Right: Remove mulch from vegetable

gardens to reduce over-wintering pests.
Below: Protect delicate seedlings
from frost with cloches.
Bottom: Red veined sorrel is a
long-term salad green.

cool temperate
Karen Sutherland
Plant now: Perennial salad greens can be harvested for
years and are more resilient to temperature changes than
annual lettuces. They also add a variety of flavour, texture
and colour to a humble salad. Try planting red veined sorrel
(Rumex sanguineus), lemon sorrel (Rumex acetosa) and
native violet (Viola hederacea) which has both edible leaves
and flowers. Mitsuba (Cryptotaenia japonica) will self-seed in
shady spots. Roughly chop young leaves of perennial greens
and mix with lettuce or experiment with combinations.

Must do: Work with the cold weather to clean up your

vegetable patch now, and reduce pests and diseases the
following summer. Some enemies of the food gardener
‘overwinter’ in mulch, waiting for warm weather to wreak
havoc again. Consider removing mulch from your vegetable
gardens and leave the soil bare for 2–3 months. Any plants
growing in your patch will be fine without mulch at this
PHOTOS: KAREN SUTHERLAND/BELOW: ANN STEVENS

cooler time of year when moisture needs and evaporation

are lower. Put old mulch in a hot compost system or your
green waste bin to help break some of the pest life cycles.

Frost can be devastating to young plants

or seedlings. Protect sensitive plants with
commercial or homemade cloches. You
can make a simple cloche from PET bottles
– just cut the bottoms off. Lids can be
taken off if temperatures rise.

organicgardener.com.au 53
 ORGANIC ACTION

Right: Protect
your crops
from slugs.
tropical
Below: It’s time Leonie Shanahan
to plant
asparagus for This is the best time of year to grow and
an early preserve lots of food and stock up your
summer pantry. Fill all spaces in your garden so
harvest. you are constantly harvesting for bottling,
jams, relish, fermenting or dehydrating.
A full pantry gives you some control over your food supply,
helps save money and is good for your health.

Pest alert: Plants infected with tomato yellow leaf

curl virus have a stunted growth, the leaflets are rolled
upwards and inwards, the leaves often bent down and
are yellow between the veins. Fruit, if any, will be small and
dry. The virus is spread by a sap sucking insect, silverleaf
whitefly. Prevention is the key to avoiding problems. Control
whiteflies with horticultural oil sprays and avoid planting
tomatoes in beds that were previously affected by
the virus. Also, keep tomato plants in good shape with
regular watering and feeding and foliar applications of
diluted silica, potash and seaweed.

Plant now: Try planting some low-maintenance, easy-

to-grow edible perennials, such as aibika, Brazilian spinach,
Ceylon spinach, Ethiopian cabbage, moringa, sweet leaf,
and Timor lettuce. They will give you food for years. Plant
around them with annuals, herbs and flowers.

Below: Leonie Shanahan with her stupendous Timor lettuce.

arid/semi-arid
Helen McKerral
Pest Alert: Although traps and iron-based pellets work
well on snails and large slugs, tiny slugs are less affected.
Instead, protect small seedlings with diatomaceous earth
or, in wet regions where powder washes away, halved plastic
pots covered with copper tape plunged into the soil.

Must do: The more water you retain on your property, the
less you need to buy, and the less runs off as stormwater.
Many of us lack room for a single huge tank, but a series of

PHOTOS: TOP LEFT & BOTTOM LEFT: ISTOCK/BOTTOM RIGHT: LEONIE SHANAHAN
smaller ones, tucked against walls, fences and behind sheds,
can store a surprising amount. Although expensive, there
are many slimline tank options available. Meanwhile, rain
gardens, or unlined onsite retention basins allow roof
run-off from showers to soak deep into your garden to
water trees before the overflow goes into the street.

Plant Now: Plant two- or three-year-old asparagus

crowns 10cm deep and 40cm apart into well-drained
sandy soil enriched with plenty of organic matter. Ensure
full sun. Asparagus is drought resistant and survives hot
temperate climates with little summer rainfall – the spears
are harvested by early summer. Crowns available from
nurseries establish faster and better than potted ones
bought during the growing season – look for large,
healthy clumps without mould or disease.

54
 Tropical
Subtropical
Arid/semi-Arid
Warm Temperate
Cold Temperate

WHAT TO PLANT AND SOW NOW

PLANT/SOW MAY JUNE

Above: The multipurpose Queensland arrowroot. Artichoke
Asian greens
Asparagus crowns
subtropical BeanS: French/Climb
Leonie Shanahan Beetroot
Broad bean
Weeds can be a great source of nutrition
but you need to know which ones are Broccoli
edible, which parts to eat and whether they Brussels sprouts
need cooking first. Also, ensure you are Cabbage
harvesting from a clean environment, with Carrot
no previous chemical sprays or dog urine. If you are unsure, Cauliflower
don’t harvest. Some of my favourite weeds for salads and chives
smoothies are cat’s ear, cobbler’s pegs, dandelion, dock, fat ENglish Spinach
hen, mallow, nodding top, and sowthistle. Good reference GARLIC
books include: The Weed Forager’s Handbook, by Adam Grubb
Herbs/Mediterranean
and Annie Raser-Rowland, or Eat Weeds, by Diego Bonetto.
Kale
Plant now: Queensland arrowroot (Canna edulis) is edible Kohlrabi
and has multiple uses in the garden. Use it as a wind barrier, Leek
shade and protection for chickens, or chop up the stems and Lettuce
use as mulch or a compost additive. You can eat young tubers onion
or process them for flour. Young leaves can be added to Peas
stir-fries. It is a tough perennial that grows up to 2m tall in all Radish
soil types. It can be divided easily to increase stock or share. snow pea
SPRING ONION
Pest alert: Avocado stem-end rot develops after
Strawberry plants
harvest, showing as a spreading dark-brown or black rot at
the stem end of the fruit. The spores of the disease inhabit SWEDE
PHOTO: LEONIE SHANAHAN

the branches of the tree, as well as the leaf and twig matter
on the ground. To minimise problems, regularly remove dead
branches, harvest fruit during dry times (cutting the stems,
not pulling by hand) and avoid dropping fruit on the ground
where they may be infected.
Tomato
Turnip
Our climate zone map is a simplified version of a Bureau of Meteorology map.
For more detailed climatic information in relation to cities and major towns,
go to: bom.gov.au/climate/maps/averages/climate-classification/

organicgardener.com.au 55
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 the best of your gard
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58
 welcome to
Organic Living
Inside: backyard bantams green bedroom choices bird haven
PHOTO: ANNEMARIE BOLDUC @BOTTLEANDBRUSHSTUDIO.

If you have limited

space in your
backyard but want
chooks, bantams are
the answer, page 78.
Bindi and Craig maintain their property
with the help of Bess and Sam.
Hazelnut trees are suited to the cool
climate where the farm is located.
 ORGANIC HARVEST

HAPPINESS IS IN THE
HAZELNUTS
For the couple behind Happy Wombat Hazelnuts, sustainable farming goes
well beyond the rows of an orchard, writes Annemarie Bolduc.
photography by Annemarie Bolduc

I
n a previous life it was used to grow potatoes.
After that it was a cattle property. But today Craig
Anderson and Bindi Vanzella’s 20 hectares near
Batlow, in the Snowy Valleys region of NSW, is mostly
about hazelnuts – as well as a burgeoning array of
cool-climate fruits, an expanding patch of native
vegetation and a growing population of local wildlife.
The farm – Happy Wombat Hazelnuts – is named
after the marsupials that call it home. While some
farmers see wombats as a pest, Craig and Bindi are
happy to coexist with their small, round friends.
“The wombats don’t negatively impact our
farm operations,” Bindi says. “They graze freely
in the orchards every night.”

organicgardener.com.au 61
 The couple planted their first hazelnut trees in 2000
and now sell their nuts to local restaurants.
Hazelnuts are great roasted but can also be made into
a meal for baking, similar to almond meal.

“If our wombats are happy and healthy, so

is the land we are farming. We treat them as
environmental indicators. Their good health, as
well as the presence of echidnas, birds, insects
and microbats, we feel is evidence of a healthy,
although modified, ecosystem.”
Sugar gliders, possums, reptiles and frogs are
also welcomed on the farm. And the charismatic
kelpie, Bess, is pretty stoked to be there, too – as her
fans on Instagram will attest.
Improving the farm’s biodiversity is high on the
list of priorities, because it’s not just good for the
environment; it’s good for crop yields.
When the couple planted a 100m-long grevillea
hedge as a windbreak, for example, it not only kept
the wind at bay, but provided habitat for honeyeaters
and eastern spinebills – two of more than 50 bird
species that have been identified on the farm. From
the safety of their new home, the birds pollinate berry
flowers, then later in season do the pest control.

62

“It’s not uncommon to be picking berries and have
a spinebill right next to you,” Bindi says.
Why choose hazelnuts?
Both Craig, 57, and Bindi, 54, are from farming
backgrounds: Craig spent his early years on a sugar
cane farm, while Bindi grew up in a nearby apple-
growing family. The couple bought this property
30 years ago, but didn’t plant their first hazelnut
tree until 2000. By 2012 they had 2800 of them.
Hazelnut trees appealed for a few reasons: they
suit the cool climate (850–900m above sea level with
an average rainfall of 1500mm a year), have few
pests and diseases, and rely on wind, rather
than bees, for pollination.
After planting 14 varieties of hazelnut trees
as a trial, the couple chose four varieties to grow
commercially: ‘Tokolyi/Brownfield Cosford’ (known
as TBC), ‘Butler’, ‘Barcelona’ and ‘Ennis’, which
is their best performer.
ORGANIC HARVEST
Hazelnuts were the top choice for Craig and Bindi as
they have few pests and diseases and rely on the wind
for pollination, although two varieties are required.
Although hazelnuts are pollinated by the wind in
winter, two varieties are required.
“This is often the reason why home gardeners
have not had success with trees producing nuts,”
Bindi says. “Fortunately, hazelnuts are easier to
grow than some other tree crops, provided you have
quality nursery stock and the correct cool growing
conditions with free-draining soil.”
The hazelnuts themselves have nutritional benefits
(rich in healthy fats, fibre, vitamins, protein and
antioxidants), as well as being delicious and
versatile. Local restaurants incorporate them into
seasonal menus, artisans use them as ingredients
in whiskey and stout making; and packs of nuts
are sold in stores as far afield as Perth, WA.
Hazelnuts (especially roasted) are great as
snacks, Craig and Bindi say. But hazelnut meal
is also an excellent alternative to almond meal
in baking. The nuts also make great gluten-free
breadcrumbs for crumbed chicken, and go
famously well with chocolate (see the fondue
recipe on page 66).
Harvest time
Nuts are harvested in autumn after they fall from
the trees. In the early years, Craig and Bindi collected
them by hand, as is still done in some areas of Turkey
(the world’s largest hazelnut producer), but now use
a mechanised finger wheel harvester (though at
some point in every harvest, there will be time
spent on hands and knees with buckets).
The nuts are cleaned of debris, graded and stacked
into lots to naturally dry. Leaves, husks and shells are
crushed and put into garden beds, or spread in the
orchard. Once processed and packed at the farm, the
nuts are sold in shell, raw, as roasted kernels or meal.
The biggest threat to the crop comes from sulphur-
crested cockatoos, either individuals or flocks.
“About three months out from harvest, scare guns
are turned on and patrols commence on and off
throughout the day,” Bindi says. “Movement around
the farm using a combination of a motorbike and
kelpie keeps the birds on edge so they are less likely
to settle in and start eating.
“Once harvest is complete the cockatoos are
welcome to eat any nuts missed during harvest. In
fact, it’s helpful, because we don’t want old nuts lying
around. We don’t want to pick them up during the
following season’s harvest. You want them fresh.”
organicgardener.com.au 63
 Fire and regrowth
The farm was challenged by drought for several
years and then, on New Year’s Eve 2019, was
threatened by a megafire that affected 600,000
hectares in south-eastern NSW.
By the first day of 2020, more
than 500 hazelnut trees had
suffered fire damage, from minor
to major. Today, the trees look
healthy again, but the farm lost
lots of production: seven years’
worth on the 50-plus trees that
were totally burnt.
The couple took it on the
chin, and continued to work
together, with the land and
The 2019 New Year’s Eve fire
devastated their hazelnut orchard,
damaging more than 500 trees with
the hazelnuts burnt or severely
scalded from the heat (inset).
64
with what nature offered. “Some natural curve balls
will be thrown your way, like a bushfire, hail and
heavy frost, but you work through them like other
challenges presented in life,” Bindi says.
Bindi has extensive experience in conservation
land management and ecology,
and worked as a regional
landcare facilitator in the
Riverina before focusing full-time
on farming from 2019.
Her expertise has helped the
couple preserve and expand the
farm’s native habitat.
Fortunately, they had
something to start with: the
previous owners left three hectares
of natural vegetation around a
spring-fed dam at the headwaters
of the Yaven Yaven Creek, which
is a haven for wildlife.
With the help of family and
friends, Craig and Bindi have
planted thousands of native trees,
shrubs and groundcover plants in
a bid to link the farm’s wetland and forest remnants.
After the fires, they made a remarkable find
amid the regrowth. Bindi came across a shoot of
slender mint (Mentha diemenica) in the bush – not
a common occurrence for this region. It is now
established in the native garden along with apple
berry climbers, wildflowers and many bushfood
plants for eating or propagation.
Fruits of their labour
As well as hazelnuts, Craig and Bindi cultivate
smaller crops of cool-climate fruit, including currants,
berries, figs, medlars, feijoas, persimmons, quinces,
pears, nectarines and figs.
There are always plants in the trial stage to
complement the main production, or projects to
explore, such as making biochar from the nut
shells. They also have garden beds in which they
grow crops such garlic and artichokes, as well as
their bushfood garden.
“We want diversity and to see what can grow
in the area, to share that knowledge and produce
with others,” Bindi says.
Happy Wombat Hazelnuts is not open to the
public, but does welcome enquiries for organised
visits. Rainbows are not always guaranteed but
visitors are promised a learning experience about
farm operations and sustainable philosophy,
complemented by friendly conversations, and
some laughing therapy with Craig.
Follow: @happy_wombat_hazelnuts
learn more at: happywombat.com.au
 ORGANIC HARVEST

The taste of
winter
Annemarie Bolduc whips up some
delightful treats for the cooler weather,
including a decadent hazelnut fondue.
Recipes and photography by Annemarie Bolduc

PUMPKIN & SAFFRON RISOTTO

Pumpkin and saffron make a perfect match and are

harvested in the same season. The saffron crocus
(Crocus sativus) is a stunning flowering bulb that can
be grown in the backyard with a suitable climate,
space and patience. It can be found in most food
shops (just make sure to buy the real one and not the
cheap imitation). Risotto is creamy rice, cooked in
broth and wine very slowly by adding a little bit of
liquid at a time. If you have an extra sugar pumpkin
or any rounded winter pumpkin, roast it and fill it
with cooked risotto. It will add extra pumpkin flesh
and makes a stunning presentation.

3 cups vegetable stock

Pinch of saffron
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cups pumpkin, cut into small pieces
1 cup arborio rice
½ cup of pinot gris or pinot grigio
Pinch of pepper
⅓ cup fresh parmesan
1 tablespoon butter
1. In a small saucepan, warm the stock, add saffron to
infuse and release flavour, simmering gently.
2. In a medium-large non-stick saucepan, brown
onion with oil. Add garlic, carrot, pumpkin and stir
for a few minutes. Add rice and mix well. Deglaze
with wine and stir for a few minutes.
3. Add the saffron broth one ladle at a time, stirring
and simmering gently until the liquid is absorbed
between each ladle (it should take about 25 minutes).
Add pepper, parmesan and butter.
4. Mix well, reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover
and let rice finish cooking for about 15–20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat, and mix well (the pumpkin
should be cooked and soft by then). If you want a
creamier texture, add a little more stock and keep
simmering on low heat for a little longer.
To serve in a pumpkin bowl
1. Choose a medium-small size, rounded pumpkin.
Cut the top around the stem, remove the ‘lid’ and
scrape out the seeds and pulp.
2. Bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Fill with
the risotto and bake for another 25 minutes until the
pumpkin has softened.
3. Present with some warm colour late-season edible
flowers from the garden if you like. Et voilà!
Other garnishes: parmesan, pepper, roasted pepitas.
Note: Only the stigmas of the saffron crocus flower
are edible.

organicgardener.com.au 65
 HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE FONDUE
Chocolate fondue is such a delicious dessert (or
afternoon treat!) served with fresh fruits. Warm melted
chocolate, flavoured with hazelnuts, is so comforting.
This type of nut pairs so well with chocolate and adds
both texture and nutritional value. As for the fruit, I
suggest cool-season produce but particularly varieties
that are crisp and do not brown quickly after being cut.
I love apple varieties such as Greenstar or Kanzi as we
can get them straight from orchards near us in Batlow.
If you have an old fondue set sleeping in your
cupboard, that’s perfect, take it out and use it! If you
don’t have one, go to second-hand shops near you,
there is always at least one standing there waiting
for you! With a set, or without, you first prepare your
fondue in a small saucepan. You can always use that
pan to dip in or pour the hot chocolate mix over a
plate of fruit. Use good-quality cooking chocolate
(chips or bars) and enjoy this fondue in good company!
66
These ingredients will make enough for a standard chocolate
fondue dish.
Crisp apple variety (1 per person)
¼ cup hazelnut meal
¼ cup cocoa powder
90g dark chocolate
90g milk chocolate
1 cup milk (adjust the quantity to the preferred thickness)
Pinch of cinnamon
1. Slice the apples and place them in a serving dish.
If you don’t use a non-browning apple variety, cut
them right before you serve them.
2. In a small saucepan, mix together the remaining
fondue ingredients.
3. Warm and melt the mixture slowly on low heat
until smooth, stirring well.
4. If you find it too thick, add more milk. Pour the
mix into the fondue dish, light the candle, and dip
the fruits in. Et voilà!
 ORGANIC HARVEST

Crisp apples work well as a dipping fruit

for a fondue, but you can also spread the
warm chocolate mixture over berries.

HARVEST NOTES
BY PHIL DUDMAN

Passionfruit
These vines produce two crops
in season
a year: summer and winter. Pick
fruit that have developed full colour, are plump
and have a slight give, or just wait until they fall on
Fruit
the ground. They’ll keep for two weeks at room APPLE GRAPEFRUIT ORANGE
temperature or a month in a sealed container in AVOCADO KIWIFRUIT PASSIONFRUIT
the fridge. Freeze excess pulp in ice-cube trays. BANANA LEMON PEAR
CUSTARD APPLE MANDARIN POMELO

Cauliflower
Watch your caulies once they Vegetables
start developing heads. Pick CELERIAC PARSNIP
when they are firm and have CELERY PUMPKIN
reached a good size – but before ASIAN GREENS ENGLISH RADICCHIO
the florets separate. Unlike BEETROOT SPINACH RADISH
broccoli, they won’t grow side shoots, so cut the plant BROCCOLI JERUSALEM RHUBARB
off at the base when harvesting. Store in a perforated BRUSSELS ARTICHOKE SILVERBEET
plastic bag in the fridge crisper for up to a week. SPROUTS KALE SPRING ONION
CABBAGE KOHLRABI SWEDE
Sage CARROT
CAULIFLOWER
LEEK
LETTUCE
SWEET POTATO
TURNIP
You can harvest sage anytime,
but go lightly on young plants and
always leave adequate foliage
Herbs
on established plants to allow CHERVIL FENNEL PARSLEY
regeneration. When picking, pinch off the CHIVE GINGER ROSEMARY
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK

soft tips or use scissors to remove longer CORIANDER LEMON BALM SAGE
sprigs. Hang bunches of excess leaves to dry CURRY LEAF MINT THYME
then store in sealed jars in the kitchen. DILL OREGANO WINTER SAVOURY

organicgardener.com.au 67
 ORGANIC KITCHEN
And the
beetgoes on
A bunch of beetroot has many
uses, and with it’s root-to-leaf
eating there’s little waste,
especially with these tips from
the cornersmith’s Jaimee Edwards
and Alex Elliott-Howery.
68
B
eetroot make a show of themselves,
all over your hands and the bench when
you prep them, but they deserve our full
attention. Earthy-tasting and sweet all at once,
beetroot are hearty – and if used wisely, one
bunch can feed a modest-sized household.
Don’t forget that beetroot are root-to-leaf
eating. Soup, salad and a pickle in one
vegetable – well worth the bloody mess.
Beets go with
carrot pumpkin kohlrabi
parsnip dill tarragon
parsley barley buckwheat
sour cream ricotta butter
almonds hazelnuts
walnuts sunflower seeds
tahini ginger garlic
honey horseradish
sauerkraut apple pear
orange pomegranate
anchovies vinegar
mustard black pepper
 There’s many ways
Alex Elliot-Howery uses
beetroot leaves and
roots in her kitchen.

How to boil or
roast beetroot Flavour ideas for roasted or boiled beets
Combine dressed beets, soft-boiled eggs, smoked
Trim and scrub the beetroot. fish and chives.
Mix chopped roasted beets, toasted nuts, crumbled
TO BOIL: Place in a large saucepan or stockpot with
feta and parsley.
a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce
the heat and simmer until the beets can be pierced Serve with sour cream, Dijon mustard and dill.
easily with a knife. Drain. Add the zest and juice of 1 orange and season with
more olive oil, salt and lots of ground black pepper.
TO ROAST: Place in a small ovenproof dish so the Make your potato salad pink by adding roasted
beets fit snugly, and drizzle a little oil over them. Cover
beets, capers and plenty of chopped dill.
with foil and roast at 200°C for 40 minutes or until the
beets can be easily pierced with a knife. Allow to cool.
Once the beets are cooled, slip the skins off with your
hands. Beautiful ruby beetroot jewels will be revealed.
Dress with good-quality olive oil, salt and pepper and
STORAGE
Treat a bunch of beetroot as two
your finest vinegar, or try one of the ideas below.
PHOTOS: CORNERSMITH./ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK.

separate vegetables. Separate the leaves

Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
and stems from the roots and store
separately. Wrap the leaves and stems
in a clean, damp tea towel and pop in
a reusable plastic bag. They will stay
fresh for a week in the fridge. Store the
unwashed roots wrapped in a clean cloth
bag in the crisper for up to 10 days.

organicgardener.com.au 69
 ORGANIC KITCHEN

ROASTED BEET LEAVES

Just like kale chips only beeter. Get it?
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Wash the leaves and dry well.
If leaves are small and tender, leave them whole; if they’re
bigger and tougher, tear them into bite-sized pieces.
2. Place leaves in a large bowl, and add a very light drizzle
of sunflower or other vegetable oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a
sprinkling of cayenne pepper. Mix well with your hands,
then spread out on a baking tray in a single layer. Roast
for 10–15 minutes, until the leaves are crisp and dry.

BEET RELISH
Makes about 3 x 300ml jars
This is a good recipe for when you have a bunch of
beets and no idea what to do with them. It’s simple to
make, uses the whole bunch including stems, and lasts
for many months in the fridge. Serve on sandwiches,
burgers and steaks or with cheese or falafel.
1. In a medium saucepan, heat ¼ cup sunflower or other
vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 1 thinly sliced onion
and the thinly sliced beet stems, and sauté until soft, sweet
and pink.
2. Add 3–4 peeled and grated raw beets, 1 grated apple
(leave it out if you don’t have it, or replace it with 1 cup
Some ideas for using shredded cabbage), 1½ teaspoons ground pepper and

every last beet 2–3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or if you don’t have
ginger, then 1–2 teaspoons ground cumin).
3. Add 1 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar, ½ cup caster
Make a back-of-the-fridge beet dip: When sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves,
your forgotten beets have lost their lustre, reduce the heat to low, then simmer for 20 minutes or until
roast them until sweet and soft, then peel the relish has begun to thicken, adding a little water if it
and blend them with olive oil, garlic, salt, starts to dry out. It will keep in clean jars or an airtight
a splash of vinegar and some ground container in the fridge for a really long time.
coriander. Eat on toast with boiled eggs
for breakfast or in pitta bread for lunch.
Raw beetroot salad: Make a salad
combining 1 raw beetroot and 1 raw carrot,
both grated or cut into matchsticks, with
2–3 tablespoon diced pickles, and stirring
through ¼ cup sour cream or yoghurt
and plenty of salt and pepper. If you
happen to have it, add 1 tablespoon
freshly grated horseradish.

See more tips from

the Cornersmith duo,
Alex Elliott-Howery and
Jaimee Edwards in their
latest cookbook, The Food
Saver’s A-Z (Murdoch
Books, $49.99).

70
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 ORGANIC CONSERVATION

Dr Tonia Cochran’s Jurassic Garden.

Right: The garden includes Gondwana
plants from around the world.
.

Safe refuge at Inala

A driven conservationist has turned her property on
Bruny Island (Tas) into a haven for endangered birds,
plants and trees, including a Jurassic garden.
By Helen Cushing

D
r Tonia Cochran is a self-confessed all-or-
nothing person. So it’s not surprising to learn
she owns and manages a 600-hectare private
nature reserve, an international wildlife tour company
and a two hectare (five-acre) Gondwanan Botanic
Garden, all on Tasmania’s Bruny Island. Not that
she planned to take on so much.
As a marine biology PhD candidate researching
chitons on subantarctic Macquarie Island, the dream
was to do postdoctoral research in the US. She was
sidetracked, however, when offered a job with the
Australian Antarctic Division. Instead of the US,
Tonia moved to Bruny Island.
“I was from Melbourne, but I felt like I’d come home
on Bruny,” Tonia recalls.
For six years she worked at the Antarctic Division
and spent weekends on Bruny, where she ran a
Poll Hereford cattle stud, selling bulls and cows to

72
 local farmers. Tonia met the locals, talked cattle
with the farmers and made valuable connections
that bridged the divide often experienced between
newcomers and rural communities.
It was the 1990s and land was cheap. She bought
neighbouring blocks to expand the total size and
protect the bush. When asked, “What are you going
to do with it,” Tonia’s reply was, “Nothing”.
“I’m not into the idea of land ownership, I’m a
custodian or steward and see myself as an enabler.”
This attitude is reflected in the name Inala, which is
an Aboriginal word meaning ‘a peaceful place’.
Buying the neighbouring property with a cottage
proved a turning point. Tonia decided to use the
cottage for visitor accommodation, opening Easter,
1994. Later, another cottage was built for visitors.
PHOTOS: BRAD MORIARTY
“I wanted to attract people with the same interest in
nature conservation. I wrote to bushwalking and bird
watching clubs and so on. BirdLife Australia asked
me to write an article for their newsletter about our
Forty-spotted Pardalotes, a tiny, endangered
Tasmanian endemic bird that lives at Inala. Before
I knew it, the membership wanted tours!”
In response, Tonia created a three-hour property
tour followed by a slide show on Antarctica for visitors
staying over. Responding to demand, next came tours
of Bruny Island and other Australian destinations and
in 2017, Inala Nature Tours went international.
The company offers far more than nature tourism.
Income from the tours goes to the Inala Foundation,
an organisation supporting nature conservation and
research. But let’s get back to bird watching.
Bird watcher magnet
Tasmania has 12 species of endemic birds, all of which
are found at Inala. Inala is also an important breeding
area for the world’s fastest parrot, the critically
endangered Swift Parrot. Add nine species of raptors,
a couple of bird hides and expert guides, and it’s clear
why Inala is a magnet for bird watchers!
The Forty-spotted Pardalote is one of those wonders
of nature that is completely dependent on one plant
organicgardener.com.au 73
 Above: Tonia Cochran is passionate about nature.
Right: Nothofagus cunninghamii, commonly
known as myrtle beech or Tasmanian myrtle.

for food and nesting. Its relationship is with the manna

gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), a beautiful woodland tree
that used to be common in eastern Tasmania, but
now has limited distribution due to land clearing.
Unfortunately, climate change is leading to further
tree loss as it is highly sensitive to drought.
The tiny forty-spot, as it is commonly known,
harvests lerps and manna (also the name for a sugary
excretion) from the leaves of the manna gum. Lerps
are the covering of a sap-sucking bug called a psyllid.
Forty-spots have a hooked beak which they use to
scratch off the lerps, and ‘farm’ the manna by scraping
the leaf axils. Couples nest in hollows, so they need
mature trees for breeding. Forty-spots form colonies
that are largely sedentary, meaning they don’t travel
far, although juveniles are more adventurous.
On Inala, manna gums grow along a creek, enters the nests and eats the female and her eggs or
protected from drought, with additional planting over nestlings. As there are no gliders on Bruny, it is of
the last 30 years. This stand is home to a healthy major importance for Swift Parrot breeding.
colony of Forty-spots that visitors easily observe from The raptor hide, complete with one-way glass, is
a high platform in the lower canopy. Inala’s nursery another attraction for visitors. Each morning the farm
propagates thousands of manna gums for landowners manager collects roadkill, which is sadly abundant.
on Bruny Island, creating habitat for this fussy eater. Pouches are checked for joeys before the carcass is
Inala’s forty-spot colony is one of Tasmania’s most placed in a paddock where six species of raptors know
important, both in terms of numbers and research. they can feed safely. Wedge-tailed Eagles, White-bellied
Sea-Eagles, white morph Grey Goshawks, Brown
Swift Parrots and raptors Goshawks, Swamp Harriers and Brown Falcons feed on
The Swift Parrot is another bird in trouble, with an the carcass, while Tasmanian Boobooks pick beetles off
estimated population of 300 or so. Migrating from the remains. Inala is a haven for our winged friends,
Victoria to Tasmania to breed, swifties feed on mature as well as for the people who love them.
Tasmanian blue gum (E. globulus). Blue gums flower
PHOTOS: BRAD MORIARTY/TONIA COCHRAN.

irregularly, meaning each year the birds must find
gums that are flowering near suitable nesting hollows.
Inala is home to old-growth eucalyptus forest, such as
blue gum and swamp gum (E. ovata), the swift parrots’
preferred species. Additionally, Tonia is experimenting
with earlier maturing eucalypts, such as yellow gum
(E. leucoxylon), which she has seen the birds feasting in.
A major threat on mainland Tasmania is the
introduced Krefft’s glider (formerly sugar glider), which
Inala Jurassic Garden
Tonia had an empty two-hectare hay paddock near
the Inala reception area. She knew someone growing
Gondwanan plants and decided to create a Jurassic
garden to show the similarities between the species
growing on different continents today. Tasmania
was the last piece of land to break off Antarctica,
signalling the end of the Gondwana supercontinent
millions of years ago. Gondwana consisted of the

74
 ORGANIC CONSERVATION

Clockwise from top left: The endangered

Forty-spotted Pardalote is dependent on
the manna gums for food; the Swift Parrot;
flowers of the Lomatia ferruginea, which
is native to Chile; nesting boxes provide
a haven for birds; Wilkie’s leatherwood
is listed as a vulnerable species.
PHOTOS: ANDREW BROWN/CHRIS TZAROS/BRAD MORIARTY

organicgardener.com.au 75
 ORGANIC CONSERVATION
Pines at the entrance to the garden.
Right: Species in the Jurassic Garden are
being shared with other botanic gardens.
combined land masses of today’s southern continents,
including Antarctica, Australasia, Africa, South
America and India.
In 2013, the garden was laid out around a winding,
wheelchair-friendly path. Over 750 species from about
50 families are planted in family groupings. When
they enter, visitors find themselves among a gathering
of the family Araucariaceae, known as the southern
pines. They are widely spaced, in anticipation of their
growth into towering giants. A South American
monkey puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana) looks across to
Aussie cousins bunya (A. bidwillii) and hoop pine (A.
cunninghamii). Kauris (Agathis spp.) from Australia and
New Zealand meet their distant relative, the Wollemi
pine (Wollemia nobilis), a ‘living fossil’ discovered in
the Blue Mountains near Sydney in 1994.
“This is a refuge for Wollemi pines,” Tonia explains.
“People who can’t pot them up any bigger bring them
to Inala.”
Tasmanian endemics from the genus Athrotaxis
grow strongly on Inala, far from their alpine homes.
Australian Callitris spp. meet South African
Widdringtonia spp., after millions of years apart.
Leaving the conifers, a reunion of Southern
beeches (Nothofagus spp.), found in Australasia and
South America, grows dense and dark. These include
Australia’s only winter deciduous plant, Nothofagus
gunnii, from alpine Tasmania. Better known to
gardeners are the Proteaceae and Myrtaceae families,
represented by banksias, proteas, waratahs, lilly pillys
and more. Floral favourites include alstroemerias,
irises, kangaroo paws and waterlilies. Beloved of bees
and humans alike, are the leatherwoods, occurring
only in Australia and South America.
76
Part of a global network
Inala Jurassic Garden is now a registered botanic
garden. This means Tonia is part of a global network
of botanic gardens involved in research and
conservation of endangered species. Most exciting is
involvement in a project to grow Mulanje cedar
(Widdringtonia whytei), native to a mountain top in
Malawi, Africa and functionally extinct in the wild. In
collaboration with Bedgebury National Pinetum in the
UK, Tonia will soon receive seeds to grow at Inala.
Bedgebury have been able to grow the seeds but have
not had success growing on the plants due to their
unsuitable climate. Inala already grows two species of
Widdringtonia and it is hoped that the W. whytei will
also thrive, becoming an ark from which the species
can be reintroduced to its homeland.
Inala is also collaborating with Royal Botanic
Gardens Kew-Wakehurst, the headquarters for the
global conservation of Nothofagus, which is
threatened by the fungal disease myrtle wilt. The
Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra
are asking for plants that Inala grows, and both
Melbourne and Sydney botanical gardens are
collaborating on projects with Inala.
“I can sleep at night knowing that I’ve done
something. I’m busier than I know what to do with.
PHOTOS: BRAD MORIARTY
I’m driven. I cause a lot of trouble for my staff –
they’re busy enough already. But if an opportunity
comes along, I’m not going to say no.”
Follow: @inala_jurassic_garden inalanaturetours
more: jurassicgarden.com.au; inalanaturetours.com.au
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 ORGANIC POULTRY

Benefits of
bantams
If you’d love to keep a few low-cost
chooks for eggs but live in an urban
area or have limited space, bantams
are the answer, writes Jessamy Miller.

B
antams are smaller than your standard
chooks but bursting with personality. They
are available in a range of breeds, so you
can choose birds as household layers, family pets
or living garden ornaments, or to be your helpers
in the permaculture garden.
In a mixed flock, it’s often a bantam hen that
becomes top chook – they can be feisty. Bantams
are hardy, tend to live longer than large fowl, and
generally get less stressed by heat as their small
bodies handle it better – fluffy breeds aside, of course.
PHOTOS: ABOVE: ANNEMARIE BOLDUC @BOTTLEANDBRUSHSTUDIO/

Miniatures versus true bantams Feeding your bantam

Many large or ‘standard’ bodied pure breeds have
a miniature or bantam counterpart. These retain all
the qualities of the large breed, simply scaled down.
However, there are also a few breeds that
only come in a bantam option, and these are known
as true bantams. They include Belgians, Sebrights
and Pekins.
In addition, to confuse us, a few fowls fall into
Like all chooks, bantams do best on a balanced
diet of mixed grains, layer pellets or mash, a few
food scraps, and grass or greens for vitamins and
minerals. They need regular shellgrit, hard grit
or small stones for digestion and cool clean water.
Where a standard hybrid layer eats around 110g
a day, and a Light Sussex closer to 140g, a bantam
will eat around 50-60g, a significant saving. Bantams
LEFT: JESSAMY MILLER

the large category, but are quite small bodied, such have dainty beaks and many prefer a smaller sized
as the Silkie; while sometimes referred to as the Silkie ration such as a micro pellet or a mash. I’ve also
bantam, it is a large breed. There is a Silkie bantam found my bantams favour the smaller seeds in
form but it’s rare in Australia. a balanced grain mix.

78
Above: Bantams are low-cost and perfect for
urban areas.
Left: Bantams don’t eat as much as full-sized hens.

It’s often a bantam hen

that becomes top chook –
they can be feisty.

organicgardener.com.au 79
 ORGANIC POULTRY

Economical layers
The number one advantage of bantams is that while
they are less than half the size of a large fowl, and eat
half the feed, their eggs are around two-thirds the size
of an average chook egg, so they are highly economical.
The number of eggs per year depends on the breed:
Slim-bodied utility breeds tend to lay more eggs a year
than fluffy or ornamental types. Of course, individual
health and diet also plays a role in egg production.
Bantam eggs tend to have a larger proportion of yolk
to white, making them slightly more nutritious. When
using them in recipes, be guided by weight: a standard
egg is 60g, a bantam one about 40g. I generally
use two bantam eggs for one standard egg in a Above left: Bantams lay eggs that tend to have a larger
recipe, and three bantam eggs for two standard eggs. proportion of yolk to white.
Above: The extravagantly feathered feet of the Belgian
Barbu d’Uccles are a show stopper in any garden.

Space savers effective at defending the girls against predators.

Another saving is the amount of space required
for the henhouse and yard; bantams only require
around 35–50cm2 per bird in the henhouse and
50–100cm each in the run.
This means the inexpensive cottage style henhouses
available online are perfectly adequate for a few
All roosters can become aggressive during the
spring mating season, however bantam roosters
generally cause minimal damage to humans
if they become feisty.
Containment
PHOTOS: ANNEMARIE BOLDUC @BOTTLEANDBRUSHSTUDIO.

bantams. If buying one of these, check it’s well
ventilated and consider painting it to preserve the
woodwork as they quickly become weathered.
Whatever your choice of housing, make protection
a priority. Bantams can be prey to a large number of
predators, including pythons, rats, native marsupials
and raptor birds. Even magpies and kookaburras
can target smaller types and tiny bantam chicks.
Wire mesh should be galvanised and small aperture
to keep chicks in and rodents and snakes out.
Bantam roosters are just as noisy and full of
heart as large ones, but their size makes them less
Large fowls with their dinosaur feet are demolition
experts in the vegie garden. Bantams will give it
a good go but sheer scale is against them, they
just can’t reach the same levels of mass destruction.
This means they cause much less wear and
tear, especially in urban backyards.
Free range bantams may be foiled by low
fences that you can simply step over; a good option
is a short picket fence. I installed a few rows of
recycled brick to create a raised vegie bed then
added a decorative wire mesh border on top to
keep mine out of the seedlings.

80

An easier package
Many owners, including older people, find bantams
easier to handle than large fowl, and they make
ideal pets for children as they are less intimidating.
Routine management tasks are easier, such as
removing from the perch to check for parasites
or trim nails. While most have been friendly, I once
had an aggressive bantam female, it was like being
attacked by a small, angry powder puff.
Above: Sebrights
PHOTOS: TOP: ANNEMARIE BOLDUC @BOTTLEANDBRUSHSTUDIO/BOTTOM: ALAMY
are ornamental
favourites but not
great layers.
Right: Japanese
Bantams are good
fliers so keep
an eye on them.
Best Breeds
There is such an array of tempting
bantam breeds it can be really hard to
choose, so here’s some details to help:
Miniatures
Bantam Australian Langshan: These
close feathered birds have light foot
feather and thrive in heat. Available in
white, black, splash and blue, they are one
of the best purebred layers of tinted
eggs and rarely go broody.
Bantam Light Sussex: A fluffy armful,
these white and black bantams love
their tucker but won’t eat you out of
house and home like the large size.
They are moderate layers of tinted
eggs and will go clucky.
Bantam Araucana: These blue-green
egg layers are busy village birds from
South America that love to help in the
garden. They have a small crest and
face muff and come in colours, including
black and lavender.
True bantams
Sebright: An ornamental favourite, you
can’t beat their spectacular rose comb
and gold- or silver-laced plumage. These
chooks aren’t great layers, but don’t need
to be when they are this attractive.
Japanese Bantam: These petite fowls
have elegant tail feathers reminiscent
of ikebana flower arrangements. Hardy
and tiny, they are reasonable layers
of creamy-white eggs, good mothers
and surprisingly good fliers.
Pekin: Pekins are ‘floof’ personified with
profuse feathering throughout, including
on feet. They make ideal children’s pets
as they are placid and engaging. They do
need special care in the heat, and can get
external parasites in their foot feather.
They are poor fliers, moderate layers of
tinted eggs, and tend to broodiness.
Belgian Barbu d’Uccle: Another family
favourite, these tiny bantams have
extravagantly feathered feet and beards.
They lay plenty of small, white eggs, and
are friendly and very gentle. As one of the
smallest bantams they may need extra
protection from predators and bigger
birds. Colours include millefleur and
black mottled.
organicgardener.com.au 81
 AN GREEN
CLEseries

Green, serene
bedroom
Jessamy Miller looks at organic and natural options for the
bedroom, from mattresses to linen and air quality.

I ECO-FRIENDLY CHOICES
n the pursuit of an eco-friendly, low-tox life,
making the bedroom a sanctuary has to be
high on the list of priorities. Clean air, organic
materials and an environment free of toxins
can boost health, wellbeing and, all importantly,
sleep quality.
Bedroom furniture and linen can be costly, and
eco-friendly options often have a higher price tag
than those mass produced. However, they should
be of higher quality, last longer, be better for your
health and cause less harm to the environment and
the workers who make them. Of course, levelling up
your bedroom over time, as the current items wear
out, will be more affordable and achievable and
less wasteful than a dramatic makeover.
Here are some suggestions for making your
bedroom cleaner and greener.
Quilts and pillows
The most environmentally friendly quilts are made
from wool, alpaca fleece, Ingeo (a brand name for
biopolymers made from natural plant sugars), and
Tencel (a sustainable wood pulp that is eco-friendly,
hypo-allergenic and biodegradable). If allergies are
an issue, look for products with the National Asthma
Council’s Sensitive Choice symbol on their packaging.
You could also consider 100 per cent woollen
blankets instead of a quilt; wool is a natural product
that can regulate body temperature.
Bedding options include:
Bambi quilts made using pure alpaca, Tencel,
cotton and Ingeo;

82
 Blessed Earth’s organic cotton quilts and pillows;
Ecodownunder alpaca and wool quilts; and
Ecolinen alpaca quilts, Tencel eucalyptus quilts,
Ingeo corn fibre quilts and organic cotton quilts.
Pillow options include:
The Natural Bedding Company’s buckwheat hull
or organic wool pillows;
Ecodownunder hypoallergenic, antibacterial
corn fibre pillows; and
Killapilla all-natural organic cotton and wool pillows.

Mattresses
A healthy mattress is important as we spend many
hours pressed into it each night, getting our zzzs.
Conventional mattresses can emit toxic VOCs
(volatile organic compounds). In fact, the average
mattress contains a number of chemicals as well as
flame retardants, which they can ‘off gas’, or emit, in
minute amounts. A US study found that one memory
foam mattress emitted 61 VOCs, including known
carcinogens benzene and naphthalene.
When purchasing a mattress, look for a model
that’s made without synthetic ingredients, creates low
emissions in the manufacturing process, has very low
VOCs and is made with renewable materials that are
abundant and easy to replace. Also, find out whether
the mattress can be recycled at end of life, so it will
not end up in landfill.
Mattresses made from organic cotton, natural
tree-tapped latex, Tencel and organic wool represent
options that may benefit health, and reduce allergies
and environmental impact. If you can’t change your
mattress, a good option is an organic mattress topper.
Mattress options include:
Peace Lily non-toxic, natural latex mattress;
Ecosa Vital hybrid mattress, which is carbon neutral
and OceanCycle and Oeko Tex 100 certified; and
The Natural Bedding Company range of
hypo-allergenic, organic latex mattresses.
Bedroom furniture
If in the market for a bedroom suite, look for one
made of timber that is certified by Responsible Wood,
which is the Australian member of the Programme
for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC
International) or with Forest Stewardship Council
(FSC) certification. If using recycled or reclaimed
timber also check for FSC certification. Alternatively,
bamboo is renewable, grows quickly and as a crop it
doesn’t require pesticides and harmful chemicals.
Another option is to source pre-loved furniture on
Gumtree or second-hand and vintage dealers. These
PHOTOS: ISTOCK
Linen
Choosing natural organic bedroom linen is a
meaningful way to avoid chemical-based farming,
support beneficial farming practices and make a
difference to the environment and your health.
Conventional cotton is not an eco-friendly crop; in
Australia, it is grown with pesticides and chemicals,
and is highly processed in manufacturing. It requires
massive amounts of water for irrigation, which we
can ill afford.
Certified organic cotton is chemical-free and is
generally grown in areas that utilise natural rain
water, so tends to not require irrigation.
Flax (from which linen is made) is a sustainable
crop that requires fewer resources and less water
to grow and process than cotton. It also grows
without the need for pesticides and chemicals.
Another alternative, hemp, is not water hungry
and is biodegradable.
Bedding options include:
Blessed Earth sells a range of certified organic
sheet sets;
Bhumi certified organically grown and ethically
made cotton bedding;
Good Studios ethically made hemp bed sets
and quilts; and

are not only low cost and low waste, but often made Sheets On The Line has a range of bedding made
of better quality materials. A splash of VOC-free, from recycled cotton.
eco paint can transform any piece!

organicgardener.com.au 83
 AN GREEN
CLEseries
CLEANER ENVIRONMENT
Power down
Save power in the bedroom by heating on a
lower setting over winter; as long as you are toasty
warm in bed, cool air in the bedroom actually
helps improve quality of sleep.
Close your bedroom door at night and use
a draught excluder or door snake. Hang heavy,
insulating curtains and check windows for drafts
and fill any cracks and gaps. Double or triple
glazing will prevent much heat loss if you can
afford to upgrade your windows.
To stay warm in bed, consider a hot water bottle;
the Hugo Frosch Eco Hot Water Bottle 2L is made of
more than 90 per cent renewable resources, while
the YuYu bottle is made from 100 per cent natural,
biodegradable rubber sourced from FSC certified
Sri Lankan forests. 
Moths
The biggest enemy of natural fabrics, such as wool,
is moths. Always put clothes away clean as even light
soiling can attract these pests into the wardrobe.
Avoid mothballs that contain naphthalene, which
according to the US National Pesticide Information
Center can be toxic to humans and pets. Instead, make
your own natural repellent: fill a cloth bag with dried
rosemary, thyme, cloves, lavender or bay leaves, and hang.
Refresh with essential oils of these herbs, which can also
repel moths. Red cedar and huon pine are also safe,
natural and effective moth deterrents.
84
Declutter
These days we know the importance
of sleep hygiene, with the aim being to
use our beds for sleep and sex only
(that means no work or screen time).
If space in your home allows, start
by removing distractions from the
bedroom to create a soothing clutter-
free zone. First to go are electronics,
such as devices and chargers.
Using technology before bed can
stimulate your mind, making it harder
to fall asleep. Sounds and flashing
lights in the bedroom can disrupt
sleep, while the blue light emitted by
many devices has been shown to
suppress the production of melatonin,
a hormone that facilitates sleep.
Tempting as they are, if sleep is a
problem for you, leave electronics in
the living area and aim for a period
of screen-free time before bed.
Removing other unnecessary clutter
and keeping the room tidy can also
help the bedroom feel calm and
conducive to healthy sleep.
Clean air
Fresh air can increase your oxygenation levels and
improve overall sleep quality so open the windows
and air the bedroom daily.
Dust mites love living in our beds, linen and
clothes; exposure can impact the health of people
with asthma and those who are allergic or sensitive
to mites. If susceptible, wash bedding weekly in hot
water to kill dust mites. Vacuum weekly with a HEPA
filter, and if you can manage it, regularly air the
mattress and pillows in the sun.
Plants will help with general indoor air quality,
and also create a natural environment that’s
soothing to the soul. Just make sure there’s enough
light, and that you water them regularly. Plants that
improve indoor air quality include devil’s ivy, spider
plant, rubber plant and, for those with a modernist
aesthetic, mother-in-laws tongue.
References
A Healthier Home, Shawna Holman (Quarto US)
Low Tox Life, Alexx Stuart (Murdoch Books)
www.leafscore.com/eco-friendly-bed-products/
PHOTO: ISTOCK
the-complete-guide-to-toxins-in-mattresses/
www.nationalasthma.org.au/about-us/our-
initiatives/sensitive-choice-oi
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organicgardener.com.au 89
 LOSING THE PLOT

A flash of fox
Simon Webster ponders the fate of foxes when he
spots one on his farm… was it fishing?

I
saw a fox the other Apparently they were
morning. There was introduced to Australia
about a foot of water in the mid-1800s by
running over the landowners who
causeway, and he was wanted to organise a bit
standing in it, with his of fox hunting fun – just
head in the creek, on like in the old country.
the downstream side. Bad idea? Yes, on so
I reckon he was many levels. But hardly
trying to catch a fish. the foxes’ fault.
Or a turtle. He could Anything that can
have been seeing how escape those hunters
long he could hold and make a life for
his breath underwater itself deserves a bit
as a dare, but my of sympathy, I reckon.
money’s on the fishing; I mean, if this was
I couldn’t hear any a movie, with 19th-
sniggering coming from century mustachioed
his mates in the woods. landowners and
It’s not unusual braying dogs and so
for us to come around on, you’d be cheering
the corner and find for the fox, wouldn’t
unexpected guests on the causeway. Normally we you? Admittedly, in act three, when the fox turns
have to wait for them to gather their towels, picnic into a mass murderer, you’d probably feel a bit
rugs, cans of beer and inflatable bananas before we conflicted, and accept that he needs to be brought
can drive past. But the fox? Gone in a flash. A dash to justice. But you’d still sympathise. Surely.
through the water, a quick check over his shoulder, Come to think of it, this particular fox’s
and poof! Vanished. Perhaps never to be seen again. presence may explain a couple of mystery chicken
It was one of those slaps in the face that makes disappearances. I saw something take a chook a
you go: Wow! Nature! Even when you’re surrounded while back. I was up in the house, and it was a blur,
by it, it surprises you sometimes. amid the jungle of the chook run. Probably a dog,
Of course, if I was a real farmer, I would have I thought, at the time. But maybe not.
been reaching for the shotgun. Setting the traps. I fixed the fences, and the chicken snatching
Releasing the hounds. But I’m not even a pretend stopped. But the chooks make a big fuss every now
farmer these days (which is a relief, because it’s and then. I head down there and might find a
hard, pretending), and I was happy to watch him python sitting in a nesting box, or a goanna that
ILLUSTRATION: BRENNA QUINLAN

scarper into the bush.
I know they’re feral. I know they eat chooks,
and lambs, and have done terrible things to native
bird and mammal populations. In many places
they’re a serious pest. But here on Plot Farm I’ve
only seen three foxes in 15 years. And you’ve
got to feel for them.
needs chasing off. Or I might find nothing. And
now I wonder if it’s this fox, prowling the perimeter.
I know, I know. If he got in and wreaked havoc,
I might feel differently about foxes; be less of a
sympathiser. Less of an apologist.
I’ll keep checking the fences. Hopefully the
fishing’s good.

90
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