grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably

SEPT/OCT 2023
JENNIFER STACKHOUSE
EAT LIKE AN ASTRONAUT Clever crops: Kawakawa & peanut butter tree
Grow a space salad! Ornamentals: Sunflowers
PLUS Sweet corn & edible hedges
CHLOE THOMSON
Clitoria & comfrey CLAIRE BICKLE
Syzygiums you can eat

HOW TO ANGUS STEWART

• Make DIY ant traps Native orchids
• Create a foodscape
• Plant (beginners’ tips)

Vol. 14 No. 3
SEPT/OCT 2023 AUS $9.95*
NZ $7.90 (Both incl. GST)

ILLER
MEGG M ackers
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72
CONTENTS
REGULARS
6 EDITOR’S NOTE
A roundup of what’s
in the issue
10 THE GRAPEVINE
Jo Immig reports on plants’
distress calls, restoring
damaged ecosystems and
fungi that eat plastics
12 WHAT’S HOT
Chloe Thomson with four
exciting new pear varieties
14 GREEN NEWS
The think tank that’s addressing
Australia’s food crisis
38 MOON CALENDAR
A basic guide to planting
in harmony with the phases
of the moon
39 PLANT NOW
What to plant in September
and October according to your
climate zone and moon phases
4 | Good Organic Gardening
80 THINGS TO DO
What’s what in your plot and
what needs doing right now
96 IN SEASON
The seasonal delights of
September and October
102 BOOKS
Leafing through books for
gardeners and cooks
104 PICK OF THE CROP
Great products and services
from our advertisers
PLANTS
16 CLEVER CROPS
Jennifer Stackhouse looks at
kakakawa, a relative of kava,
and peanut butter tree, which
is unrelated to peanut butter
18 PLANT PROFILE
The eggplant (or aubergine)
isn’t even a vegetable — it’s
technically a berry
56
20
22 FAMILY HEIRLOOMS
Chloe Thomson reports
on the versatile tomato —
also not a vegetable but a
fruit — with 500 heirloom
varieties in Australia alone
42 TIME TO PLANT
Chloe’s planting comfrey and
clitoria (butterfly pea) while
Jennifer talks corn, grows
edible hedges and reports
on astronauticulture, or food
grown in space
56 PLANT SHOWCASE
Syzygium, or lilly pilly, is an
ornamental hedge, shade
tree, wildlife habitat and food
source all in one
60 ORNAMENTALS
Who doesn’t love a
sunflower? They’re like
giant daisies that not
only mirror the sun but
also track its movements
64 GO NATIVE
Angus Stewart examines
the boundless variety — and
endless fascination — of our
native orchids
PEOPLE
26 GARDENING FOLK
A community of church-
goers and vegie growers
congregates around a shared
garden to celebrate living
the good life
30 GARDENING FOLK
A tech couple swap Africa
for southern Queensland
and create a seasonal flower
enterprise and a beautiful
new fertile landscape
34 GARDENING FOLK
Two busy empty nesters
share a six-acre property with
rabbits, cats, a goat and a
fruit-eating dog in Victoria’s
beautiful Yarra Valley
 60 97

GARDEN LIFE
76 FEATHERED FRIENDS
Megg Miller gets her ducks in
a row — specifically, the large,
stately English Aylesbury and
french Rouen, often known as
deluxe ducks

103 SUGAR GLIDER garden, writes Linda Moon,

The cute and tiny possum you could always try
6
known for its fabulous foodscaping page 2 page 30
aerial gymnastics
72 BACKYARD
FOOD PERMACULTURE
97 GARDEN TO TABLE Angelo Eliades shows
Gluten-free baking that will how to control ants in an
appeal to all the family environmentally safe way
with a homemade borax
PLOT PROJECTS,
PLANNING &
bait and trap
page 34
MAINTENANCE WELLBEING
40 BACK TO BASICS 84 NEWSFEED 88 SPRING FEVER
10 tips to help your plants What’s new in the How to manage the
grow up big and strong world of wellbeing sneeze season

68 GARDEN PLANNING 86 POWERPLANT 92 JOJOBA

When there’s no room for The therapeutic uses of The plant-based wax for
ornamentals in the edible meadowsweet health and beauty

Good Organic Gardening | 5

 xxxxxxxxx
THIS ISSUE
I
f you’re lucky enough to live in
a region where you can see the
seasons change, you might have
noticed how autumn and spring
complement each other.
The deep gold and russet tones of
what Americans call the fall season find
their echo when, after the drab bareness
of winter, the colours come roaring back
as spring unleashes the fresh blush of
budburst and the world is reborn.
That’s why our spring issue is
celebrating colour, beginning with the
limitless shades of red, gold, green,
orange and even purple of our cover
stars, heirloom tomatoes. As Chloe
Thomson writes, there are around 500
varieties in Australia alone, so there’s no
reason you couldn’t be harvesting some
pink or burgundy toms this season.
The same goes for sweet corn, whose
kernels range far beyond yellow to red
and deep blue, sometimes all at once.
And some might be surprised to learn
there are eggplant varieties that depart
from the familiar purple-black to take on
hues of lavender, green, bright-orange
and white — and even candy stripes.
Besides corn, Jennifer Stackhouse
chooses New Zealand’s own pepper
plant kawakawa and the only slightly
wacky peanut butter tree for her clever
crops. Her ornamentals this issue are
those bright overgrown daisies called
sunflowers and she also extols the colour
and taste of edible hedges.
Speaking of hedges, Claire Bickle
investigates the wide world of
Syzygium, a genus that includes lilly
pilly and cloves. She also looks into
purple-budded comfrey and clitoria,
/GoodOrganicGardeningMagazine
6 | Good Organic Gardening
a bright-blue flower whose name never
fails to arouse comments.
Angus Stewart explores the world of
native orchids, whose endless formal
variety and breathtaking range of colours
go some way to explaining how they can
become an obsession.
And if you think your space is too
limited to grow both edibles and
ornamentals, Linda Moon shows how you
can combine both through foodscaping,
the art of bringing together the colours
of chives, leeks, amaranths, kales and
chicories to zhoosh up the plain greens
of your food garden.
Even Megg’s Miller’s feathered friends
are sporting fancy colours in her story on
those grand table birds known as deluxe
ducks — not so much the prim white
English Aylesbury but the French Rouen,
which proudly wears the splendid livery
of the wild mallard.
Our Gardening Folk from Victoria’s
Yarra Valley, Wights Mountain in
Queensland and Albany, Western
Australia, all have beautifully colourful
gardens to inspect and inspire.
Of course, the downside of spring is
the release of pollen and the outbreak
of allergic rhinitis — otherwise known as
hay fever, though it’s not caused by hay
and isn’t really a fever. Our Wellbeing
section offers some practical solutions,
including foods that may provide relief.
Still, a few sneezes are surely a small
price to pay for the colour and vibrancy
of spring.
Happy gardening and see you in late
spring/early summer.
Ke rr y
infoGOG@umco.com.au
grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably
Editor Kerry Boyne Email: kboyne@umco.com.au
Designer Michaela Primiano
Contributors Carrol Baker, Gracie Balev,
Claire Bickle, Dr Karen Bridgman,
Angelo Eliades, Jana Holmer, Jo Immig,
Megg Miller, Linda Moon, Jennifer Stackhouse,
Chris Stafford, Angus Stewart, Chloe Thomson
National Advertising Manager
Ahssan Naimat
Mb: 0413 444 260 Email: anaimat@umco.com.au
Queensland Advertising Manager
Rosemary Wood
Mb: 0404 306 050 Email: rwood@umco.com.au
Advertising Production Co-ordinator
Shanya Peris
Cover Photo Getty Images
Chairman/CEO Prema Perera
Publisher Janice Williams
Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva
Associate Publisher Emma Perera
Circulation Business Development Manager
Mark McTaggart
Creative Director Martha Rubazewicz
Subscription enquiries: 1300 303 414
Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office: (02) 9805 0399
Good Organic Gardening Vol. 14 No. 3 is published by Universal
Media Pty Ltd, Unit 5, 6–8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113.
Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office:
Suite 4, Level 1, 150 Albert Road, South Melbourne Vic 3025. Phone:
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 winner
2022 AUSTRALIAN
SMART50
SUSTAINABILITY
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AUSTRALIAN
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GOOD ORGANIC GARDENING PROMOTION | SWIFT GROW
SWIFT GROW
CONTINUING THE SWIFT GROW STORY: HOW IT
RESTORES COLOUR, FLAVOUR AND AROMA TO FOOD
S
wift Grow is a fertiliser
that’s purified and sold in
concentrated liquid and
dried forms.
As outlined in recent issues of Good
Organic Gardening, Swift Grow’s benefits
include its ability to:
• Restore dead soil
• Increase crop yield by 30 per cent
• Restore colour, scent and flavour
to food
• Increase farm productivity and
bee immunity
• Provide a solution to climate change
Last issue, we looked at Swift Grow’s
capacity to increase crop yield. Here,
founding microbiologist Joseph Ayoub
explains its propensity for restoring the
colour, flavour and aroma of foods.
8 | Good Organic Gardening
WHERE DID THE TASTE GO?
At your local store you see all the different
types of fruits and vegetables: fresh, big,
colourful, neatly packaged and looking
appetising. However, your perception
changes immediately when you get them
home and take a bite — they’re not as
tasty or sweet as you remember.
You’re not the only one. I have eaten
bland berries, unripe bananas, stone-hard
kiwi fruit and woody peaches. So where
did the flavour, aroma and taste go?
Throughout history, flavours (not to
mention the basic nutrients that keep us
healthy) have come straight from plants.
These flavours and aromas play a major
role in our everyday enjoyment of food.
They are the key components that define
its sensory characteristics.
 SWIFT GROW | GOOD ORGANIC GARDENING PROMOTION

If you want great flavour, colour and

aroma from your garden produce, you
should turn to some of the oldest life
forms on our planet: soil micro-organisms.
The taste and aroma of fruits, berries,
and vegetables determine their flavour
profile. The sweetness of a fruit, for
example, is derived from the concentration
of glucose or fructose, while its unique
scent is produced by volatile compounds
such as esters and terpenes.
Esters can provide fruity, floral or
tropical notes, while aldehydes can impart
citrus or green flavours. Furthermore,
fruits and vegetables should be rich in
vitamins, folic acids and antioxidants.
Vast cultures of soil micro-organisms
follow specific metabolic pathways to
produce specific flavour compounds.
Grow tomatoes with true In the soil, plants release root exudates,
colour, flavour and aroma
including organic compounds like amino
acids, sugars, organic acids and enzymes,
Joseph Ayoub, Better, more available which serve as food sources for micro-
Swift Grow founder nutrients equals better fruit organisms, including bacteria and fungi.
The decomposition of organic matter,
including root exudates, releases nutrients
and secondary metabolites essential for
plant growth and for various biological
activities and characteristics, including
aroma, pigmentation, UV protection,
pollinator attraction, defence against
pathogens and antioxidant content.
Billions have been spent on developing
synthetic fertilisers, insecticides,
fungicides, rodenticides, herbicides and
soil fumigants, which together are largely
responsible for the eradication of so many
micro-organisms essential for healthy soil.
The good news you see here is there’s
an alternative to synthetic fertilisers.
Healthy beneficial soil micro-organisms
such as fungi, bacteria, algae and
actinobacteria restore aroma and taste
Better flowering in crops. The benefits provided by these
means more fruit micro-organisms are improved soil quality
and increased agricultural productivity.
Hence the value of Swift Grow fertiliser,
which enriches and encourages the
activity of micro-organisms in the soil.

IN SHORT
Swift Grow’s natural probiotics produce
food super-rich in good gut bacteria
with true taste, aroma and colour.
In the next instalment of the Swift Grow
story, we explain in detail how this product
can increase farm productivity and help to
restore bees’ immunity to pathogens.

For more information, ph 02 8610 6789

or visit swiftgrow.com.au.

Good Organic Gardening | 9

THE GRAPEVINE | NEWS
TH E
Grapevine
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AND UPDATES COMPILED BY JO IMMIG
THE FUNGI THAT ATE PLASTIC
Australian scientists have isolated
common fungi species from plants and
soil that can be harnessed to break down
polypropylene, a plastic widely used in
many everyday items such as takeaway
containers and cling film.
Like most plastics, polypropylene
doesn’t readily degrade and only about
1 per cent is currently recycled so it
represents a massive environmental
pollution and resource challenge.
Professor Abbas, who leads the
JO IMMIG team of researchers at the University
Jo is an environmental of Sydney, is the first to acknowledge
scientist, photographer their findings are no magic bullet and
and writer. She has points out plastic production needs to
worked in the environment be drastically reduced to address the
movement for decades plastic challenge.
and is co-ordinator The two fungi investigated —
of the National Toxics Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium
Network, an organisation album — took 90 days to degrade 27 per
dedicated to creating cent of the plastic tested and around 140
a toxic-free future. She days to break it down completely.
has written many articles The polypropylene needs to be
for magazines and is the pretreated with UV radiation or heat to
author of two books: make the polymer more susceptible to
Toxic Playground and water and fungal impacts.
Safer Solutions. Both the tested fungi contain rich
10 | Good Organic Gardening
sources of degrading enzymes capable
of surviving in harsh environments under
low-nutrient and low-moisture conditions.
While the research shows great
promise on a small scale, the fungal
experiment now needs to be stepped up
to ensure it can process large tonnages
of plastic waste.
The researchers are confident they
can borrow techniques already used
in fermentation and chemical process
engineering. They estimate the scaling-
up process could take between three
to five years — even faster if adequate
funding is made available.
Research such as this, as well as
urgent government policy changes and
funding support, is urgently needed to
ensure Australia can tackle its massive
soft plastic stockpiles after last year’s
collapse of REDcycle, the national
recycler of soft plastics.
Experts agree the solution to the
plastic crisis comes from producing and
using less plastic because recycling of
complex plastic polymers would always
be difficult and expensive.
Bigstock
Source: nature.com/articles/s41529-
023-00342-9
 NEWS | THE GRAPEVINE

HELP ME!

WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE

WHEN SHRUBS CRY
Many of us are familiar with the visual
signs of a stressed plant such as colour
and shape change, but new research
reveals plants also emit ultrasonic
airborne sounds when stressed —
sounds that can be detected several
metres away from the plant.
Researchers measured these distress
signals in acoustic chambers and
greenhouses when the plants were
thirsty or had been cut. They found the
plants produced about 35 sounds per
hour when they were distressed.
Control plants that were well
watered and not cut were very quiet REWILDING: A NATURAL restoring populations of wild land and
in comparison, making only about one CLIMATE SOLUTION marine animals in key zones to speed
sound per hour. Often missed in discussions about up the biological carbon pumps that
The sounds emitted from plants are technological solutions to the climate remove carbon dioxide from the air
in the ultrasonic range (20–100kHz), emergency are the entwined problems of and sequester greenhouse gas where it
which is why humans generally can’t climate change and biodiversity loss. doesn’t harm the climate.
hear them. It’s likely other animals with As a result of human interference, it’s Scientists are studying marine fish,
ultrasonic hearing range such as bats, estimated only around 3 per cent of the whales, sharks, grey wolves, sea otters,
mice and moths do hear them and may Earth is fully ecologically functional. musk oxen, African forest elephants
live in a world filled with plant sounds. When you consider what’s been and American bison as species and
To test the reliability of the sounds, lost it’s easier to see how much of groups that can accelerate the carbon
machine learning models were nature’s capacity to recycle carbon cycle if restored and protected in their
developed to identify the condition has been destroyed and the role it environments. They estimate that,
of plants, including dehydration level could play if restored. collectively, rewilding could capture
and injury, based solely on the emitted An international team of scientists is around 500 gigatonnes of carbon
sounds. The model predicted with 70 showing how restoration of damaged dioxide by 2100.
per cent accuracy. ecosystems and protecting habitats and The restoration and conservation of
Not bad. The results demonstrate landscapes to preserve animals in their wild animals and their ecosystems is a
the potential of plant bioacoustics for functional roles can play a key role in key component of climate solutions and
monitoring plant health. drawing down carbon. for protecting biodiversity.
Source: Science Direct, doi. Rewilding is about rebuilding the Source: nature.com/articles/s41558-
org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.03.009 natural capital of the planet. It involves 023-0163-6

Good Organic Gardening | 11

THE SEASONAL GARDEN | WITH CHLOE THOMSON
W hat’s hot
R I GHT NOW
PRESENTING SOME STUNNING-LOOKING PLANTS THAT WILL MAKE
EXCELLENT ADDITIONS TO YOUR GARDEN AT THIS TIME OF YEAR
P
erfect pint-sized pears for pots!
CHLOE THOMSON Introducing the Summer Crunch
A horticulturist, writer, Range, consisting of four new pear
presenter and passionate varieties, including Cool Crisp,
organic gardener, Chloe SunGold and Sweet Reward that were
uses her social media profile all selected from an excellent Canadian
Bean There Dug That to breeding program due to their highly
educate and inform like- sought-after flavour profiles. The fourth
minded gardeners, using fun, variety in the range — Red Princess —
creative videos and posts. was developed in the Goulburn Valley
Find her on Facebook and it’s adored for its red colour and
and Instagram excellent flavour.
@beantheredugthat Not only are these four pears the first
new varieties available to Australian
gardeners in decades, but they are all
grafted onto dwarf rootstock, so the size
of your backyard or garden space doesn’t
12 | Good Organic Gardening
matter! All these new varieties will grow in
cold and warm temperate climates and are
very cold-hardy.
I grow all my fruit trees in pots — it’s easier
to keep them happy than in my poor soil, on
a slope, and also easier to keep them to a
manageable height. The best pots for fruiting
trees are at least 50–60cm tall by the same
width and make sure they have plenty of
drainage holes. Always use a premium organic
potting mix designed for pots, tubs or planters.
If planting fruiting trees in-ground, choose
a free-draining location with soil that has
been prepared by mixing through plenty of
compost and organic chook manure pellets
before planting.
PlantNet, Plantnet.com.au

DWARF COOL CRISP™ PEAR
The plant: Dwarf Cool Crisp™ produces medium to large fruit with
a slight orange-to-red blush over a yellow-green skin. Very tolerant
of cold conditions. Suitable pollinators are any pears in the Summer
Crunch Range as well as Williams and Beurre Bosc.
Growing: This pear will reach up to 2.5m tall and 2m wide.
Fruit will be ready to harvest in early March.
DWARF SWEET REWARD™ PEAR
The plant: Dwarf Sweet Reward™ produces medium to large-sized
fruit with a slight red to orange blush over a light-green skin. Suitable
pollinators are any pears from the Summer Crunch range plus
Williams, Packham’s Triumph and Beurre Bosc.
Growing: This pear will reach up to 2.5m tall and 2.m wide.
Fruit will be ready to harvest in mid-March.
WITH CHLOE THOMSON | THE SEASONAL GARDEN
DWARF SUNGOLD™ PEAR
The plant: Dwarf SunGold™ produces medium to large-sized fruit
with a gold to bright-yellow skin, which deepens with more sun.
Suitable pollinators are any pears from the Summer Crunch range
plus Williams, Packham’s Triumph and Beurre Bosc.
Growing: This pear will reach up to 2.5m tall and 2m wide.
Fruit will be ready to harvest in mid to late February.
DWARF RED PRINCESS™ PEAR
The plant: Dwarf Red Princess™ produces medium to large-sized
fruit with a red skin that deepens with more sun exposure. Suitable
pollinators are any pears from the Summer Crunch range as well as
Williams, Packham’s Triumph and Beurre Bosc.
Growing: This pear will reach up to 2.5m tall and 2m wide.
Fruit will be ready to harvest in early March.
Good Organic Gardening | 13
GREEN NEWS | SHORT SHOOTS
Green news
WHO IS GREENING OUR WORLD AND HOW THEY ARE DOING IT
ADDRESSING AUSTRALIA’S
FOOD CRISIS
It’s an idea whose time has come.
In response to the ongoing climate
emergency as well as production
and supply shortfalls highlighted
by the global pandemic, a group of
thinkers have trained their sights on
revolutionising Australia’s food industry.
An initiative called Sustainable Table
aims to bring together food producers,
land stewards, advocates, funders and
change makers to find new approaches
to regenerative food production.
No one is more aware of the pressing
need to transform the country’s food
system for a more self-sustaining future
than Sustainable Table CEO Jade Miles.
“Last year alone with floods, fires
and continuing drought we saw the
extent to which our national food
supply can be impacted by the climate
crisis,” she said.
14 | Good Organic Gardening
Food Connect founder Robert Pekin (left)
with organic farmer Franco Cencig
Closely connected to the natural
environment since her childhood,
Miles has worked in various roles from
educator to strategist, food cooperative
founder to regenerative fruit farmer.
Her background has convinced her
of the absolute necessity to address
Australia’s food production crisis.
Sustainable Table’s mission is no less
than “to transform farming, food and
fibre systems through regenerative ways
of being, doing and knowing”.
According to its website, the not-for-
profit aims to connect change makers
and projects with investors, to develop
regenerative industry networks and
collaborate with industry stakeholders
for a thriving ecological future.
Sustainable Table’s projects include:
1. Establishing new models of land
access/stewardship/leasing to Sustainable Table
enable a new generation of farmers CEO Jade Miles with her
recent book Futuresteading
who have not inherited land.
 GREEN NEWS | SHORT SHOOTS

Farm fresh: A Food Connect

2. Exploring improved ways to support organic produce box
new/existing community-led food
and fibre enterprises and local
distribution networks — eg food
delivery, hubs, markets.
3. Peer-to-peer and social learning
networks, workshops, education
and training.
4. Enhancing eater and industry
awareness, connection and food
cultures, through carefully designed
community initiatives.
5. Enabling First Nations-owned and -led
farming, enterprises and leadership.
6. Connecting new farmers to land,
mentors, knowledge, tools.
One of Sustainable Table's partners
is the well-established Brisbane food
hub Food Connect, which puts together
organic produce boxes that connect
eaters to the story and the regenerative
farmers behind their food.
“We shouldn’t wait until it’s too late to
take action,” said Miles. “The time to act
is now and the solutions, which are vast
and varied, start with the consumer.”
sustainabletable.org.au

Good Organic Gardening | 15

CLEVER CROP | KAWAKAWA

KIWI PEPPER
SOMETIMES CALLED MAORI KAVA — THE PLANTS ARE RELATED
— KAWAKAWA HAS SIMILAR CEREMONIAL FUNCTIONS AS
WELL AS MANY MEDICINAL USES
Kawakawa labe
l

N
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Among other compounds, the leaves
Common na
ative to New Zealand, the contain myristicin, a mild antiseptic me: Kawakaw
Botanical na a
kawakawa — part of the pepper that also can also numb pain, while the me: Piper ex
subsp. excels celsum
family and closely related to sweetly flavoured berries are used as a um
Family: Pipe
kava (Piper methysticum) and diuretic and, though widely eaten, also raceae (pepp
Aspect & soil er family)
betel leaf (P. betle) — is a pretty and very have a slight numbing effect. : Sun to part
deep, well-d shade;
useful tree long harvested by Māori for Kawakawa has also found its way rained soil
Best climate
its health benefits. into skincare products, spices, teas and : Subtropics,
Habit: Everg temperate
Another subspecies (P. excelsum tonics. The leaves can be harvested and reen tree
Propagation
subsp. psittacorum) is native to used freshly dried as medicine or a tea. : Seed, cuttin
Difficulty: M g
some near Pacific Islands including oderate
Norfolk, Lord Howe and the GROWING YOUR OWN
Kermadec Islands. Kawakawa is a multi-branching tree to
Recent studies by the University of around 6–7m high with glossy green
Auckland have found that this New heart-shaped leaves. It can be pruned to
Zealand native does indeed have maintain a compact size.
medicinal value and more than 60 Both male and female trees bear tiny,
biologically active compounds have wind-pollinated flowers that appear
been identified in its leaves. on greenish spikes, but in mid- to late
With a slightly basil-like flavour, the summer the female flowers form yellow-
leaves are often foraged in the wild in to-orange edible berries.
New Zealand for wellbeing purposes. In New Zealand, the berries are eaten
The edible berry clusters
An infusion of leaves is used as a by the New Zealand native pigeon
traditional Māori medicine to alleviate (kereru) and the tui. In Australia, they
pain from toothache as well as a host of may be favoured by local native pigeons As it is native to the North Island of New
other ailments. and parrots. Zealand (and northern parts of the South
Island), kawakawa is suited to subtropical
Bigstock, Jacqui Geux CC

AMONG OTHER COMPOUNDS, THE LEAVES and warm, frost-free temperate climates.
It can be grown from seed or cutting
CONTAIN MYRISTICIN, A MILD ANTISEPTIC THAT and does best in well-drained soil in
ALSO CAN ALSO NUMB PAIN, WHILE THE SWEETLY dappled shade with protection from hot
afternoon sun. It needs shelter from cold
FLAVOURED BERRIES ARE USED AS A DIURETIC. or frosty conditions.

16 | Good Organic Gardening


SMOOTH,
NOT CRUNCHY
THE PEANUT BUTTER TREE GETS ITS
COMMON NAME FROM THE SCENT AND
TEXTURE OF ITS FRUIT, NOT THE TASTE
T
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
rue peanuts develop
underground but there’s a tree
that has peanut-butter-scented
fruit on its branches.
Aptly named the peanut butter tree,
in summer and autumn it produces red
berries that are a delicious snack straight
off the tree — but don’t expect a peanut
butter taste.
The fruit is sweet but the flavour has
been likened to sweet potato and dried fig.
Unlike a true peanut, which produces
an annual crop, peanut butter trees
can take two to three years or longer
to mature and start to flower and fruit,
especially in cold climates.
Once it’s ready, it flowers profusely
in spring with clusters of small, bright
yellow flowers. The flowers are self-fertile
and can crop heavily even with just one
tree in the garden.
The mature berries are around 2.5cm
long and ripen from green to orange to
red. When fully ripe, the fruit’s pulp has
the texture of peanut butter. It has a
large seed, which is not edible.
Bigstock
The tree (or tall shrub) grows to around
2–6m high but is usually smaller in gardens.
PEANUT BUTTER TREE | CLEVER CROP
Peanut butter
tree label
Common names: Pe
anut butter tree,
ciruela del monte,
mountain plum
Botanical name: Bu
nchosia argentea
Family: Malpighiace
ae (acerola family)
Aspect & soil: Sun;
deep, well-drained
neutral to slightly
Best climate: Trop
alkaline soil
ics, subtropics,
warm temperate
Habit: Evergreen sh
Propagation: Seed
rub to small tree
, cutting
Difficulty: Moderat
e
NATIVE TO TROPICAL
SOUTH AMERICA, IT LIKES
A WARM, SHELTERED
CLIMATE AND IS LIKELY
TO SULK THROUGH
COLD WINTERS.
GROWING YOUR OWN
Native to tropical South America
including Columbia, Venezuela and Peru,
it likes a warm, sheltered climate and The fruit may be attacked by birds or
is likely to sulk through cold winters. It bats as well as fruit-sucking bugs and
may also drop early flowers if they are fruit fly, but there’s usually enough for
exposed to cold or windy conditions. everyone to get a taste!
It does best in well-drained soil. In cold As well as fresh, enjoy this fruit in
winter climates or in areas with poorly milkshakes, jams and preserves. The
drained soil, grow it in a large pot with fruit is high in carotenoids, particularly
good-quality potting mix. lycopene, which is also found in
Once the tree does start fruiting, save tomatoes and other red fruit.
some of the fruit to try growing it from
seed. Seedlings may also appear around AVAILABILITY
the base of the tree. This isn’t a common plant but is
The tree is prone to a few issues, available from specialist mail-order
especially if conditions are cold or wet suppliers including Daleys Fruit Nursery
through winter, but will regain its vigour (daleysfruit.com.au) and Lake Devon
when warm weather returns. Nursery (lakedevonnursery.com.au).
Good Organic Gardening | 17
PLANT PROFILE | EGGPLANT

PURPLE REIGN
IT’S NOT ALWAYS PURPLE OR EVEN EGG-SHAPED,
BUT EGGPLANT — OR AUBERGINE, IF YOU INSIST
— IS A STAPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD

18 | Good Organic Gardening


The 28-spotted ladybird, one of the few
plant-eating ladybirds in Australia, is a
voracious feeder on eggplant foliage
Eggplant label
Common names
: Eggplant, auber
Botanical name: gine, brinjal
Solanum melon
Family: Solanace gena
ae (nightshade
Aspect & soil: Fu family)
Best climate: W
ll sun; well-drain
ed soil
arm temperate
Habit: Tropical p
erennial
Propagation: Se
Difficulty: Moder
ed, cuttings
ate
F
Words Chris Stafford
irst things first: how did the
eggplant get its name? Well,
leaving aside the fact that most
of the world calls it something
else, “eggplant” was first applied to the
original white cultivars that actually do
resemble hen’s eggs.
Outside of Australia and North
America, its names are derived from the
Arabic badinjan — aubergine in Europe,
brinjal in India — while the Greeks, lacking
a B sound, passed it to the Italians as
melanzana, which was then turned into a
pun: mela insana, or “mad apple”.
Oddly enough, Italians and some other
cultures actually believed the fruit could
cause insanity. Elsewhere it was viewed
with suspicion as a poisonous member of
the nightshade family (see box, above).
The precise origins of the mad apple are
a mystery but there may be a clue in the
identity of the biggest producers, China
Kerry Boyne
and India, which together account for 87
per cent of today’s eggplant market.
Like tomato, its fellow member of
TE
TECHNICALLY CLASSED
AS A BERRY, EGGPLANT
L
LOOKS ROBUST BUT
IS ACTUALLY QUITE
D
DELICATE.
tthe Solanaceae or nightshade family,
eggplant is a fruit most often cooked
as a vegetable in savoury dishes.
Low in calories, high in fibre, it can
be eaten skin, seeds and all and is often
used to bulk out a meal or as a meat
substitute in vegetarian dishes.
Technically classed as a berry,
eggplant looks robust but is actually
quite delicate. Its initial bitterness can
be countered with the addition of salt
before cooking, whereupon its flesh
develops a complex flavour.
Almost every cuisine features a key
dish that attests to the unique taste of
eggplant, not to mention its versatility.
The French stew it in ratatouille while
Mediterranean cultures fry it — as in
Greek moussaka and Italian parmigiana
de melanzane — or roast it till it’s charred
to make smoky baba ghanouj.
In Southeast Asia, the Thais add green
eggplants the size of cherry tomatoes
to green curries while in India the fruit is
used in myriad dishes including the king
of pickles, brinjal chutney.
EGGPLANT | PLANT PROFILE
MAD OR BAD?
Contrary to folk beliefs, the so-
called “mad apple” does not cause
insanity and, despite its association
with deadly nightshade, it’s not
poisonous — with a couple of
provisos. The flowers and leaves
can be harmful if consumed in large
quantities due to the presence
of the toxin solanine. And the
seeds get their bitter taste from
nicotinoid alkaloids similar to those
in tobacco, another member of the
Solanaceae or nightshade family.
GROWING AND HARVESTING
A tropical perennial that can still be found
thriving in the wild on the subcontinent,
eggplant isn’t difficult to grow.
It likes a sunny spot and prefers a
neutral to alkaline well-drained soil.
Direct sow seeds in spring once the
threat of frost has passed and the
ground is warm; in the tropics, plant
seeds in autumn.
Place seeds around 6mm deep and
about 30–50cm apart to allow for
growth. Plants will grow 40–50cm high.
A handful of lime in water before
planting should head off blossom-
end rot, a condition that also affects
tomatoes and zucchinis when the plant
lacks calcium. Add nutrients by digging
in some compost, well-rotted manure
or blood and bone.
With regular watering, seedlings will
grow rapidly and start to flower, at
which point you should trim the lower
leaves to improve fruit set.
If fruit is slow to appear, try a little
hand pollination. Plants don’t require
cross-pollination — bees should do the
job. If there’s too much fruit forming,
thin out the clusters for fewer but larger
fruit. Stake the plants if necessary, as
with their tomato cousins.
Harvest is in summer through to
autumn around 3–4 months after
planting, though some heirloom
varieties are ready in just 10 weeks.
Pick regularly once cropping begins
and keep liquid feeding and watering
well to encourage the plant to keep
flowering and produce more fruit.
Fruit is best harvested while the skin
is still shiny. Leave them too long and
the skin may dull and wrinkle and the
fruit turn seedy and bitter.
Good Organic Gardening | 19
PLANT PROFILE | EGGPLANT

‘Rosa Bianca’ ‘Listada di Gandia’

IF FRUIT IS SLOW TO APPEAR, TRY A

LITTLE HAND POLLINATION. PLANTS
DON’T REQUIRE CROSS-POLLINATION
— BEES SHOULD DO THE JOB.

VARIETIES ‘Casper’ ‘Black Beauty’

By now, you’re used to the idea that
eggplants don’t just come in large,
shiny, purplish-black packages. In fact,
the range of shapes and colours is
astonishing.
‘White Star’ is the original white egg-
shaped variety. Also ghostly white,
‘Casper’ is a compact variety with long
rather than round fruit.
‘Listada di Gandia’ is a productive, early-
fruiting Italian heirloom with teardrop-
shaped, near-seedless fruit marbled in
stripes of lavender and white.
‘Rosa Bianca’ Another Italian heirloom,
this rotund fruit has white flesh blushed
with patches of rosy lavender-pink.
‘Black Beauty’ An heirloom popular
for more than a century, this variety
produces the classic large fleshy fruit
with glossy dark-purple skin and a ‘Turkish Orange’
lovely flavour.
‘Turkish Orange’ is an unusual heirloom
that produces round, medium-sized fruit
with orange, green-striped skin and pale-
yellow flesh with a sweet, rich flavour
and no bitterness.
‘Slim Jim’ Small and narrow, this purple
fruit grows on a bush with dramatic
purple leaves.
‘Ping Tung’ Originating in Taiwan, this
Asian variety produces elongated (up to
30cm) purple fruit with no bitterness.
‘Thai Round Green’ Popular in SE
Asian cooking, raw or cooked, this one
produces tiny green fruits the size of
cherry tomatoes. ‘Thai Long Green’ or
‘Green Elephant Tusk’ are varieties with
longer fruit.

20 | Good Organic Gardening

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GGIES
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“I am very pleased with these. ( I bought 2). Plants are already

growing well. I wish to buy more.” Judith Faulkner, Cheltenham, VIC

aussiegardener.com.au

Good Organic Gardening | 21

MODERN HEIRLOOMS | TOMATOES

The savoury fruit

A BERRY THAT’S CONSUMED AS A VEGETABLE, TOMATO
COMES IN ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND COLOURS, INCLUDING
500 HEIRLOOM VARIETIES IN AUSTRALIA ALONE

I
Words Chloe Thomson
f you’re going to plant tomatoes
in your garden this season, choose
heirlooms for fabulous flavour and
fun form.
In the eyes of many home gardeners,
heirlooms are the crème de la crème of
tomatoes, adored for their tasty flesh
and often fun colours or quirky shapes
and sizes.
These tomatoes are best when their
distance from garden to plate can be
measured in mere metres as they’d
never survive commercial transport —
Open-pollinated tomatoes are self-
pollinating. Often with the help of the
wind or insects, they’ll produce viable
seed that can be collected and grown to
produce next year’s tomatoes.
Hybrid tomato varieties won’t grow
true to type from saved seeds as
heirlooms do.
You might also spot the term
“modern heirloom” when looking for
tomato varieties to suit your garden.
These varieties are also open-pollinated
but are more recently bred — that is,
less than 50 years old.
Australia, up to 500 heirloom varieties
are available through various commercial
seed sellers.
And there are many home gardeners
having a crack at breeding their own
tomatoes using open-pollinated
heirloom varieties. Just remember, if you
stumble across an amazing cross it can
take up to seven generations to see if it
remains stable.
But saving your own heirloom seeds
and sharing with friends, neighbours and
your community is one of the joys of
open-pollinated varieties.
Bigstock, Getty, Shutterstock

the key reason you don’t find them on
supermarket shelves.
What makes an heirloom tomato?
Some argue that heirlooms should be
more than 50 years old while others
suggest it’s a term used for any open-
pollinated non-hybrid tomato.
In Australia, some of the most popular
modern heirloom tomatoes include ‘Blue
Beauty’, ‘Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye’, ‘Sunrise
Bumblebee’ and ‘Barry’s Crazy Cherry’.
It’s estimated there are around
15,000 heirloom tomato seeds saved in
seed banks around the world. Here in
GROWING
Sow tomato seeds from late winter (for
a summer harvest) to mid-spring (for an
autumn harvest).
Tomato seeds need a soil temperature
of 18–25°C to germinate.

22 | Good Organic Gardening

 TOMATOES | MODERN HEIRLOOMS

‘Sunrise ‘Barry’s Crazy Cherry’ ‘Blue Beauty’

Bumblebee’

If necessary, start your seeds in small

pots or punnets indoors and/or on a
heat mat for added warmth.
In subtropical and tropical climates,
tomatoes are best grown during the
cooler, less humid months of the year.
You don’t need to provide freshly
IN AUSTRALIA, SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR planted tomato seeds with light — just
MODERN HEIRLOOM TOMATOES INCLUDE ‘BLUE warmth, until they germinate. Once
germinated, move them into a bright
BEAUTY’, ‘PINK BERKELEY TIE-DYE’, ‘SUNRISE and sunny position so they grow strong
BARRY CRAZY CHERRY’.
BUMBLEBEE’ AND ‘BARRY’S and straight stems.
They can be transplanted into the
garden when the seedlings are 10–15cm
y
If using stakes, put them in early t with two sets of true leaves and your
tall
so as not to disturb roots later
Tomato lab g
ground soil temperature is 18°C or more.

Common n
e
ame: Toma
l Prepare your soil for tomato planting
by mixing through compost, well-aged
Botanical to
name: Sola or pelletised manure, sulphate of potash
num lycop
(syn. Lycop
ersicon lyc ersicum and a calcium source (gypsum if you
Family: So opersicum
lanaceae ) don’t want to alter your soil pH or use
Aspect & s dolomite lime if you need to raise the
oil: Sun; m
Best clima oist soil
te: All pH of your soil).
Habit: Ann Always remember to deep-plant
ual vine; fr
(year roun uits summ
d in warm er to autum your tomatoes. Remove the cotyledon
z o n e n
Propagatio s) leaves (the first baby leaves that
n: Seed, se
Difficulty: edling or g
Moderate rafted plan emerge) from the stem and plant deep
ts
into the prepared soil up to the first set
of true leaves.
Remove the first set of true leaves
if they are touching the ground to
improve airflow.
Add a stake or support at planting
to prevent root disturbance later on.
I prefer to use cage supports for dwarf
or determinate varieties and two stakes
with string between them for vining
or indeterminate varieties. But find a
system that works for your space.
To prune or not to prune? I tend to
encourage each indeterminate tomato
plant to produce just 3–4 main leader
branches — this way I find the foliage
is never too crowded and I can fit more
tomato plants (and more varieties) into
a smaller space.

Good Organic Gardening | 23

MODERN HEIRLOOMS | TOMATOES

1 2

In a 1m square garden bed I aim to fit YOU CAN HARVEST TOMATOES AS SOON AS

five tomato plants: one in each corner
THEY BEGIN TO BLUSH OR CHANGE COLOUR,
and one in the centre.
If you don’t have the time or the BRINGING THEM INDOORS TO RIPEN
patience to grow tomatoes from seeds,
don’t worry — more and more suppliers MODERN HEIRLOOM that produces fruit 8–10 weeks
are growing seedlings of heirloom and VARIETIES TO TRY after planting — perfect for making
modern heirloom tomatoes. Ask at your ‘Brad’s Atomic Grape’ produces oval- homemade passata.
local garden centre or nursery if they shaped fruit sized somewhere between ‘Indigo Rose’ is a plum-sized tomato
can get some in for you. a cherry and full-sized tomato. The with skin as deep and dark as indigo
unripe fruit is green with purple stripes while inside the flesh is rose to olive
HARVEST AND CARE that ripen to yellow with flecks of green green. A bit slower to ripen than red
You can harvest tomatoes as soon and purple. This tomato isn’t just about tomatoes, but well worth the wait.
as they begin to blush or change looks — its fruit is also beautifully sweet. ‘Adelaide Festival’ A semi-determinate
colour, bringing them indoors to ripen ‘Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye’ An variety, specifically bred in South
— or leave the fruit on the plants to indeterminate beefsteak variety that Australia for high yields in small spaces,
completely ripen before harvesting. produces fruit with a rose-green skin this variety is a cross between ‘Pink
If you have a problem with birds streaked with splashes of yellow-gold. A Berkeley Tie-Dye’ and ‘Rosella Purple’.
or Queensland fruit fly, the first early sweet, dark, rich and flavourful tomato. Fruit is purple-red with streaks of red and
harvest option is preferable. ‘Mamma Mia’ is a determinate variety gold and a balanced sweet/tart flavour.
Protect your tomato crops from birds
and devastating pests like fruit fly with 3
crop protection netting. Use a fine-
weave mesh with holes no larger than
2mm for QFF protection. Fine mesh
bags placed over each cluster or truss of
tomatoes also work well.
Spring-planted tomatoes will continue
cropping well into autumn. However, if
you need the bed for cool-season crops
and you’re getting impatient waiting for
the fruit to ripen on the plant, pull the
tomato plant out of the ground roots
Bigstock, Getty, Shutterstock

and all then hang it by the roots in a dry,

bright and airy spot: under a verandah
or in a shed is great.
The tomatoes will begin to ripen
quickly even as the plant dies and dries
off. Harvest the fruit when it’s to your
liking and enjoy!

24 | Good Organic Gardening

 TOP 24
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VEGETABLE SEED PACKS
CLIMBING BEANS CORN BROCCOLI ZUCHINI TOMATO
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Good Organic Gardening | 25

GARDENING FOLK | GOOD LIFE COMMUNITY GARDEN

LAND OF
A COMMUNITY OF
CHURCHGOERS AND VEGIE
GROWERS CONGREGATES
AROUND A SHARED GARDEN
IN ONE OF WESTERN
AUSTRALIA’S OLDEST CITIES

26 | Good Organic Gardening


THERE ARE 70 GALVANISED-IRON BEDS ARRANGED IN
ROWS AND RAISED SO COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN
REACH THE CROPS WITHOUT BENDING.
A
Words & photos Jana Holmer
t the southernmost tip of
Western Australia lies the
historic port city of Albany,
established nearly 200 years
ago. In the local Nyungar language
the area is called Kinjarling — “place of
plenty” or “place of rain” — which seems a
good omen for the Living Water Anglican
Church in suburban Collingwood Heights.
Andrew Nicholson started the
church’s Good Life Community Garden
while Barry Savage is the co-ordinator.
It’s a productive half-hectare block
comprising vegetable gardens and
sheds, a gazebo and a pizza oven.
Inspired by his grandparents, who
grew flowers and vegetables and kept
ducks and chooks, Barry started growing
GOOD LIFE COMMUNITY GARDEN | GARDENING FOLK
his own vegies and fruit trees when he
bought his first house in Albany in 1973.
After that he ran a tyre business
in Ongerup, the sort of small country
town where you never lock your car
or house, before retiring to another
great community in coastal Albany,
where he loves to go cycling, lawn
bowling and fishing.
But his main concern is the community
garden, which he runs on a strictly
organic basis. He dislikes commercial
fertilisers and weedkillers and has always
tried to grow his vegetables free of the
chemicals many local farmers use.
There are 70 galvanised-iron
beds arranged in rows and raised so
community members can reach the
crops without bending.
Clockwise from opposite top Rental communal
vegie beds; a runaway chook; a perfect pear; Barry
with squash; an old variety of apple
“People buy their small plot on an
annual basis and they can grow whatever
they desire in it,” says Barry. “They have
access to their plot seven days a week.”
At the moment the beds hold all
sorts of flowers as well as vegies such
as pumpkins, kale, tomatoes, silverbeet,
squash, cucumbers and zucchini.
In addition, he says, “There are
numerous established fruit trees and
most of them are starting to come into
fruit now.”
These include apples, pears, citrus,
plums, passionfruit and figs, some in the
large enclosed chook pen while others
are scattered around the garden among
the vegie beds.
One of the most prolific and popular
crops is rhubarb — they sell a lot of
stalks at the Living Water Community
Store, among other fresh produce as well
as preserves.
The store, which is also an op shop, is
open every weekday except Wednesday,
while on Sundays an evening meal is
offered with a church service.
“Produce is placed on the table at the
start of the church service and people
take on a needs basis,” says Barry. “This
is assisting the community’s need for
receiving God’s word and for providing
food for the needy.”
Good Organic Gardening | 27
GARDENING FOLK | GOOD LIFE COMMUNITY GARDEN

1 2

BUILDING COMMUNITY 3
Setting up a garden in a coastal town
wasn’t all smooth sailing, to float a mixed
metaphor or two.
“We had to import a lot of soil to
start with,” says Barry. “[The existing
soil] was very water repellent and
nothing grows in it besides weeds.” The
time and effort put into rejuvenating
the soils to grow vegetables and fruit
trees continues to this day.
There’s a wind issue, too, so a belt
of bamboo was planted to shelter the
vegie garden. They also erected a large
boundary fence to keep the kangaroos
and foxes out.
A garden tends to attract birdlife
as well: “Crows, pigeons and ibis are
in plague proportions at the moment. 4 5
Unfortunately, we can’t get rid of them
as they are classified as native birds.”
The birds make a mess of the fruit
trees and vegetable patch. Barry tried to
deter them by putting up flags but they
got used to them and returned in even
greater numbers.
Barry makes compost on site. There
are five bulky compost bins into which
go grass cuttings, egg shells and scrap
paper from a donated industrial shredder.
He picks up four or five buckets
of ground coffee a week from a local
restaurant and they go in the bins
as well. He also uses the coffee and
egg shells to combat snails and finds
companion planting an effective pest
deterrent as well.
As for worm farms, Barry’s approach

28 | Good Organic Gardening


6 7
BARRY GROWS HIS VEGETABLES “THE USUAL WAY:
PLANT A SEED INTO A BED OF VEGETABLE COMPOST
MIX, ADD YOUR WORM WEE TO IT AND COVER IT
WITH SHREDDED PAPER”.
is somewhat informal: “There’s a number
of tubs with worms in them in the chook
shed under cover. The worm juice is used
in the garden beds and the worms are
sold for all sorts of reasons — perhaps
used for fishing.”
Barry has no particular gardening
techniques. He grows his vegetables
“the usual way: plant a seed into a
bed of vegetable compost mix, add
your worm wee to it and cover it with
shredded paper”.
As for Living Water’s irrigation
needs, a drip system minimises
evaporation to cut down on water use
from the bore in the garden and the
tank in the chook yard.
MANY ARE CALLED
There’s a kind of biblical simplicity about
a church-run community garden. As
Barry says, “The church is there for the
community and the garden is for church
members and non-members, bringing
together congregation and outsiders to
the community.
“It’s a fairly large and organised setup
with year-round vegetables. Now that
GOOD LIFE COMMUNITY GARDEN | GARDENING FOLK
1 Barry with his two alotted plots
2 Gifted recycled shredded cardboard
3 Duck den
4 Prolific parsley
5 Kale was once known as peasant’s cabbage
6 Shredded cardboard
7 Communal woodfired pizza oven
8 Barry in front of the community store
9 Flanders poppies, a symbol of remembrance
9
lemons are $2.50 each and figs $3, it
might mean more people will come to
grow their own vegetables.”
With the pizza oven, barbecues and
outside tables, people come together
for pizza evenings, birthday celebrations
and other private functions as well as
garden workshops and jumble sales at
the Community Store.
There’s also a potting shed where
volunteers grow everything from flowers BARRY’S TOP TIPS
to succulents for sale at the store. The 1. The use of ground coffee
store also sells pickles, jellies and jams and egg shells assists in
made from the garden produce. eliminating snails.
Barry likes cooking but doesn’t do a 2. You can go to Bunnings
lot of it, he says. His forte is soup, which and buy plants all year round
he makes year round, most of it straight but it’s best to plant what’s
out of the community garden. Favourites in season.
include potato, leek and pumpkin soup, 3. Gardening is very good
zucchini and sweet corn, kohlrabi and therapy; it calms the nerves,
bacon and cauliflower and bacon. helps you to relax and gets you
With 10 chooks laying at any one out into the fresh air.
time, there are plenty of eggs to give 4. We count the vegetables on
away and all of Living Water’s produce is our dinner plate that are grown
available at bargain prices. in the community garden.
It’s truly a place of plenty. 5. Gardening is a good way
to meet new people with
Facebook: Living Water Community Store something in common.
Good Organic Gardening | 29
GARDENING FOLK | TARYN & RUSS

O UT OF
ON ANOTHER CONTINENT,
A COUPLE CREATES A SEASONAL
FLOWER ENTERPRISE AND A
BEAUTIFUL NEW FERTILE LANDSCAPE

30 | Good Organic Gardening

 TARYN & RUSS | GARDENING FOLK

PASSIONATE ABOUT GARDEN DESIGN

AND THE PLANTING PALETTE, TARYN
WAS UNDAUNTED TO BE STARTING
COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH.

Opposite page, The initial beds were created using

clockwise from top
Taryn and a king the no-dig method, she says. This
parrot; meadowflowers mode was chosen to improve the soil
including blue conditions, reduce erosion and save on
cornflowers; Taryn’s
daughter with a wreath the time and effort required for garden
of dried flowers creation and maintenance, given the
This page Homegrown scale of the block.
posie of poppies,
Ranunculus, freesias “We were also incredibly alive to the
and Gaillardia; monarch fact that we had to put in the proper
butterfly infrastructure to support their living
garden,” says Taryn. “The design always

G
Words & photos Claire Bickle
eographically speaking,
Wights Mountain, near the
Samford Valley northwest of
Brisbane, is a long way from
Africa, but its subtropical climate must
jog some memories.
For Taryn, those memories are
of the vast spaces and wonderfully
designed gardens that were part of the
family homes in her native Africa. She
remembers her grandparents, who were
award-winning orchid growers, beavering
away in their gardens, creating beautiful
landscapes for all to enjoy.
It was something she tried to recreate
some 16 years ago when she and Russ
bought their first home in England. It
was a small garden, but it allowed her
to experiment, understand the immense
gardening landscape and, most of all,
she says, find joy.
And now, on an idyllic five acres in
Wights Mountain, they’re living the good
life where flowers and wildlife, bees and
honey abound.
Taryn and Russ work in the corporate
digital world but the garden is what
truly sings to their souls. It’s even
become a seasonal flower business
called Notes to Rosa.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Taryn’s gardening adventure on a new
continent began just over a decade ago,
with a bare block that was very much a
blank canvas.
Passionate about garden design and
the planting palette, she was undaunted
to be starting completely from scratch.
went back to ensuring it was all about
sustainability and being able to provide
that continuity of water.”
Over the years, with the aid of
organic inputs, they’ve seen the soil
microbiome and health improve
naturally. The garden will keep on
evolving as the space matures.
Future design decisions will depend
on studying where the light falls and
shadows are cast throughout the
seasons. So far, there have been dry
years and wet.
Stylistically, the garden has a cottage
feel with seasonal companion planting.
They wanted it to look natural and
unstructured: informal borders with a
mix of flowers including such traditional
cottage favourites as roses, dahlias,
wildflowers and other perennials.

Good Organic Gardening | 31

GARDENING FOLK | TARYN & RUSS

1 2

A vast area is dedicated to wild 3 4

meadow flowers during the flowering
season and they harvest as many seeds
as possible to use the following season.
There are also a few fruiting trees,
mulberry being a firm favourite.

ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLE

The dam has been the keystone of the
garden’s survival and success, say Taryn
and Russ.
They’ve also sunk a borehole which,
though rarely used, is there if they need
it. Multiple rainwater tanks capture more
water to service the home and gardens.
They use no chemical inputs
whatsoever. Pests and diseases are
balanced out by good management
and biodiversity, while the main
addition to the soil is Rocky Point 5
ActivGro organic compost.
This they apply when the soil needs
stimulation to encourage more good
microbes and beneficial fungi. It helps
feed the plants and maintain soil moisture.
The garden beckons to an abundant
array of birdlife that frequents and
complements the beautiful acreage.
During the cooler months, says Taryn,
wallabies and kangaroos quite often join
them for breakfast.
Leading the domestic animal
population is Stella, the family’s CEO,
a three-year-old salt-and-pepper
miniature schnauzer.
There are five charming Silkie
bantams that give the family the

32 | Good Organic Gardening


6 2 Stella, CEO and star at Notes for Rosa
STYLISTICALLY, THE
GARDEN HAS A COTTAGE
FEEL WITH SEASONAL
COMPANION PLANTING
— THEY WANTED IT TO
LOOK NATURAL AND
UNSTRUCTURED.
freshest of eggs. Their chickens live the
royal life, says Taryn, free-ranging from
dawn till dusk.
They also keep European honeybees
in a top bar hive. They provide the most
delicious honey, enough to bottle and
sell locally.
HEARTS AND FLOWERS
Taryn’s current venture was born out
of the COVID pandemic when they
set up a micro flower farm, now
specialising in dahlias.
It’s been an incredible journey of
continually learning about different
varieties of flowering plants, especially
dahlias, each with unique characteristics
and challenges.
They’re proud of this labour of
love and admit they’re still growing
along with it. Both Taryn and Russ
feel the garden reflects their passion
and dedication in creating a beautiful,
bountiful and nurturing space, one
TARYN & RUSS | GARDENING FOLK
1 Dahlia perfection
3 Honeycomb
4 The finished article
5 Free-ranging Silkies
6 Dahlias are the focus of the cut-flower business
7 Old-fashioned rose, freesias and foxgloves
8 Well-prepared soil makes for a healthy biome
9 The bees love nectar from Italian lavender
8 9
that’s a source of joy and inspiration for
those who tend it.
Taryn says they love drying out their
wildflowers to create bespoke Christmas
wreaths for family and friends.
As the demand for sustainable
flowers rises, Notes to Rosa has become TARYN’S TOP TIPS
HQ for locally grown seasonal flowers. 1. Select the plants for your area.
Not only do they supply local florists 2. Provide adequate water: dams,
with gorgeous blooms; they also help soil water storage, bores.
reduce the carbon footprint. 3. Create good soil health
The flowers provide a food highway and microbiomes.
for their bees, which in turn provide a 4. Prune and dead-head
valuable and critical role in pollination to provide longevity of
— as well as delicious honey. flowering perennials.
It’s a sweet deal. 5. Mulch.
Good Organic Gardening | 33
GARDENING FOLK | LISA LECKIE

W ELC OM E TO
TWO BUSY EMPTY NESTERS SHARE A PROPERTY WITH RABBITS,
CATS, A FRUIT-EATING DOG AND A GOAT NAMED RON IN THE
BEAUTIFUL HILLS NORTHEAST OF MELBOURNE

34 | Good Organic Gardening

 LISA LECKIE | GARDENING FOLK

Above Lisa and Audrey working at the greenhouse

Right Birdies raised beds keep animals at bay

Words Chris Stafford

T
Photos Lisa Leckie
he Yarra River rises in the
ranges northeast of Melbourne
before it reaches the flatlands
then winds through the CBD
like a brown snake on its long journey
to Port Phillip Bay.
The rolling hills of the Yarra Valley
are home to more than 80 wineries
and numerous picturesque small towns
such as Lilydale, the gateway to the
Dandenong Ranges.
That’s where, over the past 27 years, Lisa
AS THE MAIN GARDENER, LISA DOES THE MOWING
Leckie and her recently retired husband
Glen raised four daughters on a six-acre AROUND DELICATE AREAS WHILE “HUBBY DOES THE
property, two-thirds of it garden and the
PADDOCK MAINTENANCE AND RIDE-ON MOWING AND
rest paddocks dotted with gumtrees.
Lisa has always loved gardening but BUILDS ME NEW GARDEN STRUCTURES”.
this block presented some challenges:
it was quite steep in parts and more time in the garden, in which we’ve Glen are now empty nesters but they
overgrown with gorse. The clay ground planted everything except the gumtrees. babysit grandchildren at least twice
had to be heavily mulched to turn it “Once COVID struck it became more a week and share their home with
into workable soil. of a full-time labour of love and that’s two ragdoll cats — Coco Chanel and
With a young family, she says, “Our when I started growing vegies. We’ve Karl Lagerfeld, the star of a cat-food
main projects were a driveway, an area since put in a mini fenced orchard with commercial — plus a golden retriever
where our girls could play and fencing bunny-proof wire around the trunks.” named Audrey and a goat called Ron.
for our dogs and the cute goats that As the main gardener, Lisa does the That’s not counting the visiting
came with the property. mowing around delicate areas while wildlife, from foxes, kangaroos, lizards,
“We put in plants around borders and “hubby does the paddock maintenance possums and the occasional echidna to
created garden beds that Glen built with and ride-on mowing and builds me new various birds, butterflies and native bees,
rocks from our hill. Over the years as our garden structures”. including blue-banded bees. One of their
girls have grown up I spent more and After 40 years of marriage, Lisa and gumtrees hosts a natural beehive.

Good Organic Gardening | 35

GARDENING FOLK | LISA LECKIE

1 2 3

LIVING WITH WILDLIFE Lisa. “I know it’s better for my family’s purchasing clothes, cleaning and
Then there’s the rabbits, which were health and for the ecosystem and all of personal-care products. Naturally, she
there from the day they moved in. the creatures that live in it. also recycles and composts.
When the couple planted a row of “I don’t even use organic sprays as
conifers they were all eaten overnight. these can still harm the non-targeted DOING WHAT WORKS
“We had to put barriers around plants insects and bees — for instance, the The couple buy soil and compost
and I learnt what things they didn’t like beautiful swallowtail butterfly whose by the trailer load from their local
and what they loved,” says Lisa. caterpillars feast on my citrus. If I do garden supply, says Lisa. “I use my
“In the early days, with small plants and need to remove pests I do it by hand. own compost as well and regularly
not much of a garden, it was hard keeping “In the greenhouse last summer I had a use Seasol products and mulch with
ahead of them. Now it’s easier as new lot of whiteflies and, although the tomato sugarcane or pea straw.
plantings only need protection for a short plants may not have looked the best, “I have to be careful with fertilisers and
while and I can grow annuals as well.” they still produced well. I haven’t seen a not use anything too smelly in areas where
The edible garden, though, is “more snail in years on our property and I think Audrey can reach or she’ll eat that, too!”
of a struggle as not only do we have this is due to all of the blue-tongues. Pest control is carried out manually
the rabbits but an always hungry “Most things will balance out if you when it comes to things like aphids and
golden retriever”. leave it to Mother Nature and our gardens cabbage caterpillar. “I water by hand with
She started growing vegies during and plants don’t need to look perfect.” a hose so I can regularly check what’s
lockdown in three low raised metal beds Lisa tries to shop ethically when happening,” she says.
with a fence around them. “Since then
Glen has built me a high raised bed with 4 5
food-safe sienna sleepers.”
He also extended it with a low bed
fenced off with stock gates from his
father’s old trailer, while Lisa planted
flowers in the trailer as a legacy.
“I now have round Birdies garden
beds for vegies, raised to a height to
keep Audrey and the rabbits out. The
original lower beds I now use for things
the animals don’t find palatable —
potatoes, herbs etc — so I don’t need
to fence them.”
She also plants in wine barrels and
large pots as well as growing vertically.
“We have mulberries and plum trees
around the property that Audrey loves to
feast on,” she adds.
With all these souls seeking food,
organic gardening is the only way, says

36 | Good Organic Gardening


“Some areas need to be done with
watering cans on the back of the ride-on
where the hose won’t reach. The non-
edible areas rarely get watered unless
newly planted or if it’s really dry.”
Lisa’s gardening technique is entirely
intuitive, she insists: “I’m a big believer in
not following the rules but trying what
works for me.
“For example, I planted potatoes
for the first time last year, four weeks
before the ‘right time’, and they were
fine. This year, I planted even earlier to
see what happens.
“I plant lots of things to encourage
bees and the like and in my edible garden
I plant flowers and companion plants. I
choose ones that the bees love but that
are also edible, so if I forget what I’ve
planted I know it’s safe to eat.
“I don’t rotate crops but do just plant
things where they fit.”
She’s thrilled with their new
greenhouse — built in a previously
unusable spot — “as I was able to get a
head start on growing things from seed
and also extend the growing season. I
LISA LECKIE | GARDENING FOLK
1 A granddaughter gathers flowers and berries
6 2 Many colourful varieties of tomatoes
3 The garden structures are Glen’s handiwork
4 Insta-ready produce 5 Swallowtail caterpillar
6 The greenhouse puts to use an awkward spot
7 Karl Lagerfeld presides over the brassicas
“I DON’T EVEN USE ORGANIC
SPRAYS AS THESE CAN STILL
HARM THE NON-TARGETED
INSECTS AND BEES — FOR
INSTANCE, THE BEAUTIFUL
SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLY
WHOSE CATERPILLARS
FEAST ON MY CITRUS.”
grew tomatoes and was harvesting them
weeks before those planted outside.
“I grew 14 varieties of tomatoes last
year; also, my loganberries were prolific.”
The garden has evolved over the years,
she says, “with no actual plan in place. I
love adding structures and features and
Glen loves building them.
“I plant what I love and have a wide
variety of native and non-native bulbs,
flowers and edibles. I’m looking forward
to growing dahlias, which may become a LISA’S TOP TIPS
new obsession.” 1. Grow what you love.
Lisa loves connecting with likeminded 2. Don’t worry about pests
people on social media. She started an — grow more crops so that
Insta account with her best friend, also things balance out.
named Lisa, that began as a fashion, food 3. Forget the rules; do what
and travel page but now is mainly a garden works for you. What do you
page with a little bit of family and food. have to lose? Just a few
“I’ve just started sourdough baking,” dollars’ worth of seeds.
she adds. “I enjoy going out to cafes and 4. Don’t worry if plants
the occasional winery and I love spending don’t look perfect as long
time working on our garden and just as they’re producing.
enjoying it.” 5. Try to plant something every
couple of days or every week
Instagram: @lisasgardenlisaandlisa so you always have a new plant
Facebook: Lisa’s Garden to take an old one’s place.
Good Organic Gardening | 37
MOON PLANTING | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

MOON
PLANTING
SEPTEMBER 2023  New moon Full moon
Spring is most gardeners’ favourite season. It’s such a joy to watch the whole  First quarter  Last quarter
world coming to life with new growth and colourful profusions of flowers.
When the moon is waxing from new
MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT SUN moon to full moon, it is increasing
1 2 3 light and drawing sap flow upwards.
During the waning from full moon
back to new moon, light decreases
and sap is drawn downwards.
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 This movement of sap flow has an
influence on how well new plants will
grow. There are four phases, each
 8:21am lasting seven to eight days. Sowing,
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 planting and taking cuttings should
not be done in the 12 hours before
and after each phase. If you want
 11:39am to work in the garden at that time,
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 carry out general tasks and improve
your soil for planting.

 5:31am FRUITING ANNUALS

25 26 27 28 29 30 Sow or plant annuals grown
for their fruits or seeds. This is best
done during the first quarter phase
7:57pm between first quarter and full moon,
when sap is being drawn upwards.
OCTOBER 2023
It’s high spring and all the hard work is starting to pay off. Regular feeding, ROOT CROPS
consistent watering and staggered plantings are the keys to a good harvest. Sow or plant crops that
produce below the ground, and also
MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT SUN perennials. This is best done between
30 31 1 full moon and last quarter when sap
flow is being drawn downwards.

LEAFY GREENS
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sow or plant crops that are
grown for their foliage. This is best
done during the new moon phase
 12:47am between new moon and first quarter
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 when sap is being drawn upwards.

AVOID PLANTING
 4:55am The last quarter phase is
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 not a good period for sowing or
planting, so is best used working
on improving soil, weeding, making
 2:29pm compost and other general chores.
23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Times are Australian Eastern Standard Time

(AEST). Add 1 hour during daylight saving.
7:24am
WA, SA & NT will need to adjust.

38 | Good Organic Gardening


TIME PLANT
SPRING IS A BUSY PLANTING TIME IN MOST CLIMATE ZONES,
GUARANTEEING PLENTY ON THE TABLE IN THE MONTHS TO COME
N DS
COOL & HIGHLA
SEPTEMBER
Amaranth, artichoke (globe), Asian greens,
asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, broad beans,
cabbage, carrot, chilli, endive, fennel, Jerusalem
artichoke, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard greens,
onion, parsnip, peas, potato, radish, rocket,
silverbeet, snow peas, spinach, spring onion,
sugar snap peas, swede, turnip
Amaranth, artichoke (globe), Asian greens,
TEMPERATE asparagus, asparagus pea (winged bean), beans,
beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot,
celeriac, celery, chicory, corn salad, cucumber,
eggplant, endive, fennel, horseradish, Jerusalem
artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, marrow,
mustard greens, onion, parsnip, peas, potato,
pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket, salsify, silverbeet,
snow peas, spring onions, sunflower, sweet corn,
taro, tomato, turnip, warrigal greens, zucchini
SUBTROPICAL Amaranth, artichoke (globe), Asian greens, asparagus,
asparagus pea (winged bean), beans, beetroot,
cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celeriac, celery, chilli,
Chinese cabbage, choko, cucumber, eggplant, fennel,
horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leek, lettuce,
marrow, mustard greens, okra, parsnip, potato,
pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket, salsify, silverbeet,
spring onion, squash, sunflower, sweet corn, sweet
potato (kumara), tomato, turnip, warrigal greens,
yam/oka (oca), zucchini
TROPICAL
Asian greens, beans, capsicum, carrot, chilli, choko,
cucumber, eggplant, ginger, mustard greens, okra,
pumpkin, spring onion, sweet corn, sweet potato
(kumara), taro, tomato
Amaranth, artichoke (globe), Asian greens,
ARID asparagus, asparagus pea (winged bean), beans,
beetroot, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celeriac, celery,
chilli, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, ginger, Jerusalem
artichoke, kale, leek, lettuce, marrow, mizuna, okra,
onion, peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket,
salsify, shallots (eschalots), silverbeet, spinach, spring
onion, squash, sunflower, sweet corn, sweet potato
(kumara), tomato, turnip, warrigal greens, zucchini
These maps are simplified versions adapted from climate maps by the Bureau of Meteorology and are only a rough guide. Microclimates can be formed anywhere.
HERBS & VEGIES | PLANT NOW
OCTOBER
Amaranth, artichoke, Asian greens, asparagus,
asparagus pea (winged bean), beans, beetroot,
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, capsicum,
carrot, celeriac, celery, chicory, cucumber, daikon,
eggplant, endive, fennel, horseradish, kohlrabi, leek,
lettuce, marrow, mustard greens, onion, parsnip,
peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket,
salsify, silverbeet, snow peas, spring onion, sugar
snap peas, sunflower, swede, sweet corn, tomato,
turnip, warrigal greens, zucchini
Amaranth, artichoke (globe), Asian greens,
asparagus, asparagus pea, beans, beetroot, broccoli,
cabbage, capsicum, carrot, celeriac, celery, Chinese
cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, endive, fennel,
horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi,
leek, lettuce, marrow, mustard greens, okra, parsnip,
potato, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket, salsify,
silverbeet, spring onion, sunflower, sweet corn,
sweet potato (kumara), taro, tomato, turnip, warrigal
greens, yam/oka (oca), zucchini
Amaranth, Asian greens, asparagus, asparagus
pea (winged bean), beans, beetroot, capsicum,
carrot, chilli, choko, cucumber, eggplant, ginger,
horseradish, lettuce, marrow, mustard greens,
okra, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, salsify,
spring onion, squash, sunflower, sweet corn,
sweet potato (kumara), tomato, warrigal greens,
yam/oka (oca), zucchini
Asian greens, beans, capsicum, chilli, choko,
cucumber, eggplant, ginger, mustard greens,
okra, pumpkin, spring onion, sweet corn, sweet
potato (kumara), tomato
Amaranth, Asian greens, asparagus pea (winged
bean), beans, beetroot, capsicum, carrot, chilli,
choko, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, ginger,
leek, lettuce, marrow, okra, onion, potato,
pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket, salsify, shallots
(eschalots), silverbeet, spinach, spring onion,
squash, sunflower, sweet corn, sweet potato
(kumara), tomato, zucchini
Good Organic Gardening | 39
BACK TO BASICS | PLANTING TIPS
K I C KS TA R T
HERE ARE 10 TIPS FOR BEGINNERS — AND FOR OTHERS,
REMINDERS — TO HELP PLANTS GROW UP BIG AND STRONG
1 PREPARE THE SOIL
Before you even shop for plants, prepare
the soil by loosening it up and adding
organic matter such as compost or
manure. This will help to improve soil
fertility, drainage and aeration so roots
can penetrate soil and receive nutrients,
oxygen and moisture. Don’t be tempted
to plant until you’re reasonably sure the
soil is ready.
2 CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANTS
Select plants that are well suited to your
climate and growing conditions. Consider
factors such as soil type, sun exposure
and water requirements before making
your selection. Check whether they are
annuals or perennials and consider the
size they will reach when mature.
40 | Good Organic Gardening
3 PLANT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Planting at the right time can help your
plants establish easily and grow more
vigorously. Check the recommended
planting times for your area and adjust
accordingly. If you know you have a
microclimate, such as a spot where
warmth is reflected off a brick wall, allow
for that, too. Some fruits might have
special warm or cold-climate varieties.
4 WATER REGULARLY
Newly introduced plants need to be
watered regularly until they become
properly established and their water
needs taper off. Water deeply and less
frequently, rather than shallowly and
often, to encourage deep root growth.
Light watering leads to shallow roots.
5 MULCH AROUND PLANTS
Mulching around your plants can
help to retain moisture in the soil,
suppress weed growth and regulate
soil temperature. On top of all that, it
looks good. Use organic mulches such
as straw, leaf or woodchips to return
nutrients to the soil. Keep mulch clear
of plant stems and top up each new
planting season.
6 SPACE PLANTS PROPERLY
Give your plants room to grow to their
full size and avoid overcrowding them,
particularly vegies that spread such as
zucchini and pumpkin. This will help to
reduce competition for resources and
prevent disease problems. Don’t be
tempted to fill every space.
 PLANTING TIPS | BACK TO BASICS

7 HELP YOUR PLANTS

ESTABLISH THEIR ROOTS
When planting seedlings, gently tease
out roots a little looser before planting
and apply a good-quality seaweed
product diluted to the colour of weak tea
at planting time to prevent shock and
strengthen roots so they take firm hold.

8 USE QUALITY TOOLS

As with anything, good-quality tools
and implements make the job easier
and more efficient. Invest in a sturdy
spade, hoe, trowel and rake to make your
planting work easier and more enjoyable.

9 PROTECT AGAINST 10 PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR vertically, too, if trained on a structure

PESTS AND DISEASES
Monitor your young plants regularly for
signs of pests or disease and take action
to prevent any spread. This may involve
using natural treatments on insects and
snails and will definitely mean practising
good garden hygiene such as sharpening
and meticulously cleaning your tools.
CLIMBERS AT THE GET-GO
Climbing plants such as tomatoes
and beans may need support to grow
properly. Put stakes, trellises, or cages
in place at planting time so you don’t
have to disturb their roots later. Some
spreading vegies, such as cucumbers
and mini pumpkins, can be grown
from the start.
In the long term, planting success
depends on a combination of factors,
including proper soil preparation,
plant selection, watering, spacing and
maintenance. By following these tips, you
will give your plants the best chance of
healthy growth and high productivity.

Good Organic Gardening | 41

TIME TO PLANT | BLUE BUTTERFLY PEA
WINGS OF DESIRE
VARIOUSLY CALLED PIGEONWINGS, BUTTERFLY PEA
AND DARWIN PEA, THIS PRETTY FLOWER TURNS
NAME, CLITORIA
HEADS WITH ITS SCIENTIFIC NAME
M
Words Chloe Thomson
y introduction to the
bewitching properties of the
blue butterfly pea flower
came when I was offered a
bright-blue tea in Thailand. As soon as I
added some lime juice it changed colour
to bright magenta.
What’s the magic behind this colour-
change phenomenon? Tea made from
butterfly pea flowers, fresh or dried, is
pH reactive: the addition of lime juice (or
a similar acid, including tonic water) will
cause the reaction.
Originally from the Indonesian island
of Ternate — hence its scientific name
ternatea — the blue butterfly pea is also
commonly known as Asian pigeonwings
or Darwin pea.
However, its generic name Clitoria has
long raised eyebrows and does indeed
come from the flower’s resemblance to
the female anatomy.
On discovering what this fabulous
plant was called, I instantly set about
researching to see if I could grow it in
Australia and, in particular, Melbourne.
To my delight it can be grown in most
areas of Australia. In cooler climates,
especially those with frosts and cold
42 | Good Organic Gardening
winters, blue butterfly pea will grow as Lemon causes the
an annual. colour change
In the subtropics and tropics, the
perennial climbing vines can be too
vigorous for their own good, so take care
when planting them close to other plants
and remove all pea pods if you don’t
want them to self-seed.
The flowers have a history of
medicinal uses and can be used fresh,
dried or even powdered to make teas or
natural food colouring.
Though brightly coloured, the flowers
add little to no flavour, so combine
them with other fragrant leaves like
lemon myrtle or lemon verbena to make
a delicious tea.
The blue tea can also be used to make
syrups for cocktails. The flowers can be
steeped in gin or vodka to colour it.
Keep any syrup or steeped alcohol out
of direct sunlight and in the fridge until
you’re ready to use it.
THOUGH BRIGHTLY COLOURED, THE FLOWERS
ADD LITTLE TO NO FLAVOUR, SO COMBINE THEM
WITH OTHER FRAGRANT LEAVES LIKE LEMON
MYRTLE OR LEMON VERBENA.
 Sun-drying the flowers
for tea

25 YeArs
YEARS
S
Sprinkler

Clitoria label
Common nam
es: Clitoria, p
butterfly pea igeonwings,
Waters a LARGE area up to 15 metre diameter.
Botanical nam
e: Clitoria tern Average flow rate of 10 LPM.
Family: Faba atea
ceae (pea fam
Aspect & soil ily)
: Full sun; well-
Best climate:
All
drained soil Sprinkler
Habit: Short-l
ived perennia
Propagation: l
Seed
Difficulty: Mo
derate

GROWING
ING AND CARE
Like other legumes, blue butterfly pea plants t are
wonderful at fixing nitrogen and can even be planted
as green manure crops (cut down and turn into the soil
before seed pods form). Waters a SMALL area up to 8 metre diameter.
These perennial vines can grow up to 2m tall and wide, Average flow rate of 4 LPM.
but will grow as annuals in areas with cool winters. Purpose shaped base for roof cooling.
Direct sow or raise seeds in punnets — they’ll take 7–21
days to germinate and require a temperature of 20–30°C. Sprinkler
In a cooler climate such as Melbourne, I started
the seeds indoors in early spring on a heat mat and
transplanted them into the garden in mid-to-late
November once the soil had warmed up.
Plant your seedlings at the base of a trellis or fence for
the growing vines to climb up. Space seedlings a metre
apart in a spot with full sun to part shade.
Blue butterfly pea plants prefer a regular watering in
dry periods, so a spot with irrigation is ideal.
These vines grow fast, particularly in subtropical and
Large area - low pressure 9 to 14.5m diameter.
tropical climates, so be prepared for rapid growth that
Average flow rate 7LPM.
may need taming or pruning to keep it contained.
Designed for domestic, commercial and rural application.
In Melbourne, my vines have barely grown taller than a
metre and 30cm wide over summer/autumn, so if you’re
The Wobble-Tee, Clever Drop and RolaRain sprinklers
growing in cooler climates their growth won’t be as vigorous.
DOOKDYHUHPRYDEOHͤOWHUVIRUGDPRUULYHUXVH
Pick the flowers soon after they’ve opened and use
Multiple sprinklers can be run off one tap.
them fresh to make the bright blue tea. Alternatively,
UV stabilised for a long life in the harsh Australian sun.
leave them on a cake rack to air dry completely before
Available from leading hardware stores and rural retailers.
storing in an airtight container.
If you’d prefer to allow seed pods to develop, don’t pick
the flowers until they’ve started to wilt on the vine. Then
T h e B es t Sprr i n k l e r s Y ou W i ll E v e r O w n!
Bigstock

they can be carefully removed, leaving the growing seed

facebook.com/Wobble-Tee-Sprinklers
pod attached to the plant to mature.
T. 02 4975 3222 | www.wobble-tee.com.au

Good Organic Gardening | 43

TIME TO PLANT | COMFREY
BONE SET AND MULCH
WITH A LONG HISTORY IN FOLK MEDICINE, COMFREY
REALLY SHINES AS A FERTILISER, COMPOST
ACTIVATOR AND WEED BARRIER
A
Words Chloe Thomson
herbaceous perennial that
originates from Europe,
comfrey is also something of a
wonder plant with many uses
in the garden and beyond.
With green hairy leaves in a rosette
form, it can grow up to 1m tall in all
climates including the tropics and
subtropics, right down to the cooler
regions of Tasmania, but is unlikely to
flower in warmer zones.
If your winters are cold, comfrey will
go completely dormant and die right
back, ready to re-emerge in spring.
If you need to stabilise soil, comfrey’s
deep tap root and thick, fibrous roots
make it a wonderful addition to gardens.
There’s research to show the roots
draw up nutrients from deep in the soil,
allowing neighbouring plants to access
them as well.
It’s also claimed that comfrey can
44 | Good Organic Gardening
Comfrey label
work as a living weed barrier when
planted 2–3 plants deep: its strong Common name
s: Comfrey, bone
Scientific nam set, knitbone
growth and root system are said to e: Symphytum
Family: Boragin officinale
stop running grasses and spreading aceae (borage
Aspect & soil: family)
weeds in their tracks. Full sun; well-d
Best climate: A rained soil
Comfrey leaves are rich in silica, ll
nitrogen, magnesium, calcium, Habit: Herbaceo
us perennial
potassium and iron. When added to Propagation: S
eed, division
compost they are fabulous activators Difficulty: Easy
— you can soak the leaves in water
to make a liquid fertiliser.
You can also slash and drop them
beneath fruiting trees and other
established plants as a nutritious mulch. tinctures and ointments (for externall
The bell-shaped flowers are magnets use only) for centuries to treat aches
for bees and the leaves can also be fed in and pains and assist with the healing of
small quantities to livestock and poultry. broken bones — hence its folk names
Comfrey has been made into knitbone and boneset.
THE BELL-SHAPED FLOWERS ARE MAGNETS FOR
BEES AND THE LEAVES CAN ALSO BE FED IN SMALL
Bigstock
QUANTITIES TO LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY.
 COMFREY | TIME TO PLANT

1 Comfrey is a great compost activator 2 Comfrey

1 Bocking 3 Creeping comfrey

COMFREY HAS BEEN

MADE INTO TINCTURES
AND OINTMENTS FOR
CENTURIES TO ASSIST
WITH THE HEALING
OF BROKEN BONES —
HENCE ITS FOLK NAMES
KNITBONE AND BONESET.
GROWING AND CARE
Comfrey seeds need a cold winter to
2 germinate so potted plants or root or
crown division are by far the fastest and
easiest ways to establish a comfrey plant.
The best time to take cuttings or
divisions is in the cooler months of
winter and early spring.
Choose a full-sun or part-shade spot
and don’t fuss with improving the soil
too much — comfrey won’t mind! Bury
root cuttings about 3cm deep and cover
with compost. Keep the area moist until
leaves emerge.
Plant crown divisions into prepared
soil with roots pointing downwards.
Unless it’s particularly cold, they should
begin putting on new leaf growth
within 10 days. Space the plants
40–50cm apart.
Allow comfrey plants to grow for a
second season before you begin heavily
harvesting the leaves. You can take a
3 few leaves from each plant in the first
season, but by the second season you
can harvest leaves more frequently
(about 8–10 times per year).

VARIETIES
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is the
variety most readily available, while
Comfrey Bocking 14 (S. × uplandicum)
has been considered the best for
gardens and permaculture since it was
first bred in 1954.
Bocking 14 or Russian comfrey has
exceptionally deep roots, making its
leaves very nutrient rich. It’s a fabulous
compost activator, companion plant
and weed suppressant with large fleshy
leaves but doesn’t produce seeds.
Creeping comfrey, aka ornamental
comfrey (S. grandiflorum), is the one to
avoid. It will spread weedlike throughout
your garden and quickly take over.

Good Organic Gardening | 45

TIME TO PLANT | SWEET CORN
CORNUCOPIA
LIKE CARROTS, SWEET CORN COMES IN MANY
COLOURS. UNLIKE CARROTS, AS THE SONG GOES,
IT GROWS “AS HIGH AS AN ELEPHANT’S EYE”
A
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
llow plenty of room for a crop
of sweet corn. It’s a tall plant
that needs to be grown in
blocks at least a metre square
so it can form plump cobs.
Blocks are the recommended
planting pattern as sweet corn is wind
pollinated and growing it in a block
maximises the spread of pollen and
increases pollination.
Well-pollinated flowers produce well-
filled cobs but corn grown in pots or in a
row won’t develop good cobs.
Though corn takes up lots of room, it
doesn’t use the real estate straightaway
so the space around young plants can
be used to grow other plants such as
quick crop of lettuce planted between
the rows or around the block of corn.
Cornstalks can also be used to
support climbing beans while sprawling
warm-season plants such as pumpkins
and zucchini can also be allowed to
46 | Good Organic Gardening
spread in and around corn. As it grows
to 2m tall, a block of corn provides
shelter for other crops such as leafy
greens that benefit from extra protection
during summer.
If extra crops are planted in and around
sweet corn, it’s vital to provide extra
water and nutrients to keep the corn and
secondary crops growing strongly.
VARIETIES
Corn comes from Central America
where it has been grown for thousands
of years. This long history of cultivation
and its importance as a staple means
there are many sweet corn varieties
ranging from heirlooms with interesting
heritage to modern F1 hybrid varieties
that are sweet with a high yield.
Sweet corn breeding in recent
AS IT GROWS TO 2M TALL, A BLOCK OF CORN PROVIDES
SHELTER FOR OTHER CROPS SUCH AS LEAFY GREENS.
decades has been working towards
producing even sweeter corn, known as
“supersweet”. The extra sweetness comes
as modern varieties are slower than older
ones at converting sugar to starch. It also
means the cobs last longer once picked.
Look for the supersweet varieties
‘Breakthrough’, with yellow kernels, or
‘Honey and Cream’, which is a bicolour
(white and yellow).
Despite the reliability of modern
varieties, old varieties have an allure and
can also be more forgiving of seasonal
fluctuations while producing smaller
crops (two cobs per plant rather than six
to eight). Most are also open pollinated so
they come true from seed, meaning seed
Bigstock, Getty, Kerry Boyne
can be saved and replanted each year.
A reliable heritage variety for
Australian conditions is ‘Golden Bantam’,
 SWEET CORN | TIME TO PLANT

A stand of corn is SWEET CORN BREEDING IN RECENT

ideal for shading
sun-sensitive plants DECADES HAS BEEN WORKING TOWARDS
PRODUCING EVEN SWEETER CORN,
KNOWN AS “SUPERSWEET”.

Sweet corn label

‘Honey and Cream’

Sweet corn
Common name:
Zeya mays
Botanical name:
(grass family)
Family: Poaceae il
n; well-drained so
Aspect & soil: Su
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
ed, seedling
Propagation: Se
Difficulty: Easy
which dates fr from th
the early 20th century.
When it was released, it was popular for
its large, yellow, sweet cobs.
‘Sweet White’ is another very old
variety grown for its sweet white cobs.
A US variety with the memorable
name of ‘Bloody Butcher’ is a heritage
corn with blood-red kernels. Dating
from the 19th century, it starts off white
before developing a distinctive dark-red
colouration as the cob matures.
Although it produces only two cobs
per plant — and the plants grow up
to 3–4m high — it has its admirers,
including the American distillery Jeptha
Creed, which makes its distinctive
“ground-to-glass” bourbon and vodka
from Bloody Butcher. The Kentucky-
based company claims the variety gives
its spirits a distinctive nutty flavour.
And who could resist ‘Hopi Blue’,
a corn with blue kernels (used for
blue popcorn)? Other varieties have
multicoloured kernels that may include
yellow, white and purple, which are often
used as decoration.
As well as traditional sweet corn,
other forms of corn are grown for
different uses. These are often referred
to as maize and tend to be harvested
after the kernels dry rather than while
they are moist, sweet and succulent.
‘Popcorn’, as its varietal name
suggests, is grown to make popcorn and
harvested when it is hard. Harvested
early when still small and soft, however,
it’s used as baby corn.
Commercial crops of maize are grown
as stock food. It lacks the sweetness of
sweet corn but the hard kernels are long
lasting and nutritious.
BOTANICALLY SPEAKING
The stalk of the corn is known as the
culm, as corn is a type of large grass.
There are also special words to
describe the flowers and fruit and
preparing the fruit for eating. There are
even special utensils to stab into a corn
cob so it’s easier to hold to eat.
Male flowers are called tassels while
female flowers are silks, which is also the
name for the wispy filaments at the top
of each cob.
The fruit is referred to as a cob and
the grain-bearing spike including the
cob is an ear. The cob has a husk, the
outer green wrapping that covers the
juicy kernels, which are the edible seeds.
Shucking describes the process of
removing the outer husk.
GETTING STARTED
Sweet corn seed is large, easy to
handle and best sown direct. It likes
a warm growing period so seeds go
in during spring and early summer,
with harvests from summer plantings
extending into autumn.
Before sowing, dig in organic fertiliser
but don’t allow seed to come into direct
contact with it.
Also just before sowing, water the
soil well so the seed goes into damp but
not overly wet soil. Some growers also
recommend soaking seed before sowing.
To sow seeds, make a furrow about
25mm deep — the back of a rake is an
ideal tool to create just the right

Good Organic Gardening | 47

TIME TO PLANT | SWEET CORN

VARIETIES OF CORN
Name Description Comment

1 Baby Corn Yellow kernels Harvested while immature for miniature cobs

2 Bloody Butcher Deep red kernels US heritage variety from mid-19th century

3 Blue Mini Popcorn Small cobs, blue kernels Good for popping

4 Breakthrough Large cobs, yellow kernels Sweet, long lasting

5 Dwarf Small cobs, yellow kernels Good for small spaces; good cold tolerance

6 Glass Gem Multicoloured kernels Great for popping

Heritage variety dating from early 20th century;

7 Golden Bantam Yellow kernels
good in a warm climate

8 Hopi Blue Blue kernels Heritage variety from Mexico

9 Macleay Valley White White kernels, 1 cob per plant Australian variety

10 Maize Yellow Grown as stock food, lacks the sweetness of other varieties

11 Popcorn Small Harvest when seed is hard; also used for baby corn

12 True Gold Large cobs, yellow kernel Low yield per plant, good flavour

depth of furrow. Make the furrows around
50cm apart to form a sizeable block.
When planting, space the seeds
around 15–20cm apart then thin plants
so they are 20–30cm apart. Expect
seedlings to emerge in six to 10 days
from sowing.
The key to a good crop of sweet corn
is plenty of fertiliser and regular deep
watering. In crop rotation, follow a crop
of peas or broad beans with a crop of
sweet corn.
Apply additional fertiliser as the
seedlings grow and when the tassels
(male flowers) appear as the plant
reaches maturity. The tassels are
produced at the top of the plant while
the edible cobs form lower down where
the female flowers form.
Weeds compete with corn plants for
both water and nutrients so keeping the
corn patch free of weeds is important
for good growth.
Hoeing gently between the plants
then covering the bare soil with organic
mulch keeps the corn patch weed free.
Alternatively, encourage a living mulch
of pumpkin or zucchini.
TROUBLESHOOTING
The main disappointment with
homegrown sweet corn is harvesting
cobs that have only a few plump kernels.
This is caused by poor pollination and
can be solved by planting corn in blocks,
which helps ensure a good spread of
pollen and good pollination. Windy
conditions also help distribute pollen.
Once the cobs begin to form, corn
earworm or budworm caterpillars can
arrive and burrow down from the top of
the cob into the kernels. This pest has
become resistant to most chemicals.
For organic control, check plants
regularly for signs of caterpillars or their
frass and webbing at the top of the cob.
Remove caterpillars or affected cobs.
Try the organic insecticide Dipel, but this
is ineffective if caterpillars have already
entered cobs. Even if caterpillars have
attacked the cob it is usually still edible —
just remove the upper portion (and squash
the caterpillar) before cooking.
A new pest, fall armyworm, is also
devastating to corn and maize and can
devour foliage and cobs. Keep an eye out
for pest activity and treat with Dipel.
HARVESTING AND STORING
Sweet corn takes around 10 to 12
weeks to grow and produce cobs.
Watch the crop carefully to pick
cobs at their peak ripeness when
still sweet and juicy.
This is very important if you’re
growing heritage varieties that
quickly lose their sweetness and
become tough and tasteless as
sugars in the kernel are converted
to less palatable starch.
Telltale signs that cobs are ready
to harvest include silks turning from
greeny-yellow to brown and cobs
standing out at an angle from the side
of the plant.
To further test for ripeness, peel
back the outer husk and press
a thumbnail into a kernel. If it’s at
its peak, it will exude a creamy juice
known as milk.
Sweet corn is best eaten as soon as
it’s harvested, but to store for a few
days place it well wrapped in the crisper
section of the fridge.
Excess can be blanched and frozen or
used to make pickles and relish.

48 | Good Organic Gardening

 SWEET CORN | TIME TO PLANT

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10

11 12

Good Organic Gardening | 49

TIME TO PLANT | SPACE SALAD
ROCKET FUEL
DESIGNING FOOD THAT ASTRONAUTS CAN GROW,
HARVEST AND EAT ON LONG SPACE JOURNEYS
FOR A SALAD THAT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD
A
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
ny new way to excite and
encourage us to eat our
vegies is always welcome
and the latest comes
from space research in the form of
a delicious salad designed to feed
astronauts on long space journeys.
The plan is that astronauts can grow
many of the ingredients on board while
travelling into deep space then harvest
them and create the salad.
Trials have been underway for several
years to grow both ornamental and
edible plants in zero gravity. Astronauts
have had success with French
marigolds, lettuce, chilli and much more.
Astronauts on the space station
orbiting 400km above Earth even made
tacos flavoured with a space-grown chilli.
50 | Good Organic Gardening
THE EFFECT OF FOOD
HOW IT’S DONE
In space, plants are grown in specially
designed grow units using hydroponics
ON THE MOOD OF
and artificial light with little added fertiliser. ASTRONAUTS IS ALSO
Following a recipe developed through
a joint program at the Universities of
IMPORTANT WITH
Adelaide and Nottingham (in the UK) COLOUR, TASTE, TEXTURE,
focusing on astropharmacy, farming
and food research, the nutritious “space
FRESHNESS AND
salad” contains carefully measured FLAVOUR CONSIDERED.
quantities of soybean, poppy, barley,
kale, peanuts, sweet potato and complete and calorically balanced
sunflower seeds. plant-based diet that includes no more
These ingredients can be grown fresh food mass than people commonly eat
in space and researchers say they “pack on Earth.
a punch and deliver the calories needed However, researchers didn’t just think
in smaller portions”. about nutrients and ease of growing —
More than 100 different plants were the final choice was influenced by the
Bigstock
considered before the final selection look of the food on the plate.
was made to give a nutritionally As they explain, the effect of food

Poppy seeds
ASTRONAUTS HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH FRENCH
MARIGOLDS, LETTUCE, CHILLI AND MUCH MORE.
on the mood of astronauts is also
important with colour, taste, texture,
freshness and flavour considered.
The next step for the research project
is to design space farming systems
and components for long-term space
missions to meet the nutritional and
psychological demands of astronauts.
GROW YOUR OWN
If you want to test out the theory, give
the salad combination a go and try
growing some of the ingredients.
Soybean and kale can be planted
now to harvest over the months ahead,
but you may want to outsource the
barley, a grain crop sown commercially
in late autumn or earlier from seed.
It can also be planted in very early
Astronauticulture
starts with kale
Sweet potato
spring in a well-drained sunny plot or
grown in a large container.
Peanuts and sweet potato both need
a long, warm growing season. They too
are planted in spring after all threat of
frost has passed and allowed to grow
through summer for an autumn harvest
ahead of frost.
If you want to try growing peanuts
or sweet potato but you live in a cold
climate with a short growing season,
plant them in spring in the warmest
spot you have, which may be a large
black plastic container. Train the long
runners of sweet potato up a tripod.
Culinary poppy seeds are usually
extracted from the opium poppy
(Papaver somniferum), which cannot
be grown in Australia without a licence,
Peanuts
SPACE SALAD | TIME TO PLANT
Soybeans
so this is the one element of the space
salad to omit or buy in. Don’t use other
poppy seeds.
Sunflower seeds (see page 60
for details on growing sunflowers),
however, are plentiful in ornamental
gardens in late summer and autumn.
Harvest as the heads mature then store
the seeds to use throughout the year to
add crunch to your space salad.
GIVE KALE A GO
The main bulky ingredient of this
nutritious salad is kale, a crop that can
be grown year round in most gardens.
It will give the salad more of a coleslaw
feel than a soft or crunchy lettuce feel.
There are many varieties available to
plant now but, for a salad, look for one
with soft leaves such as ‘Scotch’.
Kale is also good added to soups,
casseroles or turned into kale chips
by brushing torn leaves with oil and
putting them into a hot oven to crisp.
Kale has lots of good nutrition,
especially vitamins A, C and K, folate
and alpha-Linolenic acid, an omega-3
fatty acid.
To grow kale, give plants lots of
room: space seeds or seedlings at least
30cm apart.
Watch out for cabbage white
butterflies — not a problem for astronauts
but definitely a worry for us earthlings —
as their green caterpillars love kale and all
members of the cabbage family.
Squash caterpillars to get rid of
them quickly. To deter the butterflies
from laying eggs, net crops with fine
white netting.
Regularly inspect the foliage, keeping
an eye out for ragged holes, frass or
the small green caterpillars. Squash any
caterpillars or eggs you discover.
Good Organic Gardening | 51
TIME TO PLANT | EDIBLE HEDGES
FRUIT AND HEDGE
WHY NOT FENCE YOUR GARDEN WITH SHRUBBERY YOU CAN EAT?
H
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
edges are an asset to any
garden, providing a green, leafy
screen for privacy and shelter
and adding biodiversity by
providing habitat and refuge for all sorts
of animals, birds and insects.
The value of hedges can be increased
by planting an edible one that has all
of the advantages of a hedge with the
bonus of a harvest.
Lots of edible shrubs and small trees
lend themselves to hedging including
coffee, all types of citrus, tea (a type
of camellia), lilly pilly, bay tree and
myrtus (also known as Tazziberry). All
52 | Good Organic Gardening
of them form tall evergreen hedges.
For a tall deciduous hedge there are
even more options such as pomegranate,
hazelnut, blueberry, sloe (a type of prunus,
pictured above) and lemon verbena.
Elderberry is also an option though its
natural tree size requires regular pruning
to keep the hedge compact.
For lower hedges or borders, grow
small edible perennials as a low hedge to
edge a garden. These include rosemary,
wormwood, lemon balm and sage.
Edible hedges need to be planted
and cared for in the same way as any
hedge with good soil, full sun and
regular water.
Ideally, install irrigation along the
hedgerow at planting to keep the
growing plants well watered. Space
hedge plants according to their natural
width (usually around 1m apart).
Pruning must be done with some
care and forethought, as trimming at
the wrong time could remove any fruit
you might be hoping to harvest from an
edible hedge.
If the hedge is being grown for
its edible leaves (for example tea,
lemon verbena, bay tree or rosemary),
pruning isn’t an issue as these hedges
can be pruned at any time they are
actively growing.
 EDIBLE HEDGES | TIME TO PLANT

Bay tree

COFFEE, ALL TYPES OF

CITRUS, TEA (A TYPE OF
CAMELLIA), LILLY PILLY,
BAY TREE AND MYRTUS
(ALSO KNOWN AS
TAZZIBERRY) FORM TALL
EVERGREEN HEDGES.

12 OF THE BEST EDIBLE HEDGES

Bay tree (Laurus nobilis) This dense,
fast-growing evergreen provides leaves
to use fresh or dried to flavour stocks,
soups and stews. A bay hedge will
provide more than you’ll ever need for
your own cooking. Bay trees are long-
lived Mediterranean plants that can reach
6m high if unpruned and grow best in Blueberry
cool to temperate zones. In humid areas,
they may be attacked by white scale.
Space plants 2m apart.

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)

These are among the most popular
fruiting plants in gardens today. Plants
grow 2m high and around 1.5m wide
though there are dwarf blueberries
around 60cm high and wide, ideal for
a low, compact hedge. Blueberries like
slightly acidic soil, full sun and lots of
water. There are many different varieties
(deciduous included) to suit climates
from cool to subtropical. Protect ripening
berries from birds with bird-safe netting.
Space large plants 1–1.5m apart and
dwarf plants around 50cm apart.
Citrus Coffee
Citrus (Citrus spp. and hybrids) Most
citrus can be trained into hedges but
those with dense, small leaves create
the best hedges including mandarins,
cumquats and calamondins. The native
finger lime (C. australasica), although
very thorny, also makes an excellent
evergreen productive hedge. Grow
in full sun and well-drained soil with
protection from cold winds. Space
plants 1–1.5m apart.

Coffee (Coffea arabica) This handsome

shrub produces the glossy red berries
that ultimately give up coffee beans. It
can be trained to form a dense hedge in
subtropical to warm temperate climates.
Bigstock

Grow in full sun with well-drained soil.

Space plants 1–1.5m apart.

Good Organic Gardening | 53

TIME TO PLANT | EDIBLE HEDGES

Elderberry Hazelnut

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) Ultimately
growing into a tree to 3–4m high,
elderberry can be pruned to keep it
shrubby and compact. It is deciduous
but with regular clipping it will form
a dense hedge. Both flowers and fruit
are used to flavour drinks such as
elderflower champagne and elderberry
cordial. It grows across a wide climate
range from cool to subtropical and does
best in full sun, though it tolerates light
shade. Space plants 1–1.5m apart.
Lilly pilly (Acmena spp. and Syzygium
spp. and cultivars) There are many
shrubby varieties of these fast-growing
evergreen native trees that can be grown
as dense, productive hedges. Lilly pillies
have white flowers and edible red, pink
or purple berries with a large seed.
Select compact varieties for hedging. As
these plants are part of the Myrtaceae
Lemon verbena
family, they are susceptible to myrtle
rust; some may also be attacked by
a disfiguring leaf psyllid. For a healthy
and attractive hedge, select resistant
varieties. To encourage strong growth,
plants require a sunny, well-drained
location sheltered from cold winds and
frost. Water well. For a dense hedge,
space plants 1m apart.
Lilly pilly

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) As hazels

are wind pollinated, they do well densely
planted as a tall hedge, row or windbreak.
Although these nut-bearing trees are
deciduous, they form a dense barrier year
round. Traditionally plants are coppiced
to produce long straight canes (sticks)
for fencing or garden stakes. They grow
best in full sun with well-drained soil and
need to be well watered during summer.
Space plants 2m apart.

Lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora)

Kept well pruned, lemon verbena forms
a strong, fragrant, fast-growing hedge.
It is deciduous to semi-deciduous in
winter and needs to be sheltered from
cold winds, especially in cooler climates.
It grows best in full sun with well-drained
soil and needs to be well watered during
summer. Harvest the leaves to dry or use
fresh as a tea or to flavour custard or a
jug of water. Space plants 1m apart.

54 | Good Organic Gardening

 EDIBLE HEDGES | TIME TO PLANT

FOR A TALL BUT

DECIDUOUS HEDGE
THERE ARE MANY
OPTIONS INCLUDING
POMEGRANATE, HAZELNUT,
BLUEBERRY, SLOE AND
LEMON VERBENA.

Myrtus (Myrtus ugni) These low-growing

shrubs have tiny dark-green leaves and
produce small red berries in autumn,
sometimes called Tazziberry or Chilean
guava. Grow in full sun and well-drained
soil in a cool to temperate climate. As
Tazziberry
these plants are Myrtaceae they are
susceptible to myrtle rust. They form
Pomegranate Sloe a low hedge to around 50cm high and
need to be spaced 50cm apart.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) While

pomegranates happily form small trees,
with close planting and regular pruning
they can be grown as a very attractive
and productive hedge. Select small,
compact varieties for best results and
grow in a warm, sunny location. Native to
Mediterranean regions, pomegranate does
best in similar climates. The plants are
deciduous to semi-deciduous in winter.
For a dense hedge, space plants 1m apart.

Sloe (Prunus spinosa) A spiny,

deciduous small tree to shrub also known
as blackthorn, sloe is traditionally grown
in hedgerows. The small sloes are a type
of wild plum mostly used to flavour
spirits such as gin and need a long cold
winter to form fruit. Plant in an open,
Tea sunny position and space 2–3m apart.

Tea (Camellia sinensis) Closely related

to ornamental sasanqua camellias and
enjoying similar climate and growing
conditions including acidic soil, the tea
plant is traditionally grown as a low
hedge. The young leaf tips are harvested
to produce tea. Tea plants grow best in
a cool mountain to temperate climate
where they are grown in full sun. In
warmer climates, they benefit from light
shade. Keep plants well watered and
space 1.5m apart.

Good Organic Gardening | 55

PLANT SHOWCASE | SYZYGIUM
EDIBLE EVERGREENS
AS AN ORNAMENTAL HEDGE, SHADE TREE, WILDLIFE
HABITAT OR SOURCE OF FOOD, THE LILLY PILLY IS
ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S TREASURES
A
Words Claire Bickle
plant family with crisp, tangy
fruits, a spicy fragrance,
flowers that attract bees and
birds and trees that create
habitat — what more could you ask?
Often called lilly pilly here, Syzygium is
a genus of around 1200 species, some of
which grow solely on our continent, others
across Africa and Southeast Asia; still
others occur both here and further afield.
All species have something to offer
the home gardener, no matter the style
of the garden or individual preference.
Generally, most fall into the category
of rainforest shrub or tree but they vary
greatly in habit, size and fruit type.
There are also several similarities
between the species: cultural
requirements, those tell-tale myrtaceous
stamen-type blossoms and edible fruits.
56 | Good Organic Gardening
LILLY PILLY PROFILE
Australia alone has more than 50
varieties of lilly pillies ranging from
small bushes to large trees, all with
ornamental qualities.
Their fruits vary quite markedly
in taste but all have a high pectin
content, which makes them well suited
to preserves in the form of jams, jellies,
chutneys and sauces — even wine.
Lilly pilly fruit can also be added to
salad dressings, tarts and smoothies
and used to flavour and colour gin.
The fruit has even been declared
a superfood, being rich in
MOST FALL INTO THE CATEGORY OF RAINFOREST
SHRUB OR TREE BUT THEY VARY GREATLY IN HABIT,
SIZE AND FRUIT TYPE.
vitamin C, anthocyanins (the
colours are indicative), folate and
calcium. Excess fruit can be easily
stored in the freezer.
The trees and shrubs themselves
make excellent privacy screens,
windbreaks, bird and bee attractants,
habitat plants, ornamental specimens
and shade trees. Certain species
will also lend themselves to pot
culture and all are evergreen.
Indigenous peoples widely use
the so-called “medicine berries”
for medicinal purposes as well as
for food.
 SYZYGIUM | PLANT SHOWCASE

Wax jambu

GROWING SYZYGIUM
Most Syzygium species require rich
soils and ample water to look their best.
Some are more drought tolerant than
others, but all will appreciate irrigation
during extended dry periods.
However, they do prefer free-draining
soils and, depending on species, most but
not all will tolerate light frost.
Let’s look at the individual attributes
of a few of the more popular species
that are available.

Wax jambu (Syzygium samarangense)

The wax jambu or Java apple produces Rose apple
some of the largest of all lilly pilly fruits,
which are pear-shaped and come in
vibrant pink, red and white forms. The
flesh is super crunchy and juicy, very
refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Wax
jambu fruit is so delicious it makes a
fabulous addition to a fruit salad, cheese
board or even savoury cold salads.
With rather large foliage compared to
other species of Syzygium, the tree grows
to around 2–5m tall and has an attractive
spreading dome shaped canopy.
This species grows well in the
subtropics and tropics and needs to be
protected from frosts while young. The
white-fruiting form has a much sweeter
flesh but is very cold sensitive.
The wax jambu is a very attractive
tree and its compact size makes it Rose apple flowers
suited to smaller gardens.
Harvest time: January–March.

Rose apple (S. jambos)

Native to the East Indies, this species
grows round, rather large cream-coloured
fruit with a fragrance and flavour
reminiscent of rose petals — there’s
truly nothing quite like it. The fruit are
generally eaten raw, fresh from the tree.
The rose apple is in flower and fruit
almost all year round. The flowers are
large and fluffy, almost resembling
shaving brushes, and they attract bees
and birds. The leaves are long and
lanceolate and new growth is dark red.
S. jambos grows to around 4–6m or
more and makes a great screening or
specimen tree.
Note: The foliage is rather susceptible
to myrtle rust.

Good Organic Gardening | 57

PLANT SHOWCASE | SYZYGIUM

Riberry (S. luehmannii) Riberry

Also commonly called the small-leaved
lilly pilly, riberry grows 6–15m depending
on location but can be pruned to a more
manageable height.
When in full fruit — often around
Christmas — this is one of the most
spectacular lilly pillies with the most
amazing display of clusters upon
clusters of bright, vibrant red fruit
hanging all over the tree.
The fruits are slightly juicy and have
a flavour blend of cinnamon and cloves.
Being so small, they are best used for
jams and sauces, served on cheese
platters and used as a classy addition
to flavour and colour gin.
Harvest time: December–February.

Blue lilly pilly (S. oleosum)

This would have to be my favourite lilly
pilly to eat fresh straight off the tree.
About the size of a cherry, the purple-
magenta fruit is juicy, spongy and
flavoursome and makes wonderful jam,
jelly and wine.
The leaves have many large oil glands
that when crushed give off a fragrance
that distinguishes S. oleosum from
other species.
Blue lilly pilly is fast growing and, once
established, quite drought tolerant. At
maturity, its average height in a garden
setting is around 7m but it can be
pruned to the size of a large shrub. It SOME SYZYGIUM ARE MORE DROUGHT TOLERANT
can be used as a windbreak, screen or THAN OTHERS, BUT ALL WILL APPRECIATE IRRIGATION
large hedge, even as a lovely shade tree.
Harvest time: August–October. DURING EXTENDED DRY PERIODS.

Blue lilly pilly fruit Blue lilly pilly

58 | Good Organic Gardening

 SYZYGIUM | PLANT SHOWCASE

Clove flowers and foliage Clove (S. aromaticum)

This species is native not to Australia
but the Maluku Islands in Indonesia.
Its flower buds are the familiar cloves
used as a spice for flavouring food
dishes within a variety of cuisines
across Africa, the Mediterranean, the
Middle East and Asia.
Cloves are also used as a fragrance
in cosmetics, soaps and toothpaste
and even to flavour cigarettes. Those
who have endured floods will know the
essential oil’s role in mould removal
— and who could forget those old-
fashioned pomander orange balls, with
cloves stuck in the skin to scent
a wardrobe or room? Cloves were even
once used to soothe toothache.
The major component of the clove
scent and flavour comes from the
chemical eugenol and the flavour pairs
Coolamon Cloves well with cinnamon, vanilla, red wine,
basil, onion, citrus, star anise, allspice
and peppercorns.
The clove will grow to around 8–12m
and prefers a tropical or frost-free
subtropical environment.
Harvest time: When buds change
from cream to green and finally red.

Coolamon (S. moorei)

The coolamon is a threatened
subtropical species in need of
preservation: a pretty good reason
to plant one or two. You will need
a bit of space for this majestic tree,
which can grow anywhere from
10–20m-plus in a full-sun position —
even taller in a rainforest situation.
Giant lau lau flowers Jambolan plum The good news is it can be pruned
quite hard and kept at a manageable
height, as low as 3–4m.
The standout feature of this
attractive tree is its cauliflorus cerise
flowers, which are followed by large,
white edible fruit. (Cauliflorus is the
term used for plants that form flowers
and fruit on their branches and trunks.)
The white fruit has a crisp, refreshing
flavour reminiscent of a Granny Smith
apple, if somewhat dry.
Harvest time: March–May.

SOME OTHER
SYZYGIUM BEAUTIES
Giant lau lau (S. megacarpa)
Jambolan plum (S. cumini)
Sour cherry lilly pilly (S. corynanthum)
Malay apple (S. malaccense)

Good Organic Gardening | 59

ORNAMENTAL | SUNFLOWER

Follow the sun

THE TALL, DRAMATIC-LOOKING SUNFLOWER IS A
GIANT DAISY THAT NOT ONLY MIRRORS THE SUN
BUT ALSO TRACKS ITS MOVEMENTS

60 | Good Organic Gardening

 SUNFLOWER | ORNAMENTAL

‘Italian White’ ‘Moonwalker’

S
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
unflowers grabbed the world’s Sunflower label
hearts when the people of
Common nam
Ukraine made them a symbol of e: Sunflower
Botanical nam
resistance against the Russian e: Helianthus an
Family: Astera nuus
invasion of their country. ceae (daisy fa
Aspect & soil: mily)
Sunflowers bring height and colour to Sun; well-drain
Best climate: ed soil
the garden in summer and are a fun plant All
Habit: Annual
for children to grow. They can be used
Propagation:
to shelter a vegetable garden or provide Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Eas
fast (but temporary) screening. y
Tall varieties such ‘Giant Russian’
easily reach 3m in height and, massed
‘Giant Russian’
together, form a substantial living screen.
The flower itself is interesting. Like
all daisy types, it’s a flower head, not a ‘EVENING SUN’, A VARIETY
TY THAT RESEMBLES A
single flower. Its large, yellow, pollen-
filled centre is made up of thousands of
SETTING SUN, HAS A BAND OF LARGE YELLOW PETALS
tiny individual flowers packed together PATTERNED WITH BROWN AND ORANGE.
and ringed with petals.
The picture is clearer when seeds There are also white sunflowers such full bloom resembles a setting sun, has
form, revealing the spiral of seeds, each as ‘Italian White’ (Helianthus debilis ssp. a band of large yellow petals patterned
representing a flower. cucumerifolius), with luminous cream- with brown and orange. It grows to
One flower can produce as many as coloured flowers with dark centres. It around 2m.
4000 seeds that are highly nutritious grows to around 1.4m high so it can be There are also varieties (including the
to eat or to press for cooking oil or to included in a perennial planting. abovementioned ‘Moonwalker’ and ‘Italian
make margarine. Also very different from the traditional White’) that are multi-branching, which
yellow sunflower is ‘Moonwalker’, a means not just one big flowerhead but
Bigstock, Getty

NOT JUST BIG AND YELLOW pale lemon-yellow variety that grows to many stems of flowers over many weeks.
As well as the familiar big bright-yellow around 2.5m high. Many of the multi-branching
version, sunflowers come in tones of Some varieties have multicoloured sunflowers only grow to around 1.5m
brown, red and gold. petals. ‘Evening Sun’, a variety that in in height, so are easy to manage in

Good Organic Gardening | 61

ORNAMENTAL | SUNFLOWER

1 2

a garden setting among other plants. 1 ‘Evening Sun’

2 ‘Summer Sensation’
Deadhead them to keep them producing
3 ‘Teddy Bear’
flowers for many months. 4 Sunflower farms
There are also dwarf varieties including attract sightseers for
selfies among the blooms
the double-flowered ‘Teddy Bear’, which
is as cute as it sounds and grows to just
50cm high with a fully double, almost
fluffy-looking flower.
Another dwarf variety to try is ‘Summer
Sensation’, a small yellow sunflower that’s
great in the garden or in pots.

GROW YOUR OWN

Sunflowers are a summer crop that’s easy
to grow from seed planted in late spring.
They grow through summer and
into early autumn, reaching their full
potential in deep soil enriched with
added organic matter.
Sow seeds or plant seedlings in a full-
sun position and provide regular water.
Starved of moisture, sunflowers become
stunted and flower prematurely.
When well watered, sunflowers have
few pests and diseases until their seeds
begin to ripen, which is when lots of
birds will arrive to feed on them — so be
quick if you want to harvest the seeds.

HARVEST
Enjoy sunflowers in the garden well
into autumn or pick them to brighten
Bigstock, Getty, Bruce Hutchison

up the house.
If you let them go to seed, harvest
the mature heads to use to feed to
birds, including chickens, or enjoy
them yourself as the seeds are rich in
protein, fibre and oil. They also contain
potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron
and vitamin B.
GOOD AS GOLD
The spiral arrangement of sunflower seeds follows the mathematical quirk
known as the Fibonacci Sequence, or Golden Ratio. The spirals that reach the
outer edge of the flower usually form a pair of numbers from the sequence.
Check your sunflower and see if you can count 34 and 55, or 55 and 89 or,
with very large sunflowers, 89 and 144 seeds.

62 | Good Organic Gardening


THE SUNFLOWER’S LARGE POLLEN-FILLED CENTRE IS
MADE UP OF THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL FLOWERS
PACKED TOGETHER AND RINGED WITH PETALS.
4 These happy plants are also
SUNFLOWER | ORNAMENTAL
The seeds are best harvested when
the flower head is mature and the
petals have fallen. The maturing head
bends over as the entire plant dies. As
the head ages and the seeds dry, birds
(especially cockatoos), rats and mice
may mount an attack.
If the seed heads aren’t ready to
harvest but birds are eyeing off the
seeds, cover the mature heads with a
large paper bag or a cloth — or pick
the head with at least 20–30cm of
stem attached and dry in an airy but
protected area.
Stems can be hung singly or in
bunches upside-down in a shed or
sheltered spot away from pests.
To keep the seeds, clean then allow
them to dry thoroughly before storing
in an airtight container.
SUNFLOWER CELEBRATIONS
Sunflowers have become popular
plantings for selfies. Farmers in
areas where sunflowers are grown
commercially for oil are now planting
accessible sunflower patches for
tourists to engage with and post their
photos on social media.
celebrated in open gardens. Get your fill
of sunflowers and selfies at Tasmania’s
Spring Bay Mill, a garden created around
what was once a woodchip mill.
The annual celebration, which occurs
in late January, features a display of
more than 5000 sunflowers along with
sustainable gardening workshops and
other activities.
• Spring Bay Mill is at Triabunna on
Tasmania’s picturesque east coast.
For more information, see
springbaymill.com.
DID YOU KNOW?
Because of the similarity of
its flower to the closely related
sunflower, it’s thought Jerusalem
artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
got its name from the Italian
for sunflower: girasole, or
“turn [to] sun”.
Good Organic Gardening | 63
GO NATIVE | ORCHIDS

Addicted to orchids
EVEN A CASUAL STUDY OF THE ENDLESS
VARIETY OF AUSTRALIAN NATIVE ORCHIDS
CAN QUICKLY BECOME AN OBSESSION

64 | Good Organic Gardening

 ORCHIDS | GO NATIVE

Dendrobium ‘Ku-Ring-Gai’

O
Words & photos Angus Stewart
rchidaceae is a fascinating
family of plants, with tens
of thousands of species
distributed right across
the planet.
In fact, orchids are one of the two
largest families of flowering plants in the
world — the other being the daisy family,
Asteraceae — and Australia boasts
around 1700 different orchid species
across more than 100 genera.
The unique floral variety of orchids
captures and holds the attention of
collectors and specialists alike — a Bridal veil orchid, D. teretifolium Rock orchid, D. speciosum
remarkable array of forms, colours and
scents designed to attract different and
often captivating pollinators.
Another reason orchids continue to
fascinate is their unusual life cycles,
as many are deciduous and produce
leaves and flowers at different times.
While this makes them more difficult
to observe and study, it also creates
many exciting bushwalking and
horticultural opportunities.
Australia is home to an amazing
variety of orchids, reflecting the
diversity of our ecosystems. A number
of the deciduous species have storage
structures underground used by our First
Nations people as a food source.
Whether you’re a grower or a keen Rock orchid, D. speciosum
observer of orchids in the bush, it’s worth
looking at a sample of some of the most
spectacular and accessible species on
offer across the country.

SOME TO LOOK FOR

In the main, orchids grow as either
terrestrial or epiphytic/lithophytic plants.
Terrestrial orchids grow in the earth in
a variety of habitats and have complex
associations with fungi and pollinators in
their local environments.
Malaika Mathew Chawla CC

Most terrestrial species are dormant

over summer’s dry periods and resprout
in autumn. Many of them flower in
spring, so that’s a great time to go out
orchid spotting.
To the trained eye, however, there are
species in flower at any time of year.

Good Organic Gardening | 65

GO NATIVE | ORCHIDS
TERRESTRIAL ORCHIDS GROW IN
THE EARTH AND HAVE COMPLEX
ASSOCIATIONS WITH LOCAL FUNGI
AND POLLINATORS. EPIPHYTIC ORCHIDS
GROW ON OTHER PLANTS WHILE
LITHOPHYTIC SPECIES GROW ON ROCKS.
Epiphytic orchids grow on other
plants — on a tree branch, for instance
— while lithophytic species grow on
rocks. This group includes many that
are common in cultivation, including the
rock orchid (Dendrobium speciosum),
a highly varied species found across
eastern Australia.
There are a number of interesting
native orchids in this group such as the
bridal veil orchid (D. teretifolium), native
to eastern Australia, also referred to
as rat’s tail orchid due to its elongated
hanging stems.
Some of the most intriguing flowers
are named after the animals they
fancifully resemble, like the flying duck
and white bunny orchids as well as the
various spider orchids (Caladenia sp.).
Caladenia is mostly native to Australia
with a particularly rich zone of diversity
in Western Australia.
The white bunny orchid (Eriochilus
dilatatus) is also endemic to Western
Australia and can be cultivated at home.
The beautiful flying duck orchid
(Caleana major) is native to southern
and eastern Australia and can only be
enjoyed in the wild, as unfortunately it
doesn’t take kindly to cultivation.
66 | Good Organic Gardening
2
HOME GROWING
There are a number of native orchids that
can be readily grown in pots or on wooden
slabs as epiphytes in the home garden.
Most orchids are quite low
maintenance and drought tolerant due to
their natural adaptations — for instance,
pseudobulbs, which store water.
Some good species to try at home
include rock orchids such as D.
speciosum × kingianum, along with many
other Dendrobium cultivars.
TREAD LIGHTLY
Orchid spotting is great fun, whether
you are in the dry eucalypt woodlands,
the East Coast rainforests or other in-
between habitats.
However, extreme care should be
taken not to harm the environments
that orchids grow in, let alone the
flowers themselves.
While there are a few species
with prominent flowers, such as
rock orchids that spill down from
natural rockeries, most are small and
have parts that can’t be seen easily,
which makes them more prone to
disturbance — so tread lightly when
you’re orchid hunting in the bush.
Sadly, there are those who would
pilfer wild orchids for their private
collections — a practice that is both
illegal and reprehensible.
 ORCHIDS | GO NATIVE

3 4 5

1 Cowslip orchid, Caladenia flava 2 Spider orchid,

Caladenia sp. 3 Enamel orchid, Elynanthera sp.
4 Swamp leek orchid, Prasophyllum sp.
5 Flying duck orchid, Caleana major
6 Orange blossom orchid, Sarcochilus falcatus
7 Swamp orchid, Phaius tankervilliae

6 The genus Sarcochilus, most of which

are endemic to Australia, is also mostly
easy to cultivate. The orange blossom
orchid (S. falcatus), as its common name
suggests, has large scented white flowers.
Other native orchids are a bit more
demanding in their growing requirements
than other plants and require different
care cycles. Many terrestrial orchids such
as greenhoods (Pterostylis sp.) need a
summer dormancy period and should be
kept dry during this time.
For something a bit different, the
swamp orchid (Phaius tankervilliae var.
australis) is a lovely feature plant with
strappy leaves and showy flowers that
are also scented.

7 PREPARE TO OBSESS
If you want to learn more about growing
orchids at home there’s a wonderful
organisation called the Australasian
Native Orchid Society (anos.org.au) that
can provide a wealth of information to get
you started.
There’s also a number of excellent
nurseries online that specialise in
Australian orchid propagation. This is
done in tissue culture laboratories and
greenhouses, so you know the plants
have been ethically produced.
Indeed, some of these nurseries are
actively hybridising native orchids to
produce new and spectacular cultivars
for the home gardener.
It only remains to say that acquiring
Bigstock, Getty

an interest in Australian native orchids

can be addictive. Once you start, you
may find yourself in the grip of an all-
consuming obsession.

Good Organic Gardening | 67

GARDEN
GARD
GA RDEN
RD EN PLANNING
PLA
L NN
NNIN
ING
IN G | FO
FOOD
FOODSCAPING
ODSC
SCAP
APIN
INGG

B L O O M I N G
DELICIOUS
NO ROOM FOR ORNAMENTALS IN YOUR EDIBLE GARDEN?
FOODSCAPING MAKES THE MOST OF THE ATTRACTIVE
FLOWERS AND FOLIAGE OF VEGIES, HERBS AND FRUIT

68 | Good Organic Gardening

 FOODSCAPING | GARDEN PLANNING

FOR MORE COLOUR,

CHARM, AROMA AND
INTEREST, YOU CAN’T
BEAT THE BLOSSOMS OF
CHIVES, LEEKS AND OTHER
ALLIUMS, SUNFLOWERS
AND ARTICHOKES.

Opposite, clockwise from top Kale flowers and

borage, mixed fruit and veg, chive flower
Above Radicchio flower Right Purple brocolli
Far right Sunflower Bottom right Red and green
cos lettuce

I
Words & photos Linda Moon
n smaller food gardens, space
restrictions can mean ornamentals
often get edged out. However, you can
have flowers and beauty in the edible
garden by foodscaping with attractive
food plants.
Foodscaping is the art of cultivating
a beautiful garden that you can eat as
well as admire. A key strategy involves
prioritising space for food plants that
produce attractive blooms, fruits or foliage.
We tend to compartmentalise edibles
and ornamentals as one or the other —
yet some of the most glorious flowers on
earth arise from edible plants.
Ever seen sage in full bloom? Or a plum
tree? How exquisite is a passionflower?

COLOUR YOUR WORLD

For more colour, charm, aroma and
interest in the food patch, you can’t beat
the blossoms of chives, leeks and other
alliums, sunflowers and artichokes.
And let’s not forget the stunning
flower show produced by larger fruiting
trees and shrubs like almond, cherry,
elder, pear, apricot, peach, apple, dragon
fruit, lemon, orange and pomegranate.
For a more subtle show in the
beds, allow dill, elder, quinoa, parsnip,
radicchio, rocket, okra, sweet potato,
thymes and rosemary to flower.
Another way to add eye candy is to
choose stunning foliage colours. Top
(yet nutritious) leaf colour can be had
from golden marjoram, ornamental kales,
Italian red chicory and coloured lettuces
such as ‘Red Velvet’, ‘Australian Yellow
Leaf’ and ‘Red Cos’.
For stunning autumn shades, plant
persimmon, blueberry, cherry and
pomegranate. Also appealing is the
sight of large, vibrant globes of fruits or
veg including citrus, tamarillo, dragon
fruit and gourds.
And by creating hedges and fences
from living edibles with pretty flowers,
you can further amplify the beauty of
the food garden. Try pomegranate,
citrus, olive, guava, blueberry, rosemary
and others.
HOW TO CREATE AN
EDIBLE BOUQUET
Craft pretty bouquets for gifts or
the home with durable flowers
and foliage from your edible
garden. Top flower choices include
sunflower, sage, amaranth, garlic
chives, leek and other alliums, dill,
fennel, carrots, quinoa, artichoke
and Chinese broccoli flowers. For
foliage, try asparagus, fennel, curly
kale, curly parsley, lemon verbena,
mustards and basil.

Good Organic Gardening | 69

GARDEN PLANNING | FOODSCAPING

1 2

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS

In our haste to maximise space and
efficiency, we chop and discard plants
that are deemed wasted. But allowing
some flowering attracts bees and other
pollinators and provides homes and
food for many beneficial insects.
Flowers also feed many parrots,
honeyeaters and other birds. Veg, herb
and fruit flowers add aroma, beauty and
pleasure to our labours in the garden.
Plus, as we know, flowers create seeds
— the genesis of new plants — that we
can save, eat and share. 3 4
At the heart of every flower is the
inherent natural principle of abundance
and the mission of every plant to
reproduce itself. The following are some
to let blossom in your own food garden.

TOP FLOWERING EDIBLES

Amaranth
The drooping, tassel-like red or gold
flowerheads of amaranth grow over
summer and produce scores of edible,
nutty seeds. Plant in a sunny, well-
drained site. There are many varieties:
while Amaranthus caudatus suits cool
climates, A. gangeticus syn. tricolor is
heat tolerant.
Artichoke
Cynara scolymus, the globe artichoke,
has large, thistle-like purple flowers
in summer, great for cut flowers and
borders. To eat artichoke, you need
to harvest the heart inside the bracts
before the choke flowers. Cardoon
is the wild ancestor whose stem is
eaten. Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus
tuberosus) is consumed for its tubers
and in summer it has yellow flowers
reminiscent of sunflowers. As the tubers
spread easily and the tall plant can
overshadow others, site it at the back of
a border or in its own section.
Crocus
Crocus sativus produces low-growing
lilac flowers in late autumn, the source
of saffron, the world’s most expensive
spice. Grow the bulbs in pots, raised
areas, along paths or elsewhere in your
garden. Crocus prefers sunny sites and
dry summers in cool, temperate and
arid regions.
Dragon fruit
Related to the orchid cacti, the large, white
dragon fruit flower blooms only once —
and at night. However, the eye-catching
crimson, red or yellow fruits (depending on
variety) also resemble flowers. Dragon fruit
loves warm, humid tropical climates, full
sun and good drainage.
Garlic chives
Creating masses of honey-scented,
white umbel-like flowers across autumn,
chives are ideal in full sun in a flower
border or herb section. Be warned: they
self-seed rapaciously.
Kale
Leave kale to flower and it will reward
you with masses of yellow flowers
(when the weather warms it bolts).
Eventually it will spring back to life. Its
true nature is perennial.

70 | Good Organic Gardening

 FOODSCAPING | GARDEN PLANNING

1 Amaranth and garlic chives

5 2 Garlic chives with shallots 3 Kale flowers
4 Apple blossom 5 Sunflower, onion and lettuce
flowers against echinacea 6 Persimmon foliage
7 Passionfruit flower 8 Woolly thyme

ALLOWING SOME FLOWERING ATTRACTS BEES Leek

Like other members of the onion family,
AND OTHER POLLINATORS AND PROVIDES HOMES leeks prefer cooler climates and full sun.
AND FOOD FOR MANY BENEFICIAL INSECTS. The large, white, pom-pom-like spherical
flowers follow its growing season, after
which the leek becomes bitter, tough
7 and inedible.
AN EDIBLE FLOWER BORDER
Build a flowering border you can Passionfruit
dine on with combinations of the The passionfruit flower typically blooms
following plants. Place tall plants at from spring to autumn, depending
the back of the border and lower- on conditions, six to 18 months after
growing ones in front. planting. Passionfruit is ideal as a vertical
flowering vine in warm to tropical zones.
Garlic chives Plant in full sun in well-drained soil.
Common garden chives
Siberian or ‘Snowcap’ chives Sage
Amaranth Sage produces stunning spires of mauve-
Artichoke blue in spring. The rest of the year, the
Sage grey-green leaves remain handsome. A
Sunflower perennial, sage is best suited to cold,
Carrot temperate and arid climates in full sun.
Leeks
Borage 8 Sunflower
Okra The cheery golden flowers associated
Chickpea with summer include red, orange, purple
Radicchio and cream-coloured forms. After the
Fennel flowers pass, cut off at the stem and dry
Dill to harvest the seeds.
Parsnip
Groundcover thymes
Mitre 10, gardenloversclub.com

Add attractive foliage: These hardy herbs are great for paths,
Lemongrass edges, parterre and herb beds. Varieties
Ornamental kales include creeping thyme, orange thyme,
Golden marjoram woolly thyme and ‘Highland Cream’.
Red and blue cabbages Depending on the species, flowers range
Red mustards from light-green and soft pink to purple,
‘Five Colour’ silverbeet and blooming times from spring to
summer and autumn.

Good Organic Gardening | 71

BACKYARD PERMACULTURE | ANT TRAP

D I Y ANT BAIT
A HOMEMADE BORAX ANT BAIT AND TRAP CAN
EFFECTIVELY CONTROL ANTS IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY
SAFE WAY IN THE HOME AND GARDEN

72 | Good Organic Gardening


1 2
3 4
A
Words & photos Angelo Eliades
nts are fascinating creatures.
Closely related to bees
and wasps, they function
collectively in a similar way.
They possess a hive mind, as it
were, which operates like a biological
computer algorithm enabling highly
complex decision-making behaviour far
beyond the intelligence of individuals.
These ubiquitous little insects provide
a range of ecologically beneficial
functions in nature:
• They eat many pest insects, limiting
pest populations
• They clean ecosystems by moving
dead insects, plant and animal matter
into their nests, fertilising the soil
• They carry seeds to new areas,
helping plants spread to where they
may survive better
• They move similar amounts of soil
to earthworms, loosening the soil to
improve air and water movement
Sometimes ants become pests
themselves by “farming” aphids and
scale insects in order to collect the
honeydew these sap-suckers excrete as
they feed.
Ants safeguard the pests in their nests
over winter and, come spring, carry them
ANT TRAP | BACKYARD PERMACULTURE
to new plant growth while defending
them from their natural predators.
In the home, ants also have the
annoying habit of invading kitchens in
search of food and infesting indoor plants.
When ant populations become
excessively large or invasive, they
inevitably need to be controlled. It’s best
to avoid using toxic synthetic pesticides
as they kill off beneficial predator insects
more readily than the pests they control,
throwing nature out of balance and
causing pest insect population explosions.
A more ecologically sound approach
for controlling ants is to use a low-
environmental-impact ant bait. Such a
bait can easily be made at home.
HOW TO MAKE BORAX ANT BAIT
The best way to reduce ant populations
is to use a slow-acting toxic bait they
can take back to the nest to feed to the
other ants there, slowly destroying the
whole colony.
The ideal bait ingredient for this
purpose is borax (sodium tetraborate
decahydrate), a naturally occurring
mineral salt commonly used as
a laundry detergent booster and
multipurpose cleaner.
Borax can easily be found in the
1 Ingredients for ant bait solution are borax,
sugar and water
2 Pour borax into water
3 Add sugar
4 Cap and shake well
laundry section of any supermarket.
When insects ingest borax, it acts
as a stomach poison, causing them
to reduce their feeding, dry out and
eventually die, but the exact mode of
action is not yet understood.
To make borax ant bait, you will need:
• ½ cup (approx. 100g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons borax
• 350mL water
• Glass jar or plastic bottle with lid
to mix the ingredients in
Method:
1. Pour sugar, borax and water into
a glass jar or plastic bottle. If the
bottle has a narrow mouth, it’s best
to use a funnel.
2. Put the lid on the jar or bottle and
tighten it firmly.
3. Shake thoroughly until all the crystals
are dissolved and label the finished
solution.
The next step is to build a trap in
which to use the bait solution so it’s
accessible only to ants.
Good Organic Gardening | 73
BACKYARD PERMACULTURE | ANT TRAP

5 Materials to construct outdoor ant trap

6 Make holes in upper side of container 5
7 Place cotton balls near holes
8 Add bait solution
9 Liquid to half height of cotton balls
10 Place lid on trap
11 Ant trap with bait solution ready to use
12 Place trap against tree trunk in spring to
protect tree
13 Buildup of dead ants — time to clean trap

BUILD AN OUTDOOR ANT TRAP

To make an outdoor rain-resistant ant
trap you’ll need:
• Small clear plastic takeaway food
container with lid, approx. 12cm wide
• Two cotton balls
• Borax ant bait solution
Method:
1. Make five 5mm holes on the upper
side of the container on one side only,
near the lid. This prevents rain getting 6
in and diluting the bait.
2. Place two cotton balls in the
container, beside the holes. These
wick up the bait solution for the ants
to feed on more easily, so they don’t
drown in the liquid below.
3. Pour in the solution so the liquid
level in the container reaches half the
height of the cotton balls.
4. Place the lid on the container and it’s
ready to deploy!

USING THE ANT TRAP

To eliminate ants, place the trap near
visible ant trails. For aphid and scale
problems on fruit trees, place the trap
alongside the trunk in early spring.
Always site the trap away from the
sun because if it gets too hot inside
the ants won’t enter and the liquid will
evaporate faster.
A few hours after the trap is put in
place, ants will locate the sugary bait
and leave pheromone trails so other ants
can find their way there to feed.
When the swarming ant trails appear,
don’t disturb them — allow them to take
the poison bait back to their nest and
eliminate the problem at the source.
Typically, the colony will be destroyed
after a week on average, though the
colony is only completely eradicated
when the queen is eliminated.
Keep in mind that large numbers of
ants can consume a lot of the liquid bait
over time, sometimes down to the last
drop. When this happens, wait till most
ants have dispersed then refill the trap.
The worker ants will make many
runs back and forth from the trap and
the repeated ingestion of the bait will
eventually kill them. Some won’t make it 7
out of the trap.
If there are too many dead ants stuck
to the cotton balls, discard them and
replace with new cotton balls. This is
also a good opportunity to wash out the
container if it looks too dirty.
In very hot weather, the water may
evaporate from the bait solution in the
trap before the ants get to it.
When this happens, mark the water
level on the side of the jar and, once it
evaporates, top up with plain water only.
When using the ant traps indoors,
evaporation is not an issue so smaller
containers around 6cm wide with only two
holes and a single cotton ball can be used.
Whether indoors or outdoors, continue
refilling the trap with borax solution until
all ant activity ceases. Leave the trap in
place for another week in case more ants
emerge or new ones hatch.

74 | Good Organic Gardening

 ANT TRAP | BACKYARD PERMACULTURE

8 9

10 11

12 13

Good Organic Gardening | 75

FEATHERED FRIENDS | LARGE-BODIED DUCKS

76 | Good Organic Gardening

 LARGE-BODIED DUCKS | FEATHERED FRIENDS

Aylesbury female;
opposite page,
Rouens at Peel Ridge Stud
Words Megg Miller

D
Rouen photos Peel Ridge Stud
ucks embrace life with an
earthy delight that makes them
a joy to keep. They’re robust
creatures — messy, greedy and
very noisy but also diligent workers that
lay a lovely egg.
Among the domesticated duck family
are two birds with such an imposing
presence they’re described today as
deluxe ducks. In earlier times, these
breeds fed the inhabitants of big cities.
The large and stately English Aylesbury
and French Rouen are different from the
noisy, busy ducks familiar to most of us
and their backstories span decades of
great social upheaval.
Today’s specimens reflect those
changing times as they bear little
resemblance to the moderately sized
birds of yesteryear.
These giants of the duck pond are
largely ornamental now and kept for
showing — though there’s interest from
the slow-food movement in the Aylesbury,
albeit in a more economical size.

A LONDON FAVOURITE
The Aylesbury developed from the
common white English duck. The
county of Buckinghamshire and Vale of
Aylesbury, in particular, claimed perfect
conditions for raising ducks and a large
cottage industry evolved there.
The breed was popular because
Londoners preferred a white-skinned bird
while the white feathers were eagerly
sought for filling pillows and duvets.
Large-scale farmers produced and
sold thousands of fertile duck eggs to
cottagers, especially those living in the
poor area of Duck End in Aylesbury.
The eggs were incubated by broody
chooks kept in the house and the
ducklings reared in another room close
by. It’s even said some hatchlings were
kept warm at night in the family bed!
Often flocks were walked to
London, a 40-mile trek, stopping at
Aylesbury photo Irid Escent CC
THESE GIANTS OF THE DUCK POND ARE LARGELY
ORNAMENTAL NOW AND KEPT FOR SHOWING
— THOUGH THERE’S INTEREST FROM THE SLOW-
FOOD MOVEMENT IN THE AYLESBURY.
The offspring matured faster than Aylesbury eggs
either parent.
This led to the decline of the
Aylesbury, so that by 1900 there were
more crossbreds than pure birds. This
cross initiated a new direction in duck
breeding and was the precursor of the
hybrid duck.
DUCK WITH FLAVOUR
The French abhorred the bland meat of
the Aylesbury, preferring the wild, rich
taste of their market duck from Rouen.
An industry had developed in the late

inns overnight where they were safely
confined. Their feet were readied for
the hard roads ahead by being walked
through a tar-like mixture and sawdust.
When the Pekin duck reached
prominence as a table bird in America,
specimens were soon brought to
England and crossed with Aylesburies.
18th century on the banks of the Seine
near Rouen in Normandy to service
Parisian markets.
The birds came in a range of colours
and patterns, many showing a strong
resemblance to the wild mallard. As a
table bird, they were slower growing
than the Aylesbury.
Specimens were taken to England
by troops returning from the Battle of
Waterloo and used primarily over farmyard
ducks to produce larger offspring.
It wasn’t until the 1850s that
English breeders started developing
birds for showing.

Good Organic Gardening | 77

FEATHERED FRIENDS | LARGE-BODIED DUCKS
The drakes looking
very handsome for
their photo shoot
APPEARANCE
Our deluxe ducks are big birds: males
weigh around 4.10–4.45kg and females
3.60–4.10kg. Only male Muscovies can
be heavier but females are likely to be
half the weight of the deluxe girls.
Aylesburies and Rouens share many
similarities. They don’t carry themselves
upright like other ducks but have a
horizontal carriage, accentuated by their
long, broad, deep bodies and straight
keel that’s carried close to the ground.
When buying stock, it’s important to
ensure there’s a good space between
the keel and the ground, otherwise
birds may be dragging their underbelly
in the dirt in old age.
Both breeds have wide, prominent
breasts — as expected in a table duck
— with long, close wings but quite
different back lines. While Aylesbury are
characterised by a gently sloping back,
78 | Good Organic Gardening
it’s convex on the Rouen, creating the
misleading impression of a shorter back.
There are a few small differences
around the head. Both are large but on
the Rouen the head must be massive.
Eyes are high on the Aylesbury and the
bill appears very long, the top of the head
running into the bill in a straight line.
Plumage is glossy, sitting close and
tight on Rouens but softer and a little
looser on the Aylesbury.
COLOUR
The pristine white plumage of Aylesburies
is set off by dark-blue eyes, bright-orange
legs and webs and a pinkish bill. Any bill
colour other than a fleshy pink shade
suggests crossbreeding.
Rouen plumage is beautiful. Males
are coloured and patterned differently
from their female mates but both are
reminiscent of the natural mallard.
The drake’s rich-green head and
neck display a white neck ring. Rich
claret colours the breast, intricate dark
pencilling covers the grey flanks and the
elevated tail is dark slate brown.
The wings are a showpiece: areas of
light and dark grey with an iridescent
blue speculum bordered by bands of
black and white.
The head and neck of the duck are
golden or chestnut brown, a black
stripe running through the eye and a
wide brown-black line down the back
of the neck.
Body plumage is also golden
or chestnut brown, every feather
uniformly pencilled in dark brown
or black. Dark-brown to slate wings
show a blue speculum tipped with
Shutterstock
black then white bars. That the
plumage of the Rouen is richly
coloured goes without saying.
 LARGE-BODIED DUCKS | FEATHERED FRIENDS

An Aylesbury Rouen duckling

female grooming

ROUEN SPECIMENS
WERE TAKEN TO
ENGLAND BY TROOPS
RETURNING FROM THE
BATTLE OF WATERLOO
AND USED TO PRODUCE
LARGER OFFSPRING.

Rouen females waiting SPECIAL NEEDS

for the drakes to make
their choice
Reduced mobility due to body shape
and size means predator protection is a
priority. A tidy yard free from rocks and
branches is recommended, as is access
to water to facilitate mating. A clam
shell with a ramp would be fine.
Activity that provides exercise is
important. Both breeds love their tucker
but are inclined to laziness. Fitness
and managed weight support egg lay
and fertility, both critical if you want to
breed your birds. The addition of one or
two females from a more active breed
will lift the activity bar.
Egg lay commences around five
months and shell colour is likely to
vary between white and green. Neither
breed is renowned for egg output — nor
for broodiness and setting on eggs.
A smaller-bodied duck from another
breed could be tasked with incubation.
These classy aristocrats demand a
little extra in care and protection but the
reward is a beautiful flock that will be a
joy to look at. And, yes, the large eggs
are delicious.
Facebook: Peel Ridge Stud Waterfowl

Good Organic Gardening | 79

GARDEN CALENDAR | EARLY SPRING
THINGS TO DO IN
SEP T EM BER
SPRING IS THE SEASON OF RENEWAL SO, WEATHER
PERMITTING, IT’S TIME TO THINK ABOUT SUMMER CROPS
E R AT E
COOL & TEMP
VEGIES
∙ Spring! The days are getting warmer
but the ground may still be cool and
there’s still a chance of frost. Don’t
start mulching yet — let new plantings
get the most from the early-spring sun.
∙ Speaking of new plantings, crops to
consider include artichokes (globe
and Jerusalem), cabbage, capsicum,
chilli, cucumber, garlic, kale, kohlrabi,
leeks, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peas,
silverbeet, swedes, turnips and herbs.
∙ Beetroot, carrots and seed potatoes
can be planted in all areas.
∙ Where frost is still likely, it’s way too
early to start warm-season crops like
tomato. Instead sow broad beans,
broccoli, spinach, swedes and rocket.
∙ As new shoots sprout, weed seedlings
also awake from hibernation. Time to
start hoeing the vegie beds but, as
mentioned, hold off on mulching for
now. Later, when the weather warms
up, mulch will help deter weeds.
∙ Plant a bed in a sunny, open spot with
compact varieties of tomatoes, dwarf
beans, soft-hearted lettuce and herbs.
Train tall plants like cucumber up a
tripod or along a fence.
80 | Good Organic Gardening
FRUIT
∙ Many deciduous fruit trees will be in
bloom already. Inspect for signs of
bee activity — the absence of bees
could mean a lack of fruit later. If
bees are scarce, try hand-pollinating.
∙ In temperate zones, it’s fruit salad
time! Start a Carmen Miranda hatful
of avos, bananas, blueberries, citrus,
passionfruit and paw paw. You could
also consider planting olives or, for
something even more exotic, guava.
∙ Lemons, limes, mandarines and
oranges will thank you for a
dedicated citrus feed round about
now. It’s also your last chance to
remove gall wasp, taking care to
expose prunings to the sun before
disposal. Check peach leaf curl in
stonefruit trees with a copper-based
fungicide applied to the buds.
∙ Give the passionfruit vine a trim and
a feed of organic fertiliser.
∙ Feed and water disease-affected
trees well during spring to
encourage healthy new leaves as
each tree replaces lost foliage.
∙ Destroy discarded leaves to reduce
spores spreading the disease.
1
COMPOST & SOIL
∙ Green manure crops are good to
go right now. Goose up that fallow
vegie patch with barley, faba beans,
field peas, lupin or wheat. Legumes
especially enrich soils by fixing
nitrogen but all green manures add
nutrients to soils.
∙ Dig any existing green manure crops
back into the soil before they flower
and seed.
∙ Other vegie beds that have rested
through winter, perhaps under a
protective layer of mulch, won’t need
to be dug before planting. Where
soil is friable, moist and warming
up, simply part the mulch and plant
seedlings or seeds straight into the
soil, watering well with a seaweed-
based tonic.
∙ Winter debris from the chookhouse
or stable can go straight into the
compost heap to get things going
again. Turning the heap will kickstart
things by aerating the material.
∙ If the heap is cold and compost
isn’t breaking down, cover it with
Bigstock
cardboard or matting to help it warm
up in the spring sunshine.

T R O P IC A L
VEGIES
∙ Spring into the season with some new
vegie plantings: beetroot, capsicum,
chilli, cucumber, eggplant, leeks,
lettuce, okra, pumpkin, silverbeet,
spring onions, sweet potato and
zucchini can all go in now.
∙ Not to mention Asian greens, rocket
and tomato, plus a cornucopia of
herbs: catnip, chamomile, coriander,
dill, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sweet
basil and thyme. But keep that mint
in a pot lest it run wild and take over.
Mediterranean herbs can be tricky in
humid zones but do well in pots filled
with free-draining potting mix.
∙ Time to revive or repot container
plants. If storms are on their way,
shelter potted herbs from rain by
moving them to a covered but brightly
lit verandah or porch.
∙ Choose crops that tolerate rain and
humidity. Cherry tomatoes are more
pest and disease resistant in warmer
areas than large-fruiting varieties.
1 Check for bee activity around flowering deciduous fruit trees — good pollination means a good crop of fruit 2 Train young cucumber plants on a tripod or
trellis or along a fence: this saves space in small gardens 3 Time to plant out seed potatoes and tomato seedlings
2 3
EARLY SPRING | GARDEN CALENDAR
FRUIT
∙ Did someone say fruit? Avocados,
bananas, citrus, macadamias,
passionfruit and paw paws can go in
now — even guavas, for something
different. Feed citrus and other
fruiting plants with a complete
citrus food.
∙ In hot areas, fruiting trees such as
citrus and lychees appreciate light
shade, especially as they establish.
∙ Spring is also a good time for both
rockmelon and watermelon. Or try a
crop of rosellas, small shrubs that
produce red hibiscus-like flowers
for use in jams or preserves.
∙ Where space is tight, dwarf
varieties in a mini orchard will be
easier to protect. Try the dwarf
Tahitian lime ‘Sublime’, which can
be grown in a large container.
∙ Fruit flies are on the move and early
intervention is vital. Hang certified
organic baits and stand by with the
spinosad spray and exclusion bags.
COMPOST & SOIL
∙ Before the summer wet sets in is a
good time to clear the roof gutters
to get maximum flow into rainwater
tanks. The rotting leaves and tree litter
are perfect for composting.
∙ Compost under fruiting trees and
renew mulches to protect soils and
reduce weeds. Chop up garden
prunings and the likes of winter’s fallen
palm fronds to spread as mulch.
∙ Mulches can also be used to surface
pathways — but keep an eye on woody
mulches such as woodchip and wood
shavings for signs of termite activity.
As mulches break down, they can be
moved from paths to garden beds.
∙ A green manure crop will revive an
exhausted patch: try millet, lablab,
amaranth or mung bean.
∙ In areas with heavy rain but bad
drainage, raised beds are the key to
better growth. Where soil drainage is
poor, raised beds not only assist runoff
but also reduce root-rot diseases.
Good Organic Gardening | 81
GARDEN CALENDAR | MID-SPRING
1

THINGS TO DO IN
O CTOB ER
SPRING’S IN FULL SWING BUT SO ARE WEEDS AND PESTS.
REPEL ALL FREELOADERS WHILE YOU PLANT FOR SUMMER!

E R AT E
COOL & TEMP

VEGIES FRUIT COMPOST & SOIL

∙ Now that spring is fully sprung and
frosts are in the rear-vision mirror, time
to put in those tomatoes you’ve been
waiting to plant — and don’t forget
their pals basil and marigold. Tie the
tomato stems to stakes or trellises
and trim excess branching.
∙ Other vegies to plant include beans,
beetroot, Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
capsicum, celery, chillies, eggplant,
leeks, lettuce, silverbeet, spring onions
and sweet corn. Plus, space allowing,
how about globe artichoke?
∙ October’s also a good time to plant
out winter’s potted plants and use the
pots to start seeds or seedlings for
summer crops — cucumber, pumpkin,
zucchini and other cucurbits — to plant
out next month.
∙ In the herb garden, try calendula,
chamomile, oregano, parsley,
rosemary, sage and thyme. Lemon
balm and mint are best in pots as
they tend to take over.
∙ Succession planting spreads out your
garden’s harvesting times. Planting
∙ If it’s still cold, berries are a good
option. Blueberries grow anywhere
azaleas grow and are at home in
the ground or a large pot. They
need a sunny spot but will tolerate
afternoon shade in warmer areas.
∙ Blackcurrant is also an easy crop.
Though they’re self-fertile, plant
at least three for a worthwhile
harvest: great for jams as well as a
delicious cordial. Extra plants grow
easily from hardwood cuttings
planted in autumn or winter.
∙ Backyard fruit doesn’t have to
mean trees. Shrubs and vines yield
massively in little space and the
most popular fruiting vine is the
passionfruit. Provide support and
a sunny spot away from cold winds.
∙ Some passionfruit vines need cross-
pollination, so check if your variety
needs a companion.
∙ They’re not fruit, of course, but the
likes of daisies, pansies, petunias,
snapdragons, sunflowers and violas
are tops for attracting pollinators
∙ As the weather warms, compost heaps
should be more efficient. Increase
composting rate by turning and
aerating. Moisten heaps that are dry
and keep a balance between nitrogen
(the green stuff) and carbon (brown)
by layering green and brown matter.
∙ Refresh soil in raised beds. Repot
plants that have been in containers
for a while, especially if growth has
been poor growth, if drying out has
occurred or soil levels slumped.
∙ To repot, select a slightly larger pot.
Use a potting mix that meets the
Australian Standard (look for the
tick on the bag). Before repotting,
soak plants in water enriched with
a seaweed solution.
∙ Dig in organic garden mix (look for
mixes formulated for raised beds)
and compost. Remove old crops, old
roots, weeds and hard lumps of soil.
∙ Trim damaged roots and remove
any weeds. Top off newly planted
containers with a fine layer of
compost or organic mulch but leave
Bigstock

early-, mid- and late-season crops and beneficial insects to your space for watering to avoid washing
will help avoid gluts. garden and orchard. soil out of the container.

82 | Good Organic Gardening


T R O P IC A L
VEGIES
∙ The wet season is on the way, so now’s
a good time to plant snake beans,
which thrive in hot, humid climates but
do best trained on a support. Beans or
any climbing vegetable can be used
as instant shade for leafy greens like
lettuces and Asian greens.
∙ Clumps of lemongrass or plantings of
sunflowers are also handy to shade
other smaller crops, as are blocks of
sweet corn.
∙ Also worth considering are capsicum,
chillies, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin,
spring onions, squash and zucchini.
∙ Potatoes can be tricky to grow in the
wet season but other starchy crops
thrive: cassava, taro and yam can all
be planted now.
∙ Straw bales of straw also help to
protect new plantings from drying
winds. Mesh covers on the sides deter
birds, caterpillars and other pests.
∙ Plant Vietnamese mint and perennial
coriander for tasty summer dishes.
1 For the herb garden try some plants with beautiful flowers, such as chamomile, borage and calendula 2 Get a passionfruit vine going over a fence or other
structure and check whether it needs a cross-pollinator 3 Don’t forget to put in flowers of all kinds to attract pollinators and beautify your vegie garden
2 3
FRUIT
∙ As ever in the tropics, fruit flies
are on the prowl for ripening fruit.
Control with eco-friendly baits and
renew regularly. As crops ripen,
foil the birds with exclusion bags
around fruit clusters — or use
tightly stretched safe netting or
fruit cages to deter them as well
as possums, bats and wallabies.
Check nets regularly for any
trapped animals.
∙ Mid-spring is a good time for
new plantings but, if experience
tells you things are likely to get
waterlogged through the wet
season, plant fruit trees into slightly
raised beds for better drainage.
∙ Spread a layer of compost or well-
rotted manure under trees to help
keep soil cool and encourage natural
soil organisms to prosper. This in
turn helps roots to grow.
∙ While you’re waiting for The Wet to
arrive, give fruit trees a deep soak.
MID-SPRING | GARDEN CALENDAR
COMPOST & SOIL
∙ An alternative to dry mulches is
a living groundcover of prostrate
plants. Suitable groundcovers include
nasturtium, sweet potato and pumpkin.
∙ For a dense cover, select plants that
form roots as they grow, such as sweet
potato (shoots or sprouted tubers can
be planted now). Groundcover plants
also help to discourage weed growth.
∙ Even grass is an easy-to-manage
living mulch. It feels good underfoot
and helps protect soils from high
temperatures and erosion caused
by heavy downpours. Improve lawn
growth by aerating compacted areas,
hand weeding and deep watering.
∙ Exposed soil gets very hot and is easily
eroded by heavy rain. Hot soils cause
plant stress and can kill roots. A layer
of mulch keeps soil and roots cool.
∙ To keep the roots of potted plants
cool, move them out of direct
sunlight or stand one pot inside
another as a cover pot.
Good Organic Gardening | 83
WELLBEING NEWSFEED | HEALTH BITES

Health news
F ROM TH E WE L L BE ING DES K
OLIVE WATER WORKOUT
Olive water is a by-product of the production of olive
oil. Olives are a good source of antioxidant polyphenols
and this olive water contains a number of phenolic
compounds, notably hydroxytyrosol. In a new study,
researchers gave olive water to people who were
recreational exercisers and measured their performance
as a result. The results showed that oxygen
consumption during low-intensity exercise improved
significantly. Additionally, there were improvements
in post-exercise recovery and people who were given
olive water also felt that they were working less hard
even when their actual exertion was the same. These
tests were preliminary and more testing is being
planned to probe the anti-inflammatory effects of olive
water and whether it might help elite athletes such as
marathon runners. The good thing is that olive water is
a sustainable usage of an otherwise wasted resource.

Medifact
EAT TO BEAT DEMENTIA GENES
A Mediterranean diet is rich in seafood,
fruit, vegetables and nuts. In a new study,
researchers analysed data from more than
60,000 people and scored their diet based
on how closely it matched Mediterranean
eating. They also took into account each
person’s phylogenetic risk — a measure of all
their different genes related to dementia. The
findings showed that, regardless of a person’s
genetic predisposition, a Mediterranean diet
reduced the risk of developing dementia.
Source: BMC Medicine
Bigstock

84 | Good Organic Gardening

 HEALTH BITES | WELLBEING NEWSFEED

THE BIRDS, THE BEES AND COFFEE

Birds eat insects like coffee berry borer that can damage
coffee plants while bees are required for pollination. In a
new study, researchers studied coffee plants across 30
different farms in Latin America, manipulating conditions in
each case. There were four different scenarios: one where
bees were excluded so there was only bird activity; one
where birds were excluded so there was only bee activity;
one with no bird or bee activity at all; and another where
bird and bee activity was unrestricted. When they then
measured fruit set, fruit weight and fruit uniformity they
found that yield declined by 25 per cent when no birds or
bees were present. The ecosystem really is interdependent
and as biodiversity decreases the flow-on effects are real.
If nothing else will motivate your intractable friend to get
active on protecting biodiversity, perhaps the threat to their
daily coffee will be the thing that tips the scales.
Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

CHOCOLATE COATING
There’s something about chocolate. Not only does it taste
good — it “feels” good in your mouth. Now researchers
have broken down exactly what happens in your mouth
when you eat chocolate that makes it feel so appealing.
When chocolate contacts your tongue, the natural fats it
contains are released, coating your tongue and the rest of
your mouth. It is this fatty film that makes the chocolate
feel smooth the entire time it’s present in your mouth. This
all-round lubrication is a big part of chocolate’s appeal, but
does it mean that chocolate will only taste good if it’s fat
laden? The researchers believe that it might be possible
to design a healthier chocolate with fat covering the
surface chocolate particles without adding too much inside
the chocolate. If it works, you might get the antioxidant
effect of cacao polyphenols without the excessive fat and
maintaining chocolate “mmmm”.
Source: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

LIGHTS OUT FOR LARVAE

For a new study researchers placed more than 550
soft clay replicas of caterpillars in a forest in the White
Mountains of New Hampshire in the US. The soft clay of
the caterpillar replicas showed the marks of predators
and allowed the researchers to count predator attacks.
On some nights the researchers also shone lights in
the forest of an equivalent strength to a streetlight or
a light outside a back door. The researchers found that
the light led to a 27 per cent increase in attacks on the
fake caterpillars from arthropods (invertebrates such as
insects and spiders). This is because the predators were
attracted by the light and it means bad news for the
ecosystem. If predators kill more caterpillars that means
fewer moths to serve as food for larger predators. Turn
off your outside lights and do good things for the food
chain in your neighbourhood.
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society
B: Biological Sciences

Good Organic Gardening | 85

WELLBEING | POWERPLANT — MEADOWSWEET
MEADOW MEDICINE
A PRETTY MEMBER OF THE ROSE FAMILY, MEADOWSWEET HAS A
LONG HISTORY OF THERAPEUTIC AND SACRED USES
A
Words Dr Karen Bridgman
lso known as queen of the
meadow, meadowsweet
(Filipendula ulmaria) is a
perennial herb in the rose family.
A native of Europe and the Middle East,
it has delicate, lacy creamy-white flowers
with a strong, sweet smell and commonly
grows in damp areas and wet woods.
As the whole plant is aromatic, it was
used in ancient times as a strewing herb
(before the advent of air fresheners) to
give rooms a pleasant fragrance. It has
also been frequently used to flavour
many ferments such as wines, beers,
meads and vinegars, as well as being
added to stewed fruit and jams, giving
a subtle almond flavour and aroma. The
flowers are often used in potpourri.
Meadowsweet has been found in
Bronze Age graves with people and
animals, and in Welsh mythology Gwydion
86 | Good Organic Gardening
and Math created a woman out of oak
blossoms, broom and meadowsweet and
named her Blodeuwedd or “Flower Face”.
Meadowsweet was a sacred druidic
herb. Chaucer wrote about it as
“meadwort” (for the flavour of mead)
and it was also called “bridewort” as it
was made into bridal garlands. It was the
favourite plant of Elizabeth I, who used it
to perfume and disinfect her rooms.
THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS
Boasting a range of salicylate compounds
(acting like aspirin when digested),
flavonoid and phenolic glycosides,
essential oils and tannins, meadowsweet
flowers also contain a plant form of
heparin. Along with these are mucilages,
ascorbic acid, sugar and minerals.
Meadowsweet’s salicylate levels
are so significant that in 1897 Felix
Hoffman used meadowsweet to create
a synthetically altered version of salicin,
called acetylsalicylic acid, which the
pharmaceutical company Bayer named
“aspirin” — from A for acetyl and spirin
from spiraea, the herb’s ancient name.
Meadowsweet has many medicinal
properties and is a traditional remedy
to relieve an acidic stomach, pain
and fevers. Its approved therapeutic
applications today are based on a
well-established history of traditional
medicinal use, along with phytochemical
and pharmacological studies.
Anti-inflammatory (pain relief)
Studies on mice have shown that
its extract had a pronounced anti-
inflammatory effect, decreasing
the synthesis of interleukin and
suppressing the pro-inflammatory
Bigstock
cytokines (chemicals) produced in
hypersensitivity reactions.
 POWERPLANT — MEADOWSWEET | WELLBEING

The sweet-smelling flowers MEADOWSWEET HAS MANY MEDICINAL

PROPERTIES AND IS A TRADITIONAL
REMEDY TO RELIEVE AN ACIDIC
STOMACH, PAIN AND FEVERS.

Soothing meadowsweet tea

Digestive system gout and rheumatism. It reduces joint Nervous system

Meadowsweet has been shown to ease
atonic and acid indigestion and gastritis
and repair peptic (stomach) ulcers.
It’s also used to neutralise stomach
infections and inhibit the growth of
Helicobacter pylori. As the whole plant, it
repairs the lining of the digestive system
(even from aspirin damage), as well as
provides the anti-inflammatory benefits
of the salicylates.
Preparations of the root have been
used successfully in the treatment
of diarrhoea, due to the high tannin
(astringent) content, along with its anti-
inflammatory and antimicrobial activity.
Respiratory system
Meadowsweet reduces the symptoms
of feverish colds and flu through its
analgaesic, anti-inflammatory and
antipyretic (fever-reducing) actions.
The roots have also been used to treat
hoarseness, coughs and wheezing.
Cardiovascular
The salicylate content of meadowsweet
has shown anticoagulant (blood-
thinning) activity, so potentially could be
used in cardiovascular management.
Musculoskeletal
Traditionally, a tea was (and still is)
used to reduce the inflammation of
pain and may improve the integrity of
connective joint tissue.
Antimicrobial
Meadowsweet has significant
antimicrobial properties and, along
with its anti-inflammatory activity, is
prescribed to reduce the symptoms
of infections and fevers. It is active
against common pathogenic bacteria
such as Staph. aureus, E. coli, Proteus
vulgaris and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Meadowsweet is a urinary antiseptic
that’s used to treat kidney-bladder
infections (having a diuretic action
with its antimicrobial activity) and a
known disinfectant used to treat
skin infections.
Antioxidant
The flowers of meadowsweet have been
shown to have powerful antioxidant
properties. These have been shown
to improve liver oxidative status and
function during induced toxic hepatitis.
Cancer
Studies conducted on mice have
shown a 39 per cent decreased
frequency of induced squamous cell
carcinoma of the cervix and vagina,
with 67 per cent of the animals
showing a positive response.
Meadowsweet has been used as a sedative,
soothing the nervous system. A potentiation
of narcotic action has been observed in
animals that were given the herb.
Traditional doses
The flowers (2.5–3.5g) made into a tea
can be taken three times per day; the
whole herb (4–5g) as a tea can be taken
three times daily.
Contraindications
People with salicylate allergies or
sulphite sensitivities should avoid
this plant, as should about one in five
asthmatics whose asthma attacks are
triggered by aspirin.
Meadowsweet is not recommended to
be taken during pregnancy and lactation.
Generally it is otherwise considered to
have few side-effects.
Potential interactions
Meadowsweet contains salicylates
(and heparin) so may increase
the risk of bleeding if taken with
antiplatelet or anticoagulant
pharmaceuticals, so is best avoided
at these times.
Dr Karen Bridgman was a naturopath and
academic who is now semi-retired with a
new focus on growing medicinal gardens.

Good Organic Gardening | 87

WELLBEING | ALLERGY

EASE THOSE
SEASONAL SNEEZES
A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO MANAGE HAY FEVER
WILL BRING YOUR MOST SOOTHING SPRING EVER

88 | Good Organic Gardening

 ALLERGY | WELLBEING

A
Words Gracie Balev Blue-green alga spirulina,
s the weather warms and an anti-allergen powerhouse
flowers bloom in early spring,
many of us will struggle with
the itching, watery, sneezing
messiness of hay fever.
In the search for relief, it’s best
to understand the body’s allergic
responses and how to remedy them
naturally rather than become dependent
on pharmaceuticals.
Be armed and get ready to naturally
combat the unpleasantness of hay fever
when it comes knocking this spring.

HAY FEVER 101

Otherwise known as allergic rhinitis, hay
fever is a response to airborne allergens
most prevalent in springtime and said
to affect around 18 per cent of people in
Australia and New Zealand.
While susceptibility is often acquired
in early childhood, hay fever is
experienced by both adults and children
alike. It’s worth noting that, despite its
name, hay fever is not caused by hay;
nor is it a fever.
Many of the symptoms of allergic
rhinitis mimic those caused by infections
such as colds or flu and their severity
varies from mild or moderate to
severe. Symptoms vary according to a
multitude of factors, such as allergen
concentration, duration of exposure and
individual sensitivity.
While allergies are often touted as
harmless, the effect on quality of life can
be substantial: sleep disruption, daytime
fatigue, poor concentration, headaches
and migraines, recurrent sinus infections
in adults, recurrent ear infections in EVIDENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT DIET, BY AFFECTING
children and even asthma.
If the body reacts adversely to its
THE BODY’S NUTRIENT LEVELS AND DIGESTIVE HEALTH,
surroundings it’s essential to ask why. DIRECTLY CORRELATES TO IMMUNE MEDIATION.
IN YOUR DEFENCE This chemical cascade, known as mast readily as we do today. The theory
Allergic rhinitis is medically recognised cell activation, is how allergens — most is that type-1 hypersensitivities are
as an allergic disease, which means that commonly proteins or enzymes — cause much more prevalent in today’s First
behind every sniffle and sneeze is an the nose, eyes, throat and sinuses to World because life has become overly
impressive immune mechanism. become swollen, irritated and inflamed. sanitised. The lack of exposure to
In layman’s terms, any allergic reaction While allergies like hay fever are an antigens from a young age denies your
is the body’s overreaction to something enormous inconvenience, it’s important immune system the priming necessary
that is harmless to most people. to note that these reactions are the to develop robust tolerances.
As a type-1 hypersensitivity, allergic immune system doing what could be Whatever the reasoning, hay fever is
Bigstock, Getty, Kerry Boyne

rhinitis is mediated by a type of antigen-
specific antibody called immunoglobulin
E (IgE) which, when called to action
by antigens, will quickly bind to mast
cells, which in turn release a number
of chemicals, including histamine, to
combat the invasion.
described as too good a job.
With the countless antigens the body
is met with on a daily basis, it would be
impossible for it to get things right 100
per cent of the time.
It’s also worth noting that, historically,
people did not develop allergies as
part of the modern human experience
and learning to manage it by working
with it through understanding and
functional management, rather
than working against it by way of
pharmaceutical suppression, can
support healthy immune mediation.

Good Organic Gardening | 89

WELLBEING | ALLERGY
SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Armed with the fundamentals of allergy
immunology, seasonal sniffles will now
signal that your immune system has made
a judgement call: hay fever has struck.
With greater awareness of what’s
going on internally, the simplest initial
recourse is to identify the source of the
responsible antigen. If your allergies
have been brought on by a change in
your environment, getting symptoms
under control can be as simple as
removing the stimulus as much as
possible. This is where it really helps to
be aware of common culprits.
Most of the allergens known to
stimulate immune reactions and hay fever
symptoms are airborne, floating around
90 | Good Organic Gardening
as tiny particles invisible to the naked
eye. They include but are not limited to:
• Outdoor allergens, such as pollens
from grass, trees and weeds
• Indoor allergens, such as pet hair or
dander, dust mites and mould
• Irritants, such as cigarette smoke,
perfume and diesel exhaust
A large part of both managing hay
fever symptoms and preventing their
onset is reducing exposure to these
common allergens, particularly if you’re
already aware of a sensitivity.
Many find that paying closer attention
to their immediate environment and its
state of cleanliness makes a world of
difference not just to allergies but to
overall wellbeing and immune function.
EATING FOR
ALLERGY PREVENTION
From a functional medicine perspective,
much can be done about hay fever by
way of therapeutic nutrition.
A growing body of evidence
demonstrates that diet, by affecting
the body’s nutrient levels and digestive
health, directly correlates to immune
mediation and, more specifically,
susceptibility to allergic diseases.
One of the main nutrients to be
mindful of is vitamin D for its many
important functions in regulating
the immune system. A 2010 study
conducted by Pediatric Allergy-
Immunology Clinics and Primary Health
Care Clinics (PHC) in Qatar found
that lower vitamin D levels have been
associated with more allergic disease
and elevated serum IgE.
While the most effective source of
vitamin D is sunshine, foods rich in
vitamin D include fatty fish like trout,
mackerel and salmon as well as beef
liver and egg yolk.
In addition, the metabolism of vitamin
D requires sufficient magnesium levels,
which in recent decades have been
affected by industrialised agriculture and
changes in diet.
High intake of coffee, fizzy drinks,
salt and alcohol plus excessive stress
and vigorous exercise are known to
lower magnesium levels. Dietary sources
include cooked spinach and Swiss chard,
dark chocolate, almonds and avocado.
A MATTER OF MICROBES
Directly influenced by what you eat,
as well as other lifestyle factors such
as stress, sleep and exercise, the gut
microbiome also has an essential role to
play in immune mediation as 70–80 per
cent of immune tissue is located there.
In a well-functioning immune system,
healthy intestinal microbiota keep immune
cells in balance, among other functions.
A 2016 study compared the gut
microbiota of allergic and non-allergic
children, finding children with allergies
tended to have an increased level
of Staphylococcus, Clostridium and
Escherichia species, while numbers of
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria were
significantly reduced compared to the
levels in healthy children.
This data demonstrates that differences
in the indigenous intestinal flora might
affect the development and priming of
the immune system in early childhood.
 ALLERGY | WELLBEING

Clockwise from opposite top Foods rich

ROBUST GUT HEALTH in antihistamines include guavas, garlic and
WILL SUPPORT ginger, pineapple and apples

IMMUNE MEDIATION
citrus fruits, fish, shellfish, avocados,
BY INCREASING spinach, cocoa and leftover meat or fish,

NUTRIENT ABSORPTION as well as fermented alcohol such as

wine, Champagne and beer.
AND ASSIMILATION, Foods low in histamine to eat freely

THEREBY MAXIMISING include freshly cooked meat, poultry

(frozen or fresh), freshly caught fish,
THE EFFECTS OF A eggs, rice, quinoa, fresh fruits, fresh

GOOD ALLERGY vegetables (except tomatoes, spinach,

PREVENTION DIET.
Further research shows that the
administration of probiotics shows
promise in preventing the onset of
allergic sensitisations and improving the
symptoms of hay fever.
Simple ways to balance your gut
flora include:
• Avoiding foods you know you are
sensitive to
• Minimising the consumption of
gluten and refined sugars
• Minimising consumption of
processed foods
• Increasing consumption of whole
foods, especially vegetables
• Taking a quality broad-spectrum
probiotic supplement
Robust gut health will also support
immune mediation by increasing nutrient
absorption and assimilation, maximising
the effects of an allergy prevention diet.
FOODS AND HAY FEVER
If it’s too late to eat for prevention,
nutrition can also provide more immediate
relief during a hay fever spell. In place of
antihistamine medications, Mother Nature’s
pharmacy of foods-as-medicine in the
form of a low-histamine, anti-inflammatory
diet does just as good a job of remedying
the body’s allergic responses.
Foods high in histamine to avoid
if you’re hypersensitive to allergens
include fermented foods, aged cheese,
avocado and eggplant), olive oil,
coconut oil, leafy herbs and herbal teas.
By far the most effective foods
when hay fever strikes are any rich in
antihistamine compounds. These anti-
allergy foods work to actively mediate
immune activity by countering excessive
histamine production:
• Garlic is rich in the bioflavonoid
quercetin, a natural antiviral,
antimicrobial antihistamine and
potent antioxidant that promotes
a healthy inflammatory response.
Studies have shown quercetin to
regulate histamine production.
• Pineapple contains bromelain, a
digestive enzyme shown to relieve
hay fever and sinusitis by working
as a natural antihistamine, anti-
inflammatory and decongestant.
Clinical studies in the 1960s found
that bromelain reduced sinusitis and
hay fever symptoms. It also aids
absorption of quercetin.
• Apples are also rich in quercetin. A
2011 study concluded quercetin to
be equivalent to some prescription
medications at fighting allergies.
• Ginger is effective at slowing histamine
production by reducing IgE levels.
• Vitamin C-rich foods such as guava,
oranges, kale, kiwi and broccoli
help regulate the immune system,
calming allergic reactions and
reducing inflammation.
• Spirulina is a blue-green alga found to
possess powerful antihistamine effects.
Tests have shown regular consumption
significantly reduced symptoms.
With a deeper understanding of what
causes hay fever and how to nourish your
body to prevent and better manage the
condition, there is every hope to turn this
sneeze season into a soothing spring.
Gracie Balev is a holistic health
coach, nutritionist and Reiki master at
goodnessgraciouswellness.com.

Good Organic Gardening | 91

WELLBEING | JOJOBA

T H I S O IL
AIN’T OIL
RATHER THAN AN OIL, JOJOBA IS A PLANT-BASED
WAX THAT’S GOOD FOR ALL KINDS OF AILMENTS
AND A BOON TO YOUR BEAUTY REGIMEN
Bigstock

92 | Good Organic Gardening

 JOJOBA | WELLBEING

J
Words Carrol Baker
ojoba might look and feel like
an oil but it’s actually a golden,
nutrient-rich organic wax
extracted from seeds and has a
diverse range of beauty uses.
With the global shift away from
potentially harmful cosmetic additives
like parabens, phthalates and propylene
glycol, jojoba and other organic products
are becoming more and more popular.
For centuries, Native Americans used
jojoba (ho-ho-ba) — also known as
coffeeberry, pig nut and deer nut — in
medicines and skin treatments. They’d
also boil the leaves to brew tea.
It was claimed to have magical
properties: it could soothe cuts and help
heal wounds as well as beautify and soften
skin. It has many uses in moisturisers,
haircare products, shaving balms, lipsticks,
cuticle creams and the like.
Jojoba also has anti-inflammatory and
antibacterial properties, making it a great
all-round organic beauty product. It’s
also an effective carrier for essential oils,
so there are countless applications and
potential blends.
But that’s not all. The meal from
the ground seeds of the plant is a
gentle exfoliant. Some also claim it has
appetite-suppressant properties.
The woody jojoba shrub grows to
around 5m in height and can live up to
100 years. It’s dioecious, meaning there
are both male and female plants, and the
chocolate-brown seeds look a lot like
roasted coffee beans.
Jojoba is now grown all over the
world in regions that have a hot, dry
climate as well as loamy and sandy soil delicacy in places like Japan and Norway. POWERFUL PROPERTIES
profiles. Though primarily grown for the For the most part, though, whale So, what is the magic of jojoba? You’ll
wax extracted from the seeds, in India products have been replaced by more find it in products like sunscreen and
the evergreen was introduced to help environmentally friendly commodities, some even advocate it as a polish to
combat desertification. including plant-based renewable keep wood from drying out and cracking.
resources such as jojoba, which entered As a beauty product, though, jojoba
AN ECO-CONSCIOUS INDUSTRY commercial beauty production with a truly comes into its own. Around half
About half a century ago, a collective flourish in the 1970s. of the seed is made up of nutrient-rich
stream of environmental consciousness In Australia, it was introduced by wax esters that soften, soothe and
began to question and challenge the the CSIRO in 1978 and generous tax plump the skin.
overuse of limited resources. incentives persuaded many farmers to Dermatologist Dr Katherine Armour,
One example was the sperm whale, grow the plants. Initial efforts weren’t who specialises in cosmeceuticals, says
whose oversized head produces vast successful, however, as many of the seeds jojoba is a mix of fatty acids (oleic,
quantities of spermaceti wax used in planted were from male plants — only the linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic) and
cosmetics. Whaling was a lucrative trade: females bear productive seed pods. triglycerides. The mix of compounds is
the oil fuelled lamps, meat was used for According to AgriFutures Australia, not dissimilar to human sebum.
human consumption and corsets were the industry was re-established in the “Sebum draws moisture in and it also
fashioned from whale bones. 1990s but now there are fewer than a acts as a raincoat for the skin,” says
Whale meat is still a much-prized dozen commercial growers. Armour. “Because the wax esters

Good Organic Gardening | 93

WELLBEING | JOJOBA

found in jojoba have a very similar

molecular construction to sebum, skin is
very compatible with jojoba.”
Jojoba has antimicrobial properties
and will help with inflammatory acne,
though it won’t completely clear up the
skin. As a comedogenic or pore-blocking
agent, it’s suitable for most skin types
except oily ones.
It is, however, a rich, luxurious
moisturiser for those with normal,
combination or dry skin. “Jojoba works
as a moisturiser,” says Armour. “It’s a
humectant, which means it penetrates
the outer layer of the stratum corneum,
the top layer of the skin, drawing water
into the skin.
“It also forms a protective film over the
skin, so it effectively traps moisture.”
It also turns out the Native Americans
who first started using jojoba on wounds
were right on the money. Armour says
the unique properties of jojoba may also
accelerate wound closure.
“It promotes production of fibroblasts,
the cells that make collagen 1, which
is one of the main fibres in the skin
involved in wound healing and scar
tissue,” she says.

A LONG-LASTING PRODUCT
Unlike some other natural beauty
products (like argan oil, which has
a shelf life of around three months),
jojoba remains fresh and viable for a
long time because it has a high level of
oxidative stability.
Nader Pazyar from the University of
Medical Sciences Iran says one of the
reasons for this is that the triglyceride
content is less than 3 per cent. As a result, FOR CENTURIES, NATIVE AMERICANS USED JOJOBA
jojoba resists hydrolysis and oxidation. IN MEDICINES AND SKIN TREATMENTS. THEY’D ALSO
It can also be heated to extreme
temperatures. Researchers at the BOIL THE LEAVES TO BREW TEA.
University of Wisconsin and University of
Minnesota showed even temperatures of
300°C won’t alter its composition. JOJOBA FOR NATURAL BEAUTY
Natural jojoba is also free from Want to try a little jojoba magic for yourself? All you need is a few extra ingredients
impurities like gums and chlorophylls. The • Jojoba and lemon hair mask. Combine 5–6 drops of lemon essential oil
extracted liquid wax is pure and organic, and 2 tbsp of jojoba. Massage into the scalp and through the hair. Leave on
so it’s biodegradable and non-toxic. for 1–2 hours, then shampoo and condition as normal.
Naturopath Shevawn Becker says • Jojoba, frankincense and myrrh cuticle oil. Combine 2 tbsp of jojoba,
jojoba, as well as being one of the most 1 tbsp of almond oil, 2 drops of frankincense and 2 drops of myrrh. Apply
stable and long-lasting beauty oils, is 1–2 drops to the nail cuticle area and massage up to the top of the nail.
also quite thick and easy to apply. • Jojoba and rose moisturising mist. Combine 3 tbsp of jojoba in ½ cup of
“It’s highly viscous, smooth to apply rosewater. Place in a spray bottle and spritz throughout the day when your
and absorbs into the skin without leaving skin needs a pick-me-up.
a greasy residue,” she says. “It also won’t Recipes courtesy of naturopath Shevawn Becker.
Getty

stain your clothes.”

94 | Good Organic Gardening

 JOJOBA | WELLBEING

THE UNIQUE
PROPERTIES OF JOJOBA
MAY ALSO ACCELERATE
WOUND CLOSURE.

MIXING IT UP
Becker says jojoba can act as an
effective carrier oil as it can be easily
combined with other essential oils such
as coconut, argan, avocado, almond,
evening primrose and olive oil.
“This means it is the perfect beauty
product to be used for a variety of
skin types and needs, dependent on
which essential oil it is combined [with],”
she says.
“For example, ylang ylang for ageing
skin, chamomile for dry skin, bergamot
for oily skin and patchouli for breakouts
and blemishes.”
Many cosmetic companies infuse
jojoba into their beauty products, so
when you buy these blended jojoba
products always check the ingredient
lists to ensure the wax isn’t mixed with
any harmful ingredients.
Alternatively, you can buy pure
unadulterated jojoba from around $13 for
100mL. Like other pure oils, it isn’t cheap,
but you don’t need to use a great deal
for maximum benefit.

WHAT CAN I USE IT FOR?

• Psoriasis balm. Jojoba may help
this inflammatory condition as it
nourishes and forms a protective
layer over the skin.
• Hair loss. With thinning hair not
linked to genetics, applying jojoba
to the scalp may help. Debris and
excessive sebum can sometimes clog
hair follicles, preventing hair from
growing; jojoba can help unclog them. • Ageing skin. Not only does jojoba resistance to hair breakage and
• Cold sores. A study by L. soften the skin, Armour says it can imparted a luxurious shine.
Yarmolinsky and colleagues at the also help with fine lines: “It can • Burns. If you’ve exposed your skin
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev temporarily improve the appearance to burning UV rays or burnt yourself
showed the leaf of the jojoba plant of fine lines on the skin, but there is with your curler irons, a gentle
can offer some relief. no enduring benefit.” application of jojoba can help to
• Moisturiser. The nutrient-rich • Hair conditioning and de-frizzing. reduce the redness and soreness. It
formula of jojoba will leave your The rich moisturising properties accelerates skin repair and can help
skin feeling soft and supple. It will of jojoba will help nourish dry prevent flaking and peeling.
also help heal dry, cracked lips. Use and damaged hair. A study of
it as a body oil, as an after-shower African Americans in the Journal of Carrol Baker is a freelance journalist who
moisturiser or for dry, peeling and Cosmetic Dermatology showed the writes for lifestyle and health magazines
cracked cuticles. addition of jojoba provided greater across Australia and New Zealand.

Good Organic Gardening | 95

IN SEASON | FRUIT & VEG

F RESH LOC A L
THESE FRUIT AND VEG ARE THE FRESHEST AND BEST IN OUR
T
SHOPS AND GARDENS DURING EARLY TO MID-SPRING

I N SEAS ON I N SEASON
SEP T EM BE R OC TO BER
FRUITS VEGIES FRUITS VEGIES
Apple (Lady Williams), Artichoke (globe), Asian Avocado, banana, Artichoke (globe), Asian
blueberries, custard greens, asparagus, blueberries, dragonfruit, greens, asparagus, beans,
apple, grapefruit, lemon, beans, beetroot, broad gooseberries, grapefruit, beetroot, broad beans,
lime, mandarin (Imperial), beans, broccoli, cabbage, guava, kiwifruit, cabbage, cucumber,
rockmelon, orange carrot, cauliflower, chilli, mango, melons, orange chilli, fennel, garlic, kale,
(blood, navel), pawpaw, fennel, garlic, kale, leek, (Valencia), pawpaw, lettuce, mushrooms, peas,
papaya, pineapple, lettuce, mushrooms, peas, papaya, passionfruit, potatoes, silverbeet,
pomelo, strawberries, potatoes, silverbeet, pineapple, pomelo, spinach, spring onion,
tamarillo, tangelo spinach, spring onions strawberries, tangelo watercress, zucchini

SEASONAL TIP:
FRIED LEEK GARNISH
Everything on the plate should be edible, right?
Including garnishes. And they should enhance
flavour as well as look cute. Here’s a retro touch of
posh style to add to your soups and other dishes.
Using only the white and pale green part of a leek,
cut in half lengthwise and wash thoroughly. Finely
slice the halves into matchstick pieces, about 8cm
long. Dry thoroughly before frying in a small pan
over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until just golden.
xxxxxxx

Drain on paper towel.

96 | Good Organic Gardening

 GARDEN TO TABLE

G ard en to table
Gluten-free baking

98 Corn, green chilli & coriander buttermilk pancakes

99 Hot-smoked salmon, asparagus, pea & leek quiche

100 Slow-cooked beef & mushroom pies

101 Strawberry tart

Images and text from Gluten-Free Baking Made Simple by Cherie Lyden,
photography by Ben Dearnley. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.

Good Organic Gardening | 97

GARDEN TO TABLE | SWEET CORN
CO RN, G RE EN CHILLI & CO R IAN DER
B U TT ER M IL K PA NC AK ES
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 12 PANCAKES
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup (165 g) gluten-free self-raising flour
• ³⁄₄ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking
soda)
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 350mL buttermilk (or 250mL non-dairy
milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
• 25g unsalted butter (or non-dairy
alternative), melted, plus extra for cooking
• 1¹⁄₂ cups (300g) corn kernels, fresh or
frozen & thawed
• 1 large spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large green chilli, finely chopped
• ¹⁄₄ bunch fresh coriander, leaves picked &
chopped
98 | Good Organic Gardening
METHOD
1. Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together in a separate bowl.
3. Add the melted butter to the egg mix and whisk again.
4. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk until smooth. Fold in the corn,
spring onion, chilli and coriander.
5. Melt a little extra butter in a non-stick frying pan over low–medium heat,
tilting the pan to make sure the base is evenly coated.
6. Using a ladle or serving spoon, drop approximately one-third of a cup
(80mL) of mix into the centre of the pan, smoothing it out with the back
of your spoon and shaping it into a rough circle approximately 12cm in
diameter.
7. Cook for 2 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake
and the underside is evenly golden (use your spatula to check), then flip it
over and cook for a further 2 minutes, until evenly golden on both sides.
8. Slide the cooked pancake onto a plate and repeat the process until all
the pancake mix has been used, adding more butter to the pan between
pancakes as needed. Serve with bacon and maple syrup or chopped
tomato, avocado, mixed leaves and a little relish or onion jam.
 ASPARAGUS | GARDEN TO TABLE

H OT S M OK E D
SALMO N, ASPA RAGU S,
P E A & L EEK QUIC HE
SERVES 6–8
•
INGREDIENTS
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 500g Savoury Decadent Shortcrust Pastry (see
page 102)
• ²/3 cup (90g) frozen peas
• 300g hot smoked salmon, flaked
• 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed
• 1 handful dill leaves, roughly chopped
• Salt & cracked black pepper
• 6 large eggs
• 1¼ cups (310mL) single (pure) cream

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan-forced) with the
oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
3. Remove the base from a 26×4cm loose-bottomed
quiche tin and place the ring on the lined baking tray.
Grease with a spray oil or butter.
4. In a frying pan, sauté the leek in a little oil until lightly
golden. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
5. Place the chilled and pre-worked pastry on a floured
surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry out into a
36cm disc approximately 5mm thick. Gently place the
pastry over the quiche ring and let it fall into the tin,
allowing it to drape over the top edge. Lightly press
the pastry into the shape of the tin and trim it at the
top of the ring, leaving an excess 2mm or so above
the top edge to allow for shrinkage while baking. (Any
excess pastry can be rolled, flattened and refrigerated
or frozen and used at another time.)
6. Arrange the cooked leek evenly over the base of the
pastry, then top with the peas, hot-smoked salmon
and asparagus. Sprinkle the chopped dill over and
season with salt and pepper.
7. Whisk the eggs and cream together in a bowl and
pour over the top, filling to 5mm from the top.
8. Bake for 45–50 minutes, rotating the tray halfway
through for even cooking, or until the centre of the
filling feels firm to the touch and the pastry is golden
underneath. (To check this, slide a spatula under the
pastry and lift it slightly to take a look.) Once cooked,
remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on
the tray.
9. To serve, place an inverted plate over the quiche, flip it
over and remove the ring, then place another inverted
plate on the base of the quiche, flip it back over and
remove the top plate. Slice and serve.

Good Organic Gardening | 99

GARDEN TO TABLE | MUSHROOMS
S LOW- CO O KED BE E F & M U SH ROO M PIES
MAKES 6 INDIVIDUAL PIES
INGREDIENTS
• 1kg Savoury Decadent Shortcrust Pastry (see
page 102)
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
Filling • mixture over the beef and stir well. Cover the casserole dish with a lid
• • 500g chuck steak, cut into 1cm cubes
• ¹⁄₄ cup (40g) gluten-free plain (all-purpose) flour
• ¹/3 cup (80mL) olive oil
• 250g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¹⁄₂ bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
• 1¹⁄₂ cups (375mL) gluten-free beef stock or broth
• ²/3 cup (170mL) medium-bodied red wine
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• Salt & cracked black pepper
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) with
the oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
2. For the filling, coat the beef in 2 tablespoons of
the flour, shaking off the excess.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a non-stick
frying pan over medium heat. Brown the meat in
batches and transfer it to a large casserole dish.
4. In the same frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive
oil and cook the mushrooms in the worcestershire
sauce for 5–7 minutes, until the sauce has
evaporated and the mushrooms are lightly
browned. Tip the cooked mushrooms into the
casserole dish on top of the beef.
100 | Good Organic Gardening
5. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan together with the
onion and sauté for 2–3 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic
and sauté for a further 1 minute, then tip the mix into the casserole dish
and add the thyme.
6. Add the stock or broth to the frying pan together with the red wine and
mustard, stir well to deglaze the pan, and bring to a simmer. Pour this
or aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour, until the meat is tender and the
flavours have melded.
7. Remove from the oven, take off the lid or foil and strain the liquid into a
small saucepan. Sift the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour into the juices,
then whisk over medium heat until the liquid thickens. Season to taste
with salt and pepper.
8. Break the meat up slightly with a fork, then tip the thickened sauce
over it and mix through. Tip the beef pie mix out into a large airtight
container and cool in the refrigerator.
9. Grease six individual 12.5cm pie tins with butter or a spray oil. Place the
chilled and pre-worked pastry on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin,
roll it out to about 5mm thick and cut into 12 × 13.5cm rounds.
10. Take a pastry round and let it fall gently into one of the tins, allowing
the pastry to drape over the top edge. Lightly press the pastry into the
shape of the tin. Repeat with five of the remaining pastry rounds. Fill the
pies to the top with the cooled filling, then take a pastry round, brush
it with a little egg yolk around the outer edge and place it over a pie,
egg-side down. Gently press the edges of pastry together around the
top to make sure they stay stuck together. Repeat this process for the
remaining pies.
11. Using a skewer, make a small hole at least 2mm wide in the centre of
each pie. Brush the tops with the beaten egg yolk.
12. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through cooking,
until golden.
13. Remove the pies from the oven and leave them to sit in their tins for
5 minutes to cool slightly. These are delicious served with bitter salad
leaves such as radicchio to cut through the richness.
 STRAWBERRIES | GARDEN TO TABLE

ST RAWB ER RY TA R T
SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS
• 500g Savoury Decadent Shortcrust Pastry (see page 102)
• 2–3 punnets (500–750g) large strawberries,
tops trimmed, halved

Easy Crème Pâtissière

• 800mL milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 8 egg yolks, room temperature
• ²/3 cup (150g) caster sugar
• ²/3 cup (85g) gluten-free cornflour, sifted

METHOD
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Remove the base of a 26×3cm loose-bottomed
quiche tin and place the ring on the lined tray. Grease
with a spray oil or butter.
3. Place the chilled and pre-worked pastry on a
floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry
out into a 36cm disc approximately 3mm thick.
Gently place the pastry over the quiche ring and let
it fall into the tin, allowing it to drape over the top
edge. Lightly press the pastry into the shape of the
tin, making sure it comes approximately 4mm above
the edge — this way, you’ll have less shrinkage when
baking. Don’t stretch the pastry too thin or it will fall
apart. Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) with the
oven rack positioned in the middle of the oven.
5. Place the pastry in the oven and bake for 20–25
minutes, until golden. Remove and leave to cool on
the baking tray.
6. To make the crème pâtissière, heat the milk and vanilla
together in a saucepan over medium heat until just
simmering.
7. In a separate saucepan, whisk the egg and sugar
together over low heat until thick. Whisk in the milk to
combine, then add the cornflour and whisk constantly,
being careful not to burn the bottom, until the mixture
has thickened to the consistency of thick custard.
Remove from the heat.
8. While still hot, pour the crème pâtissière into a large
plastic container lined with plastic wrap and cover
with a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface so
a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerate to set.
9. Once set, remove from the refrigerator and tip into
the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment
(alternatively, use a large bowl and a hand mixer).
Whisk the crème pâtissière for 1 minute, or until it’s
soft and smooth, then tip it into the cooled pastry
shell and level the surface with a large metal spatula.
10. Starting from the outside and working your way in,
top the tart with the strawberry halves. Refrigerate
until ready to serve.

Good Organic Gardening | 101

GARDEN TO TABLE | SHORTCRUST PASTRY
SAVO U RY DE CA D ENT
S H O RTC RU ST PASTRY
MAKES 1 KG
INGREDIENTS
• 2²/3 cups (440g) gluten-free plain
(all-purpose) flour
• 2¹⁄₂ teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 280g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• ¹/3 cup (85g) sour cream
• 1 large egg, room temperature
METHOD
1. Add the flour, xanthan gum and salt to a food processor
and whiz together for 10 seconds. Add the butter
and mix for 30 seconds, until the mixture resembles
breadcrumbs, then add the sour cream and egg and mix
for 10 seconds, until it comes together and forms a ball.
2. Turn the soft dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and
wrap well, flattening the dough to a disc approximately
2cm thick. Rest the dough by chilling in the fridge for at
least 1 hour, ideally overnight. (This will make it easier to
work with — day-old pastry always works best!)
3. Once rested, unwrap the dough, transfer it to a floured
surface and leave it for 2–3 minutes to soften. Using
a floured rolling pin, work the dough by rolling it out,
folding it back on itself and then rolling it out again.
Repeat this process a few times over, then roll the pastry
out to a 2cm thickness, rewrap and chill until needed.
4. When you’re ready to use the dough, unwrap it and leave
it on a lightly floured bench for 2–3 minutes to warm up.
Once the pastry has softened slightly, rub a little flour
over the surface.
5. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the pastry out as
required, rolling a few times one way, then flipping it over
and re-flouring the bench and rolling pin as necessary.
(The trick here is not to over-flour the pastry, as this will
dry it out — just add as much as you need so the dough
is workable.)
6. Now the pastry is ready for cutting out and/or lining.
When using a cutter, make sure it is lightly floured, so it
doesn’t stick to the pastry. When lining, grease the tart
ring or pie tin/dish with butter or a spray oil and place on
a tray lined with baking paper. Always cut the pastry so
it’s oversized before you line it, then gently let the pastry
fall into the tin/dish — this way, you can cut the excess
pastry once you’ve finished and have less shrinkage
when baking. Don’t stretch the pastry, as it will become
too thin and fall apart.
7. If the pastry is going to be filled then baked, there is no
need to parbake it first. If you are planning on finishing
it with fresh ingredients, then bake at 180–190°C (160–
170°C fan-forced) until golden. Remove from the oven
and leave to cool completely before filling.
102 | Good Organic Gardening
SW EET DEC ADENT
S HOR TCR UST PASTRY
MAKES 1 KG
INGREDIENTS
• 2²/3 cups (440g) gluten-free plain
(all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2¹⁄₂ teaspoons xanthan gum
• ¹/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
• 335g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• ¹/3 cup (85g) sour cream
• 1 large egg, room temperature
METHOD
1. Add the flour, xanthan gum and sugar to a food
processor and whiz together for 10 seconds.
Add the butter and mix for 30 seconds, until the
mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the
sour cream and egg and mix for 10 seconds, until
the dough comes together and forms a ball.
2. Turn the soft dough out on a sheet of plastic wrap
and wrap well, flattening the dough out to a disc
2cm thick. Rest the dough by chilling in the fridge
for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight. (This will make
it easier to work with – day-old pastry always
works best!)
3. Once rested, unwrap the dough, transfer it to a
floured surface (using gluten-free flour) and leave
it for 2–3 minutes to soften. Using a floured rolling
pin (using gluten-free flour), work the dough by
rolling it out, folding it back on itself and then
rolling it out again. Repeat this process a few
times, then roll the pastry out to a 2cm thickness,
rewrap and chill until needed.
4. When you’re ready to use your dough, unwrap
it and leave it on a lightly floured bench for 2–3
minutes to warm up. Once the pastry has softened
slightly, rub a little flour over the surface.
5. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the pastry
out as required, rolling it a few times one way,
then flipping it over and re-flouring the bench
and rolling pin as necessary. (The trick here is
not to over-flour the pastry as this will dry it out
— just add as much as you need so the dough is
workable and doesn’t stick to the bench.)
6. Using a fork or a pastry docker, lightly stab the
pastry to indent it all over. (This process helps
prevent the pastry from rising and keeps it flat
and even while baking.)

COV ER
TO
COV ER
Leafing
through books
for gardeners
and cooks
Reviews Chris Stafford
THE MILKWOOD PERMACULTURE
LIVING HANDBOOK
By Kirsten Bradley, Murdoch Books, $45
“Live like it matters” is the motto of Milkwood,
an initiative co-founded by Kirsten Bradley
and Nick Ritar to spread the ideals and skills of
permaculture by teaching people how to improve
the quality of home, health and happiness — not
to mention the planet — one bit at a time. As
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, “A journey
of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Organised according to the 12 permaculture
principles, Kirsten’s handbook sets out 60
simple habits to cultivate for a more meaningful
life. They include going waste free; starting a
worm farm; learning to love the second-hand;
decluttering your home; growing sprouts on
your windowsill; keeping chickens; even reusing
your own wee. The book is ambitious and life-
affirming yet completely practical and down-
to-earth; there’s nothing pie-in-the-sky about
aiming for the stars.
VEG IN ONE BED
By Huw Richards, Penguin Random House, $30
The secret to successful vegie gardening isn’t
necessarily a big backyard with multiple beds.
As YouTube personality Huw Richards shows,
you can do a lot with a single raised bed,
growing a range of vegetables organically,
abundantly and inexpensively so you have
something to harvest every month of the
year. No experience required — all you need
is a few seeds, water, sunlight and patience.
Plus good advice, which is where this book
comes in, beginning with how to assess your
site and build your 1.2×3m bed to a detailed
month-by-month planting guide, including
maintenance, pests to look out for and
what can be harvested when. There are
photos showing how the bed should look
at any particular time as well as notes on
raising seedlings on your windowsill before
you plant out.
THE COMPOST COACH
By Kate Flood, Murdoch Books, $39.99
Compost nerd and sustainability educator Kate
Flood is on a mission to help us rethink kitchen
waste management and create “garden gold”
— including apartment dwellers who might not
even have a garden. We’re lucky enough to live
in a council area that supplies compostable
bags, making it easy to divert food scraps and
household carbon away from landfill like a
real climate activist, whether it goes into the
garden or straight in the green bin. Kate takes
things a step further, unpacking the mysteries
of soil composition in plain language as well as
providing a fully illustrated step-by-step guide
on how to build a healthy, regenerative compost
system. You don’t even have to “get down and
dirty”, as Costa Georgiadis hints in his cover
blurb — there’s nothing inherently grubby about
compost. It’s all good clean fun.
BOOKS | REVIEWS
THE HERB BOOK
By Dorling Kindersley,
Penguin Random House, $40
Walk through a patch of wild herbs and it’s
easy to imagine our distant ancestors doing the
same thing, their senses immediately charged
by the enticing scents released by their footfalls.
How long till it occurred to someone to add a
few sprigs of rosemary to the fried pterodactyl
or boil up some chamomile for a soothing
cuppa, it’s impossible to say, but herbs were so
popular with the ancient Romans it’s believed
they harvested at least one — silphium — to the
point of extinction. History aside, the herbs the
Romans left have lost none of their relevance in
the modern world. This visually stimulating book
from non-fiction publishers Dorling Kindersley
examines around 80 different herbs and their
botanical, medicinal, cosmetic and culinary
uses as well as the myths, legends and cultural
associations they’ve collected over the centuries.
MALTA
By Simon Bajada, Hardie Grant, $45
Thanks to its strategic location in the very centre
of the Mediterranean, the Maltese archipelago
has long been a bridge between Africa and
southern Europe. It shows in its language —
while English is widely spoken (it was a British
colony for 150 years), Maltese itself is like a
melange of North African Arabic and Sicilian
Italian — and it shows in its cuisine, which is also
redolent of the many cultures that have passed
through its islands. Australian-born food writer
and photographer Simon Bajada explores his
family heritage through more than 60 recipes
that evoke the taste of Malta, from the pastizzi
familiar to Sydneysiders to the garlicky fish soup
aljotta and the national sandwich ftira. Drenched
in tomato, tuna and olives, in 2020 Malta’s daily
bread assumed its rightful place on UNESCO’s
Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Good Organic Gardening | 103
PICK OF THE CROP

OF
PICK THE CROP
Our selection of products and services for gardeners and cooks

MEET THE NEW,

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Flower Blend is used by professional
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of fertiliser, Flower Blend is the best
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while also being vegan friendly and
safe for both pets and children.
It not only boosts flowering but
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helps plants defend themselves
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and at the same time helps reduce
the need to water. Ideal for roses,
orchids, natives, azaleas, herbs and
vegetables — in fact, all plants.
earthlife.com.au
TOUGH ROLARAIN
Introducing Wobble-Tee’s newest
sprinkler, the RolaRain. We have been
asked why would you make a newer
model when the Wobble-Tee has been
so popular and successful? Well, the
Wobble-Tee Sprinkler was designed as
a domestic sprinkler to be used on the
lawn in your backyard, but it has been
utilised in so many other situations that are outside the original design concept.
So, simply, we have made a tougher new design that is more suited to farming
applications, sporting fields and industrial use. Featuring wheels and a new tough
flexible sprinkler top. For more information visit wobbletee.com.au.
UNLOCK YOUR SOIL’S POTENTIAL
Growing the top-quality food and other plants you
dream of is a whole lot easier using Catalyst Soil Booster
Concentrate. This fermented probiotic fertiliser contains
a balanced formulation of beneficial microbes and more
than 80 essential minerals so that farmers, professional
growers and passionate gardeners can achieve first-rate
results in soil health, plant nutrition and yields. In many soils,
nutrients like phosphorous, potassium and iron are present
but in forms plants cannot use. The microbial inoculants in
Catalyst Soil Booster Concentrate fix atmospheric nitrogen,
make phosphorus soluble, decompose organic material
and oxidise sulphur in soils. It significantly improves the
phosphorous availability to plants, even if they’re growing
in soil that has been previously fertilised with chemical additives. Like all Phi’on
products, Catalyst Soil Booster Concentrate is good for the environment, family
and pet friendly and cost-effective. Dilute 1L to 9L water and you have 10L of
ready-to-use product that can be sprayed directly on soil and plants and stored
for up to 24 months after opening. Catalyst Soil Booster Concentrate is made
in the pristine valley of Mongarlowe, NSW, using MEA Water ® Devices (see
meawater.com). Email orders@phion.com.au or call (02) 4842 8182.

COMPOSTABLE BIOPLASTICS — THE WAY OF THE FUTURE

Biotuff is proud to produce quality biodegradable, compostable
products for the Australian marketplace to help shape a better,
more sustainable future for generations to come. Our mission is to
reduce landfill, limit emissions and ensure that all Australians have
the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint in their everyday
lives. We care about the future of our children and how the world
will be shaped by the choices we make today. Our products are
designed to care for the planet while offering high-quality and
durable biodegradable, compostable options. Composting is the
way of the future. Our range of bin liners, nappy bags, dog-waste bags, kitchen products, compost kits and non-woven
tote bags allows thousands of Australians to move into a more sustainable future. Biotuff is passionate about encouraging
those crucial steps to heal plastic problems of the past and to create a greener future for our children. biotuff.com.au

104 | Good Organic Gardening

 PICK OF THE CROP

FILL YOUR FRUIT BOWL!

PlantNet® is an innovative company established in
2006 with the aim to improve the quality of fruit
trees and ornamentals available to the Aussie
home gardener. PlantNet® provides varieties
that will be successful for home gardeners with
small spaces and big backyards alike. Perfect
additions are Blueberry Burst®, dwarf stone fruits
and dwarf apples! Keep an eye out for the NEW
Summer Crunch Dwarf Pear range, the first new
pears available to home gardeners for decades
(see page 12 for more). PlantNet always has
something new to the range, available at most
garden centres. To find your local PlantNet®
stockist, visit plantnet.com.au.

Dwarf SunGold Pear

Dwarf Flowering Peach Pink Duchess

Blueberry Burst
WANT TO REDUCE YOUR WEEKLY FOOD BILL AND
GROW YOUR OWN VEGIES AT HOME?
At Aussie Gardener, Brian and Kaylene have set an ambitious
goal of teaching 100,000 families how to grow their own food
at home and they are doing it for free! “We had started growing
our own food years before, after noticing our household budget
was blowing out, buying fruit and veg, especially if you are
buying organic. So we took that knowledge and created a series
of easy-to-understand (and fun!) vegie classes. Each week we
give you the steps to follow so that you are guaranteed to get
great results and can provide fresh, healthy food for your family
— and all at a fraction of the cost of buying it in the stores.”
Head on over to veggieclasses.com.au for more details.

Good Organic Gardening | 105

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 Directory

Nature’s own answer to scarabs

& many other pests
BENEFICIAL NEMATODES • SMARTER BIOCONTROL

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GARDEN LIFE | SUGAR GLIDER

NIGHT
FLIGHT
Common name: Sugar glider
Scientific name: Petaurus breviceps

A
Words: Chris Stafford

small nocturnal possum with large eyes for night

vision, the sugar glider is one of several natives
classed as Petaurus or “rope dancer” due to its
impressive aerial skills. A membrane that joins
each forefoot to a hind leg acts as a parasail, allowing
the minuscule marsupial to achieve flights of up to 50
metres between trees. It is rarely seen on the ground.
Though technically an omnivore, the sugar glider
is an opportunistic feeder. During winter, when
its preferred insect diet dries up, it continues to
indulge its sweet tooth, feeding on sap and nectar
— hence the “sugar” part of its common name.
Distributed widely across southeast and
northern Australia as well as New Guinea,
Petaurus is often under threat from bushfire
but not considered endangered.

Getty

114 | Good Organic Gardening

 Protect Your
Garden Naturally.

To help your garden control

pests and weeds, don’t forget
this EarthCare duo.

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