6. Good Organic Gardening - November-December 2016 AvxHome.in

THE SEASONAL GARDEN | With melissa king
WHAT’S HOT RIGHT NOW
Presenting some of the latest and greatest plants that will make
excellent additions to your garden at this time of year
Tomato ‘Genuwine’
The plant: Trying a new variety of tomato is always
irresistible and this one is jam-packed with flavour.
‘Genuwine’ is the perfect cross between two heirloom
favourites: the rich Italian tomato ‘Costoluto Genovese’
and the beautiful pink ‘Brandywine’. The result is a big,
pink-hued tomato with fabulous flavour, high yields, fewer
fruit blemishes and superb disease resistance. A musthave
for the summer vegie patch.
Growing: Plant tomato seedlings in spring or summer for
a bountiful summer and autumn crop. Plants will perform
best in a sunny spot with good drainage, so prepare the
soil first with organic matter and liquid feed regularly
to promote a bumper crop of fruit. Add dolomite lime to
acidic soils before planting. Tomato ‘Genuwine’ grows
152–215cm tall, so stake plants at planting time.
Design: Give ‘Genuwine’ pride of place in the summer
vegie patch and plant it alongside basil, which makes a
great companion both in the garden and on the plate. You
can begin harvesting fruit just 9–11 weeks after planting
as seedlings. The fruit is bursting with flavour and perfect
for fresh summer salads or tasty bruschetta.
oasishorticulture.com.au
Protea ‘Australis
Ruby’
The plant: If you’re looking for a plant
that’s both bird-attracting and beautiful,
this is it! Protea ‘Australis Ruby’ is a real
stunner, with masses of striking darkpink
blooms. It flowers twice a year in
autumn and spring, so you get plenty of
blooms to enjoy in the garden or cut for
attractive indoor displays.
Growing: ‘Australis Ruby’ thrives in
sunny garden beds with well-drained
soil, or grow it in a native potting mix
in colourful containers. Pick flowers
for the vase or dead-head any
fading blooms to keep growth nice
and compact. Give plants a good
dose of slow-release native fertiliser
in spring to promote masses of
colourful blooms.
Design: It grows to just 1.5m tall, so it’s
the perfect choice for decorative pots
on a sunny balcony or as a feature plant
in small gardens. It can also be shaped
into a beautiful flowering hedge.
proteaflora.com.au
12 | Good Organic Gardening