1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
JENNIFER
STACKHOUSE
GARDENING
CHALLENGE
GROWING
TRUFFLES
CLEVER CROPS
DRAGON FRUIT
& MOUSE MELON
+ WHAT NEEDS DOING
IN YOUR PATCH
GARDEN TO TABLE
BEETROOT | PASSIONFRUIT
PARSNIP | SWEET CORN
MELISSA KING
HEIRLOOM STRAWBERRIES
LETTUCE | RADISHES
+ WHAT’S HOT
THIS SEASON
HOW TO
Brew
BIM
(beneficial indigenous
micro-organisms)
for your soil
Vol. 6 No. 5
JAN/FEB 2016
AUS $7.95*
NZ $7.90
(Both incl. GST)
PLUS
• NETTLE | BASIL
• GROUND CONTROL: DIPEL
• MORE IDEAS FOR LITTLE GARDENERS
CLAIRE BICKLE
FIRST AID FOR
FUNGAL FOES
MEGG MILLER
BANTAM DUCKS —
UNBELIEVABLY CUTE!

CONTENTS
14
Contents
72
6 Managing Editor’s Note
Mid-summer and it’s hot hot
hot in the garden!
8 The Grapevine
Aussie summers mean invasion
of the insects — can we learn
to live with them, wonders
Jo Immig
10 What’s Hot
Horticulturist Melissa King
profiles some lovely specimens
to spice up your garden
12 & 14 Clever Crops
Jennifer Stackhouse looks at two
clever crops: cute little mouse
melon and exotic dragon fruit
26
16 Plant Profile
How many kinds of basil are
there? Lots. Some are purple and
some are even perennials
20 Power Plant
Stinging nettle is highly
nutritious, quite delicious and as
easy to grow as a weed
22 Family Heirloom
Who can resist sweet, fragrant
heirloom strawberries, from white
to yellow to bright crimson
26 Gardening Folk
A passion for herb growing and a
desire for self-sufficiency are the
driving forces behind the Nankas’
productive garden and business
30 Gardening Folk
Meet Danny, a man who knows
the importance of bees to our
lives and values them so much
he has made his garden a haven
for them
34 Gardening Folk
Growing up in crowded Beirut,
Farouk Khaled dreamed of
owning enough land to grow
whatever he wanted. In Australia,
the dream came true
38 Time to Plant
A couple of salad stars are
perfect to plant — or keep
planting — right now: lettuce
and radish
4 | Good Organic Gardening

CONTENTS
8
22
40 Things to Do
Heat and humidity in many
climate zones mean keeping
a watchful eye for problems —
while harvesting heaps
44 Short Shoots
Innovative and imaginative
ideas for your garden from our
young organic gardener
46 Weekend Gardening
Claire Bickle continues with
gardening activities for the
kids, including a cute growing
project that even apartment
dwellers can take on
50 Gardening Challenge
What’s the kerfuffle over
truffles? Can you grow them
at home? Jennifer Stackhouse
has some answers
54 Plant Health
Claire Bickle continues her
round-up of warm-weather
nuisances, this time diseases
rather than creepy-crawlies
58 Safer Solutions
Dipel is an organically approved
solution to a bad caterpillar
problem. Angie Thomas explains
what it is and how it works
62 The Shed
Just as beneficial microorganisms
keep our bodies
healthy, soil has its microflora,
too, which you can make more
of to give your soil a boost
66 Feathered Friends
According to Megg Miller, there
are few cuter pets than little
bantam ducks — and you get
eggs from them
70 Garden to Table
Four seasonal edibles — how to
grow, harvest, store and preserve
— with healthy, delicious recipes
from chef Joanna Rushton
89 What’s Hot From
Our Advertisers
Our Pick of the Crop of products
and services for gardeners and
cooks, plus a few books
94 What’s On
A selection of events to interest
gardeners and foodies
78
50
Good Organic Gardening | 5

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably
Editor Kerry Boyne
Designer Jess Middleton
Contributors Claire Bickle, Jana Holmer,
Jo Immig, Melissa King, Megg Miller,
Joanna Rushton, Chris Stafford,
Erina Starkey, Jennifer Stackhouse,
Sandra Tuszynska
Food Photography
Kerry Boyne
Advertising Manager Miriam Keen
Ph: 02 9887 0604 | Fax: 02 9878 5553
Mob: 0414 969 693
Email: mkeen@universalmagazines.com.au
Advertising Production Co-ordinator
Hannah Felton
Cover Photo Getty Images
Chairman/CEO Prema Perera
Publisher Janice Williams
Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva
Associate Publisher Karen Day
Associate Publisher Emma Perera
Circulation Director Mark Darton
Creative Director Kate Podger
Editorial & Production Manager
Anastasia Casey
Production Executive
Renu Bhatt
Prepress Manager Ivan Fitz-Gerald
Marketing & Acquisitions Manager
Chelsea Peters
Subscription enquiries: 1300 303 414
Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office: (02) 9805 0399
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Welcome
to the issue
As we are putting this issue together,
it’s not even summer yet and we’re
having 37-degree days — in spring!
By the time you are reading this mag,
it has no doubt been even hotter. Do you have
insect problems — in the garden and your
living spaces? Read Jo Immig’s column to get a
different outlook on all the tiny, helpful creatures
that inhabit out world.
Of course, there is another side to the story.
Though we may be willing to share our crops
with them — who cares about a few holes here
and there? — there are times when they are so
numerous they want to devour the lot and leave
us nothing; that’s when we sometimes decide to
control them in a very targeted way. Caterpillars,
for example. Angie Thomas discusses Bacillus
thuringiensis, also known as Bt or Dipel, and
how it can be used to keep their numbers to
a manageable level.
As well as helpful (and less helpful) insects,
there are many many beneficial bacteria in our
gardens, as there are in our bodies; and just as
you can supplement with doses of probiotics
when your levels are down, it’s possible to
also boost the numbers of indigenous microorganisms
in your soil. Sandra Tuszynska
shows step by step how to make a batch of BIM
(beneficial indigenous micro-organisms).
Still in the realm of the tiny, Megg Miller
introduces us to gorgeous little bantam ducks.
I must confess I was unaware of these lovely
little feathered friends, even though I love
bantam chickens. Check them out — they’re as
cute as a baby’s bath duckie.
Of course, it’s still holidays and therefore,
says Claire Bickle, a great time to get the kids
out in the garden learning where their food
comes from, how to produce it themselves and
all about the other co-residents, from tiny lady
beetles to beautiful butterflies. There’s also
a fun growing project that any child can do,
even those who live in apartments. Claire also
continues her series on dealing with problems in
the patch, this issue focusing on diseases rather
than creepy crawlies and flying foes.
Jennifer Stackhouse shows that even crops
can be cute, such as little mouse melon (OK,
there’s an abundance of cuteness this issue).
They can be exotic as well: hot-pink dragon fruit
with their night-blooming flowers. Then there
are the everyday: passionfruit, beetroot, parsnip
and sweet corn from Jennifer and lettuce and
radishes from Melissa King. Melissa also covers
alpine strawberries, which are smaller than
modern varieties but worth growing for their
abundant harvest and fragrant flavour.
Have you noticed truffle-inoculated trees
for sale in one of the big hardware chains and
wondered if you should give it a go? In fact,
are truffles something the home gardener can
tackle? Jennifer has some answers for those
who love a big challenge. And just think how big
the rewards could be if you were successful.
Up front, Melissa also introduces some
plants worth considering for your garden,
both decorative and edible, and as usual down
the back Jo Rushton, aka the Organic Chef,
shows how to turn your harvest into simple but
delicious dishes, including a temptingly rich
chocolate cake made with beetroot — believe it!
Wishing you a relaxing summer, a happy New
Year and an abundant harvest,
Kerry
We are a member of
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THE GRAPEVINE | News
the grapevine
Environmental news and updates compiled by Jo Immig
The Richmond
birdwing butterfly
Living with insects
Insects, on the whole, get a bad rap. Sure,
they can ruin a picnic and a good night’s
sleep, but does that warrant an all-out
war on bugs?
Ever since pesticides were redeployed
after World War II to kill insects instead
of people, pesticide use has skyrocketed
with no apparent end in sight. Dousing the
planet in pesticides is having a significant
impact on insect numbers and diversity.
It’s also messing with our health as a
growing number of pesticide residues
are being detected in our bodies and the
environment, causing impacts ranging
from the feminism of frogs to cancers.
Insects are the most diverse organisms
on Earth, representing three-quarters of
the animal kingdom — an evolutionary
feat to be admired. Insect diversity is
greatest in tropical regions, which are
being destroyed at a rapid rate across
the globe.
Around 1 million of an estimated 2–6
million insect species have been classified.
Despite their prolific numbers, it’s thought
that around 52 per cent of insect species
are at risk of extinction, according to
Endangered Species International. Many
species have probably become extinct
without ever being observed or recorded.
A few years ago, I went to a talk given
by David Suzuki in my hometown of
Bangalow, NSW. It was a hot summer’s
night and the windows and doors of the
community hall were left open for the
breeze. “Where are all the insects?”
Suzuki asked. Given the subtropical
climate, the room should have been
teeming with them and yet there were
few and it was strangely silent outside.
The region where I live was stripped of
99 per cent of its rainforest cover during
the 19th century as the timber cutters
and dairy industry took over, and many
species died off. There’s a concerted effort
to bring some insects back from the brink,
including the Richmond birdwing butterfly
(Ornithoptera richmondia), once abundant
in the area. I’ve only had the pleasure of
seeing one in our garden because we
planted the specific vine it feeds on. It was
just magnificent with its giant iridescent
green and black wings and a splash of red
on its thorax.
Like other animals, insects occupy
While most of us know the
plight of the European
honeybee, an essential
pollinating insect, not so
many are aware of the
numerous other species
of pollinating insects that
are also at risk or are
already extinct.
restricted small ranges, making their
populations highly vulnerable to humaninduced
extinctions as habitats are
disturbed and destroyed.
We gardeners know how dependent
we are on some insects to pollinate
plants that produce the food we eat and
that they’re a fundamental part of the
functioning ecosystem all species depend
on. While most of us know the plight of
the European honeybee, an essential
pollinating insect, not so many are
aware of the numerous other species of
pollinating insects that are also at risk
or already extinct.
The Australian pesticide regulator, the
APVMA, does not properly assess the
impact of pesticides on pollinating insects such
as bees when it registers pesticide products.
For the sake of preventing the damage caused
by a few insects to crops, all other insects
are killed, many of them beneficial.
It’s difficult to find accurate figures for
the volume of pesticides used globally
each year, but the overall trend indicates
pesticide use is on the increase. The
introduction of genetically engineered
crops, which were initially touted as a
way to reduce pesticides, has in fact
significantly contributed to the increase.
Only aggregated sales figures for
pesticides are available in Australia. There
are no usage data, so we have no idea
what volume of pesticides is applied to
the Australian environment each year.
Based on registrations of pesticide
products, however, we do know that up to
30 per cent of all pesticide products are
registered for non-agricultural purposes,
including urban pest control and house
and garden products.
By making better choices you can help
insects survive and thrive:
Plant native trees, shrubs and flowers
for your region, to create habitat for
local insects.
Avoid hybrids and “double bloom”
varieties because insects often can’t
get to the nectar as their mouthparts
are not adapted to the task.
Avoid using outdoor “bug zappers”
because they indiscriminately kill all
insects and usually fail to attract the
insects, such as mosquitoes, that
people are hoping to avoid.
Use fly screens on windows and
doors and draft excluders to minimise
unwanted insects indoors.
Leave areas of wildness and use
natural ground covers in your garden
to encourage insect diversity.
Use only open-pollinated, certified
organic seeds and other inputs in
your garden.
Check when purchasing potted plants
as many potting mixes have been
treated with systemic pesticides that
can be transferred to your garden.
Avoid the use of pesticides in your
garden, inside your home or on your
body. There are safer, non-chemical
ways to deal with most situations.
Insects are an integral part of the web
of life on this planet. Destroy a few strands
and the entire web could unravel.
Shutterstock
8 | Good Organic Gardening

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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
‘M
other and
Child’ Rose
The plant: ‘Mother and Child’ is the
new sister rose to the beautiful ‘Mother
and Daughter’ rose, following in the
same tradition of raising funds for Motor
Neurone Disease Research. This newest
addition to the family continues the
celebration of the unique bond between
mother and child. It’s a stunning rose
that displays clusters of highly scented
lavender-pink flowers. With up to 10
blooms per stem, it flowers non-stop
from spring right through to autumn.
Growing: Roses like good drainage
and plenty of sunshine. Prepare the soil
well before planting with compost and
organic matter. Feed throughout the
growing season to promote a longlasting
display of colourful blooms.
Design: ‘Mother and Child’ is a hybrid
tea rose with a delightful fragrance, so
make a feature of it in garden beds or
pots where you and your family can
really appreciate the long-flowering
display and wonderful scent.
arigold ‘French
MSunset’
The plant: Now here’s a marigold with a difference.
‘French Sunset’ is a French-style marigold with fiery red
blooms that fade to bronze and deep gold, creating a
blaze of colour in the garden.
Growing: Grow ‘French Sunset’ in a sunny spot in fertile,
well-drained soil. Liquid-feed regularly and remove spent
blooms to prolong your flowering display.
Design: Make a feature of the flaming red flowers in
decorative pots, plant them en masse for a fiery display or
use them to add a splash of vibrant colour to the kitchen
or flower garden.
L‘Blonde oropetalum
’n’
Gorgeous’
The plant: The aptly named ‘Blonde ’n’
Gorgeous’ is just that, with cascading green
foliage and caramel-blonde new growth. In
spring and autumn the plant is laden with
beautiful tasselled white flowers. It grows
to about 1.5m tall and 2m wide. A plant that
looks good in every season.
Growing: Loropetalum ‘Blonde ’n’ Gorgeous’
grows best in a sunny or partly shaded
position in well-drained soil. It doesn’t
require any pruning unless you want to
shape it and has a low demand for water
once established. Give it a boost with a
slow-release fertiliser after flowering.
Design: Plant it en masse in garden beds
to contrast with burgundy-foliage
plants or make a feature of it in big
Oriental-style pots.
10 | Good Organic Gardening

With Melissa King | THE SEASONAL GARDEN
omato ‘Rapunzel Long
TTrusses’
The plant: A new variety of tomato that really captures the
imagination, with long Rapunzel-like trusses of sweet, glossy red
cherry tomatoes on a 1.8–2.4m tall plant.
Growing: ‘Rapunzel Long Trusses’ grows best in a sunny, welldrained
spot. Prepare the area first with plenty of organic matter
but don’t overdo the manure or you’ll get lots of leafy growth at the
expense of flowers and fruit. If your soil is quite acidic, incorporate
a bit of lime into the soil before planting.
Design: Tomatoes like room to grow, so make sure you adhere to
the spacing recommended on the back of the seedling tag and use
a good strong stake at planting time to avoid later damage.
Wobble-Tee
Waters a large area up to 15m
diameter, but can be adjusted at
your tap to water smaller areas.
Applies water slowly and evenly
with a consistent droplet size
at pressures from 15 to 40psi.
Will also operate effectively
from as low as 5psi.
Will operate from a town
water supply, pressure pump,
overhead water tank, gravity
fed system, recycled water,
envirocycle system, effluent
re-use, dam, bore or grey water.
No misting on low-medium
pressures.
Average flow rate of 10 LPM.
Add-On-Ability allows you
to operate more than one
sprinkler from the same tap.
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PRESSURE P.S.I 5 10 15 20 25 30 40
APPROX DIAMETER
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6.2 12 13.8 14.5 14.8 15 16
USAGE L.P.M 4.1 6 7.3 9.1 10 10.7 13
asabi Salad (Diplotaxis
Werucoides)
The plant: This exotic leafy green will spice up your garden and your
taste-buds. Bite into the soft green foliage for a strong hit of wasabi
flavour. Harvest it leaf by leaf as you need it to give hot or cold salads
a real flavour kick or as a complement to Asian-inspired dishes.
Growing: Wasabi Salad enjoys full sun but, if you’re growing it
through the warmer months, give it dappled light. Plant seedlings
25–30cm apart in rich, well-drained soil.
Design: Grow Wasabi Salad greens in pots close to the house for
easy picking or plant it in groups or rows in the salad garden to
contrast with dark-leafed lettuces or rainbow-coloured silverbeet.
Available from
AGnVET, Bunnings, CRT,
Dahlsens, Elders, Home
Hardware, Hunter Irrigation,
Landmark, Mitre 10, Plants Plus,
Pursehouse Rural, Thrifty-Link,
Total Eden and True Value.
Or ask your local hardware store.
NEW!
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e
Drop
Ideal for small lawn areas
and gardens with a watering
diameter of up to 8 metres.
Low angle of trajectory
reduces wind drift.
Operates on low and high
pressure from 5 to 50psi.
Average flow rate of 4 LPM.
Adjustable angle base for
uneven surfaces.
Purpose shaped base for
roof cooling on work sheds
and bird aviaries.
Pressure regulating discs are
provided for use in areas of
high water pressure.
Add-On-Ability allows you
to operate more than one
sprinkler from the same tap.
SIZE OF
DISC USED
1.25MM
DISC
1.5MM
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1.75MM
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Good Organic Gardening | 11

CLEVER CROP | Mouse melon
Cucumber’s
cool cousin
Is the mouse melon a cucumber or is it a
melon? We could call it a cucamelon
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
If I were to give a vegetable an award for
cuteness, the mouse melon would win hands
down. It looks like a watermelon for the little
folk. The small fruit, which are produced
prolifically, is light green with darker green
stripes, and about 3cm long. Its cuteness makes
it highly appealing to children and could entice
vegetable-phobic kids to eat their greens.
Although known as a melon, it is better
described as a tiny cucumber. The fruit is
crunchy and can be eaten skin and all. It has
a cucumber-like taste with a slight sour kick
from the skin. It’s eaten raw like a cucumber,
diced as a salsa or sliced and added to
a stirfry. I’ve even seen it suggested as
a substitute for an olive in a martini!
Like many in the cucurbit family, this vine
produces male and female flowers on the
same vine. The flowers are tiny and yellow. The
female flowers form fruit after receiving pollen
from the flowers on the same or another plant.
These plants come from Mexico (where they
are called sandita) and Central America where
Its cuteness makes it
highly appealing to
children and could
entice vegetable-phobic
kids to eat their greens.
Mouse melon Label
Common names: Mouse melon,
cucamelon, Mexican sour cucumber
Botanical name: Melothria scabra
Family: Cucurbitaceae (cucumber
family)
Requires: Full sun, well-drained soil
Dislikes: Frost, cold conditions
Suitable for: Trellis, fence, pergola
Habit: Annual or perennial vine
Needs: Support
Propagation: Seed
Difficulty: Easy
they have long been in cultivation. Despite their
charms and the fact that they are quite easy to
grow, they are still rare in our gardens.
Growing tips
Mouse melon needs a long warm period to grow,
flower and form fruit. In cool and temperate
areas, plant seed in spring as you would plant
cucumbers and grow the plants through
summer for harvesting in late summer and
autumn. In warmer zones mouse melon can be
planted and harvested year round.
These are vigorous plants that need
support. Vines can reach 3m or more high
when encouraged onto a wire fence, arbour
or tepee. They are ideal for a sunny balcony
or courtyard as they are productive in a large
container and grown on a wire frame.
Finding seed
Mouse melon is available from online
seed specialists but may be listed under
any one of its many names. If you can’t
find it under mouse melon, try cucamelon
or Mexican sour cucumber.
Shutterstock
12 | Good Organic Gardening

CLEVER CROP | Dragon fruit
Pretty in pink
If the mouse melon gets our award for
cuteness, dragon fruit earns accolades for
its brilliant colour
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
Ripe dragon fruit are as spectacular as
the mouse melon (page 14) is cute: hot
pink with lime-green scales. When cut
open, the contrast between the pink
outer skin and white flesh peppered with tiny
black seeds is striking.
Because of this eye-catching appearance,
they are popular in restaurants and with
caterers. These fruits are often first discovered
on the fruit platter at a breakfast buffet in a hotel
while holidaying in Asia, where they are widely
grown and sold at markets and on juice stands.
They are also sold in Australia at
greengrocers and produce markets, and
sometimes may even be encountered in the
supermarket, but are treated as a curiosity.
While the pink form with white flesh is the
most dramatic variety, there are also species
with red, yellow or green fruit. The flavour of
dragon fruit is rather bland, though, especially
compared with its over-the-top appearance.
Growing tips
If you are intrigued by the very idea of an
edible cactus, let alone such a vibrantly
coloured one, the next step may be to try
to grow these plants in the garden or in
large containers. They are best in a warm
Dragon fruit are nightflowering
cacti. They
bloom overnight and
resemble discarded
balloons by the morning.
temperate, subtropical or tropical climate.
They can be grown from seed but are most
easily propagated from a cutting from another
plant. Provide a support for the cactus (it’s a
climber) and ensure it’s planted in well-drained
soil in a spot that’s sheltered from frost and
cold and from full sun. Then be patient. Plants
may grow vigorously but take time to flower
and form fruit. Once flowering begins, it can
occur throughout the year. Fruit forms best
in humid conditions.
Dragon fruit are night-flowering cacti: they
bloom overnight and resemble discarded
balloons by the morning. Nocturnal animals such
as bats or night-flying insects such as moths
are needed to pollinate the flowers. While they
can be self-fertile, crops are more reliable
where there’s more than one plant growing.
Prune flowered stems to encourage new
growth and more flowering.
Dragon
fruit Label
Common name: Dragon fruit, pitahaya
Botanical name: Hylocereus undatus
Family: Cactaceae (cactus family)
Requires: Full sun, well-drained soil,
regular fertiliser
Dislikes: Frost, prolonged cold
conditions
Suitable for: Trellis, fence, wall, post
Habit: Climbing cactus
Needs: May need hand pollination
Propagation: Cutting (leaf)
Difficulty: Easy
Another
edible cactus
Dragon fruit isn’t the only edible cactus.
Prickly pear (a weed in Australia)
produces edible fruit and pads (leaves).
This is a spiky customer, so harvest and
eat with caution!
Shutterstock
14 | Good Organic Gardening

Juices Fruit, Wheatgrass & Vegetables
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PLANT PROFILE | Basil
16 | Good Organic Gardening

Basil | PLANT PROFILE
All hail King
Basil
The king of herbs is the stuff of legend as well as
the magic ingredient in everything from pasta to
curries and stirfries
Shutterstock, Choking Sun CC
Words Chris Stafford
If ever a plant were poised between
heaven and hell, it would be Ocimum
basilicum, otherwise known as basil.
In India and Haiti, the herb is used to
ward off evil. In parts of Mexico, it supposedly
attracts good fortune. Some ancients
believed it opened the gates of paradise for
the dying, while others saw it as a symbol of
the Devil. The Romans were convinced that if
you chopped it up and put it under a rock,
a scorpion would be born.
A royal plant or a symbol of poverty, a
poison or a panacea — whatever the legend,
basil is believed to be native to India, where
it’s considered sacred and has been used
ceremonially and medicinally for 5000 years.
In fact, in courts of law under British rule,
Hindus were allowed to swear on holy basil
(O. tenuiflorum) instead of the Bible.
The word we use for the herb almost
certainly comes from the Greek basileus,
meaning “king”. Related words are basilica
(originally a royal doorway; later, a church)
and basilisk, a mythical evil serpent that had
a crown-shaped mark on its head. The sacred
Thai basil
and the profane, again. Even today, basil is
known as the king of herbs — in French,
l’herbe royale. Mind you, the French once
used the expression semer le basilic (“to sow
basil”) to denote ranting and raving. This
could have its origins in the ancient Roman
belief that the herb should be planted to the
accompaniment of loud oaths.
“There is no seed more prolific than that of
ocimum,” wrote Pliny the Elder. “It is generally
recommended to sow it with the utterance
of curses and imprecations, the result being
that it grows all the better for it.”
Basil may be a sturdy plant, but this
is probably not the planting method
we’d recommend.
Growing
Basil, a member of the mint family
(Lamiaceae), is a herbaceous plant,
usually an annual, with a prolific growth
of bright green leaves — sometimes purple
— and a sweetly pungent, aniseed or clovelike
fragrance.
The herb is frost tender, so it grows best in
summer and throughout the year in warmer
The French once
used the expression
semer le basilic (“to
sow basil”) to denote
ranting and raving.
This could have its
origins in the ancient
Roman belief that the
herb should be planted
to the accompaniment
of loud oaths.
parts of Australia, preferably in light, dry soil
and full sun, or at least six hours of sunlight
a day. It produces spikes of white, pink or
mauve flowers that need to be pinched off so
the leaves keep producing oils.
The plant grows from 30–130cm tall and
can be propagated via seed or cuttings.
Some varieties
Annuals
‘Sweet Basil’ (O. basilicum) is the most
familiar of basil’s 160-odd varieties. The
perfect complement to tomatoes, it’s an
essential in the cuisine of Italy, where it’s
said that a dish without basil leaves is “like
a beautiful woman without a soul”. There
are several Italian varieties, but ‘Basilico
Genovese’ is the large-leaved cultivar used
for genoese pesto, the classic pasta sauce of
basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese.
There are also purple-leaved varieties such
as ‘Purpureum’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’.
‘Thai basil’ (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora) is
the variety used in Southeast Asian dishes
Good Organic Gardening | 17

PLANT PROFILE | Basil
Small-leaf Greek basil
Holy basil
cramps, migraines, anxiety and depression,
which is not surprising given that it’s in
the mint family.
Basil contains chemicals that repel
household pests and some experiments
indicate it is toxic to mosquitoes. Rubbing
some leaves on the skin is a useful,
natural repellent to flies and mozzies.
Planting tomatoes and basil together is
said to deter whiteflies, aphids, beetles
and other pests as well as improve the
flavour of the tomatoes, but the evidence
is anecdotal at best. Still, it can’t do any
harm — and all you need for the perfect
pasta sauce will be close at hand.
‘Dark Opal’
such as pho, the hearty Vietnamese beef or
chicken soup, as well as in Malaysian and
Indonesian curries. Also popular in Asia are
minty lemon basil (O. × citriodorum) and holy
basil or tulsi (O. sanctum or O. tenuiflorum),
which is sacred to Hindus.
‘Greek basil’ (O. obovatum) is a compact,
fine-leaved but pungent miniature that can
be grown in a pot and is often used dried.
Perennials
‘African Blue’, also known as camphor basil
(O. kilimandscharicum), has a complex,
peppery, camphor-like scent. A sterile hybrid,
it’s one of the few perennial basils.
Lime basil (O. americanum), also called
hoary basil, spicy basil, limehairy basil and
many other names, is a magnet for bees. With
a spicier taste and stronger smell than sweet
basil, it’s often used for medicinal purposes.
Basil perennial (O. gratissimum) is a fastgrowing
native of India, Sri Lanka, Java and
tropical America and Africa. Its strong clove
smell makes it an excellent insect repellent
as well as an ideal addition to soups,
curries and stirfries.
Nutrition &
medicinal properties
Basil is rich in vitamins A, B 6 , C and K and
minerals such as iron, manganese and
magnesium. Recent studies have found
it to possess antimicrobial, antiviral and
antioxidant properties and it may be useful
in cancer treatment.
In folk medicine, basil, a mild stimulant, has
been used (often in the form of tea) for the
treatment of constipation, flatulence, stomach
Holy basil
As with all ancient plants, legends abound
about the king of herbs. The story
goes that Saint Helena, the mother of
Constantine, was led to the site of the True
Cross by the trail of basil that sprang up
wherever the blood of Christ had fallen
during his crucifixion. According to John’s
gospel, the word basileus (Greek for “king”,
as we know) appeared on the cross itself
in the Greek part of the inscription that
read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”.
Lemon basil
Genovese basil
Basil any time
What to do once your plants have
bolted to seed and there are no more
succulent leaves? Well, before that
happens, you need to get some ready
to freeze.
Wash, pat dry and chop your basil
leaves. Mix olive oil and leaves two to
one. Spoon the mixture into ice-cube
trays and freeze. Once frozen, the cubes
can be stored in an airtight container or
plastic bag for up to a year.
Clove basil, also African basil
Sweet basil
Shutterstock, Kembengraps CC, Swallow Tail Seeds CC
18 | Good Organic Gardening

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Baskets in the World!
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from Bloom Master Australia, has
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It’s just so simple
Plant the side holes and the top with your choice of seedlings and
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Your options are endless, Herbs, Strawberries, flowers, all are
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A plant with attitude
Stinging nettle / Urtica spp.
Why would you grow something with “sting” in its
name? Because it has a multitude of health benefits,
tastes good and grows like a weed
Words Kerry Boyne
There’s hardly a weed that hasn’t been
used as food by someone, somewhere.
Fennel, which grows in wild profusion
all over Sicily, its bright yellow flowers
a harbinger of spring, is central to Sicilian cuisine.
The Cretans use everything from endives and
beet leaves to wild rocket and dandelion greens
in their cooking. Other weeds commonly used as
food include wild celery, watercress, purslane and
borage. And then there’s nettle.
Familiarly known as stinging nettle — the
fluid in the barb-like hairs on its leaves and stem
can inflict a temporary sting — nettle occurs in
Australia as native scrub nettle (Urtica incisa)
and in introduced European varieties U. dioica
(large leaf) and U. urens (small leaf).
The sting is intense but short-lived and can
be relieved by the application of the juice of the
plant itself, though that may involve more stings.
Calamine lotion or even urine can help. The
stinging hairs, or trichomes, are neutralised by
cooking or drying.
Like any self-respecting weed, nettle will
quickly colonise a fertile area such as a cow
paddock and its presence is a sure indication of
good soil. Livestock won’t eat this nutritious crop,
however, probably because of the sting. They
don’t know what they’re missing.
Nettle attracts moths and butterflies, which
feed on it during the larval stage, and is said to
repel flies as well as have a beneficial effect on
other plants such as fruiting trees.
In northern Europe, nettle — like flax and
hemp — was once widely used as a thread to
make everything from clothes to sails and can
even produce green and yellow dyes. Due to a
cotton shortage, it was used to make uniforms
for the German army during the Great War; more
recently, in some European countries, it’s starting
to make a comeback as a textile.
Culinary uses
Nettle is high in vitamins A, C, D and potassium,
manganese and calcium, with more iron than
spinach, to which it has a similar taste. It can
be used in pesto, soups and purees, added to
polenta and smoothies, decocted as a tea or
cordial and, in parts of rural Britain, even brewed
as beer.
The plant is also used in some cheeses,
such as Gouda and Cornish Yarg, as part of
the filling (along with other greens) in Albanian
börek and in some northern Indian, Kashmiri
and Nepalese dishes.
It’s best to use the young leaves before the
plant flowers and sets seed. By then the leaves
may develop tiny gritty calcium carbonate
particles called cystoliths, which can irritate the
uninary tract and even damage the kidneys.
Medicinal uses
Nettle’s history as a folk medicine is long and
diverse. In ancient Greece it was prescribed as a
laxative and diuretic and even today its roots are
approved by the German Commission E as
a remedy for UTIs and prostate conditions. It may
also assist as a blood, liver and kidney tonic.
Aside from the roots, the parts above ground
have been used to treat kidney stones, urinary
complaints, allergies, hay fever, osteoarthritis,
diabetes and poor circulation. It can be applied
as a poultice for muscle aches or used as a
conditioner to control dandruff.
Nettle Tea
Place about 12 fresh leaves (thoroughly
washed first) or a tablespoon of dried
leaves in 1L of water. Bring to the boil
and simmer for about 15 minutes. Strain
and add honey if desired. Serve hot or
refrigerate and drink cold.
Shutterstock
20 | Good Organic Gardening

Stinging nettle | POWER PLANT
In the garden, a cold infusion of nettle
leaves may be used to combat aphids or
added to compost to improve its nitrogen
and mineral content. Indeed, nettle works well
simply dug in as a green manure. Add whole
plants to water and leave for 10–14 days to
make a nourishing weed tea for the garden.
Growing nettle
After all is said and done, nettle is a weed and
will generally grow like Topsy. Though we
mentioned it’s a good indicator of rich soil, nettle
will also grow in clay, loamy or sandy soils and
put up with low nutrient levels — anywhere, in
fact, except in soil with high acidity.
Nor is nettle fussy when it comes to high
moisture levels and it will do equally well in damp
clay or poorly drained areas; it’s often found as
an understorey plant in wet environments. Full
sun or shade, that doesn’t matter, either. It’s also
one of few plants that will thrive in soil rich in
poultry manure.
A perennial that grows to 100cm, nettle
is naturally wind propagated but may also
proliferate through division during the
growing season. The flowers are dioecious,
meaning both male and female plants are
required to produce fertile seed. In regions
with cold winters, the plant dies back then
returns in spring.
Where to get it
Plants and seeds of U. doica are available
from online specialist suppliers such as
4seasonsseeds.com.au, herbcottage.
com.au, theseedcollection.com.au and
allrareherbs.com.au.
Nettle Parcels
• 200g young nettle leaves
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 100g feta cheese
• 100g ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• Pinch nutmeg
• Salt & coarsely ground black pepper,
to taste
• Puff pastry
• Whisked egg for glazing
Wash nettle leaves and wilt in hot water, then
rinse under cold water and dry thoroughly. Press
out all liquid and chop coarsely. Place in a bowl.
Saute onion until softened.
Add onion and other ingredients to the bowl
of leaves and mix thoroughly.
Cut pastry sheets into 4 squares each. Spoon
filling onto one side of triangle, fold and pinch
together. Prick triangle with a fork on one side
and brush with whisked egg.
Bake at 200°C for about 20–30 minutes, until
golden-brown and serve.
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Good Organic Gardening | 21

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Strawberries
Alpine strawberries
are smaller and
less juicy than
modern varieties,
but their abundant
foliage, delicate
texture and scented,
flavoursome fruit
make a winning
combination.
Sweet
success
Among the easiest to grow and most loved of
berries, strawberry plants will reward you
richly with their fragrant fruit
Words Melissa King
Photos Diggers Club, diggers.com.au
It’s hardly surprising that the
heart-shaped strawberry should
have such a long and romantic
history. Some of the earliest
records of strawberries are found in
the writings of Roman poets Virgil and
Ovid as far back as the 1st century CE.
In medieval and Renaissance
culture, the fruit embodied goodness
and purity and was often depicted
as a holy symbol of the Virgin Mary.
European aristocracy adored the
fruit. Strawberries and cream was a
noble indulgence, as were strawberry
wine and perfume.
For centuries, Europeans ate
woodland strawberries (Fragaria
vesca) growing wild on the forest
floor, but it was sometime in the
1300s that the French began
cultivating wild strawberries in the
garden. The French king Charles V
is even said to have planted a prized
strawberry patch in his royal garden.
Varieties
The varieties available here in Australia
sold under the umbrella of Alpine
strawberries are mostly cultivated
versions of Fragaria vesca, grown for
their delicate texture and wonderfully
fragrant fruit that fills the garden with
the scent of lollies. The fruit is petite
and squishy and quite a contrast to
the plump modern garden strawberry;
nevertheless it makes a wonderful
addition to the garden.
You’ll love ‘Fraises des Bois’ (syn.
‘Mignonette’), which grows as a leafy
clump to around 30cm tall and produces
a summer crop of petite crimson
berries that melt in your mouth. The
compact-growing, runnerless plants
make a beautiful fruiting border or
decorative potted feature. ‘Reine des
Valles’ is another lovely choice, with
highly scented red fruit that’s best eaten
straight from the bush.
As the names suggests, ‘Red Wonder’
is another very productive crimson
variety, with tiny flowers giving way to
22 | Good Organic Gardening

Strawberries | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS
Strawberry label
Common name: Alpine strawberry,
wild strawberry, woodland strawberry,
European strawberry
Botanical name: Fragaria vesca
Family: Rosaceae
Aspect & soil: Full sun to part shade;
fertile, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Perennial, semi-deciduous
Propagation: Seed, seedling, division
Difficulty: Easy
Good Organic Gardening | 23

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | STRAWBERRIES
Above: ‘Pineapple Crush’
Below: Mixed Alpines from Diggers Club include
‘Mignonette’, ‘White Baron Solemacher’, ‘Red Wonder’,
‘Regina’ and ‘Reine des Vallees’
cascades of petite, wonderfully flavoured
fruit from late spring right through to
early autumn. You might also like to try
‘Regina’ with its heavy crop of sweet,
bite-sized fruit in steady supply from
November right through to March.
For something truly unique, look out
for white-fruiting varieties like ‘Baron
Solemacher’, which displays petite white
strawberries that the birds seem to
ignore. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination,
but the white-fruiting types taste sweeter
to me and you don’t have to net them
with the same commitment as with the
red varieties.
‘Pineapple Crush’ is something really
special, with masses of highly scented
white-yellow fruit with just a hint of
pineapple flavour on a compact, nonrunning
plant. You’ll know the fruit is
ready to harvest when it’s soft and pale
yellow. It’s a great variety to grow if you
want to extend your harvest because the
fruit is heaviest in autumn, just as the
summer croppers are finishing.
For centuries, Europeans
ate woodland strawberries
growing wild on the forest
floor but it was sometime in
the 1300s that the French
began cultivating wild
strawberries in the garden.
Their compact, runnerless form makes them ideal for garden edging
Growing
There are some very good reasons to grow
Alpine strawberries at home, not least of which
is their ability to tantalise the tastebuds. Just
a few ripe fruit can scent the air, announcing
their arrival, which is a big reason they often
don’t make it inside at all.
The ripe crop is staggered over months, so
there’s lots of picking to be done and, because
the fruits are delicate and easy to squish, you
rarely see them in the shops. Their neat growth
habit makes them an excellent choice for pots
and hanging baskets or garden edging.
Like plump modern-day varieties, Alpine
strawberries grow best in rich, fertile, welldrained
soil. They can be grown from seed
sown during spring or summer and they
enjoy sunny spots but will benefit from part
shade in hot areas.
Feed and water regularly, particularly when
the fruit is setting, and they’ll crop well for
three or so years. Ripe Alpine strawberries
last only a short time, so visit your strawberry
patch regularly to pick the fully ripe, fully
coloured fruit.
Alpine strawberries are smaller and
less juicy than modern varieties, but their
abundant foliage, delicate texture and scented,
flavoursome fruit make a winning combination.
Because the temptation is so great to pick and
eat them fresh from the plant, you rarely get
enough to use in the kitchen. If some manage
to make it indoors, I think they are best eaten
simply with a dollop of cream or ice-cream or
— dare I say it — just a sprinkle of sugar.
For more information, visit diggers.com.au
Pick daily as they don’t last long
Unripe ‘Fraises des Bois’
24 | Good Organic Gardening

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GARDENING FOLK | Farouk & Magda Khaled
The urban
gardener
Growing up in crowded Beirut, Farouk Khaled dreamed of owning enough land
to grow whatever he wanted. In Australia, the dream came true
Words & photos Jana Holmer
Farouk Khaled marvels at the memory
of gardening on his tiny balcony in
the Lebanese capital, Beirut — in his
words, “an overbuilt, traffic-clogged
concrete jungle” of 2 million people.
Even in that crowded, war-torn city of
high-rise apartments with no yard space,
Farouk managed to grow up to 20 vegetables
in pots on his balcony under the glaring
Mediterranean sun.
“We grew what we could,” he says.
“Agricultural production was severely
disrupted due to ongoing war. Fishmongers
were hard up selling their produce but we
always managed to buy fresh grapefruit,
olives, lemons, potatoes, bananas, limes,
oranges and peanuts from the local
market stores.
“No one has fields or garden beds in the
inner city but we considered ourselves pretty
lucky to have a balcony garden. What we
could not grow on our balcony was sourced
from local farmers, but I longed one day to
grow my own vegetables and live in peace.
“I dreamed of owning my own land and this
is why I came to Australia, for the opportunity
to enjoy my own green space at last.”
A change of climate
When Farouk traded Beirut — known in its
heyday as the Paris of the Middle East —
for Melbourne, the self-styled Paris of the
South, he and his Egyptian-born wife Magda
eventually came to rest in the suburb of
Pascoe Vale. In contrast to Lebanon’s dry, hot
summers and mild winters, Melbourne gets
plenty of rain in winter, while the summer
heat is tempered by cool nights.
Though once a vast chook farm and noted
for its Cobb & Co waystation, Pascoe Vale,
just 10km north of the CBD, is hardly the
wide-open spaces any more. But Farouk’s
experience with gardening in a confined
space stood him in good stead — there’s
scarcely a fruit or vegetable he doesn’t grow
in his 580m 2 block.
In clay beds along the garden fence
filled with plenty of compost, silverbeet,
beans, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and olives
grow in profusion, together with oregano,
plums, pears, apples, cucumber, turnips
and lemons.
To save space, Farouk espaliers his apple
and peach trees: “They are protected against
wind and kept warm up against the garden
wall during cold winter months.”
He has managed to make the most of his
relatively small plot without cluttering it up.
“The garden needs space to grow, sunlight
26 | Good Organic Gardening

and plenty of air. I don’t have much shadow
in my garden.”
Farouk uses no chemicals or pest control.
“There’s nothing wrong with pests,” he says.
“Keep in harmony with pests by conditioning
your compost around your fruit trees and
they’ll leave your fruit alone.
“Use a brush or piece of cardboard to
sweep aphids away from roses. I don’t believe
in killing insects. They are there for a reason.”
Keeping it simple
Though retired now, Farouk has had a variety
of jobs. He has worked as a salesman, had
a job at Wittenoom asbestos mine and then
followed his love of the outdoors to study
horticulture at Collingwood TAFE for twoand-a-half
years.
After that he worked at Melbourne Zoo
for five years ... “and loved it. I cleaned
pathways, removed weeds, spread mulch on
garden beds, dug up beds, planted hundreds
of punnets of flowers and native grasses and
drove a little vehicle around 350 species of
plants on the 55-acre site. I’ll never forget
my time there.”
If working in horticulture has taught him
anything it’s to keep things “simple and
uncomplicated”, says Farouk. “I don’t buy any
of that stuff people spend a fortune on — you
know, those chemical sprays people use on
plants. I say don’t kill bugs. They are friendly,
they are useful, they are needed. Just keep
conditioning the soil and stay away from
those chemicals. They’ll end up killing
you in time.
“You must compost,” he adds. “It’s the only
way to condition the soil and keep the right
bugs in line. If you’ve got good soil you’ve
got a good tree that will produce good fruit.
At Melbourne Zoo I’d compost all day long
to ensure that all plants were given the right
start in life.”
To hear Farouk tell it, gardening is as
easy as it gets. “Have a plan to plant a tree?
Dig a hole, put plenty of compost soup in it,
water it well at the start and don’t fuss over
the fruit tree. Allow it to grow freely, train it
when it grows a little wild, and make sure
the soil doesn’t dry out. If you fuss over a
plant it will get used to it and then you’ve
created a lot of hard work for yourself.
Keep it simple.”
Farouk doesn’t see the need for a worm
farm as “there are plenty of worms in the
compost soup and they love their life there”.
Another way he keeps things simple is by
using a manual lawn mower. “I toss some of
the clippings in the compost bin and allow
the rest to sit on the lawn itself to decompose
without smothering the lawn. Don’t you think
that’s a good idea?”
Farouk & Magda Khaled | GARDENING FOLK
“I don’t buy any of that stuff people spend a fortune on — you know, those
chemical sprays people use on plants. I say don’t kill bugs. They
are friendly, they are useful, they are needed.”
Enjoying the
produce
Farouk believes in storing water, which he
keeps in barrels in his shed. “When I need it
I simply scoop water using a watering can
and water difficult access points in my
Mediterranean
Tabouli Salad
Ingredients
2 bunches fresh parsley, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 Lebanese cucumber, peeled, diced & seeded
5 leaves fresh peppermint, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, chopped
½ cup bulgur
Juice 1 lemon
Dash olive oil
Allspice & sea salt, to taste
Method
In a bowl, mix finely chopped onion with
allspice and sea salt.
Soak bulgur for 20 minutes in warm water.
Squeeze out excess water and add to onions.
Chop or dice remaining ingredients and
add to the first mixing bowl. Add dash of
olive oil.
Serve with pita bread or lettuce leaves.

GARDENING FOLK | Farouk & Magda Khaled
Farouk believes composting is everything
By now this would be a pretty screen. Farouk espaliers
fruit trees to save space
28 | Good Organic Gardening

Farouk & Magda Khaled | GARDENING FOLK
Farouk shares with the insects, which he doesn’t
consider to be pests
“The garden needs
space to grow, sunlight
and plenty of air. I don’t
have much shadow in
my garden.”
on them,, such as a wrapped brick. “Then
turn the olives and lay the brick on the other
side. When they dry out, leave them on a flat
surface and then sprinkle olive oil on them
and then you can freeze them.
“I also hang garlic from the roof rafters in
the garage, as well as oregano. Oregano is
very strong and it is also good in tabouli.”
For Farouk, Magda’s tabouli salad is the
perfect cure for homesickness. “It’s so easy
to make and it tastes so-o-o good. Growing
up in Lebanon, my parents raised me to eat
healthy food from an early age. Tabouli can
be eaten with most dishes and it tastes fresh
and has a distinct texture and vivid colours.
“Anyone can make it. I don’t usually
measure the ingredients and sometimes I add
a variety of different other vegetables to it.
But no matter what vegetable you add, you’ll
find it’s beneficial to your health.”
garden bed such as my side garden,” he says.
“Water is precious and without it you’re
not able to keep the water levels maintained
in the soil beds. Keep water levels consistent
throughout the garden beds. Allowing it to
fluctuate will cause stress on the plant and
result in poor-quality fruit.”
Like many of us, Farouk regards gardening
not as work or even a pastime but as part of
life. He likes spending time with family and
friends “but my friends know me as someone
who enjoys my garden. When I wake up in the
morning you will find me in my garden plucking
a few green vegies for breakfast or dinner.
“I have a simple garden without fuss and
I just enjoy foraging about and checking on
new growth.”
The Khaleds preserve their black olives
by applying rock salt and placing a weight
Farouk’s Top Tips
• Keep your plants in harmony with
good and bad bugs.
• Don’t rake your lawn clippings.
• Allow your plants to grow without fuss.
• Espalier if necessary to conserve space,
especially if you have a small garden
like mine.
• Don’t grow tomatoes in the same
spot year after year.
Good Organic Gardening | 29

GARDENING FOLK | Danny Summers
Danny’s bee
haven
A great friend to the local bees and other
insects, this inventive food gardener uses
permaculture principles along with his
own unique methods
30 | Good Organic Gardening

Danny Summers | GARDENING FOLK
Danny hosts seven honeybee
hives for a friend
Danny grows a great selection of fruit trees and shrubs, including
pomegranate, passionfruit, Brazilian guavas, boysenberries, peaches,
oranges, limes and lemonades, as well as native hibiscus.
Words & photos Sandra Tuszynska
Danny and his wife Carolyn have
lived near Murgon in southeast
Queensland for the past 15
years. Both have a passion for
art; while Carolyn loves to draw and paint,
Danny creates installations for the garden
using recycled materials. He especially loves
to collect old electricity post insulators and
install them as garden décor.
Danny feels sentimental about burning
the 100-year old timber. “It’s too sad to
burn history,” he says. He’s fascinated by
the antique ceramic insulators and says the
workmanship in them is incredible: “They look
as good as new.” He jokes, “I wish I looked as
good at 60 years old.”
For the love of bees
Danny hesitates to admit that bees
are his passion, but he’s a dedicated
member of Valley Bees, a very active and
knowledgeable bee group based in Gympie.
He hosts seven honeybee hives for a friend
and rescues native bee hives. Danny finds
out about selective clearing events and
goes there beforehand to inspect the site
for native bee activity. He then removes any
logs inhabited by the tiny creatures and
takes them home.
Danny doesn’t collect their honey; he
just loves them and likes to use their log
homes as installations for his garden. He
estimates that around 10 resued colonies
now have their homes on his property.
“You need to know when to rescue them,”
he explains. “They increase their activity
when it’s hot. Water is essential for bees and
they’re sensitive to disturbance. Also, if
you leave space for them in the log, the
hive will grow.”
We have about 10 species of native
social bees in the genera Tetragonula
and Austroplebeia.
Danny has also created several bee
blocks for solitary native bees on old
electricity poles with insulators. Plus, he
The filled holes indicate occupation
by native bees
has built a bee wall near his gardens to
provide a nesting habitat for the myriad
solitary bees that live in the area.
He explains, “Different hole sizes are
used by different bee species, which use
different materials for their nests and to
block off their nests, so you can tell which
species of bees are using the sites.”
Many of the holes in the wooden blocks
are filled, a good indication that bees or
other creatures are making use of the
nesting sites. The bee haven Danny has
created seems to be appreciated by the
various pollinators that inhabit his garden.
Good Organic Gardening | 31

GARDENING FOLK | Danny Summers
Native bee
Bee home
Danny’s
gardening tips
1. Don’t do more than you can handle.
2. Keep away from high-growth
fertilisers with lots of nitrogen unless
you can supply enough water to trees
for growth and nutrient uptake.
3. Create bird and insect habitats, for
bees especially, to pollinate your garden
and reduce pests and diseases.
4. Use lots of worm juice on your trees
and garden and compost what you can.
5. Seaweed tea is a valuable mineral
resource that does wonders for
growing plants.
6. Good-quality mulch is essential.
Micro-bat box
Permaculture
principles in action
Danny experiments with permaculture
principles. He has a row of olive trees given to
him by an Italian friend that he planted eight
years ago. They serve as a windbreak against
westerlies and create a microclimate. Danny
is quite observant when it comes to how
nature works in the habitats he provides.
For instance, double-barred finches like
to build their nests close to wasp nests for
safety against attack from bigger birds.
Danny appreciates the pest control the
finches provide. His 26 ducks eat fallen fruit,
preventing fruit flies breeding, while the
duck eggs are a significant food source for
the dog. Bella skilfully punctures the shells
and laps up the contents.
The native bees and wasps pollinate
the figs and olives. Danny has installed a
microbat box with some shadecloth for
them to climb into the box. He explains,
“Microbats can eat two-thirds of their own
weight in mosquitoes!”.
The garden
& fruit trees
Most of Danny’s beds are bordered by old
railway sleepers and he tops up the soil with
horse manure from Carolyn’s horses. He also
feeds worms with horse manure through a
downpipe inserted into the beds.
He likes to grow different garlic and leek
varieties, including elephant garlic and the really
hot varieties such as ‘Early White’, ‘Early Purple’
and ‘Italian Red’.
Danny adds crushed basalt or granite
to remineralise the soil and creates his own
biodynamic lifter from rice husks: “Rice husk
contains silicon and potash. You can burn it and
mix the ash with water to produce biodynamic
lifter. It also makes fantastic bedding for chooks,
good garden mulch and it aerates the soil.” He
adds. “Peanut hay is a great nitrogen source —
and there’s plenty of it here in peanut country.”
Danny grows a great selection of fruit trees
Danny finds out about
selective clearing events
and goes there beforehand
to inspect the site for
native bee activity. He then
removes any logs inhabited
by the tiny creatures and
takes them home.
Fruit-fly traps are recycled milk bottles
painted orange and filled with boiled
apple cider vinegar to attract the flies
32 | Good Organic Gardening

Danny Summers | GARDENING FOLK
and shrubs, including pomegranate, passionfruit,
Brazilian guavas, boysenberries, peaches,
oranges, limes and lemonades, as well as
native hibiscus.
“Pigeon pea creates a great microclimate
and can be eaten as dhal,” he says. He likes
to propagate bromeliads, too. There are some
Himalayan ash trees, which are not native but the
king parrots love their seeds.
Water is often scarce in Murgon and the dam
was dry at the time of our visit. In dry periods,
advises Danny, “Don’t use too much nitrogen,
because without sufficient water supply to
help the plants grow, the nitrogen is wasted
and can burn plants.”
He’s set up a grey water system but is mindful
of changing the supply to different trees. “Don’t
build up too much soapsuds as they contain
sulphates and can make the soil waterrepellent,”
he warns.
Danny also uses mulch to strain the heavier
constituents of the grey water to protect the
soil. He likes to use sugarcane mulch, preferring
to pay more for good-quality mulch that has
no weeds rather than spend time and effort
removing weeds introduced by cheap mulch.
Worm juice
and seaweed tea
Danny enjoys creating worm juice in large
quantities. He has constructed a worm farm
designed to leach worm juice. The worms are
farmed in a shed, on sloped tables lined with
black plastic. At the taller end, the worms are fed
horse manure. Danny adds lime to reduce acidity
and mixes it all up regularly to provide aeration,
as the mix is watered to produce runoff.
The runoff flows down the slope and is
collected in buckets and aerated with a small
fishtank pump. This ensures growth of the
beneficial micro-organisms that give worm juice
its excellent fertilising properties.
Danny also feeds molasses to the microbes
in the juice. He then strains the runoff through
stockings and collects the worm juice in recycled
Danny creates his own biodynamic lifter
from rice husks
milk bottles. He dilutes it before using it on the
garden and gives some away.
Danny’s other favourite fertiliser is seaweed
tea. He buys Tasmanian seaweed, as it’s low in
arsenic and other toxins, unlike seaweed from
other countries. He puts 1kg of seaweed into
20L of water, mixing it regularly, as it sticks to
the bottom of the bucket. It takes six weeks
for the nutrients to enter the water. He then
strains it off through a paint strainer. He says
the worms also love the seaweed tea.
Danny definitely likes to work with nature in
an inventive way. He has an eye for the different
functions that each creature and plant
contributes to create a sustainable garden
ecosystem.
Danny’s other favourite
fertiliser is seaweed tea. He
buys Tasmanian seaweed,
as it’s low in arsenic and
other toxins, unlike seaweed
from other countries.
Water is essential for bees
Good Organic Gardening | 33

GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nanka
Herbal
happiness
Sandra and Mick Nanka of Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm
A passion for herb growing and a desire for self-sufficiency are the driving
forces behind this productive garden and business
Words & photos Claire Bickle
FThere are people who like herbs
and then there are people who
are passionate about herbs — who
live herbs. Sandra and Mick Nanka
are such people. They grow one of the
largest ranges of herbs in Queensland,
if not Australia.
Self-sufficiency is the backbone of
their lives, home and business and what
better location for it all than the Gold
Coast hinterland in a delightful spot
called Mudgeeraba?
Sandra and Mick have lived there since
1982; they’ve raised their four sons there.
Their home is their haven, filled with love,
memories and a garden to soothe the soul
and bring joy to their lives every day.
The Nankas have created a garden
paradise on their half-hectare block and, with
a subtropical climate on their side, there’s
gardening going on all year round.
They run a small business there as
well, called Mudbrick Cottage, open to the
public Monday and Tuesday each week
and the third weekend of every month.
They also sell online herb plants, dried
herbs and related products.
When asked what else they enjoy
doing, Sandra and Mick agree that fishing
and travelling are next on their list of
preferred pastimes.
Sandra also loves running wonderful
workshops on all things herbal to share
her immense knowledge and passion, and
also to give people the confidence to have
a go themselves.
Asked where their passion for gardening
came from, Mick offers, “My dad always had
a vegetable garden, with chickens as part
A handcrafted birdbath serves as both
a water source for birds and an artwork
34 | Good Organic Gardening

Sandra & Mick Nanka | GARDENING FOLK
of the mix.” He says his father was in turn
influenced by his family in Croatia, who were
also self-sufficient. They grew much of their
fruit and veg and raised livestock for meat
and eggs.
As for Sandra, “It was my great-uncle Ossie
and great-aunt Maud, who lived in Chinchilla
not far from my grandmother’s place.” She
says they had everything growing you could
possibly imagine and in such a challenging
climate that was no mean feat.
There were mulberries, grapes,
passionfruit, chokos and trellises of sweet
peas, figs and flowers everywhere. Days
would be spent playing hide and seek in this
magical garden, always followed by Auntie
Maud’s tea, cakes, biscuits, scones and
homemade grape and fig jam.
Sandra says she always loved the thought
of turning produce from the garden into
something that would taste wonderful and
keep the memory alive when the fresh fruit
was long gone.
The patch
The first thing Sandra and Mick did when
they moved in together was create a
vegetable and herb garden. These days, there
are still vegetables and herbs but also fruiting
trees, though the most abundant harvests
are from the never-ending supply of herbs.
Sandra says their jaboticaba (also called
Brazilian grape tree) is very productive, too —
so much so that they often have to freeze a
lot of the fruit.
The garden beds are all slightly raised
because of the shale and clay-based soil
and to improve drainage, which have been
the greatest challenges. They’ve continually
added compost to improve soil structure.
Medicinal, culinary, aromatic, pest-repellent ... they’ve got it all
“Sandra always loved the thought of turning
produce from the garden into something that
would taste wonderful and keep the memory alive
when the fresh fruit was long gone.”
Large gum trees also make things difficult,
throwing shade over the garden during
winter, not to mention the water and
nutrients they draw from the soil.
The feature vegetable garden is in the
mandala style with bamboo used for edging.
There are also tank beds and an area that’s
a mix of vegies grown in rows with fruit trees
dotted in between. This particular section is
watered by the run-off from the nursery.
The Nankas harvest their own water via
their large dam and 7500-gallon tank. Other
measures they have in place to save and
recycle water are the nursery’s water-saving
sprinklers and the use of grey water to
irrigate the fruit trees.
Keeping it organic
Asked why they think growing organically
is important, they state the obvious: it’s
the right thing to do. “If you’re going to eat
the plants you’re growing, you don’t want
The Nankas’ herb nursery is vast
Good Organic Gardening | 35

GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nanka
There are many beautiful
nooks and crannies
Cuppa, anyone?
The chickens of Mudbrick Cottage are happy with their daily
dose of herbs mixed into their diet
36 | Good Organic Gardening

Sandra & Mick Nanka | GARDENING FOLK
Prevention is better than cure is
their philosophy, so they find growing a
multitude of herbs around the vegetables
and not planting them in blocks works
really well to cause confusion for the
would-be attackers.
Calendulas galore: a plant with so many uses
potentially harmful chemicals in them,
says Sandra.
“Nature finds a balance, and a few
holes here and there in the leaves don’t
really matter. That’s why we even limit
our organic pest control methods —
because we don’t want to harm any of the
beneficial insects. It’s important to nourish
the soil, and using organic methods will
equate to healthy soil, leading to healthy
plants, healthy humans and a healthy
planet. Simple!”
The fertilisers used include manure from
their chooks, worm castings from their
The Nankas’ top
gardening tips
Grow your own herbs and produce in
mixed profusion to confuse insects.
Plant crops in the right season.
Use herbs in the compost heap to add
minerals and help with breakdown.
When planting new plants:
– Soak seedlings in a seaweed solution
before planting.
– Add compost at the time of planting.
– Always fill the planting holes with
water first to ensure the soil is moist.
Let the annual herbs go to seed to
attract beneficial insects.
“The feature vegetable
garden is in the
mandala style with
bamboo used for edging.
There are also tank beds
and an area that’s a mix
of vegies grown in rows
with fruit trees dotted
in between.
two bathtub worm farms and compost and
pelletised manure during the growing season.
Compost production at Mudbrick
Cottage comprises five heaps 1.5m by 1.5m
each. In the main garden there’s a large
black compost bin and, in the nursery,
two further large heaps for all the plants
classed as throw-outs.
When it comes to bugs, organic controls
are the only methods Sandra and Mick use:
homemade white oil and Eco-oil on the fruit
trees and certified organic pyrethrum on
the odd occasion. If there are any red spider
mite outbreaks they order in some predatory
mites to control them.
The abundance of
the Nankas’ garden
“I love that we can look out across our garden
and think how wonderful that something so
beautiful (well, I think it’s beautiful) can also
be so useful,” says Sandra.
She and Mick think the most unique
feature of their garden is the vast number of
herb species they have growing and I’d have
to agree.
When asked what they like to do with their
harvests, both agree they love cooking and
herbs are an integral part of every meal. Even
the Mudbrick Cottage chickens have herbs
mixed into their daily diet.
Salads are at the top of the list in the
meals department — Sandra says they
often have up to 40 different plants in each
salad. Then there are herbal teas, infused
oils, ointments, tinctures, syrups and
poultices made lovingly on a regular basis
in the Nankas’ home.
The dehydrator also gets a workout
drying excess herbs and vegetables
while pestos, herb butters, chutneys and
jams are other ways they prolong their
enjoyment of their harvest.
You can find the Nankas’ online herb
business at herbcottage.com.au
Facebook: Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm
Salvia officinalis: both leaves and flowers are edible
on the sage plant
Good Organic Gardening | 37

TIME TO PLANT | Lettuce
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
The year-round essential that’s always infinitely better
straight from the backyard
Words Melissa King
Plant a crop of lettuce every few
weeks and you’ll always have fresh
leafy greens at your fingertips.
Lettuces are quick and easy to grow
and can be planted and picked year round in
many areas. So why not fill decorative pots or
garden beds with lettuces in every leaf colour
and texture?
Choose from loose-leaf lettuces that can
be picked leaf by leaf as you need them or
hearting varieties that form dense heads
of leaves and are harvested in one chop.
The best-known hearting lettuce has to be
‘Iceberg’, which has crisp, succulent green
leaves with a mild flavour that complements
everything from sung choi bao to the good
old Aussie prawn cocktail.
I like to grow the loose-leaf lettuce types,
which can be picked on demand, like the
incredibly beautiful ‘Red Velvet’, with rich,
deep-maroon-coloured leaves that are as
attractive as any flower. Plant it en masse for
real impact or grow it alongside lime-green
Most lettuce varieties
are ready to harvest in
as little as 5–6 weeks if
you are planting them
as seedlings. Hearting
types take a bit longer.
varieties like ‘Royal Oakleaf’ for contrast.
‘Royal Oakleaf’ has a long history, dating back
to 1771 and stands up well to the heat, so it’s
a good choice for growing at this time of year.
‘Gold Rush’ is another lime-green stunner
that’s slow to bolt, so you can pick it for
longer. It has crinkled, almost gold foliage that
lights up the garden and the kitchen. ‘Rouge
d’Hiver’ is another attractive loose-leaf type
with chocolate-red foliage tinged with green
at the base that adds colour and variety to
the salad bowl.
I also enjoy the delicate, light texture of
butter lettuces, like ‘Freckles Bunte’ with
crinkled green foliage that is speckled with
red patches. If you like a bit of frill, try growing
Italian Lollo varieties with ruffled leaves in
shades of green, pink and red.
Growing conditions: Lettuce can be
grown from seed or planted as seedlings.
Plant in a sunny spot with rich, welldrained
soil. If you live in a hot area, give
plants some shade from around lunchtime
onwards, particularly through the warmer
months, and choose heat-tolerant varieties
that are less likely to bolt to seed. Lettuces
are shallow-rooted plants, so keep the
water up and liquid-feed every two weeks
for lots of leafy greens.
Spacing: Sow seed in rows about 30cm apart
and cover with a thin layer of soil, or plant
seedlings 20–35cm apart in rows 30cm apart.
Harvest: Most lettuce varieties are ready to
harvest in as little as 5–6 weeks if you are
planting them as seedlings. Hearting types
take a bit longer. If you are growing loose-leaf
lettuces, simply harvest the outside leaves
as you need them or pick the mature head in
one go. Harvest hearting lettuces all at once
when the head is full and ripe.
Growing tip: If you’re tight on space, try
growing lettuces in sunny pots or look out for
miniature varieties like Baby or Mini Cos, with
a compact habit and sweet, crisp leaves.
‘Iceberg’
Lettuce label
Common name: Lettuce
Botanical name: Lactuca sativa
Family: Asteraceae
Aspect & soil: Sunny position;
rich, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
Propagation: Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Easy
Kerry Boyne
38 | Good Organic Gardening

RADISH | TIME TO PLANT
Radish
Raphanus sativus
Another salad star that adds peppery flavour
and crunch to your meals
Shutterstock
Words Melissa King
Radishes are fast and easy to grow
with colourful roots and a crisp, firm
texture that brings crunch and a
peppery zing to fresh salads and
side dishes.
Research different radish varieties and
you’ll be surprised by the sheer range you
can grow. If you’re after a standard, round,
red radish with crisp, white flesh, ‘Early
Scarlet Globe’ is a pretty, fast-growing
choice. Or for something extra bright in
the salad bowl, try ‘Champion’, with cherrycoloured
skin and a mild flavour. For an
extra big crop of radishes, try ‘Giant of Sicily’
with large red globes that can be harvested
45–55 days after sowing.
Then there are decorative varieties like
‘French Breakfast’, which dates back to
the 1890s and produces pretty oblong,
rose-coloured radishes with white tips,
which make an attractive side dish. Radish
‘Watermelon’ is another appealing variety,
aptly named for its white skin and brightpink
flesh, or you might like to try ‘Hailstone’
with crisp snow-white globes.
Radish ‘Black Spanish Long’ is said to
have come to Australia with the First Fleet.
The long cylindrical root has beautiful dark
skin, contrasting white flesh and a pungent
flavour. There’s also a round variety, not
surprisingly called ‘Black Spanish Round’,
with a spicy, almost nutty flavour. The flesh
is lovely sliced fresh, grated in salads or
pickled. If you’re not sure which one to grow,
get your hands on an heirloom mix of seeds
with radishes in a rainbow of colours.
Growing conditions: Radishes are hardy
annuals that enjoy full sun and rich, welldrained
soil. Seeds can be direct-sown
every season into soil that has been
enriched with compost and organic matter.
Thin the young seedlings to 2.5–5cm apart
and keep well watered.
Growing tip: Sow a small crop every two
to three weeks for a succession of fresh,
crisp radishes.
Harvest: Radishes are quick to harvest, with
some varieties ready to pull just 25 days
from sowing. They are generally eaten raw
in salads, so harvest the roots when they are
young and tender.
Radishes are quick
to harvest, with some
varieties ready to pull
just 25 days from sowing.
They are generally eaten
raw in salads.
‘French Breakfast’
Radish label
Common name: Radish
Botanical name: Raphanus sativus
Family: Brassicaceae
Aspect & soil: Full sun;
rich, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
Propagation: Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Easy
Good Organic Gardening | 39

GARDEN DIARY | Mid-summer
Things to do in
January
Summer in Australia is a season of extremes. Prepare for it to be very hot,
wet, dry or windy, depending on climatic conditions. This is the season of
floods, fires and cyclones, all of which take their toll on gardens
By Jennifer Stackhouse
Vegetables
COOL & TEMPERATE
Avoid the worst of the day’s heat by gardening
in the cool of the early morning. Use this time
to water and tend crops, check for pests,
remove weeds and spot vegetables that are
ready to harvest. On very hot days, shade
crops to prevent sun damage. Repeat this
inspection in the evening, paying particular
attention to plants that need extra water.
Make sure tomatoes are well watered to avoid
blossom-end rot in fruit. If some crops are
failing to form fruit — particularly cucurbits,
including pumpkins, squash and zucchini — try
hand pollination (transferring pollen from male
flowers to receptive female flowers). In fruit fly
zones, protect all soft vegies (such as tomatoes
and capsicum) from fruit fly attack. These pests
become more active as summer progresses.
Use fruit fly baits or traps and, where possible,
cover individual fruit with exclusion bags or
nets. Regularly liquid-feed all edibles, especially
leafy greens, and make new plantings of
successful crops to keep the harvest coming.
Keep weeds under control by hoeing between
rows. Cover any bare soil with a thin layer of
organic mulch to help deter weed growth.
TROPICAL
Harvest vegies while they are small and tender.
In the heat and humidity of the wet season,
crops such as zucchini and cucumber quickly
over-mature. They become large, seedy and
watery and are best fed to the chooks. Leafy
crops, too, can become tough and bitter as
they age, so always harvest them regularly.
Replace mature crops with fresh sowings.
Shade new plantings to protect them from both
heat and heavy rains. Sweet corn, sunflowers
and climbing crops on a trellis, such as Ceylon
spinach, provide a natural source of shade for
the vegie garden. Combat powdery mildew with
regular applications of milk spray (one part
whole milk to 10 parts water) or just pull out
badly affected plants.
Fruit
COOL & TEMPERATE
Mow or weed around fruit trees and deeply
water trees, shrubs and vines at least once a
week if rain is scarce, but reduce watering of
fig trees. Feed most fruiting trees and shrubs,
including apples, apricots and blueberries.
Keep up fruit fly protection for still-ripening soft
fruits, including raspberries. Use baits, traps and
exclusion bags. Protect ripening fruit from birds.
Use nets or reusable fruit baskets that snap
over fruit clusters to protect crops against birds
and bats. If using nets, use only white knitted
nets that are less likely to snare birds, bats
and reptiles. Stretch nets so they’re taut, avoid
overly large nets that pool on the ground where
they may trap small reptiles and regularly
inspect nets to free any trapped animals.
TROPICAL
Keep harvesting summer fruit, including
avocados, custard apples, mangoes, pawpaw
and passionfruit. Hand-pollinate passionfruit
flowers if fruit is slow to form. Check flowers
regularly for ripe pollen to transfer to the
sticky female part of the flower. Use a dry
brush or cotton bud to transfer pollen. Bottle,
freeze or dry excess crops. If fungal diseases
are evident on fruit or foliage, apply a copperbased
fungicide approved for organic gardens.
Also, keep organic fruit fly baits fresh by
regularly reapplying and protecting them
from rain. Apply fertiliser to avocado, banana,
If cucurbits are failing to
fruit, try hand pollination
custard apple, jackfruit, loquat, passionfruit
and pawpaw, especially after periods of heavy
rain, which leaches nutrients from the soil.
Compost & soil
COOL & TEMPERATE
Chop up green prunings and seed-free
weeds to add to compost heaps, layered with
dry leaves. Compost is developing rapidly,
so regularly use compost from the heap,
spreading it over soil as natural mulch. This
protects soils, keeps them cool and deters
weed growth. Heaps should be moist but not
too wet. If there are extended periods of heavy
rain, cover heaps that are too wet. Conversely,
if the weather is hot and dry, compost heaps
can dry out and may need to be watered and
turned. Keep worm farms in a cool location as
hot spells can kill worms.
TROPICAL
Summer storms continue to leach nutrients
from soils, so renew mulches or simply
lay down chopped-up prunings, including
chopped palm and fern fronds, to protect the
soil. Apply fertilisers including potash to rapidly
growing vegetables and fruiting crops. In
fallow vegie beds, plant a green manure crop
to add fertility to the soil in time for dry season
planting, or cover soil with a layer of mulch.
Use the cooler evenings to do vigorous
work such as digging, spreading mulches or
turning the compost heap.
Shutterstock, Jana Holmer
40 | Good Organic Gardening

Mid-summer | GARDEN DIARY
1
2
1. Hoe between the rows to control weeds
2. Dry excess mangoes to enjoy fruit year round
3. Bird-safe white netting over fruit trees
3
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Good Organic Gardening | 41

GARDEN DIARY | Late summer
Things to do in
February
Enjoy the bounty of late summer by eating what you can while it’s
fresh and preserving the rest for the cooler months ahead
By Jennifer Stackhouse
Vegetables
COOL & TEMPERATE
In addition to daily watering, liquid-feed
leafy vegies each week with organic plant
food to keep plants actively growing. Leafy
crops such as lettuce and parsley may bolt
(that is, begin to flower and seed) if allowed
to dry out or become stressed. As hot
days continue, shade crops to prevent sun
damage and allow new plantings to establish.
Seedlings are particularly vulnerable to
sudden hot temperatures or drying winds.
Continue to make the most of the cool of
the morning and evening to tend crops.
Stay on top of pests, diseases and weeds by
inspecting plants daily and taking fast action
when anything damaging is seen. Search for
28-spotted ladybirds and pumpkin beetles
that skeletonise leaves on pumpkins,
zucchini and eggplants — squash adults,
larvae and eggs.
TROPICAL
Regularly remove spent crops or those
badly affected by diseases such as powdery
mildew. Bury diseased and pest-infested
material — don’t put it into compost heaps.
Keep a supply of leafy greens for salads and
stirfries by planting Asian greens, kang kong,
1
silverbeet and amaranth, which thrive in the
heat and humidity of summer. Pick small,
tender leaves and edible shoots. Visit a local
farmers’ market to look for new and unusual
crops that grow well at this time of the
year. Also plant cherry tomatoes for an
autumn harvest.
Fruit
COOL & TEMPERATE
In cool areas, watch for a recurrence of pear
and cherry slug, which skeletonises foliage on
pear, cherry and peach trees. Dust with lime,
ash or a certified organic product. In fruit
fly zones, continue to maintain protection
by renewing fly baits and removing infested
fruits (see box). After harvesting summer
crops, remove and store bird exclusion nets
and lightly prune trees. Feed citrus trees
now using a citrus food or organic fertiliser.
Water trees well after applying fertiliser. In dry
areas where water is limited, grey water can
be used to water fruit trees, but don’t store
untreated grey water for longer than 24 hours
and don’t use on leafy vegetable crops.
TROPICAL
Fertilise all citrus trees using an organic
plant food formulated for citrus. Also feed
other productive plants not already fed this
summer, including passionfruit and pawpaw.
Continue to bottle, freeze or dry excess crops
and collect and dispose of spoiled fruits.
Poultry can help clean up fallen fruits and
reduce pest problems, so allow them to free
range around established fruiting plants but
keep them out of the vegie garden unless
you want the entire area cleared.
Compost & soil
COOL & TEMPERATE
If soils have become hard to wet, apply a soilwetting
agent. Once soil is moistened, cover
lightly with a fine layer of compost topped
with a layer of coarse organic mulch. Don’t
mulch too heavily as this can stop moisture
from reaching the soil — a 5cm layer is
sufficient. Use a spade to turn compost
heaps to keep them working efficiently.
TROPICAL
This is the time to improve the moistureholding
ability of your soil by adding
organic mulch such as compost. Dig it
into new areas to prepare for planting
and also add it as surface mulch. Let the
earthworms do the work of turning it into
the soil. Chop up green and woody material
before adding it to the compost to help it
break down faster.
2
Kerry Boyne, Shutterstock
42 | Good Organic Gardening

Late summer | GARDEN DIARY
Fruit fly in fruit
Reduce fruit fly by rigorously finding and
removing fruit fly-affected fruit. Left on the
plant or lying on the ground, larvae can
pupate in the soil, mature and start another
generation. Look for fruit that shows signs of
stings (small punctures) on the skin or fruit
that’s rotting due to larvae inside. Pick up all
fallen fruit. Destroy the larvae in the fruit by
placing the damaged fruit in a clear plastic
bag and leaving it to stew for a few days in the
sun. It can then be buried (don’t put it in the
compost). Allowing poultry to feed in orchards
can help reduce fruit fly numbers.
3
4
1. Beware the 28 spotted ladybird (Epilachna
vigintioctopunctata) — she is not your friend
2. Fertilise all citrus with an organic citrus food
3. Pick up fallen fruit to help control fruit fly
4. Kang kong — a good one to plant now for
a supply of leafy greens
5. Change birdbath water regularly so
mosquitoes can’t breed in it
5
Buzz off!
Bloodsucking mosquitoes can
spoil time in the garden. In addition
to protecting yourself from bites,
regularly empty water collected in
containers. This removes mozzie
breeding grounds and reduces
their numbers. Even water put out
for pets, poultry, native birds and
bees should be replenished daily to
prevent mosquitoes breeding in it.
Around 60% of our rubbish in landfills can be composted
CompostingHome.com.au
for all you need to know and products that will help you produce compost.
Good Organic Gardening | 43

Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS
10
Top Tips
Clever ideas for your garden
Words Erina Starkey
1
2
3
1
Seasoning
for all seasons
Got a profusion of culinary herbs
in the garden — way more than you can
use right now? Dry some and make up an
Italian herb mix you can use all year round.
Here’s a simple formula: equal parts basil,
marjoram and oregano to half parts of
rosemary and thyme. Shake well together,
store in a jar and use in pasta sauces,
soups and casseroles all year round.
Circular logic
When planting a tree, dig a
square hole at least twice the
width of the plant’s rootball. A round
hole will encourage roots to grow in
a restricting circular motion, whereas
a square hole will encourage the roots
to grow outwards, allowing the plant to
tap into nutrients from the surrounding
ground. To give the plant a helping hand,
tease out the roots on all sides before you
pop it in the soil.
Scrunchies save
wildlife
A recent study has found that
putting a colourful hair scrunchie as a
collar on cats will reduce the number of
wildlife they kill by more than half. Most
owners place bells on their cats, but this
isn’t always effective as cats can learn to
move in a way that doesn’t disturb the bell.
Bright colours are very noticeable to birds
and the colourful scrunchie allows cats to
be spotted further away, giving birds more
time to escape.
4
5
Home healing
It’s always handy to have a pot
of aloe vera growing in the
garden to serve as a healing and soothing
balm for sunburn, insect bites, stings
and skin irritations. To apply, simply slice
open a lower leaf, squeeze out the gel
and rub onto the affected area. The
slightly curved leaves at the base of the
plant are the most mature and potent,
which means they have the highest
nutritional content and therapeutic value.
Partially used leaves can be wrapped
tightly in plastic wrap or foil and stored
in the fridge for three to four days, or in the
freezer indefinitely.
A cool idea
Ice cubes can make a fantastic
slow-release watering system
to help minimise run-off. Pop a few ice
cubes in your outdoor hanging plants and
the slowly melting ice will give the plant
plenty of time to absorb the water it needs
without it draining out the bottom of the
pot and out of the drainage holes. The
melting ice will warm to room temperature
by the time it reaches the roots, so it won’t
shock the plant.
3
6
7
Keep it coming
By sowing a new row of seeds every
two to three weeks you can stagger
your crops and create a more manageable
flow of produce. This ensures you have a
continuous supply of food without gluts.
Successional sowing works particularly well
for fast-growing fruit and vegetables — in
particular, those that can’t be stored longterm
like lettuce, radish, spinach and broccoli.
Win the war
on weeds
Tackle weeds as they crop up
rather than put it off. The longer you wait
the more opportunity they have to seed
and multiply and the harder they will be to
4
Shutterstock, Sabrina Mellare
44 | Good Organic Gardening

Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS
remove. For particularly stubborn weeds you
can use ingredients from the pantry to help
you out. Try pouring boiling water directly
onto the weed or spraying a bad patch with
white vinegar. Sprinkling salt granules works
well on pathways when you want to remove
all the vegetation from between cracks and
crevices, as long as you don’t have saltwater
running off into the garden or lawn.
8
9
Hot pot
Pot plants can get extremely
hot in the summertime, which
can lead to root damage and death. To
keep your plants cool, top dress them in
mulch and move them out of the sun in the
middle of the day. Plastic and terracotta
pots retain the most heat whereas thick or
glazed ceramic and concrete pots will keep
plants cool, healthy and less stressed.
Pottery class
Gypsum can be used to turn clay
soil into fine, easily worked particles
suitable for cultivation. However, not all clay
soils respond well to gypsum. To test whether
yours does, drop a clot of the soil in a glass of
rainwater and observe the glass over the next
24 hours. If the soil disperses into the water
slowly and turns into a cloudy haze, it is sodic
and will benefit from the addition of gypsum.
If it does nothing, adding gypsum would be
of no value.
10
Aussies vs
mozzies
Summer may be breeding season
for mosquitoes but that doesn’t mean
you need to let these bloodsuckers take
over your backyard. To prevent breeding,
ensure you don’t have stagnant water
congregating in buckets, car tyres, empty
pots or birdbaths. Keep goldfish in your
garden pond to eat mosquito larvae
and make sure children’s play pools are
regularly emptied. Avoid store-bought
insect repellent, which contains a host of
harmful chemicals. Instead, cover up with
long sleeves in the evening, rub lavender,
tea-tree or eucalyptus oil into your skin,
light citronella candles and plant tulsi, mint,
marigold, lemon and neem around your
outdoor entertaining area to help create a
mosquito-free zone.
8
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Good Organic Gardening | 45

WEEKEND GARDENING | Kids in the garden
Flowers for picking are a must in any garden
46 | Good Organic Gardening

Kids in the garden | WEEKEND GARDENING
NATURE
AND NURTURE
There’s no better time than school holidays to turn
your garden into a nature playground for the kids
Words & photos Claire Bickle
I
strongly believe that in any child’s
life, time spent the garden is
an important stepping stone to
understanding the greater picture
of the natural world around them.
Our children are the next in line to be
the caretakers of this amazing, beautiful,
fragile planet we call home. Now, more than
ever, there are too many distractions and
entertainments that don’t involve nature at
all. We are seeing children parked in front
of screens for hours on end, resulting in
considerable health, mental and weight issues.
Nature Deficit Disorder is becoming a thing.
And what of the health issues of the
planet? If the next generation has no
connection to it, how and why will they care?
But enough doom and gloom. If you’re
reading this magazine you’re on a good path.
Now it’s time to share that passion with your
children, your grandchildren, the next-door
neighbour’s children, even possibly your local
school, daycare centre or community garden.
Dandelion days ... finding
beauty in the simplest things
Creating a successful mix of garden and nature
will ensure that your children will grow up and
look back on their childhood with fond memories of
the gardens and outdoor areas they played in.
A lovely little ladybeetle
Good Organic Gardening | 47

WEEKEND GARDENING | Kids in the garden
There is so much you can incorporate into even the smallest of backyards —
even courtyards and balconies — that will capture the imagination of
a child and prick their curiosity, all the while nurturing a love of the
environment and everything in it.
The edible garden, along with the natural
environment, is entwined with play — at
the end of the day, there are no lines or
boundaries between them. The edges are
blurred and in the eyes of children it’s all fun!
Creating a successful mix of garden and
nature will ensure that your children will grow
up and look back on their childhoods with
fond memories of the gardens and outdoor
areas they played in.
Kids’ growing
project: eggheads
Here’s an easy growing project that
even kids with no garden can try: cress
eggheads. Grow your cute eggheads some
hair, which you can then cut and sprinkle
on your salads or sandwiches.
Materials
Empty, rinsed eggshells (just cut off
the very top to allow growing space)
Craft eyes (optional)
Cotton wool
Watercress seeds (kale, alfalfa, radish
or mustard seeds can also be used)
Textas or paint
Egg carton or egg cups to stand
eggheads in
Method
1. Draw faces on your eggshells and glue
on googly eyes if using.
2. Put cotton wool inside empty
eggshells and dampen with water.
3. Sprinkle seeds over cotton wool.
4. Place eggheads in a sunny spot, like
a windowsill and give more water as
needed — don’t let them dry out but
not too wet, either.
5. In a few days they’ll be sprouting hair.
Creating childfriendly
habitat
We’ve talked about the precious gift of
observing nature and the lifelong skill of
learning to grow edible plants, but we all
know what children love to do best, and that
is PLAY. And, as we also know, play is an
integral part of learning.
Last issue we looked at topics such
as growing edible food plants from seed
and the benefits that come with children
understanding where their food comes from.
When starting a new garden or
redesigning an existing one, creating
areas for children to express themselves
through play is vital to their creativity and
development, both physically and socially,
whatever their cultural background or age.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on
the latest play equipment and gadgets
for children to enable them to have fun.
No matter what their circumstances and
environment, they will play.
So, when designing a garden with children
in mind, here are a few ideas to incorporate
into an existing garden or to keep in mind
when starting a brand-new one. Even if there
is no garden at all, some of these creative
ideas can still be put into action.
Nature’s playground
Trees, fruiting plants, the edible patch,
recycling, nature watch locations, winding
pathways, stepping stones, ponds, flower
gardens, scented plants and edibles ... these
are just the tip of the iceberg.
There is so much you can incorporate into
even the smallest of backyards — including
courtyards and balconies — that will capture
the imagination of a child and prick their
curiosity, all the while nurturing a love of the
environment and everything in it.
Water: Ponds, pot ponds and birdbaths. Of
course, safety comes first when it comes to
bodies of water and small children, so be
sure to follow any local council regulations
concerning pools, dams and large ponds.
When our children were little we covered
our pot ponds with chicken wire so there
was no chance of small people falling in.
The benefit of a water feature, whether a
small birdbath or large pond, is it will attract
a huge range of insects, birds, amphibians
and reptiles.
Trees: For shade, for climbing, for playing
and dreaming under, as habitat for birds,
possums, bugs and more. Why not choose
a fruiting tree and then you have an annual
harvest, too? Trees are the most amazing
organisms and we need many more of them.
Choose trees with interesting bark, some
that lose their leaves in winter, bear fruit,
have scented flowers or foliage or even
have an interesting name.
Bugs: Have a bug catcher on hand
so there can be closer inspection and
identification of backyard critters. There
are many great books and websites for
insect identification. Attracting insects to
the garden is as easy as planting a few
seeds of the right plant species to attract
beneficial insects and pollinators.
Bees: Bees should be a part of every
backyard and, if you’re concerned about
stings, why not go for a native bee box?
We have both native and honeybees in
our garden. The plight of the bee cannot
be overstated. With populations in decline
across the globe, it was concerning to read
just the other day that it’s believed there
are still around 750 bee species yet to be
discovered, classified and documented.
Worms: Most children love insects and
creepy-crawlies; some don’t. Nonetheless,
learning about recycling waste through
keeping a worm farm can be great fun and
educational. Keep your lidded worm-food
bucket at the ready for all those scraps. Not
only do the worms dispose of kitchen waste
Harvesting the vegetables
they have grown is always
a rewarding task
48 | Good Organic Gardening

Kids in the garden | WEEKEND GARDENING
Curiosity: this is a Case Moth
— did you know what it was?
Snack-attack
plants
Plants that will have the kids snacking
away in the garden, straight off the plants,
include strawberries, cherry tomatoes,
cucumbers, sweet corn, acerola cherries,
passionfruit, blueberries and raspberries.
but they turn it into fertiliser in the form of
castings and worm wee for the garden.
Pets and other creatures: Pets give
children the skills and knowledge to be
responsible for another living thing, whether
it’s a stick insect or a dog.
Another way to bring interactive fun to
the backyard garden space is to keep a few
chickens or ducks, or maybe even some little
living lawn-mowers like guinea pigs. And
don’t forget about silkworms and ant and
worm farms.
Plant it up
Edibles: Growing plants that can be easily
accessed and picked for snacks on the
run can be a fun way to learn about food
and be healthy as well. Our acerola cherry
(Malpighia glabra) is a big hit and a great
substitute for a cherry tree in warmer
climates. The fruit is delicious and contains
up to 36 times more vitamin C than an
orange. Any edibles that are fast growing
and fun to harvest or prepare for meals are
always good choices.
Scented plants: Scent is one of the
strongest triggers of memories. To me,
any garden, whether there are children
frequenting it or not, needs to have a variety
of scented plants, with both fragrant foliage
and perfumed blooms.
Scented foliage, of course, covers
a large number of the herbs we know
as well as great Aussie species like
lemon-scented myrtle (Backhousia
citriodora) and cinnamon myrtle
(Backhousia myrtifolia). Besides the
common herbs, top choices are scented
geraniums, lavender, old-fashioned roses,
freesias, gardenias, jasmine, brunfelsia,
frangipani, wisteria, port wine magnolia —
the list could be endless.
Keeping the
dream alive
In an increasingly busy world with both
parents working, a plethora of electronic
devices, TV and other gadgets, children need
more encouragement to play outside. Trying
to find that elusive spare time to spend
together as a family — preferably outdoors —
is vital. So create your adventure playground
today with a mix of natural environments for
nature watch, a vegetable patch, a sensual
garden with plants for scent and touch and
maybe a couple of chickens and a bit of
space to run around and dream in.
Hopefully, you have been inspired to get
the kids out into the garden to become the
next generation of gardeners, naturalists,
entomologists and environmentalists — or
just lovers of the great outdoors.
Good Organic Gardening | 49

GARDENING CHALLENGE | Growing truffles
Truffles: worth the trouble
Australia’s burgeoning truffle industry is making home gardeners
curious about growing the fungus in their backyards
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
Interested in eating truffles? No, not the chocolate type, but those
curious, black, richly scented fungi that can cost a fortune. A truffle is
an edible ascomycete fungus. The edible part is found underground
where it grows like a tuber. The name “truffle” literally means lump or
tuber, which is also the fungus’s botanic name: Tuber melanosporum.
Truffles are very expensive to buy, strongly flavoured and
used sparingly when added to dishes such as omelettes, pasta
or pizza, or infused into oils.
Origin of truffles
Edible truffles are native to Europe, particularly Spain, France and Italy,
but are now grown around the world. Truffles form a close relationship
with the roots of certain trees — including birch, oak, hazelnut and
pine — and grow naturally in forests.
The relationship is a two-way process. The tree provides the fungus
with sugars while truffles appear to help the roots absorb nutrients.
As well as growing black truffles, Australian farmers are also
experimenting with other species, including the white truffle
and the summer truffle, which matures later than black truffles
and extends the truffle season.
Truffles in Australia
In Australia, truffles are grown commercially, farmed in tree plantations
known as trufferies. To get started, the truffle fungus is inoculated
into the roots of host trees and the young trees are then planted.
Favoured trees for black truffle production are oaks — particularly
holm oak and English oak — and hazelnuts. Stone pines are
preferred for white truffles.
Truffle farming is a relatively new industry for Australia. The
first black truffle was produced in north-west Tasmania near
Deloraine in 1999. Today there are an estimated 200–300
commercial truffle growers spread across the south of Western
Australia and South Australia as well as in parts of northern
50 | Good Organic Gardening

Growing truffles | GARDENING CHALLENGE
Tasmania, Victoria, the ACT, NSW and Queensland. The largest
production region is around Manjimup in WA, which has an ideal
climate for truffle production.
Truffle pioneer and grower Tim Terry from Truffle Australis in
Tasmania recommends areas in Australia within 28–43 degrees of
latitude with cool to cold winters, mild summers and reliable water.
Production cycle
Truffles take years to become productive. They thrive in well-drained
soils that are high in calcium or with added lime in areas with good
rainfall or access to irrigation. The black truffle is harvested in
autumn and early winter, while the summer truffle is harvested
later in the year.
Trees impregnated with fungal spore can take four years or
more to produce truffles. For commercial growers it can be a
further two to four years before truffles appear in commercial
quantities. As the tree grows and the truffle spore multiplies,
harvests increase.
According to Fred Harden, communications manager with the
Australian Truffle Growers Association, the harvest ranges from
truffles that weigh just a few grams to the production of several
kilograms from around a single tree.
Truffles can sell for between $1500 and $2000 a kilogram
If nothing else, you’ll get a nice
tree and maybe some hazelnuts
and currently retail for around $2.60 to $3.40 per gram.
Australia’s truffle harvest has been growing steadily since
the 1990s with 8–10 tonnes now produced annually, putting
Australia at number four in world truffle production. Production
is forecast to grow as more trufferies reach commercial
production levels.
“This level of production more than meets current local
demand, meaning truffles are also exported,” says Fred Hardin.
Black truffles
Sifting for buried treasure
Shutterstock
Good Organic Gardening | 51

GARDENING CHALLENGE | Growing truffles
White truffles
Fresh Australian truffles reach the lucrative European markets
when local produce is unavailable, which makes our truffles
highly desirable.
As well as being slow to produce, truffles need many months
to develop and ripen. The part that’s eaten begins to grow in
spring, developing from a tiny hollow cup into a dark warty
lump, which becomes black with white veins. They grow in the
soil, usually at a depth of about 15cm but sometimes more than
30cm deep.
Truffles have a rich, earthy fungus smell, which helps in
locating them beneath the soil surface when they are ready to
harvest. Pigs traditionally feasted on truffles growing wild in
forests and were used to find wild truffles. Today, specially trained
dogs are used to find truffles in commercial truffle farms.
Backyard truffles
Truffle growing ranges from large plantings on farms to smaller
plantings on hobby farms. And, yes, even home growers are starting
to give it a go. Trees inoculated with truffle spore are available
occasionally at garden centres and in the plant section of large
hardware outlets.
Fred Hardin from the Australian Truffle Growers Association
says that right now truffles aren’t likely to be a successful part of
a productive suburban backyard but adds that things may change.
“Truffles have very particular growing needs, including needing the
right soil pH, which means adding lots of lime to most Australian soils
and pruning the tree to encourage root growth, and they take time,” Fred
explains. “But that doesn’t mean things won’t change in the future.”
Things are also changing for both commercial producers and hobbyists
considering truffle growing as there is now the possibility of buying and
planting certified trees, making production less of a hit-and-miss affair.
“There is a certification system operating in Australia
to certify that trees inoculated with truffle spores
are going to produce truffles,” Fred says. “There are
two Australian growers offering certified trees to
commercial growers and we hope others will follow.”
Marcos Morcillo, a truffle grower in Spain,
has just published Truffle Farming Today,
a comprehensive guide to truffle growing
with examples and experiences from
around the world. In his book, Marcos is
positive about the future of truffle farming
as more plantations are planted, more scientific
research is carried out and more is known about
these curious edible fungi. He even suggests that
one day there may be the possibility of a bonsai truffle
tree for the backyard. Truffle lovers stand by!
Is truffle growing for you?
Still keen, despite the difficulties? If you live in a suitable climate with
cold winters and mild summers, have good rich, well-drained soil
and are up for the challenge of raising truffles in your own backyard
trufferie, look for inoculated trees that are certified, or purchase from a
local commercial grower who retails to the public.
When preparing the ground for planting it’s important to
amend your planting soil to raise the pH to around 8 by adding
lime. Give the trees plenty of space to grow as well as extra care to
encourage each tree to form a strong and vigorous root system.
This care includes regular watering, especially if summers
are dry. Then be patient, as truffles take many years to form.
If all else fails, you’ll have grown some shady trees in your
garden and made the world a better place!
English oak
More
information
For further information on truffle
growing, contact the Australian
Truffle Growers Association at
trufflegrowers.com.au. For more
on Marcos Morcillo’s trufflegrowing
advice or to buy his
book, see his website micofora.
com or follow his blog at
trufflefarming.wordpress.com.
Shutterstock
52 | Good Organic Gardening

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PLANT HEALTH | Disease distress
Mango anthracnose
GARDEN FIRST AID
In addition to insect attack, summer humidity can bring
with it a range of fungal diseases that will go straight for your
precious plants if you’re not vigilant and proactive
Words & photos Claire Bickle
If it’s not the insect population or
four-legged marsupials, it’s some plant
disease or virus attacking your prize
edibles and floral delights in the garden.
What are the key problems we have to
deal with at this time, and how do we go
about eradicating them — or preventing
them taking hold in the first place — without
using nasty chemicals?
Here are some of the commonest fungal
diseases that home gardeners often come
across in their patch.
Anthracnose
This disease is a serious problem, requiring
both pre- and post-harvest sprays. The main
species the home gardener has to worry
about is Colletotrichum spp. It will affect
mangoes, avocadoes, tomatoes, passionfruit,
capsicums, chillies, bananas and a large
range of tropical crops.
Symptoms include a variety of black spots:
recessed black spots on fruit to raised small
clusters of spots, depending on plant species
affected, as well as black discolouration on
flower buds and spikes, black spots and
yellowing on leaves. Flowers and buds
can drop, meaning poor fruit set and
limited crops.
The spores overwinter in the soil and
anthracnose can even be seed-borne. It
spreads via water droplets and is far worse
in warm and/or cool humid conditions.
During dry weather, anthracnose is virtually
non-existent.
Treatment
Apply a copper spray just before
flowering and during the early stages
of fruit set.
Shutterstock
54 | Good Organic Gardening

Remove any infected fruit and foliage.
Remove any dead wood and twigs, and
burn if possible.
Practise crop rotation with annuals.
Avoid overhead irrigation and improve
air circulation.
Choose disease-resistant varieties.
Black spot (roses &
pawpaws)
Black spot is a broadly used common name for
a variety of fungal issues that — you guessed
it — exhibit black spots on foliage, flowers and
fruit. Roses are renowned for black spot fungal
issues and, even though not often eaten (well,
the flowers and hips can be), they are such an
important and widely grown flowering plant
in gardens across the world that people are
always looking for organic options when it
comes to controlling pests and diseases.
Black spot can be more prevalent on roses
in warm, humid subtropical areas. The signs,
of course, are the tell-tale black spots and
yellowing of foliage, which can then drop off.
It can even attack the stems of the rose and
cause dieback. With all this going on, the
plant can become weakened, prone to other
diseases and insect attack, and produce
fewer and smaller blooms.
As for pawpaws, it’s the onset of cooler
winter weather that can bring on a nasty case
of black spot.
Control
Choose varieties that are diseaseresistant
if possible; in warmer climates
some of the old-fashioned teas and China
roses do remarkably well.
Spray with an organic fungicide such as
Eco-fungicide to not only kill existing
spores but also change the pH on the
surface of the leaves and plant stems,
making them more alkaline and less
habitable for fungal diseases. Use a small
of amount of Eco-oil mixed into the spray
to help it stick to the plant.
Copper and sulphur-based sprays can
also be used.
Remove any disease-affected leaves and
throw them into the bin.
Make sure you are giving your plants the
right growing conditions with the required
hours of sun a day and good airflow. This
will help prevent fungal problems.
Avoid watering the foliage, especially in
the late afternoon.
Keep plants healthy and less vulnerable
to disease attack by feeding with
recommended organic fertilisers
throughout the growing seasons and
when recommended.
Applications of seaweed will also be
of benefit and act as a preventive,
strengthening the cell walls of the
plant and encouraging stronger,
healthier growth.
Consider spraying the ground around the
plant with fungicide as well, to catch any
spores lingering there.
Pawpaws lacking in potassium,
magnesium or phosphorus can be more
susceptible. Add potassium (sulphate of
potash), phosphorus (rock dust minerals
and/or magnesium (Epsom salts) to the
feeding regime to ensure no deficiencies.
Disease distress | PLANT HEALTH
Peach leaf curl
This fungal disease affects peaches
and nectarines in cooler climates.
Symptoms include puckering of foliage
and sometimes even quite severe
distortion with a pinkish blotching or
discolouration. The leaves will usually
drop prematurely. This, in turn, affects
fruit production.
Leaf curl remains secretly dormant
on these deciduous fruit trees, appearing
and infecting foliage as soon as the first
shoots appear.
Control
There is no effective treatment for it once
this disease has a foothold, so prevention
is the key.
Spray trees with a copper-based spray
just as the growth buds start to swell.
Be sure to spray the branches and
trunk as well, to catch any spores
that have been resting dormant
over winter.
Trees that are infected need all
the help they can get, so keep up
the applications of liquid seaweed
as a foliar spray. Regular watering
and the application of organic fertilisers
will help the tree to survive through
the growing season.
After leaf drop in winter, gather up all
the old foliage and follow the above
directions in late winter and again
early spring.
Applications of gypsum for added
calcium will also strengthen the plant
cell walls against disease attack.
Black spot on roses
Peach leaf curl needs
preventive treatment
Good Organic Gardening | 55

PLANT HEALTH | Disease distress
Sooty mould on an orange — a
telltale sign that there are other
pests infesting the tree, more
than likely scale
Make sure you are giving your plants the
right growing conditions with the required
hours of sun a day and good airflow. This
will help prevent fungal problems.
Powdery mildew on silver beet
Rust spores starting on the
underside of frangipani leaf
Powdery mildew
This fungal disease attacks a wide range
of plants and spreads like a white or grey
powdery mould on the leaves, stems and
flower buds.
Powdery mildew is an aggressive fungal
disease that can easily kill smaller plants and
set back larger specimens as it affects the
plants’ ability to photosynthesise.
Plants commonly attacked include
zucchini, squash, mustard, mint, roses,
hydrangeas, peas, gerberas and more. It can
appear because the plant species is being
grown in too much shade, there’s insufficient
airflow, the weather is cool and humid,
especially at night, or the plant is stressed
due to being grown out of season or having
inadequate nutrition and/or water.
Control
Spray plants as soon as possible with a
fungicide such as Eco-fungicide. This
fungicide is curative as well as preventive.
Spray susceptible plants with a solution
of one part full-cream milk to nine parts
water — particularly effective before
mildew appears.
Wettable sulphur can also be used under
organic certification.
Foliar sprays and in-ground applications
of seaweed will strengthen plants’ cell
walls and make them more resistant to
mildew attack.
Be sure your plants have good airflow.
Don’t water overhead, especially at the
end of the day.
56 | Good Organic Gardening

Disease distress | PLANT HEALTH
Grow plants in the right season.
Keep plants well watered and fed —
stress on the plants invites trouble.
*** Watch for the yellow-and-black
fungus-eating lady beetles, Psyllobora
vigintimaculata. Believe it or not, they actually
eat the mildew but, even though
they do a good job, these little guys are
never quite enough to get on top of a
full-blown outbreak.
Rust
Once again, rust is a broad term used for a
group of fungal species that attack a large
variety of plants.
The common symptoms of rust are the
circular fruiting bodies or spores, which will
generally appear on the undersides of the
leaves and can be yellow to orange to brown
in colour. The tops of the leaves will often
have a yellow mottled appearance and in a
severe enough case of rust the foliage may
even drop off.
Beans, geraniums, snapdragons, orchids ...
there’s a long list of plants that rust can affect.
Control
Organic registered fungicides are worth a
go. Remember to spray the undersides of
the leaves.
Watering early in the morning rather than
late in the evening gives plants time to
dry out before nightfall. This can help
reduce the incidence of fungal problems.
Make sure any susceptible plants have
good airflow.
Give regular feeding and applications of
seaweed to strengthen cell walls of plants.
Sooty mould
This disease appears on plants as a black
soot-like mould covering all parts of the plant,
from leaves to fruit and stems. A multitude of
plants are susceptible to sooty mould issues,
from citrus to gardenias.
The reason you have black sooty mould
on your plants is a little tricky because the
mould doesn’t just show up on its own;
there’s also a secondary infection from the
presence of a sap-sucking insect. The insect
attacking your plant is literally sucking the
goodness out of it, then excreting a sticky
honeydew substance all over the plant. It’s on
the excretion that the sooty mould grows.
And as long as the particular sap sucker
is in place, the sooty mould will keep being
a problem. Indentify the sap-sucking insect
and remove it to break the cycle and rid your
plants of sooty mould.
Control
Here, the insect needs to be identified and
then the appropriate organic control used or
preventive measure put in place.
A lot of sap-sucking insects such as
scale, aphids, thrips and mealybugs can
be controlled with Eco-oil or other oilbased
plant sprays.
Eco-neem is registered to control a variety
of sucking insects on ornamental plants.
Keep your plants healthy with adequate
feeding and water to make them less
prone to insect attack in the first place.
Remove the sooty mould once the
insect infestation has been dealt
with. This is relatively easy as a lot
of the sooty mould will flake off. Any
residual mould can be hosed off. A bit
of warm soapy water before hosing
will help.
It hardly needs reiterating that prevention is
always better than cure. The best prevention
includes seasonal growing, good soil
preparation, regular watering and mulching,
fertilising for optimal growth and applications
of helpful substances like seaweed and
gypsum for strengthening cell walls and
general good health.
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Good Organic Gardening | 57

SAFER SOLUTIONS | Dipel
Rose budworm damage
Clever soil bacteria
Bacillus thuringiensis
While organic gardeners prefer to garden as naturally as
possible, sometimes a little help may be needed
Words & photos Angie Thomas
Like our bodies, soil contains billions
of bacteria. In fact, they are crucially
important to the health of soil
as they’re involved in important
processes such as breaking down organic
matter and converting nitrogen from the
atmosphere into plant-available nitrogen.
One particularly special soil bacterium
is Bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally
occurring, aerobic, spore-forming
bacterium that has insecticidal properties.
The history of Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bt) is fascinating. A Japanese biologist
first identified the bacterium in 1901 while
researching the cause of an unknown
silkworm disease. Ten years later in 1911,
a German scientist rediscovered Bacillus
thuringiensis during investigations into a
flour moth disease and, by 1920, farmers
were using Bt as an insecticide.
How does Bt work?
When the Bt bacteria produce spores
they naturally form crystalline proteins
(endotoxins) that affect insects — in
particular, Lepidoptera caterpillars, which
are caterpillars of moths and butterflies.
Bt must be ingested by caterpillars to
be effective. It does not work via contact
action and therefore needs to be applied
when the insects are in their larval stages
and feeding on host plants.
Once ingested the endotoxins paralyse
the cells in the caterpillar’s gut, they stop
feeding and will succumb to starvation or
infection. This usually occurs within a few
hours, though some caterpillars may remain,
inactive, on plant foliage for 3–4 days.
Bt targets particular receptor sites
in the caterpillar and has no effect on
humans as we lack those receptors. Bt
also does not affect beneficial insects,
pets and wildlife. Because it specifically
targets caterpillar pests and is safe
58 | Good Organic Gardening

for both users and the environment, it
provides gardeners with an effective option
for protecting homegrown produce.
B. thuringiensis is available as several
different strains or subspecies, each
having a specific toxicity to particular
types of insects. The Bt most commonly
available to home gardeners is Bacillus
thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, often known
as Dipel. Home garden products are
usually wettable powders that are mixed
in water and sprayed over foliage.
Bt is not absorbed into plant foliage
and is degraded by UV light, so does
not persist on plants. Bt-based products
usually don’t have a withholding period,
so homegrown produce sprayed with Bt
can be eaten straightaway (rinsing before
eating is always recommended,
of course).
For home gardeners, the most common
caterpillar pests include cabbage white
butterfly, cabbage moth, armyworm,
budworm and loopers.
Bluish-green cabbage white butterfly
caterpillars can devour mountains
of vegetables such as cabbage,
kale, cauliflower and broccoli, leaving
Dipel | SAFER SOLUTIONS
Bt targets particular
receptor sites in the
caterpillar and has no
effect on humans as we
lack those receptors.
Bt also does not affect
beneficial insects, pets
and wildlife.
Cabbage white butterfly caterpillar
feasting on kale
Good Organic Gardening | 59

SAFER SOLUTIONS | Dipel
Green looper caterpillar
nothing but leaf skeletons (and lots of
green droppings!).
Cabbage moth caterpillars are around
1cm long, green to brown coloured and
will curl up if disturbed. Cabbage moth
populations tend to increase during dry
conditions and the caterpillars enjoy
feeding on brassica vegetables as well as
flowers in the brassica family, such as stock.
Armyworm caterpillars are most often
found in lawns, but there are some types
of armyworm that will attack vegetables
like corn, beetroot and tomatoes and
will also eat both flowers and foliage of
ornamental plants. Young armyworm
caterpillars are green and turn brown and
striped as they mature.
Budworm caterpillars (Heliothis)
grow to around 4cm long and can be yellow,
green or brown with white and dark stripes.
Budworms commonly feed on tomatoes and
corn but can also eat through rosebuds,
geraniums and petunias.
Green looper caterpillars, which are
bright green with white stripes, can be
found on roses and other flowers as
well as fruit and vegetables including
silverbeet, lettuce, brassicas, beans,
tomatoes and strawberries.
When there are only a few caterpillars,
you can just pick them off by hand (though
they can be masters of camouflage and
concealment) and also make a juicy meal
for birds. Caterpillars also have some natural
insect enemies, such as parasitic wasps and
flies, predatory shield bugs and assassin
bugs, which can help reduce caterpillar
populations. So it’s good to encourage them
to your garden. The beneficial nematode
Steinernema carpocapsae is a natural
predator of armyworm.
However, when caterpillar numbers are
significant and you want to be able to harvest
some of your much-loved herbs and vegies
rather than just provide a rich source of
caterpillar food, a Bt insecticide provides
an environmentally soft option to keep
caterpillars under control.
There are Bt-based insecticides available
to home gardeners that are certified
organic by Australian Certified Organic.
Assassin bugs (Pristhesancus plagipennis)
help to control caterpillars
So organic gardeners can use a naturally
derived, organically certified way to control
caterpillar pests.
When there are only
a few caterpillars, you
can just pick them off by
hand (though they can be
masters of camouflage and
concealment). They also
make a juicy meal for birds.
James Niland CC
60 | Good Organic Gardening

®
Caterpillar
Killer
• Yates ® Nature’s Way ® Caterpillar Killer, also known
as Dipel, will control common chewing insect pests
like caterpillars, budworm and loopers on flowers and
ornamentals, fruit, vegies and herbs.
• Yates Nature’s Way Caterpillar Killer is certified by Australian
Certified Organic, so it’s ideal for gardeners wanting to
organically control insect pests.
• Yates Nature’s Way Caterpillar Killer is available in a
40g pack, which makes 40L of spray.
• A percentage of sales of Nature’s Way products are
donated to Landcare Australia to support important
environmental projects.
L – R:
tomato caterpillar, cabbage white butterfly caterpillar, budworm.
For more gardening advice ph 1300 369 074
or visit www.yates.com.au
Yates Australia, 1 Gow St. Padstow NSW 2211
Yates and Nature’s Way are registered trade marks of DuluxGroup Pty Ltd Australia

THE SHED | Making BIM
The
cultured
garden
Cultivating beneficial
indigenous micro-organisms
(BIM) in your garden
Words Sandra Tuszynska
Naturally occurring microorganisms
promote plant
growth by fixing nitrogen,
decomposing soil organic
matter and transporting plant nutrients. We
can actually harvest and cultivate beneficial
indigenous micro-organisms (BIM), also
known as indigenous micro-organisms (IMO),
and add them to our soil, plants and compost.
Beneficial soil micro-organisms should
be harvested from healthy habitats such
as an abundant, healthy vegetable garden,
an undisturbed forest, a meadow or other
vegetated habitat. Combining the microorganisms
collected from various sites
will increase the strength and benefits
of the inoculant.
62 | Good Organic Gardening

Making BIM | THE SHED
Untreated wooden box
Cooked rice
Creating the
growth medium
Materials
A small untreated wooden box,
30cm × 30cm × 10cm deep
Cooked white rice
Paper towels or newspaper, enough
to cover the wooden box
Thick shadecloth large enough
to cover the box
Rubber bands
1cm wire screen large enough to
completely cover the wooden box
A small shovel
Procedure
1. Cook enough rice to cover the bottom of
the box. About 1.5–2 cups of raw rice should
make enough. Use the absorption method
for boiling the rice. This will make sure it’s
aerated and will supply enough oxygen for
the aerobic (requiring air) micro-organisms.
Rice usually increases its volume by 3–4
times when cooked.
2. Place the rice in the box. The thickness
of the rice layer should not be greater than
5–6cm once in the box.
3. Cover the rice with paper towel, clean newspaper
or thick shadecloth, making sure it’s not
touching the rice and is at least 5cm above it.
Place cooked
rice in box
Cover rice but make sure
covering is at least 5cm above
rice and not touching it
Cover with wire
to prevent attack
by animals
4. Cover the box with a wire screen to
prevent animals getting into the rice, then
loosely cover the box with some clear
plastic to prevent rain and dew wetting
the rice.
5. Choose a spot in the shade under a tree,
away from direct sun. Bury the box in at
least 5cm of soil. Cover the box with leaves
and debris collected from the site. Leave
undisturbed for 4–5 days. On average,
colonisation takes 4–5 days below 20°C and
3–4 days above 20°C. (See photo next page.)
6. Check the box for signs of white mould
and leave for longer if sparse.
7. Check the mould/fungal growth again after
2–3 days. The process has been successful
if thick white/yellowish mould is covering
the rice. Coloured colonies of microbial
growth are not as beneficial, so repeat
the process if necessary.
Culturing the
micro-organisms
Materials
Clay or ceramic bowl
Glass jars to fit the rice mixture in
Brown sugar or molasses
Cheesecloth or paper towels
Rubber bands
Scale to weigh the rice (optional)
Procedure
1. Once you’ve obtained white mould
growth on the rice, remove from the box
and place the mixture in the bowl, but
first weigh the bowl alone and then with
the mixture in it; the difference will give
you the weight of rice, which is the same
as the weight of sugar needed to feed the
micro-organisms. The rule of thumb is to
use equal parts sugar to equal parts rice.
Thus, a kilogram of rice will require a
kilogram of sugar (1kg rice + 1kg sugar or
molasses). We used molasses.
2. Gently mix the ingredients with clean
hands, making sure not to completely
destroy the fungal mat. You can use gloves
if you prefer. Add a very small amount of
water if the mixture feels quite dry, in the
ratio of 1:500.
3. Transfer this mixture into a glass jar and
cover with cheesecloth or paper towel and
place a rubber band around it. Leave
it for 3–7 days to allow fermentation to
take place.
4. Now it’s ready to use as an inoculant.
Add an equal amount of soil and
incorporate it into the surface soil as a topdressing,
or add it directly to your compost
pile. This inoculant is designed to increase
soil microbial activity and thus enhance
soil health.
Good Organic Gardening | 63

THE SHED | Making BIM
Bury in at least 5cm of
soil in a shady spot and
cover with leaves and
debris from the site
White mycelium has
formed on bark
Creating a liquid
inoculant
You can also create a liquid inoculant
from the fermented mixture that will
last a long time.
1. Add 3 parts water (6L for the 2kg of
rice and sugar) to the mixture and leave
for 7 days to allow fermentation to
take place.
2. Strain the liquid into another glass
jar and cover with a paper towel or
cheesecloth and secure with a
rubber band.
3. Fermentation will produce gas bubbles.
When the bubbles stop forming, the
process is complete and you can seal
the jar.
Add molasses (or
brown sugar) and
mix together
4. To strengthen the potency of the
inoculant, combine it with inoculants
from different sites. Adding liquid whey
(lacto- serum) from milk, available from
healthfood shops, in a 1:1 ratio, will further
increase the benefits of the inoculant.
Application on your
garden
Dilute 2 tablespoons in 4L of water
and spray on plants’ leaves, use as
a soil drench or add to compost and
organic fertiliser. This will help to
encourage vogorous plant growth by
increasing nutrient uptake and transport,
at the same time increasing disease
resistance and decomposing compost
more rapidly.
Post
fermentation
Transfer mixture
to a jar
Rice is now
inoculated with
micro-organisms
Cover with
cheesecloth and
leave to ferment
64 | Good Organic Gardening

Making BIM | THE SHED
Once femented,
strain to make
liquid inoculant
Final inoculant
For more information
theunconventionalfarmer.com/recipes/bim/ctahr.
hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/BIO-9.pdf.
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Good Organic Gardening | 65

FEATHERED FRIENDS | Bantam ducks
Bubba duckies
If you want the fun of ducks without the volume,
consider the cute miniature breeds
Cute Call
66 | Good Organic Gardening

Words Megg Miller
Lots of people adore ducks. They love their daffy behaviour,
comical gait and irrepressible delight in water play. Ducks
are not for everyone, though, especially people living in
densely packed inner cities.
But if you admire their joie de vivre, have snails everywhere in the
garden and are lucky enough to have a leafy area in the backyard,
away from neighbours, then ducks will bring hours of pleasure.
Small is sensible
Like fowls, ducks come in varied sizes and shapes. Bantams have
no large counterpart but miniatures have been bred down from
standard-sized breeds.
Why have a massive Pekin, as impressive as they are, when
you could feed and keep several small bantams or miniatures?
They eat less, require less room and their activity and
athleticism result in fewer leg problems than may trouble
large-bodied ducks.
Small ducks are ideal for time-poor families. Set them up in a
fully enclosed yard with a simple shelter and water facilities and
their demands are minimal.
Available breeds
The cutest bantam is the Australian Call, a very small, very talkative
breed. The females weigh in at 500–900g and a little heavier for
males — just a handful, really. Colour? Pristine white offset with yellow
legs and the bill is beautiful, but other pretty colours are available.
When buying Calls, look for the breed’s distinctive rounded shape,
including a domed head, rounded cheeks and short bill. Think
cuddly. Calls look a little like the kiddies’ yellow bath duck.
Availability is good, too.
Mallards are the most popular bantam duck, probably because
they can be found in numerous attractive colours. They are larger and
longer bodied than Calls; even the bill is noticeably longer. Mallards
have large, well-developed wings, indicating they are excellent
A standard Silver Appleyard shows
the breed’s pretty markings
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Good Organic Gardening | 67

FEATHERED FRIENDS | Bantam ducks
A baby grey Call
flyers. Actually, all small ducks fly well
and you will need to take measures to
restrict flight.
While there’s no shortage of Mallards or
breeders, be aware that in some states it’s
mandatory for birds to be pinioned to prevent
escape and breeding with wild ducks.
The Black East Indian, an elegant
little black-plumaged duck with a
lustrous green sheen to its feathers, is
A one-day-old white Call
exceedingly rare, so it’s unlikely one will
be available. The female can produce
dark-grey-shelled eggs at the start
of each laying season, a surprise for
unsuspecting owners. Sadly, it’s on the
rare breeds list.
A particularly eyecatching miniature is
the Silver Appleyard and, if you have the
room to set up breeding, the excess stock
could be handy for home consumption.
With anticipated weights of 1.2–1.4kg for
drakes and 1.1–1.3kg for ducks, the breed
is suitable for eggs and meat.
Miniature Silver Appleyard ducks are
silver-white with strategically placed
fawn streaks and flecks and a distinctive
iridescent blue band on the wings. Drakes
are traditionally marked with the full
white neck ring, areas of green-black on
the head and neck, and a claret-coloured
body. Dapper is the description for this breed.
Disadvantages
Do not head off to the poultry auction
until you’ve read this section. Like the
Scouts, you must be prepared.
Female ducks are notorious for their
quacking (the drakes, by contrast, have
weak voices), and Calls, in particular, are
very chatty. The noise of quacking may
irritate immediate neighbours, especially
if the birds are penned relatively close to
outdoor living areas.
The messy conditions of duck pens will
attract flies — again, another source of
complaint from neighbours — and there’s
not a lot that can be done with the ducks
because they instinctively fossick and
dabble wherever there is water.
Flying is a natural instinct shared by
ducks with a small stature. They must
Coloured Calls
Small ducks are ideal for
time-poor families. Set them
up in a fully enclosed yard
with a simple shelter and
water facilities and their
demands are minimal.
Shutterstock
68 | Good Organic Gardening

Bantam ducks | FEATHERED FRIENDS
either be pinioned (part of one wing is
surgically modified to prevent flying),
have the flight feathers on one wing
trimmed regularly to unbalance flight or
be kept in a fully covered pen.
Sexual excess can be an issue. Some
drakes are very sexually active and may
hound ducks incessantly. Extra ducks
may lessen the stress, but if space won’t
allow you to expand numbers then a pen
of females only will be a sounder choice.
Remember, too, that mini ducks will
produce small eggs but they are likely to
be larger than most bantam hen eggs.
Housing needs
Predators as well as the likelihood of
escape and flight have to be considered
when setting up. Allow around 2m² per
two birds when designing the pen, more
room if possible.
A 2m-high mesh-covered yard will
allow most people easy movement in the
pen. You might consider running a sheet
of Colorbond horizontally at ground level
to separate ducks from inquisitive dogs and
kiddies and allow birds a sense of security.
Sand or gravel on the base of the pen
(15cm) will facilitate drainage; you cannot
imagine the happy mess a couple of busy
ducks can create if drainage is poor.
Ducks need to have
water deep enough to
immerse their heads
and maintain eye
health and, while
they enjoy swimming,
a pond is not
obligatory.
An open-fronted shelter will protect
from weather extremes and provide
corners for ducks to lay in. Woodchips on
the floor covered with straw in spring will
offer a dry and comfy base for sleeping
and laying.
Ducks need to have water deep
enough to immerse their heads and
maintain eye health and, while they
enjoy swimming, a pond is not obligatory.
However, most people settle for a clam
shell or similar shallow container that can
be emptied easily.
Elevating the “pond” so it sits on a
slatted platform or a low, strong mesh
cage reduces the amount of dirt and
organic matter carried into the water.
Whatever container is chosen, it should
be stable and unable to flip over and
suffocate the birds. It must be shallow
enough for easy access, too. A ramp in
the pond will allow exiting if the container
is deep. Never ever use an old bath; it not
only uses too much water but is difficult
for ducks to get out of.
It makes sense to locate the duck
enclosure in a leafy part of the backyard.
The ducks will keep cooler in hot weather
while greenery will absorb noise and filter
any odours.
Rewarding your
ducks
Collect snails at night and offer the ducks
a gastropod treat — they will devour
them. You may be able to hang greens
for the birds to nibble on; they will
trample leaves and weeds if dumped
on the ground.
You’ll find this species hardy and long
living and for just a little mixed grain and
pellets daily you’ll be rewarded with
fresh eggs. Set up the deckchairs and
enjoy summer evenings watching the
ducks’ antics.
Feathered World Pty Ltd Trading as Planet Poultry
Ph: 0437 542 422 www.planetpoultry.com.au
Suppliers of a large range of natural
products for poultry including
Diatomaceous Earth, Garlic, Kelp,
Apple Cider Vinegar & Molodri.
Stockists of River/Covina Incubators (Manual & Automatic models available). Sizes: 12, 24 or 49 hen egg. All digital. Approved for Australian Standards.
Good Organic Gardening | 69

GARDEN TO TABLE | Four Seasonal Edibles
Garden to table
with The Organic Chef, Joanna Rushton
74 Passionfruit
Passionfruit & Peach Dairy-Free Cheesecake
78 Parsnip
Parma Ham & Pea Salad with Parsnip Chips
82 Beetroot
Beetroot & Chocolate Cake
86 & 88 Sweet corn
Corn & Chive Fritters with Avocado Salsa
Fermented Sweet Corn & Chilli Relish
70 | Good Organic Gardening

74
82
78 86 & 88
Eggs are simply the best.
We give them the best certifi ed organic grain – no meat-meal (unlike others). We value the
welfare of our feathered friends; that’s why we give them an idyllic habitat with plenty of space to
roam, lots of deep mulch to scratch through, shady trees and lush pasture so our eggs are nutrient
dense and rich in omega 3’s. We run no more than 600 hens per hectare. Our hens are always
occupied so we don’t have to debeak.
Happy hens lay sensational eggs.
For stockists and more details, go to our website:
www.organigrow.com.au

GROWING | Passionfruit
Passionfruit
Passiflora edulis
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
I’ve just been standing with a neighbour, Naomi, looking
at the remains of her passionfruit vine. It’s a sad sight.
What’s left is the unproductive, weedy understock. The
productive vine succumbed to a cold snap, but the coldand
disease-tolerant understock, Passiflora caerulea, can’t
be halted. She has tried tearing it down and digging it out.
The latest weapon is the family’s pet lamb, currently feeding
around where the passionfruit understock is growing.
Before the passionfruit died back, it produced buckets of
passionfruit, so Naomi is keen to plant another vine, but she
says it won’t be a grafted vine.
Grafted vs own roots
Passionfruit are usually sold as grafted plants. Grafting makes
the vine more tolerant of poor soil and climate conditions
but, as Naomi discovered, the graft can become a huge weed
problem. As well as surviving when the main plant has died,
suckering while the edible vine is still alive is also a problem.
Although the suckering of varieties grafted on to
P. caerulea is a potential garden problem, there are rootstocks
that don’t sucker. Commercial vines are usually grafted onto
P. edulis f. flavicarpa, a rootstock developed in Queensland
that is disease-resistant and not prone to suckering.
Some varieties are also grown from seed or cutting to
overcome suckering problems. ‘Panama Red’ and ‘Pandora’
may be sold as seed-grown plants, which means they are
growing on their own roots. Black passionfruit is also available
on its own roots.
Planting and care
Passionfruit is one of Australia’s favourite backyard crops and
a useful plant to grow as a living screen for shade or privacy.
Although they are warm-climate plants, passionfruit grow in
all but the very coldest parts of the country.
Tropical, subtropical and warm coastal zones produce the
best vines. In cold areas, select a warm, sheltered spot with
free-draining soil. Cold conditions and wet soils lead to poor
growth or vine death and poor fruiting. Fruit that does form
can be very slow to ripen.
These vines also need space for their extensive root
systems and spreading branches. They are not suited
to growing in pots and may be difficult to manage in
confined spaces.
In tropical and subtropical climates, passionfruit vines
fruit within six months of planting, which can be done at any
time of the year. In temperate zones, however, flowering and
fruiting can take 18 months from planting, which is best done
in spring or early summer.
Feed vines in spring and summer with pelletised organic
manure or citrus food, spreading the fertiliser along the root
system. Water well, particularly after planting, while times are
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Passionfruit| GROWING
Passionfruit label
Common name: Passionfruit
Botanical name: Passiflora edulis
Family: Passifloraceae
Aspect & soil: Sun, well-drained soil
Best climate: Tropics, subtropics, temperate,
Mediterranean
Habit: Perennial vine
Propagation: Seed, cutting, grafting
Difficulty: Moderate
dry and when plants are flowering and crops are maturing.
Watch for suckers (look for the distinctive five-fingered,
blue-green leaf as well as its blue flower) and remove suckers
or seedlings promptly. If a vine dies, carefully dig up the root
system to avoid future problems.
Varieties
‘Nellie Kelly’, a large-fruited black passionfruit, is the most
popular backyard variety as it is self-fertile and tolerates a
wide climate range. Other popular varieties are ‘Panama Red’,
‘Panama Gold’ and ‘Pandora’. The latter three do best in warm
or coastal climates and perform better with cross-pollination
(requiring two separate vines).
Popular in days gone by was the banana passionfruit
(Passiflora mollissima), now considered a weed. This species
was popular as it’s easy to grow and is self-fertile, producing
lots of elongated, yellow, banana-shaped fruit.
Passionfruit is one of Australia’s
favourite backyard crops and a
useful plant to grow as a living
screen for shade or privacy.
Pest insects can also lead to fruit drop. The passionvine
hopper, which resembles a lacy-winged moth, is a major pest
of passionfruit. These insects feed on the vine. When young,
they appear as “fluffy bums” — that’s the name given to the
cute-looking nymphs. Organic control is to deter them with a
spray of the hose or to use a registered organic insecticide on
the fluffy bums.
Fruit that forms but contains little pulp may have been
poorly pollinated or exposed to stress from insect pests, cold
or lack of regular water.
Lots of flowers but no fruit may be due to poor pollination.
If the weather is cool, wet, windy or even overcast during
flowering, pollination and fruit set may be poor. A lack of
pollinating insects (often made worse by bad or cloudy
weather) can also affect cropping. Hand pollination — using a
dry paintbrush to transfer pollen to the female part of flowers
— can overcome some pollinating problems and is most
successful when done early in the morning.
To overcome pollination problems, encourage bees and
other pollinating insects by planting flowering herbs such as
borage near the vines.
Harvesting & preserving
Fruit colour at ripening can be variable, but green fruit usually
ripens to purple or black. However, ripe fruit may not be highly
coloured. If green fruit drops to the ground it’s always worth
cutting it open to taste for ripeness.
Ripe fruit left on the ground may become sunburnt, so
regularly collect fallen fruit. To make this easier, keep the
ground around vines clear of weeds or long grass.
Passionfruit can be eaten fresh straight from the skin with a
spoon, or used to top fruit salad or a creamy dessert such as
pavlova. Excess pulp can be frozen or turned into jam, sauce
or cordial. The skins can also be used in some jam recipes..
Passionvine hopper nymph, aka “fluffy bum”
Andy Murray CC
Fruiting clinic
Until the vine is fully mature (6–18 months, depending on your
climate), passionfruit may not flower or fruit. However, not
getting fruit isn’t always due to immaturity of the vine. Lack
of regular water, lack of pollinators or even sudden cold winds
can all take their toll on fruit production.
Too much shade slows ripening. To open up established
plants to more sun for better fruiting and faster ripening,
prune them in late winter or early spring. To do this, carefully
remove a few of the tangle of stems so that fruit and flowers,
when they appear, are better exposed to the light. Don’t cut
the vine back hard.
Good Organic Gardening | 73

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Passionfruit
Star ingredient: Passionfruit
Passionfruit & Peach
Dairy-Free Cheesecake
The paleo way!
Ingredients
Base
• ½ cup almonds
• ½ cup pecans
• 3 medjool dates,
seeds removed
Filling
• Pulp of 10
passionfruits
(approx 1 cup pulp)
• 4 peaches, skin &
stones removed &
roughly chopped
• 1 cup coconut
flakes
• 1 tbsp melted
coconut oil
• 2 cups cashews,
soaked in water for
at least 4 hours
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200mL coconut
cream
Method
1. To make base, combine almonds, pecans,
dates and coconut in food processor and
blend until crumbly.
2. Gradually add coconut oil.
3. Transfer to 20cm spring-form cake pan
and press with back of spoon to even out
base. Place base in freezer.
4. To make filling, strain ½ cup of
passionfruit pulp (reserving remainder) over
medium-sized saucepan and discard seeds.
5. Add peach flesh to saucepan. Stir over
low–medium heat until simmering. Continue
stirring for about 2 mins, then turn off heat
and allow to cool.
6. Combine peach and strained passionfruit
with cashews, vanilla and coconut cream in
food processor until smooth (depending on
size, you may have to blend in 2 batches).
7. Pour onto cheesecake base, cover with
clingwrap and place in freezer overnight.
8. To serve, remove from freezer and allow
to sit for 5–10 mins. Remove sides of springform
pan and top with reserved passionfruit
and coconut flakes. Slice into wedges.
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Passionfruit | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON
Good Organic Gardening | 75

GROWING | Parsnip
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
Although a parsnip resembles a white carrot,
it’s a little trickier to grow than a carrot or its
other close relative, parsley. For success with
homegrown parsnip, start with fresh seed. Seed that’s old
or has not been well stored has a low germination rate.
Parsnip’s botanic name (Pastinaca sativa) and
the longevity of commonly grown varieties tell a
lot about its cultivated history. The genus name
simply translates as “food” (from pastus), while the
species name sativa means “cultivated”. This name
suggests it was a commonly grown staple, much like
potato is now.
This is backed up by the age of many of the
varieties that are still grown. Most date from the 19th
century or early 20th century. The variety commonly
grown in backyards is ‘Hollow Crown’, which has
been cultivated at least since the 1920s. It has a long
cream root.
Other old varieties available include ‘Guernsey’ and
‘Large Jersey’, which originated in the Channel Isles.
Parsnips don’t transplant
well so are not usually
available as seedlings.
‘Early Short’ is another heritage variety, as is
‘Tender and True’, which, according to the Seed
Savers Network, was named after a popular song
from the 19th century. ‘Melbourne Whiteskin’ is an
old Australian selection that’s still available and is
grown commercially.
In a trial of 12 commercially available parsnip
varieties conducted in Victoria, the variety ‘Javelin’
produced the highest number of healthy roots.
‘Hollow Crown’ and ‘Melbourne Whiteskin’ performed
well when overall yield was assessed.
Getting started
Seed are sown from spring to summer for an autumn-towinter
harvest. In the tropics, sow parsnip in late summer
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Parsnip | GROWING
to grow through the dry season. Allow around 18–20
weeks from planting to harvest.
Parsnips grow best in light, deep soils that allow
the roots to penetrate easily. A mature parsnip can
form a 30cm-long root, so prepare the soil to at least
this depth before planting.
As with carrots, avoid digging in fresh organic
matter before sowing seed — there’s a link between
excess organic matter in the soil and forking of the
root. A good option is to plant parsnips in soil that
was well fertilised for a previous crop, such as a leafy
vegetable, to make use of the residual nutrients.
Alternatively, thoroughly dig in organic fertiliser other
than manure before planting.
To give seeds the highest chance of germination,
sow them directly into damp prepared soil, planting
in rows. Parsnips don’t transplant well, so are not
usually available as seedlings.
Sow the seed in shallow rows around 6–10mm
deep, then lightly cover the seed with fine soil or a
layer of vermiculite. A fine layer of mulch over the
soil surface can also help encourage germination by
ensuring the soil stays damp. It can take 3–4 weeks
for seeds to germinate, so patience is also required.
Try to space the seeds 10cm apart to allow room
for the plants to reach their mature size but, if
necessary, thin seedlings when they reach 5cm high.
Growing parsnips
Although poor germination can make parsnips a
challenge to grow, once they are growing they tend to be
free of pest and disease problems but do need protection
from snails and slugs.
Keep the soil moist and free of weeds as the seeds
germinate and grow. Once they are growing, apply
a side dressing of organic fertiliser or liquidfeed
the growing plants. Keep them well
watered to avoid any stress that may
send the parsnip plants into premature
flower formation.
Left unharvested, parsnips, which are
biennial plants, produce flower stems
in their second year, as does another of
parsnip’s close relatives, parsley. Parsnip
flowers are yellow, arranged in umbels
and followed by broad, flat seeds that
should be sown soon after they ripen. Parsnip
has broad, flat leaves a little like those of parsley
or coriander.
Harvest, storage & preserving
As well as looking good in a mix of roast vegies,
parsnips are highly nutritious, supplying potassium
along with vitamin C and dietary fibre. They are
naturally sweet but the sweetest parsnips are grown
Parsnip label
Common name: Parsnip
Botanical name: Pastinaca sativa
Family: Apiaceae (carrot family)
Aspect & soil: Sun; deep, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Biennial grown as annual root vegetable
Propagation: Seed
Difficulty: Moderate
in cooler climates. They benefit from a winter chill
before harvest, which increases their sweetness by
converting starches in the root to sugars.
Parsnip roots can be left in the ground and
harvested as needed during autumn and winter,
although there’s a risk of the roots becoming woody
with age, especially if the plants flower and seed.
If the leaves die down, there’s also a risk that they’ll
be overlooked, so mark plantings. In areas with
wet winters or poorly drained soil, harvest parsnips
in autumn.
Pull the plants up carefully from the ground to
avoid damaging the root. To get a good shelf life from
parsnips, remove the leaves after harvesting, cutting
them close to the top of the root (take care as the
leaves can cause allergies in some people).
Store in a cool, airy room or well wrapped in
the crisper section of the fridge. They can also be
preserved by bottling or freezing. Their high sugar
content means they can also be used to make wine.
And for those who don’t like parsnips, they
are also grown as feed for animals
such as pigs. In Italy they are prized
as feed for pigs raised for
Parma ham.
Did you know?
Centuries ago, parsnips
were enjoyed as a
sweetener in cooking.
Parsnip leaves resemble parsley,
a member of the same family
Good Organic Gardening | 77

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Parsnip
Star ingredient: Parsnip
Parma Ham & Pea Salad
with Parsnip Chips
Serves 2 as a lunch main, 4 as a side
Ingredients
• Coconut oil
• 2 parsnips, peeled
into strips with a
Y-shaped peeler
• 100g rocket
• 50g semi-dried
tomatoes
• 500g fresh or
frozen peas
• 6 slices aged
Parma ham
• 100g soft Persian
goat’s cheese
• Handful pistachios,
to garnish
Method
1. In a shallow frypan, add coconut oil to
measure 6cm. Use a thermometer to heat
oil to 350°C or, if using a deep fryer, fill with
coconut oil to required level and heat to 350°C.
2. Add parsnip strips and fry, turning
occasionally until golden brown and crisp,
about 2 mins. Using a spider or slotted spoon,
transfer parsnip chips to paper towel and
drain. Set aside.
3. Combine rocket, semi-dried tomatoes and
peas with a little oil from the tomatoes.
4. Transfer to serving platter and arrange
Parma ham on top. Arrange goat’s cheese and
pistachios in and around ham and garnish
with parsnip chips.
78 | Good Organic Gardening

Parsnip | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON
Good Organic Gardening | 79

GROWING | Beetroot
Beetroot
Beta vulgaris
A golden beetroot and a target spot variety
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
Beetroot is related to sugar beet and the amazing
mangel-wurzel, which are also grown for their
swollen roots, as well as to the more commonly
grown leafy vegetables silverbeet and Swiss chard.
All are in the plant family Chenopodiaceae, which
also accounts for some weeds, including goosefoot
(Chenopodium album).
Although beetroot is usually thought of as a root
vegetable, you can harvest the tender young leaves to
add to a salad. Their red stalks and veins add colour to
any green salad.
Many varieties
Beetroot is best known for its round red root, but
these vegies come in many shapes and colours and
today there are lots of named varieties to buy and
grow. They can be large and round, such as the
widely grown ‘Derwent Globe’, small and round (baby
beet) or tapered more like a carrot (‘Cylindra’). In
the colour range there are white (‘Albino’), red and
white (‘Chioggia’), dark red (‘Bulls Blood’) and golden
(‘Burpees Golden’ and ‘Golden Derwent’).
Growing beetroot
Beetroot can be grown just about all year round in most
climates but is best planted in late summer for harvest
in autumn or planted in winter or spring for a spring-tosummer
harvest. If the growing conditions are not right,
the plant can flower and seed before it produces a goodsized
root. This is known as “bolting”.
Producing good beetroot means starting with a
well-prepared soil. Before planting beetroot seed or
seedlings in the vegie patch, it’s vital to prepare the soil
by digging it over thoroughly. Remove rocks and clods
(hard lumps of dirt) so the roots can easily penetrate
the soil. Shallow soil will cause the roots to poke out
above ground and will lead to smaller roots and a
smaller harvest. Even in good soil it’s normal to see the
top of the beetroot above the ground.
For best growth in shallow soils or containers, select
baby beets. These small but tasty forms of beetroot grow
readily in troughs in a sunny spot.
Get sowing
A curious thing about beetroot is its seed. Beetroot grows
from a corky seed cluster, which contains one to four
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Beetroot | GROWING
seeds. Because of this oddity, it’s necessary to thin out
seedlings when they’re large enough to handle. Select the
strongest seedlings and either transplant the “thinnings”
(the plants you remove) or eat them in a leafy salad.
With the soil prepared, sow the corky seed in shallow
rows about 1–2cm deep, pressing the seed firmly into
the soil and covering it. Alternatively, look for seed tapes
where a biodegradable tape has been impregnated with
beetroot seed to ensure good spacing. Keep the soil
moist while you wait for the seedlings to appear.
Beetroot can also be sown into a seedling punnet or
seed tray, allowed to grow until the seedlings are around
3–5cm high and then planted into the garden.
Beetroot label
Common name: Beetroot
Botanical name: Beta vulgaris
Family: Chenopodiaceae (spinach family)
Aspect & soil: Sun, well-drained soil free of lumps
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
Propagation: Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Moderate
Seeds take 10–14 days to germinate. Speed up
germination before direct sowing by soaking the seed in
warm water for an hour or two. This allows moisture to
penetrate the seed and triggers germination.
There’s another secret to beetroot growing: boron. It
can be added to the soil as borax. Dissolve a teaspoon
of borax powder in a watering can and water over the
seeds at sowing. Boron is a micronutrient that beetroot
needs to form good roots. Hollow roots can indicate a
boron deficiency.
If planting seedlings, soak the punnet well and gently
separate the seedlings. They can then be planted out
about 15–20cm apart. This allows each plant room to
grow a good-sized root.
As the plants develop, encourage good growth with
regular feeds of a liquid fertiliser that’s high in potassium
and phosphorus.
Boron is a micronutrient that
beetroot needs to form good
roots. Hollow roots can indicate
a boron deficiency.
Beetroot tends to grow with the top
of the roots protruding from the soil
Harvest, storage and preserving
Beetroot generally takes 10–12 weeks from planting out
seedlings to harvesting. By this time they’ll be around
6–10cm across. Baby beets can be harvested much
sooner — from around 6–7 weeks.
Don’t rush to harvest all your beetroot at once. Beets
can be left in the ground for several weeks beyond
maturity, especially in cooler climates or in the cooler
parts of the year in warm climates, but don’t leave them
for too many weeks as they can become woody and are
then best fed to the chooks.
When pulling beetroot from the soil, pull plants gently
to get the entire plant. Clean the roots to remove dirt or
grit. Store beetroot with its leaves attached. It keeps for
several weeks in the crisper section of the fridge.
Serve beetroot raw as sticks or grated, or steam, boil or
roast it. After cooking, remove the skin and eat as a hot
vegetable, turn into a soup or preserve it. It can be sliced
and stored in spiced vinegar. Beetroot juice has been
found in studies to lower high blood pressure.
Young beetroot leaves are a tasty
and colourful addition to salads
Good Organic Gardening | 81

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Beetroot
Star ingredient: Beetroot
Beetroot & Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
• 300g 70% organic
cocoa chocolate
• 250g raw beetroot,
grated
• 4 organic eggs,
separated, placing
whites in clean,
dry bowl
• 150g coconut sugar
• 70g almond meal
• 70g hazelnut meal
• 1 tbsp baking
powder
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• Crème fraîche or
cream, to serve
Method
1. Preheat oven 180°C.
2. Line base of 20cm cake tin with baking paper and
grease sides with a little butter. Dust sides with a glutenfree
flour, like coconut flour, shaking out excess.
3. Melt 200g of chocolate in a bowl over a simmering
pan of water (make sure base of bowl isn’t touching
water). Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.
4. Combine grated beetroot and egg yolks, then add
coconut sugar, almond meal, hazelnut meal, baking
powder, cocoa powder and melted chocolate, and
mix well.
5. Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.
6. Fold one-quarter of egg whites into beetroot mix,
combine gently, lightening mix, then add remaining egg
white, being careful not to over-mix.
7. Transfer to baking tin and bake for 50 mins. Check
the cake is cooked through by inserting a skewer or tip
of a knife, which should come out clean. Leave to cool.
8. To serve, melt remaining chocolate as before and
drizzle a little over cake. Serve with crème fraîche or
cream on the side.
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Beetroot | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON
Good Organic Gardening | 83

GROWING | Sweet corn
Sweet corn
Zeya mays
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
Sweet corn is a big, bold vegetable that’s sure to
be popular with all the family. If you’re planning to
grow a crop of sweet corn, allow plenty of room.
Not only does it grow tall, it’s also best grown in a block at
least a metre square. This is because sweet corn is wind
pollinated — planting it in a block maximises pollination
and produces well-filled cobs.
Sweet corn has its own language to describe the
flowers, fruit and the plant itself. The male flowers are
called tassels. The female flowers are known as silks,
which is also the name for the silky wispy filaments at the
top of each cob. The fruit is referred to as a cob and the
kernels on the cob as an ear. The cob has a husk, which is
the outer green “wrapping” that covers the juicy kernels,
which are the edible seeds. Shucking is the name given to
removing the outer husk. The stem of the corn is known
as the culm, as it’s a type of large grass.
Varieties
There are many sweet corn varieties available. Modern F1
hybrid varieties tend to be high yielding and very sweet.
They also keep longer than older varieties as they are
slower at converting sugar to starch. They may produce
yellow or bicolour kernels (a mix of white and yellow
kernels on each cob). Sweet-corn breeding has been
working towards producing sweeter and sweeter corn,
known as supersweet corn. Varieties with white and
yellow kernels are the top choice to grow for extrasweet
corn.
Older varieties usually produce just two cobs per plant
with yellow kernels but are more forgiving of fluctuations
in the season. A reliable variety to try is ‘Golden Bantam’,
which dates from the early 20th century.
There are also old corn varieties with blue kernels
(‘Hopi Blue’) and varieties with multi-coloured kernels
that may include yellow, white and purple.
As well as traditional sweet corn, there are other forms
of corn grown for different uses. Popcorn, as the name
suggests, is grown to make popcorn and is harvested
when it is hard. Baby corn is harvested while the cobs
are small and soft. Popcorn produces the best baby corn.
Maize is grown as stock food. It lacks the sweetness of
sweet corn.
Getting started
Sweet corn seed is large and easy to handle. It’s best
direct-sown where it is to grow. It likes a warm growing
period, so seed is sown during spring and 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 fertiliser.
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Sweet corn | GROWING
Just before sowing, water the soil well so the seed is
sown into damp but not overly wet soil.
To sow seeds, make a furrow in the soil about 25mm
deep. The back of a rake is an ideal tool for this. Make
furrows around 50cm apart. When planting, space the
seeds around 15–20cm apart and then thin plants so they
are 20–30cm apart.
Expect seedlings to emerge in 6–10 days from sowing.
Sweet corn has its own
language to describe the
flowers, fruit and the
plant itself.
Growing needs
The key to a good crop of sweet corn is to provide the
growing plants with plenty of fertiliser and regular, deep
watering. Apply additional fertiliser as the seedlings grow
and when the tassels (male flowers) appear as the plant
reaches maturity and begins to flower. 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 the growing plants for both water
and nutrients, so keeping the rows and space between
plants free of weeds is important for good growth. Hoeing
gently between the plants is the easiest way to keep the
patch weed free.
Companion planting
As this is a tall crop that takes many months to reach
harvest, where space is at a premium, the area around
these plants can be used to grow other crops.
Before the plants become tall, it’s possible
to grow a quick crop of lettuce between
rows or around a block of corn.
The stems can also be used to
support other plants, including
Did you know?
Each cob of corn produces
an even number of rows
of kernels.
Sweet corn label
Common name: Sweet corn
Botanical name: Zeya mays
Family: Poaceae (grass family)
Aspect & soil: Sun, well-drained soil
Best climate: All
Habit: Annual
Propagation: Seed, seedling
Difficulty: Easy
climbing beans. A block of corn can also be grown
to provide shade and shelter to other crops, such as
leafy greens.
If extra crops are planted in and around sweet corn,
provide extra water and nutrients to keep the sweet corn
growing strongly.
Troubleshooting
The main disappointment with homegrown sweet
corn is harvesting cobs that have few kernels. Planting
corn in blocks helps to ensure good pollination. Once
the cobs begin to form, corn earworm or budworm
caterpillars may burrow down from the top of the cob
into the kernels.
For organic control, check plants regularly for signs
of caterpillars or frass and webbing at the top of the
cob. Remove caterpillars or affected cobs. You can try
Dipel, but this is ineffective if caterpillars have already
entered cobs.
Harvesting & storing
Sweet corn takes around 10–12 weeks to grow
and produce cobs. Watch the crop carefully to
pick cobs at their peak ripeness when they
are sweet and juicy. Overripe cobs quickly
become tough as sugars in the kernel are
converted to starch.
Telltale signs that the cobs are ready
to harvest include the 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. Cobs
store for a few days if they are well wrapped and kept
in the crisper section of the fridge. Excess can be
blanched and frozen or used to make pickles and
relish (see Jo Rushton’s recipe for corn relish on
page 88).
Good Organic Gardening | 85

COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Sweet corn
Star ingredient: Sweet corn
Corn & Chive Fritters
with Avocado Salsa
Makes 8 fritters
Ingredients
• 500g raw sweet
corn kernels, about
3 ears of corn
• 4 organic eggs
• Pinch sea salt &
freshly ground
pepper
• 1 bunch chives,
chopped
• 1 red capsicum,
finely chopped
• ½ leek, finely sliced
• 1 heaped tbsp
coconut flour
• 1 heaped tbsp
almond meal
• Ghee or coconut
oil, for frying
Method
1. Combine half the corn kernels with eggs,
salt and pepper in food processor or highperformance
blender. Process for 1 min or until
corn has broken up and forms a batter with
eggs. Transfer to bowl.
2. Fold in remaining corn kernels, chives,
capsicum, leek, coconut flour and almond meal
to form a batter.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or coconut oil in
a frying pan over a gentle heat.
4. Drop 2 tablespoons of mixture per fritter
into pan and cook in small batches for 4 mins
each side or until firm and golden.
5. Serve with avocado salsa and green leaves.
Avocado salsa
Roots of bunch of coriander
1 green chilli, chopped (seeds in if
you like it hot)
1 large clove garlic, minced
Juice 1 lime
2 avocados, mashed
½ Spanish onion, diced
2 tomatoes, chopped
Celtic sea salt & pepper, to taste
Handful chopped coriander leaves
1. Using a mortar and pestle, pound
coriander roots with chilli, garlic and
lime juice until a fine paste.
2. Mix paste through mashed avocado,
then add onion, tomato, salt and
pepper, and coriander leaves. Mix
well. Can be stored in a sealed glass
container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
86 | Good Organic Gardening

Sweet corn | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON
Good Organic Gardening | 87

PRESERVING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | SWEET CORN
Star ingredient: Sweet corn
Fermented Sweet Corn
& Chilli Relish
Recipe adapted from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions
Ingredients
• 3 cups corn kernels
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ capsicum, seeded & chopped
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp Celtic sea salt
Method
1. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients.
Pound gently with wooden pounder or meat
hammer to release juices.
2. Place in 1L wide-mouthed jar and press
down until juices cover relish. Top of vegetable
mix should be at least 3cm below top of jar.
3. Cover tightly and leave at room
temperature for 3 days, then transfer to fridge.
Relish will last up to a month.
88 | Good Organic Gardening

PICK OF THE CROP
pick of the crop
Our selection of products and services for gardeners and cooks
News from the Organigrow farm
Great progress has been made at the Organigrow farm. We have completed the new
brooder shed, which is rat-proof and insulated with 200mm of rock wool insulation.
It’s now working well, though I still have to put in the final touches of hanging the
temperature sensors and completing the automation of vents fans etc. It has cut the
gas bill by hundreds of dollars per batch, and thus our CO2 emissions, and protected
the chicks from the antechinus, which decimated the last batch we raised in the
old brooder. We converted the old brooders into a grower run with new fencing and
overhead netting; there’s now almost 5000 square metres of protected area for the
growing chicks to run around in. They are having a great time with all the space and
fresh pasture to eat. We’re working on the final touches: a feedline to automate the
feeding and roof sprinklers to keep them cool over the hot months.
organigrow.com.au
Number 1
cold-press juicer
The Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer is both
Choice Recommended and the Good
Organic Gardening Award Winner for
the number 1 cold-press juicer. It’s the
first cold-press juicer that juices whole
fruit and vegetables. Stylish, quiet and
easy to clean, it yields more nutrients
and enzymes for a healthy juice. Made
in Korea with 20 years warranty on the
motor and five years on the parts. For
more information visit kuvings.net.au or
call 02 9798 0586.
Pest-free the organic way
Keep your vegetables and garden plants pest-free and looking good the
natural way without using harsh chemicals. Searles Ecofend® Vegetable
& Garden is an organic soap-based spray that makes it easy to control
infestations of insects and mites like thrips, mealybug, whitefly and those
nasty plant-deforming insects, aphids. Spray Searles Ecofend® Vegetable
& Garden at the first sight of insects on your vegetables, fruit trees,
pot plants, roses and ornamentals. This spray contains an organic
ingredient that is safe to use on edible plants. Available in 250mL,
500mL and 1L easy-to-measure concentrated bottles and a readyto-use
trigger spray. Call 07 5422 3000 or visit searles.com.au for
more information on this product and other organic pest-control
sprays, especially for fruit trees and shrubs. searles.com.au
Eco-elegance
in a candle
This elegant glass tumbler is sure to add
sophistication to any setting, along with a
romantic glow. Hand-crafted from a topquality
thick-walled glass tumbler with a
resealable bamboo lid, its wick crackles
like fire, adding a lovely ambience to your
space. Available in Drishti’s five custom
aromas, all 100 per cent essential oils
with therapeutic benefits, it will fill your
home with beautiful aromas and glowing
light. Drishti candles are made from
100 per cent natural ingredients and
aromatherapy essential oils, along with
cotton or wooden wicks (FSC certified).
Each candle has a unique feather pattern
and is hand-blended. With a Drishti candle
you feel you have stepped into nature and
are surrounded by its beauty. The glass
tumbler has the largest scent throw of all
Drishti candles, so is ideal for a spacious
area. These candles really offer you a
piece of eco-elegance. 100% Natural.
100% Beautiful. 100% Lighting the Way.
drishti.com.au
Good Organic Gardening | 89

Wild Olive
Chardonnay
— perfect for
summer
Wild Olive Organic McLaren
Vale Chardonnay is the latest
addition to the fantastic range
of organic wines from fifth
generation family-owned,
Angove Family Winemakers.
Grapes are sourced from fully
certified vineyards in McLaren
Vale. The region’s idyllic
Mediterranean climate and
proximity to the ocean allows
them to ripen slowly to the
peak of flavour ripeness while
retaining natural acidity. They
have been gently crafted with
minimal intervention into this
delightfully fresh wine that is
bursting with the ubiquitous
peach, melon and nectarine
flavours of modern Australian
Chardonnay with just a hint
of oak. angove.com.au
Is keeping chooks
just too hard?
You’ve probably read about the increasing number of people
keeping chooks, which may have got you thinking, maybe I should
get chooks. There is, of course, also that nagging voice telling you
that you already have enough to do. Honestly, though, chickens
are a lot easier to look after than a dog — no walking for a start.
By keeping just two chooks you could get up to 12 delicious eggs
a week. Fresh is definitely better when it comes to eggs, plus you
know exactly what has gone into them. The usual objections to
keeping chooks are cleaning the coop, smells and rodents. There
are lots of different chicken coops on the market, but we love the
Omlet Eglu Go UP because it addresses all three. It’s plastic, so
it’s easy to clean — just turn the hose on it. That means you don’t
get horrible smells, plus it’s easy to remove the droppings tray
and empty it straight into the compost. Rodents are attracted by
food and chickens can be messy eaters. However, the Eglu Go
UP comes with a specially designed feeder that prevents them
throwing food around. Omlet.com.au
The best hanging baskets in
the world
Seeing is believing, and the range of hanging baskets from Bloom
Master Australia has everything you ever wanted in a hanging
basket and more. It’s just so simple: plant the side holes and the
top with your choice of seedlings and before you know it the
basket is covered in a cascade of colour, giving you months of
blooming pleasure. Your options are endless: herbs, strawberries,
flowers — all are showcased brilliantly with these baskets and
planter boxes. The unique design means the potting mix won’t
wash out of the holes when watered. Due to the volume and
depth of the containers, they stay moist longer and the foliage
becomes insulating while still allowing aeration through the side
holes. The product range is made of high-quality poly-propylene
and is UV-treated. Available in various sizes and comes complete
with wire hanger. bloommaster.com.au
Automatic irrigation
for small spaces
Irrigatia makes automatic solar irrigation systems that respond to the
weather to decide for themselves how much water your plants need.
The system is solar-powered and waters by slow drip every three hours
from any-sized, clean, still water source. And it works whether you are
home or on holiday! The system is great for pots (up to 48), garden beds,
vegetables, courtyards and balcony gardens and in your greenhouse. And
because it can raise water as high as 4.5m, it’s wonderful for living walls and
hanging baskets (and who has the time to water them three or four times a
day?!) The water source for the system could be an existing water tank or
a bin full of clean water — drill a small hole in the lid for the inlet tube and
to keep the mozzies out. The Irrigatia kit comes complete with a 12-dripper
irrigation kit. This can be extended with further Irrigatia drippers or with a
seephose kit. irrigatia.com.au
90 | Good Organic Gardening

PICK OF THE CROP
For households
and businesses
If you and your family could choose one of the following for
your home what would it be?
Non-toxic Australian products for cleaning your home
environment
Non-toxic cleaning that can reduced your expenditure on
cleaners by half
Non-toxic products that don’t harm you or your local
environment
Green Aussie Cleaner® has for 23 years delivered to
families all of the above. It will give you the ultimate cleaning
experience for you and your family. It is one single non-toxic
product for your home cleaning, including
clothes washing. The formula is designed
for you the user to get extraordinary value
for money by adding extra water for your
job applications. Green Aussie Cleaner® is
manufactured using totally environmentally
safe ingredients with essential oils. Our fragile
environment, which has been under attack
over many generations, can benefit greatly
from products like Green Aussie Cleaner®.
Do yourself a favour and check out our
testimonials at greenaussiefoundation.org
Fruit Salad Tree
The Fruit Salad Tree, developed in 1990 by the West
family, bears up to six different fruits of the same family
on the one plant. All fruits retain their individuality, with
staggered ripening times. There are four tree types: stone
fruit, citrus, multi apples and multi nashis. The trees can be
grown in the ground, espaliered or grown in pots. Instead of
having numerous different trees with more fruit than your
household can consume there’s just one tree with the fruits
ripening naturally over a period of months. Trees are grown
so the fruiting branches begin about 10cm above soil level,
keeping them compact, which allows easy harvesting. There
are trees to suit most climatic conditions and planting
can take place at any time of the year. Whatever variety is
required for cross-pollination has been grafted onto the
tree. You simply list the fruits you would like to have, in
the order of importance and, working down your list, the
company chooses the best trees to suit your requirements.
Trees are dispatched all year round (while in stock)
and are permitted entry into all states of Australia. Visit
FruitSaladTrees.com to complete a mail-order form.
Sprinklers for large
and small areas
Wobble-Tee now has a sprinkler for both large and small areas. The
award-winning Wobble-Tee Sprinkler covers large areas up to a 15m
diameter with low to medium pressure requirements and will water
your lawn efficiently just like slow soaking rain. The consistent large
droplets minimise wind drift and evaporation loss. The removable filter
allows use with river and dam water. The Wobble-Tee also has the
ability to operate more than one sprinkler from the same tap so you
can water even larger areas. On the other hand, if you have a small
courtyard, the Clever Drop Sprinkler is for you, watering up to an 8m
diameter. This new sprinkler has many clever features. A low angle of
trajectory reduces wind drift and contains a small area. The purposebuilt
base can be adjusted for uneven surfaces or used on your
corrugated iron roof for cooling of work sheds and bird aviaries. Run up
to eight sprinklers in a row to cover the long, narrow areas in your yard.
Operates with 5–50psi and pressure-regulating discs supplied allow use
with high pressure to water a small area. wobble-tee.com.au
Water
only when
needed with
the Toro
Precision
Soil Sensor
The Toro Precision Soil
Sensor reduces water waste
by measuring moisture
levels in your soil and
determining when to
allow your controller to
water. “We’ve taken the
same technology found at
professional golf courses
and sports fields and
created a sensor intended
for residential use,” says
Ben Hall of Toro Australia.
The Precision Soil Sensor
is a two-part system that includes a battery-powered sensor and a receiver
connected to your irrigation controller. Communication between the sensor
and receiver is wireless, with up to 152m line-of-sight range. It’s very easy to
install and no digging is required. First, connect the receiver to the controller,
then find a representative area of your property for the sensor. Push the
sensor probe in the ground and it will automatically calibrate itself to your soil
type and begin communicating wirelessly with the receiver. toro.com.au
Good Organic Gardening | 91

PICK OF THE CROP
Yates Nature’s Way —
control insect pests
organically
Yates has three fantastic new products in its organically
certified Nature’s Way range:
Vegie & Herb Spray, based on insecticidal soap, targets
sucking insects like aphids, thrips and whitefly.
Caterpillar Killer, containing the beneficial bacteria
Bacillus thuringiensis controls most common caterpillars,
like cabbage white butterfly, looper and budworm.
Citrus & Ornamental Spray, containing the special
combination of natural pyrethrin and vegetable oil,
controls both chewing and sucking insect pests on citrus,
ornamental plants and vegies.
For more information on organic gardening, head to
yates.com.au. Yates also has a fantastic Garden Club and
members receive a monthly gardening email that gives
handy information about what to do in the garden that
month. It’s free to join and as a special offer to Good Organic
Gardening magazine readers, sign up using the promotional
code GOG15 and receive a packet of Yates organic seed.
Organic
rubbish bags
Help reduce the amount of toxic plastic
bags that continue to accumulate in our
environment every year by using these
revolutionary organic rubbish bags from
Maze. Constructed from a starch-based
polymer, the organic rubbish bags begin to
decompose within weeks of being added
to your local rubbish tip. All you need to
do is simply add your indoor and outdoor
refuse into one of the 27L capacity bags,
dispose of it into your outdoor bin and rest
assured that you have actively contributed
to the health of your local environment.
With strong and durable easy-tie handles,
these 27L organic rubbish bags fit most
small/medium-sized bins and are easily
used in the home, office or garden.
mazeproducts.com.au
Amazing Coconut
Did you know that coconut fibre has a
natural anti-bacterial? This quality makes
it a perfect natural fibre for the kitchen
that is eco-friendly, biodegradable
and a healthier and more sustainable
choice. The Eco Max Kitchen Scrubber
uses the husk of the coconut to make
a strong, long-lasting kitchen scrubber.
The fibres are wound onto galvanised
wire, so it won’t rust and can even go
into the dishwasher. Unlike with nylon
scourers, oil and fat does not congeal on
the coconut fibre and it won’t scratch
enamelware or take the patina from cast
iron. The bristles make it ideal for hardto-clean
areas such as garlic crushers,
strainers and graters and it easily cleans
blenders, juicers and mixers. You can
even use the Eco Max Kitchen Scrubber
outside on the barbecue, animal troughs,
pet bowl or in the chook shed to clean
your eggs. With a RRP of $3 you’ll find
many uses for the Eco Max Kitchen
Scrubber. For a stockist near you,
importants.com.au
Organic home-style cookies
Organic Times’ certified organic home-style cookies are made
with only the best-quality ingredients, including organic 100 per
cent grass-fed butter; Fairtrade organic premium couverture
chocolate; fresh organic whole eggs; organic pure vanilla
extract; and Australian organic almonds and macadamia nuts.
The range includes Choc Chip, Triple Choc, White Chocolate
Macadamia and Choc Almond. Baked with love in our boutique
family bakery, our cookies contain no GMOs, no palm oil and
nothing artificial. Offering a better choice for you and our
planet, without compromising on all the deliciousness you
expect in your favourite cookies. Gluten-free also available.
Available at Target, organic and healthfood stores, independent
supermarkets and gourmet retailers. organictimes.com.au
92 | Good Organic Gardening

PICK OF THE CROP
Save water and get better
growth with the world’s
best-tasting water!
The key to better plant growth and water savings is
all about fast and efficient hydration. The PhPerfect
Energised Water Systems Home Edge, Commercial
Edge & Travel Edge all energise and re-animate stale,
lifeless water typically found in Australian urban and
rural areas by creating smaller water molecule clusters,
which penetrate the blood and plant cells more easily
and efficiently. This provides faster and more effective
hydration, meaning less water is needed to effect the
same result. And for gardeners, that can add up to
substantial water savings and faster plant growth! Give
the hydration experts at Healthy Water Technologies
Australia a call today and find out how you can enjoy
the world’s best-tasting water at home, in the garden
or wherever you travel. And remember, PhPerfect
Energised Water not only tastes better, it’s better for
you and your garden! hwta.com.au
Grow delicious vegies you’ll love
to share
There’s nothing more rewarding than growing your own organic vegies!
And when they’re picked perfectly ripe from your own garden, they taste
absolutely delicious and are packed with healthy nutrients, too. Pure Organic
products are just as Mother Nature intended. They are organic and have
no added synthetic chemicals. Setting up the perfect organic growing
environment at home can be a hassle, but with Scotts Pure Organic soils and
plant foods, it couldn’t be easier. Simply open the pack and add it to pots,
planters or garden beds. Pure Organic has been developed in collaboration
with expert horticulturists to ensure your homegrown produce has everything
it needs, right from the bag. The mixture contains organic slow-release
fertiliser to feed your plants for three months so your crop will receive the
right amount of nutrients and help your herbs, vegies and tomatoes flourish!
New Scotts Pure Organic works! For expert gardening advice call
1800 804 219 (Mon–Fri 9am–5pm) or visit scottspureorganic.com.au
Cover to cover
The Australian Native
Garden: A Practical Guide
By Angus Stewart & AB
Bishop, Murdoch Books,
$49.99
“It’s not too much of a stretch,”
writes Angus Stewart, “to say
that planting an indigenous
garden can help save the
planet.” The ABC’s Gardening
Australia guru makes the
point that designing a native
garden — droughtproof,
fire-resistant and attractive
to native fauna — is a small
step towards “climate and pollution control as well as ecological
diversity”. This book, lavishly illustrated with beautiful colour photos,
many by Stewart and researcher AB Bishop, is a step-by-step guide
to achieving that, from the fundamentals of soils and growing
techniques to fertilising and maintenance. The authors look at both
wild habitats and some of our best-designed native gardens as
well as native Australian plantations as far away as California and
Europe. Comprehensive and engagingly written, this is all you need
to know to start saving the planet — one callistemon at a time.
The Produce Companion
By Meredith Kirton & Mandy
Sinclair, Hardie Grant, $49.95
Cookbooks are pretty much
the cutting edge of book
design these days and this
stunningly produced volume
is no exception. But behind its
good looks is a 350-odd-page
celebration of the seasonal
delights of fresh produce, from
garden to plate. “Neither of
us can bear waste,” declare
gardening expert Meredith
Kirton and food writer Mandy
Sinclair. “It seems so ungrateful not to make use of everything.”
Accordingly, the authors divide their book into two parts. Garden
is full of fine information about growing, harvesting and storing
fruit, vegies and herbs, from apples and artichokes to thyme
and zucchinis. Recipes presents more than 100 ways to save
and use each season’s bounty, whether as jams or jellies, sauces
or salsas, chutneys or pestos. A bonus is the handy guide to
pickling and preserving. In short, this book is not just a pleasure
to look at but a valuable resource as well.
Good Organic Gardening | 93

WHAT’S ON
A tiny sample of events around the country in January & February
SA
Joe’s Connected Garden
Sat Feb 6 to Sun Feb 7
6 Argent St, Elizabeth South
With an amazing collection of temperate and subtropical trees
and a large collection of vegetables, this garden is a cornucopia
in suburbia. There are no clipped ornamental shrubs but instead
well-pruned fruit trees: limes, lemons, figs, loquats and apples are
just some of the trees in Joe’s Connected Garden. There are three
different blocks and you can travel between the three amazing
gardens to enjoy pruning demonstrations, stalls, edible and
sustainable gardening talks, and plant sales. opengardensa.org.au
TAS
Chudleigh Show
Sat Feb 20
Chudleigh
With the first show held in 1889, this is one of Tasmania’s oldest
shows. It’s an annual event showcasing and promoting the local
agricultural industries with a focus on creating a great family day
and showing the best of what the local area has to offer. You can
camp or park a caravan on the grassed areas in the showgrounds.
The Chudleigh Agricultural and Horticultural Society is one of the
oldest in Tasmania and Chudleigh itself is a charming little village
located between Deloraine and Mole Creek. chudleighshow.com.au,
facebook.com/Chudleigh-Agricultural-Horticultural-Society
QLD
2016 Ginger Flower and Food Festival
Fri Jan 22 to Sun Jan 24
The Ginger Factory, 50 Pioneer Rd, Yandina
The 20th Ginger Flower and Food Festival will have an exciting
lineup of local kitchen masters and gardening experts over three
days of fabulous flowers, delicious food and entertainment for all.
There will be live cooking demonstrations and garden talks that
explore the processes of planting, growing, harvesting and cooking
with gingers. Visitors will be treated to a visual feast of vibrant
colour with a 3m-high central floral display. Ornamental gingers
and heliconias will be for sale throughout the festival, with plant
varieties suited to all garden sizes. gingerfactory.com.au
VIC
Seymour Alternative Farming Expo 2016
Fri Feb 19 to Sun Feb 21
Kings Park, Seymour
Showcasing the latest in alternative farming and rural lifestyles,
the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo will have more than 500
sites on show at Seymour’s picturesque Kings Park Reserve. There
will be plenty to see and do for everyone, from country cooking
to chainsaw carving, plus hundreds of animals, including cattle,
sheep, goats, pigs, alpacas, camels and chooks, along with the
latest in alternative power generation, musical entertainment,
furniture, art, food and wine. seymour-expo.com
WA
Garden Clubs & Societies Plant Fair
Sat Feb 27 to Sun Feb 28
South Perth Community Centre, Sandgate St, South Perth
The Western Australian Horticultural Council Inc represents
amateur horticulture in WA and organises two plant fairs
annually to allow members to promote their plants and activities
to the public. For more information on the coming event,
contact Helen, email hortwa@fuzenet.com.au or
horticulturalcouncil.com.au
NSW
Milkwood Passata Day 2016
Sat Jan 30, 3pm–7pm
107 Rooftop Garden, 107 Redfern St, Redfern
A day of tomato squishing, bottling, feasting and making merry,
with a hands-on, rolling session of passata making, followed by
cooking fresh pasta for lunch to go alongside a fresher-than-fresh
passata sauce, summer herbs and other simple pleasures. Lunch
will be followed by more passata making, salsa-meets-dancehallmeets-reggae
tunes, and virgin (or otherwise) Marys. Go home with
bottles of freshly made organic passata, new friends, and new skills.
The 107 Rooftop Garden is an inner-city food system of vertical
gardens, intensive vegie beds, aquaponics, beehives, dappled shady
nooks and lots of hands-on opportunities to learn. milkwood.net
94 | Good Organic Gardening

People’s
Choice
GARDEN IDEA
AWARDS 2016
THYME IS RUNNING OUT!
MAKE SURE YOU VOTE TODAY
Good Organic Gardening magazine is delighted
to present the Good Organic Gardening magazine People’s
Choice Garden Idea Awards 2016.
We have a bountiful harvest of products and services that
we think represent good gardening ideas and we want you to
choose this year’s pick of the crop from a range of categories.
FIRST 200 PEOPLE TO VOTE WILL RECEIVE A SET
OF BOOKS FROM THE GREENIOLOGY SERIES
HEAD TO
COMPLETEHOME.COM.AU/GOODORGANICIDEAAWARDS

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5
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TIP: Better fruiting
Thinning a fruit tree with an abundance of fruit may seem
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it. Twist off any misshapen or damaged fruit first, leaving just
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Carrot
Daucus carota ssp. sativus
Carrot seeds are best sown where they are
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Carrot
Common name: Carrot
Botanical name: Daucus carota ssp. sativus
Aspect and soil: Sun; friable,
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Suitable for: Deep containers, vegie beds
Habit: Annual root crop
Propagation: Seeds
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Directory
The Greener Plant®
For the Home Gardener
We also use and recommend
THE GREENER PLANT
FULVIC BENEFITS
Transports nutrients to cells
for optimal immune response
Turbo-charges nutrient uptake
Improves drought and frost
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Greatly improves carbon
capture and storage
Super concentrated! 10ml
makes 1.5L to 3L of foliar
spray
Only requires a mist on plants
once or twice per week
“Around the end of October 2008 I sprayed The Greener Plant on my
vegetables in my wheel barrow in my back yard in NSW. I had broccoli
which was only six inches at the time and miniature spinach, herbs,
chives and Chinese vegetables.
Also I had pansies in the garden which had been in for about four
months and were fi nishing due to the end of the season. After spraying
the pansies once I noticed the next day they were coming back to life.
On the second day they were radiant and oh so colourful. The brightness
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lasted through the 40 degree heat wave we have just had here.
Then the broccoli simply started growing the next day literally like Jack
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was getting bigger and then started to grow out of the wheel barrow
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Every thing I sprayed with The Greener Plant virtually grew so fast
and all the plants were so green and healthy and lush. This was the fi rst
time I had ever experimented with a natural plant stimulant and I did not
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I am convinced that The Greener Plant is a must for people who now
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seen the tremendous growth and health of my garden.” Jill C, NSW
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PHONE 0406 154 274. Email: chooks@grandpasfeeders.com
341 Barwon Heads Road, Marshall, Vic 3216.
ctn21102

Directory
Robinvale Wines is a family run and owned certied
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Free Call 1800 819 003 www.earthlife.com.au

Directory
SMALL WATERING PROBLEMS...
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m. 0467 006 529
www.compot.com.au or call 07 3358 3716
www.ecogrow.com.au
Australian owned and operated

Directory
It’s no surprise that Troforte® is fast
becoming the fertiliser of choice for
Australian gardeners. The unique,
specifically selected strains of beneficial
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RESULTS SPEAK
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After all, it took us 15 years researching
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and also 60 minerals and controlled
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Troforte is safe for our environment and
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(for more information i and your nearest retailer )
E: info@langleyfertilizers.com.au P: (08) 9302 1633
IT’S
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The device also has a motion sensor that activates the possum repeller when
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the device on at dusk and off at dawn or runs 24 hours when used in a roof space.
The Possum Repeller is easy to use, set up and maintain. We’re always at the end of a
phone or email to help you with any setup and best practice questions you may have.
(07) 5443 6344
birdgard@birdgard.com.au
www.birdgard.com.au

Directory
PRESERVATIVE FREE • JAMES HALLIDAY OUTSTANDING
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100% BIO-DEGRADABLE POT
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To order your plant-a-pot pack:
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marion@greentech.net.au
ph: 0412 186 933
HAND MADE
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• Largest supplier of Perma-Guard Fossil Shell Flour,
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PO Box 462, Bellingen NSW 2454
info@windsongchimes.com.au
Phone: (02) 6655 9899

Join us at one of our nutrition and cooking
demonstrations or retreats, see website for
details or connect with us at the Energy
Coaching Institute on Facebook for regular
updates, and health and wellness tips.
Specialising in a unique multidisciplined
approach to enhancing
your energy, personal health
& professional performance.
Go to our website for a FREE chapter
of Jo’s book ‘Rocket Fuel on a Budget’.
www.facebook.com/ EnergyCoachingInstitute
www.energycoachinginstitute.com

For the
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