1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

More documents

Recommendations

Info

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
Good things come in small packages. INTRODUCING POPE’S NEW SMALL GARDEN HOSE REEL Portable Compact Ready to go Like us at: popeproductsaustralia popeproducts.com.au
Page 1: grow naturally, eat fresh, live sus
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 8 22 40 Things to Do Heat
Page 7 and 8: Veggies picked ripe from your own g
Page 9 and 10: Australia’s largest and very best
Page 11 and 12: With Melissa King | THE SEASONAL GA
Page 14 and 15: CLEVER CROP | Dragon fruit Pretty i
Page 16 and 17: PLANT PROFILE | Basil 16 | Good Org
Page 18 and 19: PLANT PROFILE | Basil Small-leaf Gr
Page 20 and 21: A plant with attitude Stinging nett
Page 22 and 23: FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Strawberries Alp
Page 26 and 27: GARDENING FOLK | Farouk & Magda Kha
Page 28 and 29: GARDENING FOLK | Farouk & Magda Kha
Page 30 and 31: GARDENING FOLK | Danny Summers Dann
Page 32 and 33: GARDENING FOLK | Danny Summers Nati
Page 34 and 35: GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nank
Page 36 and 37: GARDENING FOLK | Sandra & Mick Nank
Page 38 and 39: TIME TO PLANT | Lettuce Lettuce Lac
Page 40 and 41: GARDEN DIARY | Mid-summer Things to
Page 42 and 43: GARDEN DIARY | Late summer Things t
Page 44 and 45: Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS 10 Top T
Page 46 and 47: WEEKEND GARDENING | Kids in the gar
Page 48 and 49: WEEKEND GARDENING | Kids in the gar
Page 50 and 51: GARDENING CHALLENGE | Growing truff
Page 52 and 53: GARDENING CHALLENGE | Growing truff
Page 54 and 55: PLANT HEALTH | Disease distress Man
Page 56 and 57: PLANT HEALTH | Disease distress Soo
Page 58 and 59: SAFER SOLUTIONS | Dipel Rose budwor
Page 60 and 61: SAFER SOLUTIONS | Dipel Green loope
Page 62: THE SHED | Making BIM The cultured
Page 65 and 66: THE SHED | Making BIM Bury in at le
Page 67 and 68: FEATHERED FRIENDS | Bantam ducks Bu
Page 69 and 70: FEATHERED FRIENDS | Bantam ducks A
Page 71 and 72: GARDEN TO TABLE | Four Seasonal Edi
Page 73 and 74: GROWING | Passionfruit Passionfruit
Page 75 and 76:
COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Passi
Page 77 and 78:
GROWING | Parsnip Parsnip Pastinaca
Page 79 and 80:
COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Parsn
Page 81 and 82:
GROWING | Beetroot Beetroot Beta vu
Page 83 and 84:
COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Beetr
Page 85 and 86:
GROWING | Sweet corn Sweet corn Zey
Page 87 and 88:
COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Sweet
Page 89 and 90:
PRESERVING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | SW
Page 91 and 92:
Wild Olive Chardonnay — perfect f
Page 93 and 94:
PICK OF THE CROP Yates Nature’s W
Page 95 and 96:
WHAT’S ON A tiny sample of events
Page 97 and 98:
Artichoke Heart. DIGITAL HEAD. Get
Page 99 and 100:
WHAT’S GROWING ON IN 2016? BONUS
Page 101 and 102:
SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH INSPIRATIO
Page 103 and 104:
Directory Robinvale Wines is a fami
Page 105 and 106:
Directory It’s no surprise that T
Page 107 and 108:
Join us at one of our nutrition and
Page 109:
Your Complete Steel Edging Solution
show all

1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?