1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016
1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016 1. Good Organic Gardening - January-February 2016
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
- 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 24 and 25: FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | STRAWBERRIES Abo
- 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 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
Danny Summers | GARDENING FOLK<br />
and shrubs, including pomegranate, passionfruit,<br />
Brazilian guavas, boysenberries, peaches,<br />
oranges, limes and lemonades, as well as<br />
native hibiscus.<br />
“Pigeon pea creates a great microclimate<br />
and can be eaten as dhal,” he says. He likes<br />
to propagate bromeliads, too. There are some<br />
Himalayan ash trees, which are not native but the<br />
king parrots love their seeds.<br />
Water is often scarce in Murgon and the dam<br />
was dry at the time of our visit. In dry periods,<br />
advises Danny, “Don’t use too much nitrogen,<br />
because without sufficient water supply to<br />
help the plants grow, the nitrogen is wasted<br />
and can burn plants.”<br />
He’s set up a grey water system but is mindful<br />
of changing the supply to different trees. “Don’t<br />
build up too much soapsuds as they contain<br />
sulphates and can make the soil waterrepellent,”<br />
he warns.<br />
Danny also uses mulch to strain the heavier<br />
constituents of the grey water to protect the<br />
soil. He likes to use sugarcane mulch, preferring<br />
to pay more for good-quality mulch that has<br />
no weeds rather than spend time and effort<br />
removing weeds introduced by cheap mulch.<br />
Worm juice<br />
and seaweed tea<br />
Danny enjoys creating worm juice in large<br />
quantities. He has constructed a worm farm<br />
designed to leach worm juice. The worms are<br />
farmed in a shed, on sloped tables lined with<br />
black plastic. At the taller end, the worms are fed<br />
horse manure. Danny adds lime to reduce acidity<br />
and mixes it all up regularly to provide aeration,<br />
as the mix is watered to produce runoff.<br />
The runoff flows down the slope and is<br />
collected in buckets and aerated with a small<br />
fishtank pump. This ensures growth of the<br />
beneficial micro-organisms that give worm juice<br />
its excellent fertilising properties.<br />
Danny also feeds molasses to the microbes<br />
in the juice. He then strains the runoff through<br />
stockings and collects the worm juice in recycled<br />
Danny creates his own biodynamic lifter<br />
from rice husks<br />
milk bottles. He dilutes it before using it on the<br />
garden and gives some away.<br />
Danny’s other favourite fertiliser is seaweed<br />
tea. He buys Tasmanian seaweed, as it’s low in<br />
arsenic and other toxins, unlike seaweed from<br />
other countries. He puts 1kg of seaweed into<br />
20L of water, mixing it regularly, as it sticks to<br />
the bottom of the bucket. It takes six weeks<br />
for the nutrients to enter the water. He then<br />
strains it off through a paint strainer. He says<br />
the worms also love the seaweed tea.<br />
Danny definitely likes to work with nature in<br />
an inventive way. He has an eye for the different<br />
functions that each creature and plant<br />
contributes to create a sustainable garden<br />
ecosystem.<br />
Danny’s other favourite<br />
fertiliser is seaweed tea. He<br />
buys Tasmanian seaweed,<br />
as it’s low in arsenic and<br />
other toxins, unlike seaweed<br />
from other countries.<br />
Water is essential for bees<br />
<strong>Good</strong> <strong>Organic</strong> <strong>Gardening</strong> | 33