2022-03-01 GOOD ORGANIC GARDENING

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably

MARCH/APRIL 2022 JENNIFER STACKHOUSE
Clever crops: lamb’s lettuce & ginkgo

Ornamentals: sweet peas
PLUS kale, kiwifruit & tamarillo

ANGUS STEWART
Brilliant bottlebrush

CHLOE THOMSON HOW TO
Citrus & microgreens
Mulch your
CLAIRE BICKLE garden for free
Tropical fruits Part 3
Make your lawn
eco-friendly

Vol. 12 No.6 A HEADS UP ON

MAR/APR 2022 AUS $9.95* heirloom
NZ $7.90 (Both incl. GST) cabbages

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SNOWPEAS & SUGAR SNAPS | EYEBRIGHT | PREBIOTICS





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13 11 37

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Steve McGrane’s
wavy lawn, p.68

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably

THIS ISSUE Editor Kerry Boyne

“Turn grass into lawn,” went plus she covers kale, kiwifruit and Designer Michaela Primiano
those classic ads for Victa tamarillo. Meantime, Chloe Thomson is
mowers. Lately, however, many planting heirloom cabbages in the vegie Contributors Claire Bickle,
of us have begun to wonder patch, citrus trees in the orchard and
whether that’s automatically a good thing. microgreens on the windowsill. Dr Karen Bridgman, Angelo Eliades,

We’ve noticed that many food Claire Bickle completes her series on Lisa Holmen, Jana Holmer, Lee Holmes,
gardeners and those designing their the more unusual tropical fruits to grow
gardens with habitat creation in mind are wherever they can thrive. Plus, we have Jo Immig, Steve McGrane, Megg Miller,
not sure what to do about lawn areas. lucky broad beans (you’ll have to read
the story to find out what that’s about) Linda Moon, Caroline Robertson,
Are they a waste of valuable space and snappy mangetout peas, the ones
where you could be growing edibles for you can eat pod and all. Jennifer Stackhouse, Chris Stafford,
humans and wildlife — not to mention
beneficial insects? Or are they legitimate There’s plenty of vibrant colour in the Angus Stewart, Chloe Thomson
leisure areas for people and pets? magazine, too, with Jennifer’s pretty
palette of sweet peas and Angus Stewart’s National Advertising Manager
Does an immaculately manicured magnificent array of bottlebrush varieties.
lawn have its own special aesthetic Miriam Keen
value or is it rather a “blank space” in Linda Moon explores the concept of
your gardenscape? DIY mulch made for free from found Ph: (02) 9887 0604 | Fax: (02) 9878 5553
materials. Meanwhile, down in the
Grass is a carbon sink, of course, but henhouse, Megg Miller writes about the Mb: 0414 969 693 Email: [email protected]
is its carbon cost (the amount of CO it joys of rehoming mature chooks rather
than buying point-of-lay pullets. Advertising Art Director Martha Rubazewicz
2
What else? We visit two community Advertising Production Co-ordinator
produces) higher than its sequestration gardens where folks flock together to
value? These are just some of the crop together. Our Wellbeing section Alex Dalland
questions the lawn issue raises. covers health news, plant-based
prebiotics and aromatherapy plants. Cover Photo Getty Images
Well, we’re here to help. Steve We keep working on our wellbeing with
McGrane presents an intriguing way plant-based breakfast treats from the Chairman/CEO Prema Perera
to rethink your grassy knoll so you eponymously titled cookbook of Sydney
can have it both ways. You can make yoga-studio/cafe, Egg of the Universe. Publisher Janice Williams
your lawn more eco-friendly and less
“blank” by giving it functional and Finally, permaculture writer Angelo Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva
ornamental mounds, complete with Eliades talks about the key to all
decorative plantings to make it attractive successful gardening: observation. As it Associate Publisher Martin White
to pollinators while increasing water turns out, looking closely at how nature
economy — we all know how much water herself operates involves more than just Circulation Business Development Manager
lawns can suck up in the warmer months. watching the grass grow.
Check out Steve’s step-by-step how-to, Mark McTaggart
starting on page 68. Until next time, happy growing.
Creative Director Kate Podger
Other green stuff in this issue includes Kerry
Jennifer’s clever lettuce for both Subscription enquiries: 1300 303 414
extremes of climate and ginkgo, which Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office: (02) 9805 0399
turns a magnificent gold in autumn,
Good Organic Gardening Vol. 12 No. 6 is published by Universal
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Phone: (02) 9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office:
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6 | Good Organic Gardening

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76 44

16

CONTENTS

REGULARS 80 THINGS TO DO 20 PLANT PROFILE PEOPLE
What’s what in your plot and Who’s your fava? Unlocking
6 EDITOR’S NOTE what needs doing right now the goodness of broad beans 24 GARDEN FOLK
A roundup of A community continues the
what’s in the issue 96 IN SEASON 38 TIME TO PLANT work of two visionary brothers
The seasonal delights you’ll Jennifer’s planting kiwifruit, kale on a neighbourhood plot
10 THE GRAPEVINE find in shops and gardens in and tamarillo, while Chloe’s all
Environment writer Jo Immig March and April about citrus and microgreens, 28 GARDEN FOLK
reports on the effects of and Kerry’s growing snowpeas A Sunshine Coast
climate change on insects 102 BOOKS and sugar snaps permaculturist who believes
and what gardeners are Leafing through books for “the best fertiliser is the
doing to help gardeners and cooks 52 PLANT SHOWCASE shadow of the gardener”
Claire Bickle concludes her
12 WHAT’S HOT 104 PICK OF THE CROP review of some of the more 32 GARDEN FOLK
Chloe has a pretty pink theme Great products and services exotic tropical fruits Warners Bay Community
going on with an evening from our advertisers Garden brings locals together
primrose, a hellebore, a 56 ORNAMENTALS to work the dirt and share
hydrangea and a dahlia PLANTS Yet more from the fab the harvest
Fabaceae family as Jennifer
36 MOON CALENDAR 14 CLEVER CROPS reports on fantastic flowering GARDEN LIFE
A basic guide to planting in Jennifer Stackhouse likes to sweet pea
harmony with the phases of mix things up with a wrap-up 76 FEATHERED FRIENDS
the moon into autumn on ginkgo and lamb’s lettuce 60 GO NATIVE Megg Miller reports on the
Angus Stewart covers joys of giving ex-battery
37 PLANT NOW 16 FAMILY HEIRLOOM callistemon, the endlessly chooks a second lease on life
What to plant in March and Chloe Thomson reports on vibrant and fascinating
April according to your ancient, versatile cabbage, the Australian bottlebrush 103 BULL ANT
climate zone top brass of the brassicas Australia’s tiny ankle biter
is armed to the teeth

8 | Good Organic Gardening

64 100

FOOD WELLBEING

97 GARDEN TO TABLE 84 NEWSFEED
A selection of delicious What’s new in the
brekkies from Sydney’s yoga world of wellbeing
cafe Egg of the Universe
86 POWERPLANT page 24
PLOT PROJECTS, Eyes on Euphrasia,
PLANNING & aka eyebright
MAINTENANCE
88 PREBIOTICS page 28
64 BACKYARD The plant-based road
PERMACULTURE to gut health
According to Angelo Eliades,
the first rule of gardening is 92 AROMATHERAPY
to watch closely how nature Eight essential oils to enjoy
does it

68 HOW-TO page 32
Steve McGrane shows how
to rethink your lawn to turn
it from bowling green to
rolling greenery

72 BACK TO BASICS
Linda Moon discusses DIY
mulch that looks good and
saves you money by using
found materials

Good Organic Gardening | 9

THE GRAPEVINE | NEWS

THE

Grapevine

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS AND UPDATES COMPILED BY JO IMMIG

JO IMMIG Damselflies and other aquatic Those days of road trips when the car Bigstock
insects are threatened by windscreen would be splattered with
Jo is an environmental climate change insects are long gone. Scientists warn
scientist, photographer the biodiversity of insects is threatened
WHERE HAVE ALL globally and estimate up to 40 per cent
and writer. She has THE INSECTS GONE? of the 1 million insect species could go
worked in the environment extinct within the next few decades. We
I’ll never forget a David Suzuki talk I have entered what biologists say is the
movement for decades attended about a decade ago in our sixth mass extinction event and the first
and is co-ordinator sleepy village hall in northern NSW. It that humans have induced on the planet.
was a balmy summer’s evening; all the
of the National Toxics doors and windows were wide open to The climate catastrophe is already
Network, an organisation catch the slightest bit of breeze. having major impacts on insects. The
land-based Lepidoptera (butterflies
dedicated to creating Not long into the talk, Suzuki said, and moths), Hymenoptera (sawflies,
a toxic-free future. She “Where are all the insects? This hall wasps, bees and ants) and Coleoptera
has written many articles should be full of insects attracted to (beetles, in particular dung beetles) are
for magazines and is the the light.” He went on to explain insects most impacted.
author of two books: were rapidly disappearing all over the
Toxic Playground and world in what we know now is the Insects in aquatic environments
“unnoticed insect apocalypse”. aren’t faring well either and those
Safer Solutions. impacted include Odonata (dragonflies
and damselflies), Plecoptera
10 | Good Organic Gardening (stoneflies), Trichoptera (caddisflies)
and Ephemeroptera (mayflies).

The 2019–2020 Australian bushfires
had a devastating impact on Australian
native bees, among many other
species. Eleven native bee species were
pushed onto the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list
of threatened species and nine others
were identified as vulnerable.

Australia is home to an estimated
2000–3000 native bee species but we
barely know half of them.

Key factors driving the current
global extinction event include
habitat destruction and deforestation
for conversion of land to intensive
agriculture and urbanisation; pollution,
mainly by pesticides and fertilisers;
pathogens and diseases; and climate
change, which particularly impacts
tropical regions.

Every species that goes extinct
is a profound loss. Not only do we
lose the individuals but we also lose
their unique interactions within the
ecosystem, some of which are quite
specialised and have knock-on effects
to other species.

NEWS | THE GRAPEVINE

MAKING WILD SPACE The purple emperor butterfly REDUCING POISONS
FOR INSECTS (Apatura iris), one of the insects IN AGRICULTURE
the UK’s Wildlife Trust Living
Some insects can be irritating while Landscapes works to protect Pesticide (eg insecticide, fungicide,
others spread disease but, whether herbicide) applications in agriculture
we like insects or not, the fact is we are and individuals to work together for have doubled over the past 25 years.
totally dependent on them. Around 75 nature’s recovery. Insect exposure to even tiny doses of
per cent of human food and fibre crops insecticides can have unpredictable
require pollination by insects. We also It makes sense to focus conservation and deadly impacts. They are, after all,
have insects to thank for decomposition efforts on creating coherent networks designed to kill.
and nutrient recycling in the ecosystem, of linked habitats that give the best
as well for as pest management. results for our efforts and resources. Most insecticides are neurotoxins and
This approach also sets up an exposure to multiple types can cause
To halt and reverse insect declines opportunity to consider making space synergistic interactions that multiply
we need to work with nature, not for nature in all aspects of our lives, the overall toxic effects.
against it. As organic gardeners we from gardening and park management
play a vitally important role in creating to planning new developments and, Neonicotinoids are the most widely
safe habitats for insects to flourish in as importantly, rethinking how we farm. used group of insecticides in the world.
well as providing them with a diversity For bees, just a minuscule exposure of
of plants to feed on and pollinate. 1 part per billion in food (equivalent to
one drop in an Olympic-size swimming
Our gardens can be thriving pockets of pool) impairs their immune systems,
diversity but insect-friendly habitats need making them susceptible to diseases.
to spill out beyond our fences to form A recent survey of honey found
larger networks in parks and gardens, 75 per cent of samples contained
towns, cities and the countryside. One neonicotinoid residues.
great example is the Wildlife Trusts Living
Landscapes in the United Kingdom. In Australia, around 55 per cent of
land use is for agriculture — more if you
Over 15 years, Living Landscapes include forestry. Intensive horticulture,
has worked to create, restore forestry and broadacre cropping use
and reconnect nature-rich areas large volumes and types of pesticides.
across whole landscapes. To date,
programs cover more than 1.5 million Unlike other countries, Australia
hectares, providing opportunities for does not keep accurate records of
landowners, managers, communities pesticide use, making research into its
impacts at a landscape level almost
Just remember, if it hurts impossible. To help protect insects,
any insect it probably we need to call on governments to
hurts this little creature implement ambitious targets to reduce
pesticide use in agriculture.
Resource: wildlifetrusts.org/about-us/
vision-and-mission.

Good Organic Gardening | 11

THE SEASONAL GARDEN | WITH CHLOE THOMSON

W hat’s hot
RIGHT NOW

PRESENTING SOME STUNNING-LOOKING PLANTS THAT WILL MAKE
EXCELLENT ADDITIONS TO YOUR GARDEN AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

SUNDAE FRAISE HYDRANGEA,
HYDRANGEA PANICULATA
‘SUNDAE FRAISE’ PBR

The plant: This new, sun-loving hydrangea
is must for summer colour! ‘Sundae Fraise’
is a beautifully compact hydrangea that’s
covered in large flowers that begin green,
turning to pure white and then to varying
shades of pink throughout summer and
autumn. It’s fast-growing yet its compact
form makes it perfect for small gardens,
pots and other containers.
Growing: Prefers a full-sun to part-shade
position in well-drained but moist soil.
Water at the base of the plant, avoiding the
leaves. Fertilise in early spring for the best
blooms and remove spent flowers after
flowering finishes.
Plants Management Australia, pma.com.au

CHLOE THOMSON EVENING PRIMROSE, OENOTHERA
SPECIES ‘HERONSWOOD PINK’
A horticulturist, writer,
presenter and passionate The plant: This popular, long-flowering form of
organic gardener, Chloe evening primrose is a stunning addition to any
uses her social media profile cottage garden. It produces masses of fragrant
Bean There Dug That to pink flowers, providing months of colour from
educate and inform like- spring to autumn. A vigorous groundcover, it’s
minded gardeners, using fun, perfect as a border plant in tough conditions.
creative videos and posts. Growing: Prefers a full-sun position, ideally
along a border next to a path or a high-traffic
Find her on Facebook spot to contain its growth. Remove spent
and Instagram flowers to encourage more blooms and
discourage seed dispersal.
@beantheredugthat The Diggers Club, diggers.com.au

12 | Good Organic Gardening

WITH CHLOE THOMSON | THE SEASONAL GARDEN

PENNY’S PINK HELLEBORE,
HELLEBORUS HYBRID
‘PENNY’S PINK’ PBR

The plant: ‘Penny’s Pink’ is a breakthrough
hellebore variety with stunning deep-pink
flowers from mid to late winter through until
early spring each year. The flowers are set off
against the lush, tough, evergreen foliage. A
beautiful plant providing outstanding winter
colour for decorative containers or garden beds.
Growing: Ideal to plant beneath established
trees or in containers for pops of winter colour.
Prefers a full- to part-shade position. Tidy up
by removing old flower heads and for best
results fertilise in late autumn and spring.
Plants Management Australia, pma.com.au

DAHLIA CAFE AU LAIT,
DAHLIA HYBRIDA ‘CAFE AU LAIT’

The plant: With big blousy flowers in a romantic
soft-pink hue it’s easy to see why ‘Cafe Au Lait’
is one of the most sought-after dahlias. A single
bloom can be up to 30cm across and comprise
more than 100 petals in shades of coral-peach
towards the centre, fading to white.
Growing: Grows 1.2m tall by 60cm wide in a
full-sun position. Provide a support structure or
stake at the time of planting to help support the
huge blooms. Make sure the position has free-
draining soil that’s well enriched with compost
and pelletised manures. Dahlias form a tuber
throughout the growing season and can be dug
once the foliage dies back in winter. Digging
and dividing tubers is recommended every
two years, at least.
The Diggers Club, diggers.com.au

Good Organic Gardening | 13

CLEVER CROP | GINKGO

Ginkgo label

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Stunning autumn colour

JURASSIC BARK Fossil records back up the ginkgo’s
claim to a long history, showing this
ANCIENT HARDWOOD GINKGO TREES prehistoric tree dates back more than 290
WERE AMONG THE FEW LIVING THINGS TO million years. With no close living relatives,
SURVIVE THE HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BLAST ginkgo is placed in its own botanic family
and is a genus of just one species.
Words Jennifer Stackhouse of dementia or halts normal brain ageing,
but it has been used in patients recovering The trees have male and female
Ginkgo isn’t a quick crop by any from strokes. It may also assist with “flowers” on separate trees. Male trees are
means, but it is a tree that will symptoms of PMT (pre-menstrual tension). preferred in cultivation as female trees
be a long-lived addition to produce an edible but pungent fruit.
your garden. Though native to As there are associated side-effects
China, today this ancient conifer is grown from ginkgo tablets, always seek medical One of the ornamental features of
in cool to temperate climate gardens advice before taking this herbal remedy. the ginkgo is its butter-yellow autumnal
around the world. Ginkgo seeds are considered poisonous. colour. While all have good colour,
named varieties, including ‘Aurea’ and
It is also known as maidenhair tree LONG HISTORY ‘Autumn Gold’, have strong golden-toned
because its leaflets resemble the autumn foliage.
delicate pinnae of the maidenhair fern. Ginkgo trees have been revered in China
for millennia. One ancient ginkgo, in the There are also forms with variegated
Even if you are unfamiliar with the village of Baiguo in Zhejiang Province, leaves, which prefer light shade during
tree, many people know ginkgo as a stands at 30m and its leafy branches summer in hot areas to avoid leaf burn.
herbal remedy. Ginkgo leaf is included are said to have hidden the warrior Zhu
in pills to treat memory, anxiety and Yuanzhang as he retreated after losing As well as being a tall, beautiful tree —
other conditions. It is thought to a major battle. mature plants can reach 30m high and
increase blood flow and slow down 8m wide — ginkgo is very adaptable to
changes in the brain. After surviving thanks to the ginkgo, modern-day life. It is resistant to pollution,
Zhu Yuanzhang led his soldiers to win the which means it has a role to play as a
Unfortunately, modern studies have next battle and founded the Ming Dynasty. street and park tree in urban settings.
not shown that ginkgo slows the onset
Narrow forms take up less space
FOSSIL RECORDS SHOW THIS PREHISTORIC TREE than the rest of the species. ‘Fastigiata’ Kerry Boyne
DATES BACK MORE THAN 290 MILLION YEARS. grows to around 9–15m high and 4–8m
wide and makes an excellent avenue and
street planting, though it’s not suitable
for planting under power lines as it
grows too tall.

All ginkgos are slow growers. As
they are expensive and long-lived trees,
select a specimen with a strong leader
(main stem) and plant it in a sunny
spot with good soil that is well drained.
Water well while the tree is establishing
and during extended dry times.

14 | Good Organic Gardening

LAMB’S LETTUCE | CLEVER CROP

Lamb’s lettuce label
Common name:
mâche, rapunzel Lamb’s lettuce, corn salad,

wAFBeasoplmlt-eadiclnrytia:ci&Cnaleasdnopairslim:fooFiellui:alVlcseaulaenerit(aohnoepnlalearytlsosuhccuaksdlteea;family)
PHBraeobsptiatc:glAiamntinaoutnea::lSCveeoegodel,ttaebmleperate
Difficulty: Easy

SEASONAL than enough to share. Even in fairytales,
GREENS you can’t always pick your neighbours.

RICH IN VITAMINS AND MINERALS, As well as giving tasty and nutritious
LAMB’S LETTUCE OR CORN SALAD IS A leaves through winter, successive
PRODUCTIVE COOL-WEATHER CROP plantings from autumn to early winter
ensure leafy greens are readily available
in early spring when other crops have
yet to mature.

Eventually the plants flower and come
to the end of their productive lives — but
leave some to self-seed for next year.

Words Jennifer Stackhouse named for a leafy vegetable growing GROWING TIPS
in a witch’s garden (still called rapunzel
For succulent leafy greens in in parts of Germany). As penance Lamb’s lettuce, aka corn salad or mâche,
winter, grow a crop of the old- for stealing the leaves to feed to his grows easily from seed planted into
fashioned plant known as lamb’s pregnant wife, Rapunzel’s father had to prepared beds. Sow seed in autumn as
lettuce. It isn’t a true lettuce but give the baby to the witch. conditions cool.
can be used to make a salad or fill up
a sandwich and is also a great snack The witch then kept her locked in a There are named cultivars available,
while you’re out in the garden. tower until a prince came to the rescue including ‘Large Dutch’ that has slightly
As well as tasting good, the dark by climbing up Rapunzel’s long golden bigger leaves than the species.
green leaves are also rich in vitamins braids. (All that prenatal iron produced
— particularly vitamin C — and iron. Its a strong head of hair!) Prepare the soil before sowing by
iron content is probably why lamb’s digging in well-rotted manure, blood and
lettuce has a pivotal role in one of the I always thought the witch was bone or compost. Seeds can be sown
best-known fairytales, Rapunzel. particularly unneighbourly. Having densely and directly, at about 6mm deep.
As you may recall, Rapunzel was grown lamb’s lettuce and seen how
productive it is, I think there was more Young plants need to be kept moist
until temperatures drop and the winter
Bigstock DARWIN OPTION rains arrive. A hot spell after sowing
may see seeds fail to germinate or
While lamb’s lettuce allows gardeners young plants bolt to seed. If this
in cool zones to grow a nutritious happens, start again.
lettuce substitute through a cold winter,
gardeners up north can grow as much Thin seedlings to about 20cm apart
lettuce as they like through the milder to accommodate the large rosette-
conditions of the dry season (just shaped mature plants. Use the thinnings
keep plants well watered). One lettuce in winter salads, but wash well.
variety to try where it’s hot and dry is
the heat-tolerant variety ‘Darwin’. This Lamb’s lettuce grows 20–30cm high.
is a loose-leaf, cut-and-come-again Leaves are ready to harvest from late
lettuce with bright green leaves. It is winter into early spring.
slow to bolt making it an ideal choice
for hot summers. Liquid-feed fortnightly with an
organic fertiliser to keep this leafy
plant growing strongly. As plants are
harvested, spread mulch around the
remaining crop to reduce competition
from spring weeds, which will appear
out of nowhere in any bare earth.

Good Organic Gardening | 15

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | CABBAGE

Heads you win

RAW, STEAMED OR PICKLED, VERSATILE CABBAGE
IS THE TOP BRASS OF THE BRASSICAS

Words Chloe Thomson DESPITE THE FEW TYPES OF CABBAGE YOU FIND AT
THE SUPERMARKET — SAVOY, DRUMHEAD AND PURPLE
Cabbage figures in the cuisine — THERE IS A HUGE RANGE OF HEIRLOOM VARIETIES
of nearly every culture in WORTH GROWING IN YOUR OWN GARDEN.
history, so working out its
origins has proved difficult. colcannon, my stomach turns at limp, GROWING AND CARE
However, food historians seem to agree discoloured boiled cabbage with ham.
that non-heading cabbages were most I love cabbage served raw in salads or Although typically considered a winter
likely domesticated by the Celts or pickled into flavour bombs like kimchi vegetable, cabbage can be grown
people from Mediterranean regions or sauerkraut. year round in most parts of Australia.
around 1000 BCE. If you’re in a region with heavy frosts,
From there the variety of cabbages Despite the few types of cabbage sow seeds from August to May. Mature
grew and today they are one of the you find at the supermarket — Savoy, plants will handle a frost.
world’s staple food crops, found raw, drumhead and purple — there is a
cooked or pickled on dinner plates the huge range of heirloom varieties worth In warmer weather, pests like the
world over. growing in your own garden. cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae)
How you prefer to prepare and eat can cause significant damage to
cabbage often depends on your earliest Though broccoli, cauliflower, Asian brassica crops — this is why many
cultural influences. My Irish husband greens, kale and kohlrabi are also from people choose to grow them in the
loves a hearty serve of colcannon the same Brassica line, for the purposes cooler months only when the pests are
(a traditional Irish dish of cabbage of this article I’m going to focus solely less active.
combined with mashed potatoes) or on the heading and non-heading
boiled cabbage and ham. vegetables we commonly call cabbage. Sow seeds into punnets from late
While I occasionally enjoy a serve of spring to late autumn (or into winter

16 | Good Organic Gardening

CABBAGE | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS

‘Couve Tronchuda’ Cone-shaped heads of
‘Early Jersey Wakefield’

‘January King’ Cabbage label

Getty, Bigstock DPHAFBirCafaosofobpmiptcmieaatuic:lngmyltBtia:cyo&itBae:inolnErsanonnnasa:aiisaslmySm:ilcFeveeaeue::cdlgCBle,esaarsuatebeasnbebs;dailwceglaienelogl-lderraacineead soil

if you don’t have heavy frosts) and
protect seedlings from pest attack
using a greenhouse or insect-proof
(wildlife-safe) netting.

Once they’ve developed around
four true leaves, the seedlings can be
planted into a full-sun spot with good
drainage. Mix through compost and a
little aged manure before planting and
check the soil pH is around 6.5–7.5,
adding dolomite lime to raise it if your
soil is acidic.

Deter the bothersome cabbage white
— particularly when the plants are
young and the insects can cause the
most damage — by using fake white
moths (you can buy them or make your
own by cutting up yoghurt containers)
or installing insect-proof netting over
your crop. Make sure any netting
you use is pulled taut to stop wildlife
becoming tangled in it.

Cabbages mature in 60–120 days
depending on the variety you choose,
so avoid a glut by succession-planting
or growing a collection of mixed
varieties such as those following.

Good Organic Gardening | 17

FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | CABBAGE 2

1

VARIETIES TO TRY 3 5
4
‘Couve Tronchuda’ aka Portuguese 1 ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’
cabbage (Brassica oleracea) A non- 2 ‘Wongbok’
heading cabbage that’s much more 3 ‘Walking Stick Cabbage’
heat tolerant than other brassicas. It 4 ‘Red Dutch’
grows into a large loose-leaf plant with 5 ‘Hong Kong Cabbage/Broccoli’
fleshy cabbage-like leaves and a sweet
cabbage flavour, traditionally used in
soups and stews.
‘January King’ (B. oleracea) An English
heirloom variety dating back to 1867,
this semi-Savoy variety with leaves
in shades of turquoise, pink, blue and
green leaves is stunning. Heads can be
up to 6.5kg each.
‘Red Dutch’ (B. oleracea) First grown
in Australia in 1871, this variety produces
deep-red elongated heads up to 3.5kg
each. A great cabbage for coleslaw,
pickling or gentle steaming.
‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ (B. oleracea)
A classic American heirloom popular
since the 1850s, it produces tightly
formed cone-shaped heads, so is a great
space saver for smaller gardens. Harvest
the heads when small or leave to develop
into larger 2–3kg heads.
‘Wongbok’ (B. oleracea var. capitata)
Produces a barrel-shaped head with
crumpled light-green leaves. Perfect for
salads or stir-fries, steamed or pickled.
‘Hong Kong Cabbage/Broccoli’
(B. oleracea var. capitata) A big-stem
variety that produces next to no head, it
matures after 50–60 days and the whole
plant is edible. Doesn’t like hot summers.
‘Walking Stick Cabbage’ (B. oleracea
longata) Can grow up to 2m tall. The
stem was once cut and dried in late
autumn for walking sticks, hence its
name. Good stock-feed crop for guinea
pigs or rabbits.

18 | Good Organic Gardening

Ph 1800 32 33 34 LEADING THE WAY
Mob 0405 298 298
Email [email protected] WITH INNOVATION IN SUSTAINABILITY

www.ecorus.com.au We sell products that are good for the environment and many of
which are biodegradable, compostable and break down. Some of
our items are also rechargeable and reusable which makes them
environmentally friendly. Others are made of recycled materials

and help reduce waste that end up in our landfills.

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aEdmvaeirltuissemanednmt teonrteiodneetmhis.

PLANT PROFILE | BROAD BEANS

BEANFEAST

BROAD BEANS ARE A HARDY WINTER CROP

THAT MAKES A MEAL FIT FOR A SAINT

Words Chris Stafford LEGEND SAYS YOU’LL NEVER BE BROKE AS LONG AS YOU
CARRY A DRIED BEAN AND, IF YOU KEEP JUST ONE IN THE
Together with chickpeas and PANTRY, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE FOOD IN THE KITCHEN.
lentils, broad beans — also
widely known by their Italian long as you carry a dried bean and, if
name, fava — were part of the you keep just one in the pantry, there
diet of our earliest ancestors, a direct will always be food in the kitchen.
link to prehistoric times.
Once regarded as cattle fodder, the
Though grown and enjoyed around “lucky bean” first came to the table
the world, they have been part of the during famine times in the Middle
fabric of Mediterranean life for eight Ages. Dried, roasted and blessed, it
millennia. Called ful in Arabic, broad figures prominently in the mid-March
beans are a prime ingredient in felafel; celebrations of Saint Joseph, which is
mashed with oil, salt and cumin they when Sicilians give thanks to him for
make ful medames, one of Egypt’s breaking the famine while they feast on
national dishes. maccu di San Giuseppe in his honour.

In Italy they’re combined with pork or “The broad beans lead the way,” goes
Pecorino for May Day picnics while in a Sicilian saying. As one of the first
Sicily, where they star in the traditional winter crops to fruit, fava beans were
soup maccu, broad beans have deep traditionally the focus of spring family
roots in folklore and religion. outings when poor folk “went to the
beans” to pick and eat them on the spot
They’re considered a fertility symbol as it were.
because they thrive in the poorest of
soils — even clay or soils of high salinity.
Legend says you’ll never be broke as

20 | Good Organic Gardening

BROAD BEANS | PLANT PROFILE

Broad bean labelDPHsAirFhBfaCofsaeboipopmclittametuaei:gcllnrmytAtaiyf:ctnor&:FioanonEalmsunabonna:saaiawlylScm:mcieenSleieeadmud::enbBV,;(seribwceoreieeaaoadldlrnf-laidbbnfbraeugaamasihnnile,yfd)avsaoibl,ean

FOR PEASANT FOOD, GROWING
BROAD BEANS CAN
COST A BOMB AT THE For peasant food, broad beans can
GREENGROCER OR cost a bomb at the greengrocer
SUPERMARKET AS THEIR or supermarket as their window of
WINDOW OF AVAILABILITY availability is quite short. The answer, of
IS QUITE SHORT. course, is to grow your own so you can
have a good, cheap supply of this tasty,
Top Broad beans in the pod nutritious legume.
Left A Tassie bumble bee pollinates the crop
Below Harvesting broad beans Broadly speaking (no pun intended),
they come in two forms: tall climbers
Bigstock, Getty that can reach 2m and require staking;
and shorter, bushier varieties.

Tall growers tend to be the more
productive croppers, especially if
staked, including ‘Aquadulce’ and ‘Early
Long Pod’, while ‘Coles Prolific’ is a
dwarf variety ideal for containers or
gardens with limited space.

Before the arrival of the green seed
pods, broad beans add welcome colour
to the winter garden, from the black-
and-white flowers of ‘Aquadulce’ to the
pink or red blooms of other varieties
such as ‘Crimson Flowered’.

Besides attracting pollinators with
their colourful display, broad beans, like
all legumes, are a handy and effective
manure crop, adding vital nitrogen to
the soil.

Growing broad beans presents few
problems but does require patience
as they can be slow to crop, taking
anywhere from 60 to 120 days to begin
producing the pods.

Frost and cold tolerant, they’ll grow
almost anywhere, even in saline soils,
but do best in a well-drained loam with
a neutral pH of 6–7.

Good Organic Gardening | 21

PLANT PROFILE | BROAD BEANS

1

BROAD BEANS ARE PERHAPS
MOST NUTRITIOUS WHEN
CONSUMED YOUNG AND WHOLE,
PODS AND ALL. THEY ARE RICH IN
VITAMIN C, POTASSIUM AND IRON
AND, IF YOU CONSUME THE POD,
DIETARY FIBRE.

The seeds are large and easy to sow. 2 3
Plant them in autumn around 5cm deep 4
in damp soil, pressing them in firmly as 1 Ful medames, an Egyptian staple
they can pop out of the ground when 2 In full flower
they start to geminate. 3 Sicilian maccu or broad-bean soup
4 Broad bean dip
Liquid-feed growing plants every two
weeks and keep the bed weed free with
regular gentle hoeing.

In frost-free areas, plants will start
to flower and crop in winter, but the
whole process is much slower in colder
zones. But, once the frost is gone and
the weather warms up, plants can go on
cropping into early summer.

When your plants have finished
cropping, you can take advantage
of their nitrogen-fixing properties by
following up with leafy vegetables such
as spinach, silverbeet or lettuce.

HARVESTING

Picked when around 6–8cm in length,
broad beans are perhaps most nutritious
when consumed young and whole,
pods and all. They are rich in vitamin C,
potassium and iron and, if you consume
the pod, dietary fibre.

Steam them quickly like green beans
— and, again as with green beans, it’s
best to string them before cooking.

Some swear by the more mature
pods, plump and 20–25cm long.
Though the results are tastier, this is
also a much fiddlier process as each
pod needs to be double shelled. This
also applies to storing mature beans,
which can be dried and frozen for
future use in soups and stews.

With the modern miracle of
refrigeration you can store pods for
weeks in the crisper in plastic bags
until it’s time, like the Sicilians, to “go
to the beans”.

22 | Good Organic Gardening

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of our food crops and 90% of our wild plants.
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Boost the pollination power in your yard with a
Flow Hive and harvest the honey with ease. You’ll
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your first Flow Hive purchase.

GARDENING FOLK | THOMMO’S COMMUNITY GARDEN

LOCAL 2

THIS THRIVING COMMUNITY GARDEN
PROVES HIGH IDEALS WORK BEST
WHEN THEY’RE KEPT DOWN TO EARTH

1

24 | Good Organic Gardening

THOMMO’S COMMUNITY GARDEN | GARDENING FOLK

3

TCG’S BIGGEST PROJECT
IS THE EXTENSIVE
ORGANIC GARDENS
THAT GROW 100KG OF
PRODUCE TWICE A WEEK,
ALL YEAR ROUND, FOR
LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.

1 John Thomson on his tractor, by a local artist
2 Do you think I’m scary?
3 Sensory herb garden
4 Carol Biddy, Lisa Ferris, Jacky Giles
and Peter O‘Sullivan

5 Broccoli head, Brassica oleracea

— but not before he was recognised

4 with an award from the South Bunbury

Rotary Club in 2015 for initiating and

developing TCG.

The family name isn’t the only

monument to his hard work. John’s

widow requested his ute, which he

habitually drove around the site, be

allowed to remain and his daughter

planted a magnolia on its tray.

With a background in beef

cattle and running the well-known

Wellington Mill farm stay, Lisa Ferris

is now the driving force at Thommo’s,

having taken over John’s work after

eight years as a volunteer.

Though her husband of 46 years

describes her as a “full-time volunteer”,

she’s more like a force of nature. At

Thommo’s, she organises open days for

special-needs people to attend along

5 Words & photos Jana Holmer with their carers. She enjoys building

Thommo’s Community Garden people’s resilience, nurturing the mind,
in Bunbury, Western Australia, body and soul.
is no ordinary neighbourhood
plot. Around half of its two- She also arranges edible garden
groups and has raised $4500 for drought

hectare site, in a beautiful setting by relief. In her spare time she fits in being

the Preston River, comprises vegetable a camp host with the Department of

gardens, fruit trees and beehives, Parks and Wildlife and loves caravanning,

financed by local sponsors and run on especially at Shark Bay.

permaculture principles by a dedicated

team of volunteers. RHUBARB, RHUBARB

TCG is also something of a memorial TCG is run by a committee of 20

to two Thommos. Inspired by his volunteers who not only keep the

late brother Colin, John Thomson place immaculate — their biggest

established the garden in 2009 as a responsibility is the extensive organic

space for locals to enjoy the many gardens that grow 100kg of produce,

benefits of organic gardening. twice a week, all year round, for

He worked tirelessly to maintain it Bunbury Foodbank to distribute to low-

until he too passed away a decade later income families.

Good Organic Gardening | 25

GARDENING FOLK | THOMMO’S COMMUNITY GARDEN 7

6

6 ISA Browns provide, fertiliser, eggs
and entertainment

7 Potted plants for sale
8 Water tanks for emergency supply
9 Joe’s raised bed
10 Carol potting up in the hothouse
11 Lady Finger grapevine and rhubarb
12 Perennial leeks with berry patch in
the background

There are also 50 plots leased for 8
an average of $2 a week by a mix of
families, individuals and community
groups. Monthly working bees are held
on a voluntary basis, but with a payoff:
serene surrounds, a sense of community
and the fruits of productive gardens.

Among the beds are five raised
planters for those in wheelchairs or folks
who find the ground a bit far down.

The produce includes “as many
perennials as possible”, says Lisa,
mostly things that aren’t already going
to Foodbank from the big commercial
growers: Jerusalem artichokes,
leeks, citrus, kale, broad beans,
sugar snap peas, turnips, swedes,
chilli, boysenberries, raspberries and
thornless blackberries, capsicum,
beetroot, radish, silverbeet, beans,
spring onions and garlic.

If there’s one star performer, it’s
rhubarb: “Foodbank can’t get enough of
it,” she says — some weeks they supply
40kg of the stuff.

Lisa believes everyone should have
access to fresh, nutrient-rich vegetables
no matter what their situation. “It all
starts with the soil,” she says.

26 | Good Organic Gardening

THOMMO’S COMMUNITY GARDEN | GARDENING FOLK

9 10 11

Like much of the Bunbury area, the There are herb and spice workshops 12
site was initially unpromising. The soil and tutorials on using tools, seasonal
was very sandy and hydrophobic. “There plant productivity, no-dig gardens, THOMMO’S TOP TIPS
are strong winds but we do have a lot of composting made easy and the care of
shade trees.” fruit trees. There’s even an immersive 1. Grow perennials.
Sensory Herb Garden with a wheelchair- 2. Keep on top of weeds.
What made the difference was the friendly path, pergola and interpretive 3. Save the seeds of the
addition of lots of organic matter, signage — a place for morning tea for healthiest plants.
worm castings, comfrey tea and mulch. seniors or just quiet reflection. 4. Enjoy: take time to wander
Good live soil teeming with worms and in your garden.
microbes produces nutrient-rich plants Also on site are a community library 5. Observe so much and feel
resistant to pests. and a bottle recycling drop-off point, the energy of the universe.
which helps with running costs.
TCG has its own worm farms; it also Good Organic Gardening | 27
fertilises with chicken and horse manure Naturally, TCG is also a magnet for
that’s been composted with all vegie wildlife. Besides the occasional dolphin
prunings as well as nettles, which “go or swan on the Preston River, water hens
ballistic” there. visit and swarms of bees frequent the
peppermint trees. TCG has painted a large
They combat pests with their own “B” on the trees so members know to stay
chilli and garlic spray and use milk for well away from them.
powdery mildew on their grapes and
zucchini when required. Lisa also swears To sum up, says Lisa, it’s “an
by companion planting as “the way to environment that feeds the mind, body
grow as it confuses the bugs. It’s also and soul. Everyone is welcome, though
aesthetically pleasing.” they would love to add a disabled toilet —
council funding needed. There’s a sense
Water saving is a priority, with a of community and belonging and they
rainwater tank for kitchen use and for the produce amazing fruit, vegetables and
property’s 20 happy hens, as the bore fertilisers that they share. They share ideas
water is too mineralised for them. Drip- and hard work — made easier by doing
line irrigation and mulching reduce the together as a team.”
amount of bore water they use and water
is directed where it’s needed: at the roots. One thing’s certain: both Thommos
would be proud of what they started.
TLC AT TCG
Thommo’s Community Garden Inc
Despite its high ideals, it’s plain to see 152 Robertson Drive, Glen Iris, WA 6230
that Thommo’s is an intensely practical Open 7am–12pm, 7 days
operation. Besides providing monthly Lisa Ferris, President/Co-ordinator
courses on sustainable living it hosts Phone 0428 969 868
weekly Grounded Women’s Gardening Email [email protected]
Workshops run by members of Facebook: Thommo’s Community Garden
Soroptimist International.

GARDENING FOLK | TIM LANG & FAMILY

TALKIN’ ABOUT

MEET THE “LAZY” GARDENER WHOSE
PERMACULTURE BUSH PLOT THRIVES ON CHAOS

28 | Good Organic Gardening

TIM LANG & FAMILY | GARDENING FOLK

AMONG THEIR GARDEN PASSIONS,
THE PAIR LIST HAVING LESS LAWN;
PERMACULTURE WITHOUT USING
INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES; AND
BLENDING NATIVE PLANTS INTO
PRODUCTIVE GARDENS.

Words & photos Claire Bickle lifestyle with cattle, goats and poultry; Clockwise from top Garlic and cosmos; Tim at
maize grew everywhere. work in the nursery; lemon-scented myrtle; purple
Tim Lang has been a friend of pigface; Viola botanicafolia; borage flower; Tim, Liz
mine for the best part of 30 years No surprise then that permaculture and two of their three boys
and during that journey we’ve and organics are the backbone of Tim
found ourselves somewhere and Liz’s garden. It’s the only way to go
within the horticultural, permaculture and as far as they’re concerned.
sustainability industry.
For Tim, keen daily observation
With his beautiful family — Liz is the key to nipping things in the
Capelin, who works for Third Nature bud — pests, diseases and fertiliser
Projects, their three boys aged 8, 10 and requirements — before they get out of
13 and their dog Koolie — Tim now lives hand. As he puts it, “The best fertiliser is
on a third of an acre in Cooran, in the the shadow of the gardener.”
subtropical Sunshine Coast hinterland,
and manages the nearby Coolum It’s all about balance between pests
Community Native Nursery. and predatory insects. For example, a
small aphid population is food for its
Though it wasn’t until his teens that he natural predators. When you destroy all
started actively gardening, he reckons the food for natural predatory insects
he acquired his passion via osmosis as a you end up in a downward spiral of
small child living in Eswatini, the former despair due to the continuous pest
Swaziland, in southeast Africa. There attack and vicious cycle of chemical use.
people lived a traditional subsistence
No chance of that here.

Good Organic Gardening | 29

GARDENING FOLK | TIM LANG & FAMILY

1

“THE BEST FERTILISER
IS THE SHADOW OF
THE GARDENER.”

WILD AND LAZY The long-term goal is an apparently birds, beneficial insects and pollinators.
“chaotic garden” that inherently fosters The garden brings in more than its
What’s going on essentially amounts to health and productivity through the fair share of birds, skinks, snakes and
bush regeneration and Tim claims he’s many ecological relationships that take beloved possums.
a “lazy” gardener. “I like a wild garden,” place among critters and plants.
he says, “but I do prepare the soil well Tim describes the process as
at the start.” Among their garden passions, the “creating functional, productive
pair list having less lawn; permaculture ecosystems through creative design
As he explains, “The garden is without using invasive plant species; and and understanding successional
designed and terraformed to intercept blending native plants into productive dynamics and how gardens evolve over
and capture rainwater flow as well as gardens. Tim says it’s all about using time — accepting, valuing and even
to drain well during a deluge.” He adds plants as tools to build soil, to create loving the productive functionality of a
they they also have a pond system for windbreaks and provide sun shelter. wild garden”.
frogs and insects like dragonflies as well
as their resident keelback snake. It’s also about using plants as cut- A few years ago, this oasis of chaos
and-drop mulch, to supply compost won a Glossy award as the Sunshine
Tim and Liz are ready mulchers, input and create habitat for wildlife, Coast’s best edible garden.
ensuring that their soil remains moist
and well composted. They like to grow 2 3
edibles that can be planted directly
into the ground from cuttings, such as
cassava and sweet potato.

Tim also likes to broadcast seed
mixes during autumn — combinations
of lettuces, edible greens, coriander,
parsley, dill, calendulas, marigolds and
others. Fertiliser consists of applications
of rock minerals, fish and kelp.

The raised beds hold their annual
crop of vegetables augmented by
volunteer self-seeders including herb
varieties, leafy greens and flowering
annuals. Due to work and family
commitments, Tim hasn’t had as much
time lately to keep the vegies going but
the established food forest of fruiting
trees, bush tucker, perennial edibles and
herbs is picking up the slack.

Among the fruit, prolific jaboticaba
is the star, followed by citrus galore,
grumichama, acerola cherry, figs,
low-chill peaches and apples, Panama
berry, dragon fruit, bananas, mulberries,
cassava and pineapples, with
strawberries and sweet potatoes as
living ground cover.

CHAOS THEORY

What Tim and Liz are aiming for is a
garden that’s maintenance free thanks
to the initial thought and effort put into
soil building and layout before planting.

30 | Good Organic Gardening

TIM LANG & FAMILY | GARDENING FOLK

45

1 Tim and the reed bed. Not much chaos here
2 Green jaboticabas in the background
3 Thysanotus juncifolius (fringe-lily)
4 Broccoli
5 Who can help biting into a ripe fig?
6 Tim mans the retail counter at Coolum Nursery
7 Warrigal greens

7

6

THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS A “CHAOTIC GARDEN” THAT TIM’S TOP TIPS
FOSTERS HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH
THE MANY ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN 1. Wake up early, walk the garden
CRITTERS AND PLANTS. and activate your intuition — ideas
will come. Observe for movement
THE IMPORTANT THINGS garden was fine as he had the spare and look for little beasties
time and many years of permaculture (including pests).
It doesn’t end with the garden — expertise, but he’d like to find more 2. Grow pigeon pea (Cajanus
their whole lifestyle is based on time in the future to keep bees and run cajan) around young fruit trees
sustainability. The house is solar chooks again. and prune it to use as a mulch.
powered, there’s no aircon, they collect After a couple of years, I cut it out
rainwater in tanks, compost household When not consumed with his work at the base, leaving the nitrogen-
and garden waste and the reed bed at the nursery and his own garden, rich root to break down and feed
cleans wastewater from the laundry, he likes to play guitar or go bush on the trees.
bathroom and kitchen. his vintage motorbike. He believes 3. In dry times, mulch over damp
we should learn from natural systems soil so that the mulch doesn’t work
They shop locally at markets and “how to be”: to take it easy yet really like a thatched roof repelling water.
through the local food co-op and buy care about things other than self, to Water goes where water has been.
clothes from op shops. Tim proudly attend to the important things like the 4. Use all your senses to learn
states that their bins go out virtually health of the planet and looking after about plant ID (don’t eat unknown
empty each week. He and Liz are very one another. plants). I look, touch and smell
conscious about consumption and keep plants and say their name out loud
useless purchases to near zero. Tim’s motto is that “co-operation to remember the botanical name.
rather than competition will bring about 5. Leave a few aphids for your
The most precious commodity these a better, happier, more liveable world”. lady beetles.
days is time, says Tim. Setting up the
Good Organic Gardening | 31

GARDENING FOLK | WARNERS BAY COMMUNITY GARDEN

COMMUNING

“A GARDEN IS A LOVESOME 2
THING,” THE POET WROTE —
BUT A COMMUNITY GARDEN
MULTIPLIES THE BENEFITS AND
SPREADS THE LOVE

1

32 | Good Organic Gardening

WARNERS BAY COMMUNITY GARDEN | GARDENING FOLK

3 1 Calendula
2 Members Margaret, Mick and Kay

3 A warm welcome

4 Lilly pillies in the native orchard

Words & photos Chris Stafford

Acommunity garden is a boon
to civilisation. Quite apart from
the social and health benefits
of working together outdoors,
nothing beats being able simply to cross
the road and pick some fresh organic
greens for tonight’s salad or stir-fry.

Warners Bay Community Garden
enjoys a prime location in verdant,
tree-lined parkland next to a children’s
playground, a hop, skip and a slippery
dip away from Lake Macquarie,
southwest of Newcastle.

Although membership incurs a small
annual fee, there are no gates or fences.
The two-acre plot is open to all, locals
and visitors alike, and there is just one
rule, says convenor Trudy Patterson:
“Pick a little, leave a lot.”

She laughs, “And most people do just
that! It’s lovely seeing kids coming from
the park play area to pick strawberries,
snow peas and more.”

Looking at it now, with its rapidly

4 maturing fruit trees and modest

infrastructure, including a toolshed and
wicking beds, it’s hard to believe it took
several years from initial concept to reality.

Besides the usual bureaucratic
hurdles erected by Lake Macquarie
Council — the garden is on public land
— there was, unaccountably, quite a bit
of community opposition to the project.
Indeed, soon after the grand opening in
2015, someone went as far as to poison
some of the beds.

Six years later, all that and COVID
lockdowns notwithstanding, the WBCG
is a thriving community hub with
more than 35 active members (plus
many other supporters) who catch up
regularly to join in on working bees,
swap gardening and composting tips,
and enjoy sausage sizzles and other
social events.

The garden is now proudly touted on
the council’s website and other entities
have got involved: Hunter Water kicked
in for the new wicking beds; Belle
Property is a sponsor; Bunnings donated
tools such as mowers and whipper
snippers. Many other local businesses are
donors and supporters.

Good Organic Gardening | 33

GARDENING FOLK | WARNERS BAY COMMUNITY GARDEN 6

5

5 The thriving banana plant is actually the same 7 8
age as the WBCG itself

6 Lorraine on cabbage moth patrol
7 & 8 Flowering herb plots
9 Kerry in charge of the Saturday sausage sizzle
10 The new propagating shed goes up
11 The shed has its own kitchen garden
12 Secretary Adrian Eisler with Trudy Patterson
13 Thriving sweet potato and pumpkins
14 Perennial basil

A GROWING CONCERN THEY’RE ALSO EXPERIMENTING WITH COMPANION
PLANTING, SAYS TRUDY: “IN ADDITION, WE ROTATE
WBCG grows a full range of vegetables CROPS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS GARDEN BEDS.”
and herbs in ground-level open beds,
raised beds and the aforementioned 9 10
wicking beds. In the orchard are
bananas, citrus and pomegranates, plus
grapevines, and there’s an impressive
range of native fruit and nut trees.

A seed propagation shed was under
construction when we dropped in. There
are also four wooden compost bays
and a worm farm. As well as using their
own compost, the group fertilises with
Dynamic Lifter and Seasol, recycled
coffee grounds and animal manure.

They control pests with Dipel,
homemade white oil, chilli spray, hand
picking and waterjet spray. During our
visit, member Lorraine was even trying
to catch white cabbage moths with a
butterfly net.

They’re also experimenting with
companion planting, says Trudy: “This is
still fairly trial-and-error to discover what
works best in individual soil and water
conditions. In addition, we rotate crops
between the various garden beds.”

The wicking beds are gravity-fed from
a large rainwater tank, she adds. “We
also make extensive use of mulching to
conserve water.”

Cabbage moths aside, the garden
attracts birds by the hundreds — magpies,
miners, kookaburras, lorikeets — but, says
Trudy, “Happily, no possums so far.”

34 | Good Organic Gardening

WARNERS BAY COMMUNITY GARDEN | GARDENING FOLK
11 12

13

14

THE REWARDS produce as well having fun and many, TRUDY’S TOP TIPS
many laughs.”
The initial difficulties of obtaining 1. Use the shells of squeezed
council permission and community “I love that we can learn from each oranges placed face down
approval are far behind them now. other; it’s encouraged,” says member to get rid of slaters in
Marg. “And there’s no attitude.” elevated beds.
“The steady increase in visitors 2. Combat bugs with
demonstrates just how welcome and Andy adds, “It’s very accessible with a companion planting.
valued this community asset has lack of formality. You’re made to feel very 3. Spread the word and pass
become,” says Trudy. “We’ve also been welcome and encouraged.” on local knowledge of what
successful in winning local council works in your area.
grants to assist further development of Sydney transplant and WBCG
WBCG facilities.” secretary Adrian, who jokes he’s only in Good Organic Gardening | 35
it for the “yummy” homemade cookies
The success of local enterprises and cakes, gets serious for a moment:
like this is all down to the spirit of the “As someone new to the area, I now feel
volunteers, she adds. “They’re very part of the community and have made
friendly to all who visit or join. We have loads of connections.”
so much fun; it’s heartwarming seeing
friendships develop and the support The last word goes to Kerry, who sums
given to each other. it all up: “I have found my tribe of like-
minded people.”
“There’s a genuine generosity and
willingness to learn and share skills and Warners Bay Community Garden
knowledge. Our volunteers are very Bunya Park, Eleebana NSW 2282
happy to chat and explain things to T: 0411 016 108
visitors — especially children. W: warnersbaycommunitygarden.org
FB: @warnersbaygarden
“The herbs create a wonderful sensory E: secretary@
garden and visitors are encouraged to warnersbaycommunitygarden.org
touch, feel and smell the different plants.” Regular working bees every
Wednesday 8–11am and 2nd Saturday
As for the members themselves, says each month 9am–2pm. Annual
Trudy, “They tell us they benefit in many membership $25; $20 concession.
ways: friendship, exercise, learning,
improved mental health, enjoying fresh

MOON PLANTING | AUTUMN

MOON

PLANTING

MARCH 2022 New moon Full moon

Mid-autumn in most of Australia means there are still plenty of daytime high First quarter Last quarter
temperatures, which in turn means lots to plant in your vegie patch and herb garden.

MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT SUN When the moon is waxing from new
1 2 3 4 5 6 moon to full moon, it is increasing
light and drawing sap flow upwards.
4:34am During the waning from full moon
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 back to new moon, light decreases
and sap is drawn downwards.
9:45pm This movement of sap flow has an
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 influence on how well new plants will
grow. There are four phases, each
6:17pm lasting seven to eight days. Sowing,
planting and taking cuttings should
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 not be done in the 12 hours before
and after each phase. If you want
to work in the garden at that time,
carry out general tasks and improve
your soil for planting.

4:37pm FRUITING ANNUALS
Sow or plant annuals grown
28 29 30 31 for their fruits or seeds. This is best
done during the first quarter phase
between first quarter and full moon,
when sap is being drawn upwards.

APRIL 2022 ROOT CROPS
Sow or plant crops that
April brings more autumnal conditions as the days become shorter and the nights produce below the ground, and also
cooler, heralding the end of the wet season in northern tropical areas perennials. This is best done between
full moon and last quarter when sap
MON TUES WED THU FRI SAT SUN flow is being drawn downwards.
2 3
1

5:24pm AVOID PLANTING
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The last quarter phase is
not a good period for sowing or
4:47pm planting, so is best used working
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 on improving soil, weeding, making
compost and other general chores.

4:55am LEAFY GREENS
Sow or plant crops that are
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 grown for their foliage. This is best
done during the new moon phase
9:56pm between new moon and first quarter
25 26 27 28 29 30 when sap is being drawn upwards.

Times are Australian Eastern Standard Time
(AEST). Add 1 hour during daylight saving.
WA, SA & NT will need to adjust.

36 | Good Organic Gardening

VEGIES | PLANT NOW

TIME PLANT

DEPENDING ON YOUR CLIMATE ZONE, AUTUMN IS A GREAT TIME
TO PLANT FOR AN ABUNDANT WINTER TABLE

COOL & HIGHLANDS MARCH APRIL

beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Asian greens, beans, broad beans, beetroot,
chives, collards, corn salad, endive, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives,
leek, lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, pak collards, corn salad, garlic, kale, leek, lettuce,
choy, radish, rocket, salsify, shallots (eschalots), mizuna, mustard greens, onion, parsley, radish,
silverbeet, swede, turnip rocket, shallot (eschalot), spinach, turnip

TEMPERATE Asian greens, beans, broad beans, beetroot,
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, burdock, cabbage,
amaranth, Asian greens, beans, broad beans, carrot, cauliflower, chives, collards, corn salad,
beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, burdock, endive, fennel, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce,
cabbage, carrot, chives, collards, daikon, endive, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, peas, radish,
fennel, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mizuna, rocket, shallots (eschalots), silverbeet, snow
mustard greens, radish, rocket, salsify, shallots peas, spinach, swede, turnip
(eschalots), silverbeet, spinach, swede, turnip

SUBTROPICAL amaranth, Asian greens, asparagus pea (winged amaranth, Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broad
TROPICAL bean), beans, beetroot, broad beans, burdock, beans, broccoli, burdock, cabbage, carrot,
ARID cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chilli, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, chives,
chives, collards, cucumber, dill, endive, fennel, kale, collards, daikon, dill, endive, fennel, horseradish,
kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard greens, radish, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mizuna, mustard
rocket, salsify, silverbeet, spring onion, sunflower, greens, onion, peas, radish, rocket, shallots
swede, turnip (eschalots), silverbeet, snow peas, spring onion,
swede, turnip

Asian greens, asparagus pea (winged bean), amaranth, artichoke, Asian greens, asparagus,
basil, beetroot, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, chilli, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
cucumber, daikon, eggplant, ginger, leek, mustard capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac, celery,
greens, potato, pumpkin, shallots (eschalots), cucumber, daikon, eggplant, fennel, garlic, ginger,
silverbeet, spring onion, swede, sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, okra,
sweetcorn, taro, tomato onion, peas, potato, pumpkin, radish, rocket, shallots
(eschalots), silverbeet, spring onion, swede, sweet
potato, sweetcorn, tomato, turnip, yacon, zucchini

amaranth, asparagus pea (winged bean), amaranth, Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broad
beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, burdock, beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, burdock,
cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, Chinese
cabbage, collards, daikon, endive, fennel, kale, cabbage, collards, daikon, endive, fennel, garlic,
kohlrabi, lettuce, radish, rocket, rockmelon, salsify, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce,
silverbeet, spinach, squash, sunflower, swede, mustard greens, onion, parsnip, peas, radish,
tomato, turnip, zucchini rocket, silverbeet, spinach, swede, turnip

These maps are simplified versions adapted from climate maps by the Bureau of Meteorology and are only a rough guide. Microclimates can be formed anywhere.
Good Organic Gardening | 37

TIME TO PLANT | KIWIFRUIT

THE CHINA VINE

KIWIFRUIT IS A NEW ZEALAND MARKETING

NAME FOR THE CHINESE GOOSEBERRY Kiwifruit label

Words Jennifer Stackhouse CChoimnemseongonoasmeeb:eKrriywifruit, kiwi,
gFBoaoomtsaielnybi:ceAarrlcyntiafnamimdeiial:ycA)ecatein(iCdihaindeesleiciosa
Kiwifruit isn’t the handsomest of SUNSHINE AND WARMTH Aspect & soil: Full
fruits. Indeed, the egg-shaped ARE VITAL SO SELECT A well-drained soil sun (frost free);
berry is a bit on the ugly side, tan PROTECTED, NORTH-FACING
in colour and definitely hairy. SPOT WITH SHELTER FROM Climate: All
But that unappetising exterior hides COLD WINDS.
an eye-popping interior of sweet, bright- DPHriafofbipciatu:glDtayet:icoEidna:usySoeuteosdvm,ingoerdaeftriantge
green flesh with black seeds and kiwifruit PLANTING
tastes cool and delicious.
As well as looks, the plant also lacks

manners. It’s a large, rambling deciduous Bare-rooted plants are widely available

vine putting out lots of long canes that in winter when they are dormant. Potted

need the support of a trellis or framework plants may be available in spring. Sunshine and warmth are vital so

of wires. An ideal way to grow kiwifruit Don’t stint on space if you are planning select a protected, north-facing spot with

is across an arch so the fruit hangs down to grow these boisterous plants. Allow shelter from cold winds. Any deep, well-

where it’s easy to harvest. 5–6m between plants so they have space drained soil suits kiwifruit but a slightly

Kiwifruit, also known as Chinese to reach their mature size. acidic to neutral soil (pH of 5–7) is ideal.

gooseberry, has male and female flowers If you don’t have a lot of room and are Add well-rotted organic matter before

on separate plants, which means that two still keen on growing your own, select a planting, digging it in thoroughly to a

vines (male and female) must be planted vine that’s grafted with a male and grow spade’s depth.

to get fruit. As one male vine pollinates your vine as an espalier against a wall. These plants grow from cool regions

up to eight female vines, many gardeners, Don’t expect fruit straightaway — it to the subtropics but do need a period

especially if they have room, grow several can take several years for vines to reach of winter chilling (400–700 hours below

females with a single male. maturity and begin to fruit. Kiwifruit are 7°C) to initiate flowering. In areas with

Kiwifruit’s flowers are very pretty with picked in autumn or early winter. Vines warmer winters, select low-chill varieties. Bigstock

white petals and the male flowers have a flower in spring and are both bee and Hot summer temperatures may also

mass of pollen-covered stamens. wind pollinated. reduce fruit formation.

38 | Good Organic Gardening

KIWIFRUIT | TIME TO PLANT

VARIETIES develop long canes up to 5m in length Top The pretty flowers
that can become tangled, which is where Above Kiwiberries (Actinidia arguta)
The best known of the kiwifruit the training comes in. They need to be Below Pavlova essential
cultivars is the New Zealand-developed trained onto their supports as they grow.
‘Hayward’, which forms the backbone If the first fruit you harvest isn’t well
of the industry in New Zealand and After harvest, in winter when the vines coloured, is hard to the touch and tastes
Australia. Although this fruit has been have lost their leaves, prune to maintain a tart, wait a bit longer before harvesting.
known for decades as kiwifruit, this is a central stem and several major horizontal Kiwifruit will ripen indoors in the fruit
marketing name coined by New Zealand branches. Flowers and fruit are produced bowl if only slightly underripe. Ripe fruit
growers; the fruit was previously widely on one-year-old wood. can be stored in the fridge for 5–7 days.
known as Chinese gooseberry.
These vines may require care and Kiwifruit is high in vitamins, especially
There are many other forms. Varieties attention but are relatively free of pests vitamin C, and also contains antioxidants
with yellow flesh — sold commercially and diseases, making them a good choice and fibre. It can be eaten fresh from the
as ‘Kiwi Gold’ — are available to grow for an organic gardener. Sadly, however, skin with a spoon or peeled and sliced as
in backyards. Many are seedlings from there is one new disease to watch out for a garnish for desserts such as pavlova. It
yellow-fleshed forms. which has recently entered some parts of is also added to drinks such as smoothies
Australia. Known as PSA (Pseudomonas and to frozen desserts such as sorbet.
Varieties with low-chilling requirements syringae p.v actinidiae) it causes bacterial
are better suited to warm winter climates canker in kiwifruit, which causes the plant
than older varieties such as ‘Hayward’ that to die. Early symptoms include brown
have higher chill requirements. spots with a yellow halo on leaves and
bud rot. A milky substance can ooze
‘Bruno’ ripens in late autumn and has from stem injuries, becoming rusty red
low chilling requirements. Its elongated and giving appearance of bleeding. It is
fruit has a light green flesh. known to be present in Victoria. Contact
your local agriculture department if you
‘Sweetie’ is a very low-chill variety that suspect your plant or a potted plant from
originated at Daley’s Fruit Tree Nursery in a nursery has this disease.
northern New South Wales. It has a sweet,
green-gold flesh that was a seedling from Possums and birds are probably the
a gold form and will fruit in the tropics. main pests. Protect your crop with bird-
safe netting as fruit begins to ripen.
Male pollinators are also available for
many of the named varieties. HARVEST

Of great interest to lovers of kiwifruit is Fruit begins to ripen in autumn and is
a close relative called kiwiberry (Actinidia often picked in late autumn or early winter.
arguta). It is a much tamer vine that
produces small berry-sized green kiwifruit Ripe fruit should feel soft to the touch
with a smooth skin. but, to assess ripeness, cut open a large,
well-coloured fruit. If ready to eat it
Still deciduous, kiwiberry will grow should be sweetly flavoured and bright
in cool to subtropical zones but needs green inside with small black seeds. Gold-
protection from cold winds. It can be fleshed kiwi fruit is sweeter than green.
crosspollinated by male kiwifruit flowers
but the variety ‘Issai’ is self-fertile.

The closely related Chinese species
A. chinensis has smaller fruit than the
widely grown kiwifruit. It is similar in
appearance on the outside but the
green flesh may be tinged with pink.

ONGOING CARE

Kiwifruit benefits from deep watering as
plants regain their leaves, at flowering
and fruit set and during extended dry
periods. Cut back on watering after
harvest and through winter dormancy.

Feed in late winter or early spring with
a complete fertiliser for fruiting plants or
generous amounts of well-rotted manure.
Spread organic mulch under vines and
keep the area clear of grass and weeds by
hand weeding and mowing.

Kiwifruit is not a set-and-forget plant.
It needs time spent keeping it in order or
chaos ensues. Kiwifruit vines grow rapidly
during spring and summer and can

Good Organic Gardening | 39

TIME TO PLANT | TAMARILLO

THE OTHER KIWI FRUIT

THOUGH NEW ZEALAND NAMED IT THE TAMARILLO,
THE TREE TOMATO IS POPULAR ALL OVER THE WORLD

Words Jennifer Stackhouse THE STEM CAN BE BRITTLE SO EITHER GROW IT
IN A SHELTERED SPOT OR TAKE THE PRECAUTION
Tamarillo is one of those fruits OF A STURDY STAKE, AS A STRONG WIND MAY
that divides the population, JUST SNAP YOUR TREE IN TWO.
and not simply in two — lovers
or haters of the sharp taste. She’d just knocked off work and was GROWING TIPS Bigstock, Getty
There’s also a third group and in hungry so she scooped out a serve and
Australia it may be the largest: those dug in. It wasn’t stewed plum as she The common name of tree tomato
who’ve never heard of tamarillo or tree thought but stewed tamarillo. She never describes the plant’s stature. With a
tomato, let alone tasted it. tried the fruit again and says she almost tall main stem or trunk and large green
had to leave the country when stewed leaves, it can reach 2–3m high.
Tamarillo is much grown and tamarillo started to appear everywhere.
widely eaten across The Ditch in New The stem can be brittle so either
Zealand and it was there that the name Needless to say, stewed tamarillo grow it in a sheltered spot or take the
originated in the 1960s as a promotional was never served in our home but her precaution of a sturdy stake, as a strong
label developed by the New Zealand reaction didn’t stop me trying the fresh wind may just snap your tree in two.
Tree Tomato Promotions Council to help fruit when it came my way and I quickly
market the fruit. Most of the world just found that I loved it. Grow tamarillo in well-drained soil
calls it a tree tomato. and shelter from both cold winds and
Indeed, for me the whole experience frost. Poor drainage and wet conditions
My mother, a lifelong hater of tree of eating a tamarillo has always been can lead to root rot and sudden tree
tomato, put her dislike of the fruit down delightful (provided Mum wasn’t death. It will grow in full sun or with a
to a bad experience while she was living around to object). little shade (for example, shade from
in New Zealand. She recounted how she the hot afternoon sun in summer).
opened the fridge in her share flat and
saw that her flatmate had cooked up a
bowl of stewed fruit.

40 | Good Organic Gardening

TAMARILLO | TIME TO PLANT

Tamarillo label To keep the fruit supply flowing, plant Clockwise from top left
a new tree when the existing tree is Wait for fruit to ripen fully; poached with thyme
CB(FAsooaysmtmnpam.enilCciyocyt:napS&lnhonsaolaoammmnileaa:e:cnF:eTduSaarlolmae-lsaba(untrenoiutlmlam(ofc,areobttarosee)ttefafarctmeoeeuiml)ym;a)to about three years old. Trees should live and pine nuts; the pinky mauve flowers
wCtHPeDelairmlimolfb-fppdaiitceatr:ueargEali:antvtCyteeei:o,dorEgsonusarl:,oebsSMeiytlerneoteodspdihit,mcrecuaorubrldtatetnionreagastnme, all tree for five to seven years.
HOW TO EAT A TAMARILLO
I have a tamarillo in my garden but As well as the red form, there are
it has not been happy. I planted it last varieties with orange or yellow fruit, The fruit is egg-shaped and a deep,
summer and before it could really get of which the orange form is slightly plummy and very appealing red.
growing it had to put up with a very sweeter. Grafted trees are also available Cut off the pointed top to reveal
long cold winter. Though I covered it on and will be less susceptible to root rot the pulpy interior, which is also
frosty nights it went very yellow and by than a seed- or cutting-grown tree. red but with small seeds. Use a
winter’s end it had lost its leaves. teaspoon to scoop out the tart
Although related to tomatoes and but delicious flesh. If it’s your first
It is recovering and growing new prone to sudden death in poorly drained tree tomato experience, sprinkle a
leaves but may not flower and fruit this soils, tamarillos have few pests or other little sugar on top before you dig
time round. I should have heeded my disease problems. The tough outer skin in to avoid a bad first impression.
own advice and put it in a large pot and and late ripening means they are usually If you’ve never tried one, give it a
kept it in the glasshouse. safe from fruit fly but, if this is an issue go. Tamarillos are around now and
in your area, protect the ripening fruit into winter, ripening on a tree near
In warmer gardens than mine, with fruit-fly baits and lures. you. They occasionally turn up at
tamarillos have lush growth all year the farmers’ market or even in the
round and produce pinky-mauve HARVEST AND STORAGE greengrocer but tracking down a
flowers in spring and summer. The tree friend with a tree will guarantee
will start flowering and fruiting when Pick when the fruit is well coloured and a good supply as most trees are
it is about 18 months old. The flowers starting to soften. It can be ripened indoors bountiful and can produce more
form clusters of egg-tomato-like green in the fruit bowl if picked a little early. than 10kg of fruit a year.
fruit that ripens through yellow and
orange to deep red. Ripe tamarillos will store in a plastic
bag in the crisper section of the fridge for
Underripe fruit is tart so wait for it to around a week or two. They can also be
ripen before eating (sorry to harp on this!). frozen (but must then be used to cook).

Even with the best conditions, tree If you do end up with more than you
tomatoes are not long-lived but, as they can eat fresh, try the fruit stewed but
are attractive, don’t necessarily relegate make sure everyone knows what it is
your tree to the vegetable garden. They and add some sugar. The fruit can be
are handsome and fast growing and can used to make chutney or jam.
be grown anywhere in the garden for a
lush tropical look. New Zealanders have lots of tamarillo
recipes and serving ideas, including
grilling the fruit like a tomato to serve
with bacon and eggs.

Tamarillo is also good for you
as it is low in calories and high in
fibre, vitamins and antioxidants. It is
particularly rich in vitamins A and C.

Good Organic Gardening | 41

TIME TO PLANT | MICROGREENS

TINY BUT TASTY

NOWHERE TO GROW EDIBLES? OR ALL OUT OF ROOM
IN THE GARDEN? ALL YOU NEED FOR THESE BABIES IS A
WINDOWSILL OR BRIGHT SPOT INSIDE OR OUTSIDE

Words Chloe Thomson (including the original seed) is eaten. “microgreen mixes”. Remember, the
Microgreens, however, are germinated seeds will be sown much more densely
Microgreens are small but in soil and only the top of the shoot than the instructions on the seed
mighty flavour explosions is harvested soon after the first true packet tell you to, so this is a great time
that are super-easy to grow leaves have emerged. for kids to “help” with seed sowing!
and harvest. You don’t
need a lot of space to grow your own GROWING Cover the seeds lightly with a
microgreens — even a kitchen windowsill sprinkle of seed-raising mix and spray
is enough — so they are great for people To get growing you’ll need: down to moisten using your misting
in apartments or those with an already • A clean shallow punnet, seedling tray bottle of water. Don’t spray too close to
overflowing vegie garden. the surface or you’ll dislodge the seeds.
By mass-planting herb, salad and or old plastic fruit punnet (just make Pop the punnet in a sunny spot on a
vegetable seeds into small trays or sure it has drainage holes) windowsill or outside and make sure it
punnets, you essentially create a mini • Seed-raising mix stays moist at all times.
forest of young shoots that can be • Seeds of your choice
harvested with a simple snip of your • A spray bottle with a fine mist A very diluted organic seaweed
scissors. These young herb, salad or Fill your container of choice with the product or compost tea can be mixed into
vegetable shoots are full of flavour, just seed-raising mix and liberally spread the misting water if you’d like, although
like their grown-up versions, but their the seeds. Start with one variety because most of these microgreens are
leaves are tender, brightly coloured, full per punnet, but once you get more grown so quickly, they often don’t need
of nutrition and delightfully small. confident you can make your own anything more than water.
Don’t get microgreens and sprouts
mixed up — they are different crops in MICROGREENS ARE GERMINATED IN SOIL AND ONLY Bigstock
several ways. Sprouts are germinated THE TOP OF THE SHOOT IS HARVESTED SOON AFTER
in water and the whole sprout THE FIRST TRUE LEAVES HAVE EMERGED.

42 | Good Organic Gardening

MICROGREENS | TIME TO PLANT

Clockwise from left
Harvest by snipping the tops off; perfect with
egg dishes; cress sprouts for microgreens; pretty
amaranth microgreens

...THEIR LEAVES ARE TENDER, BRIGHTLY COLOURED, PLANTS
FULL OF NUTRITION AND DELIGHTFULLY SMALL.
Any plant whose roots, stems and
leaves are edible can be grown as a
microgreen. So have a go at microgreen
growing of:
• Lettuce, rocket and other salad leaves,
• All the brassicas including kale,

mustard, watercress and even broccoli
• Radishes including daikon
• Beetroots, carrots and other root

vegies but not parsnips as their
leaves are toxic
• Peas and beans
• Any of the soft green herbs including
parsley, coriander, basil, mint
• Sunflower (cut BEFORE the first
set of true leaves emerges),
buckwheat, linseed, amaranth and
perilla are all delicious
• Any of the edible grasses including
barley grass, oat grass and wheat
grass can be grown and re-harvested
multiple times as micro greens
Note: Don’t use anything with toxic
leaves, including all members of the
nightshade family, e.g. tomatoes,
potatoes and eggplants. And it’s
important to use seeds that have not
been coated with any chemicals or
treated. Try to find organic seeds, save
your own from your herbs and vegies or
swap with a friend.

USING

Use fresh microgreens as a tasty
garnish on egg dishes, in salads and
stirfries, on dainty finger-food pieces or
anywhere you want that pop of flavour
and colour.

Good Organic Gardening | 43

TIME TO PLANT | CITRUS

ORANGES & LEMONS

ORNAMENTAL AS WELL AS GOOD TO EAT, A HAPPY CITRUS
IS A WIN-WIN PROPOSITION FOR YOUR GARDEN

Words Chloe Thomson If you’ve got the space to grow more watering in with a diluted seaweed Bigstock
than one tree, you can spread their product to help settle it in and establish
Every Aussie garden needs a harvest times out by choosing varieties new root growth.
citrus tree or two and I’m sure I that crop early, mid- and late season.
can help you find one to suit any Mulch around the drip zone of the
sunny spot at your place. GROWING tree but keep the mulch away from the
Citruses can be planted into any trunk to prevent rot.
space with a full-sun aspect and well- Choose a full-sun spot in a rich yet free-
drained soil. They’ll happily grow in all draining soil that’s sheltered from really Growing in pots or planters? Choose
areas of Australia — except those with strong winds. Add compost to improve a premium-quality potting mix with
really heavy frosts. the soil before planting. the red ticks of quality and make sure
If growing in pots or planters is the pot is at least twice the size of the
your only option, look for a dwarf or If drainage is an issue, mound up the nursery container — but no bigger than
espaliered citrus tree. These have been soil 30–40cm above ground level and three times the size.
grafted onto dwarfing root stock so plant into this mound. Citrus prefers a
they’ll produce full-sized fruit on pint- soil with a pH of 6–7.5, so apply lime if CARE AND MAINTENANCE
sized plants. your soil is too acidic.
There are even citrus plants with During the first year, your citrus tree will
several varieties grafted onto a single Dig the planting hole twice as wide need watering at least once or twice a
rootstock, giving you a medley of zesty as the nursery pot or bag and don’t week to help it establish.
crops from a single plant. add any fertiliser to the bottom of the
A hard-working and happy citrus tree hole as it can burn the sensitive roots. Once it’s established, regular deep
is just as ornamental as it is productive, Make sure the graft (if there is one) sits waterings are better than random
so it’s a worthy addition to your garden. well above soil level. shallow waterings. And during extremely
hot weather keep an eye on potted trees
Once you’ve added the plant and as they can dry out very quickly.
back-filled, give your new plant a good
Citrus are notoriously heavy feeders;

44 | Good Organic Gardening

1 CITRUS | TIME TO PLANT

1 ‘Afourer’ mandarin 2 Finger lime 3 IF YOU’VE GOT THE
3 ‘Verna’ lemon 4 ’Navelina’ orange SPACE TO GROW
MORE THAN ONE TREE,
2 YOU CAN SPREAD
THEIR HARVEST TIMES
4 WITH VARIETIES THAT
CROP EARLY, MID- AND
LATE SEASON.

yellowing leaves, dropped fruit and lack
of flowers are all signs that your tree
is hungry. Use a complete certified-
organic citrus fertiliser in winter, in late
spring and again at the end of summer.

Pruning a citrus tree is pretty simple;
no particular technique is needed.
Prune to the shape and height you want
after fruiting by removing about 20 per
cent of the growth overall.

PESTS

Keep an eye out for citrus leafminer when
new growth is emerging; hang organic
citrus leaf miner lure traps in the trees.

Watch out, too, for galls forming on
branches and remove them, disposing
of the cuttings in the bin. If cutting off
the infested branches is too drastic, you
can also use a vegie peeler to expose
the larvae inside the galls and kill them
that way.

Spray aphids with an organic
horticultural oil like eco-oil or simply
squash them with your fingers.

TREES TO TRY

‘Afourer’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata)
A popular sweet and juicy low-seed
variety that’s easy to peel.
‘Navelina’ orange (C. sinensis) Cropping
early in the season, this Spanish variety
produces deep-orange fruit on a
compact plant.
‘Verna’ lemon (C. limon) A recently
introduced variety to Australia, this lemon
is a vigorous grower that produces oval-
shaped fruit with very few seeds.
Finger lime (C. australasica) An
Australian native citrus shrub or tree
that naturally grows as an understorey
plant in southern Queensland and New
South Wales, although it will happily
grow in Victoria, too. Inside each
elongated fruit are hundreds of tiny
caviar-like pearls. Look out for various
varieties and cultivars with different-
coloured flesh.

Good Organic Gardening | 45

TIME TO PLANT | SNOW PEAS & SUGAR SNAPS

THERE’S NO PEAS
LIKE SNOW PEAS

CRUNCHY EDIBLE-POD PEAS SUCH AS SNOW PEAS AND
SUGAR SNAP PEAS ARE DELICIOUS AND A SNAP TO GROW

Words Kerry Boyne in a salad. They should also be last- Bigstock
minute additions to a stirfry so they still
Some vegies are so easy to have the crunch that makes them so
grow and so reliably productive palatable, along with their sweetness.
that you’d never miss planting
them. My go-tos for sheer ease These mangetout peas are great for
of cultivation in our warm temperate the novice gardener and for anyone
climate are zucchini, cucumber, beans teaching children about gardening and
and cherry tomatoes in the warmer growing food because they reward daily
months and kale, spinach, sugar snaps with visible quick growth and the wait
and snow peas in the cooler season. to harvest is bearable even for the most
impatient novice.
Of course, there are lots of others, but
those mentioned just grow like weeds. From a nutritional point of view,
sugar snaps and snow peas are
Snow peas and sugar snaps are also excellent choices. They are lower in
known as mangetout, which translates calories than shelling peas and higher
literally as “eat all”, because you can in fibre, some minerals and vitamin C.
consume them pod and all — very often They also provide superior amounts of
straight off the plant, too. folate and vitamins A and K, which is
important for bone health.
Obviously, this means you can enjoy
them raw or just quickly blanched

46 | Good Organic Gardening

SNOW PEAS & SUGAR SNAPS | TIME TO PLANT

GROWING Put a support structure SNOW PEAS AND SUGAR
in when planting SNAPS ARE ALSO KNOWN AS
Before planting either seed or seedlings, MANGETOUT, WHICH TRANSLATES
install something to support these ‘Yakumo Giant’ LITERALLY AS “EAT ALL”.
climbing plants. A panel of lattice, some ‘Golden podded’
recycled reo or a tepee or framework of Freshly picked sugar snaps
bamboo poles all work well.

The height of the climbing support will
depend on the varieties you choose to
grow. Some grow to 2m high, while there
are lower-growing bush or dwarf varieties
that will still need a little support.

Because these plants grow and
produce so quickly, producing their first
pods in 8–10 weeks of planting, they will
benefit from regular liquid fertilising and
consistent moisture.

They grow best in full sun and cool,
moist soil, so the cooler months provide
the best conditions, though they can
grow year round in cool climates.

As they are legumes, they also benefit
the soil, returning nitrogen to it via
their root nodules, a process known as
“fixing”. Leafy greens such as lettuce
and rocket, which need plenty of
nitrogen, are good to plant with or
after mangetout peas.

VARIETIES Snsnoawpppeeaa&lasbueglarDPHBAFirsafBeopCasafbsiopepmcoctitaacetumaic:,hgcllnylAmtamtaiyi:mrctn&a:oaFianaonEtnasluutngaboennam:esai:alalyStc:Amcom&eeSllueielaeummtdasesnp:br,a:,ePsecSewaerairnssoeesoulcdlwm-aldirnpprsgaaeoitannive&udmssuogvialarr. snap

Snow pea ‘Yakumo Giant’, growing to
2m, is decorative as well as productive
with its pretty purple flowers, producing
in 90 days.
Snow pea ‘Oregon’ is a bush type,
growing to 70cm and producing in
60–70 days.
Sugar snap ‘Cascadia’ is a climbing
type growing to 100cm, producing in
60–65 days.
Sugar snap ‘Sugar Bon’ is a bush type,
producing in 55–60 days.

THREE-PEA-OH

One of our favourite sides is the dish we
call Three Pea-oh Salad. It covers your
bases for greens, and is more substantial
than a leaf salad — and it’s so simple! Mix
equal quantities of cooked shelled peas
(or lightly cooked frozen peas), halved
snow peas and whole sugar snaps (the
latter two just quickly blanched and
cooled), toss with a handful of chopped
mint, season and dress with lemon and
olive oil dressing (or white wine vinegar
instead of lemon juice).

Good Organic Gardening | 47

TIME TO PLANT | KALE

OLD KING KALE

AFTER 3000 YEARS, THIS ANCIENT
LOOSE-LEAF CABBAGE IS NEW AGAIN

Words Jennifer Stackhouse leaves as well as diverse growth habits: Kale label
some kales develop a thick stem topped Common name:
Ithought kale might be a flash in the by a rosette of cabbage-like leaves Botanical name: Kale, borecole
pan — a trendy vegetable that we’d while others are more compact with Acephala Group Brassica oleracea
lose interest in after a few years. a clumping form.
But that hasn’t been the case. Kale BmAFeasospmitsetcicllybtim:u&Btarswtaoese:isllA:li-cSdlalurcaneinatoeedpasortilshade;
rose from obscurity, became trendy and Many garden centres offer mixed Habit: Biennial
now seems to have found a permanent punnets of kale to give easy access as an annual vegetable grown
place in the vegie plot. to the wide variety of the colours and
Much of the renewed interest in this forms available. DPirfofipcaugltayt:ioEna:sSyeteodm, soedeedrlainteg
leafy brassica is down to its reputation
as a “superfood” packed with vitamins Kale is part of the large brassica HOW TO GROW Bigstock, Getty
(including vitamin C, carotene and or cabbage family that also includes
folacin) and rich in calcium, iron and broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage Kale grows best through the cooler
dietary fibre. and cauliflower, along with lesser- months so seeds are planted early
Kale’s continued popularity comes known and perhaps soon-to-be-trendy autumn or during the dry season (March–
thanks to its low care requirements: it’s an green collards. July in tropical and subtropical zones).
easy to grow, long-cropping and handy Seedlings are planted through autumn to
winter and early-spring leaf veg at a time Like these other brassicas, kale keep a good supply of greens growing
of year when fresh greens can be scarce. does best in a cool climate but is also through winter.
It’s also a handsome plant that looks well worth growing through winter in
good in the vegie patch. There are also warmer climates, including subtropical.
many varieties to grow (see table) with
different coloured, textured and shaped It’s particularly useful to grow through
cold winters when little else grows. It isn’t
worried by cold or frost and, if happy,
keeps growing as the weather warms.

48 | Good Organic Gardening

KALE | TIME TO PLANT

Seeds can be direct-sown where they Cabbage white butterfly caterpillar
are to grow or started in seedling trays
then transplanted into the garden bed LIKE OTHER BRASSICAS, KALE DOES BEST IN A
when the seedlings are large enough. COOL CLIMATE BUT IS ALSO WORTH GROWING
THROUGH WINTER IN WARMER CLIMATES.
Sow seeds at a depth of about 2cm
and space seedlings 40–60cm apart, Ornamental kale
depending on the size of the variety
you choose to grow.

Like all brassicas, kale prefers a neutral
to slightly alkaline soil (a pH of around
7). In areas with an acidic soil, digging
in dolomite or lime while preparing for
planting improves growing conditions.

Also dig in compost and manure or
an organic fertiliser prior to planting
to feed the developing plant. In crop
rotation, kale and other brassicas can
follow legumes.

Keep seedlings well watered as they
establish. To promote strong growth,
feed the developing plants monthly
with a side dressing of organic fertiliser
(such as pelletised chicken manure or
blood and bone). Alternatively, apply
an organic liquid feed fortnightly.

TROUBLESHOOTING plant’s growth. Harvest leaf by leaf DECORATIVE OPTIONS
as needed.
Its susceptibility to pests and some As well as edible kales there are
diseases is what lifts kale from easy to This is a versatile vegetable. It can also cabbage-shaped plants
moderate on the difficult-to-grow scale. be cooked like spinach or chopped and grown solely as ornamentals and
Cabbage white butterfly caterpillars, added to soups or sauces; individual or favoured for their long-lasting,
aphids and club root are all problems that torn leaves can be fried or baked as a chip. pretty foliage that may be green
may be encountered when growing kale. It can also be juiced or used in pickles marbled with pink, purple or white
and makes a tasty pesto (remove the and sometimes all together in a
The best organic tactic is to regularly tough ribs and vein before pulsing with vibrant mix. Ornamental kales are
search the foliage and remove the nuts, garlic, oil and Parmesan cheese). sold under names such as ‘Winter
green caterpillars by hand or, better yet, Wonder’ and are useful as potted
cover the crop with fine white netting. SPOILED FOR CHOICE plants or to mass among annuals
However, large infestations can be for autumn and winter colour in
treated with the organically acceptable Kale varieties have been grown for garden beds.
Bt (sold as Dipel) or spinetoram. centuries reinforcing this vegetable’s
heritage appeal. Some forms also have
Club root is harder to combat but multiple names.
can be controlled by growing plants in
alkaline soil (club root favours acidic
soils) and by following crop rotation, so
that brassicas are not grown in the same
garden bed for several seasons in a row.

Kale that is heat or water stressed
may become tough to eat, so keep
plants well watered, especially as the
weather warms.

HARVEST AND USE

Kale is a biennial plant that keeps
growing and can be harvested
throughout the year if conditions
remain cool. Harvesting can begin
at around seven to eight weeks
after planting or when the plant has
produced enough leaves so some
can be picked without affecting the

Good Organic Gardening | 49

TIME TO PLANT | KALE Description Comments
Slate-grey puckered leaves; 30cm high and wide Attractive compact form
Variety Finely curled blue-green leaves; 40–60cm high, 30cm wide Adds foliage contrast
1 ‘Baby Tuscan’ See Tuscan
2 ‘Blue Curled Scotch’ Heavily curled blue-grey leaves; 35cm high, 75cm wide Slow bolting
3 ‘Cavalo Nero’
4 ‘Dwarf Blue Curled’

5 ‘Dwarf Siberian Improved’ Frilly dark-green leaves; 40–60cm high, 30cm wide Slow bolting

‘Green Cossack’ Wavy green leaves; 40–60cm high, 30cm wide Similar to Red Russian but
6 ‘Red Bor’ Heavily curled purple-red leaves; to 60cm high lacks purple tones

Edible and ornamental value

7 ‘Red Russian’ Wavy leaves, purple stems and veins; 40–60cm high, 30cm wide Also called Ragged Jack

‘Scotch’ Curled blue-green leaves; 40–60cm high Popular variety

8 ‘Squire’ Frilly blue-green leaves; 40–60cm high, 30cm wide Good compact form

‘Tuscan’ Slate-grey puckered leaves; 60cm high, 30cm wide, palm-like Also known as cavolo nero,
lacinato, Tuscan palm

1 KALE THAT IS HEAT OR WATER
STRESSED MAY BECOME TOUGH
TO EAT, SO KEEP PLANTS WELL
WATERED, ESPECIALLY AS THE
WEATHER WARMS.

2

50 | Good Organic Gardening