Essential guide
h i oom
OVDEALFTEGDGRLE-HRIUWCTOOIAITOOBMW&RLUEELSSD
essential guide HEIRLOOM VEGIES
TO GROW & SAVOUR
issue 14 2018
HERITAGE FRUITS
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h i oom Ed’s letter
Editor Liz Ginis Go d n o di ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK
Art Director Karen berge
Itry to visit my local farmers’ market as often as possible
Designer Renee carloss – although I must admit I’m not the earliest riser on a
Horticultural Editor Penny Woodward Sunday morning, especially during the chilly winter
months. That said, it’s always worth the effort. I come away
Visit our Website organicgardener.com.au with a basket full of freshly harvested produce and a head
Find us on full of information gleaned from the local growers, not only
about the provenance of the fruit and veg but also how to
Advertising sales: cook and store it. For instance, the incredible ‘Romanesco’
broccoli on the cover has a nutty flavour and, for mine,
NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER is best lightly steamed and served alongside its stablemate,
Anabel Tweedale P: 02 9901 6371 E: [email protected] ‘Purple Sprouting’ broccoli (page 27), with a knob of butter
and a sprinkle of cracked pepper. The flavours are incredible
Senior Account Manager and the colour and texture on the plate sublime. Which brings
Clive Lochner P: 0413 743 251 E: [email protected] me to the theme of our 2018 Essential Guide – Heirlooms.
Heirloom vegies and heritage fruit have been a staple
Account Executive around the world for centuries. As Penny Woodward
Alora Edwards P: 02 9901 6101 E: [email protected] explains on page 8, “Ever since our ancestors began
collecting wild plants and growing, selecting and improving
Senior Account Executive them to produce bigger, sweeter and more reliable crops,
Annya Azzopardi P: 02 9901 6320 humans have grown, nurtured and cared for these precious
E: [email protected] plants.” Sadly, since the agricultural revolution, many varieties
have become scarce or disappeared altogether. So, from
PRODUCTION MANAGER Peter Ryman ‘Purple Dragon’ carrots (page 32) that date back to Spain
PRODUCTION/DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER Jonathan Bishop more than 900 years ago to apples planted by Captain
William Bligh on Bruny Island before European settlement
PUBLISHER Carole Jones of NSW, our aim this issue is to introduce you to the bounty
of old-world vegies and fruit in Australia. And to encourage
Manager of Publishing and Licensing Lisa Hunter you to grow, savour and share them, to ensure their
Editor Magazines ABC Commercial Kate McMahon continued survival. Enjoy!
SUBSCRIPTIONS organicgardener.com.au Liz
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES [email protected]
OUR C VE
NEXT MEDIA PTY LTD
Cover photo of ‘romanesco’
Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards NSW 1590 Phone 02 9901 6100 broccoli by liz ginis
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN David Gardiner (with thanks to garden
MANAGING DIRECTOR Hamish Bayliss Fresh Fruit & vegies,
Peats Ridge NSW). For more
ABC Organic Gardener magazine and ABC Organic Gardener Essential Guide: Heirlooms are on it and other heirloom
published by nextmedia Pty Ltd (ACN 128 805 970) under licence from the publisher, brocs, see page 27.
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contents
32 64
8 Why grow heirlooms?
Penny Woodward has been growing heirloom vegies and heritage
fruit for decades. Here, she explains why this is vital for all of us.
PART 1 40 lettuce entertain you PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK
HEIRLO M V G TAB ES Summer salads sing with heirloom lettuce. Helen McKerral shares
heat-tolerant varieties, plus planting, growing and seed-saving tips.
14 seed saviours
45 peas de resistance
A global mission to conserve the genetic diversity of seeds is
underway. Megan Trousdale meets some of the leading lights. Justin Russell says everyone should give heirloom peas a chance:
they’re easy to grow, take up little space and produce masses of pods.
20 Full of beans
51 buried treasure – potatoes
Beans are one of Annabel Langbein’s favourite crops. Here she
shares growing tips and clever bean support ideas. Peter Cundall loves nothing better than growing a bumper crop of
spuds then digging for the buried treasure.
27 bountiful broccoli
58 true blue pumpkins
Broccoli isn’t just a one head wonder, you can eat the leaves and flowers
too and encourage multi harvests of side shoots, writes Justin Russell. Few vegies are as true blue as the pumpkin. Justin Russell reveals
his top five Aussie heirloom varieties plus growing and storage tips.
32 carrots straight up
64 A new world of tomatoes
Justin Russell busts one of the biggest myths of growing carrots,
and lists his top heirloom cultivars for you to try in your patch! Penny Woodward explores the expanding world of heirloom
tomatoes with new cultivars, top tasters, growing tips and more.
36 corn rescue mission
70 Abundant zucchini and squash
Simon Webster meets a man on a mission to save heirloom sweet
corn and maize varieties from dying out – and you can help. They may not always be top of the pops, but zucchini and squash are
some of the most productive plants in the patch, writes Justin Russell.
6 heirlooms
DSs OAU TNBpNOSa’IDTSgC ASRMY1UI1BIE8SES
94 115
PART 2 PART 3
HERITAG F U S BYGONE AUTI S
PHOTOS: JESSAMY MILLER/BOB STEFKO/ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK 78 The APPLE of Peter’s eye 110 yesteryear blooms
Peter Cundall loves apples. Here he reveals his favourite heritage With their intoxicating scents and subtle flavours, old-fashioned flowers
cultivars plus how to grow them, and his pick of the best pears. make a great addition to today’s gardens, says Penny Woodward.
85 fabulous FIGS 115 rare care
Fresh figs are hard to find at markets and grocers, making them an Better than vintage and as scarce as hen’s teeth, rare poultry breeds
ideal fruit tree for home gardens, writes Penny Woodward. are well worth your time and dedication, writes Jessamy Miller.
90 LEMON delicious 119 The whole hog
Annette McFarlane reveals the secrets to container-grown heritage Linda Cockburn found pigs intelligent and companionable, but says
lemon and lime trees dripping with ripe fruit. secure housing, a strong fence and plenty of food are a must
94 Choose your MELON 126 The quiet achievers
Savour the flavour of summer with Annette McFarlane’s helpful Begone fumes and nasty noises. Simon Webster investigates the
guide to growing succulent, mouth-watering heritage melons. quiet pleasures of scything and using old-fashioned hand tools.
99 ORANGE renaissance 130 resources
Having fallen from favour in recent decades, the backyard orange tree is Find more information on the articles featured in Organic Gardener
due for a comeback – be it sweet, blood or sour, writes Justin Russell. Essential Guide Heirlooms and contact details here.
104 PEACHy keen
Helen McKerral explores the queen of fruits, peaches (and sister
fruit nectarines), sharing growing advice and cultivars suited to
most climates.
heirlooms 7
Bold colours are the PHOTO: ISTOCK
hallmark of some
heirloom vegetables
such as these corn cobs.
8 heirlooms
why grow heirlooms?
Gt oo enin ug f ooum ftu tup a t
Organic Gardener Horticultural Editor Penny Woodward has been growing
heirloom vegies and heritage fruit for decades. Here, she explains just how
important these age-old edibles are to our, and the planet’s, survival.
PHOTO: IAN WALLACE Heirloom vegetables and heritage fruit have been the of farmers and gardeners, hundreds of thousands of heirloom seeds
backbone of agriculture and home gardens for thousands and heritage fruits were developed. One hundred years ago, most
of years. Ever since our ancestors began collecting wild of these were still available, but in the last century, in developed
plants and growing, selecting and improving them to produce bigger, countries, more than 90 per cent of these cultivars have been lost.
sweeter and more reliable crops, humans have grown, nurtured and During the same period, nearly 90 per cent of the heritage apple
cared for these precious plants. It’s only since the introduction varieties available worldwide have also disappeared. And there are
of industrial agriculture, F1 hybrids and the actions of a few of similar losses for other fruit. These losses are not recoverable: the
our biggest companies, that these thousands of precious, diverse gene pool is permanently diminished and with modern agriculture
cultivars of fruit and vegetables have begun disappearing from and land clearances we have also lost many of the wild species that
gardens, farms and seed banks all over the world. originally gave rise to these cultivated varieties. In 2012, ten of the
world’s top seed companies controlled more than 75 per cent of all
Why is this important? As Doctor Judyth McLeod puts it in her global seed sales. Many of these companies are also agricultural
excellent Heritage Gardening, ‘It’s about the need to save your chemical companies including Monsanto, Dow, Bayer and Syngenta.
future with your heritage from the past’. She goes on to explain At the end of May 2018, the US Justice Department gave approval
that genetic diversity has everything to do with the stability of food for the German drug and gene company Bayer to take over chemical
production worldwide. We rely on the diversity of our domesticated and seed company Monsanto. Soon, if other takeovers are approved,
fruit, vegetables and grains for the very survival of the human race. there may be just three companies owning most of the world’s seeds.
Over more than 10,000 years of careful selection by generations
heirlooms 9
Heirloom tomatoes are PHOTO & ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK
renowned for their
wide range of shapes,
colours and flavours.
10 heirlooms
why grow heirlooms?
With s Es ential Gu d we hop t in r duce yo t s m f he w alt of
heirlo m and he it g plan s i Au tral , nd e courag y t row, save nd
share t m wi h fa ly, riends a com unit es.
I know that to some of you this will feel overly brought more fruit trees and by 1857, the Royal
dramatic, but it’s essential that we all realise how Tasmanian Botanic Gardens boasted 111 apple varieties,
close we have come to losing this essential bounty, 54 pears, 25 plums and eight oranges.
created by generations of our forebears. We need to keep
fighting to maintain what we have left. Fortunately there These numbers continued to grow across Australia
are also good news stories. Communities, grassroots and were essential for the survival of early settlers.
movements and small businesses have been fighting back Cultivars suited to Australian conditions were developed
and although huge numbers of cultivars have been lost, and thrived well into the 1900s. They were found in
we still have thousands of different cultivars that with commercial orchards, state agricultural nurseries as well
a bit of community effort can be preserved. In my own as smaller farms and our gardens. But broad-scale
small garden I grow more than 20 different heritage fruit agriculture has meant that only a few cultivars suited to
trees, and only ever save, buy or grow heirloom vegies. long transport and storage now survive, and many old
If we all did the same then this would be a huge step orchards and agricultural sites have been bulldozed to
toward preserving what is left. make way for development or just because there is no-one
to look after them any more. So many heritage fruit trees
There’s a lot of confusion over the names used for have also been lost. Fortunately, as with heirloom vegetables,
the early cultivars of vegetables and fruit trees. So a few there were also groups of people who realised we were losing
definitions might be helpful. In Australia, the most common our legacy of diversity in fruit trees, and started to preserve
term for old vegetable cultivars is heirloom. Some say that old orchards and cultivars. Some of the legacy of our heritage
vegetable cultivars need to be at least 50 years old before fruit trees can also be found in unusual places. When driving
they can be called heirloom, while others claim that there along rural roads in southern temperate Australia you will see old
should be a history or story associated with them or that they fruit trees including apples, plums, peaches, figs, pears, loquats and
need to have been passed down through several generations. chestnuts growing on the road reserves, and in old cemetaries and
It’s now much more common, though, for the term ‘heirloom’ derelict house sites too. These undervalued trees are sometimes
to be synonymous with ‘open-pollinated’, meaning that an seen as weeds by local councils when, in fact, they should be
heirloom vegetable is any non-hybrid from which you can regarded as cultural and horticultural resources and a treasure trove
collect seeds and regrow plants that generally grow true of diverse fruit DNA. In my 20s I cycled through large tracts of the
to type. This is the definition used for this Essential Guide. UK and Ireland. With almost no money, I lived on soya beans soaked
Recently developed open-pollinated vegetable cultivars are during the day in my spare water bottle, and then cooked at night
often called modern heirlooms. By growing heirloom vegetables, combined with greens collected from roadsides and hedgerows.
gardeners and farmers can select their best plants and save seeds To add to this very basic fare, I also collected fruit from the
from year to year; these seeds are free and owned by everyone. diverse heritage fruit trees on roadsides, in parks and remote
hedgerows. I’ve never been so fit and healthy!
In Australia, old fruit-tree cultivars are usually referred to as With this Essential Guide we hope to introduce
‘heritage’. In other parts of the world, heritage is also applied to you to some of the wealth of heirloom
vegetables, while fruit trees can be known as heirlooms. The first and heritage plants in Australia, and
European fruit trees in Australia were probably apples planted by encourage you to grow, save and
Captain William Bligh on Bruny Island, Van Dieman’s Land before share them with family,
European settlement of NSW. These would be Australia’s first ‘heritage’ friends and communities.
fruit trees. (This doesn’t take into consideration Australian native fruit The future of our food
trees that have been eaten and cared for by First Nations people is in our hands.
for many thousands of years). Later successive European arrivals
heirlooms 11
12 heirlooms
PHOTOS: ISTOCK
heirloom vegetables
FROM LITTLE THINGS
From humble Seed to flourishing plant, heirloom vegies are remarkable. growing your own
assures sublime flavours on your plate and, if you save the seeds, an enduring food future.
heirlooms 13
14 heirlooms
PHOTOS: ISTOCK
heirloom vegetables
Seed saviours
A global mission to conserve the genetic diversity of seeds and hold
back the effects of industrial agriculture is underway. Megan Trousdale
meets some of the people leading the charge.
ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK Hold a seed in the palm of your hand and it’s hard not to marvel cultivars of lettuce, today there are 36; and 307 cultivars of sweet
at its promise. It is a miracle that from seed, sometimes as corn compared with today’s 12 (Rural Advancement Foundation
small as a pinhead, a plant can germinate and produce food. International estimate). And while there were thousands of different
And if that plant is left to go to seed, more seeds can be collected to heirloom wheat cultivars, today they’re near extinction (US Department
grow more food, and the process repeated time and time again. of Agriculture/Heritage Grain Conservancy estimate).
The common heritage of seeds dates back more than 10,000 In Open Sesame – an experimental short film, which introduced
years, to the start of agriculture, with today’s seeds collected, Kaminsky to the threat of seed extinction and the larger story to
cultivated and passed on by our ancestors. be told – there is a haunting interview with Indian environmentalist
and activist Dr Vandana Shiva, who founded Bija Vidyapeeth
Alas, in the past century the genetic diversity of seeds has (Sanskrit for ‘Seed Learning Centre’) at Navdanya Agrobiodiversity
declined markedly. Land clearing, a preference for monoculture, Conservation and Ecological Farm (in Uttarakhand, part of India’s
the dominance of hybrid, patented or genetically modified seeds lower Himalayas). Shiva attributes increasing production costs for
over heirloom and open-pollinated ones, and the loss of smaller, farm chemicals and seeds, falling produce prices, and declining farm
independent seed companies have all contributed. credit to the genocide of farmers in India.
But while this decline has happened, there has always been a Kaminsky says that among such pessimistic stories, positive
band of seed saviours working to conserve genetic diversity, not to changes are slowly appearing, and they are steady and exponential.
mention the traditional farmers around the world who continue to
save seeds and hold back the tide of modern chemical agriculture. “I strongly believe we are reaching important tipping points that
will have widespread and meaningful benefits to organic farmers
Diversity loss worldwide,” he says.
Sean Kaminsky’s film, Open Sesame, The Story of Seeds, presents Meanwhile, Kaminsky’s research has rekindled his own long-lost
frightening statistics about the loss of seed diversity. It cites a study connection to seeds, which he says started with “my fascination with
by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation that my grandma’s seed catalogues as a kid, planting my first seeds with
estimates about 90 per cent of crop cultivars grown 100 years ago my mum and my sister. I didn’t start growing and saving seeds [again]
are now extinct. until mid-way through the film. Now I’m officially addicted and I’m
starting my own seed company. New films will come and go, but
The statistics for four crops alone are startling: in 1901 there seeds and seed saving remain a part of my life”.
were 288 cultivars of beets, today there are 17; there were 497
heirlooms 15
heirloom vegetables
Understanding seed Top left: The future of seed diversity is in our hands. PHOTOS: DI HARRIS/GETTY IMAGES/SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE/DAVID CAVAGNARO/SCOTT CHASKEY
Top: Author, activist and seed champion Scott Chaskey.
In his book Seedtime, published in January Above: The Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway.
2014, American poet, farmer and educator Scott Inset: Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmental activist
Chaskey records his experience as witness to the fighting for the rights of small-scale farmers and seed savers.
miracle of seeds as a sower and harvester over
30 years. Chaskey hopes his book contributes to than 100 countries. This includes a backup of the single inventory of
an understanding of the value of seeds, leading to small- Australian crop genetic resources at the $6-million Australian Grains
order radical social change, and support of local and ecologically Genebank, opened at Horsham, Victoria, in May 2014.
beneficial stewardship.
Chaskey writes that “the seed bank is a calculated attempt to
“I know by the questions I am often asked – even by educated save the biological foundation of agriculture: crop diversity”.
members of our community farm – that most people have very
limited knowledge of where our seeds, that become our food, The Global Seed Vault has not been without criticism, with some
come from,” he says. seed-saving organisations suggesting true seed saving happens in
the field where seeds can continue to be acclimatised to the effects
“For 10,000 years or more, indigenous farmers have been of global warming and a changing world. But in a time of war and
selecting and developing plants as a means of survival (and a upheaval, the vault provides a level of insurance.
botanical curiosity).
“Our ancestors successfully domesticated and brought under
cultivation about 200 species of plants long before modern plant
breeding existed.
“Throughout most of the history of agriculture, each farmer
was by definition a seedsman… the knowledge of plants and food
production was a shared knowledge among growers and eaters.
Gradually, as we approached the era of industrialisation and
specialisation, this fluency in our shared ecology slipped away,
and with it an incalculable biodiversity.”
As a counterpoint, Chaskey describes the incredible cooperation
on an international scale to open the first global seed bank in 2008,
jointly managed by the Global Crop Diversity Trust, Norwegian
Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and Nordic Genetic Resource Centre.
The Global Seed Vault is located in a group of islands known
as Svalbard, 805km north of mainland Norway. The underground
vault has the capacity to store almost two billion seeds at -18°C,
stabilising 1700-plus gene banks scattered around the globe in more
16 heirlooms
PHOTO: ALBUM VILMORIN/TASCHEN A um Vi mo in
Between 1850 and 1895 a series of large-format botanical plates were produced on behalf of then leading
French seed company Vilmorin-Andrieux & Co. The plates represent an extraordinary record of the edible plant
diversity of the time. Over 1600 cultivars were listed. Shown in this plate are: strawberry ‘Noble’, cabbage
‘Express’, carrot ‘Chantenay Half-long’, pea ‘Telephone Runner’, orach ‘White’ and ‘Deep Red’.
heirlooms 17
heirloom vegetables
Left: Isolation gardens are used to preserve seed purity at Seed Savers
Exchange in the US.
Above: Nundle Seed Library was one of the first of its kind in Australia.
Seed Savers Exchange followed by Port Macquarie on the mid-north coast of NSW in PHOTOS: SEED SAVERS EXCHANGE/DAVID CAVAGNARO
April 2014.
On a grassroots level, one of the pioneer organisations of seed
saving, the US Seed Savers Exchange, is working to not only Kim Davis, a former Tamworth Regional Council library staffer,
conserve heirlooms but to keep the seeds strong and pure at its read about the US seed libraries and flagged it with her manager,
890-hectare heritage farm in Iowa. Kay Delahunt, when planning was underway for a new Nundle Library,
which now has a dedicated room to house seeds.
Founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy,
it is the largest non-governmental seed bank in the world. Another seed library at Barraba, in northern NSW, then opened,
Members distribute hundreds of thousands of heirloom and with more set to do so around the country.
open-pollinated garden seeds, many brought to North America by
members’ ancestors who emigrated from Europe, the Middle East, Library members have access to seeds free of charge and in turn
Asia and other parts of the world. are asked to collect and donate seeds from their best plants the next
season, developing strong plants suited to the local area.
The Seed Savers’ website states that the group has 20,000
listings, including 12,495 unique cultivars. “We had the support of the Nundle Garden Club and the Friends of
the Library presented Nundle Library with a gift of about 20 different
The Australian equivalent began with the launch of a national cultivars of saved seeds for the opening,” Delahunt says.
seed-saving network in 1986 and establishment of the Seed
Savers Foundation in 2000. Its founders, Jude and Michel Fanton, ABC TV’s Gardening Australia host, Costa Georgiadis, opened
progressed from a cardboard box seed bank in a cupboard to Port Macquarie Hastings Council’s Seed Library and volunteer-run
nurturing around 100 Local Seed Networks throughout Australia, community garden. The council has three seed libraries – at Port
and selling more than 33,000 copies of their Seed Savers Manual. Macquarie, Wauchope and Laurieton – which have ‘loaned’ 1500
packets of donated seeds.
Rasa Dover, of the Byron Hinterland Seed Savers in northern
NSW, says Local Seed Networks all work differently, but share a Hobart-based Hannah Moloney, who established Good Life
philosophy of saving seed and exchanging excess. Permaculture blog, education and design, offers good advice to
gardeners seeking seeds.
“We have four seed-saving events annually in Byron Shire where
we visit a member’s garden, exchange seeds, plants, cuttings and She suggests researching Local Seed Networks (seedsavers.net)
tubers, and even produce,” Dover says. and Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Australia
(communitygarden.org.au) online, as well as making contact with
“I have three drawers of jars of seeds I have collected from my local councils to connect with garden clubs, community garden
garden and I sell seeds at a roadside stall to promote seed saving.” groups, school gardens or friends of botanic gardens.
Local seed libraries “It’s wise to seek seeds from a climate similar to yours, so even if
you don’t have a local seed network, look for a seed company located
Complementing the work of Local Seed Networks is the emergence in a similar climate zone,” Moloney says.
of seed libraries, located in public libraries. The Seed Library Social
Network began in the US in 2011. “Seed saving, as part of a bigger conversation about where food
comes from and how it is produced, is gaining traction in mainstream
The first seed library in Australian public libraries is thought to culture. When gardeners discover seed saving it is a big light bulb
have opened at Nundle in northern inland NSW in October 2013, moment.”
18 heirlooms
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Annabel Langbein PHOTOS: ANNABEL LANGBEIN MEDIA
with some of her
favourite beans,
‘Purple King’.
20 heirlooms
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Full of beans
Beans are one of Annabel Langbein’s favourite crops, producing a prolific harvest for
many months. Here She talks heirlooms and shares clever bean support ideas.
While I was researching garden ideas for a TV project disease and bugs. You also get a crop that’s about three times
Through The Seasons, I came across the Heritage Food bigger than bush beans, and with regular picking you have an
Crops Research Trust (heritagefoodcrops.org.nz), extended harvest.
which some years ago imported a wide range of heirloom
Mesoamerican bean seeds into New Zealand. With names such as Sowing seeds
‘Cherokee Cornfield Bean’, ‘Apache Red Bean’, ‘Hopi Black Pinto’
and ‘Tarahumara Purple Star’, they captured my imagination and I Beans are very sensitive to frost. In frost-prone climates, wait until
managed to secure a stash from my local Southland Seed Savers all risk of frost has passed in spring and the soil temperature has
group to grow my own. reached about 15°C before planting.
The seeds I was given came from cultivars that had been grown For a head start, sow seeds in punnets or small pots using seed-
for hundreds if not thousands of years. Some were resistant to raising mix inside on a windowsill or somewhere sunny and warm.
drought, some could grow in the shade, and all had the prettiest You can also buy punnets of seedlings if you are short on time.
seeds imaginable. My winter bean soups would never look or
taste better. Always sow seeds about 2.5cm deep and press the soil firmly
around the seeds. Keep the soil nice and moist once seeds are
The seeds I obtained are all part of an extraordinary 40,000 planted to ensure an even germination. Plan on roughly 10–15 bush
known bean cultivars in the Phaseolus genus, but of these fewer bean plants or three to five climbing bean plants per family.
than 100 cultivars are widely cultivated. All are native to Central and Bush beans will take about seven days to germinate, climbing beans
South America. about 14. Once they have bloomed it then takes about two weeks for
your first harvest.
Most beans grown in Australia belong to three species, P. vulgaris
(known as French, stringless, pole, climbing, snap and bush beans), Bush beans need good airflow to prevent mould and fungal
P. coccineus (runner or seven-year beans, which are perennial) and diseases. In the ground, plant bush beans 10–15cm apart – I usually
P. lunatus (lima or butter beans, although these butter beans should do double staggered plantings and set these double rows about
not be confused with butter-coloured French beans – also called 80cm apart. It’s a good idea to plant new seeds for bush beans every
butter beans). two to three weeks, as they produce over a shorter period.
Within these species beans fall into two key categories: those Climbing beans need more space so sow these about 20cm
that are eaten as a green vegetable before the seeds inside start apart, with about 1.2m between rows. In warmer regions with longer
to mature (usually known as French, snap or string beans) and seed seasons you may get two crops – one early in the spring and the
beans that are grown until the seeds are fat and mature and the pods other by taking your first frost day, subtract 10–14 days for safety,
have died back (these are dried for later use). Nearly all seed beans, and then work back from the ‘time till harvest’ on the pack to get
whether fresh or dried, contain a toxin called phytohaemagglutinin your latest planting date.
and need to be thoroughly cooked before eating or they are
poisonous. Dried beans should also be soaked before cooking. Runner beans, such as ‘Scarlet Runner’, can also be grown as
short-lived perennials – my father always left his in year on year,
For the home gardener, climbing beans, although taking longer pruning them back to just above the ground at the end of each
to mature (10–11 weeks versus around eight to nine weeks for bush growing season.
beans), will give you more bang for your buck. The advantage of
climbing beans is that they take up less room and are less prone to All beans are self-pollinating so you don’t need to separate
different cultivars unless you wish to save seeds, in which case space
them at least 15m apart.
heirlooms 21
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Sun and soil may cluster together, pick off the whole leaf and drop into soapy
water. Try making a spray using mint or garlic to repel these bugs
Beans like lots of sun. However if it’s too hot, beans will drop their (see recipe below). They are also often well controlled by predatory
blossoms – keeping the roots cool with mulch and regular watering insects and birds.
can help prevent this.
Protect plants from snails and slugs by surrounding each plant
Beans aren’t fussy about their soil conditions but do best with with a copper band guard. If you notice swelling and cracking at
a pH of 6.0–7.5, good drainage and soil with lots of organic matter. the base of the stem, this may signal bean fly (Ophiomyia phaseoli)
If soil is heavy, lighten with extra compost to help seedlings emerge. attack with maggots burrowing into the stem. Young plants may die,
but older plants will often survive if you hill soil up around the base
Beans generally don’t need extra nitrogen for good growth and water well.
because the beneficial bacteria that live in nodules on the bean
roots help to provide nitrogen for the plants. And too much nitrogen Garlic spray Green
makes them produce leaves rather than flowers and bean pods. vegetable
Longer-bearing climbing beans or heavy-feeding limas benefit from a bug nymphs.
mid-season side dressing of compost and seaweed solution.
Roughly chop 10 cloves of garlic
In my experience, beans need lots of water – I give them a good
soak every few days over the summer, especially while flowering, and cover with 1L of water.
as without enough water you get a drop off in blossom and the beans
lose their juicy crunch. Leave to stand overnight, then
Pests and diseases strain. Spray onto bean plants to
Beans can be affected by fungal problems. To avoid these, don’t plant repel pests. Discard any leftover
beans in the same bed for at least three years, and don’t overhead
water. If beans are attacked by aphids, squash them with your fingers spray after a few days. Adding
and wait for beneficial insects to move in. Or treat with a soap spray
directly onto the aphids only. a teaspoon of oil will help the
Green vegetable bugs (Nezara viridula) can be a problem for all spray stick to the leaves and be effective for longer.
beans. Stop the build-up by good weed management, especially over
winter. Diatomaceous earth is a useful control as it breaks down
the waxy protective layer on an insect’s exoskeleton, causing it to
dehydrate. Sprinkle it around the plants and in areas where the bugs
gather as well as on the actual bugs. You can also pick them off and
drop them into soapy water. During the nymph stages where they
Harvesting
borlotti beans.
Right: A selection of
heirloom beans from
Annabel’s garden.
FACT FILE PHOTOS: RIGHT AND ABOVE: ANNABEL LANGBEIN MEDIA/INSET: PENNY WOODWARD
Phaseolus species
Climate zones: Tropical, Subtropical, Arid/
Semi-arid, Warm temperate, Cold temperate
Height: Bush 40cm, climbing 1–2m
Spacing: Bush 15cm, climbing 20cm
Position: Full sun
Plant: Tropical in winter only,
other climates spring and summer
Time till harvest: 8–12 weeks
22 heirlooms
BEAUT NS
BUSH EAN Heirloom from the south of France
traditionally used in French cassoulets.
‘Flageolet Has succulent sweet seeds that can be eaten fresh like
Flagrano’ peas or left to dry for winter soups. A traditional Australian cultivar that crops prolifically
over a long period.
‘Jade’ Produces dark green, very straight, stringless pods that Developed in 1946.
are eaten fresh.
Popular but more recent open-pollinated cultivar.
‘Cherokee A yellow bean with crisp and tender pods eaten fresh.
Wax’
‘Simba’ Has dark green, fleshy stringless beans. Plants are
disease resistant.
CLIMB NG EA S
‘Borlotti’ An Italian favourite. A small-growing climber grown for Italian heirloom with beautiful deep pink and white
its dried beans only. seeds when dry.
‘Giant of Long, flat stringless pods eaten fresh. European heirloom, very tall growing, crops over
Stuttgart’ three months.
‘Kentucky Large clusters of long, stringless pods that are eaten
Wonder’ fresh. Good for cooler climates. Also called ‘Old Homestead’, reliable, productive
cultivar from 1864.
‘Lazy Long round green pods eaten fresh. German heirloom from about 1810 and called ‘Lazy
Housewife’ because they were the first beans that
Housewife’ didn’t need stringing.
‘Purple Has dark purple pods that turn green when cooked. Robust-growing heirloom with a long picking period.
King’ Does well in summer heat.
‘Speckled Pink speckled pods and beans that are eaten fresh American heirloom from at least the late 1700s.
Cranberry’ as young whole beans or older shelled beans as well
as dried.
RUN E B A S Originally from Central America, this ancient bean is
grown as both an ornamental and edible bean.
‘Scarlet Runner’, ‘Painted Lady’ and ‘Sunset Runner’ are all distinguished
by their edible pink or red flowers followed by flat green pods eaten
fresh or left to develop seeds for drying.
ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK LIMA BE NS Originally from Peru, where it has been grown for
8000 years.
‘Madagascar’ is a perennial tropical bean with pods that contain two
to four large purple speckled seeds that can be peeled and eaten raw,
steamed when young or cooked as a dried bean. About 12–15 weeks till
harvest.
heirlooms 23
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Branches tied with Harvesting and seed saving
wire make a great
support structure The trick with harvesting beans is to keep picking them every couple
for climbing beans. of days. If you let the pods reach maturity the plants will stop
flowering. Beans are sweetest and most tender when they are pencil
SUP ORT Y BEANS! size, but be sure to pick them before they form bumps on the pod.
The pods should be firm and heavy and snap when they are bent.
There is something magical about the way climbing
beans twist their way up towards the sky. It seems they For dry bean cultivars, leave the pods on the plants until they are
will go as high as whatever pole you provide for them thin and browned off and the seeds rattle inside them. Spread them
to climb. out on a rack in their shells in a warm dry place for a few weeks.
Once fully dry (try biting one – your teeth shouldn’t leave a mark),
I like to make wigwams for my runner beans out shell and store them in clean, lidded jars; they will keep for years.
of long stakes of tea tree jammed into the soil in a This is also how I save my bean seed for next year’s crop – I leave
circle and tied with wire at the top. Recycled old wire a few bean pods on the healthiest plants with the biggest pods to
mattresses also make a good bean frame, as do old mature towards the end of the season and let them get quite dry on
ladders, market umbrella frames and grid fencing wire. the plant before removing and drying on racks and then storing in
clean, labelled paper bags.
If you have lots of room, you can construct a double
row of bamboo poles crossed at the top, supported and Tender green beans are delicious cooked with ¼ cup water,
tied through the length with a cross bar of bamboo. a splash of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and a little lemon
Or if you live in an apartment, try growing your beans in zest. Cover and cook for five to six minutes until the water has fully
pots and use downpipes or pillars as a support system. evaporated and beans are just tender. If making this with young
As the plants start growing, carefully twist their ends runner beans, remove any strings and thinly slice before cooking.
around the support to get them started.
For Annabel’s Grilled Beans with Pumpkin Seed Salsa recipe, see
organicgardener.com.au/recipes/grilled-beans-pumpkin-seed-salsa
Harvest
beans every
few days
to ensure
continued
flowering.
PHOTOS: TOP: ANNABEL LANGBEIN MEDIA/RIGHT: GAP
24 heirlooms
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PHOTOS: ISTOCK HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Bborounctciofulli
Broccoli is not just a one head wonder,
you can also eat the leaves and flowers
and – with the right cultivars – encourage
multiple harvests of delicious side shoots,
writes Justin Russell.
heirlooms 27
Harvested broccoli HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
sprouts are perfect
in salads or stir-fries. It might be one of the most popular cool season vegetables on the
You can use both market, but broccoli takes up lots of room (at least compared to
the heads and a carrot or a lettuce), takes a while to grow, and offers a single
tender stems. head at the end of the growing season.
Broccoli flowers
can be eaten. But there are ways to cajole multiple uses and harvests from
They also attract your broccoli, especially heirloom cultivars. Add to this its excellent
bees to your patch. nutritional content and the joy of picking something fresh, chemical-
free and delicious for dinner from your own patch and you are on
a winner. PHOTOS: TOP: PENNY WOODWARD/LEFT: ISTOCK
Maximising yield
The best way to achieving maximum value with broccoli is to look
beyond the production of a single head to other growth stages.
Before a head is even produced, the leaves of broccoli can be
harvested. These are similar to kale and the key is to take just a few
from each plant so it doesn’t stunt its growth.
After the leaf stage has passed, look for the main head – harvest
it while large but with the florets tightly packed. Next – if you
chose the right cultivar – come the side shoots. These mini heads or
florets are just as tasty as the main head, arguably more useful in
the kitchen and in a good season, continue to be produced for up to
three months until they burst into flower (it is even possible in cool
climates to keep broccoli producing for up to a year).
Still, the broccoli story goes on. If it goes to seed then the flowers
are tasty and useful. Pick some and add them to a salad or use as a
garnish. Better still, pick a bit of the stem as well and use this and the
flowers like broccolini. If you can’t keep up with a big flowering plant,
consider one final harvest, not for yourself, but for bees. They are
highly attracted to broccoli flowers and will buzz about your patch
collecting pollen and returning it to their hives (even better if you
keep your own bees).
Ther a w ys to caj le mu tip se
and h rvest f om y ur b c oli,
esp cial y h r o m cultivars. Ad o
tha i s exc l nt u ri o al c nte
and the joy f pick ng somethi fr s
from the pa c nd you’re a win r.
28 heirlooms
PHOTOS: TOP & BOTTOM: PENNY WOODWARD/SECOND FROM TOP: KAREN SUTHERLAND/THIRD FROM TOP: ISTOCK ‘Green Sprouting Calabrese’ WHIC ULT VAR?
arrived in Australia in the 19th C.
‘Purple Sprouting’ broccoli enjoys Essential to the success of season-extension gardening is
an abundance of side shoots. choosing the right cultivar. If you opt for a commercial cultivar
‘Romanesco’ is surely one of the based on glowing descriptions of a big tight head, you’ll have
most beautiful broccoli cultivars. chosen a form that’s bred to be harvested once. A common
‘Spigariello’ leaves taste like a commercial hybrid broccoli is ‘Belstar’, and while it does indeed
cross between broccoli and kale. form a big tight head, it’s a hopeless producer of side shoots.
By contrast, the Italian heirloom broccoli ‘Di Cicco’ was bred to
produce over a long season. The Italians love this cultivar and
prize it more for the florets than the main head. In addition to
‘Di Cicco’ you’ll do well if you select a plant from the following:
‘Gre n Sp outi g Cal bres ’ This cultivar is
considered to be “non-uniform”. For large-scale commercial
farmers this is an undesirable trait in a vegetable. For home
growers wanting to extend their harvest it’s exactly what they
are after! Both the head and the gazillion side shoots produced
by this cultivar have a lovely flavour. A very old Italian heirloom,
this came to the USA in the 1880s and to Australia a bit later.
‘Walth m’ Released by the University of Massachusetts in
1950, this former commercial cultivar is a renowned producer
of side shoots. In good conditions these can get almost as
large as the main head. Waltham was bred to handle very cold
temperatures, making it a great choice for late summer to
autumn planting in frosty gardens.
‘Purple S o ting’ Probably my favourite broccoli,
the downside to this metre tall and wide beast is that it takes
ages to start producing. I’m talking eight months or so from
sowing the seed to harvesting the shoots. Herein lies the upside.
Side shoots are produced in sheer abundance and are simply
beautiful to admire and eat. Various strains are doing the rounds
in Australia, so it is worth hunting down one that has good
purple colour.
‘Romanesc ’ Is it a broccoli or a cauliflower? I go with
broccoli, and in that case, it’s one of the most exquisite of them
all. Grown in Italy since the 1500s, the main head is a creamy
yellow, Fibonacci-spiralled wonder that tastes amazing.
The florets aren’t super abundant, but they do go for a decent
few weeks if you keep picking and are beautiful to eat.
‘Spigar el o’ Those Italians know their broccolis, and this
one from the south of Italy is one of their favourites. While it does
eventually produce white flowers, it’s grown almost exclusively
for the leaves, which have a wavy edge and taste like a delicious
cross between broccoli and kale.
heirlooms 29
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Plants pref ich, sl g t y BROC LI G W N T PS
alk ine so . Ad me li f
your s il’ pH natur l y cid , In Australia, broccoli is typically grown as a
and o ’t be afr id o nclu e cool season vegetable that is started from seed
lashing of wel -r t d manu e or anywhere from late summer (cool temperate
climates) to mid-autumn (subtropics). The long-
comp st bef r lanti g. season types such as ‘Purple Sprouting’ are best
where the shoulder seasons of autumn and spring
are relatively cool – in hot climates they are likely PHOTOS: FAR LEFT: PENNY WOODWARD/LEFT: ISTOCK
to bolt too quickly.
The plants prefer rich, slightly alkaline soil.
Add some lime if your soil’s pH is naturally acidic,
and don’t be afraid to include lashings of well-rotted
manure or compost before planting. Seed can be
sown direct, but slugs and other critters love the
flavour of broccoli seedlings. A safer option is to
sow into punnets and plant out once the seedlings
are around 10–20cm tall. To really get the plants
pumping, water in with a solution of one level
teaspoon of borax to 9L of water.
Aphids and cabbage white butterflies can be a
nuisance, especially in spring. Deter the latter by
covering plants with exclusion netting or spray with
Dipel. Alternatively, in cooler regions, grow only
from late summer to early spring when no cabbage
white butterflies are around. Aphids are natural
food for ladybeetles, which can be purchased
online; spraying with horticultural oil or plant-based
pyrethrum can control bad outbreaks.
FACT FILE
Brassica oleracea Italica Group
Climate zones: All zones except the Tropics
Spacing: 0.4–1m apart, depending on cultivar
Height: To 1.5m, depending on cultivar
Position: Full sun
PLANT: Late summer to mid autumn
Time till harvest: 90–240 days,
depending on cultivar
‘Di Cicco’ and ‘Purple sprouting’
broccoli under exclusion netting.
30 heirlooms
Grow heirloom PHOTO: ISTOCK
carrots for
their colour
and crunch.
stCraarigrhottsup
Justin Russell busts one of the biggest myths of growing carrots
and lists his top heirloom cultivars for you to try in your patch!
32 heirlooms
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Acouple of years ago, I decided I wanted to follow in my Organic vs Co ve ti nal
grandfather’s footsteps and become a market gardener.
For 40 years my Pa farmed a smallholding in the Brisbane Non-organic farmers routinely spray carrots
suburb of Manly West, growing mixed vegies and small fruits such as with a range of toxic chemicals. Entire fields
strawberries in the district’s fertile red soil. are sometimes fumigated with products such
as 1,3-dichloropropene, 1,3-dichloropropene
My soil is also rich and red, but the problem I had to solve before + chloropicrin, fenamiphos or metam sodium
getting started was that I didn’t have enough for a viable venture. to control soil nematodes. Fungicides such as
I had an acre but needed another one or two. mancozeb and zineb are used to control leaf blights
and pre-emergent herbicides such as pendamethalin
The solution came in an offer of land from generous friends
10 minutes down the road who gave me a free, informal lease on are used to control weeds.
their top paddock, a five-acre block that contains some of the most Some of these chemicals are acutely toxic
beautiful, ex-rainforest soil I’ve ever encountered. organophosphates that act as nerve agents and
some are highly toxic to fish. Carrots have a
We planted a mix of vegies with a range of amendments including tendency to accumulate chemicals in their taproots.
biochar, soft rock phosphate and mushroom compost. One of the Organic farmers control nematodes using
crops was carrots. I was highly sceptical about how they would turn techniques such as soil solarisation and green
out, assuming that the rich soil would have them forking more wildly manures. Pyrethrum is sometimes used to control
than Lucifer himself. In fact, the opposite turned out to be true. insects, and weeds are controlled using flame
Despite the very rich soil, we harvested kilo after kilo of wonderfully
straight carrots and only had to deal with the odd forked root. weeders and hoes.
To really rub salt into my wounded ego, some of the best carrots
came out of the soil with all these amendments combined. Pythium is a bigger problem in heavy, damp soils containing fresh
manure than it is in light free-draining soils, so the message for home
Friability and fertility gardeners is clear: sow carrots into well-dug, friable soil and never
add any manures or high-nitrogen fertiliser before sowing.
It has always been assumed that carrots prefer friable (loose and Compost appears to be okay, as long as it is fully decomposed.
crumbly) soil that is relatively low in nutrients. You will find many In fact, my guess is that the beneficial bacteria in well-rotted
carrot farms clustered around areas of deep, sandy loams. compost may outcompete the Pythium fungus and help protect the
The theory was forking (aka bifurcating) was caused by one of two roots from disease. To avoid fungal diseases, do not overwater the
things: excessively rich soil, or soil that is too heavy and compacted. carrot bed; aim to keep it just moist.
In my experience the second cause is most certainly true. Short and sweet
Carrots demand good drainage, and the longest roots are produced
in deep, friable soil. My beds were raised and formed from soil that If the soil in your garden is naturally heavy and you long to grow
had been rotary hoed. It was very loose, prefect for carrots to mine carrots, should you bother? Absolutely! A few cultivars produce
deeply. When I grow carrots in my home garden, I always dig the bed short, stubby roots that don’t need to mine deep into the soil to
thoroughly to a spade’s depth, first using my Pa’s old gardening fork, produce a lovely carrot. The best known of these is probably
then following with a spade, and then a rake to create a fine tilth. ‘Paris Market’, a French heirloom renowned for its globe-shaped,
This preparation has never let me down. very tasty orange root. A good-quality, slightly longer root is
produced by ‘Nantes Scarlet’, but my pick for heavier soils is
But what about fertility? My hunch is that the fertility idea is ‘Royal Chantenay’. It yields fat roots and has an excellent flavour.
something of a myth. Why? The most fertile soils usually contain lots
of clay, which helps retain moisture and nutrients. Sandy soils are And don’t forget that carrot tops are edible. They are somewhat
more freely drained, therefore they are more easily leached of bitter, but you can use them like parsley, as a salad garnish or add
nutrients. What matters most to the carrot is the friability of the to pesto.
soil, not the fertility. My trial showed that it is completely possible
to grow straight carrots in very fertile soil as long as it is loose and
well drained.
Another factor that might come into play in heavier soils is
the pathogen fungus Pythium. Research first conducted by the
University of Wisconsin in 1978 and confirmed in more recent studies
(including one by the West Australian Department of Agriculture in
2003 and another by the UK’s National Vegetable Research Station
in 2008) has shown that various species of Pythium cause the tip
of the carrot plant’s taproot to rot and die back. Just as a pruned
branch sends out new side shoots below the cut, a damaged carrot
root produces side shoots above the damaged tip. The result:
a forked carrot.
heirlooms 33
HEIRLOOM V
Mix carrot seed
with sand and pour
directly into beds.
Cover sown beds carrot cultivars PHOTOS: JUSTIN RUSSELL/ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK
with shade-cloth
to minimise ‘Belgian White’ European heirloom with a very
evaporation.
mild, sweet flavour. Originally grown for feeding horses
Sowing seed in summer.
The final part of the straight carrot equation is to sow seed directly ‘Ljubljana Yellow’ A Slovenian heirloom with
into prepared soil, rather than planting seedlings. Young carrot
plants produce a taproot remarkably fast, and unless grown in a yellow skin and delicious yellow flesh.
deep pot such as a tree tube, the root can hit the bottom of the
container and become distorted. There are three keys to successful ‘Nantes Scarlet’ Blunt tipped, bright orange
germination. One, use the freshest seeds possible from a reputable
supplier. Two, don’t sow deeply. Scatter seeds in rows on the soil with very little core. Sweet fine-grained flesh is good
surface and lightly cover with sieved soil or sand. Or mix your seed for juicing.
with sand in a jar and pour that into rows. Three, be patient.
Carrot seeds will germinate in about a week to a fortnight when the ‘Paris Market’ Lovely little roots up to tennis-
soil is warm, but may take as long as a month when the soil is cool.
The soil needs to be kept just moist until germination occurs, so ball size. Definitely the pick for heavy soil. Very popular in
water deeply the day before sowing then, after sowing, cover beds 19th century Europe.
with shade-cloth to reduce evaporation. Remove after germination.
A light shower of water every other day generally keeps conditions ‘Purple Dragon’ A strong-growing heirloom
perfect for strong germination. Carrots can be sown nearly all year
round in cool climates, but do best in the subtropics and tropics if with purple skin and flavoursome orange flesh. May date
planted in the drier, cooler months. from Spain more than 900 years ago.
Carrot flies ‘Royal Chantenay’ Sweet, thick roots that
Pests aren’t usually a major problem with carrots, but carrot flies perform well in a range of soils. This heirloom dates from
can be an issue. These insects lay their eggs on the plant and the the early 1800s.
hatched larvae burrow into the roots. Reddish brown discolouration
of foliage is a giveaway. The best natural deterrent is to interplant ‘St Valery’ Long, tapered roots with excellent
rows of carrots with rows of plants from the onion family. Spring onions
are ideal as their scent will deter the flies. flavour. A French heirloom for friable soil only.
‘Western Red’ Once an important commercial
cultivar, this heirloom is a true carrot growing to more
than 25cm with strong shoulders and good flavour.
Needs friable soil.
‘Yellow Lobbericher’ Bright yellow and
sweet, originally grown for stock but well worth a place
in human diets too. Named after the German town,
this may be the oldest-known carrot.
FACT FILE
Daucus carota subsp. sativa
Climate zones: Best in Cold and Warm Temperate,
but possible in all climates
Spacing: Sow in rows and thin to 5cm spacings
Position: Full sun, part shade
Plant: September to May, depending on location
Time till harvest: 4–6 weeks for baby carrots,
8 weeks until maturity
34 heirlooms
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corn cultivars.
36 heirlooms
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Comrnissrieosncue
Simon Webster meets a man on a mission to save heirloom sweet corn and
maize cultivars from dying out – and you can help.
Neville Donovan is a man with a mission. The owner-manager cultivars like ‘Manning White’, which was grown in Taree in the 1930s
of organic seed company Greenpatch Seeds is attempting to for animal fodder, but it’s actually a very nice eating corn when
rescue a number of cultivars of corn and maize that are in picked young. Then there’s ‘Early Leaming’, ‘Manning Pride’,
danger of dying out. ‘Hogan’s Red’… Farmers don’t grow feed for their animals any more.
They just buy feed in a bag.”
Motivated by the lack of open-pollinated corn available
through seed companies, Donovan and his team have been growing TOP TIPS FOR GROWING CORN
endangered cultivars of maize, sweet corn and popping corn to save
the seed and make it available to gardeners. They are calling it the Corn is a hungry crop – add lots of compost and well-aged
‘corn-maize project’. manure when preparing soil and fertilise with organic fertiliser
every four weeks.
“We’ve always sold a few cultivars, but not enough, and I felt
something needed to be done, or we’ll lose many cultivars that were Good drainage is important – mound soil to improve it.
developed in Australia,” Donovan says. “There’s a number of sweet Sow seed directly in the soil. Check the packet – if the seed is
corn cultivars that are very hard to find.” past its use-by date, it probably won’t germinate.
Plant in blocks of three or more rows to aid pollination and
Open-pollinated cultivars offer some delicious heirloom flavours, kernel formation.
Donovan says. “Hybrids were developed in the 1940s and 50s. Lay out rows 60cm apart and sow seed 10–15cm apart and
Starches were taken out and the sugars were increased. So now 5–7cm deep.
you’ve got ‘supersweet’ corn and a lot of people are used to that. Water in well, but don’t water again until seeds germinate,
as they are highly prone to rot.
“Heirloom cultivars of sweet corn have more of a balance of Seeds germinate in seven to 14 days. Thin seedlings to
sugars and starches. They are very nice to eat. However, I don’t like spacings of about 25–30cm. Use extras to fill gaps or form
the hybrids you can buy in the supermarkets. I call them new rows.
‘sickly sweet’.” Gradually increase the regularity and depth of watering as the
crop develops. Keep soil moist.
As well as growing and saving seed from Australian sweet corns When plants reach 50cm high, hill soil around their base.
such as ‘Jolly Roger’ and ‘Gentleman’s Agreement’, which have This encourages more roots, higher nutrient and water uptake
evolved over generations to suit local conditions, Donovan has and better support. Cover soil with a thick layer of straw mulch.
imported ‘Anasazi’, an American Indian sweet corn that dates back
over 2000 years.
“It’s a multi-coloured sweet corn that’s really sweet and only
takes 80–90 days to maturity,” he says. “I’ve been incredibly
impressed with the vigour of it. It’s only a short-growing plant,
to about 2m, and as a bonus every cob is multi-coloured and every
one is different. They’re really beautiful.”
Maize, too, is under threat. Many cultivars were grown to suit
farms in specific regions. “For instance, there’s a whole range of
cultivars that were commonly grown on the North Coast of NSW,
and they’re hanging on by a thread,” Donovan says. “There are
heirlooms 37
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
HEIRLOOM CORN CULTIVARS Many hands (and lands)…
‘Blue hopi’ maize Donovan wants to encourage
Old heirloom cultivar from the American south- small- and medium-scale farmers
west. Used primarily for corn flour and making
tortillas. Harvesting the corn at a young stage to start growing their own
allows them to be roasted or baked. Harvest cobs
when the sheath turns brown for grinding flour. stockfeed again, and to save the Neville
Grows 1.5–2m, producing 2 large cobs per plant. seed. He also wants gardeners to Donovan
have a choice.
‘Manning white’ maize
Currently his company lists eight
Bred in the Manning Valley around 1932, ‘Manning
White’ is a Australian cultivar of open-pollinated sweet corn cultivars, including the
heirloom maize. When eaten young it’s rather
sweet. Eat fresh or use as animal feed. multicoloured cultivar, ‘Anasazi’ (see left).
Grows to 3.5m, producing 1 large cob.
They also have two popping corns and four maize.
‘Strawberry mini’ popcorn
But Donovan says other growers are going to have to help if the
Heirloom popcorn grown in Australia for its
incredibly ornamental colour and excellent rescue mission is to be a success. He grows vegetables for seed on
popping ability. Ideal for popcorn and craft. Easy to
grow. For fertile, well-drained soil, sunny position. just three acres of his 12-acre Taree property, and there’s only so
Fast growing to 1m, producing several small deep
red cobs per plant. much corn he can fit in.
‘Blue mini’ popcorn “We put in 400 to 500 plants and plant them four to six weeks
Highly sought-after heirloom popcorn cultivar. apart. We’ve managed to grow four cultivars in a season,” he says.
Pops extremely well. Prefers fertile, well-drained
soil. Sow direct in the garden. “But we need people to help with the corn-maize project and to take
Grows to 1.5m, producing 3–4 shiny blue 5–10cm
cobs per stalk. on cultivars. We can’t grow them all.”
‘Anasazi’ sweet corn Donovan is on the lookout for gardeners willing to grow and
Drought hardy, multi-coloured ancient American save seed. “There’s not much money in it,” he warns. “It’s for people
Indian cultivar. Harvest young for good flavour
and store for up to a week refrigerated. At eating who are passionate about growing vegies. They don’t need a lot of
stage it is a golden-coloured corn with speckles of
white. The true multicolour happens when it is left land – anything from half an acre – but they have to be aware of
to dry on the plant for seed.
Grows to 2m, producing up to 2 good-sized sweet their neighbours because corn pollen travels quite a way. You need
cobs per plant.
an isolation distance of about one kilometre, or tree barriers to stop
‘Country Gentleman’ sweet corn
the pollen coming through.”
One of the most unusual sweet corns – its white
kernels are arranged irregularly, not in rows. Happy to help?
Developed around 1890 in the Connecticut River
Valley, USA, it has wonderful texture and flavour. To help with the corn-maize project, contact Neville Donovan on
Grows to 2m, producing three large cobs per stalk.
02 6551 4240 or [email protected]
Other heirloom sweet corns worth growing are
‘Balinese’, ‘Golden Bantam’ and ‘True Gold’. Also visit seedsavers.net for local seed-saving groups. For heirloom
corn cultivars visit greenpatch.com.au or seedfreaks.com.au
Biodi it p ung PHOTOS: NEVILLE DONOVAN GREENPATCHSEEDS.COM.AU
In recent decades agricultural biodiversity has
been dramatically eroded as farmers swapped
from locally developed open-pollinated seeds to
new hybrids (from which seed cannot be saved
and locally adapted). Also, multinational chemical
and GM companies have bought out many smaller
seed companies, while government research
stations with large seed banks have closed.
According to the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organisation, approximately
90 per cent of the world’s crop biodiversity has
been lost between 1900 and 2000.
38 heirlooms
Mulching made us who we are, now get to know who we’ve become.
Partner with us and Keep growing
rockypoint.com.au
Heirloom lettuce PHOTO: ISTOCK
cultivars add colour
and crunch to
summer salads.
40 heirlooms
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
entLeertttauinceyou
Summer salads sing with the inclusion of homegrown heirloom lettuce. Helen McKerral
shares the best heat-tolerant cultivars, plus planting, growing and seed-saving tips.
Sizzling food on the barbie, cold drinks in the esky, tossed salad tender, deeply ruffled leaves look fantastic in salads, and plants are
ready to go – the quintessential Aussie summer weekend slow to bolt. ‘Goldrush’ is an Australian heirloom, probably brought
spread. Yum… and even yummier when home gardeners can here by Chinese gold miners in the 1850s.
choose from so many lettuce cultivars!
Cos, butter crunch, oakleaf in red, green or speckled create salads ‘Great Lakes’ is a heat-resistant crisphead cultivar, one of the first
as spectacular as they are delicious, and far more nutritious than hearting lettuces to be developed. A trusted favourite with a sweet,
blanched supermarket icebergs. mild flavour beloved of children, it is slower to bolt than other
heading cultivars. Harvest the head before it begins to elongate.
Lettuce thrives in cool-to-warm temperatures, but Australia’s
hot summers – getting progressively hotter with our disrupted ‘Freckles’ (or ‘Forellenschluss’) is an heirloom cos cultivar with
weather patterns – are challenging for many cultivars. Their seed maroon-speckled, lime-green leaves introduced to Austria in 1954.
won’t germinate in temperatures above 28°C, and their delicate root Harvest as a picking lettuce or whole as a cos. It is slow to bolt,
systems are easily damaged during transplanting. Transplant shock but let a few plants seed to colonise the garden for next season
and water stress encourage bolting to seed and bitter leaves, but (see ‘Lettuces forever’, below left).
gardening tricks and appropriate cultivars ensure a steady supply of
sweet, fresh leaves right through summer. ‘Canasta’ is another heirloom cos cultivar suitable for warmer
growing conditions. It has red-tipped, green outer leaves and a
Best heat-tolerant cultivars cream, oval-shaped heart.
Loose-leaf (picking), butterhead and cos (Romaine) lettuces tend to Of the butterheads, the bright green, thick, buttery-textured
be more heat tolerant than crisphead (iceberg or heading) lettuces, leaves of the ‘Green Mignonette’ and ‘Red Mignonette’ are not only
but particular cultivars in each of these categories are more delicious, but more resistant to wilting than more delicate cultivars.
resistant to bolting in hot weather and/or bitterness. These heirlooms were first grown in the USA in the late 1800s
and early 1900s. Pick outer leaves separately as for loose-leaf
‘Oakleaf’ or ‘Royal Oakleaf’ (loose-leaf) is an heirloom cultivar lettuces, or harvest whole. ‘Grandpa Admires’ is an heirloom with an
dating to the 18th century, with bright-green leaves and thick, honourable history and was preserved by descendants of Civil War
sweet midveins. Sometimes known as perpetual lettuce for its veteran Grandpa George Admire, who was born in 1822.
amazing resistance to bolting, wilting and disease, it almost never
becomes bitter. Another loose-leaf cultivar is ‘Tango’. Its dark green, Growing tips
LETTUCES FOREVER Lettuces like lots of water and nitrogen – starved of either they’ll
have bitter, stunted leaves – so they’re best grown fast without
Lettuce seed is short-lived and stores poorly but breeds true pause, wanting for nothing.
even with multiple cultivars in the garden, and each plant
produces hundreds – if not thousands – of seeds. Save seed for A few weeks before planting, improve soil with loads of well-
spring planting, but also let a few extra plants of each cultivar rotted manure and compost – it’s almost impossible to add too
go to seed at the end of summer. When heads are fluffy and seed much – creating a deep, open and friable profile that roots easily
is ripe, pull entire plants and tap or swish across any bare ground penetrate. Worm juice is also excellent. Add gypsum to clays to
in the vegie patch just before the autumn rains and while soil is improve texture, and zeolite or biochar to sandy ones to improve
still at optimal temperatures. If rains are late, keep soil damp. nutrient-holding capacity.
By doing this, you’ll have lettuce throughout winter.
If your soil is even slightly hydrophobic – common in summer
if you haven’t yet mulched – apply a non-detergent, humic acid
soil wetter such as Eco-Hydrate or Liquid Organic Humate before
planting, water well and mulch thickly with absorbent material such
as old pea straw to maximise humidity.
heirlooms 41
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Plant i he v n g w temp ra u s h ve drop , i eal y just
befor th c oles and ou iest ay for c st...
SUM ER HAD Pests and diseases PHOTO: PENNY WOODWARD/INSET: ISTOCK
Although most vegies prefer full sun, summer lettuce Protect young plants especially from slugs and snails by dropping a
prefers less. Choose a position with morning sun and collar with a copper band around each seedling. Remove once plants
afternoon shade. In mixed vegetable gardens, a spot are big enough to survive some damage. Always thoroughly wash
south or southeast of tall crops such as tomatoes or ruffled cultivars unless you want extra protein because everything
climbing beans is ideal, or under trellised cucumbers else loves lettuces too! Ensure good drainage to prevent root
or melons. disease. In temperate regions, fungal disease is rarely a problem in
midsummer but, if it recurs (or if you are in the tropics), space plants
In raised beds or large planters, you’d normally more widely, thin mulch and use drip rather than overhead irrigation.
arrange low crops to the north but, in summer, tuck your
lettuces south of vegies such as silverbeet, capsicums Planting tips
and eggplants. Alternatively, plant mixed lettuces in a
pot or planter of their own, positioned east of buildings, Although lettuce is easily grown via direct sowing, seed won’t
or under verandahs with indirect light, or under trees germinate in hot temperatures. Sow instead into compartmentalised
with dappled shade. punnets and place these in a cool, well-lit spot inside, such as the
laundry. Light promotes lettuce seed germination, so scatter thinly
In full sun, cover lettuces with shade cloth or vegie onto moist seed-raising mix, firm down, and water with a soft spray
net draped over hooped poly pipe, conduit or wire, or mister.
or short bamboo or tomato stakes topped with upturned
tube pots. If it’s not too hot, leafy branches poked into If buying seedlings, choose those in compartmentalised punnets
soil around seedlings may provide enough protection; to minimise root disturbance; if they’ve been coddled in a shady
windbreaks also reduce evapotranspiration. nursery, transition for a few days in a position intermediate between
their old home and their new one.
Before planting, soak punnet in weak seaweed solution for
10 minutes to reduce transplant shock. Remove seedlings from the
inverted punnet using a firm tap of the corner against a hard surface,
using two fingers to catch the plant. Handle rootballs gently.
Plant in the evening when temperatures have dropped, ideally
just before the coolest and cloudiest day forecast, and never during
or before heatwaves! Mulch the area thickly, then pull mulch aside
to make planting holes so seedlings are in the bottom of little bowls,
protected from wind. Water immediately with dilute seaweed
extract. Shade with vegie net (see ‘Summer shade’, left).
Plant cos cultivars closely
to harvest as for loose-leaf ty
FACT
Climate zones: all
Spacing: 10–30cm
Position: Full sun in cool regions/seasons,
part or dappled shade in hot regions/seasons
PLANT: Autumn, winter, spring, summer
Time till harvest: 30–90 days from seed
42 heirlooms
Cos ‘Freckles’. Loose-leaf ‘Oakleaf’. Butterhead
‘Grandpa
LETTUCE CHOICES Admires’.
NAME TYPE APPEARANCE COMMENTS
‘Great Lakes’ crisphead
Large, dark-green More heat tolerant
heads, yellow heart than other crispheads
‘Canasta’ cos Red-tipped green Suits warmer conditions
outer leaves
‘Freckles’ cos Lime green speckled Resists bolting,
with maroon naturalises easily
‘Grandpa Admires’ butterhead Bronze-tinged green leaves Very slow to bolt
‘Green butterhead Bright-green, Resists wilting
mignonette’ thick and silky leaves
‘Little Gem’ butterhead Small heads, Ideal for containers
green sweet leaves
‘Red mignonette’ butterhead Small rich-red heads Looks terrific
in salads
‘Goldrush’ loose-leaf Curly crinkled leaves
‘Oakleaf’ loose-leaf Bright-green Slow to bolt
Extremely
PHOTOS: PENNY WOODWARD/CENTRE: HELEN MCKERRAL serrated leaves
heat-resistant
‘Purple Oakleaf’ loose-leaf Beautiful purple As heat and bolt resistant
serrated leaves as its green cousin
‘Rabbit Ear’ loose-leaf Pointed leaves growing Slow bolting
densely on a compact stem
‘Tango’ loose-leaf Green, ruffled leaves Slow bolt
heirlooms 43
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ORGANIC IS BETTER.
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WDEEFL’OLILRVHEYOORMUIET
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PHOTOS: ISTOCK HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
rePseiasstadnece
Justin Russell explains why everyone should give heirloom peas a chance:
they’re easy to grow, take up little space and produce masses of plump pods.
heirlooms 45
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
There aren’t too many vegetable crops I consider absolutely Soil requirements
essential. You know the ones I mean – vegies that are so good
to eat that you will always find space and time for them, The secret to growing generous crops of peas lies in the soil.
It should be free draining, slightly alkaline and rich in organic matter,
no matter what. Tomatoes immediately spring to mind as being an but relatively low in nitrogen. If your soil is excessively fertile, you will
essential summer crop. But for winter, my money would have to be end up with wonderfully lush pea plants that look for all money like
on peas – I can’t live without them! they’ve been living the good life, but which produce a comparatively
Considering the relative austerity of the winter garden, small crop of peas. For bumper crops, aim to create conditions that
peas are generous plants. They aren’t finicky to grow, taking up a support healthy growth, yet help the plants produce lots of flowers.
modest footprint at ground level, and yet they produce masses of If you’re using a rotation system in your vegie patch, ideally
pods. To further enhance their appeal, I love the fact that peas should follow a hungry crop such as sweet corn or
peas are available in a range of forms, each with brassicas. These plants will have taken up much of
a different growth habit. Some are climbers, the excess nitrogen in the soil, leaving almost ideal
reaching 2m tall at maturity. Some grow in a conditions for your peas.
bush form, reaching just half a metre. If the organic matter content of your soil is
Others are semi-climbers to about 1m high. high and the pH neutral to slightly alkaline, all
Traditional heirlooms are mainly shelling you need to add is some potash, which will help
cultivars and produce plump pods that contain the plants set flowers and toughen up the foliage
six or more individual peas. Sugar snaps are Pea seeds are large against harsh winter weather and disease.
beautifully sweet and are eaten pod and all, and easy to plant. Powdered potash is convenient, but other sources
but only appeared on the scene in the 1970s so are of potassium include seaweed extract and comfrey
more commonly known as modern heirlooms, while leaves, applied either as a mulch or soaked in water to
snow peas are also later arrivals and produce flat, succulent make a liquid fertiliser.
pods, also eaten whole. Whichever type you choose to grow, don’t If your soil is poor, whether sticky, sandy or just completely
underestimate the ornamental value of peas in the winter garden. gutless, your pea crop will thank you for a generous application of
Their glaucous foliage is beautifully complemented by a profusion of organic matter. The cheapest form of organic matter and the
flowers, typically white and green, but certain cultivars produce pink best for producing bumper pea crops is well-rotted compost.
and purple flowers that are the equal of any (inedible) sweet pea. Aged (one-year-old) horse, cow or sheep manure is also very good.
Homemade compost is ideal. It becomes slightly acidic during the
decomposition process, so if your site soil is also acidic, you’ll need
to add lime in order to sweeten the ground and raise the pH.
Once your prepared soil has been left to settle for a week or two,
it’s time to sow. Climbers will need some kind of supporting trellis
(I find a piece of reinforcing mesh, 2m long and 1.5m high works well
for this) and semi-climbing peas work well when supported with pea
sticks of about 1m to 1.5m long. These natural supports are simply
twiggy branches poked into the soil at intervals of 50–100cm.
Any durable hardwood with a rough surface (for tendrils to grip)
can be used. Bush peas are quite self-supporting, but to stop them
flopping over in the wind I always sow these varieties in double rows
spaced about 30cm apart.
Left: Sugar PHOTOS: SUE STUBBS/BOTTOM LEFT: PETER CUNDALL
snap peas are
beautifully
sweet. Eat them
pod and all.
Peas grow well
in space-saving
tubs. Simply add
climbing support.
46 heirlooms
Justin’s pick
of the peas
‘Alderman’ A favourite shelling pea, renowned for its English heirloom grown during
extended harvest season and large pods. Queen Victoria’s reign. In Australia
(shelling) Climber to about 2m. since 1880s.
‘Dutch A beautiful climber that bears purple flowers A very old heirloom grown by the
Purple followed by maroon pods containing pale Capuchin monks in the 1500s.
Podded’ green peas.
(shelling)
‘Sugar Ann’ Bush pea to 60cm tall, producing very sweet, This modern heirloom was
edible pods. Highly productive and fast growing. released by Calvin Lamborn,
(sugar snap) known as the father of the sugar
snap pea, in 1981.
‘Cascadia’ A semi-climbing variety to about 1m tall. A modern heirloom
Produces a mass of sweet, fleshy pods and has from the 1970s.
(sugar snap) reasonable resistance to powdery mildew.
‘Yakumo’ Huge 15cm-long pods are borne in great Another modern heirlo
profusion on plants that climb to heights probably from Japan a
(snow pea) of 2.5m. Beautiful purple flowers. in Australia for about 2
PHOTOS: TOP: JERRY COLEBY-WILLIAMS/RIGHT: PENNY WOODWARD/ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK ‘Oregon Renowned for its disease resistance and heavy One of the oldest snow peas
Giant’ production of large, super sweet pods. Good in but still a modern heirloom,
warm temperate and subtropical winters. probably the most popular
(snow pea) grown in Australia.
Climbing to 2m. Mauve and
Golden purple flowers followed by Unusual heirloom found in an
Podded lemon yellow pods. Indian marketplace and brought
Excellent sweet flavour. to Australia.
(snow pea)
Whic ev r typ ou ch ose t grow, d n’t u er s imat he
orname t l v u of peas in th w er ga d n.
heirlooms 47
Sew peas directly into the ground,
spacing them roughly 20cm apart.
and give them a good soaking.
How to sow Space each seed about 20cm apart, and then give them a single, PHOTO: ISTOCK
deep watering. This will provide enough moisture for the seeds to
Seed can be sown any time between autumn and spring, but results germinate – excess moisture only encourages the seeds to rot and
will vary depending on your climate and timing. Ask your local seed fail. If you’re expecting wet weather, sow seeds in punnets that you
seller or nursery for advice or refer to the regional planting calendar can bring undercover in the rain to avoid rot. Once seedlings emerge
on our website (organicgardener.com.au/planting-guides). in about a week, you can irrigate more frequently as needed to
supplement natural rainfall. In warm, dry weather your plants may
Pea seed can be reliably sown into punnets or biodegradable pots need as much as two to three waterings per week. Mulch will help
and later transplanted, but in my experience, peas perform better regulate moisture and can also stop soil-borne diseases splashing
when sown directly into their final growing position. The seed is big back onto the lower foliage.
and easy to handle, and germination is usually strong. You don’t even
need to dig a hole. Just push the seeds into the prepared soil to a
depth of about 3cm (or the second knuckle of your index finger).
48 heirlooms
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES
Slugs wi l hap ly decim t
young se dli ov rn ght.
Protec h m wi a r ng
of c p er ta ound
poly i e guard.
PHOTOS: TOP: PENNY WOODWARD/ABOVE: GAP/ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK FACT FILE Top: Protect Potential problems
young sugar
Pisum sativum snap peas from The number one issue you’re likely to encounter when growing
Climate zones: All cl slugs and snails peas is powdery mildew. This fungal disease is ubiquitous in most
best in temperate zo using polypipe vegie gardens and manifests as a white powder on the upper
Spacing: 20cm apart collars and surface of the leaf as well as stems and pods. The affected parts
Height: 0.5m to 2.5 copper tape. ultimately brown and shrivel and the disease spreads quickly
Position: Full su eventually killing the plant. Older plants are most susceptible,
Sow: March to S bove: Picking especially after producing a heavy crop of flowers and pods.
Harvest: May to
Another common problem is a leaf-spotting disease called
Time till harvest: 60 to 80 days ascochyta. A blight disease caused by the fungi ascomycete,
it appears as dark brown spots on the leaves and eventually leads
to the plant’s decline.
At the first sign of either of these problems spray your
plants with organic-approved copper hydroxide (sold as Kocide
or Fungus Fighter). Powdery mildew can also be controlled by
spraying with potassium bicarbonate (the only product we know
is eco-fungicide, available from ecoorganicgarden.com.au) or a
simple milk spray made from one part milk (or whey) to nine
parts water.
Insect pests don’t overly trouble peas, however wallabies,
rabbits and other four-legged friends love nibbling the tops off
plants. Bush cultivars are particularly vulnerable, but covering
them at night with netting usually solves the issue.
Slugs will happily decimate young seedlings overnight.
Protect them with a ring of copper tape around a polypipe guard.
Copper gives slugs and snails a mild electric shock on contact and
is an effective deterrent. Other slug defence options include beer
s and coffee sprays.
rvesting
elling peas are best harvested when the pods are full to
ursting, sugar snaps are best when just plump and snow peas are
eady when their pods are large and succulent but the pea seeds
emain tiny. For a continuous harvest, pick regularly – in response
your pea plants will produce successive flushes of flowers until
they wear out.
heirlooms 49
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