Issue #10.1 - 2019

Good Organic Gardening

Grow your own organic food

Good Organic Gardening2 min read
This Issue
You’ll no doubt agree that one of the greatest joys of gardening is meeting daily all the creatures big and minuscule that share your little patch of Earth, from butterflies and damselflies (see opposite page) to birds and goannas. It’s why we have s
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Some Like It Warm
For many years my mother grew an apple tree in her Sydney garden. She had grafted it as a student at horticulture college and kept it as a memento. It grew but never flowered or fruited, but not because of poor grafting techniques. It didn’t crop as,
Good Organic Gardening3 min readMedical
THE Grapevine
Jo is an environmental scientist, photographer and writer. She has worked in the environment movement for decades and is co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network, an organisation dedicated to creating a toxic-free future. She has written many arti
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Lemon Balm For Calm
Lemon balm label Common names: Lemon balm, Melissa, bee balm Botanical name: Melissa officinalis Family: Lamiaceae Aspect & soil: Sun to part shade; rich, well-drained soil Best climate: Most Habit: Herbaceous perennial Propagation: Seed, cutting, di
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
What’s hot RIGHT NOW
A horticulturist, presenter and passionate organic gardener, Chloe is co-owner and presenter of the web-based series The Gardenettes and she has been a regular presenter on The Garden Gurus. A mum of two little boys, she has a great following of Aust
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Food Front And Back
Imagine booking a weekend retreat to a B&B tucked away in a quiet corner of the lower Hunter Valley, then rocking up to a vine-draped little Eden of 60-odd fruit and nut trees and over 40 herb and vegie beds — along with the more predictable comforts
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Bitter Sweet Breakfast
Grapefruit label Common name: Grapefruit Botanical name: Citrus × paradisi Family: Rutaceae Aspect & soil: Sun; well-drained soil Best climate: Mediterranean, temperate, subtropical Habit: Evergreen tree Propagation: Grafting, budding Difficulty: Eas
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Currant Affairs
Blackcurrant label Common name: Blackcurrant Botanical name: Ribes nigrum Family: Grossulariaceae Aspect & soil: Full sun to part shade; well-drained soil Best climate: Cold Habit: Deciduous shrub Propagation: Hardwood cuttings, potted plants Difficu
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Moon Planting
Late autumn means it’s still a good time in most regions to get all those lovely health-giving brassicas and root vegetables into the garden Winter has officially arrived and, while it’s a quieter time for planting in cooler regions, there’s lots to
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Sparrow Grass
Asparagus label Common name: Asparagus Botanical name: Asparagus officinalis Family: Asparagaceae (formerly Liliaceae) Aspect & soil: Sun to part shade; well-drained soil Best climate: Cool, Mediterranean, temperate, subtropical Habit: Herbaceous per
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Mullumbimby Magic
On a farm nestled in the subtropical rolling green hills of Mullumbimby in northern NSW is a delightful home inhabited by Jan, who has found inspiration in every garden she has tended, and her housemates, arty jewellery-making daughter Deah and Deah’
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
The Spread Of Breadfruit
Breadfruit label Common names: Breadfruit, canoe plant, poi, ulu Botanical name: Artocarpus altilis Family: Moraceae Aspect & soil: Full sun to part shade; well-drained soil Best climate: Tropics, subtropics Habit: Evergreen tree Propagation: Seed Di
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Time To Plant
Artichoke, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, coriander, daikon, dill, endive, eschalot, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, lettuce, mibuna, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, radish, rocket, snow peas, spinach, su
Good Organic Gardening3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Cool Customer
Coriander label Common name: Coriander, cilantro Botanical name: Coriandrum sativum Family: Apiaceae (carrot family) Group: Annual Requires: Sun to part shade; constant moisture Dislikes: Hot, dry conditions Suitable for: Herb gardens, vegetable gard
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Icicle Radish
Daikon label Common name: Daikon, daikon radish, white radish, icicle radish, lobok Botanical name: Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus Family: Brassicaceae Aspect & soil: Sun; moist, fertile soil Best climate: All areas Habit: Fast-growing annual r
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
The School Of Life
Covenant College is a Christian school in the Geelong suburb of Bell Post Hill. Its ethos, drawn from Proverbs 22:6, is clear: “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” And what better training for life tha
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Long-flowering Favourite
Sasanqua camellia label Common name: Sasanqua camellia Botanical name: Camellia sasanqua Family: Theaceae Aspect & soil: Full sun to part shade; slightly acid soil Best climate: Cool Habit: Large evergreen shrub Propagation: Seed, cuttings Difficulty
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Smooth And Sweet
Thornless blackberry label Common names: Thornless blackberry, smooth blackberry Botanical name: Rubus subgenus rubus Family: Rosaceae Aspect and soil: Sun; well-drained soil Best climate: Temperate to cool Habit: Climber or trailing vine Propagation
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Things To Do In JUNE
Winter is more about soups than salads, so plan a soup bed in the vegie patch and fill it with kale, onion, silverbeet and spinach. Also harvest summer-planted turnip, which is great for the soup pot. Use stored vegetables including pumpkin and potat
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
The Essential Veg
Onion label Common name: Onion Botanical name: Allium cepa Cepa group Family: Alliaceae Aspect & soil: Sun; deep well-drained soil Best climate: Cool to subtropical Habit: Biennial bulb grown as an annual Propagation: Seed, seedling (called sets) Dif
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Getting In The Zone
A garden that’s easy to look after is more likely to be maintained over the long term. But such a garden doesn’t happen by chance — it’s the result of careful planning. No gardener enjoys unnecessary hard work, so in permaculture we aim to design gar
Good Organic Gardening6 min read
GOING Nutty
When you delve into the world of nut production in Australia you’ll find the two big players are almonds and macadamias, the latter making up 50 percent of the nut production in Australia. Australia, however, is a vast and diverse continent and you c
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
The Golden Spice
Saffron label Common name: Saffron Botanical name: Crocus sativus Family: Iridaceae (iris family) Aspect & soil: Full sun; rich, well-drained soil Best climate: Cool, Mediterranean, temperate Habit: Perennial flowering bulb Propagation: Bulbs (corms)
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Frog Bog
Many of our animal species that are essential to the health of our ecosystems are disappearing. This is largely due to our encroachment on their habitats, the pollution we create and the changing climatic conditions. The great news is we can play a k
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Dive Into Ducks
We seem to have forgotten one of the attributes that made ducks popular in the past: their eggs! Many of us can remember how highly prized duck eggs were by serious cooks, particularly for home-baked cakes. Most farms kept a few laying ducks for Mum’
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Frog Love
From a young age I was fascinated by frogs, immortalised in fictional characters like Kermit and the Frog Prince. Between the ages of seven and 14, while living in southwestern Sydney, I kept frogs and studied them, reading anything about frogs that
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Things To Do In MAY
The heat may have only just receded but in cool, elevated and inland areas, be on frost alert, especially on cold, clear nights. Frost brings an end to summer vine crops, especially pumpkins, sweet potatoes and chokos. Relegate frost-damaged annual v
Good Organic Gardening1 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Fresh And Local
Apples, avocado, banana, cumquat, custard apple, dates, feijoa, grapes, kiwifruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, nashi, nuts (chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts), orange (Navel), pears, persimmon, pomegranate, quince, rhubarb Asian greens, beetroot, bro
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
Best Ever Carrot Cake
Serves 8 • 4 eggs• ½ cup (125g) coconut sugar• 1 tsp vanilla powder or natural vanilla extract• 250mL ghee or olive oil• 4 carrots, grated• 6 medjool dates, stones removed, flesh finely chopped• 2 cups (250g) gluten-free flour (I use a brown rice and
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Cover To cover
By Chris Thorogood, Kew Publishing, $37.99 With undisguised glee, Oxford University botanist Chris Thorogood guides us through the weird, wild underworld of fantastical flora, “a world in which plants trick, dupe, steal and even kill”. His lively tex
Good Organic Gardening6 min read
Pick of The crop
Did you know that 39–45 percent of household waste is organic and compostable? The sustainable revolution is here! Get your kids involved in the War on Waste at home by starting your own worm farm this Christmas. The Tumbleweed Can-O-Worms is great f

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