Good Organic Gardening

Natives: they’re really a nobrainer, aren’t they? Goodlooking, waterwise and, having adapted to our harsh climate, they’re as tough as old boots. They bring the beauty of the Australian bush into our backyards. Once, when we thought about planting na

Common name: Blue flower wasp, hairy flower wasp Scientific name: Scolia soror An eye-catching visitor to most Australian gardens, particularly on the east coast, the blue flower wasp can be observed buzzing around close to the ground near flowering

It’s hard to imagine a small yellow ant could bring down a rainforest or the sugarcane industry — but that’s the level of concern over the yellow crazy ant, one of the world’s worst invasive species and now on Australian shores. Originally from South

Get them the gift that keeps on giving this Christmas. The Edible Flowers Seed Gift Box contains a collection of seeds that will brighten any garden and can be picked and added to your favourite dishes for pops of colour and interest. The kit contain

Blue gums are native to southern parts of Australia and found in Tasmania, the Bass Strait islands, Victoria and along the southern reaches of the Great Dividing Range. While all these blue gums are classified as Eucalyptus globulus, four distinct su

While a lemon, orange and mandarin tree are often found in backyards, there is a world of unusual citrus to grow — including the one known as chinotto, which may ring a bell if you like bitter drinks. Chinotto (pronounced “kee-not-to”) is also the na

In early autumn this year we enjoyed the gift that keeps on giving: a prolific crop of zucchinis. For a while there they lurked under leaves all over the garden and had to be picked every day. While I happily perfected my zucchini soup and my partner

Eating crisp, juicy and refreshing cucumbers straight from the vine and warmed by the summer sun is a summer treat. I love that this humble, ancient veg has made a comeback as gardeners discover the joy of growing and eating heirloom varieties in dif

While lemon myrtle has become something of a household name among Australian gardeners, prized for its wonderful lemon aroma and ornamental beauty, its lesser-known cousin the aniseed myrtle has been flying somewhat under the radar. Once classed by b

“The driveway is steep but you can turn at the top. Don’t stop halfway up or you’ll get stuck and, at the top, swing left to pull in front of the garage.” These are the instructions I give visitors to our home and garden. Our north-facing quarter-acr

In Witta, near hilly Maleny in Queensland’s subtropical Sunshine Coast Region, lives a woman with a passion for organics and sharing the therapeutic benefits of gardening. The property Cath Manuel shares with her family is around 200 acres with a kit

Fullerton Cove is a rural suburb of Port Stephens in the middle of the vast Hunter alluvial plain just north of Newcastle. To the east are the Stockton sand dunes; to the west a mangrove forest that wraps around the cove itself, a large backwater off

The calendar says it’s spring but the weather is warming up in most parts of Australia. Time for staggered planting to extend the summer harvest. Now that summer’s well and truly here, it’s time for more plantings of those salad vegies that love the

Tomatoes are among the most popular and rewarding crops in the summer vegetable garden. While all fruit and vegetables taste better picked fresh from the garden, when it comes to homegrown flavour, tomatoes are in a class of their own. As well as tas

The midyim berry, also known as midgen berry or sandy berry, is my favourite bush-tucker berry. Its large white pearl-sized fruit is speckled with purple and it tastes a little bit like a blueberry, but with a bit more tang. Midyim plants are endemic

Although many consider warrigal greens the Aussie alternative to English spinach, its common name New Zealand spinach can deceive you into thinking this isn’t an Australian native. In fact, Tetragonia tetragonioides is native to Australia, New Zealan

When I hear the word jujube my mind instantly races to those small, hard lollies that stick to your teeth. But in this case the jujube, though also eaten as a sweet, is a tiny fruit that most closely resembles a small apple. When dried, the fruit, ar

My neighbour’s sunroom is filled with potted plants. Some are the usual suspects you’d expect to find indoors such as devil’s ivy and ferns, but last winter she moved one of her favourite herbs indoors as well. A late sowing had produced lots of basi

There is a handful of native plants that flower in mid-December and as a result proudly add the title Christmas to their common names. Among them are the New South Wales Christmas bush (Ceratopetalum gummiferum), Western Australian Christmas tree (Nu

As the homegrown movement gathers pace, mushroom growing is definitely on trend. And with good reason. Mushrooms are easy to grow with a little knowhow. They’re quick to crop, cost effective, virtually pest and disease free, a super food to consume a

Hügelkultur, a German word meaning “hill (or mound) cultivation”, is a horticulture method as old as the hills. Practised in Germany and Eastern European countries for centuries, it’s a gardening technique whereby a mound is built using decaying wood

The recent bushfires highlighted the plight of native animals and insects, which lost access to food sources and habitats. Here we list some colourful native species that fit nicely in a balcony-sized pot or small garden but make a big statement as w

Do numbers count when keeping poultry? We’re not thinking about how many you should have but whether it’s OK for the birds if you keep just two or three. It’s no secret that poultry are flock creatures but we can’t all keep big mbers, so does social

The notion of something for nothing may be very appealing in a world where people expect so much for so little effort, but everything comes at a price. In physics, the law of conservation of energy reminds us that energy can be neither created nor de

As every parent knows, young children don’t need much of a push to go and play in the dirt. Once they’re shown how it’s done, it’s not surprising that kids dig gardening. Besides, it’s good for them. Study after study has confirmed the benefits of ge

• Already there’s plenty to harvest but there’s still lots to plant, including corn. This vegie is wind pollinated so to aid pollination and ensure lots of juicy kernels it’s necessary to plant in blocks of at least a metre square. • Pumpkin is tradi

• These first weeks of summer remind us how vast Australia is — and how varied its climate. In warm northern and coastal gardens, homegrown salads are already on the menu as are fresh fruit salads. In the colder south, salad crops are just beginning

You could say there’s something secretive about fungi. They often lurk about in dark, dank places and many are invisible without magnification. In fact, when we can see them, the part we recognise is the fruiting body or reproductive structure, whose

Apples (Lady Williams), avocados, bananas, blueberries, cherries, grapefruit, loquats, lychees, mangoes, melons, mulberries, nectarines, oranges (Valencia), papaya, passionfruit, pawpaw, peaches, pineapples, starfruit (carambola), strawberries, young

This is an edited extract from Ikaria: Food and life in the Blue Zone by Meni Valle, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $45 AU, and available in stores from 2 September 2020. Photography © Lean Timms Salata Kolokassi Kolokassi, or taro root, is a v

Made in Australia from recycled plastic, Biofilta Foodcubes are designed to be a modular system that uses state-of-the-art wicking bed principles to maximise growth and minimise water use. Wicking beds can produce up to 25 kilos of produce per square

By Laura Dalrymple & Grant Hilliard, Murdoch Books, $39.99 We live at a time when thinking consumers are questioning not just the quality of the food they eat but its origin — and no food challenges our best instincts more than meat. How do you even

6 ISSUES (1 YEAR) OF Good Organic Gardening magazine RRP $47.70 YOUR CHOICE OF one 2021 diary and one 2021 wall calendar RRP $19.95 each ONLY $47.70 12 ISSUES (2 YEARS) OF Good Organic Gardening magazine RRP $95.40 YOUR CHOICE OF two 2021 diaries and