2. Good Organic Gardening - March-April 2016

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably 

MARCH/APRIL 

JENNIFER 

STACKHOUSE 

CLEVER CROPS: 

CATNIP & MIDYIM 

+ WHAT NEEDS DOING 

IN YOUR PATCH 

THE PLANT 

THAT GIVES BACK 

HOW TO BREW 

COMFREY MANURES 

MELISSA KING 

HEIRLOOM CRAB APPLES 

KALE | SPINACH 

+ WHAT’S NEW THIS SEASON 

CLAIRE 

BICKLE 

MORE FUNGAL 

FOES TO FIGHT OFF 

BIODYNAMICS 

— WITH MOON 

PLANTING GUIDE 

Vol. 6 No. 6 

MAR/APR 2016 

AUS $7.95* 

NZ $7.90 

(Both incl. GST) 

PLUS 

BEE-ATTRACTING FLOWERS 

EPSOM SALTS 

BEST HERBAL TEAS 

Garden 

to table 

GROW, COOK, PRESERVE 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS | CAPERS 

GRAPES | MANDARINS 

JO IMMIG 

MEDICAL MARIJUANA 

MEGG MILLER 

CHICKEN FEED: 

NUTRITION UPDATE

CONTENTS 

Contents 

84 

34 

6 Editor’s Note 

Autumn has arrived and the 

nights and mornings are bringing 

a chill in the air in some parts 

8 The Grapevine 

With medical marijuana now 

legalised in a number of 

countries, Jo Immig says it’s time 

10 What’s Hot 

Horticulturist Melissa King 

profiles some lovely specimens 

to spruce up your garden 

12 & 14 Clever Crops 

This issue, Jennifer Stackhouse 

looks at catnip and Australian 

native midyim berry 

16 Plant Profile 

Broccoli wasn’t always the 

popular vegie it is now thanks to 

our Italian immigrants 

20 Power Plants 

Herbal teas can be therapeutic 

22 

or just a refreshing drink; here 

are some of our favourites 

22 Family Heirloom 

Crab apples are often grown for 

their gorgeous blossom displays, 

but there’s plenty you can do 

with the fruit 

26 Gardening Folk 

This is one very serious — and 

clever — fruit and vegie gardener 

who lives south of Melbourne 


Family traditions of food growing 

run deep for this Queensland 

couple, who hail from Poland 


Artistic talent and gardening 

skills come together in this 

NSW Central Coast garden 

38 Weekend Gardening 

Attract bees and other 

pollinators to your place with this 

selection of flowering plants 

41 Organic Living 

Epsom salts, otherwise known as 

magnesium sulphate or MgSo 4 

, 

can do wonders for some plants 

44 Time to Plant 

Eat your greens, as Mum always 

said: health-giving English spinach 

and superfood kale 

46 Things to Do 

Going into autumn there’s plenty to 

do in the patch and outside it, such 

as seed saving and preserving 

50 Biodynamics Basics 

Part I of Claire Bickle’s easyto-follow 

explanation of the 

fundamentals of biodynamics 

4 | Good Organic Gardening

CONTENTS 

54 Moon Planting Calendar 

Find out when to sow and when 

not to in March and April 

56 Plant Health 

Claire Bickle continues with 

more fungal diseases that can 

ruin your precious crops 

60 The Shed 

Comfrey is the plant that 

gives back in the form of 

fertiliser, green manure or 

compost activator 

64 Short Shoots 

Innovative, handy and 

imaginative ideas for your 

garden from our young 

organic gardener 

66 Feathered Friends 

Megg Miller says modern 

ideas on poultry nutrition 

have come a long way from 

Grandma’s day 

70 Garden to Table 

Four seasonal edibles — how 

to grow, harvest, store and 

preserve — with recipes from 

chef Joanna Rushton 

90 From Our Advertisers 

Our Pick of the Crop of 

products and services for 

gardeners and cooks 

94 Books 

New books for cooks, 

gardeners and nature lovers 

82 76 

16 30 

Good Organic Gardening | 5

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably 

Editor Kerry Boyne 

Designer Jess Middleton 

Contributors Claire Bickle, Jana Holmer, 

Jo Immig, Melissa King, Megg Miller, 

Joanna Rushton, Chris Stafford, 

Erina Starkey, Jennifer Stackhouse, 

Sandra Tuszynska 

Food Photography 

Kerry Boyne 

National Advertising Manager 

Miriam Keen 

Ph: 02 9887 0604 | Fax: 02 9878 5553 

Mob: 0414 969 693 

Email: mkeen@universalmagazines.com.au 

Advertising Production Co-ordinator 

Heather Smith 

Cover Photo Getty Images 

Chairman/CEO Prema Perera 

Publisher Janice Williams 

Chief Financial Officer Vicky Mahadeva 

Associate Publisher Karen Day 

Associate Publisher Emma Perera 

Circulation Director Mark Darton 

Creative Director Kate Podger 

Editorial & Production Manager 

Anastasia Casey 

Marketing & Acquisitions Manager 

Chelsea Peters 

Subscription enquiries: 1300 303 414 

Circulation enquiries to our Sydney head office: (02) 9805 0399 

Good Organic Gardening Vol. 6 No. 6 is published by Universal Magazines, 

Unit 5, 6–8 Byfield Street, North Ryde NSW 2113. Phone: (02) 

9805 0399, Fax: (02) 9805 0714. Melbourne office: Suite 4, Level 1, 

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& Malaysia Distributor: Carkit (F.E.) Pte Ltd, 1 Charlton Lane, #01- 

02, Singapore 539631, Phone: +65 6282 1960, Fax: +65 6382 3021, 

Website: www.carkitfe.com. 

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universalmagazines.com.au 

Welcome 

to the issue 

Have you ever eavesdropped on a 

cat-owning couple arguing in the 

pet food aisle over what kitty will and 

won’t eat? If you’ve ever owned a cat, 

you’ll know that just when you’re confident of 

their likes and dislikes they decide they won’t 

eat this or that any more, turning up their pretty 

little nose and stalking off, the tail making a very 

pointed exclamation mark. 

Dog owners, of course, have no such problem. 

Dogs will wolf down just about anything you 

put in front of them, especially if it’s dog food. 

Food is their favourite thing ... along with their 

humans, going for a walk, car trips, a swim in the 

dam, or a run on the beach. Fish, too, eat their 

fish food without making a fuss and budgies 

cheerfully peck away at their bird seed. 

You’d expect chooks to be like that, too, 

wouldn’t you? Not mine. Recently a breeder told 

me he’d switched from grain to pellets because 

there was less waste, so I thought I’d do the 

same. Well, the carry-on! The girls expressed 

their displeasure in no uncertain terms, every 

last one of them. What’s that about!? Are their 

palates so refined? 

If you’re worried about giving your chickens 

the right nutrition, Megg Miller has a full 

rundown on their food and drink needs. These 

days the options are quite a bit better than they 

were in Grandma’s time, but don’t be surprised if 

your feathered femmes don’t always appreciate 

your efforts to please them. 

We also thought about what bees like to eat 

and drink — give them what they need and 

they will come! So we have a small showcase of 

flowering plants that are especially appealing to 

both native bees and honeybees for their pollen 

and nectar outputs. Plus, more flowers in the 

garden will make you happier, too. 

Claire Bickle has more on fungal diseases to 

look out for and Claire has also put together 

part one of an introduction to the fascinating 

philosophy and practice of biodynamics — with 

a basic moon-planting calendar for the next 

two months to go with it. Meanwhile, regular 

contributor Sandra Tuszynska offers a how-to 

on making comfrey manure tea along with some 

other uses for this most giving of plants. 

Fruit and vegie crops covered by Jennifer 

Stackhouse include Brussels sprouts, grapes, 

capers and mandarins, along with Clever Crops 

native midyim berry and catnip (maybe that 

will please your kitty), while Melissa King does 

a roundup of heirloom crab apples as well as 

English spinach and kale. She also introduces 

some lovely new cultivars to consider for 

your patch. Plus, we profile “the Italian 

vegetable” — broccoli. 

We’ve heard a lot about Epsom salts 

being great for the garden, especially roses, 

gardenias, tomatoes and capsicums, so we did 

our research and it turns out it’s true. We also 

looked into the health benefits of Epsom salts 

for our own bodies, which are impressive. 

As usual, we’ve found some inspiring gardens 

to show you, along with their hard-working 

owners, and the Garden to Table section as 

always has some great recipes from Joanna 

Rushton. If you’re even a bit less picky than my 

chickens, you’ll love them. 

Hope you enjoy the issue and the 

lovely weather as we head into autumn, 

Kerry 

We are a member of 

See us on facebook at www.facebook.com/GoodOrganicGardeningMagazine 

or contact us via email : infoGOG@universalmagazines.com.au

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THE GRAPEVINE | News 

the grapevine 

Environmental news and updates compiled by Jo Immig 

High hopes for 

medicinal c annabis 

The legalisation of medicinal cannabis is one 

of those issues we’ll look back on and wonder 

why on earth we didn’t do it sooner. How did it 

become illegal in the first place? Why did we let 

people suffer needlessly? 

A recent Australian poll suggests 

overwhelming support for medicinal cannabis 

with only 3 per cent opposed. It’s now 

permitted in numerous countries, including 

Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Israel, Finland, 

the Netherlands and most US states. Australia 

is on the verge of legalising it. 

It often takes a profound personal experience 

to become open to an idea that, on the face of 

it, doesn’t accord with usual beliefs. So it was 

for Lucy Haslem, whose terminally ill son, Dan, 

found relief from his cancer symptoms using 

medicinal cannabis; yet she had to break the law 

to buy it for him. In honour of her son’s passing, 

and others who are suffering, she’s spearheading 

a campaign under the banner United in 

Compassion for the legalisation of medicinal 

cannabis in Australia. And it’s working. 

The Turnbull government has announced 

plans to amend legislation to allow the legal 

cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and 

scientific purposes. The Victorian Law Reform 

Commission has made recommendations for 

the process to move forward with permitting 

medical cannabis for those with exceptional 

health circumstances. In NSW the government 

pledged $9 million to support cannabis 

clinical trials and launched the Terminal Illness 

Cannabis Scheme to allow those medically 

certified to register for access to the medicine. 

The use of cannabis as a medicine dates 

back thousands of years. The first recorded 

use was by Emperor Shen Neng of China in 

2737 BCE. Ancient Hindu texts in India refer 

to cannabis as “sacred grass” and Zoroastrian 

religious texts refer to it as the “good narcotic”. 

It was considered a therapeutic remedy in 

Europe during the 1800s and was commonly 

used in Western medicine. 

Fast-forward to now and the US governmentfunded 

National Cancer Institute has released 

The use of cannabis as 

a medicine dates back 

thousands of years. The first 

recorded use was by Emperor 

Shen Neng of China in 2737 

BCE. Ancient Hindu texts 

in India refer to cannabis as 

“sacred grass” and Zoroastrian 

religious texts refer to it as the 

“good narcotic”. 

a comprehensive review of the effectiveness 

of medical cannabis for treating nausea and 

vomiting (associated with cancer and cancer 

treatments), poor appetite and weight loss 

caused by chronic illness, anxiety and insomnia, 

seizures and muscle spasms, and pain. 

The American Academy of Neurology 

supports the use of cannabis administered as 

sprays and pills for the treatment of stiffness 

suffered by those with multiple sclerosis. While 

there’s some laboratory evidence suggesting 

cannabis may have antitumor effects, this has 

yet to be proven in clinical trials. 

Let’s clear up some long-standing confusion. 

Cannabis grown for hemp and cannabis grown 

for medicinal purposes are different plants. 

Hemp is a variety of the cannabis plant with 

very low THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the 

psychoactive constituent associated with being 

“high”. Hemp can still contain varying levels of 

other active cannabinoids. 

Medicinal cannabis varieties such as indica 

and sativa, on the other hand, contain more 

than 80 potentially useful cannabinoids, 

including higher levels of THC, cannabidiol 

(CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), which are all being 

investigated for their medicinal properties. 

Hemp may have been the first cultivated 

agricultural crop and evidence for its use date 

back some 10,000 years in Taiwan. Its strong 

fibres make durable fabric, paper and rope. 

The shipping industry would have been lost 

without it for sails and rigging. 

King Henry VIII apparently fined farmers if they 

didn’t grow industrial hemp and in 17th century 

America it was used as legal tender and you could 

be jailed for not growing it. So what happened? 

Restrictions on hemp cultivation in the 

US occurred after a highly successful “reefer 

madness” smear campaign, which saw the 

introduction of the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, 

making it impossible for farmers to grow it 

profitably, effectively killing the industry. Industrial 

hemp became associated with marijuana and the 

confusion was exploited. Other countries were 

urged to follow suit and make marijuana illegal, 

helping to solidify the global reach of the fossil fuel 

industry and its products over hemp. 

Hemp seeds are a highly nutritious superfood, 

providing quality fats and proteins. Until recently, 

hemp cultivation in Australia was illegal, but it 

can now be grown under licence, although it’s 

still prohibited to make food products from it 

for human consumption, which is restricting 

the growth of the industry. Hopefully, those 

restrictions will soon be lifted. 

Cannabis is an environmental boon since it’s 

a fast-growing and water-efficient plant that 

does well even in poor soils. The future looks 

bright for a booming local hemp industry and 

many look set to benefit from the legalisation of 

medical cannabis. Who knows, maybe one day, 

even backyard growing for therapeutic purposes 

will be made legal. 

Useful websites 

United In Compassion: 

unitedincompassion.com.au 

Terminal Illness Cannabis Scheme: 

nsw.gov.au/tics 

Victorian Law Reform Commission Review: 

lawreform.vic.gov.au/all-projects/ 

medicinal-cannabis 

Shutterstock 


THE SEASONAL GARDEN | With Melissa King 

WHAT’S HOT RIGHT NOW 

Presenting some of the latest and greatest plants that will make 

excellent additions to your garden at this time of year 

he Magic Series 

Tcrepe myrtle 

The plants: A collection of stunning semi-dwarf crepe 

myrtles that grow to just 1.8m tall and wide, so they 

are the perfect choice for small gardens. You’ll love 

‘Coral Magic’, with masses of striking coral-pink flowers, 

the hot-purple-flowering ‘Purple Magic’ and ‘Plum 

Magic’, which boasts attractive deep-plum foliage and 

fuchsia-pink flowers. 

Growing: Now’s a great time to plant one! Crepe myrtles 

in the Magic series prefer full sun and good drainage, but 

they are tough, versatile plants that, once established, 

will do well in tough, dry conditions. Varieties in the range 

also have a high resistance to pest and disease such as 

leaf spot and powdery mildew. Deadhead the first flush of 

flowers to promote a second display of spectacular colour. 

Design: Plant a ‘Magic’ crepe myrtle to light up a 

corner of a small garden or make a feature of them in 

big decorative pots on a sunny patio. They also make 

stunning informal hedges, smothered in vibrant flowers. 

For more information, flemings.com.au 

S 

alvia ‘Love and 

Wishes’ 

The plant: A stunning long-flowering 

salvia with striking deep-purple 

flowers and even deeper plumcoloured 

bracts. It flowers throughout 

the warmer months, producing a 

magnificent display of colour well into 

autumn. It has a lovely dome-shaped 

growth habit to 80cm tall and wide. 

Proceeds from the sale of every plant 

go to Make-A-Wish Australia to help 

grant wishes for children with lifethreatening 

medical conditions. 

Growing: It’s an easy-care, drytolerant 

plant that can be grown in 

full sun or part shade. Cut it back 

by one-third after flowering to 

promote compact, bushy growth 

and a prolific display of flowers the 

following year. 

Design: Plant it in groups or drifts 

for a mass of vibrant colour or use it 

to mingle with other flowering plants 

in the cottage garden. It also makes a 

beautiful long-flowering potted feature. 

For more information, pga.com.au 


With Melissa King | THE SEASONAL GARDEN 

ohnny-jump-ups , heartsease 

J(viola tricolor) 

The plants: Remember the old Johnny-jump-ups?! Named so 

because they self-seed so easily and pop up in odd areas of the 

garden. These petite tri-coloured miniature pansy-like flowers 

provide wonderful patches of colour in the garden from late winter 

right through to summer. 

Growing: Johnny-jump-ups prefer part-shade and well-drained soil, 

but they are not particularly fussy and will grow in less-than-perfect 

conditions. Sow the seeds directly in autumn-spring into a wellprepared 

bed. Liquid-feed every fortnight to promote a mass of flowers. 

Design: Scatter the seeds through the flower or vegie garden for a 

stunning display of colour. Enjoy them first in the garden and again on 

the plate as a garnish or colourful addition to a fresh salad. They are 

the perfect complement to spring-flowering bulbs. 

For more information, diggers.com.au 

lue Scotch kale 

BThe plant: A super-attractive, super-healthy variety of kale 

with tight frilly blue-green foliage and a compact growth habit. The 

leaves are tender and delicious in fresh salads and side dishes and 

don’t develop a bitter flavour, even in extremes of heat or cold. 

Growing: Sow seeds now into well-prepared soil rich in organic 

matter. This variety stands up better to heat than others, so plant it 

in succession to crop right through spring and into summer. You can 

even have success growing it as an autumn crop in tropical areas. 

Design: Blue Scotch Kale is both ornamental and delicious. Grow it 

in the kitchen or flower garden to contrast with purple cabbages, 

dark-green spinach or burgundy foliage plants and make the 

most of its attractive foliage in tasty dishes like kale and mint 

tabouli or feta and kale frittata. 

For more information, diggers.com.au 


CLEVER CROP | Catnip 

Catnip 

Nepeta cataria 

It doesn’t just happen in Looney Tunes 

cartoons — cats really do go dippy for catnip 

Words Jennifer Stackhouse 

Cats that love catnip roll in it, 

eat it, rub their faces on it and 

sometimes run around playing, 

apparently “high” on its volatile 

scent and essential oil. 

The chemical these cats are reacting to 

is nepetalactone, an essential oil thought to 

have a hallucinogenic effect. 

For cats that like catnip, one whiff is all 

they need, whether it’s fresh or dried. Dried 

catnip is used in toys to make them more 

appealing to felines. 

Although only around half to two-thirds 

of cats respond to catnip, it’s not only 

domestic cats that enjoy its smell. Other 

members of the cat family, including lions, 

also respond. 

Even if you don’t have cats to enjoy 

catnip, it makes a pretty groundcover or 

edging plant about 100cm high and wide. 

It has small, scalloped grey-green leaves 

and small spires of white, pink or mauve 

flowers in late spring and summer. It 

is closely related to catmint (Nepeta x 

faassenii), which has handsome spires 

of mauve flowers but, despite its name, 

lacks cat-attracting oils. 

Growing tips 

Although cats love catnip and may roll 

in it, they are unlikely to damage this 

soft groundcover plant. Choose its 

neighbours carefully, however, as nearby 

plants could get damaged by an ecstatic 

cat on a catnip high. 

Catnip can also be grown in a pot or 

container, but keep the pot away from the 

edge of a balcony or wall in case the cat 

rolls too close to the edge. 

Grow catnip in a spot with full sun and 

good drainage. Water it to get the plant 

established and growing, but after this 

plants are fairly drought-proof (although 

potted plants need regular watering). Give 

the plant a good haircut in spring and 

summer to make it dense and to gather 

leaves to dry for the cat. 

Choose its neighbours 

carefully as nearby 

plants could get 

damaged by an ecstatic 

cat on a catnip high. 

Catnip label 

Common name: Catnip 

Botanical name: Nepeta cataria 

Family: Lamiaceae (mint family) 

Requires: Full-sun, well-drained soil 

Dislikes: Prolonged cold conditions 

Suitable for: Groundcover, pot 

Habit: Prostrate 

Needs: Cut back hard to rejuvenate 

Propagation: Cutting, division, seed 

Difficulty: Easy 

Other plants 

cats love 

Cats also enjoy other fragrant plants 

such as lavender. My cats often sleep 

under our lavender hedge and also rub 

their faces on the stems. Cats also like 

to chew soft green grasses. Cat grasses, 

including Dactylis glomerata and Avena 

sativa, are available to grow from seed. 

Grow some in a pot for cats that are 

confined indoors or to a cat run. 

Shutterstock 


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Baskets in the World! 

Seeing is believing 

And the range of hanging basketss 

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everything you ever wanted in 

a hanging basket and more. 

It’s just so simple 

Plant the side holes and the top with your choice of seedlings and 

before you know it, the basket is covered in a cascade of colour, giving 

you months of blooming pleasure. 

Your options are endless, Herbs, Strawberries, flowers, all are 

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CLEVER CROP | Midyim berry 

Midyim berry 

Austromyrtus dulcis 

Did someone mention bush tucker? 

Eaten straight from the plant or used as 

a low edible hedge, midyim is a no-fuss, 

attractive addition to any native garden 


This is one of the more productive and 

palatable of the bush-tucker foods 

and can be planted now. It is also a 

useful garden plant as it’s compact 

and evergreen with colourful new growth, 

making it an attractive low hedge or screen. 

It can be clipped or left to form a compact 

informal hedge to around one metre high. 

Small, whitish-mauve berries form in summer 

or autumn following the small white flowers. The 

fruit is sweet to eat straight from the bush (seed 

and all) or can be harvested for jams, preserves 

or as a pie filling (often combined with apples). 

Growing tips 

Midyim, or midgen berry as it’s also known, 

is native to rainforest gullies along Australia’s 

east coast. Seeing the plant in its native habitat 

gives clues about the best way to grow it in 

a garden. It likes soil that’s moist but not wet 

with shelter from cold winds and frost. 

Midyim berry doesn’t require much extra 

feeding and grows well with just an occasional 

handful of a low-phosphorus native plant food. 

The best time to apply fertiliser is in spring. 

Water the plant regularly, especially during 

prolonged dry spells, and mulch around the 

plant with a thin (2–5cm) layer of organic 

mulch such as leaf litter. 

Prune from time to time to keep the plant 

dense and compact. It can be pruned in 

autumn after the crop has been harvested. 

As this shrub is part of the large myrtle family 

(it’s related to lilly pillies and eucalypts), it’s 

susceptible to the recently introduced disease 

myrtle rust, which has spread into parts of 

south-east Queensland, New South Wales and 

Victoria and has had outbreaks in Tasmania. 

Myrtle rust is difficult to control in an organic 

garden, so plants in the myrtle family may need 

to be removed if myrtle rust enters a garden. 

Midyim berry doesn’t 

require much extra feeding 

and grows well with just 

an occasional handful of 

a low-phosphorus native 

plant food. 

Midyim label 

Common name: Midyim berry, midgen berry 

Botanical name: Austromyrtus dulcis 

Family: Myrtaceae (myrtle family) 

Requires: Full-sun to part shade, 

well-drained soil, native plant fertiliser 

Dislikes: Prolonged wet soils or drying out 

Suitable for: Native garden, wildlife friendly 

garden, low edible hedge 

Habit: Shrub 1–2m tall 

Needs: Frost protection 

Propagation: Seed, cutting 


Austromyrtus dulcis, or midyim is an 

excellent eating-quality berry produced in 

heavy crops in late summer, early autumn. 

The flavour is apple-blueberry-like with 

a hint of ginger and cinnamon. Definitely 

superior to most commercial blueberries 

and raspberries. Photo by Vic Cherikoff 

from his book Wild Foods: Looking back 

60,000 years for clues to our future survival. 

Myrtle rust is hosted by many plants 

in the Myrtaceae family 

Scot Nelson 


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PLANT PROFILE | Broccoli 


Broccoli | PLANT PROFILE 

The italian 

Vegetable 

Once one of Italy’s best-kept secrets, broccoli has 

been out and about longer than you think 

Words Chris Stafford 

If broccoli, that most Italian of greens, 

reminds you of cabbage, your taste buds 

and sense of smell haven’t let you down. 

It’s thought to have been engineered 

by the ancient Etruscans from some kind of 

cabbage and, like cabbage and cauliflower, 

belongs to the family, Brassicaceae. Another 

close relative is kale, developed around the 

same time — over 2 millennia ago — by 

selecting for ever larger leaves. 

Broccoli derives its name from the Latin 

bracchium, meaning arm or branch, though 

many have likened its florets to miniature 

trees. Like that other Mediterranean 

favourite, the artichoke, it’s essentially a 

large edible flower. 

So, while Italy has enjoyed the plant for 

over 2000 years, other cultures weren’t quite 

sure what to make of it. An 18th century 

English text referred to it as “sprout colliflower” 

or “Italian asparagus”. In A Treatise 

on Gardening by a Citizen of Virginia (1775), 

John Randolph agreed, noting “the stems 

will eat like Asparagus, and the heads like 

Cauliflower”. Interestingly, a few years earlier, 

Randolph’s more famous neighbour Thomas 

Jefferson had grown broccoli in his garden at 

Monticello from seed imported from Italy. 

Although broccoli wasn’t to gain 

widespread recognition in the US and 

Australia until the Italian diaspora of the early 

to mid 20th century, a hardy, purple variety 

called Siberian broccoli must have hitched a 

ride with the First Fleet as it was planted on 

Norfolk Island in 1788. 

Purple and green varieties were available 

in Australia throughout the 19th century but 

were never as popular as ordinary cabbage 

— until the Italian migrants started arriving, 

that is. Now, in terms of value, it’s Australia’s 

tenth-largest vegetable crop. 

Broccoli sprouts 

Nutritious, healthy and loaded with 

antioxidants, broccoli sprouts can be 

grown in soil — or, in this case, without 

soil. Here’s how: 

Place a few layers of damp paper 

towel in the bottom of a recycled 

container no less than 4cm deep. 

Sprinkle a thin layer of sprouting 

seeds on top of the towel mat, 

leaving the seeds uncovered. 

Cover the container with a clear lid 

with a few air holes punched in it. 

Place the container near a window 

but not in direct sunlight. 

Grown without soil, seeds require 

a temperature of at least 21°C 

to germinate. 

Harvest the sprouts by hand 3–5 

days after they sprout and rinse 

to remove hulls. Add to salads 

and sandwiches. 

By Neville Donovan, from Good 

Organic Gardening Vol 5 No 1 

Shutterstock 

Broccolini 

Varieties 

The most familiar heading broccoli is 

‘Calabrese’, named for Calabria in Italy, 

with large (10–20cm) green heads and 

thick stalks. ‘Albert’ and ‘Di Cicco’ are other 

heading types. Once the main head is 

harvested, it will produce smaller side shoots. 

Sprouting broccoli usually comes in 

purple and has a greater number of heads, 

which are smaller and on thin stalks 

reminiscent of asparagus. 

Then there are broccoflowers, which are a 

cross between broccoli and cauliflower. One 

type looks just like cauliflower except the 

curds are lime-green. Romanesco broccoli is 

another form of broccoflower, also a vibrant 

green, with unusual fractal patterns across 


PLANT PROFILE | Broccoli 

Sprouting broccoli 

Heading broccoli 

Gai lan 

its head that might remind you of Bart 

Simpson’s hairdo. 

Broccolini, or tenderstem or baby broccoli, 

is a cross between broccoli and gai lan, aka 

Chinese broccoli. 

As noted above, other Brassica oleracea 

include cabbage, cauliflower and kale 

as well as kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and 

collard greens. 

Nutrition 

Broccoli is rich in calcium and, unless 

overcooked, has antioxidant properties that 

may help prevent some forms of cancer. Its 

anti-cancer enzyme myrosinase is destroyed 

by cooking, so light steaming for 2–3 minutes 

is recommended. 

It has cholesterol-lowering benefits, too, 

also promoted by light steaming, as well as 

an unusually strong combination of both 

vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and 

vitamin K. It has higher levels of vitamin C 

than oranges and is also ideal for anyone with 

depleted vitamin D. 

Broccoli is a rich source of kaempferol, a 

flavonoid that can lessen the impact of allergyrelated 

substances in the body and could 

make broccoli ideal for a hypoallergenic diet. 

Growing 

Broccoli can be started in seed trays and 

planted out within 4–6 weeks, preferably 

during the cooler months. Sow seed at a 

depth around three times the diameter of the 

seed, 35–50cm apart. Seedlings must be well 

watered or they will bolt. 

In warmer weather, watch for cabbage 

white butterflies and remove eggs and 

caterpillars as soon as they appear. 

Harvest in 10–16 weeks. Cut the flower 

heads off with a knife or shears, leaving the 

plant growing to develop side shoots. 

Once the yellow flowers start to open, the 

flavour may become overpowering and the 

stalks woody. 

Purple sprouting broccoli is somewhat 

hardier, while broccolini, given plenty of 

water and food, grows quickly and should be 

harvested as soon as possible. 

Broccoli label 

Common name: Broccoli 

Botanical name: Brassica oleracea 

Family: Brassicaceae (also Cruciferae) 

Requires: Cool weather. Best planted 

at soil temperatures between 

7°C and 30°C 

Dislikes: Hot summers 

Suitable for: All vegetable gardens, 

though certain varieties do better in 

warmer climates 

Habit: Tree-like structure with a cluster 

of flower heads on an edible stalk 

Needs: Lots of water as seedlings 


Purple 

sprouting 

broccoli 


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Tea garden 

Whether it’s health benefits you’re after or just a 

caffeine-free, dairy-free, warming cuppa, these 

herbal brews will give you just what you need 

Ginger & Lemon 

Cold Cure 

The combination of lemon and honey is an 

age-old cold/sore throat remedy. Ginger adds 

anti-inflammatory action, not to mention flavour. 

Zest half a lemon. Peel off the white pith and slice 

the peeled lemon half. Grate or julienne a 2cm 

piece of peeled ginger. Put a couple of lemon 

slices, zest and grated ginger in a mug and add 

boiling water. Add a piece of cinnamon stick 

(optional). Allow to steep 5–10 minutes and 

add a few squeezes of fresh lemon juice and 

1–2 teaspoons of honey and stir. 

Can Stock Photo 

Words Kerry Boyne 

Apart from cooking with them, one 

of the best ways to get the health 

benefits from the herbs you grow 

is to make teas. Some are instantly 

palatable while others are acquired tastes. 

You probably immediately think of steaming 

hot drinks, too, but some are pleasant to drink 

chilled or at room temperature, especially 

those from lemon-scented herbs (see box). 

Your own homegrown herbs are always the 

best basis for your teas because you can rest 

assured they have been grown organically. 

What you grow will depend on which flavours 

and aromas you are drawn to and what health 

benefits you seek from your herbs. 

For example, do you want clearer skin? 

Then consider calendula-based infusions. 

Do you want anti-inflammatory action? Look 

to ginger, turmeric and gotu kola. There are 

many herbs to help you de-stress and relax, 

and when you have an upset stomach it’s 

hard to beat the mint family. 

How you go about making a tea depends 

on the part of the plant you’re using. 

Generally speaking, the more delicate 

leaves and flowers are infused by steeping 

them in hot water so as not to destroy 

the enzymes and antioxidants, while 

the tougher roots and seeds are usually 

simmered to draw out the flavours and active 

constituents. However, grated rhizomes such 

as ginger and its cousin turmeric can often 

be used in infusions, too, or brought to the 

boil then infused. 

Strength is another issue. The more plant 

material you use and the longer you steep it, 

the stronger the brew will be. Sometimes, 

longer steeping is needed to reap the 

medicinal benefits but the flavour may 

not be as enjoyable as with a lighter tea. 

These days, there are many kinds of 

teapots and plungers available that will 

keep the herbs in the water but separate 

from it. Teaballs are great for making 

single cups as they act as a strainer and 

you don’t lose heat by transferring to a 

cup. It’s also a good idea to buy a cup 

with its own lid to prevent evaporation of 

the volatile oils. 


Herbs for infusions | POWER PLANT 

Calendula 

for Complexion 

Taken internally, calendula is said to improve 

blood flow and heal inflamed mucus membranes. 

Its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties 

make it useful as a gargle for sore throats, too. 

Pour a cup of boiling water over a teaspoon of 

dried petals and allow to infuse for 10 minutes and 

strain. Drink 3 times a day for clearer skin. (Also 

can be used for the sore throat gargle.) 

Calming Chamomile 

Chamomile is one of the most highly respected 

herbs for good reason. It is calming to both the 

digestive and nervous systems, has a pleasant 

flavour and is a pretty plant for any garden. Drink 

this fragrant, soothing tea in the evening to relax 

before bedtime. Mix 1 part dried lavender flowers, 

1 part dried rosemary leaves and 2 parts dried 

chamomile flowers. Use a heaped teaspoon per 

cup of water. Allow to steep for 5–10 minutes. 

Cooling 

Moroccan Mint 

Though made with green tea and therefore 

containing caffeine, this brew is a favourite 

for good digestion. To make a small pot, mix a 

tablespoon of green tea with a handful of fresh 

spearmint or common mint leaves and steep in 

boiled fresh water. Traditionally, sugar or honey is 

added but it’s a lovely drink without sweetener. 

Lemon-scented 

herbs 

• Lemongrass • Lemon thyme 

• Lemon verbena • Lemon balm 

• Lemon basil 

All make a fragrant addition to other 

herbal teas. 

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FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Crab apples 

If I had to pick a tree 

for a small garden, a 

crab apple would be 

top of the list. Most 

varieties grow to 

only 4–6 metres tall, 

with pretty, fragrant 

spring blossoms. 

Tough 

beauties 

With their mountainous origins, showy crab 

apples will put on a spectacular display in 

a wide range of conditions 

Words Melissa King 

Photos Fleming’s Nurseries 

Crab apples are cherished 

for their glorious spring 

blossoms, but don’t overlook 

their gorgeous jewel-like 

fruit, which can be made into delicious 

jams or jellies. Crab apples are members 

of the Rosaceae or rose family and are 

related to domestic apples. 

All crab apples are edible, but most 

are bitter-tasting and can only really 

be eaten cooked, so they are generally 

made into jellies and jams or apple 

butter, which tastes delicious on 

scones or freshly baked bread. They 

can even be juiced to bring a nice tang 

to sweeter apple or pear juice, or added 

to cider to give it an extra kick. 

If I had to pick a tree for a small 

garden, a crab apple would be top of 

the list. Most varieties grow to only 

4–6 metres tall, with pretty, fragrant 

spring blossoms that range in colour 

from pure white to deep pink, beautiful 

autumn foliage colour and attractive 

autumn fruit, which comes in shades of 

pink to deep red and sunshine yellow, 

depending on the variety. 

The Japanese crab apple (Malus 

floribunda) is well worth growing for 

its flowers and fruit. It displays masses 

of crimson buds, which open to pinktinged 

white blooms in spring followed 

by small red and yellow fruit that 

ripens sometime around March and 

April and can be used to make a great 

batch of jelly. 


Crab apples | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS 


FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Crab apples 

Malus purpurea 

Malus ‘Ballerina 

Maypole’ trees 

Malus ‘Golden Hornet’ 

Malus floribunda 

Crab apple label 

Common name: Crab apple, crabapple 

Botanical name: Malus spp. 

Family: Rosaceae (rose family) 

Aspect and soil: Sunny position, 

well-drained soil 

Suitable for: Garden, large container 

Best climate: Cool to temperate, 

drought- and frost-tolerant 

Habit: Small to medium-sized tree 

Propagation: Cutting, grafting & 

budding 


Malus ‘Gorgeous’ 

The aptly named Malus x atrosanguinea 

‘Gorgeous’ is a standout performer and 

another great all-rounder. It boasts a glorious 

display of white flower s that are blushed with 

pink, has good autumn colour, a heavy crop 

of deep-red fruits and a lovely open, neat 

habit. It makes a spectacular feature tree in a 

small garden or decorative espalier against a 

courtyard wall. 

You’ll also love Malus x purpurea ‘Eleyi’, 

with dark-pink flowers and purplish foliage 

that makes a great contrast to green or 

silver-leafed plants. It displays an autumn 

crop of small purple-red fruit, which look 

gorgeous hanging on the tree and make 

beautiful, richly coloured jelly. 

Bechtel’s Flowering Crab, Malus ioensis 

‘Plena’, is another popular choice with large, 

scented, semi-double, light-pink blooms and 

beautiful red and orange autumn foliage, 

Malus ioensis ‘Plena’ 

but it rarely fruits, so it’s one for the purely 

ornamental garden. 

It’s also worth looking out for newer types 

like ‘Sugar Tyme’, which displays masses of 

scented soft-pink buds that open to single 

white flowers in spring and crimson red crab 

apples, which persist well into winter. And 

‘Tom Matthews’ with striking scarlet flowers 

Corrie Barklimore CC 


Crab apples | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS 

Malus ‘Sugar Tyme’ 

Flowering cherry 

substitutes 

I visited the Japanese Garden at 

Canada’s Montreal Botanic Gardens 

in the fall season (autumn). It was 

filled with groves and avenues of 

crab apple trees dripping with red 

and yellow fruit. 

Crab apples are used as an 

alternative to traditional flowering 

cherries because they are tough 

enough to withstand the extreme 

Montreal climate. Their ravishing 

spring flowers are a symbol of youth 

and renewal. 

Malus ‘Tom Matthews’ 

and masses of small dark red-purple fruit 

from autumn right through to late winter. 

Varieties with larger-than-usual crab 

apples tend to be better to cook with, so look 

out for forms like ‘John Downie’ with pink 

buds, large white flowers and a big crop of 

attractive orange-red crab apples with an 

unusual upside-down pear shape. 

‘Golden Hornet’ is another beautiful choice, 

with deep-pink buds, single white flowers and 

large bright-yellow, oval-shaped fruit, which 

makes a lovely clear-yellow jelly. The glorious 

fruits appear from late summer and hang on 

the tree even after the foliage has fallen. 

Where space is limited you might like 

to try the Ballerina Apple ‘Maypole’, which 

displays cerise-pink blossoms and dark-red 

crab apples on a columnar-shaped tree just 

600mm wide and around 3.5 metres tall. 

It makes a lovely fruiting screen for a 

narrow area or try growing it in big tubs 

on a sunny patio. 

Crab apples are thought to have originated 

in the mountains of Kazakhstan in Central 

Asia, so they are tough, versatile plants. They 

grow happily in almost any soil, but prefer 

a rich, well-drained slightly acidic soil that 

doesn’t dry out too much in summer. They 

will tolerate some shade, but for the best 

flowering and fruiting grow them in full sun. 

Because they are such prolific flowerers, 

crab apples are also great pollinators for 

domestic apples. 

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GARDENING FOLK | John Purtill 

The hard 

yard 

Meet a dedicated gardener who’s turned a dry, rocky outcrop into a fertile 

olive grove and a 100-tree orchard 

Words & photos Jana Holmer 

Whenever John Purtill smells 

a rose it instantly transports 

him back to his childhood 

home in Manchester, a 

terrace house with a side yard fragrant with 

the scent of roses and orange trees. 

Australia is a nation of immigrants, a fact 

we’re reminded of almost every time we 

do a Gardening Folk story. In John’s case, 

he comes from Chorlton-cum-Hardy, a 

Mancunian suburb known locally as Chorlton 

— as does his favourite celebrity gardener, 

Peter Cundall. 

“I met the bloke once,” says John, “and he 

said he’s a ‘fellow Manchurian’, so now I tell 

people I’m a Manchurian.” 

After the Purtills emigrated, John 

celebrated his fifth birthday on a farm 

in Meredith, about midway between 

Geelong and Ballarat. Later they moved 

closer to Geelong, to Portarlington on the 

Bellarine Peninsula, where he began his 

gardening career. 

“I would’ve been about eight years of 

age when I was given the responsibility of 

growing broccoli and climbing beans,” he 

recalls. “I had to diligently water my small 

garden as part of my duties. I managed to 

successfully grow climbing beans.” 

A neighbour in nearby Drysdale was 

also an early influence. John spied on his 

corn crop for weeks until a cob “popped up 

over the fence [and] I had to nick it. Gee, 

it tasted gooood. 

“He had a huge vegie patch and this was 

enough to tell me that this guy was pretty 

good at growing vegies. He had heaps of 

onions, beans and broccoli and I’d watch him 

pick vegies and pack them into wood crates. 

He’d take them down to the road and sell 

them or he’d go to the market. I thought this 

guy was a genuine Aussie bloke making a 

living off his land.” 

Up until John was in high school, the 

family had ducks and chooks as well as two 

goats that gave four litres of milk a day: “They 

were Saanen-Toggenburg cross. Their milk 

was so pure and I loved it.” 

Small wonder John became an arborist 

and landscape gardener by trade and that 

his other interests include such outdoor 

activities as making fire pits, garden 

accessories and firewood rings in cast 

iron to hold wood logs. His next project is 

to set up a blacksmith forge — “for serious 

bloke activities”. 


Rocks and 

a hard place 

John still lives not far from Geelong on a 

five-acre block in Lara. Sheltered by the You 

Yangs range, the region is disappointingly 

dry. As well as that, says John, his land 

sits on a basalt ridge strewn with boulders 

(Google pictures of the You Yangs and you’ll 

see what he’s talking about), which means 

“you have to build up. You can’t dig down; 

it’s definitely raised-bed territory. I had 

no choice.” 

Though he admits that apart from the 

rocks the topsoil is “nice”, to establish a 

garden John faced more obstacles than 

a prairie pioneer: “High winds, drought, 

rabbits running mad, foxes taking over, cats 

destroying wildlife, weeds in abundance, 

horrific heat, basalt everywhere, bore water’s 

not far but it’s brackish, there are loads of 

insects, grasshoppers and Indian mynas are 

a nuisance and there’s soil-borne mould.” 

Still, he has certainly made the best of 

it. Let’s list his crops, beginning with trees: 

400 olive trees and 200 fruit trees, including 

apple, crab apple, pears, apricots, almond, 

figs, oranges, carob, bamboo, quince (“I make 

the best quince paste”) and stone pines for 

pine nuts. He also makes a spice mix that 

includes roasted wattle seeds: “When I hear 

the seeds crack in the frypan I know it’s time 

to grind them.” 

As for vegetables, he grows “1000 lettuces, 

rhubarb, potato, beans, leek, beetroot, 1000 

garlic plants and strawberries”. And herbs: 

“Oregano, thyme, sage, licorice, ginger, stevia, 

seven varieties of mint, French tarragon 

and plenty of nasturtiums.” Particularly 

abundant are the crab apples, which thrive 

in recycled water. 

Growth medium 

John’s watchword is organic all the way; 

he wouldn’t touch GM or sprays with a 

bargepole. “There are so many tests on mice 

eating GM crops that cause them to be 

overweight and accelerate ageing. Farmers 

are using herbicides on GM crops and they’re 

becoming herbicide-tolerant.” 

For fertiliser he uses “seaweed and fish 

emulsion, horse poo, straw and mulch. I turn 

the dirt and use coffee grounds, and worms 

do their work. It’s all natural and it all works in 

harmony.” A side benefit of the fishy mulch is 

it fights bugs, including scale. 

“I have plenty of wood on my property 

and use it for heating the house and 

cooking in our pizza oven. I make compost 

and mulch leaves and twigs from the 

[landscaping] business in my cubic-metre 

corrugated iron pit. It makes a fertile soil.” 

John harvests rainwater in tanks (he 

even sells them) and recycles water into his 

garden beds: “I use tank water and drippers 

around the garden, but I have to say I enjoy 

hand watering my herb patch.” 

He also built a sand filter 1.8m deep, 5m 

wide and 6m long: “It’s like a swimming pool 

with special sand that comes from Ballarat. 

The water is pumped to the ornamental 

garden, crab apples and roses. I’d like to 

divert it to the bamboo area.” 

The land sits on a basalt ridge strewn with boulders, which means 

“you have to build up. You can’t dig down; it’s definitely raised-bed 

territory. I had no choice.” 

John makes cast-iron firewood rings 

John Purtill | GARDENING FOLK

GARDENING FOLK | John Purtill 

Lush artichokes 

Beds wherever they’ll fit 

John’s preserved lemons 

John uses tank water and drippers 

on the garden 

Definitely raised bed country 

Some of the 400 olive trees 

John’s top tips 

Analyse your site for obstacles. 

Create a barrier against most prevailing 

winds. 

Check what sort of rainfall you get. 

Check for pests you have based on 

weather. 

Check soil type — is it rocky? Is it clay? 

— and prepare it before planting. 

In addition, John says: “I would never use 

weed mat. I would never buy a property 

that has little rainfall.” 


John Purtill | GARDENING FOLK 

John’s 

quince jelly 

Ingredients 

3kg ripe quinces, washed 

3L water (preferably rainwater) 

Organic brown sugar 

Juice of 3 organic lemons 

Method 

Scour down off quinces and cut into quarters. 

Simmer slowly with water in frypan until soft, 

about 1hr. 

Use a jelly bag or new linen tea towel to 

strain liquid. 

For every 600mL of jelly liquid, use 375g 

brown sugar. 

Bring quince liquid to simmer, add brown 

sugar and lemon juice. Dissolve over low heat 

and boil fast, testing for a set after 10 mins. 

When set is reached, pour into small sterilised 

sealed jars. Jelly will set in jars. 

Serve with lamb or on sourdough toast with butter. 

Where there’s life 

Not surprisingly, John’s corner of Victoria 

teems with wildlife attracted by the greenery: 

blue wrens, New Holland honeyeaters, 

sparrows, black kites, owls, eagles, magpies, 

hawks, willy wagtails, brown snakes, tiger 

snakes, blue-tongue lizards “by the dozens”, 

wattle birds and crows. 

In addition, he runs chooks, harvests 

honey, makes herb vinegar, a “fabulous” herb 

salt and herbal teas, preserves lemons and 

makes his own quince paste (see recipe). He 

also makes jams, sauces, herbal mixes and 

herbal medicines as well as running courses 

on how to make them. 

Future workshops, he says, will include 

How to build with mud earth 

How to construct dry-stone walls 

How to make organic rich compost 

How to make an outdoor pizza oven 

How to make herbal tinctures 

But John’s pride is his extra-virgin olive 

oil, a peppery, fruity blend of seven varieties 

that won an award the Australian Olive Oil 

Association. In 2006 he created an olive tree 

maze with 400 trees and “the potential to 

produce 20 kilos on an eight-year-old tree”. 

He even grew a 25-metre-long rose arbour, 

seven metres wide on two parallel mounds 

built up around 1.5m high. 

John also has excess bounty to sell or 

give away: “When I’m out on a job, I offer my 

prize-winning olive oil and eggs to clients. My 

brother picks up four kilos of lettuce (around 

30 heads) that he sells to food markets and 

local markets in Warrnambool.” 

Some of the 1000 lettuces 


GARDENING FOLK | Eva & Marek Klimek 

Something old, 

something new 

This sustainable garden of the future continues 

a long tradition from the old country 

Words & photos Sandra Tuszynska 

Eva and Marek Klimek live in Cushnie, in 

southeast Queensland, on a 40-acre 

block with an abundant garden that 

supplies most of their food needs. They 

originally came from Poland in 1982 and moved 

from the Gold Coast five years ago. 

Allotment gardening in Polish cities has been 

practised for 120 years. It was especially useful 

during the communist regime, allowing people 

to grow their own food, which was often in 

short supply. Allotment gardening continues in 

today’s Poland, covering 42,397ha, city-dwellers 

using their gardens as private nature havens. 

Marek and Eva have continued their families’ 

gardening traditions. Visitors never leave 

empty-handed, despite the great physical 

effort required, as the couple love to share 

their produce. The fruits of their labour are 

the results of a daily devotion to the garden, a 

commitment they both enjoy. For the Klimeks, 

gardening isn’t just a passion but a way of life. 

Digging now for 

a no-dig future 

Eva and Marek’s raised garden beds 

comprise endemic soil dug out for water tanks. 

They introduced ash from cleared trees, crusher 

dust, grass clippings and manure. The couple 

also add compost and worm castings, which 

they create from offcuts and surplus vegetables. 

The land was mainly covered in ironbark and 

other pioneer species, which Marek cleared for 

the house site, to plant fruit trees and, more 

recently, for a rainforest they want to establish. 

Marek waters the compost and worm farm 

regularly and aerates them by turning with a 

fork. “For rapid breakdown, the micro-organisms 

need plenty of oxygen,” he explains. “The more 

I aerate the compost, the faster it breaks down.” 

After each growing season, Marek and Eva 

enrich the beds with organic matter, turning the 

soil to incorporate nutrients into it. The beds are 

sown only once decomposition is completed 

and they’re ready for next season’s vegetables. 

Eva explains, “We have incorporated a lot 

of suggestions from our daughter Karolina, 

a passionate permaculturalist. I initially 

struggled with the idea of having such a 

huge garden space, as I was used to a much 

smaller one. It also hurt seeing the beds 

sitting there fallow. Now I see the value of 

allowing the soil to rest and in replenishing it 

for the next season’s growth. 

“I also didn’t like leaving plants to go to seed 

because I wanted the garden to look neat. 

I hated plants growing out of place and still have 


Eva & Marek Klimek | GARDENING FOLK 

“Manure tea increases the quality and taste of the vegies,” says Eva — and 

they’re definitely very tasty and of a generous size. Also impressive is the fact 

that insects don’t attack the vegetables. 

an urge to remove them, but now that I know 

about their benefit, I allow them to grow.” 

Despite arguments and resistance to their 

daughter’s advice, Marek and Eva are grateful 

for the knowledge they have gained. “We were 

so stuck in our way of gardening, thinking we 

knew better, so it has taken us a while to accept 

new ideas. But having tried a few new things, we 

see that Karolina was right” 

Marek says, “The plan is to eventually have a 

no-dig garden. However, the process of building 

the soil up takes time. I expect the soil will be 

very fertile in about two years’ time.” 

“It’s all an experiment,” he says. “We try 

different things, observe what happens and 

learn through the process of trial and error. 

I don’t think there’s one prescribed way to 

garden; all soil types and climatic conditions 

are unique and the gardener must adjust their 

gardening methods to those conditions.” 

From their experiments, the Klimeks believe 

that adding organic matter to the garden and 

turning the soil and allowing it to rest while 

replenishing it is the quickest way to obtain a 

productive garden medium. The couple create 

manure and comfrey teas, delivering them to 

the vegetables daily with a watering can. 

“This daily watering and nutrient supply 

increases the quality and taste of the vegies,” 

says Eva — and they’re definitely very tasty 

and of a generous size. “We put two spoons of 

Epsom salts in a bucket of water and use it as 

a spray. This greatly prolongs flowering of roses 

and fruiting. I’ve noticed that tomatoes stay on 

the vine and retain their taste for much longer.” 

Goodness all 

year round 

The Klimeks enjoy tremendous variety year 

round, harvesting everything from potatoes, 

tomatoes, cucumbers, leeks, spinach, lettuce, 

parsnips, carrots, beetroot, peas, beans, 

pumpkins and watermelons to herbs such as 

parsley, coriander, garlic and chives. There’s 

a young, prolific fig tree as well as 33 other fruit 

trees, including pomegranates, guavas, papayas, 

bananas, peaches and mangoes. 

Marek elaborates, “We have a big garden 

because we want to experiment with growing 

different varieties and some unusual things.” Eva 

adds, “We learn about each plant and its needs, 

then we try growing it. We also learn when to 

give up. On the Gold Coast, everything seemed 

so easy, but the harsh conditions of the South 

Burnett make it very difficult to grow some 

things, like lettuce in summer, for example. This 

year we are going to experiment with eggplant.” 

Poland has a strong tradition of using herbs 

Eva’s fermented 

beetroot 

Ingredients 

4 large or 6 medium beets, peeled & 

chopped roughly 

5 tbsp sea salt 

Preparation 

Combine sea salt and chopped beets 

and place the mixture in a glass or ceramic 

fermentation jar. 

Add enough water to fill the jar. Stir to 

dissolve the salt. 

Cover and let ferment in a warm spot in 

your kitchen for about 2 days. 

Once the ferment tastes sour, place it 

in the refrigerator where it will keep 

for months. 

* Beet kvass, the liquid part of the 

ferment, is an excellent digestive tonic. 

for both culinary and therapeutic purposes, and 

Eva points to some she grows for both uses. 

Moringa, a fast-growing, drought-tolerant plant 

sometimes called the “miracle tree” or “the tree 

of life”, can be used for fibre and oil, as well as 

in water purification. It has many medicinal 

properties and its leaves contain exceptional 

nutritional value. 

Despite the harsh 

conditions the Klimeks 

have created a foodgrowing 

paradise 

Eva ferments beetroot 

and makes kvass

GARDENING FOLK | Eva & Marek Klimek 

Eva has a lot of 

knowledge of the 

nutritional value of the 

food she grows 

Papayas are among the 

Klimeks’ 34 fruit trees 

Beetroot and stinging 

nettles are grown for their 

high nutritional value 

Eva and Marek are 

fans of Epsom salts, 

especially for their 

tomato plants 


Eva & Marek Klimek | GARDENING FOLK 

Pomegranate harvest 

Similarly beneficial is stinging nettle, which 

Eva uses to make tea. She explains how it 

balances the blood, clears the skin and can be 

used as a hair tonic. It tastes like spinach and is 

rich in vitamins A, C, D, K and B group. 

Another handy plant she grows is salvia, 

which improves digestion, lowers blood sugar 

levels and alleviates throat, gum and skin 

infections. It also assists with depression, 

rheumatic pain and fatigue. 

A sustainable lifestyle 

Eva preserves surplus produce by fermenting 

beetroot, sauerkraut and kombucha. She also 

keeps a bacterial culture in the fridge and 

makes delicious sour cream from soy milk. 

The Klimeks’ home is completely off the grid. 

Marek is an electronic technician with building 

and handyman skills, so the house is solar 

powered and watered by rainwater tanks, while 

water is recycled for the garden and fruit trees. 

On the Gold Coast, they helped frogs breed 

by providing them with habitat, water and food. 

In the dry South Burnett, they began to create 

a more suitable habitat for these and other 

creatures, planning to establish a rainforest. 

Recently Marek has created what he calls a 

“Bali Resort” for frogs: a rectangular ditch the 

size of a small swimming pool, which receives 

water from the surrounding land. The frogs have 

started to lay their eggs in it already. 

It’s a pleasure to see the couple’s efforts 

in their gardening and land management 

endeavours. Their energy and knowledge are 

sources of inspiration as they share their food, 

seeds and expertise with others. 

The Klimeks grow a 

huge variety of fruit 

and veg year round 

Marek adds moisture to 

the compost 

Eva & Marek’s 

top tips 

Experiment with various gardening 

techniques that are suitable to your 

unique soil and climatic conditions. 

Grow an abundance of varieties of fruits 

and vegetables for all seasons. 

Supply your soil with a continuous 

source of organic material and 

incorporate well into the soil. 

Set up compost and worm farms and 

ensure aeration for fast decomposition 

and turnover. 

Use manure teas to fertilise your fruit 

and vegetables. 


GARDENING FOLK | Cheralyn & Paul Darcey 

Beetroot, silverbeet, 

zucchini and more 

Art 

and soil 

A love of plants, a passion for recycling and buckets of artistic flair are 

transforming this lakeside home into a soulful haven 

Words & photos Kerry Boyne 

Meet Cheralyn Darcey, a 

talented artist and author 

who uses her gifts to honour 

all things botanical. In fact, so 

passionate is she about plants that Cheralyn 

is a plant rescuer in the way some people 

save battery hens, or wildlife or cats. She’s 

the crazy plant lady who buys the ailing 

specimens at the garden centre and takes 

them home to nurse them back to health. 

When Cheralyn and her husband Paul 

bought their new home on the NSW Central 

Coast, along with redecorating the interior 

with a touch of American Southwestern style 

(they lived in San Diego for a few years) — 

largely Paul’s work — Cheralyn set about 

building a beautiful vegie garden over what 

had been useless front lawn, Paul helping 

to construct the raised beds. And what they 

had achieved when we visited is enough to 

inspire anyone who thinks it takes a long time 

to establish a food garden. 

“We moved in only 15 weeks ago and there 

was nothing here except the lawn,” Cheralyn 

told me. “We’re renovating as well and, 

though I didn’t have the time, I made it. I think 

it was important to draw that line in the dirt 

and start off on the right foot. These things 

can get pushed to the back too easily but if 

you break ground and start, it’s amazing how 

quickly you get into it.” How right she is. 

Building the garden in the front yard wasn’t 

just a smart use of space but a great way to 

quickly become part of the neighbourhood, 

too. “The easiest way to make new friends 

on moving here was having our vegetable 

garden in the front,” says Cheralyn. “Everyone 

in the street and passing has watched 

the garden grow and it’s a great 

conversation starter.” 

Like many of our gardening folk, Cheralyn 


Cheralyn & Paul Darcey | GARDENING FOLK 

Cheralyn makes fresh juices using 

her beetroots with apple and celery 

Sculpture by Cheralyn 

Building the garden in the front yard wasn’t just 

a smart use of space but a great way to quickly 

become part of the neighbourhood, too. “Everyone 

in the street has watched the garden grow and it’s 

a great conversation starter.” 

first experienced the benefits of food 

gardening in childhood. “In the early days, we 

didn’t have much money, so we grew as much 

as we could in the city through necessity,” 

she says. “When I was 14, my mum remarried 

and we sea-changed to a completely selfsustained 

farm on the Central Tablelands of 

NSW. We grew and raised every single thing 

we consumed on that farm and were pretty 

much off-grid.” 

That early experience of living sustainably 

— long before it was ever a thing — also 

helped make Cheralyn an avid and creative 

recycler. In fact, she has been creating 

environmental sculptures using only recycled 

materials for decades. “I’ve always been a 

recycler and I try incredibly hard to be as 

eco-smart as I possibly can,” she explains. 

As to the vegie garden itself, in a short 

few months Cheralyn has put in a lemon 

tree and passionfruit vine as well as 

beetroot, corn, pumpkin, butternut pumpkin, 

watermelon, rockmelon, button squash, 

tomatoes, silverbeet spinach, zucchini, 

French carrots, leeks, celery, beans, eggplant, 

cucumber, peas, snow peas, sweet potato, 

lettuce, capsicum, chillies, broccoli, cabbage, 

cauliflower and a variety of herbs. All looking 

very healthy and producing nicely. 

To keep it all flourishing, Cheralyn admits 

to being “a Seasol girl”, something she got 

from her mother, and loves to use lucerne hay 

for mulching, along with other organic matter. 

For pest control, “I plant pest-deterring plants 

in amongst my vegetables. I’m experimenting 

with mixing my plantings so I have a variety 

of plants in each bed. I use good old handpicking 

of grubs and only organic plantbased 

pest control as needed.” 

While well-meaning neighbours have 


GARDENING FOLK | Cheralyn & Paul Darcey 

A rescued native 

hibiscus 

Somewhere to sit and observe 

A boat-shaped 

vegie bed 

wanted to pass on their favoured chemical 

methods, Cheralyn says, “I just don’t want to 

harm the environment, the organisms and 

creatures I share it with; or myself and those 

who enjoy the produce from my garden.” 

The work hasn’t been without its 

challenges, though, including the sometimes 

harsh lakeside coastal climate. “My research 

tells me to expect mild winters and warm 

summers and so far, having just spent a late 

winter to spring here, we experienced very 

drying winds and extremes of temperatures 

across short intervals. It’s challenging already, 

but I’m working with it,” says Cheralyn. 

The biggest stumbling block, though, 

was what was on the block. According to 

Cheralyn, it was covered with a mat of dozens 

of different lawn grasses lying on top of two 

to three layers of 1980s-laid black plastic 

weed mat. “There’s a semi-trailer load, I’m 

sure, of building material in most of the 

ground as well.” It was a massive job for her 

and Paul to deal with. 

The new garden has other fans besides 

the couple and their neighbours. “We have a 

gorgeous blue-tongue lizard we have named 

Bobbie, who seems to love the snails, and 

the bird life here is incredible,” says Cheralyn. 

“I planted sunflowers for the parrots that 

visit us as a treat.” Sunflowers are also the 

favourite flower of the couple’s daughter 

Maddison, who lives in Sydney, as does their 

son Jared. 

They have also ordered a native bee 

hive through a friend, have plans to harvest 

rainwater down the track, and a worm farm is 

on Cheralyn’s Christmas list. 

When she’s not in the garden growing 

plants or inside cooking them — she makes 

“the best pumpkin soup in the world ... but I 

might be boasting a little” — the talented artist 

is either reading about or working with plants 

— flowers especially. “My passion is botanical 

history. I love exploring the myths, the folklore, 

the herbal remedies, the cultural stories of 

plants.” In the past couple of years she has 

published two sets of Australian Wildflower 

Reading Cards and two Florasphere 

colouring-in books as well as her many 

paintings and sculptures over the years. 

In line with her philosophy of wasting 

nothing, Cheralyn loves her dehydrator 

and also freezes, pickles or juices excess 

produce, while her beautiful clear skin 

is a fine testament to both the healthy 

produce from the garden and the plantbased 

beauty products, herbal remedies 

and flower essences she makes herself — 

recipes, please! 

Never mind art imitating life or vice 

versa, in this couple’s newly established 

coastal lifestyle, art and life are perfectly 

intertwined as one. 


Cheralyn & Paul Darcey | GARDENING FOLK 

Cheralyn and Paul built all 

the beds themselves 

Cheralyn in her studio 

One of Cheralyn’s 

eco sculptures 

Cheralyn’s top 5 tips 

Use up gluts and bolted produce in natural 

beauty creations. There are lots of recipes 

available in books and online and it’s fun to 

do and they make great gifts. Usually bolted 

herbs and vegetables are too bitter for 

eating but perfectly OK for this purpose. 

Grow something edible in your front garden. 

It’s a great example to get people thinking 

about putting in their own and you’ll make 

nice friends. 

Grow edible flowers. You’ll be happier. 

Put a table and chair setting in the middle of 

your food garden. You’ll be amazed at how 

much more you notice and how much more 

you use the area. 

Don’t wait for the perfect time or for the 

perfect situation or the right tools. Just start 

somewhere and always grow something! 


BEE HAPPY 

Add some of these flowering plants to your garden to attract bees 

and other pollinators, and your patch will be buzzing 

Words & photos Kerry Boyne 

It’s a given that if we want food, we need 

bees. Bees pollinate most of our food 

crops and without them there would 

virtually be no harvest. Australia is their 

last safe haven as pesticides, diseases, habitat 

loss and the parasite verroa have combined 

to wipe out large numbers of honeybee 

colonies elsewhere in the world. 

The most common pollinator is the 

introduced European honeybee (Apis 

mellifera), but we also have over 150 native 

species, mostly solitary bees that collect 

nectar, but among them are 10 species 

of social stingless bees that make small 

amounts of honey. Tasmania also has the 

European bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) 

and Queensland the Asian honeybee 

(Apis cerana). 

Given what’s happening to bees elsewhere, 

we need to do what we can to contribute to 

the health of our bee populations. According 

to Mark Leech, author of Bee Friendly: A 

planting guide for European honeybees 

and Australian native pollinators, “A home 

gardener can do a great deal. By planting 

bee-attracting plants you are contributing to 

honeybee and native bee nutrition.” 

The aim is to “plant species that provide 

significant nectar sources and very beneficial 

pollen” throughout the different seasons. It’s 

recommended to plant a balanced mix of natives, 

which can also be more attractive to native birds, 

and exotics and heirloom varieties rather than 

modern hybrids. 

For home gardeners, and farmers as well, while 

the flowers of fruits and vegies are attractants in 

themselves — pumpkin vines and fruit trees in 

blossom are great bee magnets — the better the 

food supply for bees the more they will come. All 

the better if it’s year round. Besides, having more 

flowers around you makes you happier, too. 

Plant flowers and herbs in clumps and swathes, 

such as in borders, to be more attractive to any 

pollinators. Flower colours that bees home in on 

are blues and purples in particular, as well as 

white and yellow. Here’s a small selection of 

some of the better bee plants. 

Can Stock Photo, Shutterstock 


Bee-attracting flowers | WEEKEND GARDENING 

Alyssum, sweet Alice Lobularia maritima 

Flowers JFMAMJJASOND 

Low-growing perennial grown as an annual, 

repeated flowerer. A constant pollen supplier, 

particularly in winter and coming into spring. 

Full sun to part shade, light soil, most climates. 

Borage Borago officinalis 


One of the few herbs that can grow in semishade. 

From the Mediterranean, likes cool 

to hot arid climates and is drought-tolerant. 

Bees love it — it has been known as the “bee 

plant”. Well-drained neutral soil. Flowers are 

edible with a faintly cucumber-like flavour. 

Basil Ocimum basilicum 


Annual culinary herb. Bees love it, especially 

the native blue banded bees, for pollen and 

nectar. Cool to tropical climate, frost-tender. 

Well-drained soil, sunny position. 

Bottlebrush Callistemon spp. 

Flowers DEPENDS ON SPECIES 

Native shrubs closely related to paperbarks, 

melaleucas, which also have bottlebrushtype 

flowers. Will grow in most climates, is 

drought tolerant and many will tolerate wet 

conditions. Full sun for prolific flowering, 

prune to keep compact. Flowering varies, 

usually late spring to autumn, very attractive 

to bees and nectar-eating birds. 

Desert banksia Banksia ornata 


A native shrub that flowers for more than half 

of the year, including the important winterto-spring 

period, likes full sun and temperate 

to hot climates. Produces both nectar and 

pollen. Other banksias, such as silver banksia 

(Banksia marginata) or parrot bush (Banksia 

sessilis), are good and may have different 

flowering periods. 

Jenter Queen 

Rearing Kit 

Ready-To-Go 

Bee Box 

Extractors Bee Frames Jenter 

Excluder 

Smokers 

63-A Hunter Lane, Hornsby NSW 2077 Tel: 02 9477 5569 

Unit 11, 71 Kurrajong Ave, Mt Druitt NSW 2770 Tel: 02 9625 5424 

info@hornsby-beekeeping.com 

www.hornsby-beekeeping.com

WEEKEND GARDENING | Bee-attracting flowers 

Offer the bees 

a drink 

Bees need good, safe access 

to water. They can drown in 

open water, so make sure 

there is a safe platform of 

rock, pebbles or water plants 

for them to land on so they 

can drink all they need. 

Give the bees 

a home 

Build or buy a home for native 

solitary bees, such as this one, 

made by Danny Summers, one 

of our gardening folk featured 

in our last issue. Bought ones 

can be found online, often called 

insect hotels. 

False Heather, Mexican heather 

Cuphea hyssopifolia 


Flowers most of the year in temperate to 

hot climates. Can adapt to cool climates but 

frost-tender. Part shade to full sun, welldrained 

soil. A perennial that makes a good 

groundcover or border plant. Bees gather 

both pollen and nectar. 

Nemesia Nemesia spp. 


An African native annual, very attractive to 

bees, its snapdragon-like flowers come in a 

range of colours. Likes full sun and will grow in 

most climates, can flower throughout the year. 

Forest boronia Boronia rosmarinifolia 


A small native shrub, likes full sun to part 

shade and temperate to hot climates. 

Provides pollen and nectar for bees, flowers 

more than half of the year. 

Iceland poppy Papaver nudicaul 


Perennial treated as an annual. Originating 

in Siberia despite the name, likes cool to hot 

arid climates (given enough water). Long 

flowering period. Bees love pollen and nectar 

from flowers. 

Pigface Carpobrotus spp. 


Any climate, frost-tender, native perennial, 

creeping habit, full sun to part shade, flowers 

sporadically throughout the year. Fruit and 

succulent leaves edible. 

Grevillea Grevillea spp. 

Flowers DEPENDS ON SPECIES 

Native shrubs with flowers appearing most 

of the year. Prefer well-drained soils but will 

tolerate poorly drained. Full sun or partial 

shade position. Fast growing and tolerant of 

moderate frost and drought-tolerant when 

established. Prune to keep compact. Bird and 

bee attracting for nectar. Excellent cut flower 

and landscape shrub. 

Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia 


A beautiful plant loved by bees and insects 

like ladybirds. Can later be dug in to build up 

the organic content of soil. Most climates, 

most soils, good for cut flowers, long vase 

life. So attractive to bees for pollen and 

nectar, best not to plant right next to crop 

needing pollination. 

Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis 


Evergreen shrub, culinary herb, prostrate 

forms available. Full sun, well-drained alkaline 

soil. Cool to tropical climates. 

Can Stock Photo, Shutterstock, Tatters CC, Sandra Tuszynska 


Epsom salts | ORGANIC LIVING 

Plump, multi-colored 

bell peppers 

Salt of the earth 

Magnesium sulphate or Epsom salts once bubbled out of the 

ground in healing spring waters. Now gardeners are putting it 

back in the soil — and their plants are loving it 

Shutterstock, Kerry Boyne 

Words Chris Stafford 

The small Surrey market town of Epsom, 24km south-west of 

London, is world famous for two reasons: for its racecourse, 

where The Derby and The Oaks have been run for more 

than two centuries; and for giving its name to a form of 

magnesium sulphate commonly known as Epsom salts. 

During the Georgian period, towards the end of the 18th century, 

Epsom was a fashionable spa resort. Its mineral waters, when boiled 

down, yielded magnesium sulphate, traditionally used as bath 

salts but with many other medicinal uses, which have secured it 

a place on the World Health Organization Model List of Essential 

Medicines (see box on page 43 for health benefits). 

While Epsom’s springs now trickle beneath a modern housing 

estate, Epsom salts are very much with us, whether as an aid to 

buoyancy in flotation therapy or as a brewing salt in the production 

of beer. 

Those of us of a certain age who first saw Epsom salts in the 

family medicine cabinet — right alongside the likes of vinegar and 

milk of magnesia — as the go-to remedy for constipation or the 

essential ingredient in Mum’s hot, relaxing bath may be surprised 

to learn of its applications to gardening and agriculture in general. 

Yes, plants need medicine, too. 

Secret life of plants 

The key to the efficacy of Epsom salts (ES) as a horticultural 

tool is in its chemical constituents. ES is hydrated magnesium 

Epsom salt helps pepper plants 

grow larger 


ORGANIC LIVING | Epsom salts 

Sprinkle around base of gardenia plant 

Gardening 

with Epsom 

salts 

Houseplants: Mix half a cup 

in a 10L watering can; feed 

plants monthly. 

Gardenias: Sprinkle around 

base of plant and water in to 

prevent yellow leaves. 

Tomatoes: 1 tbsp per 30cm 

of plant height per plant; 

apply every 2 weeks. 

Roses: As with tomatoes, 

plus scratch half a cup into 

soil at base to encourage 

flowering canes and healthy 

new basal cane growth. Soak 

unplanted bushes in ½ cup 

ES per 5L water to help 

roots recover. Add 1 tbsp 

ES to each hole at planting 

time. Spray with ES solution 

weekly to discourage pests. 

Shrubs (evergreens, 

azaleas & rhododendrons): 

Apply to root zone every 

few weeks. 

Trees: Apply 2 tbsp per 

3m 2 . Apply over root zone 

3 times annually. 

Garden startup: Sprinkle 

1 cup per 10m 2 . Mix into soil 

before planting. 

Sage: Do not apply! This 

herb is one of the few plants 

that don’t like Epsom salts. 

Source: blants.com.au 

sulphate (MgSo 4 ), about 10 per cent magnesium and 13 per cent 

sulphur. It may sound obvious, but MgSo 4 is applied to correct an 

imbalance or deficiency of those minerals in the soil. 

In simple terms, magnesium is critical for seed germination 

and, as an essential element in the chlorophyll molecule, it also 

promotes photosynthesis, the process whereby plants absorb 

energy from sunlight. 

Sulphur is another important nutrient — and not just 

because it gives vegies like onion and broccoli their flavour. 

Like magnesium, sulphur is instrumental in the formation of 

chlorophyll. It helps develop and activate certain enzymes and 

vitamins and is a structural component of two of the 21 amino 

acids that form protein. Sulphur also promotes the growth of 

nitrogen-fixing nodules on legumes. 

Together, as Epsom salts, these vital minerals aid in the 

absorption of equally essential phosphorus, potassium and 

nitrogen, making plants bigger and bushier, bursting with flowers 

and laden with fruit. 

And here’s the bonus: when diluted with water and especially 

applied as a foliar spray, Epsom salts can be taken up quickly by 

plants. As well, such solutions are almost entirely neutral compared to 

alkaline salts from, say, limestone, so they don’t alter soil pH. 

Unlike other commercial fertilisers — even other magnesium-based 

soil additives like dolomitic lime — Epsom salts is highly soluble, so 

it doesn’t persist in soil, let alone build up over time. In other words, 

Epsom salts can’t be overused. 

As Epsom salts, these vital minerals 

aid in the absorption of equally 

essential phosphorus, potassium and 

nitrogen, making plants bigger and 

bushier, bursting with flowers and 

laden with fruit. 

Application 

While vegetables like beans, peas, lettuce and spinach may thrive 

in magnesium-depleted soil, other key crops are considered 

prone to be magnesium hungry. This also applies to some 

ornamental plants. For optimal growth and yield, magnesium 

sulphate is most commonly applied to roses, gardenias, potatoes, 

tomatoes, carrots and peppers. 

Commercial citrus growers use MgSo 4 to ensure bountiful 

crops and it’s a useful additive to potted plants, which sometimes 

need all the help they can get. 

It’s worth noting that plants don’t always show the effects 

of magnesium deficiency until it’s severe. Common symptoms 

include yellowing of the leaves between the veins, leaf curling, 

stunted growth and sour fruit. 

Shutterstock 


Epsom salts | ORGANIC LIVING 

Natural or man-made? 

“Almost all Epsom salt in the world today is man-made,” says Tony Hudson of 

BLANTs Wellbeing & Lifestyle, a leading bulk supplier of salts. “Most natural 

deposits have been exhausted, including the original one in Epsom, England.” 

Tony adds that manufacturers often prefer man-made because it’s “less 

fuss than mining it from a natural deposit and it’s easier to produce a salt 

to meet ‘grade specs’ such as USP (United States Pharmacopeia) and BP 

(British Pharmacopoeia) and Food Grade”. 

Although BLANTs does sell high-quality chemical salts from China and 

elsewhere, the company believes it has located the one remaining source 

of natural Epsom salts, in Germany. 

“It’s mined from an underground natural deposit, a dried-up lake,” says 

Tony Hudson. “The processing is very simple and involves no chemicals. 

It’s food grade and also pharmacopoeia grade and could be labelled organic, 

only a salt cannot be labelled organic.” 

Wherever you buy your Epsom salts, he warns, make sure it’s of the 

highest quality. Some products are cheap for a reason — they can be high in 

heavy metals, manganese and iron, which produce scum and discolouration, 

especially in storage tanks. And why would you inflict that on your precious 

plants and livestock? 

A healthy 

dose of salts 

Among its many medicinal 

properties, Epsom salt has 

been used as: 

• A laxative or purgative 

• A muscle relaxant and for 

headache relief 

• An antiarrhythmic agent 

in the treatment of heart 

conditions 

• A treatment for preeclampsia 

in pregnancy 

• A bronchodilator in 

Apply MgSo 4 for bushier roses 

the treatment of the 

symptoms of acute 

asthma, either in nebulised 

form or administered 

intravenously 

• A means of drawing 

out splinters 

Other alleged (not to say 

unproven) benefits of Epsom 

salt are as an aid to bodily 

detoxification and intestinal 

health, as a sedative for the 

nervous system and in the 

treatment of autism and 

cerebral palsy. 

• Food Grade Natural Epsom Salt • Magnesium Chloride Flakes • Organic Natural Sodium Bicarbonate 

• Himalayan Pink Salt • Dead Sea Salt • Borax • Washing Soda • Two Salts • Magnesium Oil 

Our products are available in 5kg buckets, 10/11kg buckets and 20/25kg bags. Even our buckets and bags are premium 

with our 10 and 11kg buckets being so easy to open and reseal and our 20kg bags are equipped with a slider seal. 

Shutterstock 

We are based in Sydney but ship all over Australia with up to four shipping options to some locations. 

www.blants.com.au

TIME TO PLANT | SPINACH 

English spinach 

Spinacia oleracea 

Packed with nutrients and among the most versatile of greens, 

spinach is a must for the kitchen garden 


In the garden, spinach is fast growing 

and provides a welcome supply of leafy 

greens throughout the cooler months. 

In the kitchen it’s invaluable for spinach 

and ricotta pastries, pastas, frittatas 

and salads. 

Spinach is a member of the 

Amaranthaceae family, which also includes 

beetroot and silverbeet, and like other dark 

leafy vegetables it’s good for your health. 

The leaves are packed with iron and a good 

source of vitamins K, A and C and folic acid, 

just to name a few. 

‘Bloomsdale Long Standing’ is a good 

variety to look out for, with large, crumpled, 

bright-green leaves on a compact plant just 

20cm tall. 

The heirloom variety ‘American Curled’ 

is another top choice with thick, crinkled, 

deep-green foliage that’s more heat- and 

drought-resistant than other varieties. 

English Spinach prefers to grow in a cooler 

It has a tendency to bolt 

in the heat, so plant it 

now in autumn and 

you’ll be picking fresh, 

juicy leaves for salads 

and stirfries in just 

5–7 weeks. 

climate, but you can grow it successfully 

as a winter crop in some subtropical areas. 

It has a tendency to bolt in the heat, so 

plant it now in autumn and you’ll be picking 

fresh, juicy leaves for salads and stirfries in 

just 5–7 weeks. 

Growing conditions: Spinach enjoys full 

sun and a rich, well-drained soil. Prepare 

beds for planting by digging in plenty of 

compost and organic matter. Seeds can 

be sown direct, grown in seedling trays or 

purchased as seedlings. Keep developing 

plants moist and protect them from 

hungry slugs and snails. 

Harvest: Pick the young tender leaves one 

by one as you need them for “baby” spinach 

or harvest the whole bunch. 

Growing tip: Like other leafy greens, 

spinach tastes better if it’s grown quickly, 

Spinach label 

Common name: Spinach, 

English spinach 

Botanical name: Spinacia oleracea 

Family: Amaranthaceae 

Aspect and soil: Sun; rich, 


Best climate: Cool to subtropical 

Habit: Annual 

Propagation: Seed 


so provide adequate water and liquid feed 

every two weeks. Plant seeds or seedlings 

in succession as long as the weather allows, 

for a continuous supply of spinach through 

winter and spring. 


KALE | TIME TO PLANT 

Kale 

Brassica oleracea 

So health-giving is this wonder green, it even has entire 

cookbooks devoted to it 

Shutterstock, Kerry Boyne 


is a word that’s 

thrown around a lot these 

days, but super-healthy, easyto-grow 

kale sure lives up to “Superfood” 

the name. This crinkled, leafy vegetable 

is a member of the Brassica family, which 

among others includes broccoli, cabbage 

and cauliflower. It’s high in vitamins K, A 

and C, calcium and fibre, and jam-packed 

with antioxidants that protect against 

cancer, so it’s no wonder it has risen to the 

top of the healthy food charts. 

In the garden kale is wonderfully 

productive and attractive, with textured, 

often beautifully coloured foliage that brings 

a bit of pizzazz to the plate, too. 

‘Tuscan Kale’, also known as cavolo nero, 

is an Italian variety that has been grown and 

treasured for centuries. It’s a real winner in 

the kitchen and the garden, grown as much 

for its nutritional value as its striking slategrey 

crinkled foliage, which tastes delicious 

braised or baked into chips. 

‘Red Russian’ is another attractive and 

popular variety with blue-green leaves that 

are blushed with purple. Steam the leaves as 

a side dish or eat the young tender leaves 

raw and show off their colour and texture in 

fresh salads. 

You would grow ‘Winter Wonder’ for its 

decorative foliage alone, but it’s also tasty 

on the plate. The crinkly foliage comes in 

all shades of pink, purple, white and green, 

increasing in colour and intensity as the 

weather cools. 

When to plant: Kale grows best through 

the cooler months. Its flavour even 

improves with a touch of frost. Sow 

seeds directly from autumn through to 

spring into beds prepared with compost 

and organic matter or get a head start 

with young seedlings. 

In the garden kale is 

wonderfully productive 

and attractive, with 

textured, often beautifully 

coloured foliage that 

brings a bit of pizzazz to 

the plate, too. 

Growing conditions: Kale prefers full sun 

and rich, well-drained soil, but it’s not overly 

fussy. Keep the water up to young plants, 

liquid-feed every fortnight and mulch to help 

keep the soil moist. 

Harvest: Harvest it by the fistful as you need 

it for soups, stirfries, salads and juices. 

Kale label 

Common name: Kale, borecole 


Family: Brassicaceae 

Aspect and soil: Sun; rich, 


Best climate: Cool to subtropical 

Habit: Annual 

Propagation: Seed 



GARDEN DIARY | Early autumn 

Things to do in 

March 

The warm soils of early autumn provide ideal conditions for 

growing so get planting for winter and spring 

By Jennifer Stackhouse 

Vegetables 

COOL & TEMPERATE 

It may say autumn on the calendar 

but for most areas it’s still summer. 

Days are warm even if the nighttime 

temperatures are falling. Summer crops 

are continuing to ripen, especially late 

plantings. Beans, corn, cucumber, pumpkin, 

squash, tomato and zucchini are all ripe 

for the picking this month. Indeed, you 

may have more than you can deal with. 

Share, swap, bottle and preserve excess 

crops. Remove plants such as zucchini 

that are affected by powdery mildew 

rather than attempt any control this late 

in the season. Start preparing the soil 

for planting brassicas, onions, peas and 

other winter crops. 

1 

TROPICAL 

Spice up meals as you harvest ginger and 

galangal roots. Other root crops are also 

ready to dig now, including starch crops such 

as yam, cassava and water chestnut. As the 

heavy tropical rains and humidity ease, it’s a 

good time to plant edibles including herbs 

and cherry tomatoes, which can be shortlived 

when it’s hot and humid but prosper in 

the milder, less humid, dry season. Also sow 

seeds of beans, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, 

celery, lettuce, radish, silverbeet and zucchini. 

Fruit 


As the weather cools, pest numbers begin to 

diminish, but it’s still important to keep fruitfly 

traps in place to protect late tomatoes 

and ripening mandarins. Ready to harvest 

in early autumn are grapes, new-season 

apples and pears, and feijoas. When harvest 

is complete, remove protective netting and 

bagging and store it in the shed. To prolong 

your apple harvest in the future, investigate 

suitable late-season varieties. These can 

be ordered from garden centres or online 

suppliers now for winter planting. Include 

pollinating varieties in your fruit tree order or 

ask for multi-grafted varieties. Where there 

have been good late-summer rains, expect 

passionfruit to keep forming. In cold regions, 

late-season passionfruit may fail to ripen and 

fall still green as nights become cold. 

TROPICAL 

Avocado, custard apple, citrus, granadilla, 

macadamia nuts and pawpaw are just some 

of the fruits ripening now in tropical gardens. 

Feed bananas by spreading a rich mix of 

chook manure around plants. Also feed 

avocado, mango and pawpaw, applying a 

potash-rich organic fertiliser. Drier conditions 

also mean it’s an ideal time to extend the 

backyard orchard by planting other fruiting 

trees, including tropical varieties of peach 

and nectarine or exotic tropical fruits such 

as the ice-cream bean (which is also an 

ornamental shade tree). Water new plantings 

well to get them established. 

Compost & soil 


As summer crops are removed, chop 

them to add the spent growth to compost 

heaps. Don’t add any weed seeds, bulbs 

or stems that can regrow. Prepare soils for 

planting winter crops in the weeks ahead by 

removing spent summer crops and digging in 

homemade compost. This returns nutrients 

to the soil and also raises the soil level. 

Where you aren’t planning to replant, sow a 

green manure crop to be dug in later in the 

year before it flowers and seeds. In areas 

where soils become waterlogged over winter, 

consider building raised vegie beds. These 

can be filled with organic garden mix and 

compost. 

TROPICAL 

Use the summer bounty of compost as 

mulch around all plants, including trees, to 

help preserve soil moisture for the dry times 

ahead. Plants that have suffered through 

summer can be boosted with additions of 

aged manure mixed into organic mulch and 

spread. Water plants well before applying 

mulches. The heavy rains of summer will have 

leached nutrients from tropical soils. Before 

making new plantings, add manure, compost 

or organic fertiliser such as blood and bone 

to the soil and dig it in well. 

2 

Shutterstock 


Early autumn | GARDEN DIARY 

Spinach 

Fresh baby spinach leaves are tasty in salads but expensive 

to buy. As conditions cool, it’s a great time to sow spinach in 

all areas. Harvest small, tender leaves to eat fresh in a salad 

or on a sandwich, or allow them to grow and mature to steam 

as a green vegetable or use to stuff cannelloni. See page 44 

for growing tips. 

3 

1. Bottle excess crops 

2. Ginger and other root crops are ready now 

3. Feijoas are ready to harvest 

(Leppington) Pty Ltd 

ABN 36 001 123 726 

1675 The Northern Road Bringelly NSW 2556 

Phone: (02) 4773 4291 Fax: (02) 4773 4104 Email: sales@lpcmilk.com 

www.organicfertilisers.com.au 

Suppliers of certified poultry and cow manures. 

Fresh or composted delivered in bulk. 

Great for all types of agriculture industries. 

Poultry manure which can be spread in residential 

areas, golf courses, sporting ovals and parks. 

Also ask us about our reduced low odour. 

Member of Australian Organic Association 


GARDEN DIARY | Mid-autumn 

Things to do in 

April 

There’s an autumn chill in the air as days are getting 

shorter and cooler this month 

By Jennifer Stackhouse 

Vegetables 


Save seeds from your best-performing, openpollinated 

summer crops. Plants grown from 

F1 hybrids are unlikely to be the same as the 

original, so it’s not worth saving these. Make 

sure seed is clean and dry, then store it in an 

airtight container carefully labelled with name 

and date. Autumn means mushrooms and 

pumpkins are ready to pick, along with early 

crops of snow peas. To keep pumpkins over 

winter, pick with a piece of stem attached 

and store undamaged fruit in a cool, dark, 

airy spot. Check regularly and use up any 

that are becoming soft. Clear away summer 

crops, including green tomatoes (use in relish 

or chutney), to make way for plantings of 

broad beans, brassicas — including broccoli, 

Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale — as well 

as peas, spring onions and spinach for winter 

and spring eating. 

TROPICAL 

This is a good month to plant a wide range 

of vegetables to take advantage of the 

cooler conditions and lower humidity of the 

dry season. Sow seeds or plant seedlings 

of beetroot, carrots, Chinese cabbage, 

herbs, lettuce, silverbeet, spring onions and 

1 

tomatoes. Keep earlier plantings growing 

strongly with regular water and liquid feed. 

Water leafy crops each day to keep them 

from bolting (that is, flowering and seeding 

prematurely). Plants such as coriander, basil 

and lettuce bolt to flower and seed if they 

are water-stressed. This is also a good time 

to put in a crop of potatoes to harvest before 

the wet season returns. 

Fruit 


Harvest apples before the birds steal the crop. 

Apples keep well in a cool, dark place or in the 

bottom of the fridge. Store only unblemished 

fruit. Also preserve them dried or bottled to 

make the most of the abundance. Chinese 

gooseberries — better known as kiwifruit — are 

ripe for harvest this month. It’s also the season 

to try chokos. They are bountiful in autumn 

and tender if picked while small. Keep a couple 

of mature fruit for replanting, especially where 

vines can be cut down by frost. Citrus continue 

to give in abundance, with mandarins ready to 

pick (see page 89 for recipes), and lemon, lime 

and grapefruit ripening well. If the season is dry, 

deeply water citrus once a week. Pay particular 

attention to oranges, which are prone to split 

under an irregular watering regime or after a 

sudden heavy fall of rain. 

TROPICAL 

There’s plenty to pick in the backyard 

orchard, including banana, dragon fruit, 

custard apple, jaboticaba, passionfruit and 

pawpaw. All these plants will also benefit 

from an application of organic fertiliser or 

well-rotted manure. Citrus is also ripening 

and ready to harvest. Continue to harvest 

avocado. Extend your harvest by planting 

late-maturing varieties such as Hass, which 

crop from winter to spring. In small gardens, 

look for dwarf plants, which take up little 

space but still provide a useful crop. Allow 

chooks to forage among fallen fruit or rake 

up the debris to add to the compost heap. 

Compost & soil 


It should be raining leaves in cool and 

temperate gardens with plenty of deciduous 

trees. Fallen leaves make nutritious compost 

or leaf mould. If you don’t have many 

deciduous trees, look around for spare 

leaves in the neighbourhood. Prepare to 

make the most of fallen leaves (including 

those that fall in gutters) by erecting leaf 

bins made from star pickets and chicken 

wire. An alternative to the chicken-wire 

leaf bin is a leaf sack (made from string or 

sacking) or a large garbage bag with holes 

punched in it. These can be filled over 

autumn and winter. Keep the leaves moist 

to help them break down into leaf mould, 

which can be worked into soils in spring 

and summer or used as mulch. A wide leaf 

rake with good-quality tines makes raking 

easier and faster. 

TROPICAL 

It’s time to switch gear and be ready to 

water dry soils and plants as things begin 

to dry out. Raised beds, which are a boon 

during the wet season, may need frequent 

watering during the dry season. Compost, 

too, may need to be moistened to aid 

decomposition. Always chop woody and 

leafy material well before adding it to the 

compost heap as this assists the rapid 

breakdown that leads to good compost. 

Clear away rubbish to keep fire-prone 

areas free of debris. 

2 

Shutterstock, Alec Bayley CC 


Mid-autumn | GARDEN DIARY 

3 

6 

4 

1. Fallen leaves make nutritious compost 

2. Water basil to prevent it bolting 

3. The season to try chokos 

4. Saving basil, pumpkin and bean seeds 

5. Pumpkins are ready to harvest 

6. Too many apples? Dry some 

5 

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MAY THE FORCE 

BE WITH YOU 

Biodynamics is a philosophy that recognises the influence 

of the movements and gravitational forces of the cosmos 

over all life, including that in our gardens, even taking in 

the spiritual dimension 

Words Claire Bickle 

W 

e hear so much about 

organic gardening, 

biodynamics and 

permaculture as forms 

of sustainable gardening and as farming 

practices, but what does it all mean and 

how can the everyday gardener apply 

these practices to the average backyard 

or hobby farm? 

In the next couple of issues I’ll look 

at biodynamics and do a bit of myth 

busting to find out what it’s really about. 

Where did it all start? And how can 

you use it on an everyday level in your 

gardening space? 


Part I | BIODYNAMICS BASICS 

Moon phases 

gardening practices have been recognised 

by humans for millennia: at least as far 

back as the ancient Greeks, Romans, Celts, 

Chinese and Maoris. So it’s not a 20th 

century thing. 

The planting calendar: 

moon awareness 

Moon awareness is far more than just 

knowing when it is waxing and waning and 

what goes into the ground at what time. 

People passionate about biodynamics 

have been working on and expanding 

the ideas of how the cosmos works on 

agricultural and gardening practices ever 

since The Agricultural Course was written. 

This has led to the development of 

planting calendars with indications of 

the optimal times to carry out various 

activities and apply preparations 

according to the moon’s particular state 

and location. The Antipodean Astro 

Calendar for the Southern Hemisphere 

(there’s a Northern Hemisphere one, too) 

Shutterstock, Bigstock 

History of 

biodynamics 

Early in the 20th century when farming 

started to evolve from the traditional organic 

practices it had known since humans began 

to cultivate crops, to switching over to larger, 

broad-acre, monoculture farming and the 

use of chemical fertilisers, European farmers 

were becoming concerned over the state 

of their soils. 

They were finding that the quick 

fix of fast-acting manmade fertilisers 

was effective for a time, but they were 

also noticing that it appeared to be 

unsustainable and that their soils were 

becoming lifeless and unproductive. 

Some approached prominent Austrian 

intellectual, Dr Rudolf Steiner, asking him 

to look into their problem and seek a 

possible solution. In 1924, Steiner came 

to write the historical work now known as 

The Agricultural Course. 

In a nutshell, in it he outlined practical 

steps the farmers could adopt and develop 

to address the degradation of their land. 

The philosophy 

The ideas and processes Steiner put to the 

experienced farmers were to guide them 

and give them something to work with 

and evolve, further guided by their own 

experiences over time. 

Steiner wanted farmers to understand 

that they could create sustainable 

preparations that could be easily made from 

what existed within the farm itself and be 

applied according to the observed cosmic 

Guidelines from 

Rudolf Steiner 

Rudolf Steiner’s holistic view of agriculture 

and the cosmos addressed: 

Understanding the cosmos and 

how it affects the Earth, moon and 

constellations as well as plants, 

water and soil 

Caring for the soil — understanding 

that it is not an inert substance but is 

full of life that must be nurtured 

Instructions for making and applying 

particular preparations to stimulate the 

health of the farm/garden (the use of 

minerals falls into this category) 

Caring for animals in a holistic way 

rhythms. This was all very much in keeping 

with his other work at the time. 

He impressed on them the importance 

of not only good organic farming practices 

such as composting, encouraging beneficial 

insects and growing green manure crops, 

but also seeing the farm or garden as a 

whole entity, in holistic fashion. 

The garden or farm was to be understood 

as a self-contained entity, a closed 

system. This holistic view emphasises the 

importance of the interrelatedness of the 

soil, animals and plants — and, of course, 

humans and the whole of the cosmos. 

Moon planting 

The movements of the cosmos, in particular 

the moon, and its effects on agricultural and 

Rudolf Steiner 

is a great guide for farmers and home 

gardeners alike. We have a very basic, 

simplified one over the page. 

And, no, moon planting isn’t about 

getting naked and planting carrots under 

a full moon. 

Moon rhythms in 

a snapshot 

1. Waxing and waning cycles of the moon 

occur approximately every 29.5 days. 

Waxing: New moon to full moon 

Increase in soil moisture, growth forces 

enhanced. 

Sow seeds. 

Quick germination, rapid growth of any 

pruned or mown plants/grasses. 

Good absorption of liquid fertilisers. 


BIODYNAMICS BASICS | Part I 

Liquid fertilising is best done on a full 

moon in the afternoon, if possible 

More fungal issues may occur. 

Increased insect activity. Chewing 

and sucking insects should be 

closely monitored. 

Waning: Full moon to new moon 

Avoid seed sowing. 

2. Ascending and descending of the 

moon cycle occurs every 27.2 days 

This is where the moon moves in an arc 

from east to west and we see the arcs 

getting higher (ascending) and then 

lower (descending) in the sky. 

The ascending period is seen as the 

growth time of the year above the soil 

surface, where the earth breathes out — 

spring and summer. This is a good time 

to propagate, harvest and fertilise. 

The descending period is when 

activity under the soil is predominantly 

occurring, as in autumn and winter, and 

the earth is breathing in. This is a good 

time for cultivating, composting, pruning 

and planting. 

3. Apogee and perigee cycle occurs every 

27.55 days 

This is where the moon moves around the 

Earth in an ellipse. When the moon is at its 

nearest to the Earth, this is the perigee. When 

it is farthest away from the Earth it’s the 

apogee. Both times bring a stress period, 

so it’s advised not sow seed at either time. 

4. Moon and Saturn in opposition cycle 

occurs every 27.5 days 

This is where the moon and Saturn stand at 

opposite sides of the Earth and their forces 

have beneficial outcomes for planting, sowing 

and transplanting. It’s reputed to be even 

better than the ascending and descending 

and constellation considerations. 

5. Moon in zodiac constellations 

All the planets and the moon move in front 

of the zodiac constellations. The different 

constellations influence plants in differing 

ways and the moon acts as a type of 

lens. These movements influence various 

gardening and agricultural practices, from 

seed sowing to harvesting. 

The soil and all the life in it are connected 

with everything else in the cosmos 

Shutterstock, Claire Bickle 


Part I | BIODYNAMICS BASICS 

Next issue 

In Part II we will look at: 

Getting started in the home garden 

Understanding a sustainable system 

Looking at the backyard or farm 

holistically 

General organic gardening practices 

such as weed control, liquid manures 

and seaweed and fish fertiliser 

applications 

The stirring and the cow horns 

The preparations 

Composting methods 

Green manure crops 

Care of animals 

Moon guide top tips 

When to sow seed 

• The Moon is opposite Saturn. 

• 48 hours before a full moon. 

• During an ascending period, avoiding 

perigee and apogee. 

When to harvest 

• For fruit, greens and vegetables, on 

the ascending moon when it’s in Libra 

or Gemini. 

• For root crops, in a descending period 

when the Moon is in Taurus or Capricorn. 

• Avoid harvesting at full moon or perigee. 

When to fertilise 

• At full moon, preferably in the afternoon 

• In other growth periods. 

When to practise fungal control 

• At full moon and perigee look for 

fungal problems. 

• It’s beneficial to spray with preventive 

sprays such as horn silica 501 and seaweed. 

Note: I remember my teacher Rob Birse 

advising not to forgo planting if you miss a 

particular optimal planting period. He said 

it’s always better to plant your own edibles 

whenever you can rather than not at all. 

Find out next issue the part these 

beautiful animals play 

In a biodynamic system, everything in the 

farm or garden is seen as a whole entity 


MOON PLANTING | March 

March 2016 

March is technically the first month of autumn, though still hot, 

and a good month for planting leafy greens and brassicas 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 

29 01 02 03 04 05 06 

9.11am 

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 

11.54am 

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 

3.03am 

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 

10.01pm 

28 29 30 31 01 02 03 

1.17am 

Times are Australian Eastern Standard Time (AESTD). WA, SA and NT will need to adjust. During daylight saving add 1 hour. 

Fruiting annuals 

Sow or plant annuals that are 

Root crops 

Sow or plant crops that produce 

Leafy greens 

Sow or plant crops that are 

Avoid planting 

The last quarter phase is not 

grown for their fruits or seeds. 

This is best done during the 

first quarter phase between first 

quarter and full moon, when sap is 

being drawn upwards. 

below the ground, and also plant 

perennials. This is best done in the 

full moon phase between full moon 

and last quarter when sap flow is 

being drawn downwards. 

grown for their foliage. This is 

best done during the new moon 

phase between new moon and 

first quarter when sap is being 

drawn upwards. 

a good period for sowing or 

planting, so is best used working 

on improving soil, weeding, 

making compost and other 

general chores. 

New moon First quarter Full moon Last quarter 

When the moon is waxing from new moon towards full moon, it is 

increasing light and drawing sap flow upwards. During the waning from 

full moon back to new moon, light decreases and sap is drawn downwards. 

This movement of sap flow has an influence on how well new plants will 

grow. There are four phases, each lasting seven to eight days. Sowing, 

planting and taking cuttings should not be done in the 12 hours before and 

after each phase. If you want to work in the garden at that time, carry out 

general tasks and improve your soil for planting. 


April | MOON PLANTING 

April 2016 

With cooler nights and mornings, mid-autumn is a great time 

for getting in lots of root crops, peas and broad beans 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 

28 29 30 31 01 02 03 

1.17am 

04 05 06 07 08 09 10 

9.24pm 

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 

1.59pm 

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 

3.24pm 

25 26 27 28 29 30 01 

1.29pm 


PLANT HEALTH | Fungal diseases 

Citrus scab 

DISEASE DISTRESS 

PART II 

Continuing our roundup of warm-weather fungal diseases that 

can sabotage all your hard work in the vegie garden 

Words Claire Bickle 

There are more diseases than you 

could ever imagine that can ruin 

your crops of fruit, vegetables and 

herbs. But quick identification can 

help you remedy the problem swiftly and save 

your edibles from complete decimation. Having 

an understanding of what can go wrong in the 

way of pests and diseases means forewarned 

is forearmed, and prevention is always better 

than cure. Sometimes it’s the only option. 

So don’t despair if you’re having a bad run 

in the edible garden. It could just be a bad 

season for certain diseases. Poor rainfall, high 

humidity and varying temperatures can affect 

bug populations and allow diseases to get a 

foothold — and sometimes there’s not a lot 

you could’ve done about it. 

The things you can do are easy, 

though, and they include making sure 

your plants are given optimal growing 

conditions in terms of soil, mulch, watering 

and preventive pest and disease control 

measures. That way, you know you’ve 

given it your best shot this season and, 

if there were failures ... well, there’s always 

next season! 

Shutterstock 


Citrus scab 

Sphaceloma fawcettii 

var. scabiosa 

This fungal disease can affect most citrus, 

but lemons seem to be the most targeted 

of all the citrus when it comes to citrus 

scab. Once again, it doesn’t really affect 

the fruit flesh quality. But it does look 

unsightly when there are severe attacks, 

leaving the fruit rind warty, raised, 

roughened and scabbed, and the fruit 

looking misshapen. 

Foliage may also be affected and fruit 

drop may occur. Damp, cool weather can 

exacerbate the spread of this fungal disease. 

Even though the fruit quality is unaffected, 

the disease should be kept in check as it can 

slowly undermine your tree’s vigour if left 

year after year. 

Control 

Keep your trees strong, healthy and less 

prone to attack with regular applications 

of organic fertilisers and consistent 

watering during dry periods. 

Prune off infected fruit and foliage and 

collect any fruit that has dropped. 

Remove any old diseased or dead 

woody growth to keep the tree’s habit 

open. This will reduce the source of 

possible reinfecting spores, allowing 

better airflow within the tree and ease 

of spray distribution if need be. 

Use a copper spray with Eco-oil just at 

fruit set and again after harvest. 

Citrus melanose 

Diaporthe citri 

Even though this fungal issue looks ghastly, 

it’s predominantly superficial and does not 

affect the internal fruit quality if it’s only a 

mild infection. But if it’s heavily infected it 

may cause the fruit to become malformed or 

fail to grow to maturity. 

As citrus trees age, they’re more likely 

to be affected, especially trees with a large 

canopy of foliage that hangs close to the 

ground where spores can splash back onto 

fruit and foliage. 

Symptoms will appear as reddish-brown to 

dark-brown tiny dots on the leaves and fruit. 

The fruit and foliage may have an all-over 

brown appearance if there’s a large number 

of germinating spores. Fruit may also have a 

cracked appearance. 

Control 

Mulch trees thickly with lucerne or 

sugarcane to help prevent spores 

splashing back up onto the tree. 

Prune lower branches to avoid spores 

splashing up onto foliage from the ground. 

Use a copper-based fungicide on the 

foliage, branches and trunks after fruit 

crop has been harvested. 

Blossom end rot 

restricted calcium uptake 

This is a problem that affects various 

vegetable crops, but tomatoes are often 

especially affected. The symptoms will 

Fungal diseases | PLANT HEALTH 

appear on tomatoes as sunken brown 

areas on the very bottom of the fruit. The 

fruit can then rot due to the damage and 

weak spot on it. 

Blossom end rot generally occurs 

because of two factors: inconsistent 

watering leading to a lack of calcium. It’s this 

lack of calcium that causes the damage to 

the fruit cell walls. 

The science behind it goes like this. When 

fruit is growing rapidly, calcium is required 

in rather large concentrations. This is to 

help with the fast-moving cell growth that’s 

occurring. When there’s a lack of calcium at 

this point, tissue can break down, ending up 

as blossom end rot. 

This can occur for several reasons: 

Lack of calcium in the soil. 

Drought stress. 

Excessive soil moisture. 

Fluctuations of moisture — too dry, then 

too wet. In soils with adequate calcium, 

the water level fluctuations can reduce 

the uptake and movement of calcium into 

the plant. 

Control 

Regular, even watering. 

Keep up soil moisture by adding lots 

of good compost at planting. 

Mulch the top of the soil to retain 

moisture. 

Ensure good drainage via the addition 

of gypsum or organic matter in case of 

heavy rainfall. 

Citrus melanose 

Blossom end rot 


PLANT HEALTH | Fungal diseases 

Fusarium wilt on bananas 

Brown rot on apples 

Add calcium at planting in the form of 

gypsum, garden lime or dolomite, or 

afterwards if this has not been done at 

the start. 

Avoid applying excessive amounts of 

nitrogen as it can affect the uptake 

of calcium. 

Check pH, as very acidic soils can cause 

calcium to be unavailable to plants; raise 

pH if need be with dolomite or garden lime. 

Fusarium wilt 

Fusarium oxysporum f. 

sp. lycopersici 

Unfortunately, these types of wilts 

are untreatable. 

They are caused by a soil-borne fungus that 

enters the plant’s system via the roots, where it 

attacks the vascular water-conducting system. 

It will cause your tomatoes to slowly die from 

the bottom up. It’s more prevalent in the warmer 

weather. The stems may appear perfectly fine 

from the outside but on closer inspection when 

a stem is cut open, it will be brown inside. 

This fungus will remain in the soil for years 

and can be spread via movements of people 

and their shoes. Try growing your tomatoes 

in containers instead, using a premium 

potting mix, and don’t sit your pots on the 

ground where they will have direct contact 

with the soil. 

Control 

Remove and destroy infected plants. 

Choose wilt-resistant varieties. 

Grow in pots. 

Practise crop rotation. 

Brown rot 

Monilinia fructicola 

& laxa 

Brown rot is a fungal disease that 

predominantly affects stone fruit such 

as nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots 

and peaches. It can infect the twigs, 

flowers and fruit. Symptoms will be flowers 

wilting and on the fruit it will appear as a 

brown, mouldy blotch that spreads and 

spoils the fruit. 

The fungus overwinters in mummified fruit, 

which has either not been harvested or has 

fallen to the ground. 

Cankers, which may form on the stems and 

fruiting spurs, are another location where the 

disease can be harboured. 

When the trees come into blossom, 

the fruiting bodies of the fungus develop 

mushroom-like structures which, when 

mature, shed millions of spores to start the 

cycle and spread the disease all over again 

and even further. 

Warm, humid and wet weather are the 

perfect conditions for brown rot to take a 

hold on those summer stone fruit crops 

and, unfortunately, subtropical locations are 

particularly vulnerable. In areas that have dry, 

hot spring and summer conditions, brown rot 

is less likely to occur. 

Control 

Prevention is the only option, as once brown 

rot appears on developing fruit there’s not a 

lot that can be done. 

Apply a copper-based spray in late winter 

before the fruiting bodies produce spores 

and just before the fruit-tree buds begin 

to swell. 

Spray trees with lime sulphur when 

dormant in early winter and ensure a 

second follow-up spray mid-winter. 

Remove and dispose of old mummified 

fruit from the ground or tree. 

Prune trees to allow good airflow 

throughout the branches. 

Plant trees in areas that receive good sun 

and airflow. 


Mosaic viruses 

There are several viruses that cause mosaictype 

disease symptoms, and the edibles 

that can be affected are many: potatoes, 

cucurbits, roses, brassicas and more. 

The symptoms can appear on leaves as 

various types of mottling, yellow patterns, fine 

blotching, raised marbling, distortion, yellow 

and brown streaking, yellow, black and/or 

green rings. Stunted growth can also be a 

symptom, as well as death of the plant. 

Sap-sucking insects can be vectors of 

these viruses by sucking sap on an infected 

plant and then moving to another plant and 

sucking the sap there, spreading the virus 

like mosquitoes do malaria. 

Control 

• Keep sap-sucking insects under control 

with organic methods such as Eco-oil, 

netting, encouraging beneficial insects 

into the garden, yellow sticky traps, 

soap sprays. 

• Reduce weeds, which often harbour the 

offending sap-sucking insects. 

• Remove and destroy diseased plants. 

• Choose hardy, disease-free plants, and 

Fungal diseases | PLANT HEALTH 

varieties and seeds from known diseasefree 

sources. 

Remember not to lose heart when garden 

disasters occur. The good will always 

outweigh the bad. Some seasons are 

great for the gardening soul, others 

heartbreaking. Sometimes problems are, as 

I mentioned before, completely out of our 

control. But good gardening practices and 

looking at the garden as a whole — as in 

biodynamics — can always be of benefit to 

your planting outcomes. 

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THE SHED | Comfrey fertilisers 

THE PLANT 

THAT GIVES 

BACK 

Wondering what to do with those pesky, 

ever-multiplying leaves of your comfrey plant? 

Feed them to the rest of the garden! 

Comfrey plants are considered 

fantastic nutrient miners 

in compacted soils due to 

their deep, extensive root 

systems. Once the plants die, 

they release stored nutrients, 

which become available in the 

top layers of soil and thus to 

shallow-rooted crops. 


Comfrey fertilisers | THE SHED 

Words & photos Sandra Tuszynska 

Manure teas are excellent 

sources of nutrients for 

soil bacteria, fruit trees and 

vegetables. Comfrey, in 

particular, is a rich source of nitrogen and 

potassium, and comfrey manure-tea is a 

nutritious side-dressing for fruiting trees 

and vegetables. 

It’s best applied when crops are starting to 

set flowers. Tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers 

and berries require plenty of nitrogen for 

lush leaf growth, and potassium to support 

the development of flowers and fruit. 

Comfrey leaves contain the ideal nitrogenphosphorus-potassium 

(NPK) ratio, as well as 

an abundance of calcium for fruit formation. 

Comfrey is a perennial herb that grows in 

average soil conditions, either in full sun or 

partial shade. Russian comfrey (Symphytum 

x uplandicum), a cross between common 

comfrey (S. officinale) and rough, or prickly, 

comfrey (S. asperimum), is the most common 

garden cultivar. 

Comfrey plants are considered fantastic 

nutrient miners in compacted soils due to 

their deep, extensive root systems. Once 

the plants die, they release stored nutrients, 

which become available in the top layers of 

soil and thus to shallow-rooted crops. For this 

reason the plant has been placed into the 

“dynamic accumulator” category of plants. 

Nutrient concentrations in topsoil also 

increase while the plant is growing, so 

comfrey is a great companion plant. However, 

it does have a reputation for spreading and 

becoming a persistent weed, so it should be 

given a suitable place in the garden — and 

confined to it! 

Freshly picked comfrey 

Squash down 

into bucket 

Weigh down leaves 

Fill with water 

Comfrey manure tea 

Before you start, keep in mind that the “hairs” covering the comfrey 

leaves can irritate the skin, so protect yourself with suitable gloves 

and clothing before harvesting the leaves. 

Fill a bucket half to three-quarters full with comfrey leaves and place 

a heavy object, such as a brick on top to press down on the leaves. 

Fill the bucket with water and cover with a lid. 

Leave to rot for 20 days. The leaves will rot quickly, 

turning the water into a dark, foul-smelling manure 

tea, which will become even darker if left for 6 weeks. 

Once the tea is brewed, decant the water through a strainer 

such as a piece of shadecloth. 

Dilute the tea with water by at least 50 per cent or even as 

much as 1:10 as it’s very potent. 

Apply the tea as a side-dressing to fruiting plants every 

10–14 days, from flower onset throughout fruit development. 

Apply diluted solution as a foliar spray, discontinuing at least a 

month before harvest. 


THE SHED | Comfrey fertilisers 

Cover with lid and leave to rot 

After 20 days 

Decant through a strainer 

Excellent for the compost heap 

Comfrey sheet-mulch manure 

Use the strained rotted leaves with the addition of wilted fresh 

comfrey leaves as a sheet-mulch manure. 

Place 2–3 layers of leaves around the base of fruiting plants or bury 

them in the soil. The high nitrogen and potassium content will become 

almost immediately available to crops. 

Avoid using comfrey manure tea or sheet mulch on leafy 

vegetables, however, as the high nitrogen content might cause 

premature bolting. The high potassium content can disadvantage 

rooting crops such as beetroots and carrots. 

Comfrey liquid fertiliser 

To make a comfrey fertiliser concentrate, pack comfrey leaves tightly 

into a container, weigh them down, cover and let them rot. The liquid 

fertiliser concentrate will be ready in about 3 weeks. Dilute it with 15 

parts water and use as a side dressing. 

Comfrey compost activator 

Comfrey leaves make an excellent compost activator, providing 

nitrogen to compost piles rich in carbon. Place a layer or two of 

comfrey leaves on top of the compost pile and sprinkle with garden 

soil to provide soil micro-organisms. 

Comfrey is a great compost activator 


Comfrey fertilisers | THE SHED 

Comfrey for 

tomato vitality 

Chop 10 tomato leaves and 8 comfrey leaves and 

place in a 20L bucket. Fill with water and allow to 

stand in a sheltered position for 2–3 weeks. When 

ready, dilute 1:1 with fresh water and apply directly 

to your plants once a week. 

Medicinal use of comfrey 

Common comfrey, also known as knitbone, has traditionally been used in 

repairing broken bones and tooth regeneration. Comfrey also has several other 

medicinal uses in blood coagulation, assisting lung and bronchial problems, 

sprains, arthritis, gastric and varicose ulcers, severe burns, acne and other skin 

conditions. The plant contains allantoin, which reduces inflammation while 

stimulating cell growth and repair. 

These days, ingestion of comfrey has become contentious as it is thought 

that toxins may accumulate in the liver if over-consumed, though it’s also 

thought that you would have to really overdo it for it to become harmful. 

Comfrey abounds in mucilage, even more than marshmallow, so used 

topically it has a softening effect on hair and skin. In fact, with its riches of 

allantoin, silica and mucilage, plus vitamin and minerals, comfrey is good for 

just about anything. 

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GARDEN SOLUTIONS | 10 top tips 

10 

Top Tips 

Clever ideas for your garden 

Words Erina Starkey 

1 

The root of 

the problem 

Always water at the base of your 

plants, not the leaves where precious water can 

simply evaporate. Wet leaves are susceptible 

to mildew and disease, while at very high heat 

droplets can reflect heat and cause leaves to 

scald. Water all around the base of the plant, 

not just in one spot, as this can result in onesided 

root growth and poor nutrient absorption. 

2 

Come together 

If you travel or struggle to find time 

to water your plants, buy pots with a 

built-in reservoir, to supply water in your absence. 

If you plan on going away for a few days, move 

all your container plants into the shade so they 

don’t dry out. Store them close together, so they 

shade each other and produce humidity, which 

will keep the soil moist for longer. 

3 

Fill ’er up! 

No longer huge, round and ugly, 

today’s water tanks are available in 

a wide range of shapes and sizes to fit even 

the most awkward of urban spaces. If you’re 

still not convinced you have room, install a 

water butt or barrel beneath your downpipe 

as a way to store water for a not-so-rainy day. 

Not just for the house, they can collect water 

from the roof of your garage or shed, too. 

4 

Buds and spuds 

Potatoes provide just the right 

amount of nutrients and moisture 

to nourish rose cuttings, allowing them to 

develop strong, healthy roots. Simply take a 

cutting from a mature rose bush, stripping off 

the leaves, flowers and hips. Force a hole in 

a potato using a screwdriver and insert the 

cut end of the rose stem, but not all the way 

through. Plant the rose in the garden, burying 

the potato completely with the stem sticking 

above ground. Autumn is a good time to 

strike rose cuttings. 

5 

The secret to 

sweetness 

For extra sweet tomatoes, sprinkle 

a little baking soda on the soil around them, 

taking care not to cover the plant itself. The 

baking soda will be absorbed into the soil 

and lower the acidity level of the tomatoes, 

resulting in a sweeter flavour. You can also 

use this technique in the kitchen: a dash of 

baking soda can neutralise a tart tomato 

flavour in your cooking without having to 

resort to adding sugar. 

5 

4 

6 

Tip the scales 

If you have a fish tank, don’t waste 

the dirty water down the sink. Pour it 

on the garden or your potplants instead. Water 

from an aquarium is rich in helpful bacteria, 

nutrients and trace elements like nitrogen, 

phosphorus, ammonia and potassium, and it 

makes the perfect fertiliser for your plants. 

7 

Capture, don’t 

kill 

If you see a funnel web spider 

in your garden, resist the urge to kill it and 

catch it instead. The Australian Reptile Park is 

running desperately low on funnel web milk, a 

crucial ingredient in the life-saving anti-venom. 

If you feel brave enough, flick the spider into a 

glass jar using a stick. Fortunately, funnel webs 

can’t jump and they won’t run at you. They 

typically stand their ground and try to defend 

themselves, which should make them an easy 

opponent. If you do manage to catch one, 

there are several drop-off points in Sydney, 

Newcastle and the Central Coast. Contact the 

Australian Reptile Park for further information. 

Shutterstock 


6 

10 

Snake in the 

grass 

It goes without saying: never try to 

catch or harm a snake if you find one in the 

garden. Instead, walk away slowly and keep 

pets inside until the snake has moved on. If it’s 

hanging around and you want it removed, call 

a licensed snake handler to relocate it, at your 

expense. Make your garden less attractive to 

snakes by keeping it tidy: trim shrubs, mow the 

lawn and remove any piles of wood or leaves 

where snakes could shelter. Food sources such 

as rodents, frogs, birds or eggs will encourage 

snakes to stay, so seal off refuse bins and 

snake-proof any aviaries or chicken coops. 

8 

Under cover 

If you’ve found the summer heat 

unbearable, take note which spots in 

the garden are particularly affected and would 

benefit from some extra shade next year. 

It could be an unused entertaining area or 

perhaps there’s an overheated bedroom in the 

house that could use some insulation. Plant 

trees in these spots for relief the following year. 

9 

Blood suckers 

be gone 

Forget citronella candles and 

grow a citronella plant instead. Citronella is a 

perennial grass that emits a citrussy aroma 

that masks other scents, disguising the 

delicious smell of your blood from mosquitoes. 

Grow it in a small, moveable pot or simply 

crush the leaves and rub on your skin. 

10 

Good organic vegetables 

deserve a great 

natural brush. 

Eco Max Tiger Veggie Scrubber – For stockists www.importants.com.au 


FEATHERED FRIENDS | Nutrition 

Offer a good proprietary 

grain or pellet mix 

Chicken feed 

What came first — a well-fed chook 

or tasty eggs? Obviously, the better 

the input, the better their output 

Words Megg Miller 

What do you feed your fowls? 

Most people are blind to 

the fact that nutritional 

knowhow has advanced 

and are feeding their hens like Grandma did: 

a handful or two of grains, household scraps 

and “Shoo, go forage for the rest!” 

The world has changed dramatically 

since Grandma’s day. For poultry, disease 

control, fine-tuned genetics and balanced 

nutrition have resulted in larger-bodied 

fowls, improved laying and elite strains for 

commercial production. Whether purebreds 

or commercial birds, they need a better food 

regime than Grandma provided. 

Digestive 

nuts & bolts 

Extreme diets abound on the internet. 

Examples include the denial of grains 

because they’re “not natural” or reducing 

feeding to homegrown live food like grubs 

or earthworms in the belief that’s all 

chooks need. 

A peek at how fowl digest food confirms 

that a grain-based diet is best. They have a 

gizzard — a large muscular organ that grinds 

up grains and fibres so they can proceed into 

the small intestine. 

It has taken centuries of evolution for such 

a sizeable gizzard to develop. If avian species 

were predominantly insect eaters, the gizzard 

would be rudimentary, as it is in many small 

insectivorous birds. 

Another misunderstanding concerns 

the consumption of grass. Hens will stuff 

themselves if there is little else to eat, a sad 

situation that can cause crop impaction and 

even death. 

Fowls cannot process huge quantities of 

grass. Geese can, as they have much larger 

caeca, the two pouches at the end of the 

small intestine where fermentation of 

fibre occurs and specialised bacteria aid 

the process. 

Grandma’s hens quite probably had 

better-developed caeca than today’s 

pampered birds and so derived more 

benefit from grass. Foraging is important 

and grass provides pigments that colour 

egg yolks. Greens contribute to the 

daily feed intake, but make up a small 

proportion overall. 

Protein magic 

If you want eggs you have to feed 

appropriately and this means meeting fowls’ 

protein requirements. And if you want your 

poultry youngsters to grow well, the answer 

lies in adequate protein. 

Humans base meals around meat (or 

a vegetarian option), which provides our 

protein, and add a carbohydrate and vegies. 

Poultry need a similar approach. 

Free-range birds forage for live protein but 

it’s insufficient to meet daily needs. It’s 

essential to offer a proprietary grain mix 

or pellets. 

Red-plumaged hens are unforgiving if 

denied adequate protein: they will pull out 

feathers and eat them or feather-peck pen 

mates. This is because feathers contain 

specific amino acids and the birds are 

driven to consume them due to their 

need for protein. 

Proprietary feed 

Forget gossip that commercial rations 

contain hormones and antibiotics. 

Hormones have been banned for decades 

and antibiotics are too costly to give away. 

Kerry Boyne 


These youngsters need 

a good supply of protein, 

especially as they are redplumaged 

birds 

They will only drink water if 

it’s cool enough 

recipe you won’t know the nutritional 

content of individual grains or seeds. You 

may have to buy a protein source and a 

vitamin/mineral supplement as well. 

Still want to mix your own? Ensure 

you buy birds raised on a farm where 

generations before them have adapted 

to a relatively unbalanced ration. Never 

expect a Hy-Line or ISA to survive on ad 

hoc feeding; it would be cruel to expect 

them to. 

Megg Miller, Can Stock Photo 

It simply doesn’t make sense that a feed 

company would waste pharmaceuticals in 

this way. 

What we get are antioxidants to protect 

fat-soluble vitamins, plus a range of 

vitamins and minerals. Chick and grower 

feed can contain a coccidiostat (which acts 

against coccidia parasites) but options free 

of medication are available. 

Proprietary feed has been formulated 

to meet a layer’s needs. Can you mix your 

own? Yes, but even if you find a detailed 

Growing your own 

The idea of growing your own legumes 

or seeds is appealing. Before you start, 

though, research legumes and antinutritional 

factors (ANFs) because these 

determine what percentage of seeds/ 

grains/legumes can be fed without 

detrimental digestive effects. Feed mills 

either heat-treat or add enzymes when 

compiling rations so ANFs will not upset 

feed absorption. 

It may be easier to grow sunflowers, 

buckwheat, amaranth and the like to 

supplement the diet, or set aside an area 

and plant it for fowl forage. Sow in thick 


FEATHERED FRIENDS | Nutrition 

Free-ranging birds have the 

opportunity to dig for worms 

and other treats, but they still 

need grain or pellets 

Free-range birds forage 

for live protein but it’s 

insufficient to meet daily 

needs. It’s essential to 

offer a proprietary grain 

mix or pellets. 

clumps but be prepared to build strong 

mesh covers that plants can grow through 

to protect against scratching. 

You could also grow live protein, from 

maggots to black soldier fly larvae. In Europe, 

a trial has commenced feeding dehydrated 

snail bodies to fowls. All live protein contains 

a high proportion of liquid, which fills birds 

up quickly but doesn’t provide adequate 

nutrition, hence the value of dehydrating. 

It’s easy to set up a neat system for 

growing larvae at little cost; check out the 

internet for plans. The larvae would offer 

variety and certainly up the protein intake but 

proprietary feed would still need to be offered. 

Risky treats 

We all love giving hens treats because their 

pleasure makes us happy. Treats should be 

just that — an occasional reward. Poultry 

do not naturally eat salt or refined sugar, so 

avoid treats containing them. Nitrates are 

also not good for poultry, so avoid meat, 

especially deli meat, that may contain them. 

Snails can be problematic, too. Be mindful 

of what they have been feeding on and 

whether it could be harmful to poultry. 

Snails are known to be potential carriers of 

tapeworm, especially over summer when 

weather is hot and wet, so forget about 

collecting them for the fowls. 

Finally, mouldy food is unsuitable whether 

grain, pellets or kitchen scraps. Mycotoxins 

that grow on mouldy feed can make fowls ill. 

Essential extras 

Fresh water must be cool for birds to want 

to drink it. If the hens’ waterer has green 

sludge in it, ask yourself if you’re happy for 

this to be ingested by a creature producing 

human food. 

Hard grit stones about 3mm in diameter 

help with the grinding of grain and fibre in 

the gizzard. Shell grit has a different role: 

it supplies calcium for eggshells and, like 

hard grit, should be left in a sturdy tin for 

birds to help themselves. Medium-grade 

shell grit is best. 

If your flock is well fed they should not 

need herbs or tonics. It does pay to give 

birds garlic on occasions, as it’s a blood 

cleanser and confers mild worming. One 

crushed clove per three hens in drinking 

water is adequate. 

An occasional drink of diluted cider 

vinegar is beneficial, too. It promotes 

general health and is useful when eggshell 

problems occur. Use 10mL per litre, one or 

two days only. 

Fussy fowls 

Fowls are surprisingly fussy. Find out what 

they like — mixed grain or pellets — and 

provide a good-quality ration every day. 

Remember that eggs are a direct result of 

what hens eat and they can only produce 

highly nutritious eggs if they are given 

top-quality feed. 

Kerry Boyne, Can Stock Photo 


Nutrition | FEATHERED FRIENDS 

Why not grow your 

girls some sunflowers? 

Maggots are good protein 

Eggs are simply the best. 

We give them the best certifi ed organic grain – no meat-meal (unlike others). We value the 

welfare of our feathered friends; that’s why we give them an idyllic habitat with plenty of space to 

roam, lots of deep mulch to scratch through, shady trees and lush pasture so our eggs are nutrient 

dense and rich in omega 3’s. We run no more than 600 hens per hectare. Our hens are always 

occupied so we don’t have to debeak. 

Happy hens lay sensational eggs. 

For stockists and more details, go to our website: 

www.organigrow.com.au 


GARDEN TO TABLE | Four Seasonal Edibles 

Garden to table 

with The Organic Chef, Joanna Rushton 

74 Brussels sprouts 

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Garlic & Balsamic Vinegar 

78 Grapes 

Warm Grape & Walnut Salad 

82 Capers 

Pan-Fried John Dory with Caponata 

86 & 88 Mandarins 

Mandarin Prawns with Fennel & Coconut Salad 

Mandarin Compote 


74 

78 

82 

86

GROWING | Brussels sprouts 

Brussels sprouts 

Brassica oleracea 


Brussels sprouts are part of the vast cabbage 

family collectively referred to as brassicas. Of 

all the vegies in this family, it’s Brussels sprouts 

that polarise the population: people either love them or 

loathe them. 

While many blame their aversion to Brussels sprouts on 

eating overcooked sprouts in the past, recent research has 

shown that sprouts taste different to different palates and to 

some they do have a bitter and nasty flavour. 

If you’ve hated sprouts in the past but want to give these 

nutritious vegies one more chance, try sautéing them as 

suggested by Jo Rushton (see page 74) or toss a few in a 

stirfry. If you still don’t like them, label yourself a “supertaster”, 

the term coined in the 1990s for people who are more 

sensitive to bitter tastes than others, and give up on them. 

But if you do enjoy the flavour of Brussels sprouts and want 

to try to grow your own, read on! 

Best growing conditions 

Brussels sprouts are axillary buds — that means they 

form on the main stem, which grows tall and stout. Left 

unpicked, they’ll become flowers. 

Brussels sprouts can be tricky to produce in Australian 

gardens as they don’t like hot, dry weather and are not suited 

to subtropical or tropical zones. In unsuitable conditions, 

plants may grow readily, but sprouts may fail to form or fail to 

expand beyond marble size. Alternatively, they become 

fluffy or “blown”. Blown sprouts are still good to eat and 

worth harvesting. 

In cold climates, sow seed from spring to early autumn but 

restrict sowing to summer in temperate zones. Seedlings can 

be planted up until early autumn in both zones. 

Timing of planting is critical for the production of good 

sprouts. Production and sprout formation is at its best when 

conditions are cool and days are shortening, which is why the 

timing of seed sowing is so critical to success. Sprouts take 

4–5 months to form, so late planting means sprouts are 

forming in spring as the weather is warming and days are 

getting longer. 

Raising sprouts 

Sow seeds into a seedling punnet or seed tray where 

they take 6–10 days to germinate. Transplant seedlings 

into small individual pots when they are big enough to 

handle. Allow them to grow on until they are around 7cm 

Shutterstock 


Brussels sprouts| GROWING 

Brussels sprouts label 

Common name: Brussels sprouts 


Gemmifera Group 

Family: Brassicaceae (cabbage family) 

Aspect and soil: Sun; well-drained soil 

Best climate: Cool to temperate 

Habit: Annual 

Propagation: Seed, seedling 

Difficulty: Hard 

If you still don’t like them, label 

yourself a “supertaster”, the 

term coined in the 1990s for 

people who are more sensitive 

to bitter tastes than others, and 

give up on them. 

high and ready to be planted out into the garden. When 

planting purchased seedlings, soak the punnet well, then 

gently separate the seedlings. This is done to avoid root 

damage. Space seedlings about 60cm apart in rows and allow 

at least the same distance between rows. This wide spacing 

allows each plant room to grow. 

As the plants develop, encourage good growth with regular 

feeds of a liquid fertiliser high in potassium and phosphorus. 

Even though they’re growing through autumn and winter, 

don’t stint on water as these plants don’t like to dry out. In 

windy areas, they may need to be staked — or select 

a compact variety such as the heritage variety ‘Long 

Island Improved’. 

nasturtiums, check for the pest on the Brussels sprouts and 

other brassicas in your vegie garden. 

Harvest, storage & keeping 

Brussels sprouts look like miniature cabbages sprouting 

up the stem of each plant. They form in the leaf axil 

(where the leaves join the stem), developing in the lower 

axils first. Carefully snapping off the leaf beside the 

developing sprout can encourage larger buds to develop. 

With most home-garden varieties, particularly heritage 

varieties, the bottom sprouts are ready first, so harvest 

the crop progressively up the stem over several weeks. 

Modern hybrids mature at the same time and so need to 

be picked all at once. 

Store sprouts in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the 

fridge for up to 10 days or blanch and freeze to use your 

harvest through the year. To blanch Brussels sprouts, remove 

loose outer leaves and plunge the sprouts into boiling water 

for 4–5 minutes. Cool in cold water, then spread the little 

vegetables onto a tray so they freeze individually. Once they’re 

fully frozen, store them in a plastic bag. 

So did they come from Brussels? 

Although there’s no firm documentation to say 

that Brussels sprouts came from Brussels, they 

have been known by this name since the mid-18th 

century. In his book Heirloom Vegetables, heritage 

vegetable expert Simon Rickard says it’s likely 

they did come from this area as the climate of 

northern Europe is conducive to growing good 

Brussels sprouts. 

Number-one pest 

As with other brassicas, Brussels sprouts are at the mercy 

of cabbage white butterfly caterpillars. These green 

caterpillars chew holes in the leaves and may damage the 

sprouts. The best control method is to regularly hand pick 

the caterpillars, checking both sides of the leaves as the 

young caterpillars usually feed on the undersides. 

Also watch for cabbage white butterflies flitting around in 

the vegetable garden and check the foliage for clusters of 

eggs (small white eggs usually found under the leaves). 

Sacrificial plantings of nasturtium grown near the vegie 

bed can act as an early warning system as cabbage white 

caterpillars love these plants, too. If you spot caterpillars on 


COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Brussels sprouts 

Star ingredient: Brussels sprouts 

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with 

Garlic & Balsamic Vinegar 

Serves 2 

Ingredients 

• 10 Brussels sprouts 

• 1 tbsp ghee 

• 1 tsp salt 

• 2 cloves garlic, 

chopped 

• 50mL good 

balsamic vinegar 

Method 

1. Remove outer leaves of Brussels sprouts, 

cut in half and blanch them. 

2. Heat ghee in a sauté pan over medium 

heat and add garlic. 

3. Place sprouts flat side down and sauté 

until lightly brown, then turn and sauté the 

other side, about 4–5 minutes each side. 

4. Transfer to serving dish, pour over 

balsamic, cover with a plate or lid and allow to 

infuse for 2–3 minutes before serving. 


Brussels sprouts | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON 


GROWING | Grapes 

Grapes 

Vitis vinifera 


Grapes are such giving plants. They provide bunches 

of delicious fresh fruit that can be transformed into 

wine. If the vine is trained over a pergola, they also 

give cool shade right through summer and autumn. 

If you’ve opted for an ornamental rather than fruiting 

variety you can also enjoy glorious autumn colour as its 

leaves colour brilliant red, burgundy and yellow before they 

drop. In return, all they ask for is a hard prune in winter. 

Grapes are very long lived and vines can survive for 

a century or more. They tolerate all sorts of soils and 

climates and are drought-hardy due to their deep roots. 

Although they get by with little care or attention, for 

a good harvest you need to put in some work to train, 

manage and care for your vine throughout the year. 

Why grow a grapevine? 

The first question to answer is what you want to do with 

the grapes you produce. If you want to harvest the crop for 

your own wine vintage or to have worthwhile amounts of 

table grapes, then it’s necessary to grow the vine or vines 

on a traditional trellis or fence. This is done so they are easy 

to maintain, to protect from birds and to harvest. 

Select the variety you plant with care as there are 

varieties for winemaking, others that are better for eating 

fresh (known as table grapes), some that are dual purpose 

(both drinking and eating) and yet others that are suited to 

drying (for raisins or sultanas, for example). 

Grapes can be seedless (that is, with no seeds or very 

Grapes are very long lived and 

vines can survive for a century 

or more. They tolerate all sorts 

of soils and climates and are 

drought-hardy due to their 

deep roots. 

few) or seeded and the fruit can be red (known as black) or 

green in colour. There is also a difference in ripening time, 

fruit size, disease resistance or susceptibility and, of course, 

flavour between the myriad varieties available. 

If your interest in a grapevine lies more in enjoying the 

shade beneath the vine and adding a splash of autumn 

colour to the garden, simply select an ornamental vine and 

grow it over a pergola. 

Growing needs 

Winter chilling requirements are low compared to other 

deciduous fruit plants — around 150 hours, which means 

they can be grown in many parts of tropical and subtropical 

regions as well as in traditional grape-growing regions that 

have a cool or Mediterranean climate. Although grapevines 

grow in most areas, grape quality and production are best 

in areas with cold winters and hot but dry summers. 

Vines are widely available for purchase in winter and 

Kerry Boyne 


Grapes | GROWING 

Grapevine label 

Common name: Grape, grapevine 

Botanical name: Vitis vinifera 

Family: Vitaceae (grape family) 


Best climate: Cool to Mediterranean 

Habit: Deciduous vine 

Propagation: Cutting (hardwood) 

Difficulty: Moderate 

this is the best time to plant a grapevine or a vineyard. 

A productive, well-trained and pruned vine can yield 40 

bunches of grapes. 

For fresh grapes over many months, select varieties 

that ripen between midsummer and late autumn. Popular 

varieties include ‘Flame Seedless’ (early to mid-season) 

and ‘Thompson Seedless’, also called ‘Sultana’ (late 

season). This variety is also grown for drying as raisins. 

For wine production, many vines of the same variety are 

needed to provide the quantity needed to press. Those 

40 bunches per vine may yield only four bottles of wine! 

Troubleshooting 

Many pests attack grapevines and their fruit, from caterpillars 

that feast on the newly opened leaves to birds that peck at 

the ripening grapes. Large pests such as birds are managed 

in an organic garden by using exclusion methods such as 

netting over vines or bagging of fruit clusters. 

Insect pests may require other physical or chemical 

intervention. The caterpillars of grapevine hawkmoth and 

grapevine moth feast on grape leaves and can skeletonise 

leaves and defoliate the vine. They can be removed by 

hand or sprayed with an organic caterpillar control such 

as Dipel, or Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). 

Grapeleaf blister mite and grapeleaf rust mite are 

microscopic insects that cause blistering damage on leaves. 

Although the vine may look tatty, fruit will not be affected. 

To control mites, remove affected leaves and make a note 

to spray in late winter, after pruning, with lime sulphur. 

Downy mildew is a fungal disease that attacks grape 

leaves, causing brown, yellow or red patches on the top of the 

leaf with patches of white downy growth on the underside. 

Remove affected growth and use preventive control in winter 

by applying a Bordeaux mix, a traditional treatment made 

from a mixture of copper sulphate and slaked lime. 

In warm or humid areas, the heritage variety ‘Isabella’, a 

table grape, is grown for its disease resistance. Grapes that 

are well managed, watered in spring but left drier through 

summer, will also be less susceptible to disease. 

Grapes that don’t receive full sun as they ripen may be 

slow to ripen or may ripen erratically. 

Pruning & training 

Pruning is the number-one task when it comes to 

managing a productive vine. While the base of the 

vine can be old, gnarled and thick, the fruiting canes 

are constantly renewed to maximise fruit production. 

Pruning in winter removes old wood and encourages new, 

productive wood. 

In the early years after planting, each vine is trained to 

its desired height and encouraged to form a framework of 

horizontal growth. The general rule once the framework 

is established is that each winter the previous year’s 

growth, some 90 per cent of the plant, is cut back to the 

horizontal framework. 

Some varieties have more specific pruning needs, so 

it’s important to check on the correct pruning method for 

the variety you’re growing. 

Harvest, storage & preserving 

Grapes ripen in late summer and autumn, the timing 

depending on the variety and the growing conditions. 

Grapes are harvested when the fruit is at its maximum 

sweetness. They can be eaten fresh, used to make to 

wine, vinegar or verjuice, or dried. 

While you’re waiting for your first grape harvest, the 

new spring leaves can be used to wrap foods. Dolmades 

(stuffed grape leaves) are a traditional dish made from 

grape leaves (see our previous issue). The leaves can be 

blanched and frozen or packed into brine for storage so 

they can be used later in the season. 

Pest warning 

The transportation of grapevines (including 

cuttings) in grape-growing regions is controlled to 

limit the spread of grape phylloxera, an aphid-like 

pest of vines. This is a serious pest that attacks 

the roots and causes vines to have poor growth. 

Phylloxera Exclusion Zones are clearly marked by 

road signs and should be observed. 


COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Grapes 

Star ingredient: Grapes 

Warm Grape & Walnut Salad 

Serves 2 

Ingredients 

• 1 tbsp sesameseed 

oil 

• 1 celery stick, sliced 

on an angle 

• 1 carrot, peeled into 

ribbons 

• ½ cucumber, peeled 

into ribbons 

• ½ fennel bulb, 

thinly sliced 

• 2 spring onions, 

sliced on an angle 

• 10 grapes, halved 

• 50g walnuts 

• 50mL red-wine 

vinegar 

• Iceberg lettuce 

leaves 

Method 

1. Heat sesame oil in a wok over medium heat. 

2. Add all ingredients except red-wine vinegar and 

toss through the heated oil for 2 minutes. 

3. Add vinegar, toss and infuse for 30–40 seconds. 

4. Serve in an iceberg lettuce boat. 


Grapes | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON 


GROWING | Capers 

Capers 

Capparis spinosa 


It’s likely you’ve spooned salty, shrivelled 

olive-green capers out of a jar to add to tartare 

sauce, garnish salmon or a pizza or to spice up 

a salad, and never wondered what they were. Their true 

identity might surprise you, as capers are preserved 

flower buds. 

They are the buds of an attractive white-flowered 

shrub called capparis or caper bush and are harvested 

in spring or early summer before the flowers open. 

If the buds are not picked and pickled, the flowers 

open as large, white blooms with a mass of violetpurple 

stamens in their centre. These flowers go on 

to produce swollen, slightly ribbed green fruit called 

caperberries, which are also harvested and preserved. 

Caperberries are generally larger than capers and 

pickled with a piece of stem attached. When you 

bite into a caperberry you’ll encounter small seeds, 

whereas capers are soft. 

Did you know? 

Nasturtium seeds may 

be pickled and substituted 

for true capers as they have 

a similar look and taste 

when pickled. 

Other capers 

Caper bush (Capparis spinosa) 

is native to the Mediterranean 

region but also found in surrounding countries 

including parts of Africa. There are also Capparis 

species found in Australia, including C. arborea, known 

as bush caperberry, and C. mitchellii, the 

native orange. 

The fruit of the bush caperberry is edible and 

usually harvested in autumn when it’s about 25mm 

across. It forms a tree to about 8m high that grows 

naturally in rainforest areas along the East Coast, but 

can be grown in most frost-free gardens. 

The native orange, also a small tree growing to 

around 6m tall, is found in semi-arid regions. It has 

green fruit that ripens to orange, is edible and is 

high in vitamin C. Its common name of native orange, 

however, comes not from its fruit but its fragrant white 

flowers, which resemble orange blossom. 

Shutterstock, Donald Hobern CC 


Capers | GROWING 

Capers label 

Common name: Caper 

Botanical name: Capparis spinosa 

Family: Capparidaceae (caper family) 

Aspect & soil: Sun; well-drained soil 

Best climate: Mediterranean, temperate 

Habit: Shrub 

Propagation: Seed, cutting 


Pickled capers and, below, caperberries 

Tough customers 

While capers can be grown in most areas, they are 

well suited to regions with tough growing conditions 

and long, hot summers. The plants are well adapted 

to poor soils that may be stony or depleted of 

nourishment and can also grow in exposed areas 

near the coast. 

Natural adaptations help capers grow in harsh 

conditions. In the wild they grow with soil mycorrhizae 

that help in the uptake of nutrients from the soil. 

They also have an association with nitrogenfixing 

bacteria. 

The plant has adapted to harsh growing conditions 

by producing a large root system. In the wild it staves 

off animals with thorns at the base of its tough leaves. 

Commercial caper production occurs in the arid 

areas of Spain, Morocco and Turkey and also on some 

of Italy’s Mediterranean islands. Plants tend to be long 

lived and may be still productive after 25 years or more 

of harvesting. 

Get growing 

Caper plants can be grown from seed or semi-hard 

cuttings taken in summer. Potted plants are available 

from some garden centres or from mail-order suppliers 

to give a head start, as seed and cutting-grown plants 

may not flower until their second year of growth. 

Position plants in a well-drained, sunny position with 

at least 1–2m for its branches to spread. Water plants 

well until they become established and are then able 

to cope with dry conditions. Small shrubs are not frost 

hardy and need winter protection. Established plants 

are better able to cope with occasional frost. 


To gather capers, pick the buds while they are 

small and pickle in salt or in salt and vinegar brine. 

Small salted capers are considered to be the most 

desirable caper. The leaves and fruit can also be 

pickled and eaten. 

Caper white butterfly 

These white and black butterflies (Balanois java) 

with distinctive orange and yellow spots under 

their wings are sometimes seen in large numbers 

across parts of eastern Australia. A native butterfly 

whose caterpillars feed on the native orange 

(Capparis mitchellii), it generally grows west of 

the Great Dividing Range in parts of NSW and Qld. 

In late spring and summer, the butterflies migrate 

and may be blown off track as westerly winds 

push them over mountains towards the coast. As 

the larvae (young caterpillars) only feed on caper 

plants, they don’t harm other plants. 


COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Capers 

Star ingredient: Capers 

Pan-Fried John Dory 

with Caponata 

Serves 4 

Ingredients 

• 3 tbsp ghee 

• 1 red onion, 

chopped 

• ½ fennel bulb, 

chopped 

• 1 small eggplant, 

chopped 

• 2 celery stalks, sliced 

• 1 tbsp tomato paste 

• 50g capers 

• 50g raisins, soaked 

Sauce 

• 100mL tamari 

soy sauce 

• Juice & zest 

2 oranges 

in 50ml red-wine 

vinegar for 1 hour 

& drained 

• 25g pine nuts, 

toasted 

• ½ red capsicum, 

finely chopped 

• Salt & freshly 

ground black 

pepper 

• 4 John Dory fillets 

• 1 tbsp honey 

• 1 red chilli, finely 

chopped 

Method 

1. For the caponata, heat 2 tbsp of ghee in 

a pan and fry the onion, fennel, eggplant and 

celery for 5 minutes until softened. Add the 

tomato paste and fry for another 2 minutes. 

2. Remove the mixture from the heat and 

place in a bowl. Add the capers, raisins, pine 

nuts, capsicum, salt and freshly ground black 

pepper. Mix together until well combined. 

3. Heat the remaining ghee in a sauté pan 

and place the dory skin side down in the hot 

pan. Fry over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes 

on each side. Remove from heat and set aside. 

4. For the sauce, place all ingredients in a 

pan. Stir over a low heat until warmed through. 

5. To serve, place a piece of dory on each 

plate, spoon caponata over each piece of fish 

and drizzle with warm sauce. 


Capers | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON 


GROWING | Mandarins 

Mandarin 

Citrus reticulata 

As well as being good to eat 

and nutritious, mandarins are 

also very handsome trees in 

fruit and can be grown as an 

edible hedge or screen. 


A 

mandarin is a must-have tree if you have 

children to feed or like to pack a piece of 

homegrown fruit in your own lunchbox. 

As mandarins begin fruiting in autumn, they arrive 

just when summer fruits are waning and provide 

a very welcome source of vitamins, particularly 

vitamin C. 

As well as being good to eat and nutritious, 

mandarins are also very handsome trees in fruit and 

can be grown as an edible hedge or screen. 

Many varieties 

As with most citrus trees, we are spoiled for choice when 

it comes to selecting a mandarin to grow in the garden. If 

you have room for several trees, select an early and a late 

variety to extend harvest time. Mandarins do not need 

cross-pollination to crop, so a single tree will fruit well. 

‘Imperial’ and ‘Emperor’ mandarins are easy to peel 

and sweetly flavoured. ‘Imperial’ peaks in autumn and 

‘Emperor’ in winter, making them a good duo to grow 

for a long harvest. 

These varieties form large trees that may be too big 

Can Stock Photo 


Mandarins | GROWING 

for a small space. In small backyards or containers, select 

dwarf forms such as ‘Dwarf Imperial’ or ‘Dwarf Seedless’. 

Selecting the spot 

Mandarins have similar growing requirements to all other 

citrus trees, including lemons and oranges, and can be 

grown together to form a small citrus grove. 

The ideal spot to grow a mandarin is sunny but 

sheltered with deep, well-drained soil. If winters are 

cold, ensure the tree is sheltered from cold winds and is 

adjacent to a masonry wall that will help to create a warm 

microclimate through winter. 

Good drainage is vital for growing any citrus, and 

mandarins are no exception. In areas with poorly drained 

soil, plant mandarins into raised beds or large containers. 

Allow at least 30cm depth for the root area but deeper is 

even better. 

Mandarins can cope with afternoon shade but they do 

best with full sun all day and with no close competition 

from other plants, including grasses. 

If growing mandarins in a grove or with other citrus, 

allow at least 2–3 metres between individual trees. If they 

are planted more closely as a hedge or screen, make sure 

individual trees get good watering and nourishment. 

Growing needs 

Mandarins are generally fed in late 

winter and again in mid- to late 

summer with a complete 

organic fertiliser for citrus. 

Apply a mulch of compost 

and aged manure around 

the base of each tree. 

Did you know? 

A tangerine is a hybrid 

between a mandarin and an 

orange. These hybrids are 

also called tangors. 

Mandarin label 

Common name: Mandarin, clementine 

Botanical name: Citrus reticulata 

Family: Rutaceae (citrus family) 


Best climate: Temperate, Mediterranean, 

subtropical, tropical 

Habit: Evergreen tree or tall shrub 

Propagation: Grafted or seed 


Don’t hold back on watering, especially when the 

trees are first planted and when they’re flowering 

and forming fruit. 

Unlike many fruiting trees, mandarins do not need 

pruning to produce fruiting wood, but they may need 

to be pruned to around 2–3m high to keep them small 

enough to easily harvest the fruit. 

If pruning is necessary, prune the trees in later winter 

or early spring after harvesting. Never prune in summer 

as exposed branches can be burnt by hot sun. 

Although mandarins fruit in autumn and winter when 

most pests have departed, their thin skins make them 

vulnerable to fruit-fly attack in fruit-fly-prone regions. 

It’s vital, particularly for early varieties, to use organic 

fruit-fly baits to control these pests. If the mandarin is 

attacked by fruit fly it may show sting marks on the 

skin. Inside the fruit segments will be found small, 

white larvae (maggots), which can destroy the 

fruit. Affected fruit may also fall. 

As well as using baits, regularly collect fallen 

and infested fruits. Place them in a plastic bag, 

seal the bag and allow the fruit to stew in the sun 

for several days to kill the maggots. Dispose of the 

affected fruit by burying it or by placing it into the 

garbage (not the compost). 


Mandarins may produce heavy crops in alternate years 

with smaller crops every second year. This is called 

biennial bearing. To reduce the extremes of cropping, thin 

fruit if the crop is heavy. Do this by removing one or two 

small fruit from each cluster. Thinning should be done in 

spring or early summer when the fruit is small. 

Mandarins begin to ripen in autumn with late varieties 

continuing to produce fruit into early spring. Unlike other 

citrus, mandarins do not store well on the tree but need 

to be harvested quickly when ripe. Left too long on the 

tree, the skin becomes puffy and the flesh may be dry and 

tasteless. Underripe fruit may be bitter and hard to peel. 

Ripe fruit should be easy to pick and peel and should be 

sweet and juicy. 


COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | Mandarins 

Star ingredient: Mandarins 

Mandarin Prawns with 

Fennel & Coconut Salad 

Serves 2 

Ingredients 

• 3 tbsp sesame oil 

• 1 clove garlic, 

chopped 

• 2 small red chillies, 

chopped 

• Small knob ginger, 

diced 

• 2 tbsp tamari soy 

sauce 

• 1 tbsp raw honey 

• 8 cooked prawns, 

peeled 

• 1 small fennel bulb, 

thinly sliced 

• 3 spring onions, 

chopped on 

an angle 

• ½ cup fresh young 

coconut flesh slices 

• 2 mandarins, 

segmented & 

pips removed 

• 1 tbsp chopped 

mint 

• 1 tbsp toasted 

coconut 

• juice 1 lime 

Method 

1. In a pan, heat the sesame oil and fry the 

garlic, chilli and ginger for 1 minute. 

2. Add the tamari soy sauce and honey, then 

remove from heat. 

3. Add the prawns, fennel, spring onion, 

coconut flesh and mandarin segments, toss and 

thoroughly coat the salad in the sauce. 

4. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with 

mint and toasted coconut and finish by drizzling 

the fresh lime juice over the top. 


Mandarins | COOKING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON 


PRESERVING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON | MANDARINS 

Star ingredient: Mandarins 

Mandarin Compote 

Adapted from Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions 

Makes 1L 

Ingredients 

• 8 mandarins, segmented & de-pipped 

• 1 tbsp Celtic or Himalayan sea salt 

• ¼ cup whey, optional (see opposite page for 

how to make) 

• ½ cup filtered water 

• ¼ cup Rapadura sugar or coconut sugar 

Method 

1. Place the segmented mandarins in a 1L 

wide-mouthed glass mason jar and press down 

with a wooden pounder. 

2. Combine the remaining ingredients and 

pour over the mandarins, adding the filtered 

water if needed, to cover. The compote should 

be at least 2cm below the top of the jar. 

3. Cover tightly and keep at room 

temperature for about 3 days before 

transferring to the fridge. If compote develops 

white spots of mould on the top, simply remove 

with a spoon. 


MANDARINS | PRESERVING WITH JOANNA RUSHTON 

Homemade Whey 

1. Line a colander with either 

muslin or cheesecloth. 

2. Place the colander over a 

glass bowl, jug or stainlesssteel 

saucepan and spoon 

the contents of a large pot of 

natural (unsweetened) organic 

yoghurt into the colander, cover 

and allow to strain through the 

muslin for 24 hours. 

3. The liquid that has 

separated from the solids is 

the homemade whey, rich in 

beneficial live bacteria. It can 

be preserved in the fridge for 

several months and can be 

used for making beet kvass or 

as a starter for fermented and 

picked vegetables and fruit. 

Homemade Labna Cheese 

1. Scrape the remaining solids (now resembling a firm cheese curd) 

from the tea towel or muslin, shape into balls and transfer to a clean 

glass container and refrigerate. It will keep for about 2 weeks. 

2. Try adding some of your favourite fresh herbs and a squeeze of 

lemon to a serve of the cheese, and enjoy it with flatbread, sourdough or 

sprouted grain bread. 


PICK OF THE CROP 

pick of the crop 

Our selection of products and services for gardeners and cooks 

Reclaiming nutrition 

The home vegie garden is the ultimate wellness tool. Food is our greatest medicine and there’s 

nothing more valuable than chemical-free produce grown in healthy soils, ripened naturally and 

picked directly before consumption. Freshly harvested fruit and vegetables contain antioxidants, 

vitamins and protective phytonutrients encased in a supportive matrix that ensures maximum 

health benefits. We are what we eat, and much of the food on supermarket shelves comes from 

soils that are a shadow of their former selves. Extractive agriculture has mercilessly removed soil 

minerals while decimating the organisms that help deliver those minerals. Premature harvest 

and long-term storage further deplete the goodness of this produce. Nutritionists now claim 

that our food contains just 20 per cent of the nutrition found in the food consumed by our 

grandparents. The answer is to adopt Nutrition Gardening®. This home garden is the solution 

to lost nutrition and has profound benefits ranging from enhanced flavours to mental wellbeing. 

Visit nutritiongardening.com.au, or phone 07 5472 9900 to learn more. 

Leading the way in 

juicers! 

Kuvings is leading the way with a newmodel 

Whole Slow Juicer including 

smoothie and sorbet accessories. The 

C7000 juices whole fruit and vegetables, 

creating a refined juice with less fibre 

and more yield. It’s quiet and easy to use 

and clean. Juice your way to good health 

and taste the difference with a Kuvings 

cold-press juicer, squeezing and pressing 

the fruit and vegetables and retaining 

the enzymes and nutrients instead of 

grinding and chewing like a traditional 

centrifugal juicer. For more information, 

call 02 9798 0586 or visit kuvings.net.au 

For premium bee equipment 

Hornsby Beekeeping Supplies has been supplying equipment to customers throughout Australia 

and internationally for more than a quarter of a century and continues to do so from both the 

original Hornsby location and the new premises at Mt Druitt. Hornsby 

Beekeeping Supplies, a supplier of Australian native stingless bees, 

provides a wide range of equipment and advice for both the professional 

and amateur beekeeper, offering complete guidance and advice 

to beginners, too. Whether you want to attract native bees or keep 

honeybees, there are supplies to suit your purpose. View the online 

catalogue for the extensive range of extractors, protective clothing, tools, 

smokers and all the necessary hive building and maintenance materials. 

Pictured is the Langstroth hive for beginners, which includes a base with 

the beetle trap, full-depth box, frames, lid and package of bees. If you’re 

not a Sydneysider you can order online. hornsby-beekeeping.com 

Eco-elegance in 

a candle 

This elegant glass tumbler is sure to 

add sophistication to any setting, along 

with a romantic glow. Hand-crafted 

from a top-quality thick-walled glass 

tumbler with a resealable bamboo lid, its 

wick crackles like fire, adding a lovely 

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Drishti’s five custom aromas, all 100 

per cent essential oils with therapeutic 

benefits, it will fill your home with 

beautiful aromas and glowing light. 

Drishti candles are made from 100 

per cent natural ingredients and 

aromatherapy essential oils, along with 

cotton or wooden wicks (FSC certified). 

Each candle has a unique feather pattern 

and is hand-blended. With a Drishti 

candle you feel you have stepped into 

nature and are surrounded by its beauty. 

The glass tumbler has the largest scent 

throw of all Drishti candles, so is ideal 

for a spacious area. These candles really 

offer you a piece of eco-elegance. 100% 

Natural. 100% Beautiful. 100% Lighting 

the Way. drishti.com.au 



Humane possum control 

The ultrasonic Possum Deterrent is used to defend 

household gardens and has a maximum possible 

range of 14 metres. This weatherproof possum 

repeller randomly and intermittently emits quiet 

ultrasonics with a maximum defensive arc of 170 

degrees in front of the device. The device also has 

a motion sensor that activates the possum repeller 

when possums move into its infrared coverage zone. 

The light sensor automatically turns the device on at 

dusk and off at dawn or 

runs 24 hours when used in 

a roof space. The possum 

repeller is easy to use, 

set up and maintain and 

can be powered by 240W 

house power or batteries. 

The Possum Deterrent 

comes with a 90-day 

money back guarantee 

and a 12-month warranty. 

Phone or email for help 

with any setup and best 

practice questions 

you may have. 

birdgard.com.au or 

call 07 5443 6344. 

From the 

Organigrow farm 

We’ve had a wonderful season. Plenty of rain has meant 

lots of lush pasture for my feathered friends to frolic 

in. With an abundance of clover, the omega-3 content in 

the eggs is way up. It’s so high that some of my customers 

report that the eggs taste “fishy”, which I daresay could 

be a bit off-putting unless you understand the great 

health benefits from eating naturally enriched eggs. But 

the farmers out west have not been having such a good 

season. Prolonged drought in the grain-growing areas has 

put the price of feed up again, this time by a massive 20 

per cent. While-so called “free range” farms are paying 

$450 a ton for their feed, organic growers are slugged 

with almost three times that, but I am attempting to 

absorb the increase. This has led me to finally bite the 

bullet and start mixing my own feed with locally sourced 

organic grain and an organic high-protein pellet. I have 

just bought two new silos to contain the grain and am in 

the process of renovating an old mixer. Wish me luck ;-) If 

you want to keep up with progress, check out Organigrow 

on Facebook, or organigrow.com.au 

Giving plants a Kickalong 

Searles Kickalong range of fully organic fertilisers brings together all of 

nature’s best fertilisers and nutrients to deliver fast and sustainable growth 

to all your garden plants, pot plants, fruit trees, vegetables and lawns any 

time of the year. This range is registered 100 per cent organic and easy to 

use — just sprinkle over soil and water in. Boosted with blood and bone, fish 

and seaweed, this product promotes excellent soil microbial health and plant 

vitality to help plants combat unfavourable weather and insect and fungal 

attack. Added potash stimulates more flower buds and brilliant and bigger 

blooms. This fertiliser delivers 2–3 times the strength of normal organic 

fertilisers, offering sound environmental awareness for the reduction of 

packaging and freight, and delivering maximum impact and plant response. 

Available in 2.5kg and 4kg bags. Call 07 5422 3000 or visit searles.com.au 

Show stoppers! 

Travelling through England and 

Canada, you are blown away by the 

wonderful hanging baskets that 

adorn houses and streets in cities 

and towns. Why don’t we do that 

here in Australia? Well, now you 

can. Bloommaster Australia has the 

best hanging baskets in the world 

to showcase a beautiful show of 

flowers, strawberries, herbs — just 

about anything you like. It really 

is so easy. The baskets come with 

side openings, which you plant 

with small seedlings: two or three 

seedlings on the top and you’re 

done. Water and fertilise regularly 

and, before you know it, you have 

a beautiful cascading show to rival 

those beautiful baskets in England 

and Canada. Why doesn’t the soil 

come out of the side holes? Good 

question. The unique patented 

basket prevents this from happening 

and, once the seedlings have grown, 

their foliage protects the plastic 

from heating up and burning the 

roots inside the basket. But seeing is 

believing. bloommaster.com.au 



Organic gin for 

your cocktails! 

In the 1920s Prohibition era, a “Blind Tiger” was an 

establishment known to illegally sell alcohol, with a focus 

on celebrating the exciting flavour and taste of liquor 

cocktails, many of which were gin based. Blind Tiger 

Organic Gin is distilled in small batches and is a complex 

yet elegant and aromatic gin made from the finest certified 

organic botanicals. Juniper berry is the core botanical 

of many gins and in Blind Tiger provides a backbone of 

fresh spring forest and citrus notes. 

Coriander has been selected as it 

enhances the citrus characters of the 

juniper and imparts a subtle earthy 

character, while the angelica root gives 

a delightfully aromatic and heady note 

of musk. Summer savoury completes 

the botanical mix and contributes a 

subtle, mint-like, peppery character. 

The combination of these herbs creates 

a London dry gin that’s a perfect mixer 

with tonic or soda and a great base for 

one of the hugely popular gin-based 

cocktails. blindtigergin.com.au 

Robinvale Wines 

The inspiration to grow healthy and environmentally sustainable food and beverages 

at Robinvale came from Linton Greenwood (apple and pear grower) in the ’80s, who 

introduced the organic-enhanced biodynamic growing method, pioneered in Australia 

by Alex Podolinsky of the Bio-Dynamic Research Institute. Robinvale would have been, 

then, the first winery and vineyard in Australia to be certified biodynamic. Robinvale 

produces wines, dried fruit, table grapes, pure juices, non-alcoholic beverages and 

some vegetables. Steve is also a Reiki Master attuned by Dee Amohanga (NZ). In 

growing produce, the farm especially recognises the support of family and its workers, 

particularly Albie 

(‘Green Thumbs’) 

Harris. All the produce 

has the biodynamic 

health impulse 

(Builders of Health). 

The cellar door is open 

for free tastings and 

sales at Robinvale and 

mail-order deliveries 

are available Australiawide. 

Wholesale/ 

retail/export enquiries 

are welcome. 

organicwines.com.au 

Swedes: well worth planting 

The swede, or rutabaga, is an interesting and often 

undervalued food. It originated in the region of Sweden and 

Russia around about 1600 CE and is believed to be a rare 

cross between a turnip and some sort of cabbage. It can be 

eaten in the same way you would eat any other root vegetable 

but traditionally has been eaten roasted, baked, boiled as 

a flavour enhancer in soups, thinly julienned as a side dish 

or serve uncooked in a salad. Swede has recently, rightly, 

become a subject of experimentation by modern chefs. One 

of the best flavoured Swedes is Laurentian, a Canadian variety produced before 1920. 

It’s very rich in vitamin C. The plants are rich in assimilable nutrients. The leaves contain 

over 20 per cent protein and can be cooked as greens. Feed your leftovers to the 

chooks and watch them prosper. rangeviewseeds.com.au 

Mother Nature’s soap 

Have you ever wondered what your laundry 

detergent or shampoo is doing to the 

environment after it goes down your drain? 

You don’t need to look hard to find reports 

of environmental damage from household 

chemicals, but I was worried about these 

products even before they went down the 

drain. My mum who, like her mum, died too 

young from cancer, had always warned me 

never to touch laundry powder because it’s 

carcinogenic. She was right and I was careful 

— but I’m not any more. I discovered a laundry 

detergent that literally falls off a tree, does a 

better job than the powder I was using and is 

actually good for the environment. It didn’t take long to find that this “detergent” (soap nuts) 

made my windows shiny, cleaned my floors and cleaned my kids from head to toe — even 

keeping head lice away. I’m so proud to be able to share soap nuts with many other people 

through our home business, go green at home. — Lee-Ann Wilson, gogreenathome.com.au 

Water only when 

needed 

The Toro Precision Soil Sensor reduces 

water waste by measuring moisture levels 

in your soil and determining when to allow 

your controller to water. “We’ve taken the 

same technology found at professional 

golf courses and sports fields and created 

a sensor intended for residential use,” says 

Ben Hall of Toro Australia. The Precision 

Soil Sensor is a two-part system that 

includes a battery-powered sensor and 

a receiver connected to your irrigation 

controller. Communication between the 

sensor and receiver is wireless, with up 

to 152m line-of-sight range. It’s very easy 

to install and no digging is required. First, 

connect the receiver to the controller, 

then find a representative area of 

your property for the sensor. Push the 

sensor probe in the ground and it will 

automatically calibrate itself to your soil 

type and begin communicating wirelessly 

with the receiver. toro.com.au 



Use your waste 

Forget everything you know about composting 

and discover an easier, simpler way to dispose 

of ALL your kitchen waste, including meat, 

citrus, onions, oil, dairy, eggs, coffee and even 

doggie doos. Produce food for your chooks 

and fish, nourish your garden, reduce your 

council waste by over 50% and help the 

environment by reducing landfill by over 31%. 

Simply FILL ... FORGET ... REFILL when you like. 

So don’t waste your waste. Just keep 

topping up your Compot with ALL your 

kitchen waste whenever you want. A simple set-and-forget system. 

1. Dig a hole and plant your Compot. 

2. Fill it with all your kitchen waste. 

3. Lock on the lid and cover loosely with anything but dirt. 

4. Now forget about it until you need to top it up with more waste. 

Look for the ad on page 59 to find the code for the special offer, and find out for 

yourself a foolproof way to compost and/or propagate with the COMPOT and 

CompotTOP. Designed and manufactured in Australia. The newest easiest composter/ 

propagator you will ever use. compot.com.au 

Email purenewday@gmail.com, phone 0428 362 012, visit 

aromessentials.miessence.com/en 

The beauty of steel 

If you are after great-looking raised planters to blend in with your garden, 

you can’t go past the FormBoss Corten steel option. With profiles from 75mm 

to 580mm, they come with a round top edge of 6–7mm for strength and 

safety. They can come in rings in standard sizes of 700mm or 1400mm in 

diameter, or you can custom-order any shape or size you like. In fact, you can 

actually shape these edges on-site to create a truly unique-looking garden 

with different levels. The FormBoss edging system has a range of stakes to 

support the edging to make it suit any edging application, from flush or raised 

edges to steps or even retaining walls. If you don’t like the rustic look, there is 

also a shiny alternative in the ZAM steel. And for your confidence, FormBoss 

is made in Australia. formboss.com.au 

Give your 

plants a lift 

Autumn is a great time for gardening 

as air temperatures are milder but the 

soil is warm enough for root growth. 

Creating healthy soil is the key to having 

a great autumn garden. Adding organic 

matter improves soil health by increasing 

water- and nutrient-holding capacity, 

improving soil structure as well as 

attracting earthworms and beneficial soil 

micro-organisms, which all encourage 

better root growth and healthier plants. 

Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food 

contains a special combination of concentrated composted manure 

boosted with fishmeal, blood and bone and seaweed, and is an easy-touse, 

pelletised source of organic matter. Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic 

Plant Food contains slow-release organic nutrients to gently feed plants 

over several weeks. It’s ideal for mixing into the soil when preparing new 

autumn garden beds as well as when planting trees, shrubs and roses. It 

will give new plants the best start as they establish and, reapplied every 

six weeks, will help keep plants well nourished. For more information on 

Dynamic Lifter, head to yates.com.au 

For households and 

businesses 

If you and your family could choose one of the following for your 

home what would it be? 

• Non-toxic Australian products to clean your home environment 

• Non-toxic cleaning that can reduce costs of cleaners by half 

• Non-toxic products that don’t harm you or your environment 

Green Aussie Cleaner® has for 23 years delivered to families 

all of the above. It will give you the ultimate 

cleaning experience for you and your family. It 

is one single non-toxic product for your home 

cleaning, including clothes washing. The formula 

is designed for you the user to get extraordinary 

value for money by adding extra water for 

your job applications. Green Aussie Cleaner® 

is manufactured using totally environmentally 

safe ingredients with essential oils. Our fragile 

environment, which has been under attack over 

many generations, can benefit greatly from 

products like Green Aussie Cleaner®. 

Do yourself a favour and check the testimonials 

@ www.greenaussiefoundation.org 


REVIEWS | Books 

Cover to cover 

Leafing through books for gardeners and nature lovers 

The Cabaret of Plants 

By Richard Mabey, Allen & Unwin, RRP $45 

Botany in the 19th century was in full flower — so to speak — when humourist (and botanist) 

Edward Lear satirised the Victorian mania for exotic plants with his drawings of nonsensical 

flora such as Manypeeplia upsidownia, its stem festooned with miniature humans. Such is 

the unlikely taking-off point for this extraordinary, elegantly written flight of fancy, subtitled 

Botany and the Imagination. Part poet, part Attenborough, Richard Mabey is interested in the 

age-old relationship between us and plants, which are not just the “furniture of the planet” 

but individuals in their own right and quite possibly the key to our future survival. Among the 

individuals he encounters are the carnivorous Venus flytrap, the Amazonian moonflower that 

opens one night a year and the 5000-year-old Great Yew in Fortingall, still standing despite 

the depredations of souvenir hunters through the centuries. He ranges through literature as 

well, from Wordsworth’s daffodils to the putrescent smell of an orchid conservatory in Raymond 

Chandler’s LA detective novel The Big Sleep. Come to the cabaret! 

Top Wildlife Sites of the World 

By Will & Natalie Burrard-Lucas, New Holland, RRP $35 

Armchair travellers and actual globetrotters alike will thrill to this beautifully presented book 

from nature photographer William Burrard-Lucas, with text by his wife and travelling companion, 

Natalie Burrard-Lucas, a doctor and avid researcher. The stunning images, taken at 32 sites 

across five continents, comprise a wildlife enthusiast’s bucket list of the places where creatures 

large and small can still be observed in their natural habitats, whether families of meerkats and 

nocturnal aardvarks in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert, teeming monarch butterflies in Mexico, black 

rhinos in Namibia, giant komodo dragons in Indonesia or orcas in the Falkland Islands. Some 

places are familiar, like Yellowstone and the Serengeti; some, like the Cayman Islands, surprising; 

and others, such as the Odzala-Kokoua in the Congo and the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia, are 

virtually inaccessible except to the most intrepid adventurer — and David Attenborough. Still, 

there’s no harm in looking, is there? 

Flower Reading Cards: Discover the Language of Nature 

By Cheralyn Darcey, Rockpool Publishing, RRP $24.99 

Did you know there is a language of flowers and you can learn to understand and interpret 

it? This beautifully illustrated second set of flower reading cards from author and artist 

Cheralyn Darcey is a lovely introduction to flower reading as well as a handy botanical reference. 

The set contains 36 cards and a 96-page booklet that acts as a guide to flower reading, 

outlining the meaning and challenges associated with each flower as well as its botanical 

profile and its place of origin. The booklet also explains how to read cards including using 

them for oracle readings and meditations, as well as how to set out spreads and interpret 

them. This set would make a lovely gift for anyone who is passionate about the beauty and 

spirituality of flowers. 

Florasphere Calm: Australian Wildflower Colouring Book 

Florasphere Inspired: Australian Wildflower Colouring Book 

By Cheralyn Darcey, Rockpool Publishing, RRP $16.99 

And so the colouring-in craze continues unabated as a means of relaxing and blanking 

out all the big and little stresses of daily life. If you’re a colour-inner, why waste it on clever 

but meaningless illustrations when you could be meditating on the beauty of nature 

with every pencil or brush stroke? Each of Cheralyn Darcey’s illustrations is an accurate, 

hand-drawn, kaleidoscopic representation of Australian wildflowers whose origins range 

from the Australian bush to the deserts, rainforests, plains, mountains and seaside. And each 

is accompanied by a soothing or inspirational quote. Colour them with pencil or paint then 

frame your favourites. 


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Directory 

The Greener Plant® 

For the Home Gardener 

We also use and recommend 

THE GREENER PLANT 

FULVIC BENEFITS 

Transports nutrients to cells 

for optimal immune response 

Turbo-charges nutrient uptake 

Improves drought and frost 

tolerance 

Greatly improves carbon 

capture and storage 

Super concentrated! 10ml 

makes 1.5L to 3L of foliar 

spray 

Only requires a mist on plants 

once or twice per week 

“Around the end of October 2008 I sprayed The Greener Plant on my 

vegetables in my wheel barrow in my back yard in NSW. I had broccoli 

which was only six inches at the time and miniature spinach, herbs, 

chives and Chinese vegetables. 

Also I had pansies in the garden which had been in for about four 

months and were fi nishing due to the end of the season. After spraying 

the pansies once I noticed the next day they were coming back to life. 

On the second day they were radiant and oh so colourful. The brightness 

of the yellow I had never seen before. It was quite a sight to see and it 

lasted through the 40 degree heat wave we have just had here. 

Then the broccoli simply started growing the next day literally like Jack 

and the Bean Stalk. The fi rst day I sprayed the broccoli it was about six 

inches and ten days later it had grown to about three feet at which time I 

took this photo you can now see with a borrowed camera. After the photo 

I could not believe what was happening as the broccoli simply 

was getting bigger and then started to grow out of the wheel barrow 

and along the ground like a pumpkin vine. I got to a point each morning 

where I thought I was being invaded by an alien from space. 

Every thing I sprayed with The Greener Plant virtually grew so fast 

and all the plants were so green and healthy and lush. This was the fi rst 

time I had ever experimented with a natural plant stimulant and I did not 

expect any results at all. 

I am convinced that The Greener Plant is a must for people who now 

need to grow their own food due to economic melt down which seems 

to be really biting into peoples pockets right now. I will now also spend 

some time in researching the benefi ts of sequestration for which Fulvic 

can help with carbon capture and storage in my back yard plants. It 

seems The Greener Plant has more to it than meets the eye. It has really 

put a smile on my dial as well with my direct family and friends who have 

seen the tremendous growth and health of my garden.” Jill C, NSW 

info@greenaussiefoundation.org www.greenaussiefoundation.org 

Up to 

different 

fruits from one tree! 

AMAZING! 

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ALL YEAR 

Fruit Salad Trees 

Longer Picking, Ground or Pots, All Climates 

Multi Grafted - 3 Tree Types 

• Stone Fruits • Citrus Fruits 

• Multi Apples 

ORDER 

ONLINE 

FruitSaladTrees.com 1800 FRUITS | (02) 6585 8115 

e: sales@fruitsaladtrees.com 596 Littles Loop Rd, Rollands Plains, NSW 2441 

GOT CHOOKS? 

Rodents and birds eating their food? 

Tied down to daily feeding? 

..... are designed to save you time and money by eliminating 

the need for daily feeding and to prevent the signifi 

cant amount of food lost to rats, mice and wild birds. 

These top of the range feeders allow you to enjoy the 

goodness of your own farm fresh eggs without attracting 

pests and their associated diseases. They’ll allow you 

to get away from your property knowing that the problem 

of how to feed your chickens while away is solved. 

Our 12 month satisfaction guarantee gives you the 

peace of mind that this is a top quality product that will 

make your life easier and save you money for years to 

come. Whether you have one or one hundred chickens, 

these are the ideal feeder for you. 

GRANDPA’S FEEDERS, developed and sold in New 

Zealand and Australia for 15 years, have become 

hugely popular and are now considered standard equipment 

for keeping chickens. 

Go to our website to see the feeders in action! 

Automatic 

Chook Feeder 

4 Feeder lid opens 

when chicken 

stands on platform 

4 Strongly 

constructed with 

galvanized steel 

4 Water proof 

12 Months 

Satisfaction 

Guaranteed 

or Money Back! 

Standard holds 9kg - $195 plus p&p. Large holds 18kg - $275 plus p&p 

www.grandpasfeeders.com.au 

PHONE 0406 154 274. Email: chooks@grandpasfeeders.com 

341 Barwon Heads Road, Marshall, Vic 3216. 

ctn21102

Directory 

Robinvale Wines is a family run and owned certied 

Organic and Bio-Dynamic winery and vineyard in 

NW Victoria. We have a large range of Wine, Juices, 

dried fruits and Non Alcoholic Beverages. 

For all our Organic product range check our website 

www.organicwines.com.au 

Phone: 03 5026 3955 Email: info@organicwines.com.au 

Mention this code UM0215 to receive a discount when you order 

GROW YOUR 

OWN HEALTH FOOD 

Rock Minerals for Veggies 

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means low pest 

& disease attack. 

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eat weak, stressed 

veggies. 

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low nutrient level. 

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✔ Over 30 bene cial microbes, fungi and organic acids added to the mix 

✔ Increased yields, increased size of veggies 

✔ Increased cell density = Better tasting veggies 

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✔ With over 60 macro and micronutrients in our mix, 

you can now grow you own health food 

✔ Used by organic veggie growers and health enthusiasts 

for Glyconutrient intake 

For a biologically active, 

mineralised soil ... 

Free Call 1800 819 003 www.earthlife.com.au

Directory 

90 DAY 

MONEY BACK 

GUARANTEE 

HUMANE POSSUM DETERRENTENT 

24/7 POSSUM REPELLER FOR THE ULTIMATE POSSUM CONTROL 

The ultrasonic Possum Deterrent has a maximum range of 14 metres. 

This weatherproof Possum Repeller randomly and intermittently emits quiet ultrasonics 

with a maximum arc of 170 degrees in front of the device. 

The device also has a motion sensor that activates the possum repeller when 

possums move into its infra red coverage zone. The light sensor automatically turns 

the device on at dusk and off at dawn or runs 24 hours when used in a roof space. 

The Possum Repeller is easy to use, set up and maintain. We’re always at the end of a 

phone or email to help you with any setup and best practice questions you may have. 

(07) 5443 6344 

birdgard@birdgard.com.au 

www.birdgard.com.au 

Feathered World Pty Ltd Trading as Planet Poultry 

Suppliers of a large 

range of natural products 

for poultry including 

Diatomaceous Earth, 

Garlic, Kelp, Apple Cider 

Vinegar & Molodri. 

A BRILLIANT, SIMPLE AND 

LONG LASTING WAY TO 

MAINTAIN TIDY GARDEN EDGES 

EverEdge fl exible steel garden edging is easy to install, bends to virtually any shape, suits 

all soil types and is available in a variety of colours and depths. EverEdge is made from 

1.6mm gauge mild steel galvanised and powder coated or with a Cor-Ten rusted fi nish. 

www.everedge.com.au 

Tel: 0488 010 203 

Ph: 0437 542 422 

www.planetpoultry.com.au 

Stockists of River/Covina Incubators (Manual & Automatic models available). 

Sizes: 12, 24 or 49 hen egg. All digital. Approved for Australian Standards.

Directory 

RESULTS SPEAK 

LOUDER THAN WORDS! 

NATURE’S OWN ANSWER TO 

SCARABS & MANY OTHER PESTS 

Beneficial Nematodes • Smarter Biocontrol 

It’s no surprise that Troforte® is fast 

becoming the fertiliser of choice for 

Australian gardeners. The unique, 

specifically selected strains of beneficial 

soil microbes in Troforte® ensure that 

soils are at their optimum health and this 

is crucial to plants growing healthy too! 

After all, it took us 15 years researching 

these good microbes and working out 

which strains work best together. Troforte 

has up to 24 strains of beneficial microbes 

and also 60 minerals and controlled 

release fertiliser that will ensure fruits and 

vegetables will be packed full of nutrients! 

Troforte is safe for our environment and 

does not leach and therefore does not 

add to the pollution of our rivers and 

waterways. Troforte is also safe for pets 

and won’t burn your plants and prolonged 

use will also help inhibit many soil and 

plant diseases. That’s great news as 

the use of harmful chemical pesticides 

can be minimized or eliminated 

altogether. Troforte is a proudly 

Aussie innovation that tackles 

plant health from the roots - 

Literally! You will taste the 

difference in your fruits and 

veggies as Troforte® promotes 

greater nutrient uptake and that 

means your home grown 

produce will be packed full 

of goodness! 

CSIRO 

patented 

technology 

for the control 

of damaging 

garden pests 

• NATURAL CONTROL 

• NON TOXIC - CHEMICAL FREE 

• EASY TO USE AND APPLY 

• SAFE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 

• SAFE FOR THE FAMILY 

The safe and natural way to eliminate garden pests 

www.saveyoursoils.com.au 

(for more information i and your nearest retailer ) 

E: info@langleyfertilizers.com.au P: (08) 9302 1633 

www.ecogrow.com.au 

Australian owned and operated 

Why buy Pure Polish? 

Because ... 

We are 100% Australian owned and operated 

We use the finest quality, natural 

raw materials we can source 

We don’t use petrochemicals 

We believe in value for 

money - a little goes 

a long way 

We lovingly handmake 

our products 

in Australia 

10% DISCOUNT STOREWIDE ON 

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GARDENING MAGAZINE READERS. 

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• Largest supplier of Perma-Guard Fossil Shell Flour, 

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 

• Human and Animal Health Supplements 

• Premium Organic Fertilisers and Soil Conditioners 

• Zeolite, Humates, Liquid Seaweed Concentrate, Wetters 

• Sell to home user, large farmers & resellers 

1300 385 842 • sales@plantdoctor.com.au 

Pure Polish 

Furniture cleaning, care and 

restoration products that are 

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secure online shopping at 

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• Made to Measure. 

• Local factory. 

• Colorbond® Steel 

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Directory 

PRESERVATIVE FREE • JAMES HALLIDAY OUTSTANDING 

100% BIO-DEGRADABLE POT 

ALL NATURAL 

NO TRANSPLANT SHOCK 

10% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER! 

To order your plant-a-pot pack: 

www.greentech.net.au 

marion@greentech.net.au 

ph: 0412 186 933 

1300 659 330 theorganicwinecellar.com.au 

Australian 

Hand Made 

Wind Chimes 

Copper Rain Chains 

HAND MADE 

GARDEN TOOLS 

designed to make 

your work life easier 

Buy online at ... 

www.windsongchimes.com.au 

PO Box 462, Bellingen NSW 2454 

info@windsongchimes.com.au 

Phone: (02) 6655 9899 

Order online at 

www.dewitaustralia.com.au 

Ph 03 9787 8864 

At selected quality nurseries. 

sales@europeantoolsaustralia.com.au 

For Advertising 

opportunities 

Please contact 

Miriam Keen 

p. 02 9887 0604 

e. mkeen@universalmagazines.com.au

Join us at one of our nutrition and cooking 

demonstrations or retreats, see website for 

details or connect with us at the Energy 

Coaching Institute on Facebook for regular 

updates, and health and wellness tips. 

Specialising in a unique multidisciplined 

approach to enhancing 

your energy, personal health 

& professional performance. 

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Your Complete Steel 

Edging Solution 

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Find inspiration from our online galleries! 

• Elegant: A beautiful seamless line with 

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of 10 years. 

• Safe: The rolled top hides the connectors and 

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• Value: Cheaper than plate steel, aluminium or 

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• Versatile: There are almost endless 

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RossU Design & Swinburn TAFE 

MIFGS 2015 

Linton Garden & Home 

Paal Grant Designs 

Kew Cottages 

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See website for 

T & C’s

2. Good Organic Gardening - March-April 2016

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