3. Good Organic Gardening - May-June 2016 AvxHome.in

grow naturally, eat fresh, live sustainably 

MAY/JUNE 

Garden 

to table 

FERMENTING & PICKLING 

SEASONAL CROPS 

JENNIFER 

STACKHOUSE 

PLANT PROFILE: 

APPLES 

CLEVER CROPS: 

FLOWER SPROUTS 

& TAZZIBERRY 

+ EVERYTHING YOU NEED 

TO KNOW ABOUT MULCH 

CLAIRE 

BICKLE 

MORE ON 

BIODYNAMICS 

WITH A MOON 

PLANTING GUIDE 

DIY FOLIAR 

FERTILISER 

HOW TO BREW 

MANURE TEA 

Heirloom 

Rhubarb 

Vol. 7 No. 1 

MAY/JUN 2016 

AUS $7.95* 

NZ $7.90 

(Both incl. GST) 

PLUS 

• TURMERIC 

• WHAT NEEDS DOING 

IN YOUR PATCH RIGHT NOW 

MELISSA KING 

CABBAGE | SNOWPEAS 

+ WHAT’S NEW THIS SEASON 

MEGG MILLER 

AUSTRALIAN 

LANGSHAN CHICKENS

CONTENTS 

Contents 

52 

58 

6 Managing Editor’s Note 

A small tribute to our farmers, 

plus what’s in this issue 

8 The Grapevine 

Jo Immig discusses the role 

of industrial agriculture in the 

warming of our planet 

10 What’s Hot 

Horticulturist Melissa King 

profiles some lovely specimens 

to spruce up your garden 

12 & 14 Clever Crops 

Jennifer Stackhouse looks at 

two clever crops: flower sprouts 

and Tazziberries 

16 Plant Profile 

Once, almost every garden 

had an apple tree and for good 

reason: this iconic fruit is healthy 

and delicious 

20 Power Plant 

Turmeric has been hailed as the 

anti-inflammatory wonder spice. 

Why not grow your own? 

22 Family Heirloom 

An old-fashioned favourite that’s 

used like a fruit but is actually 

a vegetable: rhubarb 

38 

26 Gardening Folk 

Come and browse around 

Brisbanite Emil Wenner’s 

urban orchard 

30 Gardening Folk 

The Van der Winckel family have 

built an organic business and a 

way of life in Tasmania 

34 Amazing Garden 

Dunkeld’s Royal Mail Hotel has 

one of the finest restaurant 

kitchen gardens we’ve ever seen 

38 Weekend Gardening 

Mulching, done properly, is a little 

more complex than you think, 

says Jennifer Stackhouse 

42 The Underground 

As we all know, soil health is the 

basis of life. Angie Thomas offers 

an overview 

46 Time to Plant 

It’s a good time to put in carrots, 

snowpeas and sugar snaps, says 

Melissa King 

4 | Good Organic Gardening

CONTENTS 

48 Things to Do 

Jennifer Stackhouse does a 

roundup of what needs doing in 

the garden right now 

52 Biodynamics Basics 

Part II of Claire Bickle’s 

explanation of how 

biodynamics works, looking at 

the biodynamic preparations 

56 Moon Planting Calendar 

Find out when to sow and when 

not to in May and June 

58 Weekend Gardening 

Growing food plants in pots 

has never been easier, 

according to Claire Bickle 

61 The Shed 

Following up on her comfrey 

tea how-to, Sandra Tuszynska 

introduces us to the magic of 

manure tea 

64 Short Shoots 

Innovative and imaginative 

ideas for your garden from 

our young organic gardener 

66 Feathered Friends 

Megg Miller says the Australian 

Langshan breed can give ISA 

Browns a real run for their money 

70 People’s Choice Awards 

Announcing the category winners 

72 Fermented Foods Special 

Temporarily replacing 

Garden to Table is our special 

on the benefits of fermenting 

foods — with recipes 

83 What’s Hot From 

Our Advertisers 

Products and services 

92 Books 

New books for gardeners 

and cooks 

42 

16 

34 

22 

Good Organic Gardening | 5


Editor Kerry Boyne 

Designer Jess Middleton 

Contributors Claire Bickle, 

Jana Holmer, Jo Immig, Melissa King, 

Megg Miller, 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 Emma Perera 

Associate Publisher Karen Day 

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. 7 No. 1 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, 150 Albert Road, 

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Website: www.carkitfe.com. 

This magazine may have some content that is advertorial or 

promotional in nature. This book is copyright. Apart from any 

fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism 

or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be 

reproduced by any process without written permission. Enquiries 

should be addressed to the publishers. The publishers believe all 

the information supplied in this book to be correct at the time of 

printing. They are not, however, in a position to make a guarantee 

to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information 

proving inaccurate. Prices, addresses and phone numbers were, 

after investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, up 

to date at the time of printing, but the shifting sands of time may 

change them in some cases. It is not possible for the publishers 

to ensure that advertisements which appear in this publication 

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endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy, the 

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Please pass on or recycle this magazine. 

ISSN 1837-9206 

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universalmagazines.com.au 

Welcome 

to the issue 

On a recent trip to Tasmania, I was 

reminded once again of the deep 

respect I have for the men and 

women who grow our food — our 

farmers. Having a brother who presents The 

Country Hour on Hobart ABC radio meant 

specially arranged tours of a cherry and apple 

orchard, a vineyard, and a spectacular mixed 

farm that produces everything from poppies for 

medication and plants for essential oils to sheep 

and beautiful Black Angus cattle. 

It’s truly awe-inspiring to see not just the 

sheer hard work our farmers put in, but also 

their extraordinary courage in taking risks that 

city folk can barely even imagine. Not just the 

massive financial outlays on equipment in order 

to keep abreast, and being at the mercy of the 

increasingly fickle elements, which of course 

goes hand in hand with farming, but also their 

willingness to try something new and different 

to see if they can make a go of it. 

The only off note was realising just how 

much of our finest produce leaves these shores 

for China, Japan and other countries because 

farmers need to make a decent return for all 

that work and investment — and they’re not 

going to get it from the big supermarkets, which 

just squeeze them harder and harder. 

Growing our own food in our own backyards 

seems such a small thing by comparison, but it’s 

important nonetheless. In fact, visiting these 

farms just made me feel I should try harder 

to produce more and to source what I don’t 

grow from farmers’ markets and roadside 

stalls. (Luckily, I live in a rural area and can 

buy things such as honey, wine and olive oil 

from neighbours.) 

Clearly, if you’ve bought this magazine 

you have similar ideas and are looking for 

information and inspiration to turn your 

backyard or acreage into an edible oasis. 

Or perhaps, like our amazing Gardening Folk, 

you have already. 

So, this issue, the crops we feature include 

flower sprouts, a recently developed cross 

between Brussels sprouts and kale, along 

with Tazziberry, which despite its name is not 

I also saw bumble bees up close in Tasmania 

— too cute to be so unwanted! 

a native and is otherwise known as Chilean 

guava, as well as apples, rhubarb, cabbage, 

snowpeas and sugar snaps. The Power Plant 

this issue is turmeric, a spice with particularly 

potent therapeutic powers. 

In our regular Feathered Friends feature, we 

learn all about the Australian Langshan, a breed 

of chicken that can give the ISA Brown a run for 

its money in the egg-laying stakes. What’s more, 

the Australian Langshan is longer lived with a 

milder temperament. 

We also focus on keeping soil healthy and 

alive, and take a closer look at mulching and 

how we should be doing it — it’s not quite 

as straightforward as you think — along with 

making manure tea to use both directly on the 

soil and as a foliar fertiliser. Plus, we present part 

two of basic biodynamics along with a moon 

planting guide for May and June, as well as 

growing produce in pots. 

Finally, replacing our usual Garden to Table 

pages is a special section on fermented foods 

and pickling, including the incredible health 

benefits and how to make some items using 

either the excess from your garden or bought 

produce grown by hard-working farmers 

somewhere in this land of climatic variety. 

Until next issue, happy growing and pickling, 

Kerry 

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 

Through cultivation 

practices that leave the 

soil bare and pesticides 

that disturb microorganisms, 

it’s estimated 

industrial agriculture 

has reduced global 

carbon stocks in soil by a 

whopping 50–70 per cent. 

Join the regeneration 

While our attention has been focused on 

reinventing the way we produce energy, 

making the switch from fossil fuels to 

renewables, the role industrial agriculture plays 

in warming the planet is a blind spot that’s 

finally getting some attention. 

The word on many people’s lips is 

“regeneration”. Trending hashtags and websites 

are popping up like milk thistle to promote the 

role that regenerative agriculture has to play in 

cooling the planet, restoring healthy soils and 

feeding everyone well. 

At the COP21 climate change negotiations 

in Paris, the French government launched the 

“4 per 1000” initiative, which aims for a 0.4 

per cent annual growth rate in soil carbon. This, 

they maintain, could halt the present increase 

in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. 

It didn’t get much media attention but more 

than 100 partners signed the initiative, which 

aims to improve organic matter content and 

promote carbon sequestration in soils through 

the application of agricultural practices 

adapted to local situations. 

This might not seem new to those who’ve 

been practising organic farming for years, but 

a fresh badge might offer a way past the stale 

line that organics is a niche form of agriculture 

with little capacity to feed the starving millions. 

But by all accounts — including the UN in its 

2013 report Wake Up Before It Is Too Late — 

local, small-scale organic farms are the only 

way we can feed the world. 

So what is regenerative agriculture? Its 

underlying philosophy is to work with nature 

and the inescapable wisdom of biology. Sitespecific 

farming techniques are applied in ways 

that take care of the environment, communities 

and finances, leading to productive and 

healthy farms that take care of soil, improve 

biodiversity and sequester carbon. 

It turns out a critical piece of the carbon 

sequestration challenge lies in the way we treat 

the soil. Carbon makes up about 50 per cent 

of soil organic matter, or humus, and is vital 

for healthy soils. Industrial agriculture largely 

ignores it and focuses on levels of nitrogen, 

phosphorous and potassium (NPK). 

Through cultivation practices that leave the 

soil bare and the application of pesticides that 

disturb soil micro-organisms, it’s estimated that 

industrial agriculture has reduced global carbon 

stocks in soil by a whopping 50–70 per cent. 

The major reservoirs in the carbon cycle 

on Earth comprise the atmosphere, terrestrial 

biosphere, the oceans and the sediments, 

which include rocks, fresh water and soil 

carbon. Carbon has flowed between these 

reservoirs as a result of chemical, physical and 

biological processes in a relatively stable way 

for thousands of years. 

Human activity has essentially disrupted the 

global carbon cycle well beyond any natural 

fluctuations expected over time. We’ve done 

this by pumping vast quantities of carbon 

dioxide into the atmosphere burning fossil fuels 

and, by clearing forests and leaving the soil 

CanStockPhoto 


are, undermining the ability of ecosystems to 

extract carbon from the atmosphere. 

What does regenerative agriculture 

involve? The philosophy and design science 

of permaculture are employed to create 

food-producing farms set within their 

surrounding ecosystems. There’s no point 

applying methods suitable for farms in another 

bioregion if they don’t work where you are. 

The soil food web, the teeming micro-life 

that makes soil a living entity, is the key. With 

the addition of thermal compost and compost 

teas, lifeless soils get a kick-start and microorganisms 

(bacteria, fungi, nematodes etc) get 

to work, storing carbon and creating healthy 

soil, much in the way our own gut flora work. 

No-till crop production methods are used to 

maintain a healthy soil ecosystem and to limit 

soil compaction, increase nutrient availability 

and soil fertility, as well as improve water 

infiltration rates. 

The use of perennial crops ensures there 

are living roots in the soil 100 per cent of 

the time, which prevents soil erosion and 

compaction while also feeding the soil food 

web and creating more soil. 

Polycultures — growing different plants 

together — are used over monocultures, which 

aren’t found in nature. Polyculture reduces 

plant diseases, ensures insect diversity, 

improves soil fertility, increases habitat and 

improves crop resilience to climate stress. 

Effective ways to capture water that would 

otherwise run off are achieved using keyline 

strategies and watershed regeneration. The 

innovative Australian farmer Peter Andrews 

developed Natural Sequence Farming, which 

employs these methods to great success. 

Regenerative agriculture is capturing the 

enthusiasm of a young generation desperately 

looking for ways to turn the climatic Titanic 

around. It’s a much-needed response and 

a movement that’s gathering momentum 

because it offers tangible solutions. 

Resources 

* Regeneration International 

regenerationinternational.org 

* The Soil Story thesoilstory.com 

* Kiss the Ground kisstheground.com 

* Ecological Agriculture Australia 

ecoag.org.au 

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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 

Broccoli 

‘Romanesco’ 

The plant: ‘Romanesco’ is an Italian heirloom 

variety of broccoli that dates back to the 16th 

century. It is decorative in the garden and 

kitchen, with unique, spiralling, lime-green 

heads up to 1kg in weight, which look both alien 

and beautiful at the same time. ‘Romanesco’ 

has a love ly, fine texture and mild, slightly 

sweet flavour. It’s delicious lightly steamed and 

seasoned with a squeeze of lemon, a dash of 

olive oil and a pinch of salt. 

Growing: Broccoli ‘Romanesco’ prefers a sunny 

position and well-drained soil. Before planting, 

dig in plenty of compost and organic matter to 

nourish the soil and add a couple of handfuls of 

lime if necessary. Plants grow to around 60cm 

tall and should be spaced roughly 30–40cm 

apart. The dense heads will be ready to harvest 

10 or so weeks from planting as seedlings. 

Design: The lime-green heads are a decorative 

addition to the vegetable patch or kitchen 

garden. Plant ‘Romanesco’ next to purple 

cabbages or burgundy-leafed lettuces for 

striking contrast. diggers.com.au 

Nandina ‘Blush’ 

The plant: ‘Blush’ is a dwarf form of 

Nandina growing to 60–70cm tall and 

wide with attractive bamboo-like foliage. 

This variety is extra-special, taking on 

fiery tints of colour when many other 

nandinas are still green. It produces 

gorgeous red new growth in spring 

and autumn, but it’s most breathtaking 

through the winter months when the 

whole bush turns vivid red. 

Growing: It grows best in full sun or part 

shade with good drainage, but it will 

tolerate less-than-perfect conditions and, 

once established, copes well with drought 

and frost. Let it grow naturally or prune to 

shape every few years if needed. 

Design: It’s the perfect choice for a low, 

informal hedge or border or make a feature 

of it en masse in an Asian-style garden. 

ozbreed.com.au 


With Melissa King | THE SEASONAL GARDEN 

Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ 

The plant: For colour and interest in every season, you can’t go 

past Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’. And the name really says it all! The 

foliage is a kaleidoscope of changing colour year-round, but it’s 

particularly attractive during autumn and winter when the leaves 

ignite with tints of orange and fiery red. It has a dense, compact 

habit, growing to just 70cm tall and 90cm wide. 

Growing: For best results, grow Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ in a 

sunny spot with well-drained soil. It’s a tough plant, which, 

once established, stands up well to dry conditions. Just give 

it a light prune in early spring, along with a good dose of 

slow-release fertiliser. 

Design: Its naturally compact form makes it a top choice for 

a low-growing hedge, border or potted showpiece, or why not 

mass-plant it for a splash of dramatic colour? pma.com.au 

Spanish Licorice 

Glycyrrhiza glabra 

The plant: A perennial herb that grows to 1m tall and wide with 

violet (sometimes white), sweetpea-like flowers followed by small 

pods. Spanish licorice is grown for its sweet roots (underground 

stems), which contain glycyrrhizin, a compound 50 times sweeter 

than sugar. Glycyrrhizin is the key ingredient in licorice. It also has 

age-old therapeutic benefits and is said to relieve heartburn and 

indigestion, lower cholesterol levels and boost immunity. 

Growing: Glycyrrhiza glabra prefers full sun or part-shade and welldrained 

soil. Two- to three-year-old roots can be harvested in late 

autumn or winter. Dig a hole close to the plant to expose the roots. 

Design: Glycyrrhiza glabra is at home in the kitchen or flower 

garden, but it can be quite vigorous, so grow it where you can 

contain the roots to stop it spreading into unwanted areas. 

diggers.com.au 

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CLEVER CROP | Flower sprouts 

Flower sprouts 

Brassica oleracea 

Also known as brukale, this tasty hybrid 

combines the names and flavours of Brussels 

sprouts and kale 

Words Jennifer Stackhouse 

This crop is actually the result 

of some very clever breeding. 

Brukale, also known as flower 

sprouts, is a cross between a 

Brussels sprout and kale — hence its name. 

The plant forms sprout-like, edible flower 

buds with the rich purple tones and frilled 

leaves of kale. It’s tasty, versatile to prepare, 

attractive and nutritious. 

If you’ve tried to grow Brussels sprouts in 

Flower sprouts 

label 

Common names: Brukale, flower sprouts 

Botanical name: Brassica oleracea 

Gemmifera group 

Family: Brassicaceae (cabbage family) 

Requires: Full sun, well-drained soil 

Dislikes: High temperatures, drying out 

Suitable for: Vegetable gardens, 

containers 

Habit: Annual 

Needs: Cool season 

Propagation: Seed 

Difficulty: Medium 

the past and failed, brukale may be easier 

to grow. Its frilly, purple and green sprouts 

certainly make it a very pretty addition to 

the vegie garden. 

Brukale was developed in the UK several 

years ago and is now available in seed 

packets for home gardeners to grow. It’s 

best planted during late summer or autumn 

and can be harvested within 16–20 weeks 

from sowing. Autumn sowings provide winter 

and spring vegetables. 

Growing tips 

Start seeds in a seed punnet or tray in seedraising 

mix. Once the seedlings are large 

enough to handle (around 7cm high), transfer 

them to the garden or a raised vegetable bed. 

These are big, strapping plants, so allow at 

least 60cm between each plant and space the 

rows 60cm apart. 

The plants grow best in rich, well-cultivated 

soil. Keep them growing strongly with regular 

watering and applications of liquid fertiliser or 

a side dressing of organic vegetable fertiliser. 

Watch out for brassica pests such as aphids 

and the green caterpillars of the cabbage white 

butterfly. Squash any pests you see. 

The edible flowers form on the stem as 

with Brussels sprouts and ripen from the base 

of the plant up the stem. The sprouts can be 

harvested as needed, then steamed, sautéed, 

stir-fried or sliced for a crunchy salad. 

If you’ve tried to grow 

Brussels sprouts in 

the past and failed, 

brukale may be easier 

to grow. Its frilly, purple 

and green sprouts 

certainly make it a 

very pretty addition to 

the vegie garden. 

Brukale Petit Posy seeds are available 

during autumn from the Johnsons’ 

World Kitchen range in garden centres. 

See johnsons-seeds.com.au 

CanStockPhoto 


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CLEVER CROP | Tazziberry 

Tazziberry 

Myrtus ugni 

Though it hails not from the Apple Isle 

but from faraway Chile, this bittersweet 

fruit has made itself at home 


After lunch at a friend’s house, the 

hostess places a bowl of small, red 

berries on the table. “Tazziberries,” 

she says. “Try them.” 

They are little berries with a pleasant 

mix of sweet and tart flavours that makes 

them very moreish. Although there are some 

commercial growers, this is not a fruit that’s 

widely available, which makes it a treat to enjoy 

straight from your own bush in the garden. 

Tazziberry is a marketing name as the 

berries are not native to Tasmania (indeed, 

across the ditch they’re known as New Zealand 

cranberries). Rather, they come from South 

America, making their other common name, 

Chilean guava, a more accurate description. 

The Tazziberry is part of the genus Myrtus 

Tazziberry label 

Common name: Tazziberry, Chilean guava, 

strawberry myrtle, ugniberry 

Botanical name: Myrtus ugni 

Family: Myrtaceae (myrtle family) 

Requires: Full sun to part shade, welldrained 

soil 

Dislikes: Prolonged wet soils or drying out 

Suitable for: Low edible hedge, container 

Habit: Shrub 1.5–3m tall 

Needs: Occasional prune 

Propagation: Seed, cutting, potted plants 

Difficulty: Easy 

The shrub isn’t just pretty 

while in fruit. In spring, 

it’s smothered in clusters 

of small, pink, bellshaped 

flowers. 

and has given its name to the large Myrtaceae 

family, which also includes Australian natives 

such as the eucalypt and lilly pilly. 

The small, round, red berries are highly 

ornamental as well as edible and, when they 

ripen in autumn, they transform what could be 

a compact, retiring bush into a feature in the 

garden. The shrub isn’t just pretty while in fruit. 

In spring, it’s smothered in clusters of small, 

pink, bell-shaped flowers. 

This shrub has long been grown in cool 

climates as a low-care, evergreen hedge, but its 

commercial potential has only been explored in 

the past decade in Australia. 

Growing tips 

Tazziberries are a no-fuss plant in the right 

climate, which is cool to mild, so are best 

grown in the southern parts of Australia. Once 

established, they need little care other than a 

light clip after harvest to keep them in shape. 

The new growth is bronze toned. 

For abundant berries, apply fertiliser in 

spring and extra water when times are dry. 

Spread a thin (2–5cm) layer of organic mulch 

around the plant. 

As the shrubs are compact, easy to prune, 

tolerant of both sun and part shade and 

adaptable to all sorts of soils, they make an 

ideal hedge plant for a 1–2m hedge. 

Eat the fruit fresh off the bush as you garden 

or gather them to add to breakfast cereal, mix 

through an autumn fruit salad or use a handful 

to top desserts. 

Sciadopitys, Peganum CC 


PLANT PROFILE | Apples 

The original 

fruit 

From the Garden of Eden to our 

own backyards, apples have always 

been the most tempting of fruits 



Photos Fleming’s Nurseries & PlantNet 

There’s nothing as exciting as biting 

into a crisp, crunchy organic apple 

picked straight from your own 

backyard tree. Even my dogs enjoy 

fresh apples and eagerly collect fallen fruit. 

The chooks, too, keep the windfalls under 

control (and the pests) by free ranging 

under the trees. 

Apples are ready to harvest from late 

summer well into winter but most ripen 

during autumn. Include early and late 

varieties in a planting to extend the harvest 

of fresh fruit. 

In my old and battered CWA Cookery 

Book, the largest section of dessert and 

pudding recipes focuses on apples. They 

also feature heavily in the preserves chapter. 

After enjoying two bumper apple harvests 

from the trees in my Tasmanian garden, 

I can understand why. When you have 

a crop of apples, you want lots of ideas 

on how to use them. A well-established 

productive tree can yield up to 900 apples 

— that’s a lot of eating! 

Keep enjoying the flavour and nutrition of 

apples by learning how to store fresh apples 

(see box) as well as preserving them for the 

months ahead. Apples can be preserved by 

being bottled, stewed and frozen, dried or 

made into juices, ciders, chutneys and jellies. 

Where to 

grow apples 

Apples fruit in areas with cool to cold 

winters and mild summers. There are two 

critical factors for success with apples. 

One is to match the variety to the hours 

of chilling experienced through winter in 

your part of the world, and the other is to 

ensure the variety you are growing has a 

matching pollinator. 

Most apples are high-chill fruit. This 

Royal Gala 

means they need long hours of chilling 

while they are dormant through winter. 

Hours of chilling are accumulated during 

winter when temperatures fall below 7°C. 

Most apples need around 800 hours. 

This is why they grow best in the cooler 

southern regions (including Tasmania) 

and in highland and elevated areas such 

as Stanthorpe in Queensland, the Blue 

Mountains and Southern Highlands of 

New South Wales, and the Adelaide Hills in 

South Australia. 

There’s good news for would-be apple 

growers in warmer regions, though. There 

are low-chill varieties that fruit in areas 

where the winters aren’t bone-chillingly 

cold. ‘Golden Dorset’, ‘Tropical Anna’ and 

‘Tropical Beauty’ require less than 300 

hours of chilling, so can grow in colder 

parts of the subtropics. They can crosspollinate 

each other, so grow at least two. 

Pollinators 

The other critical factor for a good harvest is 

pollination. Most apples only form fruit when 

their flowers receive pollen from a different 

apple variety. This is known as crosspollination. 

The pollinating variety needs to 

be compatible and flower at the same time 

and in a nearby location. Bees do the work of 

carrying pollen between trees. 

In areas where there are lots of apple trees, 

having a compatible cross-pollinating variety 

in the orchard may not be critical as there is 

probably a cross-pollinating tree close by in 

someone else’s garden. 

In areas where apples are not as common, 

though, it can be vital to have a pollinating 

variety in the orchard. Where space is a 

problem, it’s possible to plant a multi-grafted 

tree that carries the desired variety and 

its pollinator. As well, trees can be grown 

as duos; that is, two trees planted into one 

planting hole. 

Apples | PLANT PROFILE 

Where space is a 

problem, it’s possible to 

plant a multi-grafted 

tree that carries the 

desired variety and 

its pollinator. 

There are apple trees that act as pollinators 

for a wide range of varieties, and planting 

these trees within the orchard increases 

harvest. Crab apples are universal 

pollinators. As these are also highly 

ornamental, including a crab apple in the 

garden will boost most apple crops. (Last 

issue we featured crab apples.) 

Other apples that pollinate a wide range 

of varieties are ‘Delicious’, ‘Granny Smith’ 

and ‘Jonathan’ (one of the most versatile 

pollinators to grow). Some apples, however, 

are very specific and need a particular 

pollinator, so always double-check pollination 

requirements before planting an apple tree. 

Although most varieties need a pollinator, 

some apples are self-pollinating (but their 

crops are generally better with crosspollination). 

‘Beauty of Bath’ is an heirloom, 

self-pollinating apple. Also self-pollinating 

are ‘Braeburn’ and the columnar Ballerina 

varieties. The compact variety ‘Pinkabelle’ is 

partially self-pollinating. 

Jonathan 

Golden Delicious 


PLANT PROFILE | Apples 

How to store 

fresh apples 

Apples keep well, especially in the 

crisper section in the fridge or in a 

cool area such as a pantry or cellar. 

Only store undamaged apples. Use any 

that are bruised or damaged to dry, 

stew, bottle or for juice. Apples keep 

best stored in racks or nestled into a 

box in a cool cellar. Regularly check 

stored apples and remove any showing 

signs of deteriorating. The ethylene 

released by rotting apples can cause 

others to spoil. Well-stored apples last 

in good condition for many months. In 

commercial cold storage, apples can be 

stored for up to six months. 

Gala Trixzie 

Small-growing 

varieties 

Choose from modern or heritage varieties 

when planting apples, but also look at 

the size of the full-grown tree. In the wild, 

apples grow into huge trees (around 6–8m 

high and 4–5m wide) but in backyards and 

home orchards, smaller is better. Not only 

do they fit into a restricted space, they are 

also easier to manage and to harvest than 

towering trees. 

Many apples are now available as dwarf 

varieties. Their compact size is due to the 

use of dwarfing rootstock, which keeps 

trees at a manageable size for pruning and 

maintenance. ‘Trixzie Gala’, a red, earlyto-mid-season 

apple grows around 2.5m 

high and wide. Plant this variety with its 

pollinator, ‘Pink Lady’, which is also available 

on dwarfing rootstock. 

Another option for a small space is a 

columnar apple. These are tall but naturally 

narrow and upright in shape. Although the 

trees are narrow, the apples produced are full 

Pink Lady 

Many apples are 

now available as 

dwarf varieties. Their 

compact size is due 

to the use of dwarfing 

rootstock, which keeps 

trees at a manageable 

size for pruning and 

maintenance. 

sized. They can be planted as a mini-orchard, 

grown against a fence or divider, or grown in 

a container on a patio. 

Ballerina columnar apples have been 

grown in Australia for several decades with 

good results. New to the columnar offerings 

are two varieties released this year. ‘Cumulus’ 

and ‘Herald’ grow 3m high but just 60cm 

wide and need little pruning. Both have 

red fruit and are late-season, long-storing 

and disease-resistant (they are resistant to 

apple scab and mildew) varieties. Grow in 

containers, raised beds or as a row along 

a fence. Pollinators include each other, 

‘Pinkabelle’ and several other columnar 

apples, including ‘Pom Pink’, ‘Pom-for-you’ 

and ‘Harmony’. 

Planting 

and growing 

Apples are best planted in winter when 

they are available as bare-rooted stock. 

Heritage or unusual varieties may need to 

be ordered ahead from specialist growers 

along with appropriate pollinating varieties. 

Expect apples to take three years to begin 

to produce fruit. Dwarf trees may fruit more 

quickly (within a year or two of planting). 

As well as winter chilling, apples need rich, 

deep soils and a sunny position. Keep trees 

well watered during summer as the crop is 

forming. Major pests are codling moth (which 

attacks fruit) and woolly aphid (which attacks 

the stems and roots). 

Dwarf and columnar apples need little 

pruning but larger apples require pruning in 

their early years to create a strong framework 

of branches and to open up the centre of the 

tree. Always remove upright vigorous growth 

that doesn’t produce flowers. Apples can also 

be espaliered (grown to branch horizontally 

against a wall or frame). 

Where to 

buy apple trees 

Apples are available in winter at most garden 

centres and hardware stores in areas where 

they grow. Specific varieties can be ordered 

via retailers or direct from growers. Heritage 

varieties are often available at specialist 

orchards or at apple-tasting events. For more 

information on dwarf or columnar apples, visit 

flemings.com.au or plantnet.com.au. 

Monty’s Surprise 

An apple a day 

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” 

is a catchy saying but modern research 

suggests apples are packed with healthgiving 

nutrients. An apple found in 

New Zealand has been shown to have 

extremely high levels of health-giving 

flavonoids and antioxidants in its supersized 

fruit. The variety is called ‘Monty’s 

Surprise’. Individual apples can be 

12cm in diameter. It’s available on dwarf 

rootstock so, despite its massive fruit 

size, trees grow around 2m high and just 

1m wide. It’s available at garden centres 

in South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria 

and Western Australia or online from 

plantnet.com.au 


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POWER PLANT | Turmeric 

Good as gold 

As well as turmeric’s many culinary uses, especially in curries, 

the Southeast Asian native has powerful medicinal benefits 

Words Kerry Boyne 

Like its close cousin, ginger, turmeric 

(Curcuma longa, syn. 

C. domestica) has significant antiinflammatory 

properties and a long 

history of use in Asia and India for arthritis 

and other inflammatory conditions. Of course, 

it’s also the main spice in curry powders and 

pastes. Its main constituent, curcumin, is 

showing promise as a preventative against 

several types of cancer. It has also been 

shown to lower cholesterol, support the liver 

and have an anti-coagulant action. More 

recent scientific research has focused on its 

role in helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. 

Growing 

A perennial and native to Southeast Asia, 

turmeric is easy to grow in temperate to 

tropical regions that are frost free; in fact, in 

subtropical and tropical regions, it can grow 

so prolifically, you may have to cull it annually. 

In cooler climates, grow it in a greenhouse or 

a pot so you can move it to a warm balcony 

in the cold months. 

The plant has a lovely flower, so you’ll 

enjoy growing it in your garden or a pot, even 

CanStockPhoto, Kerry Boyne 


Turmeric | POWER PLANT 

just as an ornamental. It grows taller than 

ginger and has finger-like rhizomes, which 

are the parts of the plant used in cooking 

and medicinally. 

Turmeric needs fertile, well-drained soil 

and will be happy in full sun or part shade. It 

can be planted now or any time of the year 

in tropical and subtropical regions but in cool 

and temperate climates, you’ll need to wait 

until spring to plant. It likes to be moist but if 

it’s too wet for too long, the rhizomes will rot. 

You can grow it from a shop-bought piece 

of turmeric root and, as with ginger, bury it 

about 10cm deep and, if planting more than 

one, keep them at least 30cm apart. Feed 

with manure or liquid fertiliser during the 

growing period. 

Harvesting 

The finger-shaped rhizomes should be 

ready for harvesting about nine months after 

planting. You’ll know they are mature enough 

when the lower leaves start to turn yellow 

and the stems become dry. You can either 

harvest the whole clump or dig very carefully 

around the edges and just take what you 

need, as you need it. 

Using 

Turmeric is usually dried and ground but it 

can be used fresh as well. Sun-drying is the 

traditional method, but if you have a food 

dehydrator it makes the job easy. You can 

slice the root before drying and, once dry, 

store in air-tight jars until you need to grind 

it to a powder, which can be done in a food 

processor. Make sure you pulse it, though, so 

it doesn’t heat up and lose nutrients. 

Turmeric leaves are often used in 

Malaysian cuisine for cooking fish. As with 

banana leaves, the fish is wrapped up like a 

parcel so the leaf flavour is imparted and the 

fish is kept moist. 

Golden Milk 

Golden milk is an Ayurvedic remedy used 

to treat arthritis and other inflammatory 

conditions, including colds and sore throats. 

It’s traditionally made with cow’s milk but you 

can use soy, rice, almond, oat or coconut milk 

if you prefer. You can also add other spices, 

such as cloves and cardamom. If a cup of 

milk is not to your taste, add the paste to a 

smoothie or to yoghurt. Some people even 

take the paste straight from a spoon. Note: 

turmeric stains, so handle it carefully. 

Turmeric Paste 

¼ cup turmeric powder 

½ cup pure water 

In a small pot, simmer the turmeric and 

water for 5–10 minutes, stirring to dissolve 

it into a thick paste. Allow to cool and 

transfer to a clean jar and store in the fridge 

for 2–3 weeks. 

Golden Milk 

1 cup milk of your choice 

1 tsp turmeric paste 

1 tsp almond oil 

Honey or maple syrup to taste (optional) 

Heat but don’t boil the milk. Add the 

turmeric paste and stir for a minute or two. 

Remove from the heat and add the oil. Add 

sweetener if desi red. 

Golden Milk 

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FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Rhubarb 

The pie 

plant 

Rhubarb is an old-fashioned favourite 

and it’s easy to see why. Its tasty, bright 

stems look as tantalising in the garden 

as they do on the plate 

Words Melissa King 

Photos Diggers Club 

Like many of us, I have childhood 

memories of feasting on rhubarb 

and apple pie with lashings of 

vanilla ice cream or dollops of thick 

fresh cream. And, while there is no denying 

that rhubarb and apple are a match made 

in heaven, rhubarb’s tart flavour also goes 

well with pears, berries, cheeses, yoghurt, 

almonds, ginger, honey and hazelnuts, just 

to name a few. 

So you can use it in in all kinds of 

desserts, from rhubarb and berry trifle to 

rhubarb and custard tart, and even savoury 

dishes such as beetroot and rhubarb salad. 

Americans often mix it with strawberries 

in tarts and preserves and traditionally it 

has been used in German kitchens to make 

Rhabarber Blechkuchen, a rhubarb sheet 

cake. It’s also a key ingredient in kompot, a 

non-alcoholic beverage popular throughout 

Eastern and Central Europe as well as 

Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan. 

In the garden, rhubarb — sometimes 

called the pie plant — is a leafy vegetable 

with thick, brightly coloured stems that can 

be red, pink, green or spotted depending 

on the variety. The leaves of the plant 

are poisonous, so be sure to only eat the 

rhubarb stalks. 

If you’re after a variety you won’t find 

in the shops, try growing Rhubarb ‘Mount 

Tamborine’ with extra-large stems. This 

Queensland beauty has rich, ruby-red stalks 

that have double the impact, in the ground 

and on the table. Or you might like to try 

‘Red Dragon’, which has sweet, dark-red 

stems and a strong, vigorous growth habit. 

‘Winter Wonder’ takes centre stage 

through the cooler months with rich, deepred 

stalks that step into the limelight just 

as other varieties are ready to be cut back, 

and makes a lovely border around the 

vegie patch. 

Rhubarb ‘Vi ctoria’ is a classic heirloom 

variety and a good reliable cropper for 

the backyard. It was introduced in 1837 


Rhubarb | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS 

to honour Queen Victoria, so it has been 

grown and cherished by gardeners for 

close to 180 years. ‘Victoria’ boasts large, 

bright, pink-red stems and a milder, 

sweeter flavour than other types. There 

are also old heirloom varieties with stems 

that are all or mostly green in colour, with a 

lovely sweet flavour. 

If you’re a city gardener or short on 

space, look out for compact varieties such 

as ‘Ruby Red Dwarf’, which crops well in 

tight spots and decorative pots. It has 

short, thick, ruby-red stems and pretty, 

blue-green foliage. 

Growing 

Rhubarb is a herbaceous perennial that 

needs plenty of room to grow, so find a 

dedicated space for it in the kitchen or 

flower garden. It can be grown from crowns 

or planted as seed, but seed-grown plants 

are variable so crowns are usually best. 

Or you may know someone who has a big 

clump that can be divided. Plants enjoy a 

cold winter, so are best grown in areas that 

aren’t too hot or humid. 

The best time to plant rhubarb crowns is 

somewhere from May to October. Rhubarb 

likes a sunny position, but it will tolerate 

a bit of shade. For best results, grow it in 

well-drained soil that has been prepared 

with plenty of compost and organic matter. 

Rhubarb is relatively pest and disease 

free, but plants can be susceptible to 

Mt Tamborine 


FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Rhubarb 

Winter Wonder 

Rhubarb stalks are known as petioles 

crown rot so if drainage is poor, grow it on 

mounds or in raised beds. 

Plant crowns so they are covered 

with just a few centimetres of soil and 

water well during dry weather. Feed 

plants regularly with a complete organic 

liquid food that encourages good stem 

development and top up garden beds with 

compost each year in spring. 

Harvest 

Because rhubarb is a perennial, you can look 

forward to years of copious harvests. But 

you will need to exercise a bit of patience. 

Harvest rhubarb only very lightly in the 

first year and prune out any flower stems 

that develop. By year two or three, you’ll be 

picking a healthy crop of stalks for cakes, 

pies and crumbles. 

A homegrown crop of rhubarb is worth 

the wait. Just remember to never harvest 

more than half of the stems at one time. 

It’s best to harvest the stems by hand. Just 

grab the stalk nice and low and pull so you 

don’t leave a stub behind that could rot. 

For more information, diggers.com.au 

Sometimes known as the pie 

plant rhubarb is delicious in 

pies and crumbles 

CanStockPhoto 


Rhubarb | FAMILY HEIRLOOMS 

The green or speckled 

varieties are not as popular 

Kompot, a traditional Polish 

strawberry and rhubarb drink 

Rhubarb label 

Common name: Rhubarb 

Botanical name: Rheum rhabarbarum 

Family: Polygonaceae 

Aspect: Sun to part-shade 

Soil: Fertile, well-drained 

Climate: Cool to subtropical 

Habit: Upright 

Difficulty: Moderate 

Traditional German 

rhubarb sheet cake 

Rhabarber Blechkuchen 


GARDENING FOLK | Emil Wenner 

Last year Emil harvested 

1.5kg of beans from his 

coffee plant 

The fruits of 

his labour 

Emil and Katrina Wenner’s suburban Brisbane block is a thriving 

organic orchard and a haven for chooks and wildlife alike 

Words & photos Sandra Tuszynska 

Emil Wenner, a retired tradesman and 

enthusiastic gardener, lives with 

his family in Holland Park on the 

south side of Brisbane. In 1969, he 

emigrated to Australia from Karlsruhe, a city 

in the Black Forest region of Germany. 

Emil reminisces on his post-war life in 

Germany: “My parents fed a family of seven 

children almost entirely from their garden. 

In fact, there was always some surplus 

produce to give away. My mum cooked 

delicious vegetarian meals from the family’s 

garden vegetables.” 

Around 30 years ago, Emil and his wife 

Katrina bought the house, which her father 

built and where she grew up. At the time, 

Lady Finger banana trees were already 

established. Emil planted some palm trees, 

which grew rapidly. He later replaced them 

with other fruit trees. 

The large Bowen mango tree in the corner 

of the 700m 2 block was the first fruit tree he 

grew from seed. During one season, the family 

harvested 250 mangoes from this tree, only a 

small proportion of the tree’s entire crop. 

Since then, Emil has planted an astonishing 

variety of fruit trees around the house, 

which will become a fruitful paradise in 

years to come. These include passionfruit, 

starfruit, oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, 

lemonade, black sapote, avocados, olives, 

grapes, papaya and loquats, as well as aloe 

vera and various herbs. 

Last year, he harvested 1.5kg of coffee 

beans from his coffee bush and jokes, “I 

have to learn how to roast it now, so I can’t 

give up coffee.” 

Emil and his son also planted a neem tree 

in the front yard. Neem is renowned for its 

medicinal properties and used widely in India 

for dental and other hygiene care. The boys 

also planted a soursop tree, another amazing 

plant that’s come under rigorous scientific 

investigation for its medicinal and anticarcinogenic 

properties. 

However, Emil’s favourite is the exoticlooking 

dragon fruit: “I just keep putting 

cuttings into the ground. It grows so well and 

doesn’t require much water or care. I just love 

the flowers and the fruit of this plant.” 


Ripe dragonfruit in Emil’s garden 

Here comes the sun 

Until recently, a large proportion of the 

backyard had been shaded by a neighbour’s 

enormous eucalypt, preventing cultivation. 

However, the tree was old and posed a threat 

to the neighbour’s house so it had to be 

chopped down. 

As Emil admits, “It was sad to see the tree 

go; it must have been over a hundred years 

old. It was so big it shaded four properties, so 

we couldn’t grow much in its shade — and 

now there is all this light!” 

Elderberry has thrived in the shade and 

the chickens just love the berries. Emil 

laughs, “They eat it until their poo turns 

blue!” The elderberry has taken over the 

once-shaded backyard, its saplings sprouting 

everywhere. Emil cuts them and uses them 

Emil loves his chickens 

Elder flowers 

The boys also planted 

a soursop tree, an 

amazing plant that’s 

come under rigorous 

scientific investigation 

for its medicinal and 

anti-carcinogenic 

properties. 

as mulch when they get out of hand. He 

and Katrina add that it’s possible to make 

refreshing beverages and cough syrups from 

both berries and flowers. 

In the newly sunny backyard, Emil has 

planted an avocado tree. “Avocados don’t 

like to have wet feet,” he says. “So I don’t 

overwater it in the clay soil.” 

Emil fertilises his fruit trees and garden 

with Seasol, worm castings and compost, 

adding dolomite, as calcium is needed for 

flowering. He incorporates these into the soil 

or around trees two months before flowering. 

Then he waters the soil once a week and 

covers it with sugarcane mulch. 

Living sustainably 

Sustainability is something Emil feels 

passionate about. “I’ve always desired to 

have a green, sustainable lifestyle. So when 

our hot water system broke, we jumped at 

the idea of installing a solar heating system. 

This was at least 20 years ago and we were 

perhaps one of the first families in Holland 

Park to have it. Now we also have 12 solar 

Bananas 

panels to offset our electricity costs.” 

Emil has set up a greywater system to 

divert shower and bath water onto the 

garden and fruit trees. The family is rigorous 

about using mostly eco-friendly and natural 

products and uses rainwater for drinking and 

watering the garden. 

Emil also has a worm farm and a compost 

bin, so food scraps are shared between them, 

the chooks and the female brush-tail possum 

and her offspring, which sleep in a nesting 

box he built high up in the mango tree. Every 

evening, Emil goes down to feed the possum 

and her baby; they feel comfortable with him 

and at home in his garden. When there’s an 

abundance of mangoes, papayas and palm 

berries, the possums, flying foxes and birds 

flock to Emil’s fruitful feast. 

Most of what is growing in the garden, 

including the many papaya trees, is selfsown. 

Emil also allows weeds to come up 

and doesn’t spend much time weeding 

the garden, as he later uses the weeds 

as mulch. 

Neither does he mind the insects that 

find a habitat in the garden: “I feed the 

grasshoppers to the chickens, which they 

love. Whenever I plant any vegies from the 

cabbage family, caterpillars soon decimate 

them. However, I don’t mind this as I know 

they will become butterflies.” 

Emil usually uses an eco-friendly oil and 

soap spray to deter citrus stinkbugs, as he 

loves his citrus fruit. He adds, “Lemon is 

the only citrus fruit that can be eaten in 

its entirety, including the skin. When 

blended and consumed, a lemon a day 

keeps the doctor away. Lemons are truly 

a preventive medicine.” 


GARDENING FOLK | Emil Wenner 

Passionfruit flower 

One of the possum youngsters 

Dragonfruit flowers last only one night 

Nesting box for the 

possums 


Emil Wenner | GARDENING FOLK 

Emil feeds comfrey to his chickens 

Caterpillar of Swallowtail Butterfly 

Feeding the possums 

He creates a comfrey tincture for aches and 

pains: “I submerge comfrey leaves and roots 

in alcohol and use it for sores, wounds and 

bodily aches. When I experience back pain, I 

rub in the tincture and find that the pain goes 

away the next day.” 

The birds & the bees 

Emil also feeds comfrey leaves to his 

chickens. He originally had 10 chooks 

but now only three remain. He finds the 

English purebred is the healthiest and most 

productive. “She’s five years old and still 

produces eggs, although we don’t expect eggs 

from our chooks. I love my chickens; they have 

a good life and we let them die a natural death.” 

To ensure his chooks receive plenty of 

calcium to form their eggs, Emil crushes 

the eggshells and then feeds them back to 

the chickens. 

Emil finds the Brisbane climate makes it 

difficult to grow certain varieties of crops in the 

usually hot summer months. For example, his 

favourite things to grow are cucumbers and 

tomatoes but by November, the tomatoes are 

prone to fruit-fly infestation so that’s when he 

starts his cucumbers. 

The gardener has also realised his pumpkins 

don’t produce fruit. He speculates that there 

aren’t enough bees and other pollinating 

insects, so he’s very keen to set up a bee 

habitat to invite them to his garden. 

Future organic endeavours include 

experimenting with different fruit varieties 

while continuously striving to create an 

ever more sustainable lifestyle for himself 

and his family, as well as the various animals 

he cares for. 

Emil also has a worm farm and a compost bin, 

so food scraps are shared between them, the 

chooks and the female brush-tail possum and her 

offspring, which sleep in a nesting box he built high 

up in the mango tree. 

Soursop is being 

studied for its amazing 

health benefits 

Emil’s top tips 

Break up clay soil with dolomite, 

compost and worm castings to attract 

earthworms. 

Use your weeds as mulch (making sure 

the seeds are absent). 

Research the medicinal and nutritional 

properties of the plants you grow. 

Recycle all your food scraps back 

to the soil through worm farming 

and composting. 

Use greywater to water your trees 

and garden, making sure to use only 

eco-friendly, biodegradable soaps 

and detergents. 


GARDENING FOLK | Marleen & Ronald van der Winckel 

Ronald and Marleen 

second time 

round 

Originally from the Netherlands, these herb farmers moved to Australia 

twice to realise their dream of an organic way of life 

Words & photos Jennifer Stackhouse 

& Emma van der Winckel 

Amid fields of medicinal poppies, 

potatoes and grazing cattle and 

sheep, a patch of vivid purple 

lavender stands out against the 

red soil. I am in Barrington in northwest 

Tasmania about 20 minutes from the port 

city of Devonport. It’s a lush region with 

rolling green hills and views to mountains. In 

winter, those mountains are often snowclad. 

As I slow down to admire the straight, 

even rows of lavender flowers, I notice 

other interesting crops and a small sign 

reading “Marleen Herbs of Tasmania”. I turn 

into the driveway. 

The Marleen of Marleen Herbs is Marleen 

van der Winckel. She and husband Ronald live 

with their family in a Federation-style timber 

house with a cottage garden, vegetable and 

herb beds, fruit trees and chooks. There are 

rustic outbuildings, including a purpose-built 

bread oven, shade houses and a vast but 

picturesque timber-clad shed. Huge walnut 

trees overhang some of the buildings. 

Beyond the house, in addition to the eyecatching 

lavender crop, are fields planted 

with organic herbs and medicinal plants. 

The farm is a beautiful and productive 

place with a backdrop of mountains, including 

the ever-changing Mount Roland, paddocks 

and native eucalypts. 

Changing 

hemispheres 

Marleen and Ronald say they have been 

growing herbs organically since they began 

farming in The Netherlands in 1982. It suited 

their desire to live an organic lifestyle. By 

1987, they were able to buy a property. 

The family first moved to Tasmania 

in 2000. They tell me they settled near 

Deloraine in the north of the state but 

after three years decided to return to the 

Netherlands. Despite moving back to Europe, 

their yen for an Australian life didn’t abate. 

“We spent lots of time thinking and talking 

about Australia,” says Marleen. “In 2008, our 

eldest son, Cyriel, travelled around Australia 

and when he reached Tasmania, we asked 

him to look at land in the northwest, which 

we’d seen on the internet.” 

The northwest of Tasmania is a rich 

farming area with deep volcanic soils and a 

usually reliable rainfall of around 1500mm 

a year. The climate is Mediterranean, which 

means cold, wet winters followed by warm, 


Marleen & Ronald van der Winckel | GARDENING FOLK 

The farm is a beautiful and productive place with a backdrop of mountains, 

including the ever-changing Mount Roland, paddocks and native eucalypts. 

hot summers. The long, warm summers 

provide plenty of sunshine to enhance the 

medicinal properties of herb crops. 

Cyriel visited the 40ha property, took soil 

samples and explored its rolling hills. He gave 

the Barrington property the thumbs up and 

even went to the auction to bid on behalf of 

his parents. The area’s local doctor, who had 

owned the property for decades, had run 

horses there. 

“We liked the property as it had never been 

cultivated, which meant it could be easily 

transformed into a certified-organic farm,” 

Marleen explains. “Its topography of hills 

and gentle slopes means it is not affected 

by run-off from neighbouring properties and 

we could see there was plenty of room for 

growing shelter belts.” 

While they waited for the land to gain 

organic certification, they leased the house 

to a farmer who ran dairy cows and kept the 

paddocks weed free by slashing. After three 

years, they achieved organic certification and 

moved back to Australia to plant herbs. 

Second start 

The second move was a success. Five years 

on, the family is well and truly established 

in Australia. Cyriel is a forester with a keen 

interest in sustainable energy. He lives on the 

property with his partner, Anne. Marleen 

and Ronald’s daughter, Jasmijn , is a midwife 

at the local hospital and has an interest in 

herbs. Niels is studying economics at the 

University of Tasmania, and Emma, who was 

the last of the four children to return to 

Australia, has completed studies in natural 

therapies and is working with her parents 

on the farm. 

Emma is expanding the farm’s product 

range with dried herbal teas and has taken 

over the production of gemmos, a special 

range of organic therapies where essences are 

extracted from buds steeped in oils. Emma has 

increased the range of gemmos to 60 varieties, 

including chestnut, hawthorn, birch, hazel and 

blackcurrant. She is also continuing her studies 

in western herbal medicine. 

Variety of crops 

Around 200 crops are produced annually. 

They range from traditional herbs, including 

lavender, echinacea, goldenrod and rosemary, 

to niche crops grown for specialist medicinal 

uses, such as gemmos. 

The herbs are transformed on-site into 

organic tinctures, essences and extracts. 

All processing is done in a state-of-the-art 

laboratory built by Ronald and housed inside 

an unassuming timber barn. The materials 

Lavender and 

echinacea 

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is one 

of the farm’s largest crops. Flowers are 

harvested in summer around Christmas 

time. Marleen and Ronald grow a dwarf 

lavender variety, which they believe 

produces the best essence and is easy to 

manage and harvest. 

Once the flowers have been gathered 

using a specially adapted electric 

harvester, they are processed into 

lavender essences and oils, and are 

also dried. 

Another important crop is echinacea. 

Three species are grown: Echinacea 

angustifolia, E. purpurea and E. pallida. 

Echinacea angustifolia is grown for its 

roots, which are dried. The other species 

are now less in demand for medicinal use. 

they produce are exported around the world, 

particularly to Europe. 

Their main customers are phytotherapeutic 

and homoeopathic businesses 

that use certified-organic materials for herbal 

medicines. Herbs are also sold fresh, dried 

and frozen. 

The production shed and laboratory are 

housed in a barn all built from scratch by 

Ronald. In the foreground is one of the 

echinacea plantings (E. pallida) 

An overview photo 

with a herb field, the 

hazelnuts, a newly 

planted vineyard and 

Mount Roland 


GARDENING FOLK | Marleen & Ronald van der Winckel 

Getting the fire 

going in the 

“bakehouse” ready 

to bake bread 

Daisy the family dog 

A large flock of hens is part of 

the organic life on the farm 

Marleen welcoming me to 

her Barrington herb farm. 

The dense box hedges are 

more than a century old 

Marleen and daughter 

Emma with their 

echinacea crop 

Organic mindset 

Marleen and Ronald have made every 

part of their farm organic and sustainable. 

Weeding is done by hand or by harrowing, 

while pests and diseases are managed 

without harmful chemicals. 

“We don’t have many disease problems, 

however one plant that regularly suffers 

problems is peppermint, which gets rust,” 

explains Marleen. “There are rust-resistant 

varieties in Europe but these are not 

available here.” 

Without access to her preferred variety, 

Marleen manages rust with heavy pruning 

and watering to encourage new diseasefree 

growth. 

Organic mulches are used around 

perennial and tree crops to reduce weeds 

and the paddocks are maintained with 

sustainable methods that increase the 

biodiversity. Large compost heaps 

recycle the waste from crops while 

contour ditches capture run-off and 

direct it to the 20-megalitre dam in the 

lowest part of the farm. 

Water harvested from all the buildings 

is used both for the house and for cooling 

systems such as the water-cooled vacuum 

distillation equipment. 

Seed-sown annual crops are planted using 

organic or non-chemically treated seed. 

Many seeds are also saved from year to year 

and re-sown. Marleen regularly saves seeds 

from echinacea, verbascum and valerian for 

replanting. Seed crops are also part of their 

growing mix. They grow organic seeds for 

The Diggers Club, producing the company’s 

organic ‘Lazy Housewife’ beans among 

other crops. 


Marleen & Ronald van der Winckel | GARDENING FOLK 

Emma displays some 

of the gemmos she is 

preparing from buds 

harvested on the farm 

Marek adds moisture to 

the compost 

The crops are planted over six separate 

fields. The schedule of planting, which is 

highly complex due to the large range of 

crops and the timing of harvests, is managed 

by Ronald, who uses computerised stock 

records to keep track of planting and harvest 

times and crop rotations. Green manure crops 

including lentils, clovers and oats are sown to 

renew soil fertility after areas are harvested. 

Clever ideas 

Much of the harvesting is done by hand, 

although mechanical harvesters are used for 

more robust crops. 

Of particular importance to Ronald and 

the family is reducing their use of fossil fuel. 

The farm is well served by solar energy, 

which is harnessed via panels and batteries 

to provide the energy to run the farm’s 

electric tractor and harvester as well as 

pumps and other equipment. 

Using a kit imported from the US, Ronald 

modified an old red Allis-Chalmers tractor 

to run on battery power. Cyriel made 

the battery-powered lavender harvester 

by modifying a harvester and adding an 

electric engine from a forklift. 

As well as reducing their use of fossil fuel, 

the electric tractor and harvester are quiet 

and don’t belch fumes or drip oil. Ronald says 

it’s more pleasant and less stressful to work 

with electric-powered machinery. As the 

machines work in the fields, spare batteries 

are recharged from solar panels. “The power 

we generate provides enough energy to 

harvest what we can handle in a day,” says 

Marleen. “It all works really well.” 

The herbs are also dried sustainably as 

natural heat from the roof space above the 

workshop is used to heat the air that dries 

the plants. 

It’s a busy and demanding life but one 

Marleen and Ronald love. “We work every day,” 

says Marleen. “We just enjoy being here on the 

farm. We never tire of it and never get bored!” 

Future plans 

Despite their success, the family’s farm isn’t 

going to stand still. Future plans include 

bringing cattle onto the property. Cattle are 

an important part of managing the fields in 

an organic system, Marleen explains. She 

says they plan to build shedding to house 

the cattle to make it easier to gather the 

manure, which could then be applied to the 

soil as fertiliser. 

Marleen would also love to rear Maran 

chickens, a French heritage breed that lays 

dark-brown eggs. She is hoping to find a 

breeder to get her flock started. 

Keen to share their knowledge, the family 

have also begun to run field days for natural 

therapists. Visiting a working organic farm 

allows practitioners to better understand 

how the therapies they rely on are grown and 

processed, says Marleen. 

Around 200 crops are 

produced annually. 

They range from 

traditional herbs, 

including lavender, 

echinacea, golden 

rod and rosemary, to 

niche crops grown for 

specialist medicinal 

uses, such as gemmos. 

Another overview of a part 

of the farm with one of the 

herb fields, the vineyard 

and Mount Roland 


AMAZING GARDEN | Royal Mail Hotel 

Gardener extraordinaire, 

Michelle Shanahan 

Stamp of 

approval 

Even in far-flung Melbourne, foodies are agog about the Royal Mail 

Hotel and its organic produce, thanks to chef Robin Wickens and 

kitchen gardener Michelle Shanahan 

Words Jana Holmer 

Photos Jana Holmer & Royal Mail Hotel 

the small town of Dunkeld lies at 

the base of Mount Sturgeon at the 

southern end of the Grampians, 

three hours from Melbourne. 

For roughly one-and-a-half centuries, the 

Royal Mail Hotel has stood on the Glenelg 

Highway in Dunkeld. It began as a bluestone 

inn for travellers, stables and a staging post 

for the Cobb & Co mail service, a function 

that gave it its name. 

In the late 1990s, a multi-million-dollar 

refurbishment graced the original colonial 

structure with a modern, glass-enclosed 

room housing an award-winning restaurant 

with a world-class wine list, as recognised by 

UK-based The World of Fine Wine magazine. 

Not every rural eatery can boast two hats 

in The Age Good Food Guide and some of the 

credit must go to Michelle Lee Shanahan, who 

lives in one of the hotel’s old outlying cottages 

and presides over the kitchen garden, with its 

spectacular backdrop of the Grampians and 

looming Mount Abrupt, just 7km away. 

Formerly from Kurri Kurri in the NSW 

Hunter Valley, Michelle has a diploma in 

horticulture and landscape design and has 

been gardening since she could walk. 

“As an only child, I always loved my nanna’s 

hydrangeas,” she recalls. “I’d potter around 

the farmhouse, create a garden and learn 

about plants. This made me very content.” 

With a natural affinity for gardening, 

Michelle considers herself a nurturer and is 

very much attracted to a sustainable lifestyle. 


Royal Mail Hotel | AMAZING GARDEN 

The restaurant menu is set 

by what crops are producing 

Before moving here, she built a mud-brick 

house and lived off the grid. This made her 

very conscious of waste and she preserved, 

recycled and reused whatever and whenever 

she could. She admits she “could talk about 

this for hours”. 

Just add water 

The hotel garden comprises a hectare of 

country long recognised as fine grazing land. 

Before it was turned into a flourishing kitchen 

garden, says Michelle, “It used to be a horse 

paddock about nine months of the year.” 

The ground must still hold plenty of 

organic nutrients because among the 

crops that go gangbusters here are globe 

artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, 

radish, beetroot, potatoes, pumpkin, garlic, 

zucchini “or anything that [chef] Robin 

wants to cook with. It’s a fantastic garlicgrowing 

area.” 

Heirloom vegetables are mainly grown 

from seed; using igloos to extend the growing 

seasons allows them to produce year-round. 

On Michelle’s iPad is a spreadsheet 

with an exhaustive list of fruit trees, herbs, 

vegetables and anything else Robin 

Wickens might use in the kitchen. If he 

asks for a specific lettuce from Europe, 

she’ll try to obtain seeds from overseas 

and grow it for him. The list ranges from 

microgreens and vegies to fruit and flowers 

and includes more than 680 seeds, tubers 

or plants that Michelle has either grown 

or is growing. 

Dunkeld enjoys cold, wet winters, hot, 

dry summers and occasional frosts. It gets 

600mL of rain a year, mostly in winter but 

also in spring and autumn. In summer, 

temperatures can soar to 40°C. 

With all that rain, adds Michelle, “There 

are raised beds for drainage, otherwise 

water would sit and stagnate.” Additional 

water needs are met with a class-C osmosis 

irrigation system: “It waters large areas at 

once, but we notice that globe artichokes, for 

example, don’t need that much water.” 

Water-saving measures include mulch, 

drippers, compost and close observation of 

soil moisture, which Michelle tests regularly 

by sticking a finger in the earth. 

The nitty gritty 

For Michelle, it comes naturally to grow 

vegetables without chemicals. It’s the way she 

has always done it and she couldn’t think of 

anything worse than applying a chemical to 

something she or anyone else might consume. 

“Growing produce organically is the easiest 

way to grow,” she avers. “Why would I want to 

make it harder?” 

For fertilisers, she uses blood and bone, 

compost, animal manures and potash. “If I 

hear of anyone getting rid of anything such 

as rotten hay or a farmer who has spoilt some 

produce, I’ll source it for the kitchen garden.” 

Michelle’s approach to pest control is just 

as simple and consists of exclusion methods 

such as cloches and netting. She has also 

used beneficial insects to control spider 

mite, as well as cultural control such as crop 

rotation and sowing bio-mustard to manage 

nematodes. “But observation is your greatest 

tool: look and deal with daily issues.” 

Michelle considers 

herself a nurturer 

and is attracted to a 

sustainable lifestyle. 

Before moving here, she 

built a mud-brick house 

and lived off the grid. 


AMAZING GARDEN | Royal Mail Hotel 

Succulent raspberries in 

the foreground, Grampians 

in the background 

Chemical free and 

full of flavour 

Garlic drying 

Visiting wildlife, however, calls for a 

robust response. “The Grampians are home 

to thousands of wallabies, kangaroos and 

possums, all of which frequent the garden on 

occasion. Bush rats burrow in, eat the roots of 

plants and then the plant falls down, just like 

that. They’re a dreadful pest,” says Michelle. 

Accordingly, the garden has “tree guards 

specifically designed in steel or wrought iron 

to cover fruit trees, which are then netted 

to deter pests. Special casings that look 

like cages cover vegetables to protect 

against rodents and possums. We just keep 

mulching and all the vegetables and fruit 

trees flourish in it.” 

As for compost, her simple philosophy is, 

“What goes out of the garden comes back 

into the garden.” There is no worm farm: “Let 

worms do their job in the garden — and there 

are plenty of them.” 

Garden to plate 

As for the restaurant’s requirements beyond 

fruit, veg and herbs, says Michelle, “Other 

aspects of the business include large farm 

holdings that produce the beef and lamb 

served in the dining room. There are more 

than 100 chooks and we’re just starting with 

honey and mushroom production.” 

The chef regularly shows off the garden to 

overnight guests, Michelle says proudly. “To 

be able to see the produce as it is grown and 

then experience it on the plate is very special. 

“The fact is, absolutely everything we grow 

is for the sole benefit of the restaurant. Chefs 

come to pick daily and create a menu that’s 

dictated by the garden.” 

Small wonder that, when asked what her 

favourite part of the garden might be, Michelle 

finds it hard to single out any one thing. “Every 

bit of it,” she says. “I just love it.” 

Michelle’s top tips 

Have passion and integrity. 

Learn from your mistakes and those 

of others. 

Choose species that are well suited to 

your climate or adapt the environment 

to suit the plant. 

Compost, compost and more compost. 

Mulch! 

A magnificent garden 


Royal Mail Hotel | AMAZING GARDEN 

Protection from birds 

The view from the kitchen 

Since British-born chef Robin Wickens joined the team at the Royal 

Mail, the focus of the kitchen garden has shifted from “basic produce 

like carrot, onion, potato, silverbeet and pumpkin” to producing 

garnishes such as white asparagus and watercress. 

The garden has also refined its crops, he says, “by selecting the 

right varieties that fit our needs. For example, Cylindra beetroot is a 

less common variety but one we use a lot.” 

Robin makes suggestions to garden specialist Michelle to grow, say, 

spaghetti squash on a needs basis. They’ve expanded the garden by 

adding a snail farm and cultivating mushrooms to further extend the 

range of one of Australia’s most sustainable restaurants. 

“Kitchen gardens are a massive trend in the restaurant industry at 

the moment,” Robin points out, “though most only use the garden for 

PR [purposes]. Not many would be able to provide the resources and 

time needed to do it on the scale we do. 

“You also need to be open to changing the menu as produce is 

being used up, which isn’t that common in kitchens.” 

It goes without saying that few hotel kitchens have a dedicated 

garden, let alone an organic one. Robin is no newcomer to organics, 

having kept a small herb and vegie garden at his home in Apollo Bay. 

For him, it’s all about taste. 

“Organically grown vegetables have intense flavour, not that forced, 

watery, washed-out flavour you tend to get with vegetables grown 

commercially. You do leave yourself open to the elements more, and 

not all vegetables are uniform or perfect in shape and size.” 

They look pretty perfect on the plate, though. 

Chef Robin Wickens 


WEEKEND GARDENING | Mulch 

MUCH ADO 

ABOUT MULCH 

Protecting the soil surface with a mulch layer is the gardener’s 

secret weapon in the fight against heat, drought, heavy rain and weeds. 

Here are tips on how to select and best use mulch 

CanStockPhoto 


Mulch | WEEKEND GARDENING 

Leaf litter makes good mulch 


Mulches keep soil cool on 

hot days, suppress weeds, 

protect soil from damage 

from heavy rains, reduce 

water loss and, as organic mulches break 

down, add nutrients to the soil. 

Many gardeners believe that the deeper 

the mulch layer, the better. But, while deep 

mulches may suppress weeds and add 

organic matter as they break down, it appears 

that deep layers of mulch can lead to soil 

problems, especially in times of low rainfall. 

Too much mulch 

Soil expert Kevin Handreck has conducted 

studies into mulches. His research has 

revealed that deep applications of fine, waterabsorbing 

mulches inhibit water reaching 

the soil and contribute to water repellency 

in soils. In cottage-style and permaculture 

gardens, deep mulching also inhibits selfseeding 

of annuals and perennials. 

In his book Good Gardens with Less 

Water, Kevin explains that fine mulches, 

especially where they include an added 

wetting agent, hold water. If there isn’t much 

water falling on the garden, the mulch may 

stop water reaching the soil and hydrating 

the plants. Mulches with high levels of dust 

can also absorb moisture and prevent it 

reaching the soil. 

“A 100mm-thick layer of fine mulch with 

a wetting agent added to it could trap up 

to 60mm of rain or sprinkler water before 

any water reaches the soil,” Kevin explains. 

“Mulches with high proportions (greater than 

80 per cent) of particles larger than 5mm are 

best at letting rain reach the soil.” 

He also warns that increasing the depth 

of coarse mulches above 35mm has no 

benefit in reducing water loss. The best 

coarse mulches reduce water loss by up 

to 63 per cent. 

These findings have led Kevin to 

recommend using a 5–10mm layer of fine 

mulch overlaid by a 35mm layer of coarse 

mulch as the best mulching regime for 

gardens. Total mulching layers should not be 

greater than 50mm in depth. The fine mulch 

could be compost or well-rotted manure, 

which breaks down to feed the soil. 

Natural systems 

Kevin also recommends using mulches that 

best reflect the natural growing conditions 

of the plants that are being mulched. For 

example, cacti and succulents grow naturally 

in sandy and rocky areas so are best mulched 

with inorganic mulches. 

Native woodland plants (including many 

vegetables) grow amid a natural mulch of 

fallen leaves and bark and so do best with 

coarse, organic mulches. This type of mulch 

also improves the beneficial bacteria and other 

organisms in the soil. 

To read more of Kevin’s mulching 

recommendations, visit books.google.com.au 

and search for mulches. 

Selecting 

the best mulch 

There are many coarse, water-repellent 

mulching products. Chopped or shredded 

bark, green prunings and gravel all fit the bill. 

For an organic gardener, it’s important 

to select and use mulches that are free 

of contaminants, including pesticides and 

Prunings can 

be mulched 

... deep applications of 

fine, water-absorbing 

mulches inhibit water 

reaching the soil and 

contribute to water 

repellency in soils ... 

deep mulching also 

inhibits self-seeding 

of annuals and 

perennials. 


Living mulch: 

sweet potato 

Did you 

know? 

Mulch can also be used on 

top of potting mix in pots. It 

reduces weed germination and 

keeps soil temperatures lower. 

Waste garden products, including chopped 

prunings, can be used as coarse mulch. 

Pebble mulch 

works for cacti 

other chemicals. As most mulches are bulky, 

transport costs can be high, adding to the 

price of the product as well as increasing its 

carbon footprint. Ideally, mulches should be 

a waste product that’s available nearby to 

reduce transport and handling costs. 

The first place to look for mulches is 

within the garden. Waste garden products, 

including chopped prunings, can be used as 

coarse mulch. To turn prunings into mulch, 

simply shred using a mulcher or chop with 

secateurs, then apply the coarse mulch 

directly to the garden. 

Alternatively, the heap of shredded or 

chopped prunings can be allowed to compost 

before it’s added to the garden as mulch. 

Compost, aged manure and dried grass 

clippings may also be readily available within 

a garden situation. These products can be 

used as the recommended fine mulch layer 

under a deeper layer of coarser mulch. As 

this high-nutrient layer breaks down, it feeds 

the soil and offsets any nitrogen losses 

during the breakdown of the main, coarser 

mulch product. 

Beyond the garden, look for waste 

products from local food processing or 

agriculture, including pea straw (the 

remains of pea plants after the crop 

is harvested) along with commercially 

available products such as spoiled 

lucerne or hay, chopped or shredded bark, 

chopped lucerne, sugar cane or green 

waste from tree prunings. When applying, 

keep the layer thin and make sure it’s 

readily penetrated by water. 

CanStockPhoto

Mulch | WEEKEND GARDENING 

Take-home 

message 

Follow these guidelines 

when selecting and 

applying mulch: 

• More than 80 per 

cent of mulch particles 

should exceed 5mm 

in diameter. 

• Spread fine mulch 

over the soil — 

especially if it’s lacking 

organic matter — then 

cover it with a layer 

of coarse mulch. 

• Water-repellent 

mulches are preferred 

as they don’t absorb 

and hold water, 

preventing it from 

reaching the soil. 

• A total mulch depth 

of 50mm is ideal for 

most garden situations. 

• Select mulches to 

replicate the needs 

of the plants being 

grown. 

Type Examples Best uses Longevity Comment 

Organic mulch 

Inorganic mulch 

Green mulch 

Bark, 

compost, 

prunings, 

straw 

Gravel, 

crushed rock, 

recycled 

glass, 

recycled 

building 

materials 

Ground-cover 

plants, clover, 

leguminous 

plants 

Around actively 

growing plants 

such as vegetables 

and flowering 

plants 

Around droughthardy 

plants 

that need good 

drainage such as 

cacti, succulents 

and plants growing 

from a rhizome 

such as iris. Useful 

for suppressing 

weeds where 

there are no plants 

growing 

Garden beds, 

vegetable beds 

that are resting 

Breaks down 

rapidly so must 

be renewed once 

or twice a year. 

Coarse organic 

mulch is slow to 

break down 

Breaks down 

very slowly. 

Rarely needs 

renewal 

Depends on 

the lifespan of 

the plant. Can 

be dug in to 

enrich soils 

Seek waste products 

that are local and free 

or low cost 

May have a high 

environmental cost 

if mined. Look for 

locally available waste 

or recycled products. 

Some inorganic 

mulches are expensive 

Expensive to grow with 

advanced plants but 

cheap from seeds or 

cuttings. Leguminous 

green mulches add 

nitrogen to soils 

(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

THE UNDERGROUND | Soil health 

What goes around 

comes around 

Enriching and improving our soil means giving back at least as 

much as is taken out, so it can keep on giving us healthy plants 

CanStockPhoto 


Soil Health | THE UNDERGROUND 

Compost bin 

Words & photos Angie Thomas 

Soil is the most important aspect of our 

gardens and good-quality, organically 

rich, healthy soil is the key to growing, 

thriving plants. Our garden soils are a 

mix of rock minerals, organic matter, moisture 

and micro-organisms, and are usually 

grouped into three broad types: clay soil, 

sandy soil and loam. 

Clay soils (sometimes called heavy soils) 

are made up of very small particles. They 

store water well, which may be beneficial 

during dry conditions but can lead to 

waterlogging and poor plant health when 

conditions are wet. Clay soils also hold 

nutrients effectively. They can, however, be 

difficult to cultivate, being thick and sticky 

when wet and often rock-hard when dry. 

Sandy soils (sometimes called light soils) 

are made up of large particles, with big 

spaces (pores) in between the particles. 

They drain well, are well aerated and are 

easy to cultivate. However, sandy soils don’t 

retain water and nutrients very well. 

Soil in between clay and sandy types is 

often referred to as loam and has a mix of 

small and large particles, together 

with organic matter, making it one of 

the best soil types. 

Quality soil contains lots of organic 

matter, which is anything that used to be 

living and includes remains of plants and 

animals. Adding lots of organic matter is 

a crucial step to creating the best possible 

soil in your garden, no matter what type 

of soil you started out with. Organic matter 

improves soil structure by increasing 

aeration and drainage in clay soils, which 

will benefit root growth. In sandy soils, 

organic matter will help with water and 

nutrient retention. 

Organic matter also provides a source of 

food for worms and beneficial soil microorganisms. 

Earthworms are magnificent 

helpers in the garden and should be 

encouraged at every opportunity. They 

help convert organic matter and fertilisers 

into nutrients that plants can use. Worm 

excrement, often called “castings”, is a rich 

source of organic nutrients. Earthworms 

also help improve soil structure and aerate 

the soil by creating tunnels, which makes 

it easier for plant roots to grow and spread. 

Beneficial soil micro-organisms also play 

a significant role in soil health and plant 

nutrition as they are part of the process 

that helps turn organic matter and fertilisers 

into plant-available nutrients. A healthy 

population of beneficial soil micro-organisms 

can also help reduce plant diseases, similar 

to the way healthy gut bacteria in our bodies 

can help boost our immune systems. 

Both earthworms and beneficial soil 

micro-organisms prefer mild temperatures 

and moist soil with lots of organic matter 

to feed on. So keeping the soil surface 

protected with organic mulch, maintaining 

good moisture levels and gently adding 

organic matter into the soil will help 

encourage lots of great soil micro-organisms 

and earthworms. 

The easiest ways to increase the amount 

of organic matter in your soil include using 

organic fertilisers and mulches, making 

your own compost and growing green 

manure crops. See Jennifer Stackhouse’s 

comprehensive feature on mulching on 

page 38. 


THE UNDERGROUND | Soil health 

A green manure crop 

Fertilisers 

Organic fertilisers are made from once-living 

organisms and include materials such as 

manures (including chicken, cow, horse, 

sheep and guano), blood and bone, fish and 

feather meal. Different sources of organic 

material will provide fertilisers with different 

levels and types of nutrients. For example, 

cow manure contains fewer nutrients than 

chicken manure. 

“Complete” organic fertilisers that 

contain a combination of the three main 

nutrients — nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) 

and potassium (K) — are ideal as not only 

are they a source of organic matter, but 

they also provide plants with the nutrition 

they need to stay healthy and productive. 

Some organic fertilisers and tonics don’t 

contain these three essential nutrients. For 

example, seaweed alone does not contain 

the nutrients to provide plants with a 

complete feed. 

It’s important that manures and 

other organic fertilisers are composted 

before use. Raw manures can contain 

harmful pathogens that gardeners 

could be exposed to and are sometimes 

referred to as “hot”, meaning they are too 

rich to be used as is and could damage 

plants. Raw manures can also contain 

weed seeds. 

Correct composting helps reduce 

harmful pathogen levels, start the 

breakdown process so that nutrients are in 

a gentler form and are safe for plants, and 

helps kill weed seeds. Purchasing precomposted 

organic fertilisers is an easy and 

convenient way to ensure the fertilisers are 

ready and safe to use. 

Compost 

We all create a potential source of 

valuable organic matter in our kitchens 

and gardens with food scraps and 

prunings. Composting these materials 

at home not only reduces the amount 

going to landfill, but also gives you lots 

of lovely, rich organic matter to use in 

your garden. There are lots of composting 

systems available, from a homemade 

bay in the corner of the backyard to 

enclosed compost tumblers and 

kitchen bench units. 

Organic matter 

improves soil structure 

by increasing aeration 

and drainage in clay 

soils, which will benefit 

root growth. In sandy 

soils, organic matter 

will help water and 

nutrient retention. 

Whatever method you have room for in 

your garden, not wasting organic matter 

and making your own compost helps the 

planet, and your soil (and the worms) will 

love you for it. Mix homemade compost 

into garden beds or potting mix before 

planting or apply around the base of 

plants, then mulch over the top to protect 

the compost from direct sunlight. 

Green manure 

Growing a green manure crop is a fantastic way 

to add organic matter to the soil. Green manure 

is leafy foliage that’s grown then dug into 

the soil rather than being harvested. A green 

manure crop is ideal to recharge a depleted 

area of the vegie patch or in preparation for 

future plantings. It’s a great, low-maintenance 

crop to establish before going on holidays. 

Here’s an easy how-to process for growing 

your own green manure crop: 

• Gently cultivate the top few centimetres 

of soil to create a soft soil layer for the 

green manure seeds to be sown. Mix some 

handfuls of organic fertiliser into the area to 

improve the soil and give the green manure 

crop a great start. 

• The easiest green manure seed mix is a 

blend of bird seed and a packet of pea 

seed. The bird seed will grow a range of 

different leafy plants such as wheat, millet 

and sorghum and the peas will provide 

an important source of nitrogen. You can 

also purchase special pre-blended green 

manure crop seed mixes. 

• Broadcast the seeds generously over the 

surface, then cover with a thin layer of soil. 

• Keep the area moist until the seedlings are 

established. Your green manure patch will be 

full of lush green foliage in a few weeks. 

• Just before the plants flower (after two to 

three months), cut the them close to the 

ground, then dig everything into the soil, 

chopping up the leaves and plants as much 

as possible. 

• To finish, sprinkle some more organic 

fertiliser over the area, then mulch with 

sugar cane or straw and leave for a month, 

which gives the green manure time to break 

down and enrich the soil. 

Soil pH 

For healthy soil, it’s also a good idea to test 

the pH. This is the measure of acidity or 

alkalinity. Most plants prefer a pH of 6–7.5 

(slightly acidic to slightly alkaline). If the pH 

strays too far from this range, many plants will 

struggle to access all the right nutrients as 

6–7.5 is where most nutrients are available. 

For example, iron is less available when the 

soil is alkaline and iron is a common nutrient 

deficiency. The correct soil pH also helps keep 

earthworms and soil micro-organisms happy. 

pH can be tested with kits available at hardware 

stores and nurseries and can be adjusted with 

lime if it’s too low or sulphur if it’s too high. 

So, to have a healthy and wonderfully 

productive garden that is heaven for 

earthworms and micro-organisms, start 

with an orga nically rich soil. 


TIME TO PLANT | Cabbage 

Cabbage 

Brassica oleracea var. capitata 

An age-old favourite for both hot meals and salads, cabbage 

is a must, especially in the cooler months 


Cabbages play a strong role in 

the garden and kitchen through 

the coming months. They stand 

proud in the cool-season vegie 

patch, providing colour and texture when 

it’s needed most, and they’re an essential 

ingredient in hearty dishes including 

sausages with braised cabbage or favourites 

such as coleslaw. 

Cabbage ‘Red Drumhead’ is as decorative 

in the garden as it is on the table, with rich 

dark–purple heads that are jam-packed with 

antioxidants and contrasting blue-green 

outer leaves. ‘Red Express’ is another 

striking form, with deep red heads that 

weigh up to 1.8kg. Savoy cabbages have a 

wonderful flavour and the French heirloom 

‘Savoy Vertus’ is one of the best, cherished 

for its sweet, mild flavour and attractive, 

crinkled, blue-green foliage. It’s a great 

choice for tasty coleslaw. 

‘January King’ is another proven performer. 

It’s a semi-Savoy type with attractive green, 

Most cabbages are 

grown as a cool-season 

crop but if you choose 

varieties carefully, you 

can produce them 

year-round. 

pink and blue leaves and big, tasty heads 

up to 6.5kg in weight. If space is limited, try 

growing mini cabbages with compact heads. 

Most cabbages are grown as a coolseason 

crop but if you choose varieties 

carefully, you can produce them year-round. 

And, while they generally prefer cooler 

climates, there are some types, such as 

Sugarloaf cabbages, that are more tolerant of 

warm temperatures. 

Growing conditions: Cabbages enjoy 

growing in full sun in a rich, well-drained 

soil, so prepare beds first with plenty of 

compost and organic matter. They prefer a 

pH somewhere around 6–6.5, so add lime to 

the soil if necessary. Give them a good dose 

of liquid organic fertiliser every two weeks 

throughout the growing season. 

Sowing seed: Sow cabbage seeds 6–10mm 

deep into trays of seed-raising mix and 

transplant into the garden four to six weeks 

later. Space plants 40cm apart, with 60– 

70cm between rows. 

Cabbage label 

Common name: Cabbage 

Botanical name: Brassica oleracea var. 

capitata 

Requires: Full sun; well-drained soil 

Dislikes: Weed competition, lack of 

water 

Suitable for: Garden beds, containers 

(mini forms) 

Habit: Small bush 

Needs: Friable soil, regular water 

Propagation: Seed, seedling 

Difficulty: Easy 

Growing tip: Guard young seedlings from 

invading cabbage white butterflies with a 

protective net or try growing red cabbages, 

which can be less prone to attack. 

Harvest: Cabbages can take 12–14 weeks or 

longer to mature. You’ll know it’s harvest time 

when the heads feel firm and solid. 


Snow peas & sugar snaps | TIME TO PLANT 

Snow peas & sugar snaps 

Pisum sativum var. saccharatum & macrocarpon 

Mangetouts, or peas that are eaten whole, are easy to grow 

and versatile in the kitchen 



If you haven’t crunched your way through 

a crop of snow peas or sugar snaps, you’re 

truly missing out. Unlike common garden 

peas, which are usually shelled, snow peas 

and sugar snap peas can be devoured whole 

straight from the vine or used to bring sweet 

flavour and crisp texture to Asian-style 

stir-fries and fresh garden salads. 

There are climbing snow peas, which 

grow to 2m tall and produce sweet, crunchy 

pods that are delicious picked fresh and 

eaten whole, or dwarf types that produce 

good yields on plants that grow to just 

60cm. Look out for named varieties such as 

climbing ‘Yakumo’, which is both decorative 

and tasty with its big, flat, light-green pods 

and showy purple flowers, or ‘Melting 

Mammoth’, which boasts a heavy crop of 

deliciously tasty pods on a 2m-tall plant. 

‘Oregon Sugar’ is a bush variety that’s full 

of flavour with crisp, tender pods on a plant 

just 70cm tall. 

Also look out for climbing sugar snap 

peas, which can reach 2m with a plump, 

tasty crop that can be eaten pod and 

all straight from the garden or shelled. 

‘Cascadia’ is a very productive variety, with 

sweet, juicy pods on a climbing plant just 

over a metre tall. 

Dwarf varieties reaching just 60cm tall 

can be grown with little support. ‘Sugar 

Ann’ is one of the sweetest bush types 

around and highly productive, smothered 

in crisp, pale-green pods that snap like a 

green bean. 

Growing conditions: If you’ve grown a good 

crop of common garden peas at home, you’ll 

likely have success with edible podded peas, 

too, because their cultivation requirements 

are similar. Edible podded peas prefer cool, 

moist growing conditions, so direct-sow 

the seed from autumn to spring. Choose 

Young, tender pea shoots 

are edible too. They have 

a distinctive pea flavour 

and taste fabulous 

in salads. 

a sunny, sheltered spot and prepare the 

soil first with compost and organic matter. 

Apply lime to the soil if need be as peas 

don’t like acidity. Plant seeds 3–5cm deep 

and 7cm apart. 

Growing tip: You’ll need to erect a trellis 

or tepee for taller climbing varieties. Dwarf 

varieties are generally self-supporting but may 

benefit from a short trellis or other support. 

Harvest: Snow peas are best picked when 

flat and unripe and before they become stringy 

and the peas start to swell, so harvest the pods 

every few days so they don’t over-mature. 

Sugar snap peas are picked when the pods are 

plump and rounded. 

Harvest tip: Young, tender pea shoots 

are edible too. They have a distinctive pea 

flavour and taste fabulous in salads. 

Snow peas & sugar 

snaps label 

Common names: Snow peas, sugar 

snaps, snap peas, mangetout 

Botanical name: Pisum sativum var. 

saccharatum & macrocarpon 

Family: Fabaceae 

Requires: Full sun, sheltered 

Dislikes: Acidity 

Suitable for: Vegetable gardens, 

containers 

Habit: Annual 

Needs: Cool, moist season 

Propagation: Seed 

Difficulty: Medium 


GARDEN DIARY | Late autumn 

Things to do in 

May 

Autumn has its own smell, a combination of the scent of soil after rain and 

decomposing leaves. It’s a great time to garden 

By Jennifer Stackhouse 

Vegetables 

COOL & TEMPERATE 

In cool and inland areas, it’s time to be on 

frost alert. The icy reminders of winter are 

likely to begin this month. Frosts bring an 

end to pumpkin vines, sweet potatoes and 

even choko vines, but help clear up pests 

and weeds. Clear away frost-damaged annual 

vegies (harvest any vegies that remain on 

the vines). The cleared space can be used 

for late-winter and spring sowing of kale and 

other brassicas, along with peas. 

TROPICAL 

The dry and mild weather of autumn 

provides ideal growing conditions for a wide 

range of vegetables. Get planting! Legumes, 

including beans, broad beans and peas, 

can go in, along with salad vegetables such 

1 

as tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy greens and 

herbs. Plant asparagus crowns in a raised, 

well-drained bed where they can be grown 

for several years. 

Fruit 


Prepare to protect subtropical fruit trees 

(such as lemon and other citrus) in cold, 

frost-prone areas. Even where frosts are not 

common, cold winter winds can damage 

these sensitive plants. Move potted plants 

into shelter, wrap citrus trunks to protect 

the graft area (use hessian or corrugated 

cardboard) and cover other frost-susceptible 

plants such as mango. 

Deciduous fruit trees survive the winter 

chills by entering dormancy. This means they 

can be planted now and in the months ahead 

as bare-rooted plants. View what’s available 

at your local nursery or order bare-rooted 

stock direct from suppliers. Always check 

whether a fruit or nut tree needs a pollinator 

to form fruit and plant the appropriate 

pollinator as well. Some plants are available 

multi-grafted with a compatible pollinator. 

Although they are dormant, it’s still necessary 

to protect their roots from drying out before 

they are planted. Ensure roots are well 

wrapped or protected with soil or potting mix. 

TROPICAL 

Custard apples come into their own now as 

the large, green, knobby fruit begins to ripen. 

Some trees take many years to produce any 

fruit — even named, grafted varieties — so 

patience and often hand pollination are 

required. Don’t be put off by the outside; the 

cool cream flesh inside is always delicious 

(spit out the brown seeds). To keep trees 

growing and productive, apply a little slowrelease 

organic fertiliser each season. For a 

fast-cropping, compact plant, look out for 

‘Tropic Sun’, which is more reliably self-fertile 

than older varieties and has fewer seeds. 

Compost & soil 


Continue to rake and pile up the season’s 

bounty of fallen leaves. Add them to compost 

and leaf bins. Use any of last year’s leaf 

mould to dig in to prepare the soil for new 

plantings or to cover winter-bare soil before 

spring plantings. This nutritious mulch can 

also be spread around fruiting trees. 

TROPICAL 

Soil, particularly sandy soil, under a thick 

layer of mulch can become water repellent. 

Current research suggests a thin layer 

of coarse mulch provides all the benefits 

without blocking out water or causing 

water repellence in soils . Water the area 

to be mulched well, spread a thin layer of 

compost over the soil then top with several 

centimetres of coarse mulch. For more on the 

best ways to mulch, see page 38. 

2 

CanStockPhoto 


Late autumn | GARDEN DIARY 

4 

5 

3 

Squash ’em 

Brassicas, including kale, cabbage, Brussels 

sprouts and broccoli, are magnets for cabbage 

white butterflies. Regularly inspect the leaves 

for these very hungry green caterpillars and 

squash any you spot, along with their eggs, 

which may be found under the leaves. 

1. Collect fallen leaves for the compost heap or to use as mulch 

2. Asparagus plants will produce for several years 

3. Protect your brassicas from the cabbage white butterfly caterpillar 

4. A thin layer of coarse mulch is preferable to deep mulching 

5. Custard apples are ripening in tropical areas 


GARDEN DIARY | Early winter 

Things to do in 

June 

On the calendar, June marks the beginning of winter but it’s 

often a time of settled weather and short but pleasant days. 

Make the most of the good weather to work in your garden 

By Jennifer Stackhouse 

Vegetables 


In cold zones, it can be tempting to put the 

garden to bed over winter. If you want a break 

or plan to be away, simply lay mulch over the 

garden as crops are harvested and the plants 

pulled out. This will deter weeds and break 

down to feed the soil. Another option is to sow 

a green manure crop to be dug in during early 

spring. Legumes are the best crops to grow 

to naturally improve soil fertility as they add 

nitrogen. For those who want to make the most 

of the cooler conditions to grow for an earlyspring 

harvest, plant broad beans, peas and 

bassicas. In very cold areas, postpone planting 

peas until later in winter. Not all crops need to 

be harvested all at once. Carrots, parsnips and 

many other root vegetables can be pulled from 

the ground as they are needed during winter. 

TROPICAL 

Any vegetable can be grown almost 

anywhere; it’s just a matter of finding a 

time of the year with the right conditions. 

Winter in the tropics is the season to grow 

vegies that prefer cool, dry summers. Pests 

and diseases will also be less troublesome. 

Normally, tender English spinach, peas, leeks 

1 

and herbs that would rather be growing in 

the Mediterranean grow strongly over the dry 

months ahead. As many herbs are perennial 

and continue growing year-round, confine 

them to large pots that can be moved into 

a more sheltered position later in the year 

when rains and humidity return. Also plant 

sweet corn, zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes. 

Fruit 


Over winter, continue to harvest and enjoy 

the citrus bounty that’s hanging on your 

trees. If you have space, this is the season 

to plant fruit trees, particularly deciduous 

varieties such as apples, cherries, peaches, 

pears, plums and nectarines. If space is 

tight, consider growing trees as espaliers 

(trained against a wall or along wires) or 

look for compact varieties or those grafted 

on dwarfing rootstock. Multi-grafts are also 

space saving. Although the trees may be 

smaller and more compact, their fruit is 

normal sized. Before planting, dig the soil over, 

adding in well-rotted manure and compost. 

Remove rocks, clods and weeds. Concentrate 

on preparing a wide area that’s at least as 

deep as the root ball of the new plant. Before 

putting roots in the ground, trim those that 

are broken. Soak the root ball in a bucket of 

water with added seaweed solution. When it’s 

well hydrated, plant it and use the contents of 

the bucket to water over the plant. 

TROPICAL 

Does your backyard orchard produce 

something to harvest year-round? If not, plan 

additions to provide fruit in the downtimes, 

such as during winter and early spring. Seek 

inspiration about what fruits are in season 

in your area now by talking to stallholders 

at local grower markets. Fresh and available 

now are citrus including mandarin, grapefruit, 

lemon and orange. Others to plant for a 

cool-season harvest include custard apple 

(see more information on page 48) and 

persimmon. Passionfruit continues to ripen 

well into winter. These vines grow well over 

an arbour or along a wire fence and can be 

used to provide summer shade to vegies. 

Compost & soil 


As the weather gets colder, your warm 

compost heap may be a haven for rodents, 

especially rats and mice. Once they set up 

home in the compost heap, they are difficult 

to evict. To avoid rodents, use a covered bin 

set into the earth or change to a compost 

tumbler. It’s off the ground and out of 

reach of rodents! Where these pests are a 

big problem, consider burying compost in 

trenches dug into the soil in an area of the 

garden to be replanted. 

TROPICAL 

Get heavy work out of the way while 

conditions are cooler and less humid. Get 

stuck into making new garden beds, including 

raised beds, spreading fresh mulch or clearing 

out the chook shed and replacing perches. 

Barrow chook manure and debris from the 

chook shed straight to the orchard where 

it can be spread under fruit trees as mulch. 

Alternatively, add it to the compost pile. 

2 


Early winter | GARDEN DIARY 

Not all crops need to be 

harvested all at once. Carrots, 

parsnips and many other root 

vegetables can be pulled from 

the ground as they are needed 

during winter. 

3 

Broad beans 

These tall, brittle plants grow best if they are corralled using stakes and 

strings. Alternatively, grow them against a trellis on a fence or stake individual 

plants with a bamboo stake. The support is needed to protect them as they 

grow, as these brittle-stemmed plants are easily broken in windy weather or 

during heavy rain. Even dwarf forms may require support to prevent damage. 

Tall broad bean varieties can be more than 2m high. These grow well against 

a trellis or even a piece of reo (reinforcing wire) and can be an attractive and 

productive garden plant. For something a little different, look for crimsonflowered 

broad beans to bring a splash of colour to the garden. 

1. Continue to enjoy your citrus bounty 

2. Now is a good time to put in a sweet corn crop in warmer areas 

3. Passionfruit continues to ripen well into winter in tropical areas 

4. Soy can make good green manure 

4 


BIODYNAMICS BASICS | Part II 

Filling the cow horns 

STRANGE BREW 

Continuing our special feature on biodynamics, we look at some 

of the preparations and methods used in growing food according 

to founder Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy 

Words Claire Bickle 

In maintaining a sustainable gardening 

or farming system, many of the organic 

practices and materials most of us use 

already are well in line with biodynamic 

principles. The key element is soil fertility, 

which is where biodynamic preparations 

come into the picture. 

These preparations made and used by 

biodynamic growers are sometimes a source 

of amusement to those who don’t understand 

or believe in — and even scoff at — their 

highly beneficial effects on soil, plants and 

our environment in general. 

Some may find it a little hard to believe 

that the burying of cow horns, the various 

brews used to fertilise the garden/farm 

and even the method of spreading these 

preparations all draw on the cosmic energy 

within the universe, which impacts on 

everything, right down to our small patches 

of earth. But, as with most things, the proof is 

always in the results. 

There are many kinds of biodynamic 

preparations and, these days, several of 

them can be readily purchased from organic 

gardening groups, online organic garden 

suppliers and even local garden centres. 

The original 

preparations 

Horn Manure 500: Cow horns are filled 

with manure from lactating cows and are 

then buried with their points facing upwards 

and left to ferment over winter. The horns 

are dug up after about four months and the 

fermented manure is heavily diluted and used 

as a spray up to four times a year. 

Benefits: Strong soil humus formation, 

improved soil crumb structure, increased 

soil bacteria and rhizobial activity, 

increased earthworm activity, development 

of deeper root systems and better 


Part II | BIODYNAMICS BASICS 

Getting started 

with biodyn amics: 

a checklist 

Learn the basic principles of soil care 

and fertility. 

Understand the practical physical 

requirements of using biodynamic 

preparations. 

Make contact with other biodynamic 

farmers or gardeners. 

Assess the state of your soil. 

Have a plan to improve your soil and 

levels of organic matter for healthier, 

more productive plants and fewer pest, 

disease and weed issues. 

Look out for local biodynamic 

workshops for farmers or gardeners 

and take the time to have a look around 

the Biodynamic Agricultural Australia 

website, biodynamics.net.au. 

absorption and retention of water. 

Horn Silica 501: Quartz crystals are 

ground up and placed in cow horns, which 

are buried in spring and dug up in autumn. 

Benefits: Plants become more resistant 

to insect attack and have a better uptake 

of nutrients. Prevents fungal diseases and 

insect attack by strengthening the plant 

cuticle, increases sugar and nutrient levels 

in fruit and improves keeping qualities. 

(Note that a mask should be worn when 

dealing with quartz or silica dust.) 

Reibundweise CC, Claire Bickle 

A vortex can be created in a 

simple bucket (above) or in a 

purpose-built flowform 

Stirring and 

application 

Both of the above preparations are made 

into liquid sprays, or teas. Once the quartz 

or manure is extracted, it’s placed in a 

bucket with rain water (preferably) and 

then stirred either mechanically or by 

hand, or using more recent innovations 

such as flowforms. 

The stirring and application of these 

biodynamic preparations is at the core of 

biodynamic practice. 

The stirring creates a steady vortex 

and, once it is up to speed, the stirring 

direction is changed to create chaos 

before a new vortex forms from the 

change of direction. It’s then rested 

before starting all over again. Steiner 

recommended that the stirring process 

be a group activity to create the right 

sort of positive atmosphere. 

Once they are properly stirred, the 

preparations are diluted with water into 

sprays that are applied using a hearth 

brush in a forward flicking manner. A 20L 


BIODYNAMICS BASICS | Part II 

Some may find it a little hard to believe that the 

burying of cow horns, the various brews used to 

fertilise the garden/farm and even the method 

of spreading these preparations all draw on the 

cosmic energy within the universe ... 

bucket should cover a small garden to 

one hectare. Most gardeners and farmers 

would look at applying these preparations 

around twice a year. 

For foliar applications, a spray bottle or 

backpack sprayer makes distribution of the 

preparation easy. The preparations can also 

be added to your compost heap. 

Compost preparations 

It’s safe to say that most people, whether 

gardeners or not, understand the benefits of 

adding compost to soil. Within biodynamics, 

composting is one of the tools used in 

making the garden or farm a sustainable 

closed unit, where nothing leaves the 

location as waste. 

The biodynamic composting method is 

similar to most traditional hot composting 

methods, but with the addition of various 

beneficial preparations and manure 

concentrates. The standard important 

factors remain the same, though, including 

quantities/percentages of nitrogen 

and carbon ingredients, heat, air and 

moisture levels. 

Preparations that are added to biodynamic 

composts include: 

502: Yarrow 

503: Chamomile 

504: Nettle 

505: Oak bark 

506: Dandelion 

507: Valerian 

Note: These are added to a biodynamic 

compost heap in set amounts and locations. 

A detailed application table can be found on the 

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia website. 

Other methods traditionally used by 

biodynamic farmers and gardeners to 

add fertility to the soil are the sowing 

and growing of green manure crops as 

well as the addition rock dust minerals 

to the soil. 

Weeding 

Generally, weeds are present for a reason: they 

indicate the health of the soil. Is the soil 

bare and in need of stabilising? Or is there 

perhaps a deeper issue regarding soil pH or 

nutrient levels? 

Weeds can be beneficial, and working with 

them or preventing them in the first place can 

be a lot easier than working against them. But, 

if that’s not possible, here are some methods to 

help you deal with unwanted weeds: 

If it’s bare earth, plant something of your 

choice to cover the exposed earth and 

stabilise the soil. 

Consider sowing grass seed species that will 

outcompete the weeds in a grassed area. 

For larger, shrub-type weeds, plant a 

tree that will eventually grow to shade 

out the weeds. 

Hand removal and steam weeding are 

other organic options. 

Shutterstock, Claire Bickle 


Part II | BIODYNAMICS BASICS 

Pests and diseases 

The biodynamic philosophy on pest and 

disease outbreaks is the same as for weeding: 

there must be an imbalance to cause the 

issue in the first place. Insects can tell when 

a plant is under stress, so they often act as 

the messengers bringing the plant’s ill-health to 

your attention. 

Spraying the attacking insect will not 

remedy the initial cause of the plant’s decline 

and consequent insect infestation. Look for 

the possible causes that have weakened your 

crop or plant. These include poor soil condition, 

inadequate amount and frequency of watering, 

lack of good nutrition, different soil preferences, 

preferred climate zone of plant species, 

seasonal temperatures and weather extremes. 

Planting for biodiversity is another 

strongly held remedy. Grow a variety of 

flowering plants to attack beneficial insects. 

Surrounding native vegetation can also play 

an important role in creating habitat for 

predating insects as well as bird life. 

While this is only a brief introduction to 

the basics of biodynamics, there is much 

more to learn and understand, including other 

preparations such as equisetum 508 tea, 

potentising peppers, horn clay and tree 

pastes. Visit biodynamics.net.au for 

in-depth, detailed information. 

Planting for biodiversity is a 

fundamental of biodynamics 

Good organic vegetables 

deserve a great 

natural brush. 

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


MOON PLANTING | May 

May 2016 

The end of autumn brings some colder weather, making it a great 

time for planting brassicas, peas and lots of lovely leafy greens 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 

30 31 01 

02 03 04 05 06 07 08 

5.30am 

09 10 11 12 13 14 15 

3.02am 

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 

7.15am 

10.12pm 

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. 


June | MOON PLANTING 

June 2016 

Winter’s officially here, so it’s time to get your garlic, chives and 

onions going, along with hearty root vegies in warmer climes 

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY 

01 02 03 04 05 

06 07 08 09 10 11 12 

1.00pm 

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 

6.10pm 

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 

9.02pm 

27 28 29 30 

4.19am 


POTS 

OF PLENTY 

Whether you have poor 

soil, little yard space or 

too much shade over 

garden beds — or you’re 

20 floors up — you can 

still grow food plants 

Words & photos Claire Bickle 

IIt isn’t always a lack of space that makes 

gardeners turn to growing their edible 

plants in containers. There are myriad 

other good reasons for growing food 

crops in containers. Some include: 

High-rise living 

Poor backyard soil 

Limited sunlight in the garden 

Physical or health issues (eg bad back) 

Being time poor 

Your xhosen plant species having 

specific requirements 

The benefits of container growing include: 

Being able to provide specific 

microclimates by moving containers 

around, as well as providing protection from 

hot summer sun, prevailing strong winds 

and frost in low-lying areas. 

Edibles can be very ornamental and 

you can even plant your herbs and 

vegetables mixed with flowering annuals 

for added colour. 

Ease of access for harvesting as having 

potted edibles near to where you cook 

makes it easy to harvest on the spot. 

Protection from possums, birds and 

insects by being able to easily cover a 

container from top to bottom with some 

form of netting. 

There are also some drawbacks: 

The logistics of getting potting mix 

and larger containers up into units can 

be considerable. 

Harvest yields can be smaller compared 

with in-ground-grown crops. 

Pots can become hot, which can 

place stress on the plants and even 

damage roots. 

Plants grown in pots generally require more 

water and fertiliser. 

Balconies are often exposed to 

strong winds, meaning protection and 

microclimates may need to be set up. 

Whatever your reason, growing edibles in 

containers can be fun and super easy when 

you follow a few basic considerations. 

Location is, of course, very important and 

most edibles require a sunny position, which 

equates to at least four to six hours direct 

sun a day. 

Can Stock Photo, Shutterstock 


Edibles in containers | WEEKEND GARDENING 

Pots and containers 

Size matters. The smaller the pot, the quicker 

it can dry out and the choice of plant you 

are growing is a factor to consider also. A tall 

cherry tomato isn’t going to come to fruition 

in a tiny 100mL pot, for example. So consider 

what it is you want to grow and what the size 

these edibles are at maturity. Larger pots will 

generally give you better results. 

Plastic or terracotta? The choice is vast 

these days, with the type and variety of 

containers and growing set-ups available to 

the home gardener. Plastic won’t dry out as 

quickly as terracotta, but you may prefer the 

look of a ceramic or terracotta pot. One way 

around this is to plant in the plastic pot but 

sit it inside the decorative pot to get the best 

of both worlds. 

Large pots once filled with soil and plants 

will be usually very heavy and a challenge to 

move. Consider pot stands with wheels on 

the bottom. 

There are also some great alternatives 

to pots: 

Green-wall set-ups are excellent options 

for using every square inch of space of 

a verandah, courtyard, empty wall, fence 

or lattice. Some even have their own 

irrigation system. 

Stacker pots are like giant oversized 

strawberry planters of old. 

Trough stands are another great way to 

use every bit of space by having multiple 

long troughs stacked and locked into place 

on a metal stand. 

Baskets, whether hanging or wall types, 

can also be used to grow edibles. 

Balcony planter holders are a good way 

to use your verandah railings as growing 

space. These are made to either hook on 

or drill into place metal frames in which you 

place your pot or trough. 

Balcony pots go the next step and do away 

with the need for a holder/bracket as the 

pot itself slots over the railing and is held in 

place with a few screws. 

Freestanding planter troughs are usually 

on legs, which makes them easier to 

maintain and keeps them off the ground. 

Potted lettuce 

can look quite 

decorative 

Tomatoes do well in 

pots, especially self 

watering types 

Some have self-watering reservoirs too. 

Get creative and do some upcycling of old 

jeans, boots, laundry tubs, wheelbarrows, 

pallets and suitcases to use them as vessels 

for growing plants. 

Note: Drainage holes are essential and need 

to be checked when choosing or making 

your containers. 

For water edibles, seal up drainage holes or 

choose a pond bowl with no drainage holes and 

you have an instant water feature in which you 

can grow edibles such as water chestnuts, kang 

kong, Vietnamese mint and watercress. You also 

provide water for bees, frogs and other 

tiny creatures.. 

Potting mixes 

You really do get what you pay for when it 

comes to potting mixes. I always suggest 

purchasing a mix that has all the Australian 

standards ticks on the side of the bag. These 

high-quality potting mixes have good waterholding 

capacity, as well as slow-release 

fertilisers and re-wetting agents. They are made 

with clean, good-quality ingredients. Some may 

Radishes 

grown in a pot 

arkliving pots are 

designed for those 

with no garden 

who still want to 

enjoy homegrown 

Plants grown in pots generally require 

more water and fertiliser. 

even have water crystals added. There a few 

certified-organic mixes available also. 

Look for the Australian Certified symbol 

on the front of the bag. Just having the 

word “organic” on the label doesn’t mean it’s 

certified organic. The same goes for sprays 

and fertilisers. 

Fertilisers 

Most potting mixes will have a certain amount 

of slow-release fertiliser in them but to get 

the optimum growth and harvest out of your 

edibles, you need to fertilise with a quickeracting 

liquid fertiliser such as fish emulsion or 

other organic options such as compost tea and 

worm wee. 

The addition of liquid seaweed, which acts 

as a plant health tonic, is highly recommended. 

Top-ups of slow-release organic fertilisers may 

be needed, depending on how long your crops 

take to grow or what the lifespan of the plant is. 

For example, a fruiting tree or long-lived herbs 

such as rosemary have different requirements, 

both from each other and from a fruiting annual. 

Watering 

Plants in containers are reliant on you for most 

of their needs and watering is at the top of the 

list. How often and how much will depend on 

many factors, including size and material of the 

pot/container, plant species, season, weather 

conditions, potting mix quality and so forth. 

How to know whether you need to water 

can be tricky, though it can be easy enough if 

the plants are drooping. This is not a good sign 

to rely on because once a plant is at drooping 

stage, it’s becoming stressed, leaving it more

WEEKEND GARDENING | Edibles in containers 

Herbs are 

perfect container 

residents 

My Composta pot is a 

great way to recycle 

kitchen waste using 

worms in the centre 

Stacker pots 

are fantastic for 

balconies and 

small courtyards 

On the odd occasion you 

need to buy bottled water ... 

get creative with the bottles 

Size matters. The 

smaller the pot, the 

quicker it can dry out 

and the choice of plant 

you are growing is a 

factor to consider, too. 

A tall cherry tomato isn’t 

going to come to fruition 

in a tiny 100mL pot, 

for example. 

vulnerable to pest and disease attack and 

even death. 

The good old finger test can be a reliable 

way to check. That is literally poking your 

finger a few centimetres into the potting mix 

to see if it’s still moist or dried out. 

Moisture meters are another option, but I’m 

not sure how accurate they are, to be honest. 

Slow-release water bottles placed upside 

down in the soil can be an effective way to 

water while away for extended periods of time. 

Mulching 

Most people think of gardens when mulching 

but pots can be mulched, too, and obviously 

it has the beneficial effect of helping the mix 

retain moisture, suppressing weeds and keeping 

roots cool. 

You can get creative and use decorative 

mulching on top of your pots, such as river 

pebbles or coloured glass, or think more along 

the lines of feeding your plants and use a 

lucerne or sugar cane mulch, which will feed the 

plants as the mulch breaks down. 

What to grow? 

When deciding what to grow, important 

considerations include the season, amount 

of sunlight available and the size of the 

plant at maturity. 

Herbs: just about all herbs can be grown in 

pots, and having herbs growing near the kitchen 

can make life a little easier when you need to 

harvest them for a meal. 

Herbs that can be invasive, such as mint, are 

much better grown in pots so they can be kept 

under control. 

Bay trees, which can grow to 20m plus, can 

still be grown by an apartment dweller when 

kept in a container, which will restrict the tree’s 

growth but not its vitality. Kaffir lime, which is 

only grown for its fragrant leaves, is another 

good choice for a pot, as is the curry leaf tree. 

Both can be kept compact in pots. 

Vegetables: Most vegetables grow and even 

thrive in containers. The larger cucurbits 

such as pumpkins as well as melons could 

struggle, and corn would be tricky as it needs 

to be planted in blocks of at least a dozen or 

more plants for cross-fertilising to occur and 

cobs to form. 

Fruit trees: Many citrus, pome and stone fruit 

can be purchased as dwarf varieties these days 

and there are even smaller-growing forms of 

avocadoes, mulberries, bananas and mangoes. 

Berries: All berries grow well in pots. 

Fruit that won’t do well in pots because of the 

space needs for extensive root systems include 

grape vines and passionfruit. 

Sprouts and micro greens: These can be 

grown on a small or large scale using anything 

from old egg cartons and cotton wool to multilayer 

sprouting containers. 

Mushrooms: White button and Swiss brown 

mushrooms can be grown in boxes in 

dark cupboards, while oyster and shiitake 

mushrooms do well in a brightly lit room. 

We had great success growing them in our 

bathroom this year. You can buy kits for 

mushroom growing. 

Ongoing care 

for potted edibles 

Signs that you need to re-pot or replace potting 

mix include: 

The plants drying very quickly, meaning the 

mix has lost its water-holding capacity. 

Shrinkage, where the mix has sunk in the 

pot, which is once again due to the potting 

breaking down and no longer serving as a 

good growth medium. 

Re-potting is best done after harvesting 

annual vegetables and herbs and before 

planting the next season’s crops. 

Balcony food garden 


Poo brew | THE SHED 

POO BREW 

The garden is one place where poo is not a 

dirty word. Here’s an easy way to deliver 

valuable nutrients by brewing a manure tea 

Words & photos Sandra Tuszynska 

Manure tea is similar in nature 

to compost tea. Manure 

tea conditions the soil, 

assisting plant roots to 

take up nutrients. It helps plants develop 

stronger root systems and thus more 

vigorous foliage. Manure tea enriches the 

soil with much-needed nutrients, including a 

wide range of trace minerals and microbes, 

which plants require for healthy growth. 

Manure tea can therefore be used as a rapid 

remedy for plant mineral deficiencies, soil 

enrichment before and after planting and 

as a foliar fertiliser. 

There are some distinct advantages in 

using a foliar fertiliser as nutrients may be 

more efficiently and immediately absorbed 

by plants. Apart from rapid results, other 

benefits of foliar feeding include: 

Increased plant vigour 

Better resistance to disease and 

pest attack 

Better cold and heat tolerance by plants 

Longer flowering period 

Higher crop yield 

Good growth during dry periods 

Counteracts adverse soil conditions that 

lock out micronutrients 

The best times to foliar feed are 

generally between 7am and 10am or 

after 5pm. Avoid spraying in very hot, 

dry conditions as evaporation will occur 

too quickly. Foliar feeding is meant to 

complement other soil and plant health 

improvement methods, not replace them. 


THE SHED | Poo brew 

1a 

1b 

2a 

2b 

Making manure tea 

Buy or collect aged or composted manure, 

preferably cow or horse, to make the tea. 

(We used the latter here.) Avoid using 

fresh manure as it can damage plants. The 

process involves placing the manure in a 

sack, such as an old pillowcase, to make a 

“teabag” and will take one to two weeks to 

complete brewing. To speed it up to only 

a few days, add the manure directly into 

the bucket and stir it daily. This method 

will require straining the manure through 

cheesecloth or some other very porous 

material once brewing is complete. 

1. Place a sack or old pillowcase in a bucket 

and half fill it with aged, dry manure. 

2. Cover well with water and twist the 

teabag closed. 

3. Place a weight such as a brick on top 

of the teabag to keep it submerged 

if necessary. 

2c 

What to do 

with the solids 

Incorporate the solid manure into the 

garden soil or the compost heap, to 

inoculate it with the highly active 

micro-organisms present in the manure. 

4. Cover the bucket with breathable 

material and leave to steep for a 

week or two. 

5. The tea is ready when it becomes rich 

brown in colour. The longer you leave it, 

the stronger it will become. 

6. Remove the tea bag and let it drip 

into a container. 

Applying manure tea 

• Spray a 50/50 solution water and manure 

tea directly onto leaves as foliar fertiliser. 

3a 

Plants rapidly absorb it through 

the leaves. 

• Drench soil before planting with fullstrength, 

undiluted manure tea. 

• To increase soil fertility, use a 50/50 

solution in a watering can and 

water growing plants to provide 

micronutrients and to increase soil 

microbial activity. 

• Supply undiluted manure tea to your 

compost heap or worm farm to supply 

microbes, minerals and other nutrients 

and speed up decomposition. 

• Use diluted manure tea on the lawn for 

lush growth. 

• Store unused manure tea in a tightly 

closed container or a bottle for later use. 

• Dilute one part manure in five parts 

water if the tea has been brewing for 

longer than two weeks, and continue to 

apply to soil and/or plants. 


Poo brew | THE SHED 

3b 4 

5 

Pour manure tea 

into spray bottle 

Dilute with water 

Use the diluted tea 

on your plants as a 

foliar fertiliser 

6 


Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS 

10 

Top Tips 

Clever ideas for your garden 

Words Erina Starkey 

1 

Turn over 

a new leaf 

Did you know you can grow 

a whole host of new succulents just by 

replanting the leaves? Choose a mature leaf 

at the base of the plant, hold it firmly in your 

fingers and wiggle it back and forth until it 

snaps off, completely intact. Place the leaves 

on a windowsill to dry out and callus over 

— this will stop them from rotting. After a 

few days, transfer the leaves to well-draining 

cactus or succulent soil, and lay them flatwise 

on top. After a few weeks, you’ll begin 

to notice small, pink roots sprouting from the 

plucked end, which will grow into a new baby 

plant. Dig a small hole in the soil and plant 

the roots. You can then remove the original 

shrivelled leaf. 

1 

2 

3 

Space 

exploration 

Many plants have tiny, dust-like seeds 

that can be difficult to space in the garden. 

To create perfectly spaced rows, make your 

own seed tape. Unroll a strip of toilet paper on 

a table, mist with water and plot the seeds in 

the middle of the strip, following the spacing 

instructions on the seed packet. Fold the top 

and bottom lengths of the toilet paper inwards 

to cover the seeds, then mist with water to 

secure. Make shallow furrows in your backyard 

soil, then lay the strips down and cover with dirt. 

A long soak 

Encourage plants to grow faster 

and stronger by soaking seeds in 

warm water before sowing. Pre-soaking will 

soften the coating of the seed and prime it 

for germination. Simply pour seeds into a cup 

of warm water and leave for 12 hours. Next 

morning, strain through a muslin cloth or fine 

sieve, rinse with cool water and sow. 

5 

4 

5 

6 

7 

Colander pots 

Turn an old pasta colander into a 

beautiful hanging planter. Simply 

line the colander basin with a circle of 

burlap fabric cut slightly larger than the 

circumference of the colander. This will 

help hold the soil in place while permitting 

drainage. Turn the colander into a hanging 

planter by looping gardening twine through 

the handles and knotting securely. 

4 

Divide & conquer 

Before you divide perennials, soak 

the ground thoroughly in the days 

before so they’re easier to lift from the ground. 

Pry or cut apart individual crowns, ensuring 

each clump has its own set of leaves and roots. 

Replant divisions promptly so the roots don’t 

dry out. Dividing perennials can be stressful on 

the plant, so make sure you do it in cool, moist 

conditions to facilitate a speedy recovery. 

There’s an 

app for that 

A smartphone app can be a 

remarkably handy tool in the modern gardener’s 

arsenal. Take an afternoon to browse through 

the many different gardening apps available 

to see if any could be of use to you. Some 

popular ones include Garden Compass, which 

identifies plant varieties and pest problems 

from photos you upload. Even more impressive 

is Garden Plan Pro, which helps you create a 

customised garden plan to scale, with sowing 

and harvesting reminders that take into account 

your local weather information. 

Bucket list 

Store your garden tools in a bucket 

of builder’s sand, which will keep 

them rust free and the mechanisms in 

good working order. You can also add a few 

tablespoons of linseed oil to the sand, which 

will lubricate the metal and keep the wooden 

handles supple. If you’ve just finished pruning 

a sick tree, make sure you disinfect your tools 

with tea tree oil to ensure you don’t spread 

the disease. 



Bonus tip 

Reuse old rain gutters to make a 

vertical garden. Start by drilling a 

few drainage holes in the bottom 

of each gutter using a mediumlarge 

drill bit. Fill with soil and then 

plant with seeds. Choose plant 

varieties that thrive in a shallow 

garden environment such as herbs, 

strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, 

petunias, violas or succulents. Hang 

your new gutter gardens from the 

ceiling or arrange in tiers and drill 

them into a fence using brackets. 

8 

Fight the fungus 

Sprinkle cinnamon on top of your 

soil to prevent fungus and damping 

out from growing on seedlings. It can also be 

used on older plants to rid them of mould and 

mushrooms. Use cinnamon to deter ants in 

your home; they dislike its odour and powdery 

texture. A light sprinkling at your entry points 

or cracks and crevices will create a barrier 

they won’t cross. Plus, it leaves a delicious 

smell behind. 

9 

10 

Hey, pesto! 

Grow basil from leftover sprigs by 

letting the roots grow in a glass 

of water. Take a cutting of basil — one 

that hasn’t yet flowered — and strip the 

bottom two inches of leaves. Place in a 

glass of water on a windowsill. Change the 

water every few days until the root growth 

reaches two inches; this should take 

around two to four weeks. Transfer to a pot 

filled with fresh potting mix. Keep indoors 

until the plant is established, making sure 

the soil stays moist and the plant has 

access to sunlight. 

For the birds 

Create a bird feeder for your garden 

using the hollowed-out skin of an 

orange. Choose an orange with a thick rind, 

cut it in half and scoop out the fruit to create 

a bowl. Fill the rind cup with seeds, grains, 

fruit or 100 per cent natural, unsweetened 

peanut butter. Puncture four holes at equal 

points midway down the orange skin and 

string with twine. Hang your bird feeder from 

a branch in the garden, away from fences and 

furniture where predators can strike. A bird 

feeder can be particularly helpful when used 

outside in spring when food sources may 

Earthy Tips | SHORT SHOOTS 

be scarce. Planting native species such as 

acacias, casuarinas, bottlebrush, grevilleas and 

banksias is a great way to provide food to 

native birds without encouraging reliance. 

9 

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66 | Good Organic Gardening 

China girl 

Not just a good looker, the Australian Langshan, 

originally from China, is also a champion layer

Australian Langshan | FEATHERED FRIENDS 

Full-size Australian Lanshan 

and bantam. Owners adore 

the friendly bantams 

Words & photos Megg Miller 

Which chook breed is best? If 

you go looking among the 

various types, you’ll be sure 

to find one you like — but 

will it put eggs on the table? 

There is one purebred that can give the ISA 

Browns of the world a nudge when it comes 

to egg output. The Australian Langshan is the 

top choice for sustained egg lay. It’s a very 

docile bird that enjoys great success on the 

show bench and its unusual utility properties 

don’t seem all that affected by concentrated 

selection for exhibition points. 

Many breeders take pride in conserving 

the utility side of their fowls, so the breed’s 

numerous strains produce pullets that lay 

outstandingly. 

Well-kept secret 

Aussie Langshans are only now becoming 

backyard birds. They should be better 

known but they simply haven’t received the 

commercial support that pushed the Australorp 

to the forefront and made it famous. 

For many decades, too, the Aussie 

Langshan wasn’t well known in the southern 

states. If you were a Victorian or South 

Australian, you’d have had to look very hard to 

locate breeders. 

Langies, as they are affectionately 

called, were northern birds; there was an 

unsubstantiated belief they did better in warmer 

climes. Southern states were for big-bodied, 

heavy-feathered breeds such as the Sussex. 

Better communication and more travel 

have enabled birds to be shared around and 

now Australian Langshans are well distributed 

Australia-wide. 

Matter of identity 

If you look for Langshans online, you will 

discover there is a family of them. We’re 

careful in this country to identify our 

interpretation of the breed as Australian 

Langshan. For many decades, it was called 

Chinese Langshan because of its origins 

but after 80 years on Australian soil, it was 

renamed Australian Langshan. 

Also in this country are Croad Langshan, a 

distant relative of our Aussie Langshans and 

a whopping big bird of impressive stature. 

Overseas there are Modern Langshan, longlegged 

specimens with a keen following. 

The Croad and the Modern are interesting 

fowls but we’re concentrating on the Aussie 

Langshan because of its suitability to 

backyard food producers. 

Chequered history 

Originally from the Nantong region of China, 

Langshans were introduced to Australia 

sometime around 1900. A Sydney-based 

steward working on steamers trading with 

Shanghai collected a few Chinese fowl, found 

they were great layers and so sought them 

out on each subsequent trip. 

These small, black fowls were reminiscent 

of Croad Langshan, a popular breed that had 

been taken to England in the 1870s. Croads 

had impressed their new owners with winter 

laying and their large, purple-brown eggs. 

The small, black hens, once introduced 

here, were passed around and one 

enterprising owner entered a flock in the 

1906 laying competition at Hawkesbury 

College. Entered as Chinese Langshan, the 

birds astounded everyone, their output over 

the two years of the trial establishing them as 

outstanding layers. 

This led to much surreptitious crossing 

with Black Orpingtons, the leading layer of 

the day. The end result was the development 

of the Australorp. 

An octogenarian who worked for the 

Department of Agriculture remembers 

sorting day-old commercial chicks back 

in the 1940s and finding many of the 

Australorps had feathered legs, a sign that 

Langshan had been bred into parent lines, 

probably to improve egg lay. 

The Australorp went on to become a 

A Sydney-based steward working on steamers 

trading with Shanghai collected a few Chinese fowl, 

found they were great layers and so sought them 

out on each subsequent trip. 


FEATHERED FRIENDS | Australian Langshan 

record-breaking layer while the Langshan 

faded into obscurity. But exhibitors kept the 

Langshan going and the quiet life obviously 

suited this breed as, while the name has 

changed from Chinese to Australian 

Langshan, its docile nature, adaptability and 

economic feed intake are still strong features. 

Easy-care bird 

Don’t expect the ingratiating behaviour 

common with ISA hens — Langshans are 

docile and friendly but standard birds are a 

little standoffish. Bantams are not; they’re more 

outgoing and boisterous. Owners adore them. 

All this means the birds readily accept 

different styles of housing and management. 

They also get on well with other breeds and 

are not known for bullying or being bullied. 

Roosters are good-natured; feisty or 

roguish behaviour is unknown. They’re just 

easy-going fellows. 

There are two issues that need considering 

with Langshan. The first is their leg and foot 

feathering. Fortunately, it’s sparse, so you 

don’t have problems with wet, muddy feathers 

as with Pekins, Silkies, Belgian d’Uccle or 

Faverolles. But scaly leg mite delight in hiding 

under leg/foot feathers, so it makes sense to 

check monthly. Regular application of cooking 

oil will soon smother the mites if present. 

Heat can stress these black-plumaged 

fowls, so extra summer care is recommended. 

Good layers will be juggling daily egg lay with 

coping with heat, so don’t be surprised if your 

Langshans go into a partial moult — it’s their 

way of coping. 

Recognising a 

Langshan 

Not every black-plumaged bird with leg 

feathering will be an Australian Langshan and 

there are other colours the breed comes in, 

but black is most common. White and blue 

varieties are growing in popularity. 

You notice the elegance of the breed at 

first glance: they are medium-sized, appear 

fine boned and have glossy, neat, close-fitting 

plumage. Breeders say their body shape is 

reminiscent of the map of Tasmania. In other 

words, the head is carried high and the small 

tail rises to an angle of not more than 35 

degrees, with discreet curved sickle feathers. 

The black plumage is tinged with a brilliant 

green lustre. 

Comb and wattles are medium-sized and 

a beautiful cherry red, as is bare skin on the 

face. Dark-brown eyes stand out and are 

complemented by the dark shading on the 

beak. Legs and feet are blue-black, but the 

soles of the feet must be pink-white, deep 

pink being ideal. 

Breeders say their body shape 

resembles the map of Tasmania 

Langshan eggs are strong-shelled 

Utility traits 

Eggs are large, strong shelled and beige or 

tinted in colour. The shells are usually still 

strong even at the end of seasonal laying. 

A good pullet will produce more than 300 eggs 

the first season. 

Spare cockerels can be used for the table but 

weight wise you have a bird roughly as heavy 

as a Leghorn, so you may need two birds for a 

family meal. 

Have I sold this lovely bird to you? Perhaps 

I don’t need to. Track down a couple and test 

them. You are sure to want more. 

For further information, contact the 

Langshan Club of Australia Inc on 

(02) 6372 1640. 

... the birds readily 

accept different 

styles of housing and 

management. They 

also get on well with 

other breeds and are 

not known for bullying 

or being bullied. 


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 

Feathered World Pty Ltd Trading as Planet Poultry 

Ph: 0437 542 422 www.planetpoultry.com.au 

Suppliers of a large range of natural 

products for poultry including 

Diatomaceous Earth, Garlic, Kelp, 

Apple Cider Vinegar & Molodri. 

Stockists of River/Covina Incubators (Manual & Automatic models available). Sizes: 12, 24 or 49 hen egg. All digital. Approved for Australian Standards.

People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 

AWARDS 2016 

THE WINNERS 

Back and bigger than ever, it has been a bountiful harvest 

again and the winners have been nominated by over 8000 

Good Organic Gardening readers, who submitted 

their votes for the cream of the crop in the Good Organic 

Gardening People’s Choice Garden Idea Awards 2016. 

Good Organic Gardening has become the magazine of choice 

for organic gardeners Australia-wide and, in true people’s choice 

awards style, our engaged and passionate readers have given their 

support to the industry’s great ideas. These awards were promoted in 

conjunction with completehome.com.au, Australia’s largest online home 

and garden makeover portal. 

The Good Organic Gardening team is delighted to announce the 

category winners and would like to congratulate them as well as thank 

all who took part. A special thanks goes to all readers who voted. 

The winners are: 

Outdoor Sproutwell Greenhouses by Sproutwell Greenhouses 

Food Rapadura Sugar by Organic Times Pty Ltd 

Finance Community First Credit Union by Community First 

Sustainability Green Aussie Cleaner by Green Aussie 

Skincare Mother Nature’s Soap by Go Green At Home 

Education Fleming’s Top 10 Trees Guide by Fleming’s Nurseries 

Drink Kuvings B6000 Whole Slow Juicer by Yes 2 Green Pty Ltd 

Farming Chook Supplements by Feathered World Pty Ltd/Planet Poultry 

Garden Yates Nature’s Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray by Yates 

Garden Accessories Clever Drop Sprinkler by Wobble-Tee 

Water-Efficient Sprinklers 

Soil & Fertiliser Earthlife Veggie Mate by Earthlife 

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT 

ORGANIC TIMES 

IS THE WINNER OF THE 

People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER FOOD 

CATEGORY 

The Good Organic Gardening Magazine Awards are a true people’s choice 

awards. As Good Organic Gardening Magazine has become the magazine of 

choice for organic gardeners our engaged and passionate readers have spoken 

giving a green light and their support to the industry’s best ideas. These awards 

were promoted in conjunction with completehome.com.au, Australia’s largest 

online home and garden makeover portal. 

Food Winner: 

Organic Times Pty Ltd 

“We dreamt of bringing a more natural, organic 

alternative to the confectionary market. With 

just enough capital and loads of passion, that 

dream came true; Organic Times was born. 

That was back in ’99 and ever since we have 

been genuinely focused on promoting organics, 

encouraging sustainable living and providing 

delicious, quality treats the whole family can enjoy. 

We believe in building lasting relationships 

while engaging in environmentally sustainable 

practices and supporting both local and Fairtrade 

organic producers. We are Australian-owned and we also manufacture here in 

Australia. Organic agriculture and production is not just healthy for you; it’s vital and 

environmentally beneficial to the natural eco-system of our planet.” 

organictimes.com.au 

THIS 

IS TO CERTIFY THAT 

SPROUTWELL 

GREEENHOUSES 

ENHO 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER OUTDOOR 

CATEGORY 







outdoor winner: 

sproutwell 

Greenhouses 

“Widely recognised as the largest supplier of 

backyard greenhouses in Australia, Sproutwell is a 

family business that has enjoyed helping gardening 

enthusiasts and commercial growers achieve their 

vision. Owners Lisa & Clayton Cowley are very handson 

when it comes to the design and development 

of Sproutwell’s products, which not only makes the 

range unique and different from other greenhouse on 

the market but also means you are receiving the very 

best service and expert advice.” 

sproutwellgreenhouses.com.au 


GREEN AUSSIE 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER 

SUSTAINABILITY 

CATEGORY 







Sustainability Winner: 

Green Aussie 

“Our cleaning product... 

• Will give you the ultimate cleaning experience 

• Is one single non-toxic product for your home 

cleaning, including clothes washing 

• Has a formula designed so you the user can get 

extraordinary value for money by adding extra 

water for your job applications 

• Is manufactured using totally environmentally 

safe ingredients with essential oils. Our fragile 

environment, which has been under attack over 

many generations, can now benefit greatly with 

Green Aussie Cleaner ®” 

greenaussiecleaner.com 


COMMUNITY FIRST 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER FINANCE 

CATEGORY 







Finance winner: 

Community First 

Credit Union 

“We are thrilled to win this award. We seek to 

create better and more sustainable communities 

where we operate, and to be recognised for doing 

this is very satisfying,” says John Tancevski, 

CEO of Community First. “The Community First 

Green Loan is a low-rate personal loan that can 

be used to finance the purchase of approved 

environmentally friendly products such as solar 

panels and systems, solar hot water systems 

and rainwater tanks. It’s for those who want to 

minimise their impact on the environment, while 

saving money.” communityfirst.com.au 


“Once again, we take great pleasure in 

providing rewards in the form of these 

awards and special coverage to those 

businesses that are contributing great 

sustainable ideas to the gardening 

marketplace.” ~ Janice Williams, Publisher 


GO GREEN AT HOME 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER SKINCARE 

CATEGORY 







Skincare Winner: 

Go Green At Home 

“Go Green at Home owners, James and Lee- 

Ann Wilson, started the business with a view to 

presenting a range of environmental friendly 

products that will save you time and money. 

We always knew that the laundry detergent 

we were using was toxic. When we discovered 

Soap Nuts, we were sceptical at first. But we 

were shocked! They really did work. Once we 

realised Soap Nuts were completely safe, natural, 

economical and effective, we really wanted to 

share what we had found with others. 

Most people don’t even think about disposing of 

their toothbrushes (I know we didn’t). It was just something we used and discarded. 

The Environmental Toothbrush is a brilliant answer to the huge amount of landfill 

the simple plastic toothbrush creates. We are proud to have this product in our 

range and have a goal of getting one in every home in Australia. For us, it has been 

about providing a range products that are safe for our young family but also very 

effective. Living a sustainable life means better health for us and for our world. 

gogreenathome.com.au 

THIS IS 

TO CERTIFY THAT 

WOBBLE-TEE 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER GARDEN 

ACCESSORIES 

CATEGORY 







THIS IS TO 

CERTIFY THAT 

EARTHLIFE 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER SOIL 

& FERTILISER 

CATEGORY 







Garden Accessories 

Winner: Wobble- 

Tee, Water-Efficient 

Sprinklers 

“Wobble-Tee is a 100% Australian owned, 

family operated business and we are proud 

to say that our products are 100% Australian 

made. Our many injection moulding tools 

that make the various components of the 

Wobble-Tee and Clever Drop sprinklers 

were designed and built in Adelaide. These 

components are moulded in Adelaide and 

Sydney, then assembled and dispatched 

to hardware stores all over Australia by the 

Wobble-Tee team in Lake Macquarie.” 

wobble-tee.com.au 

Soil & Fertiliser 

Winner: Earthlife 

“By using EARTHLIFE VEGGIE MATE Rock 

Minerals you can grow nutrient-dense 

superfoods. It will give brighter, fuller flavour 

and longer shelf life to your vegies and 

herbs. It will also reduce attack by pests and 

diseases.” 

earthlife.com.au 


FLEMING’S 

NUSERIES 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER EDUCATION 

CATEGORY 








KUVINGS 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER DRINKS 

CATEGORY 








PLANET POULTRY 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER FARMING 

CATEGORY 







Education Winner: 

Fleming’s Nurseries 

“Fleming’s Group of Companies has developed 

the Top 10 Trees Guide to help gardeners 

choose the right tree for their needs. A 

customer simply looks up the category most 

suitable for their needs — eg small trees — 

where they will find 10 of the best trees for 

Australian urban conditions consistent with 

that category.” 

flemings.com.au 

Drink Winner: 

Kuvings 

Taste the difference with the Kuvings B6000 

Whole Slow Juicer, the first cold-press juicer 

to juice whole fruit and vegetables. It has the 

strongest motor and lowest RPMs of any coldpress 

juicer on the market. 

kuvings.net.au 

Farming Winner: 

Planet Poultry 

“Planet Poultry’s range of natural supplements 

for chickens (Happy Hens products) includes: 

Garlic Granules: This herb has been universally 

used as a medicine and tonic food for thousands 

of years. Garlic stimulates the immune system 

and is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal 

and anti-parasite. Seaweed Meal: Contains 

over 70 naturally balanced elements, minerals 

and amino acids, including vitamins A, B 1 

and E, cobalt, copper, magnesium, iron and 

natural iodine. Molodri: A mix of molasses and 

fine diatomaceous earth (non-toxic fossilised 

diatoms). Regularly used, may assist in the control of worms and coccidiosis. 

Diatomaceous Earth: Used for the control of lice and mites on birds and in their 

housing. Apple Cider Vinegar: Causes an alkaline effect in the fowl, which reduces 

the likelihood of illness and helps fight existing maladies by helping to support 

the immune system. Specially formulated double-strength, unpasteurised, still 

retains “the mother”, which is vital in preserving all vitamins and minerals.” 

planetpoultry.com.au 


YATES 


People’s 

Choice 

GARDEN IDEA 


WINNER GARDEN 

CATEGORY 







Garden Winner: 

Yates 

“A first for Australian gardeners is our 

certified organic, natural pyrethrin and 

vegetable oil spray combined with the 

goodness of seaweed, which is ideal for 

controlling the most common insect 

pests, including caterpillars, aphids, 

mites and whitefly on homegrown fruit, 

citrus, vegetables and flowers.” 

yates.com.au 


Sauerkraut once 

saved lives at 

sea by providing 

vitamin C 

THE CULTURED 

KITCHEN 

For millennia, humans consumed 

fermented food and drink. Now 

they’re making a comeback 

“Culture does not begin at the opera house; it begins in the kitchen.” 

— Sally Fallon Morell 

Words Kerry Boyne 

Perhaps the first fermented 

substance that comes to mind is 

not a food but a beverage. People 

started making wine around 8000 

years ago in the Caucasus area of central 

Europe, and 7000-year-old jars containing 

the remains of wine were excavated in 

the Zagros Mountains in Iran. There is 

also evidence of fermented beverages in 

Babylon around 3000 BCE, ancient Egypt 

(3150 BCE), pre-Hispanic Mexico (2000 

BCE) and Sudan (around 1500 BCE). 

That’s a venerable tradition. 

Of course, wine is not the only fermented 

beverage. Beer brewing was, like wine, 

probably a happy accident to begin with, 

occurring when wild yeasts met up with 

grains that had been left warm and wet. 

There is archaeological evidence of ale 

drinking dating as far back as the Iranian 

wine jars and from the same region. There’s 

an endless list of other alcoholic beverages 

made from all kinds of fruit, grains and even 

vegetables such as potato. 

The origins of culturing dairy are, as they 

say, lost in the mists of time but a well-loved 

tale is the one of the nomads who carried 

milk in bags made from animal stomachs, 

which contained the enzyme rennin. Because 

rennin curdles milk, when the milk was left 

in the bags for any length of time in a bit of 

warm weather, the nomads would have found 

soft cheese forming in their milk bags. 

Then there are all the fermented, pickled 

and otherwise preserved vegetables, plus 

pickled and smoked meats and fish as well as 

sourdough breads. All were originally made at 

home as a regular part of daily life and a way 

of making seasonal harvests, butchering of 

Some people think 

fermentation is dangerous 

and fear they may poison 

themselves or suddenly 

have bottles exploding in 

a cupboard somewhere. 

The truth is home 

fermentation is probably 

far less fraught than 

eating in restaurants. 

animals and fishing expeditions provide many 

meals. Sauerkraut, for example, was made to 

be eaten through the cold months when few 

vegetables could be harvested. 

Sadly, many of these foods were not suited 

to factory mass-production processes. It was 

easier to guarantee consistency of flavour 

and longer shelf life with pasteurisation, 

cooking foods at high temperatures and 

using vinegar for pickling rather than 

fermentation methods. These factory 

processes killed the beneficial organisms. 

A jar of factory-produced pasteurised 

sauerkraut has very little of the health-giving 

value of the properly fermented version, even 

though it may seem similar in taste. And 

we’ve all heard of the problems people have 

with gluten these days, yet proper sourdough 

fermentation predigests gluten. 

Some cultures have never stopped 

fermenting foods in their time-honoured 

ways and, as with so many things, people 

in the industrialised world are recognising 

the value of these traditional ways and 

wanting to try their hand at making yoghurt, 

kefir, sauerkraut and sourdough. It’s not 

just hippies and “homesteaders”, either. 

We know a butcher who makes kefir daily 

and sourdough weekly; a hairdresser who 

has a passion for making kombucha in all 

kinds of weird and wonderful flavours; and 

many gardeners who are starting to culture 

sauerkraut and pickle olives from their trees. 

Some people think fermenting is 

dangerous and fear they may poison 

themselves or suddenly have bottles 

exploding in a cupboard somewhere. The 

truth is home fermentation is probably 

far less fraught than eating in restaurants 

because you are in control and, as long as 

you understand the process, keep things 

clean (not necessarily sterilised) and know 

when to stop the fermentation, your sense of 

smell and the appearance of your product will 

guide you very well. 


Benefits | FERMENTING & PICKLING 

Types of 

fermentation 

The kinds of fermentation we want to occur 

are defined by their end products. These are 

lactic acid, produced by a process known as 

lacto-fermentation, and alcohol or ethanol 

fermentation. When alcohol is converted 

further into acetic acid, as with making 

vinegar, you have an acetic fermentation. 

Some ferments are a combination of two 

or all three. 

Lacto-fermentation 

This is the simplest type of fermentation and 

the easiest for the beginner. The desirable 

bacteria for this culture are Lactobacilli, 

though other bacteria and yeasts can be 

involved. They convert starches and sugars 

into lactic acid, which is like a natural 

preservative that inhibits the growth of 

spoiling or putrefying bacteria. Lactobacilli 

exist on the surfaces of all living things, so 

they are always present and ready for action. 

Lacto-fermentation is anaerobic, so whatever 

is being cultured is oxygen-starved by being 

submerged in brine or whey. Examples are 

cultured dairy products such as buttermilk, 

cheese, yoghurt and kefir, and vegetable 

products such as sauerkraut, pickles and 

kimchi. It’s the lactic acid that gives these 

foods their characteristic sour taste. 

Alcoholic or ethanol fermentation 

In this type of fermentation, yeast 

(Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and some types 

of bacteria convert the sugars in fruit or 

grain into alcohol and carbon dioxide. It’s 

also anaerobic but needs to take place in a 

container that allows carbon dioxide to escape 

without letting outside air in. This process is 

used for making breads, where the alcohol is 

cooked out, and for alcoholic beverages such 

as wine, beer, cider and liquors. 

Acetic fermentation 

When alcohol is exposed to air for a period 

of time, Acetobacter organisms make acetic 

acid in the form of vinegar. So this is an 

aerobic ferment. Vinegars can be produced 

from cider, wine and a variety of fermented 

grains. We’re all very familiar with apple 

cider vinegar, red and white wine vinegars, 

malt vinegar, balsamic vinegar and rice wine 

vinegar, to name a few. Kombucha is another 

acetic fermentation, using tea. Again, it’s the 

acetic acid that gives vinegars and kombucha 

their pleasant sourness. 

Health benefits 

In the early 1900s, Nobel Prize-winning Russian 

bacteriologist Elie Metchnikoff noticed that 

Bulgarians had an average lifespan of 87 years 

and that four out of every thousand lived past 

Familiar 

fermented foods 

Here are some fermented foods you 

may know and already consume 

regularly and what they are based on. 

Beans: Miso, natto, soy sauce, tempeh, 

soybean paste 

Grain: Beer, bread, sake, sourdough, 

rice wine, malt whisky, grain whisky, idli, 

dosa, vodka 

Vegetables: Kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, 

Indian pickle, gundruk 

Fruit: Wine, vinegar, cider, apple cider 

vinegar, brandy 

Honey: Mead 

Dairy: Cheese, kefir, quark, crème 

fraîche, yoghurt 

Fish: Fish sauce, shrimp paste 

Meat: Jamón, chorizo, salami, pepperoni 

Tea: Kombucha 

100 — incredible for the time. Bulgarian peasant 

Baba Vasilka lived to 126, while her son Tudor 

died at 101. Metchnikoff also noticed they 

consumed a lot of fermented milks. 

The Hunzas of Kashmir and the Georgians 

were also known for their impressive 

longevity. And it’s not just the number of 

years alive but also their energy levels at 

very advanced ages, with men older than 

100 participating in horse events such as 

polo and women of similar age working in the 

fields. Both these groups also traditionally 

consumed fermented milks with live 

Lactobacilli bacteria. There is a famous 

Georgian saying: “If you want to live long, 

drink more sour milk.” 

Gut health 

This is number one because much of our 

overall wellbeing comes from having a happy, 

healthy gut. We all know what probiotics can 

do for the digestive system and that’s the gift 

that keeps on giving. Live bacteria protect 

the fermentation against pathogenic bacteria 

and they protect the gut in the same way, 

adding to the beneficial gut flora. Fermented 

foods also predigest lactose in dairy, gluten in 

wheat and glutamine in raw cabbage during 

the ferment, making these foods easier to 

digest when eaten. 

Immune system boost 

As a direct result of improving gut health, the 

immune system is boosted because more 

than 70 per cent of the immune system is in 

the gut. According to Dr Natasha Campbell- 

McBride, who formulated the GAPS (gut and 

psychology syndrome) diet, “The gut flora 

can literally be described as the right hand of 

our immune system. But when the beneficial 

gut flora is not there, the two major arms of 

immunity, TH1 and TH2, get out of balance.” 

This in turn can lead to autoimmune illnesses 

such as asthma and allergy, arthritis and 

other inflammatory conditions. 

Nervous system function 

The gut is often called “the second brain”. 

According to Dr Michael Gershon, author 

of The Second Brain, you have as many 

neurotransmitters in your gut as in your brain. 

Studies have found that beneficial bacteria 

reduce anxiety in people with chronic fatigue, 

have a positive effect on behaviour and may 

even moderate autistic behaviours in children 

and adolescents. 

Bioavailability of nutrients 

The fermentation process neutralises 

antinutrients, such as phytic acid, tannins and 

oxalic acid, which inhibit proper absorption 

of minerals by the body. Fermentation also 

increases nutrients such as vitamins B and 

C in the food and fermented dairy makes 

calcium more bioavailable. Combine that with 

the vitamin K from fermented soy products 

and you have a better chance of maintaining 

strong, healthy bones. 

Weight control 

A study reported in the European Journal of 

Clinical Nutrition showed that obese people 

reduced abdominal fat by almost 5 per cent 

by drinking probiotic-rich fermented milk 

for 12 weeks. 

Detoxification 

Fermented foods are among the best 

chelators, which makes them great detoxifiers 

able to pull out heavy metals, BPAs and many 

other contaminants we are exposed to from 

living in the modern industrial environment. 

Protection against cancer 

One study published in The Journal of 

Nutrition showed that probiotics could 

protect against colon cancer. 

Vinegar magic 

One of the most magical of fermented 

foods is readily available in healthfood 

stores and supermarkets: apple cider 

vinegar (ACV). It’s a fantastic alkalising 

agent that’s great for your gut and 

for dealing with infections such as 

candida and cystitis, especially in 

conjunction with other alkalisers such 

as bicarb soda. Buy only ACV that has 

its live culture — “the mother” – and 

is preferably organic. Incorporate it in 

recipes or take a tablespoonful in a glass 

of water every day, more when you have 

any sort of infection. 


FERMENTING & PICKLING | Benefits 

Ferments of 

soybeans 

include miso, 

tempeh and 

soy sauce 

Kimchi is a staple 

of Korean cuisine 

The nose knows 

What about safety? How do you tell if 

the spoiling organisms rather than the 

beneficial ones have taken over a culture? 

Easy: smell. A spoiled fermentation will 

stink and you won’t even be tempted 

to taste it at all. How does it happen? It 

occurs when you haven’t provided the 

right conditions for the good guys to 

dominate. There are a few basic rules: 

Do your homework — know how the 

type of fermentation you want to 

do works and follow a good book or 

website for instructions. 

Keep all containers and utensils 

scrupulously clean. Dishwashers are 

good for that because of the heat. 

Use the freshest ingredients you can. 

Give your fermentation the right 

combination of temperature and 

time — room temperature in 

summer will require less time than in 

winter, for example. 

Once your fermentation has reached its 

correct stage, store in the fridge. 

Make your own 

The ideal way to ensure your fermented foods 

have high amounts of the live cultures and 

enzymes you want from them is to make your 

own. Plus, making your own means you can 

use organic and homegrown ingredients to 

ensure they are not tainted by pesticides or 

other chemicals and you can control their 

development and so control flavour. 

You’re probably not going to make your 

own soy sauce or salami, but things such as 

sauerkraut, pickles, kefir, yoghurt, kombucha, 

cultured butter and soft cheeses are really 

not difficult once you get into the rhythm. 

Sourdough bread-making is a bit more 

complicated but it can become a great hobby. 

You don’t need to eat huge amounts, either. 

Fermented foods 

are among the best 

chelators, which makes 

them great detoxifiers 

able to pull out heavy 

metals, BPAs and many 

other contaminants 

we are exposed to from 

living in the modern 

industrial environment. 

Let’s say you consume some good-quality 

yoghurt in the morning, have half a cup or so of 

cultured vegetables with lunch or dinner and 

drink a shot of kefir or kombucha. If you can 

manage that most days, you’ll be a lot healthier 

for it. As with most things, variety is the key. 

You don’t want to become a slave to your 

voracious organisms, though, by attempting to 

make too many different ones. The best plan 

is to experiment and then stick to those you 

like making and especially the ones you most 

like eating or drinking. If you decide you’d like 

to try making one regular and one occasional 

item, perhaps start with kefir and sauerkraut. 

Both are simple and safe to make and your 

digestive, immune and nervous systems, not to 

mention your skin and brain, will thank you for it. 

We have some recipes in this issue but there is 

plenty of information on the web or in the below 

publication and resources. 

This article was originally published in sister 

publication WellBeing Homegrown Homemade. 

Resources 

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook 

that Challenges Politically Correct 

Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, by 

Sally Fallon Morell & Mary G. Enig 

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to 

Fermenting Foods, by Wardeh Harmon 

The Weston A Price Foundation, 

westonaprice.org 


Pickles | FERMENTING & PICKLING 

Shelf preservation 

An overview of the art and history 

of pickling fruits and vegetables 

Words Chris Stafford 

People have been pickling all manner 

of foods for centuries, originally to 

preserve them out of season and, later, 

purely for the taste. 

The practice is thought to have begun in 

India 4000 years ago and by the end of the 

Roman Empire had spread all over Europe. 

Today, the Italians have their colourful 

Mason jars 

These classic preserving jars get 

their name from Philadelphia tinsmith 

John Landis Mason, who invented and 

patented this style of jar in 1858. Their 

lids allow easy sterilisation and provide 

a hermetic seal for their contents. There 

are many other types of preserving jars 

that also have airtight seals. 

Making whey 

Line a colander with cheesecloth 

and stand it inside a bowl or jug. 

Pour 1L of plain yoghurt, kefir or other 

fermented dairy into the cheesecloth. 

Tie up the ends. 

Let the whey drip out for 24 hours. 

Store in an airtight, clean jar in 

the fridge where it will keep for 

several weeks. 

Make labna with the firm yoghurt left 

in the cheesecloth by rolling it into 

balls and storing in light olive oil. 

giardiniera of pickled onion, celery, zucchini, 

carrot and cauliflower, while in northern Europe, 

it’s herring and rollmops. 

Appropriately, Amerigo Vespucci, the man 

who gave his name to America — home of the 

dill pickle — was a pickle merchant in Seville, 

Spain. Before he went from marinades to 

mariner and set sail for the New World, he 

provisioned ships with preserved meat and 

veg. A century and a half later, what we now 

call Manhattan was home to a huge Dutch 

pickle industry. 

The word “pickle” actually comes from 

the Dutch pekel, meaning brine, just one 

of the agents commonly used in pickling 

(others include salt, vinegar, whey and oils). 

What people had discovered, long before the 

invention of canning, was how to preserve food 

through the process of lacto-fermentation. 

Napoleon, who had a large army to feed, 

kick-started the commercial pickling industry 

when he offered a cash prize to anyone who 

could safely preserve food in bulk. The prize 

was claimed in 1810 by a confectioner named 

Nicolas Appert who’d figured out if you 

expelled air from a food container and boiled it, 

the food didn’t spoil. 

It would be another 50 years before Louis 

Pasteur explained what was happening: 

when you make the bottle airtight, no microorganisms 

can enter; once you boil it, any microorganisms 

already there are killed. 

At first, commercial pickling was a labourintensive, 

expensive business until industrialists 

developed methods to do the job on a large 

scale. The trouble is, processes such as hightemperature 

pasteurisation or refrigeration kill 

the beneficial bacteria in the food and reduce its 

shelf life. In other words, a typical food industry 

trade-off of nutrition for convenience. 

To pickle and preserve fruits and vegies at 

home, you don’t have to work on an industrial 

scale. They can be made in the kitchen with 

just a few wide-mouthed, sealable Mason jars or 

similar and a wooden pounder. Use homemade 

whey (see box) rather than commercial whey 

for best results, especially with fruit. Whey 

supplies the lactobacilli, without which pickles, 

however tasty, don’t have the same nutritional 

value. If you don’t have whey, add an extra 

tablespoon of salt. 

Some of these ingredients will be available 

now from your garden, but you may have to buy 

others that your local climate doesn’t support 

growing right now. 

A word about safety: When properly 

fermenting pickles with a live culture such as 

whey, it’s not necessary to sterilise jars but they 

should be perfectly clean. Putting them and 

their lids through a dishwasher cycle will do the 

job well, but if you are more comfortable using 

sterilised jars, by all means do so. 


FERMENTING & PICKLING | Olives 

Star ingredient: Black olives 

Pressed Black Olives 

As you may already know, olives play a huge part in Greek cuisine. 

Here’s how to make pressed olives Greek style. 

Ingredients 

• 5kg ripe black 

olives (preferably 

Kalamata) 

• 1kg sea salt 

• Olive oil 

• Fresh oregano, 

thyme or preferred 

herbs 

Method 

• Place olives on a large, clean piece 

of hessian or canvas. Pour sea salt over 

them. Mix thoroughly. 

• Wrap olives in the hessian or canvas 

and place a weight on top (around 10kg 

will do the job). 

• Over the next two weeks, check every 

two days and remix if necessary, 

making sure all olives are well covered 

with salt. 

• After two weeks, remove the olives from 

the cloth and wash them thoroughly to 

remove the salt. 

• Place in sterilised jars and fill to cover 

with olive oil. Add your choice of herbs, 

garlic, lemon etc, seal and store. Make 

sure all solids are beneath the oil. 


Olives | FERMENTING & PICKLING 

Star ingredient: Green olives 

Cured Green Olives 

It’s claimed that fermentation brings out new sour, aromatic tones in olives as well as 

removing the bitter compound oleuropein from the flesh. 

Method 

• Sort olives, discarding bruised fruit. Make a slit 

in each without cutting into the pit. Transfer 

to a clean large pot or food-grade bucket, 

cover with water and weigh down with a 

plate so the olives remain submerged. 

• Change the water every day for a week. 

• Transfer the olives to the fermenting vessel 

and cover with brine. Again, weigh them 

down so they stay submerged. Cover. 

• Leave to ferment in a cool, dark place for 

2–4 months, adding more brine as needed 

(1 cup sea salt, 2 cups vinegar to every 2L 

water). For the first few days, bubbles of 

gas may form. When that stops, add more 

brine if required and cover tightly. It’s crucial 

to ensure the olives remain submerged 

throughout. If white mould forms on the 

surface, scoop it off. 

• After 2 months, taste to ensure the olives are 

no longer bitter before using. If they are still 

bitter, leave to cure for longer. 

• When ready, they can be drained and 

transferred to sterilised jars and covered in 

either brine or olive oil with your choice of 

herbs and spices, ensuring nothing poke s 

out from the liquid. 

Ingredients 

• Large ripe green 

olives 

• Spring water 

• Enough brine to 

cover 

Brine 

• 2L spring water 

• 1 cup sea salt 

• 2 cups raw apple 

cider vinegar (with 

“the mother”) 


FERMENTING & PICKLING | Preserved limes 

Star ingredient: Limes 

Preserved Limes 

Preserved limes can stand in for preserved lemons in your cooking and are a good way to make use of 

excess fruit. Add the chopped peel to tagines, salads and slow-cooked dishes. Be careful to use only 

unrefined salt, as table salt and some sea salt contain anti-caking agents and other nasties you don’t 

want in your preserve. The liquid will look cloudy at first but will clear in about a week. 

Ingredients 

• 8 limes, plus 8 more for juice 

• 3 tbsp unrefined sea salt 

• Cinnamon stick, broken 

• 2 bay leaves 

• 6 cardamom pods 

• 8 whole cloves 

• 1 tsp mustard seeds 

• 2 tbsp whey 

Method 

• Cut limes in quarters leaving them 

attached at one end. 

• Separate quarters and spoon sea 

salt into the opened quarters. 

• Pack the limes in a jar adding the 

cinnamon stick, bay leaves and 

spices. You may have to break a few 

in half to pack them in. 

• Add lime juice and whey to the jar. 

Add water to cover the limes in 

liquid and fill to 2cm below brim. 

• Place a weight inside the jar 

to hold the lemons down. 

Cover tightly and keep at room 

temperature for 2 weeks, turning 

the jar once a day. Skim off any 

mould that forms and re-cover. 

Your limes will change from green 

to yellow. 

• Transfer to cold s torage. 


Japanese-style sauerkraut | FERMENTING & PICKLING 

Star ingredient: Napa cabbage 

Japanese-style Sauerkraut 

Pickled foods are a major part of Japanese cuisine. The origins of tsukemono (pickles) are lost, but legend has it that the 

people living in the area around the Kayatsu Shrine in Nagoya (now nicknamed Tsukemono Jinja) would offer sea salt and 

vegetables to the god of the shrine. However, because the vegetables would soon spoil, they decided to try mixing them 

with the salt, concluding that the result was a gift from the gods. There are many types of pickling, but this is a version of 

hakusai, using whey instead of the traditional ricebran culture. 

Ingredients 

• 1 napa cabbage, cored 

& finely shredded 

• Bunch shallots, 

chopped 

• 2 tbsp soy sauce 

(naturally fermented) 

• 2 tbsp lemon juice 

• 1 tsp sea salt 

• 2 tbsp whey (or an 

additional tsp of salt) 

Method 

• Mix all ingredients in a 

bowl and pound with a 

wooden pounder or meat 

hammer to release juices. 

• Let stand, covered with a 

tea towel or paper towel 

for ½–1 hour for salt to 

draw out juices. 

• Transfer to a clean jar, 

pounding each layer so 

liquid rises to top, and 

ensuring vegetables are 

fully submerged. Leave 

about 3cm space at top. 

Cover with lid. 

• Leave at room 

temperature for about 

three days, then transfer 

to cold storage. 

Adapted from recipe by Sally Fallon Morell in Nourishing Traditions. 


FERMENTING & PICKLING | BEet Kvass 

Star ingredient: Beetroot 

Beetroot Kvass 

Kvass is a fermented drink originally made from rye bread, but can also made from beets. Beetroot is high 

in betacyanin, which has been found to significantly oxygenate the blood, so it’s a double whammy with 

the micro-organisms from the lacto-fermentation. A small amount daily will have very beneficial effects on 

health. You can even use some in salad dressings where a little colour won’t be a problem, such as in 

a beetroot, rocket, walnut and feta salad, or mix it with carrot or orange juice. 

Ingredients 

• 2-4 beetroots, washed, peeled & 

cut into small cubes 

• ¼ cup whey 

• 1 tsp unrefined sea salt 

• filtered 

water 

Method 

• Place 

beets in bottom of jar. 

• Add salt and whey and fill jar 

with filtered water to about 2cm 

from top. Put lid on and give it 

a good shake. 

• Loosen lid off and leave at room 

temperature er for 2 days to ferment. 

• Once 

fermented, tighten lid, 

transfer to fridge and use as 

desired. ed The salty flavour will 

mellow 

over time. 

Tip: When all the liquid has been 

drunk, you can add more whey (or 

a little of the liquid from the first 

batch) and water to the beetroot in 

the jar and 

ferment another batch. 

Then discard the beets. 

Variation: Add grated ginger. 


Pickled Celeriac & Carrot Salad | FERMENTING & PICKLING 

Star ingredient: Celeriac 

Pickled Celeriac & Carrot Salad 

This is vinegar-based pickling using heat. It doesn’t have the live microbe benefits of fermentation as it’s the acidity of 

the denatured vinegar that does the preserving, but for those who like a vinegary tang, these pickles make a delicious 

accompaniment and are still a pleasant way to use your harvest. For those who mainly use celeriac in mash, it makes an 

interesting salad vegetable. 

Ingredients 

• 1 napa cabbage, cored 

and finely shredded 

• Bunch shallots, 

chopped 

• 2 tbsp soy sauce 

(naturally fermented) 

• 2 tbsp lemon juice 

• 2 tsp sea salt 

• 2 tbsp whey (or an 

additional tsp of salt) 

Method 

• Mix together vegetables 

in a bowl and sprinkle 

with 2 tbsp of salt. Mix 

well and leave to stand 

about 2 hours. 

• Rinse vegetables under 

cold, running water, then 

drain well. Stir in dill 

seeds and orange zest, 

then pack loosely into 

hot sterilised jars with 

vinegar-proof sealants. 

• Place orange juice, 

vinegar, water, remaining 

salt and sugar if using, in 

stainless pan and bring 

to the boil, boiling for 2–3 

minutes. 

• Skim well and pour into 

jars to cover vegetables, etables, 

making sure there e are no 

air pockets and vegies 

are covered. 

• Will be ready to eat in a 

week and should keep 

3–6 months. 

Adapted from recipe by Oded Schwartz 

in Preserving Through the Year. 


FERMENTING & PICKLING | Vietnamese pickles 

Ingredients 

• 1 cup filtered water 

• 1 cup rice vinegar 

• 3 tbsp unrefined sugar 

• 2 tsp unrefined sea salt 

• 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks 

• 2 daikons, cut into matchsticks 

Star ingredient: Daikon 

Vietnamese-style Pickles 

This is a quick fridge pickle that’s meant to be eaten within a week or two, so it doesn’t traditionally go through 

a heat or fermentation process. It’s used as a little side dish or in sandwiches and rolls. You’ve probably had 

them on banh mi, those succulent Vietnamese pork rolls. 

Tip: Julienne if you want to use in rolls and 

sandwiches; cut into thicker batons if you want 

to enjoy as a pickle side dish. 

Method 

• In a pot or bowl, mix water, vinegar, sugar and 

salt until dissolved. You may have to warm it 

a little. 

• Place carrot and daikon in a clean jar and pour 

in vinegar mixture to cover. 

• Seal jar and let sit for an hour, then place in 

the refrigerator to pickle for a few days before 

eating. Will keep in the fridge for a week or 

two. Drain off liquid to serve and garnish with 

coriander if desired. 


PICK OF THE CROP 

pick of the crop 

Our selection of products and services for gardeners and cooks 

Home in the Grange 

Sproutwell’s Grange series is Australia’s first proven commercial-grade 

greenhouse and is widely used in both residential and commercial 

agricultural industries. Over the past four years, Sproutwell has provided 

hundreds of Granges across Australia and New Zealand and it’s without a 

doubt the most sought-after greenhouse on the market today due to its 

supreme strength and durability. The Easy Aluminium Connectors and Smart 

Slide-in Assembly System have been designed to reduce the assembly 

time by up to 70 per cent compared to other greenhouse structures 

(uses 300-plus fewer nuts and 

bolts than the traditional-style 

greenhouse). Complete with 

10mm polycarbonate panels, 

it’s hands-down one of the 

strongest greenhouses available. 

The entire range is perfect for 

those wanting to erect a larger 

greenhouse in an open area, as 

the structure is unbelievably 

strong. Call 1300 657 174 or visit 

sproutwellgreenhouses.com.au 

Award winner and 

Choice recommended 

The Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer is Choice 

recommended and the Good Organic Gardening 

award winner for the number-one cold-press 

juicer. The first cold-press juicer that juices 

whole fruit and vegetables, it’s stylish, 

quiet and easy to clean. The 

Kuvings Whole Slow Juicer yields 

more nutrients and enzymes for a 

healthy juice. Made in Korea with 

20 years warranty on the motor 

and five years on the parts. For 

more information, visit kuvings. 

net.au or call (02) 9798 0586. 

Composting made simple 

Everyone hates smelly council bins full of maggots and rotting old food, but how do 

you get rid of all this waste without the hard work of conventional composters? Simple. 

Plant a few Compots around your garden, rotate filling them with all your kitchen waste 

(including meat, citrus, onions, oil, dairy, doggie doo or anything biodegradable) and 

let nature do the rest. No turning, no hard work — just fill, forget and refill whenever 

you have more waste. In contrast to conventional composters, you don’t need to wait 

for everything to decompose before you top it again; just keep topping it up and it will 

look after itself. It couldn’t get much easier than that. And you get beautiful, rich garden 

soil, create a little ecosystem in your garden, reduce your council waste, plus save the 

environment. Don’t take our word for it — try two or three and see for yourself. 

Call (07) 3358 3716, directcompostsolutions.com or compot.com.au 

Top-selling organic 

sugar cane mulch 

Rocky Point Mulching’s Certified Organic 

Sugar Cane Mulch is the longest-established, 

highest-quality, most trusted brand on the 

market. This has been achieved through 

meeting customer expectations with genuine 

claims on coverage and quality. Its top-selling 

bag of sugar cane mulch covers seven square 

metres when spread at 50mm thickness. To 

achieve this, it’s essential first that the mulch be 

fully dust-extracted and, second, that the bag 

weigh between 12kg and 13kg. If you purchase 

a bag and it’s anything but this, it won’t achieve 

the coverage as promised. So ask yourself, is 

Organic Times 

Rocky Road rocks! 

The latest tasty treat from Organic Times has arrived: 

Organic Rocky Road, available in milk and 55 per 

cent dark chocolate. Organic Times is known for its 

sustainably produced gourmet products, especially its 

chocolates (created for the eco-conscious connoisseur), 

and its rocky road is no different. Made with the most 

delicious, soft, organic vanilla marshmallows, crunchy 

roasted Australian organic almonds and tangy organic 

raspberry jellies, smothered in smooth, organic, 

decadent couverture chocolate, this rocky road could 

be the best you ever 

try. Certified organic, 

Fairtrade, palm oil-free, 

with nothing artificial 

and gluten-free. 

RRP $5.95. 

organictimes.com.au 

your garden really getting what you’re paying 

for? Rocky Point Mulching is Australia’s only 

family-owned and -operated sugarcane farm 

and sugarcane mulch 

processing plant. Its 

sugarcane mulch 

is not outsourced 

for production; they 

grow it, they pack it. 

Certified by NASAA 

as an input for 

organic production, 

it’s the perfect choice 

for your garden. 

rpmulching.com.au 



Amazing coconut 

Did you know that coconut fibre is naturally antibacterial? 

This makes it a perfect natural fibre for the kitchen that 

is eco-friendly, biodegradable and a healthier, more 

sustainable choice. The Eco Max Kitchen Scrubber uses 

the husk of the coconut to make a strong, long-lasting 

kitchen scrubber. The fibres are wound onto galvanised 

wire so it won’t rust and can even go into the dishwasher. 

Unlike with nylon scourers, oil and fat do not congeal 

on the coconut fibre and it won’t scratch enamelware or 

take the patina from cast iron. The bristles make it ideal 

for hard-to-clean areas such as garlic crushers, strainers 

and graters and it easily cleans blenders, juicers and 

mixers. You can even use the Eco Max Kitchen Scrubber 

outside on the barbecue, animal troughs, pet bowls or 

in the chook 

shed to clean 

your eggs. You’ll 

find many uses 

for the Eco Max 

Kitchen Scrubber, 

which has an 

RRP of $3. For a 

stockist near you, 

see importants. 

com.au 

Organic fertiliser 

for your garden 

Organic Fertilisers, situated 40km southwest of Sydney 

near the small township of Bringelly, began operations 

in the mid-60s, cleaning out poultry farms and also 

running a dairy operation milking 1800 cows daily. It’s 

now one of the biggest companies in the Sydney metro 

area, cleaning poultry sheds for large commercial farms. 

All the poultry manure collected is either sold direct 

to the agriculture industry or brought back to the yard 

where it’s composted down, going through a heating 

process to comply with certification standards to cater 

to Certified Organic customers. The company developed 

a low-odour product for customers in the Sydney metro 

area, including golf courses, sporting ovals, councils and 

racetracks. It also makes up blends using the low-odour 

poultry manure with composted sand from the dairy and 

cow manure. (02) 4773 4291 

All-round goodness 

Grow tasty herbs, vegies and beautiful flowers from organic goodness. 

5IN1 Organic Plant Foods draws together some of nature’s best fertilisers 

to produce outstanding organic results for all your garden plants, trees, 

shrubs and even lawns. This mix is fully 

registered organic and promotes better 

flowering and fruiting without harsh 

impact on the environment. Available 

in easy-to-sprinkle pellets, dig-in soil, 

water-in liquid and premixed hose-on 

forms. For more information, call 

(07) 5422 3000 or visit searles.com.au 

Nourishing gardeners’ 

hands for 90 years 

Weleda was the original eco-friendly and sustainable skincare company, founded 

by the forefather of biodynamic farming, Dr Rudolf Steiner. One of the company’s 

earliest and most iconic products is undoubtedly Skin Food, a deeply nourishing 

and intensely hydrating whole-body moisturiser developed by Steiner himself 

back in 1926. Skin Food restores and protects dry and rough skin with a 100 per 

cent natural blend of plant extracts in a thick, rich base and delights with 

a fresh scent from natural and organic essential oils. Fans love Skin Food for its 

high-quality ingredients such as sunflower seed oil, sweet almond oil, beeswax, 

chamomile, calendula and wild pansy 

extracts, which are either grown by Weleda 

in its biodynamic gardens or ethically 

sourced through Fairtrade partnerships 

worldwide. Skin Food is free from synthetic 

preservatives, fragrances, colours or 

petroleum-derived ingredients and is not 

tested on animals. Most importantly, Skin 

Food works. It moisturises and softens 

dry and rough skin anywhere on the body, 

making it a gardener’s essential. 

weleda.com.au 

Give plants the lift they need 

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-to-use, 

pelletised, rich source of organic matter. Yates 

Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food also contains 

slow-release organic nutrients to gently feed plants 

over several weeks. It’s ideal for mixing into the 

soil when preparing new autumn vegie and 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 



Planet Poultry 

range of Happy Hens 

supplements for 

chickens 

Garlic Granules: This herb has been 

universally used as a medicine and tonic food 

for thousands of years. Garlic stimulates the 

immune system and is antibacterial, antiviral, 

antifungal and antiparasitic. 

Seaweed Meal: Contains over 70 naturally 

balanced elements, minerals and amino acids 

and may have a prebiotic effect in poultry, 

stimulating better health. 

Molodri: Dried molasses and fine 

diatomaceous earth (non-toxic fossilised 

diatoms). Regularly used, may assist in the 

control of worms and coccidiosis. 

Diatomaceous Earth: Completely natural 

dusting powder for the control of lice and 

mites on birds and in their housing. 

Apple Cider Vinegar: Specially formulated 

double-strength and unpasteurised, still 

retaining “mother of vinegar”, which is vital in 

preserving all vitamins and minerals. 

Fortex: Poultry vitamins formulated by a 

poultry nutritionist to meet the vitamin and 

mineral requirements that may be lacking in 

your chickens’ diet. 

planetpoultry.com.au 

Loved by the experts 

FormBoss Metal Garden Edging was proudly supporting Grand Designs Live a few years 

ago. As part of the show the company supplied several planter rings to be incorporated 

into the main show display, where the speakers were presenting. Jamie Durie liked 

the planters so much he decided he wanted to place them in his own backyard. Many 

people don’t know that FormBoss Metal Edging can be easily bent into both curves and 

angles on site. You can also elect to have your preferred product shaped into a ring of 

your chosen diameter. These rings are fantastic for raised planter beds, as FormBoss is 

available in eight different heights ranging from 

75mm to 580mm. They can also be used at lower 

heights to distinguish trees, sculptures and water 

features. You’d be surprised just how economical 

the rings are when compared with alternatives. 

The 700mm-diameter ring at 185mm height 

displayed here retails at around $60! 

formboss.com.au 

Organic top-shelf 

spirits 

Hunter Distillery is the only certified 

organic distillery in the Hunter Valley wine 

region of NSW. The company’s owners 

have a passion for producing quality 

top-shelf spirits. Sourcing only the best 

organic raw ingredients and using copper 

pot stills, their exceptional range includes 

the award-winning certified organic Valli 

Premium Vodka and Copperwave Gin. 

They also make an outstanding range of 

flavoured vodkas, liqueurs and schnapps, 

using 100 per cent certified organic spirit 

as the base. Starting as a backyard hobby, 

the company opened its doors to the 

public in October 2012. Tastings and 

sales of spirits are available daily 

10am–5pm, at the cellar door. The 

dedicated cellar door staff can provide 

you with a selection from the range, 

uniquely presented as 2mL samples in 

test tubes. Visit and sample the unique 

range of spirits, with a flavour for every 

taste. hunterdistillery.com.au 

On the Organigrow farm 

At Organigrow we strive to give our feathered friends the best 

environment to thrive in and lay exceptional eggs. With a free 

choice of shady, forested areas and lush pastures, they can adapt 

their habits to suit the variable weather. On hot days they hang 

out under the trees and scratch through the mulch, while in the 

early mornings and evenings and in cooler cloudy weather they 

forage in the pastured areas. We are certified organic and one of 

our biggest challenges is the escalating cost of certified organic 

feed. Three years ago I was buying a complete ration for around 

$600 per tonne. Now that has doubled to more than $1200. In 

response I am undertaking a project to mix my own feed from 

organic grain, sourced locally, and a high-protein pellet. This has 

been a major project and is almost complete. I have had to buy 

large silos and make output augers as well as renovate a secondhand 

feed mixer. The aim is not only to reduce costs, but to 

improve the quality of the feed as I can incorporate more whole 

grain into their diet. As you may know, when grain is ground it 

starts to oxidise and lose its vitality. Feeding hens whole grain is 

the best way to preserve its goodness, which makes for healthier 

eggs. — Simon, organigrow.com.au 


Every garden is part of 

a Complete Home 

Complete Home has undergone a facelift and a 

relaunch. Now mobile friendly, inspiring and the 

ultimate expert in the field.

MENU 

KITCHENS 

Projects 

Contemporary 

ENQUIRE ABOUT THIS PROJECT 

VISIT WEBSITE 

completehome.com.au

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REVIEWS | Books 

Cover to cover 

Leafing through books for gardeners and nature lovers 

The Oldest Foods on Earth 

By John Newton, NewSouth Books, $29.99 

“Before we arrived in 1788 the Aboriginal people of the tropical North chose from among 750 different 

plant and animal foods,” writes Sydney food and environment journalist John Newton, nailing his 

colours to the mast on the first page of his new book, subtitled A History of Australian Native Foods. 

And in the past two centuries, European Australians have hardly touched the unique foods that 

nourished the First Peoples of our land for 50 millennia — a situation Newton intends to redress 

with this fascinating and entertaining study, complete with recipes from the likes of Peter Gilmore, 

Maggie Beer and Beau Clugston. And it’s not only about the taste; just as lean kangaroo is one of the 

healthiest meats around, the Kakadu plum has the highest levels of vitamin C and antioxidants in the 

plant world. If trendy imports like quinoa, açaí berries and goji berries are regarded as superfoods, 

asserts Newton, then Australian native foods are “super-duper foods”. 

Good Better Green 

By Zita Steyn, Hardie Grant Books, $29.99 

“Eat your greens!” Most of us heard this exhortation many times as children. In the case of Zita 

Steyn’s own mother, giving up sugar and eating more greens was how she overcame chronic fatigue 

syndrome and nursed herself back to health. The story stayed with South African-born Steyn, who 

quotes Hippocrates’ assertion that “all illness begins in the gut” and points out in her introduction: 

“Green vegetables, especially the dark-green leafy kind, are the most nutrient-dense foods available 

to us.” Yet so many of us settle for a limited green diet of tried-and-true favourites such as peas, 

beans and broccoli. The 90 recipes in this book will broaden your palate as you explore the vast 

variety of ways of incorporating leafy greens into everything you eat, from soups and sauces to mains 

and desserts — from nettle and artichoke pâté to apple and green cabbage cake. With Steyn’s help, 

it’s not only easy being green, it can be interesting and delicious as well. 

The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook 

By Mickey Trescott, Murdoch Books, $39.99 

Autoimmune diseases are something of a modern epidemic. At some point in our lives, one in five 

of us will be diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder — a condition where the body’s immune 

system mistakenly declares war on its own tissue — and conventional medicine is largely baffled as 

to its causes and treatment. For US author Mickey Trescott, it was a case of “Chef, heal thyself!” 

In her own struggle with Hashimoto’s disease and coeliac disease, she realised the cure was far 

more complex than just removing gluten from her diet. After eliminating certain food groups and 

embracing others, she eventually settled on a version of the paleo diet, a simple, earthy approach 

to food choice and preparation. This beautiful cookbook, featuring 115 recipes, four-week meal 

plans and tips on shopping, batch cooking and preparing ahead, could be your first step on the 

road to health and vitality. 

Eat Right for Your Shape 

By Lee Holmes, Murdoch Books, $35 

With her Supercharged Food blog, WellBeing magazine column and several books on the subject, Lee 

Holmes is virtually a one-woman industry in the field of nutrition. As an expert on India’s Ayurvedic 

healing system, yoga teacher, wholefoods chef and certified holistic health coach, Lee is uniquely 

qualified to explain the interplay of bodily systems with nutrition, yoga and breathing exercises. Her 

mission here is to incorporate all this knowledge into a balanced diet and lifestyle that’s right for your 

unique body shape or dosha, to use an Ayurvedic term. Not just a cookbook using natural, seasonal 

foods but also a yoga and meditation handbook, Eat Right for Your Shape embodies Lee’s own 

mantra (to use another ancient word): “Following your own path will serve you greatly when adopting 

Ayurvedic principles, so let go of comparing yourself to others and make your own way to your 

preferred weight and maximum health.” 


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 

90 DAY 

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GUARANTEE 

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Rock Minerals for Veggies 

High cell density 

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Insects prefer to 

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veggies. 

Low cell density, 

low nutrient level. 

Insects have 

devoured these 

veggies. 

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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 

✔ 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 

✔ Less pests and diseases 

✔ 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 

NATURE’S OWN ANSWER TO 

SCARABS & MANY OTHER PESTS 

Beneficial Nematodes • Smarter Biocontrol 

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.ecogrow.com.au 

Australian owned and operated 

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

Directory 

HUNTER DISTILLERY is the only certied organic distillery in the 

Hunter Valley wine region of New South Wales. 

Locally owned and operated, we use premium quality organic raw 

ingredients to produce the award winning certied organic 

VALLI PREMIUM VODKA and COPPERWAVE GIN, 

as well as an exceptional range of top shelf spirits including 

avoured Vodkas, Liqueurs and Schnapps. 

Visit and sample our unique range of spirits, with a avour for every 

taste. 

An amazing experience not to be missed. 

Open 7 days, 10am - 5pm 

1686 Broke Road POKOLBIN NSW 2320 

Ph: 02 4998 6737 Fax: 02 4998 6738 

info@hunterdistillery.com.au www.hunterdistillery.com.au 

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 

Up to 6 

different 

fruits from one tree! 

AMAZING! 

Mail Order 

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

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 

RESULTS SPEAK 

LOUDER THAN WORDS! 

10% DISCOUNT STOREWIDE ON 

PRODUCTS FOR GOOD ORGANIC 

GARDENING MAGAZINE READERS. 

Enter the code GOGM5 at checkout. 

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! 

www.saveyoursoils.com.au 

(for more information i and your nearest retailer ) 

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

• 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 

• Made to Measure. 

• Local factory. 

• Colorbond® Steel 

- Built to last! 

• Comes in one piece. 

• Bonus $10 to $50 

voucher with every 

purchase. 

www.TheVegBed.com.au 

Ph 1300VEGBED

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 

www.purepolish.com.au 

Great for sensitive noses 

Furniture cleaning, care & restoration products 

that are effective, natural and smell nice! 

We use the finest quality, natural raw 

materials we can source 

We are 100% Australian owned 

We don’t use petrochemicals 

We believe in value for money - a little 

goes a long way 

We lovingly hand-make our products 

here in Australia 

Pure Polish 

Blueberry Plants 

for your home garden! 

For Advertising 

opportunities 

Please contact 

Miriam Keen 

p. 02 9887 0604 

e. mkeen@universalmagazines.com.au 

Healthy 2 year old plants – different varieties available. 

Available April to December – ship via Aus Post or courier. 

Quarantine regulations restrict postage of plants to 

Tasmania and WA. Plants are not certified organic. 

Order online or request mail order pack via 

RMB 3160, Moondarra, Victoria 3825 

www.moonblue.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. 

Go to our website for a FREE chapter 

of Jo’s book ‘Rocket Fuel on a Budget’. 

www.facebook.com/ EnergyCoachingInstitute 

www.energycoachinginstitute.com

We are 1% 

pasture grazed 

all year round! 

Organic Times provides you the 

organic choice for your dairy needs! 

With a range of organic butters and instant milk powders, Organic 

Times dairy can be enjoyed knowing that organic practices work 

to respect animal welfare and biodiversity. Organic Times dairy 

products come from cows that are pasture-fed on 100% organic 

grass all year long. They are free-range, well tended and naturally 

raised without artificial hormones. 

Using state of the art processing to ensure better quality and taste. 

NASAA 

CERTIFIED ORGANIC 

CERT NO 3412P 

® 

Stockists include: Health & Specialty Shops • Independent Supermarkets • IGA 

BAYSWATER, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA T. +61 3 9780 9700 INFO@ORGANICTIMES.COM.AU ORGANICTIMES.COM.AU

Your Complete Steel 

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Dirtscape Dreaming 

Rod Laver Arena Cafe 

Find inspiration from our online galleries! 

• Elegant: A beautiful seamless line with 

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and stakes. 

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• Durable: Steel does not crack, split, rot, or 

dint and we guarantee it to last for a minimum 

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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• Great Range: Multiple heights, finishes & 

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RossU Design & Swinburn TAFE 

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GUARANTEED 

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See website for 

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3. Good Organic Gardening - May-June 2016 AvxHome.in

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