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

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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 COOL & TEMPERATE 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 COOL & TEMPERATE 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 COOL & TEMPERATE 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 50 | Good Organic Gardening
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 Good Organic Gardening | 51
Page 1: grow naturally, eat fresh, live sus
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 48 Things to Do Jennifer S
Page 7 and 8: Feeding skin for 90 years 100% Nat
Page 9 and 10: are, undermining the ability of eco
Page 11 and 12: With Melissa King | THE SEASONAL GA
Page 13 and 14: Australia’s largest and very best
Page 16 and 17: PLANT PROFILE | Apples The original
Page 18 and 19: PLANT PROFILE | Apples How to store
Page 20 and 21: POWER PLANT | Turmeric Good as gold
Page 22 and 23: FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Rhubarb The pie
Page 24 and 25: FAMILY HEIRLOOMS | Rhubarb Winter W
Page 26 and 27: GARDENING FOLK | Emil Wenner Last y
Page 28 and 29: GARDENING FOLK | Emil Wenner Passio
Page 30 and 31: GARDENING FOLK | Marleen & Ronald v
Page 32 and 33: GARDENING FOLK | Marleen & Ronald v
Page 34 and 35: AMAZING GARDEN | Royal Mail Hotel G
Page 36 and 37: AMAZING GARDEN | Royal Mail Hotel S
Page 38 and 39: WEEKEND GARDENING | Mulch MUCH ADO
Page 40 and 41: Living mulch: sweet potato Did you
Page 42 and 43: THE UNDERGROUND | Soil health What
Page 44: THE UNDERGROUND | Soil health A gre
Page 47 and 48: Snow peas & sugar snaps | TIME TO P
Page 49: Late autumn | GARDEN DIARY 4 5 3 Sq
Page 53 and 54: Part II | BIODYNAMICS BASICS Gettin
Page 55 and 56: Part II | BIODYNAMICS BASICS Pests
Page 57 and 58: June | MOON PLANTING June 2016 Wint
Page 59 and 60: Edibles in containers | WEEKEND GAR
Page 61 and 62: Poo brew | THE SHED POO BREW The ga
Page 63 and 64: Poo brew | THE SHED 3b 4 5 Pour man
Page 65 and 66: Bonus tip Reuse old rain gutters to
Page 67 and 68: Australian Langshan | FEATHERED FRI
Page 69 and 70: Eggs are simply the best. We give t
Page 71 and 72: “Once again, we take great pleasu
Page 74 and 75: Benefits | FERMENTING & PICKLING Ty
Page 76 and 77: Pickles | FERMENTING & PICKLING She
Page 78 and 79: Olives | FERMENTING & PICKLING Star
Page 80 and 81: Japanese-style sauerkraut | FERMENT
Page 82 and 83: Pickled Celeriac & Carrot Salad | F
Page 84 and 85: PICK OF THE CROP pick of the crop O
Page 86 and 87: PICK OF THE CROP Planet Poultry ran
Page 88 and 89: MENU KITCHENS Projects Contemporary
Page 90 and 91: Latest News & Best Offers Be the fi
Page 92 and 93: CALL NOW 1300 303 414 (QUOTE C/GOG7
Page 94 and 95: Directory The Greener Plant® For t
Page 96 and 97: Directory HUNTER DISTILLERY is the
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