Issue #11.1 - 2020

Good Organic Gardening

Grow your own organic food

Good Organic Gardening2 min readGardening
This Issue
As we move toward the winter months, there’s probably not quite as much to do in the garden unless you’re undertaking structural jobs or putting a lot of work into soil improvement. There’s still lots to plant, of course, and it’s a good time to put
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
Good Organic Gardening
Editor Kerry Boyne Designer Kate Atkinson Contributors Claire Bickle, Angelo Eliades, Jana Holmer, Jo Immig, Melissa King, Steve McGrane, Megg Miller, Jennifer Stackhouse, Chris Stafford, Chloe Thomson, Kate Wall National Advertising Manager Miriam K
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
Space Invader
When the bumblebee was introduced to Tasmania, whether by accident or design, somebody bumbled. It could yet turn out to be Australia’s most disruptive exotic invader since the cane toad — though far more endearing. We know precisely when Bufo marinu
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
What’s hot RIGHT NOW
The plant: Quick-growing and evergreen, senetti are naturally perennial and keep blooming, after pruning, to reboot throughout autumn, winter and into early spring. Their compact growth habit makes them perfect for pots on the patio and planted en ma
Good Organic Gardening3 min readEnvironmental Science
THE Grapevine
Experts warn the climate emergency will affect the world’s food supply in three key ways: quantity, quality and location of the food produced. In a supply-and-demand-driven economy, the reality is the price of food will also increase as will food ins
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Lipstick Tree
One look at the bristly red seed pods and leathery leaves on this tropical tree and you’d think its claim to being a clever crop is that it’s very good at self-protection. But there’s more to bixa — also called annatto, achiote and other regional nam
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Memory Evergreen
For all its deep roots in history, song and legend, rosemary has nothing to do with roses or Mary, though there is a folk tale that recounts how the Christ mother’s blue cape was draped over a bush and turned its white flowers to blue: the so-called
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Lemon Blade
A fully grown clump of lemongrass can reach up to 1.5m high and 30cm or more across. It may take up a lot of room in the herb garden, but it’s well worth growing if you love Asian food or enjoy a restorative cup of herbal tea. A true grass, lemongras
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
Make A Purifying Smudge Stick
Smoke ceremonies have been used in many traditions. Indigenous Australian, Native American and some Hindu and Buddhist cultures, for example, burn plant material to purify an area after misfortune or tragedy, to rid a place of bad spirits or to prepa
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
The Salvation Herb
While the culinary delights of sage are well known, its health benefits are not so widely broadcast these days despite its long history of use for everything from enhancing memory to treating the plague, aiding conception and soothing a sore throat.
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Asian Orange
Wander through older suburbs during autumn and winter and you’re bound to spot a persimmon tree laden with orange fruit — a fruit that’s stood the test of time, both in the garden and on the table. The persimmon, or kaki as it’s commonly called, is n
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Suburban Eden
Until 1950, the suburb of Ashwood was a patchwork of market gardens, orchards and poultry farms at the far southeast edge of Melbourne’s creeping urbanisation. Even today, its suburban blocks are large and, at 1000m2, Leanne Mason’s is bigger than mo
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Market Value
Kinsfolk Farm, in Moriac, west of Geelong, is part of an exciting new wave in Australian farming: a diversified, small-scale market garden growing 30 to 40 varieties of seasonal vegetables and herbs. Tom Gaunt and Bridie Cotter sell their organic pro
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Moon Planting
Late autumn means it’s still a good time in most regions to get all those lovely health-giving brassicas and root vegetables into the garden Winter has officially arrived and, while it’s a quieter time for planting in cooler regions, there’s lots to
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Harvest In The Hills
Frances and Jeff Michaels are the heartbeat of the organic gardening supplies business Green Harvest. Their passionate common interest in sustainable food systems, organics and permaculture brought them together some 30 years ago at an international
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Berry Treasures
Berries make a lot of sense in a productive garden. If managed well, they take up little room, they produce fruit that’s otherwise expensive to purchase and they come in lots of different flavours. Some, such as blueberries, can even be grown in larg
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Time To Plant
COOL & HIGHLANDS Artichoke, broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, coriander, daikon, dill, endive, eschalot, garlic, Jerusalen artichoke, kohlrabi, lettuce, mibuna, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, radish, rocket, snow
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Give My Regards To Broad Beans
These broad, flat beans, native to the Mediterranean, are among the oldest of cultivated vegetables. Remains found in excavations in northern Israel have been dated to 6800–6500 BCE. They are also known from ancient sites in Egypt. One day after a sp
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Heads Up
Cabbages and their cruciferous or brassica friends prefer cooler growing conditions, so they’re best grown in autumn, winter and early spring. They range in size and shape from the large or mini drumhead with their round heads of tightly packed leave
Good Organic Gardening3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Turnip For The Cooks
Throughout their long and bumpy history, turnips haven’t had much love. The projectile of choice for ancient Greeks and Romans to hurl at unpopular public figures, they were long regarded as fodder for livestock and the poor. In the 15thcentury, to c
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Green And Engaging
The gage is a type of European plum with an extensive history. The best known is the greengage, which produces small but very sweet fruit much sought after for making verdant greengage jam as well as for eating fresh. Gage fanciers wax lyrical about
Good Organic Gardening4 min readBotany
Beautiful Bloomers
Sometime in early winter, gardeners are likely to glimpse the first prunus of the season starting to flower. Most likely it will be a Prunus mume — commonly called a Chinese plum or Japanese apricot — putting on a showy burst of delicate pink on bare
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
A Better Wetter
Have you ever noticed it takes longer for your garden to get wet in dry weather? Ever watered a pot plant and watched the water run out the bottom while the plant remains dry? This is a result of potting mixes breaking down and waxy substances formin
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Cold Comfort
It’s teeming with rain, there’s a cruel wind and the yard is muddy. Should you let the poultry out? Their ancestors made do with scant shrub and bamboo cover and they all seemed to survive. Today’s poultry have it easy compared to their forebears and
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Call To Order
We often hear about how important biodiversity is to natural habitats, but that significance extends to all living things, including us. Our own bodies are flourishing microcosms buzzing with life. We live in a symbiotic relationship with 300–500 dif
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Things To Do In May
In cool and inland areas, it’s time to be on frost alert: icy portents of winter are likely to arrive this month. Frosts bring an end to pumpkin vines, sweet potatoes and even choko vines. On the plus side, the cold conditions help clear up pests and
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Making A Good Impression
By using flowers and foliage gathered from the garden you can create inset designs in salt dough. Once dry, it can be decorated with eco-friendly acrylic paint and to create keepsake decorative tiles and gift tags. Choose plants with interesting and
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Things To Do In june
Liquid-feed leafy winter crops already growing such as silver beet, spinach, coriander and rocket. Boost with liquid organic fertiliser every 7–10 days. Buy and plant asparagus, artichoke and rhubarb crowns now while deciduous stock is available. The
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Chicken Matzo Ball Soup
Matzo balls are Jewish soup dumplings usually served in a chicken broth, with or without vegetables. Traditionally, the dumplings are made from unleavened bread; in this healthier keto version, I remove the grains without losing any of the flavour. S
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
Fresh And Local
Apple, avocado, banana, cumquat, custard apple, dates, feijoa, grapes, kiwifruit, lemon, lime, mandarin, nashi, nuts (chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts), orange (Navel), pear, persimmon, pomegranate, quince, rhubarb Asian greens, beetroot, brocc
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Press Rewind
My 91-year-old grandmother recently gave me a book on Australian butterflies that had belonged to my great-aunt; if still alive, my great-aunt would be 98. I opened the book to find various pressed flowers and a butterfly within its pages. What stori
Good Organic Gardening3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Curried Beef Pies With Parsnip Mash
(High-carb day) One of my all-time favourite childhood memories is eating a pie for breakfast before school. Not much has changed, except I now make my own pies. Serves 6 • 3 tbsp coconut oil or good-quality animal fat such as lard or duck fat• 1kg b
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
OCEAN TROUT WITH MINTED PEA PUREE & LEMON BROTH
Peas and trout are a marriage made in heaven. We make this at home from time to time as it brings a lot of joy to the dinner table. I love this dish for its good fats from the trout, its flavour and health-giving properties from the nourishing lemon
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Roast Pork Belly With Fennel
The classic roast pork belly never fails to impress the whole family and, when it comes to leftovers, it’s truly the gift that keeps on giving. Together, fennel and pork work a treat and for this reason I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possi
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Pick Of The Crop
Earthlife 100% natural Microbial Rock Mineral products are Certified Allowed Inputs for organic farms and gardens. Containing natural minerals, microbes and humates they are contaminant-free with no chemicals, no manures and no blood and bone. By usi
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
The Aussie Home Insights Survey
Are you a home decorator, renovator, home flipper or even a home influencer?
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Cover To Cover
By Kevin Hobbs & David West, Thames & Hudson, $49.99 Early this year, during the Gospers Mountain blaze near Sydney, firefighters battled to save 200 Wollemi pines, a species unique to the area and discovered just 26 years ago. The operation was a su
Good Organic Gardening1 min read
From Garden To Plate
6 ISSUES (1 YEAR) OF Good Organic Gardening magazine RRP $47.70 EXTRA 2 ISSUES of EatWell magazine COMPLETELY FREE ONLY $47.70 All delivered to your door, free! BONUS ISSUES VALUED AT $ 2 4 CALL 1300 303 414 OR VISIT UNIVERSALSHOP.COM. AU TO TAKE UP
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
A Dyeing Art
Kate’s book is available through your local bookstore or via her website or online booksellers (Amazon, Booktopia, Angus & Robinson), katewall.com.au Eco-dyeing is a process of using natural materials as sources of colour and pattern for dyeing paper

Good Organic Gardening

More Issues From Good Organic Gardening