Issue#9.3 - 2018

Good Organic Gardening

Grow your own organic food

Good Organic Gardening2 min read
This Issue
We’ve always been big fans of seaweed and fish products for the garden, but we have noticed there’s a bit of confusion around what their purposes are and whether they’re the same or different. So we asked horticulturist, agriculturist and permacultur
Good Organic Gardening2 min readArchitecture
Gardens Of The South
Welcoming over 460,000 visitors a year, the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens is recognised as one of Australia’s premier cool-climate garden destinations. With a number of unique collections and Australia’s only Subantarctic Plant House, there’s ple
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Top Of The Crops
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Common name: Tomato Botanical name: Solanum lycopersicum Family: Solonaceae Aspect & soil: Sun; moist fertile soil Best climate: All Habit: Annual vine; fruits summer to autumn (year round in warm zones) Propagation: Seed, s
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
The Chicken & The Eggs
Words Megg Miller Collecting eggs each day is one of the joys of keeping chooks — but if you think there’s nothing to popping the googies out, you couldn’t be more wrong. The egg cycle is precise and complex and relies on the synchronisation of the e
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
THE Grapevine
The EU announced in April this year that it will expand measures, first put in place in 2013, to further protect honeybees and other pollinators from exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, such as imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamet
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Korean Grilled Steak Tacos with Kimchee Slaw
Makes 4 serves Preparation time 20 mins & 30 mins marinating time Cooking time 15 mins • 4 garlic cloves • 3cm ginger • 2 tbsp sesame oil • 2 tbsp caster sugar • 2 tbsp light soy sauce • 1 tbsp gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) • 700g ribeye or skirt
Good Organic Gardening5 min readGardening
The Volunteer Gardener
Words Claire Bickle Photos Kate Wall Kate Wall found her vocational calling just after the disastrous 2011 Brisbane floods. It all began when she decided to start a volunteer group to help Brisbane residents affected by the flood to clean up and rest
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Tropical Beauty
Common name: Guava Botanical name: Psidium guajava Family: Myrtaceae (Myrtle) Aspect & soil: Sun; rich, well-drained soil Best climate: Most frostfree areas Habit: Evergreen tree Propagation: Seed or cuttings Difficulty: Medium As a home garden plant
Good Organic Gardening7 min read
From Sea To Soil
Words Steve McGrane It’s generally known that seaweed enhances human health. For millennia, it has been part of the diet of many societies. According to the Journal of Applied Phycology (January 2018), Australian Aborigines have used seaweed as food
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
The Simple Life
Words & photos Jana Holmer SUSAN SEES HER GARDEN AS “A PRODUCTIVE MESS. MOST GARDENS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU GET A DESIGNER OR LANDSCAPER IN, TEND TO BE QUITE FORMAL AND NEAT. OURS ISN’T.” Nearly a century ago, the hilly suburb of Newtown, one of the high
Good Organic Gardening2 min readRegional & Ethnic
Grilled Honey Soy Salmon with Citrus Soba Noodles
Makes 4 serves Preparation time 10 mins Cooking time 15 mins • 500g salmon fillet • 2 tbsp Japanese light soy sauce • 2 tbsp honey • 2 oranges, sliced • 250g dried soba noodles • 200g asparagus, trimmed • 1 finger-sized red chilli, thinly sliced • 1
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
What’s hot RIGHT NOW
The plant: The Dianthus ‘Scent First’ Collection is known for its beautiful flowers and exquisite fragrance, and now there are two more exciting forms to choose from. Dianthus ‘Pinball Wizard’ stands out from the crowd, with unique flowers with multi
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Spiky Herb
Words Melissa King Common name: Saw-tooth or perennial coriander Botanical name: Eryngium foetidum Family: Apiaceae (carrot family) Group: Biennial Requires: Sun to part shade; moist well-drained soils Dislikes: Frost Suitable for: Herb gardens, vege
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
It’s A Jungle In There
Words Kerry Boyne Photos Chris Stafford & Kerry Boyne The subtropical summers and temperate winters of the Coffs Harbour region are certainly conducive to food growing, so it’s no surprise that anyone in that area would grow fruit and vegies. What is
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Devil’s Food Cake with Matcha Frosting
Makes 8 serves Preparation time 45 mins & 1hr chilling Cooking time 40 mins • 250mL boiling water • 75g cocoa powder • 350g plain flour • 350g caster sugar • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1 tsp salt • 2 eggs • 250mL milk • 125mL
Good Organic Gardening5 min readGardening
The Inside Story
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Indoor plants are very much in favour again as homeowners and even office workers include greenery as part of their interior decor. These lush leafy plants are highly appealing to younger gardeners, too, many of whom are jus
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Cool Climate Performer
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Common names: Babaco, champagne fruit, mountain papaya Botanical name: Carica pentagona (Vasconcellea × heibornii) Family: Caricaceae Aspect & soil: Full sun to part shade; well-drained soil Best climate: Subtropics, tempera
Good Organic Gardening2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Tuna Sashimi with Avocado & Citrus Dressing
Makes 4 serves Preparation time 15 mins Cooking time 15 mins • 300g ruby red tuna loin • 3 tbsp black sesame seeds • 1 large ripe avocado • 4 radishes, sliced• 2 tbsp finely chopped chives • 2 lotus roots, peeled• 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 3 tsp Japa
Good Organic Gardening6 min read
Wok STARS
Words Claire Bickle You don’t need to have a huge backyard or live on an acreage to grow a few fantastic edibles for the kitchen. Many of the options listed here will happily grow in containers, too. We all know that stir-fries are fantastic, quick,
Good Organic Gardening3 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Cover To Cover
Podcast, rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/branch-out, free Not exactly a book but no less a source of vital info, Branch Out is a series of five 10-minute podcasts from Royal Botanic Garden Sydney hosted by science communicator, Vanessa Fuchs. At the time o
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Moon Planting
Spring is the season most gardeners love the most. All that beautiful new growth and flowering makes it feel like the world has awakened, fresh and happy. It’s high spring and everything is growing its socks off. Regular feeding, consistent watering
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Holy Herb
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Common names: Holy basil, queen of herbs, sacred basil, tulsi Botanical name: Ocimum tenuiflorum var. sanctum Family: Lamiaceae Aspect & soil: Full sun; well-drained soil Best climate: Tropics, subtropics, temperate, Mediter
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
Designing Nature
Words & photos Angelo Eliades Gardening has a long and interesting history. It’s also a culturally significant practice as it exemplifies the relationship of humans to nature. By definition, gardening is the cultivation of trees, shrubs, flowers, fru
Good Organic Gardening8 min read
Pick Of The Crop
Misleading “free range” claims have led to a deep feeling of mistrust by consumers. Government standards have now set an upper limit of 10,000 birds per hectare, but this is meaningless as there’s no definition of what that means: a producer can have
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Time To Plant
Amaranth, artichoke (globe), Asian greens, asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, broad beans, cabbage, carrot, chilli, endive, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, parsnip, peas, potato, radish, rocket, silverbeet, sn
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Rocket Science
Words Chris Stafford Common name: Rocket, arugula Botanical name: Eruca sativa Botanical name of wild rocket: Diplotaxis tenuifolia Family: Brassicaceae Aspect & soil: Sun; welldrained soil Best climate: All Habit: Annual salad vegetable (wild rocket
Good Organic Gardening1 min readNature
Precious Cargo
COMMON NAME: LACEWING ORDER: NEUROPTERA FAMILY: NYMPHIDAE It could almost be a scene from a John Wyndham novel such as The Chrysalids or The Day of the Triffids. But it’s not an uncommon sight, especially on the east coast: rows of tiny lacewing eggs
Good Organic Gardening2 min read
Bitter Truth
Common names: Chicory, succory, coffeeweed Botanical name: Cichorium intybus Family: Asteraceae Aspect & soil: Sun; well-drained moist soil Habit: Short-lived herbaceous perennial Propagation: Seed, seedling Difficulty: Easy Chicory is a hardy perenn
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Beans Means Greens
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Common name: Broad bean, fava bean Botanic name: Vicia faba Family: Fabaceae (bean family) Aspect & soil: Sun; well-drained soil, shelter from wind Best climate: Cool, temperate Habit: Annual climber or bush Propagation: See
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
Melon Of Many Names
Words Melissa King Photos Diggers Club, diggers.com.au Common name: Rockmelon, cantaloupe, muskmelon, sweet melon Botanical name: Cucumis melo Family: Cucurbitaceae Aspect & soil: Full sun; rich, well-drained, soil, slightly acidic to neutral Best cl
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Things To Do In SEPTEMBER
By Jennifer Stackhouse It’s encouraging to see new shoots appearing on bare branches and poking through soil. The sight of the first asparagus shoots is an exciting moment each spring. Harvest daily as the spears quickly become tall, woody and inedib
Good Organic Gardening3 min read
The Other Asian Green
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Common name: Ceylon spinach, Malabar spinach Botanical name: Basella alba Family: Basellaceae Aspect & soil: Sun; well-drained soil with added organic matter Best climate: All (annual in cold zones Habit: Perennial edible cl
Good Organic Gardening4 min read
Things To Do In OCTOBER
By Jennifer Stackhouse In mid-spring it’s a case of what not to plant! October is a top month for planting out all potted plants as well as getting started with seeds or seedlings of summer crops. Summer crops to plant now include beans, corn, cucumb
Good Organic Gardening5 min read
The Cheerful Earful
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Common name: Sweet corn Botanical name: Zeya mays Family: Poaceae (grass family) Aspect & soil: Sun; welldrained soil Best climate: All Habit: Annual grass Propagation: Seed, seedling Difficulty: Easy Sweet corn is a type of

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