Good Organic Gardening Issue #12.2- 2021

In Australia, the price we pay for our wide-open spaces and big skies is our, er, interesting wildlife — and sometimes the great outdoors comes indoors. During that unprecedented deluge over summer and autumn, because the ground at our place was like a thick wet sponge, the wolf spiders you usually only see in the garden were coming into the house in droves. And the poor things looked as confused and appalled to be inside as we were to have them there! One of their tricks was to curl up and look dead in the morning until you tried to sweep them up; then they’d tear around the place like wild things (which is what they are). We were carefully gathering them up and putting them back outside every day. Other uninvited house…

Jo is an environmental scientist, photographer and writer. She has worked in the environment movement for decades and is co-ordinator of the National Toxics Network, an organisation dedicated to creating a toxic-free future. She has written many articles for magazines and is the author of two books: Toxic Playground and Safer Solutions. WELCOME GOOD NEWS IN COASTAL RESTORATION Coastal ecosystems across the globe including saltmarshes, mangroves, seagrasses, oyster reefs, kelp beds and coral reefs have declined by up to 85 per cent over decades, according to CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Senior Research Scientist Dr Megan Saunders. Dr Saunders is part of a collaborative research team looking at successful marine restoration examples, or “bright spots”, from around the world that could be deployed more widely in similar marine environments to help restore these critical…

A horticulturist, writer, presenter and passionate organic gardener, Chloe uses her social media profile Bean There Dug That to educate and inform like-minded gardeners, using fun, creative videos and posts. Find her on Facebook and Instagram @beantheredugthat HELLEBORE ‘ANNE’S RED’ PBR, HELLEBORUS HYBRID The plant: This is an absolute breakthrough variety, with outstanding red-to-burgundy flowers from early winter right through to early spring every year. The flowers are held proudly above the lush dark-green, leathery foliage on long stems, making this an ideal cut flower to bring indoors and enjoy. Growing: Hellebores put on an elegant display in a shaded to semi-shaded spot in your garden but they will happily grow in a decorative pot. Feed in late autumn and again in spring and remove spent flowers at the base of the stem. Plant…

Grapefruit is a very popular diet fruit. Many people will have tried the grapefruit diet, which includes grapefruit in every meal, and many other diets start off with grapefruit for breakfast. The link between weight loss and grapefruit is to do with enzymes in the fruit, which are said to burn fat. However, there is no research to support the notion that grapefruit, whether consumed as whole fruit or juice, has any fat-burning enzymes. According to dietitians, the weight loss achieved by following the grapefruit diet for several weeks is most likely due to the fruit’s low-carb, high-protein makeup. Despite the lack of scientific backup on fat-burning enzymes, the grapefruit continues to be seen as a health food. Like all citrus, it’s rich in vitamin C and also contains beneficial antioxidants, which makes…

A herb that links the Pied Piper, both world wars and a good night’s sleep has to be a clever crop. A medicinal herb with at least a 1000-year history of human use, valerian does all that and more. The tale of the Pied Piper, who purged the town of Hamelin of a rat plague, is cited as an early case of the use of valerian root. Its dank smell, sometimes compared to aged leather, is highly appealing to rats. The Piper may have carried the root to entice the rats from the town. Cats also like the smell of valerian, which is sometimes called cat’s valerian, though there’s no mention in the tale of felines quitting town alongside the rats. (The Piper later enticed away Hamelin’s children, but that’s another story.) While…

Wild onions were probably eaten commonly by our prehistoric ancestors and there is evidence to suggest they were cultivated 5000 years ago, so it’s safe to say that the odiferous bulb is a long-standing family favourite. “Dice up a medium onion” is the first line to many a recipe because onions add layers of flavour, colour and even texture to any dish. But it’s not just the flavour that gave onions their popularity over time — onion is an easy crop to grow, stores well and transports easily. Archaeologists and historians have also found references in many cultures to the use of onions for medicinal purposes, even religious reasons. The supermarkets would have you believe there’s but a handful of onion varieties available these days, but in the nursery world of heirloom seeds…