Good Organic Gardening Issue# 6.4 - 2015

“We love to share our passion for gardening with you , it keeps us fit , happy and healthy. We launched the Garden Clinic 35 years ago so we could share our knowledge with you - now with the web, magazine, helpline and radio - there are more ways to give you the in format ion and inspiration you need to get things right in the garden” Better Homes & Gardens, 2GB The Garden Clinic® is here for you! The Garden Clinic® is all about sharing. Join up to share in our passion for gardening. Journal 82 pages of inspiring and doable gardening information. What’s new, what’s in season, great ideas, amazing gardens from around the world, practical tips and great projects. Help Line Garden Clinic Help Line 1300 133 100 When you’re standing in your yard…

I think I can say that I love pretty much everything that lives on our multi-generational 46-acre Hunter Valley property, whether permanent residents like us, or wild but welcome visitors that come and go. Except maybe snakes. I especially love my hard-working chickens who ask little and give much. I love that Dolly, a pretty Rhode Island Red/ISA Brown, breaks away from the flock at the same time every afternoon and, with her leisurely, graceful strut, patrols the decks that surround the houses, cleaning up any dead beetles or stray bugs as well as crumbs dropped by kids. She stands at the back doorway until we say hello, then continues on her purposeful way. It tickles me that the biggest, fattest, blackest Australorp was christened Little Darth Vader by then four-year-old Vinnie…

The popularity of documentary films to tell environmental stories just keeps growing. They seem to have an interesting emotional power to raise awareness and jolt our consciousness at both personal and global levels. Two timely documentaries released this year tell parts of the same story: the deliberate takeover of our food supply by corporate interests and the dangerous path this has put us on, especially as we face climate change. Both films are revealing, at times shocking, but they also bring hope by showing us the time-honoured techniques for growing food and saving seeds that have fed generations. THE WORM IS TURNING: ECOLOGICAL FARMING, THE REAL REVOLUTION Filmmakers Hilary Bain and Asa Mark set out to make a documentary that answers the big questions: How did agriculture become agribusiness? Where do pesticides and nitrogen…

GRAIN AMARANTH The plant: A large, colourful annual 1.5–3m tall, sometimes called Prince’s Feather because it displays attractive feathery plumes of purpleburgundy flowers in summer and autumn. It was grown by the ancient Aztecs for its greens and grains. Amaranth grains are round, poppy-sized seeds that can be cooked like couscous, ground into flour or popped like popcorn, and the young leaves can be eaten in the same way as spinach. Growing: Amaranth is a warm-season annual that can be sown from late spring to summer after the risk of frost is gone. Grow it in full sun with good drainage. It self-seeds readily, so pull out any you don’t want. Design: It makes an attractive filler plant in the kitchen or ornamental garden, providing bold foliage colour and form throughout the warmer…

This clever customer is a close relative of Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). Like the Cape gooseberry, tomatillos produce their fruit inside a papery covering, known as a husk. The flowers are yellow while the round fruit is green to yellow or purplegreen in colour. Tomatillos — the name simply means “little tomatoes” — are native to Mexico but are now grown around the world. In parts of the United States, they are marketed as jamberries. At least two named varieties are sold in Australia. ‘Toma Verde’ has large green fruit, which can reach golf-ball size. ‘Purple’ has purple-tinged fruit. GROWING TIPS Tomatillo grows readily from seed, which can be sown from late winter to early summer, depending on local conditions. In cooler zones, especially, start seeds in punnets in spring to plant out in…

Like many plants that have spread to different parts of the world, the winged bean has attracted many common names. While it is mainly sold in Australia as winged bean, don’t confuse it with the other plant also known as winged bean (see box story). Its common names include four-angled bean, winged pea, Goa bean, Manila bean, Mauritius bean and Hunan bean. This bean is a climber that’s well suited to growing in the tropics over the wet season but can be grown year round. In cooler zones, grow it through the summer and expect to harvest within two months of planting. Pods will form right through until the frost or cold hinders flowering and growth. Train winged beans to grow up a tripod that’s at least 2–3m high as the beans…