Good Organic Gardening Issue#9.2 -2018

With winter well and truly upon us, it’s the time of year when many of us think about planning new beds—or the whole garden—for the warmer growing season, which, let’s face it, is just around the corner. So we have a bit of a planning theme this issue with features on raised beds, creating a garden entrance and making the most of sloping sites. I have to say one of the nicest garden entrances I’ve seen in a while was in the backyard of Toni Salter, one of our gardening folk this issue. Pictured above, it was an archway formed with two heavily cropping snake bean plants. No doubt Toni has some other seasonal plant gracing it over winter. As for the most fundamental aspect of garden planning and maintenance—the soil—our backyard…

JO IMMIG 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. POP YOUR BALLOONS Nobody wants to be a party pooper but, seriously, balloons are serial killers. Deliberately released into the air at celebrations and ceremonies, or innocently tied around gateposts to signal a children’s party, balloons are up there with plastic bags and fishing gear as one of the biggest threats to marine wildlife. About 95 per cent of balloons rise up some 8500m, where they expand in the thin cold air, become brittle and shatter into spaghetti-like pieces that…

MELISSA KING Melissa is a horticulturist, TV presenter and writer. She has been a regular on Gardening Australia, Melbourne Weekender, Garden Angels and The Circle. She currently appears on The Garden Gurus and has launched an online show, The Gardenettes. She has written for top magazines and newspapers and is author of the book Garden Feast. TOMATOES FOR SLICING & SAUCING You might think it’s early to be talking about tomatoes, but if you live in a cooler area, then August can be a good time to get a head start with tomato seeds. Start the seeds in a greenhouse or indoors with enough heat and light and they’ll be raring and ready to be potted and planted into warm spring soil. Here are two of the best for slicing and saucing. ‘Nonno’s…

The acerola is a small fruit tree or large shrub that ticks a lot of boxes provided it’s growing in a warm climate and in a sheltered spot. It doesn’t like cold and can be damaged by strong winds, but in a warm, sheltered garden it’s a winner, with pretty pink flowers reminiscent of crepe myrtle and shiny red edible fruits that give it the common name of Barbados cherry. The common name also hints at its origins. While found in the Caribbean, it is also native to tropical and subtropical zones in Mexico, Central America and South America. In its native growing area it is a host plant for many types of butterflies. If space allows, grow acerola as an edible evergreen hedge, which can be pruned to around 2–3m high. Where…

The citron is part of the huge citrus family but it isn’t grown for its good looks—or even its flavour. It’s a bumpy lemon-yellow fruit with thick rind and pith in comparison to its small amount of flesh. The fruit, which is produced mainly in late winter and early spring, is about the size of an orange or small grapefruit. It’s believed to be an ancestor of the lemon. (Indeed, its English name means “lemon” in most other European languages.) The citron is native to Asia but is also grown throughout the Mediterranean. It looks inedible but the thick white pith turns out to be sweet, while the flesh is bitter. The finely chopped rind and pith can be added to marmalade or used as a candied preserve. It is widely used…

These days there’s a lot of science backing claims about the health benefits of adding a variety of berries to your diet. They deliver vital vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre to your body, all while tasting luscious and being low in sugar. The joy of growing your own berry crops is that, not only will they be super fresh, organic and readily available to harvest when in season, but they also fruit quickly and can be grown in small gardens or even pots. A lot of fruiting trees and vines can take quite a few years to start producing good crops, but most Rubus species will start cropping within 15 months or so. BOTANICALLY SPEAKING … You may be surprised to find that most of the fruit we know as berries, including those in…