ABC Organic Gardener Magazine Issue 125 - Early Winter 2021

Harriet Birrell Harriet Birrell – or Natural Harry – is on a mission to show people how to reduce waste and live a cleaner, toxic-free life. It started with food and a caravan serving organic smoothies and desserts (at the Victorian seaside town of Barwon Heads) which then inspired her first book Natural Harry, and later Whole – a passionate celebration of the abundance of whole, colourful plant foods. Her third book Home is all about making your own natural personal and home care products. When she is not cooking, writing, doing yoga or surfing, Harriet will be out tending her vegie patch with dog Fred. Harriet is a qualified health coach and has studied plant-based nutrition through Cornell University’s online learning platform. You’ll find her recipe for making dishwasher soap…

We’ve heard lots of stories of people turning to their gardens and nature for refuge during the pandemic but the anecdotal evidence is now being borne out by research. Last year, Community Gardens Australia, together with Sustain: The Australian Food Network and the Urban Agriculture Forum, launched a pandemic gardening survey. Remarkably, almost 20 per cent of respondents felt they wouldn’t have made it through the pandemic without their garden. That’s how strong the garden connection was. And according to another researcher, Jonathan Kingsley, working collaboratively with others in Germany and the US, it is clear that “gardening is a nature-based solution to many of the health and environmental problems in Australia”. This issue, Jodie Lea Martire explores this research and the example of Brisbane where a wide range of community and guerilla…

L-PLATE GARDENER I look forward to your magazine every month: as an L-plate vegie gardener I delight in the no-nonsense information you provide and I’m finding the confidence to experiment with some winter plantings this year after the success of my summer patch (photo above). Loved the article on crop rotation and will endeavour to practise this method. Keep feeding me good advice and I’ll keep soaking it up! Dianne Draper, via email RATS TO RATS Last year we had most of our peach and plum crops spoiled by rat bites, making the fruit only suitable for cooking. This year I was determined to protect our fruit without having to poison the rats. I collected 1 litre clear plastic PET soft drink bottles and removed the top and bottom and then slit them end…

PESTICIDE WRONG TURN Garden pesticides should be unregulated, and agricultural chemicals approved overseas should be fast-tracked for use in Australia, according to a draft report that recommends a relaxing of Australia’s agricultural and veterinary chemicals regulations. The first principles review, by a panel of experts, due to be presented to Minister for Agriculture David Littlejohn in May, is a dangerous step in the wrong direction, says the National Toxics Network (NTN). “Agricultural chemicals [approved overseas] would not be assessed for Australian environmental conditions, which are different to many parts of the world, or Australian work conditions, or even the crops that we grow,” NTN coordinator Jo Immig says. “They’re also proposing to deregulate household pesticides ... the chemical industry would be deciding whether that product is safe to be on the shelf. Historically,…

SAMFORD EDIBLE GARDEN TRAIL The garden gates of the Samford Edible Garden Trail, originally planned to launch in 2020, are getting ready to open on May 16. Visit a selection of private and community edible gardens for a day of sharing and inspiration! Learn about permaculture concepts, building a garden on poor soil, clever landscaping and aquaponics. It’s all on the trail, and more! WHEN: Sunday, May 16, 9am-3pm WHERE: Samford Valley, 40 minutes drive from Brisbane. DETAILS: Adults $10, kids free; events.humanitix.com/samford-edible-garden-trail-open-day RBG VICTORIA: CELEBRATING 175 years The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria’s 175th anniversary celebrations are rolling out through the year with a wide range of events. An event referred to as Garden Gatherings is planned to celebrate unique areas surrounding the Oak Lawn, including the National Herbarium of Victoria, with a day of tours,…

Planting tip Take the guesswork out of planting seeds with this wooden dibber. Shaped for maximum comfort when your having a busy day in the garden, this hand-held tool helps to neatly poke perfectly sized holes in the soil. Slightly tapered, it has markings that make it easy to get the right depth every time. Also great for planting garlic cloves. Visit: diggers.com.au/shop/garden-supplies/garden-tools; members, $10.95, non-members, $13.95. Step lively Walking out into a garden can be an adventure – who knows what you’ll step on! So protecting your feet is a must and these gumboots from Merry People will do the trick. Built with 100 per cent natural rubber, lined with 4mm of neoprene, and packaged in a classic Chelsea boot design, the Bobbi rain boot is a practical choice that adds bright…