ABC Organic Gardener Magazine Issue 135 - Early Spring 2022

I’ve often repurposed an old T-shirt as a rag, but I’ve never chucked one on a garden bed to turn to compost. But that’s what Penny Woodward has been up to – and it works. In her article ‘Turn clothes to compost’ (page 75), she lays old clothes on vegie beds and covers them with mulch to break down, stuffs straw and chook poo into the legs of old jeans to make fertiliser ‘sausages’, and cuts up clothing for plant ties. The clothes need to be made from natural fibres, but otherwise there are plenty of ways to get inventive re-using worn out clothes in the garden. Penny suggests this is one way of reducing the enormous amount of textiles and clothes that end up in landfill in Australia. This issue…

They’re back! Last issue (OG 134) we featured the amazing Elaine Janes’ beachcombing, cafe-loving hens and her skateboarding rooster, Squiggles. Now Elaine has got a couple of her girls reading about themselves in OG. What next? CITRUS PLANTING TIME As author Helen McKerral was away travelling while we were doing final checks of last issue, she wanted to clarify a point about citrus planting time. In her article ‘Citrus Success’ (OG 134, page 26) we said that in warm temperate, arid/semi-arid and subtropical regions, citrus should be planted after the last frost, and that if you have no frost, you can plant all year. Helen says “planting time has little to do with air temperature, and everything to do with soil temperature, which often lags significantly behind.” The key is that soil must…

VARROA MITE MASSIVE THREAT TO BEES On June 22, a deadly honeybee enemy, Varroa destructor (commonly called the varroa mite) was discovered in sentinel hives at the Port of Newcastle. Worldwide, the varroa mite is considered the largest threat to beekeeping, attacking adult honeybees and brood. It has inflicted devastating losses to wild honeybee populations across Europe and North America. Australia is the only continent that the varroa has not colonised. In 2016 and 2019, varroa was intercepted at the Port of Townsville and successfully eradicated. Authorities are now working hard to contain this new appearance. The varroa detection triggered an immediate 10km radius around the Port, within which all honeybee hives were destroyed. The remaining NSW honeybee colonies were locked down, a zero-movement mandate with state borders sealed. South Australia, Victoria and Queensland…

LANDCARE EXPERTS MEET Land carers and experts on the frontline fighting environmental degradation and climate disruption will gather in Sydney in August for the 2022 National Landcare Conference. “With the growing pressures of climate change impacting communities, landholders and critical habitats across Australia, this year’s conference theme Power of Landcare/Shaping our Future could not be more important,” says Landcare Australia CEO Dr Shane Norrish. The three day event brings together Australian and global leaders in a diverse range of fields, such as sustainable farming, cultural land management, innovation and technology. The conference will be hosted by Landcare champion and ABC Gardening Australia presenter Costa Georgiadis, and will include workshops and field trips. Professor Mark Howden, Director of the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at The Australian National University, will be the…

Grow more herbs You can never have too many fresh herbs in a kitchen garden, and at Mudbrick Herb Cottage there’s plenty to choose from, whether it be old fashioned mint or the lesser known gotu kola. Along with a wide selection of plants, they provide useful information about each one to make growing them much easier. They also deliver all around Australia (excluding Western Australia and Tasmania). Visit herbcottage.com.au; from $5.50 per plant. Pretty puzzle Celebrate the colours, details and sculptural beauty of flowers with this bloomin’ beautiful puzzle. The 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle is from the botanical illustrator Adriana Picker and is a fun way to enjoy some downtime, especially when your garden is a bit wet. Visit hardiegrant.com/au/publishing; $29.99. Making weeding easy No one particularly likes weeding, although it can be satisfying when…

Annual herbs grown outdoors in your own garden are superior in every way to the insipid hothouse offerings from supermarkets. Supermarket herbs have usually incurred considerable food miles, are inordinately expensive, and need to be used quickly before they perish in your fridge. Conversely, fresh-picked herbs retain all their aromatic oils, so they taste and smell amazing. Your own herbs are pesticide-free and you pick only what you need, leaving the rest for later. No need to drive to the shop: sprigs are just metres away, especially if you’ve planted them near the kitchen, or in pots beside the house. What could be more convenient? Nor are you limited to common herbs. Seed suppliers not only sell the standard offering, but also ones you’ll never find in greengrocers. And if you decide…