ABC Organic Gardener Magazine Issue 138 - Summer 2023

It is with sadness but deep gratitude that I farewell our horticultural editor of eight years, Penny Woodward, who is stepping down to take a breather. Penny brought great integrity and knowledge to a job that often goes unheralded on gardening magazines – making sure every mention of plants, every bit of garden advice, all the pest control information is correct and able to be clearly understood. Also, she checked photos for accuracy – “Penny, is this a pepino or a tamarind?” I might naively ask, especially in the early days. But beyond those specific duties (and many more), Penny provided a wise and knowledgeable overview of the magazine’s content, keeping up to date with a wide range of environmental, horticultural and scientific issues that impacted Organic Gardener’s content and direction. It…

BROCCOLI ON THE EDGE Our community garden in inner Sydney harvested a bumper crop of broccoli this year but in one raised bed the leaves on the plants had dead edges (picture below). Is this a disease or a nutrient deficiency? Jock KeeneSt Helen’s Community GardenGlebe, Sydney Hi Jock, I initially thought your problem might be fungal in origin, especially after all the wet weather you’ve had in Sydney. But after doing some research I couldn’t find any fungal disease that only affects the edges. So, I checked out deficiencies and I suspect the problem is lack of potassium. This can be caused by an imbalance of fertilisers and can be associated with overcropping too. The simple solution is to apply sulphate of potash or manures. There’s an excellent free-to-view Australian book on pests and…

COCKROACH COMEBACK A large, wingless wood-feeding cockroach (Panesthia lata) unique to Lord Howe Island, and not sighted there in 80 years, has been rediscovered by a University of Sydney biology student. Lord Howe Island is older than the Galápagos islands and home to 1600 native invertebrate species, half of which are found nowhere else in the world. This cockroach was once widespread on the island and across the archipelago but was thought to have become extinct on the island following the arrival of rats there in 1918. Panesthia lata was considered a cornerstone of maintaining a healthy ecosystem, acting as an important nutrient recycler, which is why scientists had been exploring the feasibility of re-introducing them to the main island from offshore islets. Now they don’t have to. “For the first 10 seconds or…

EASY SUMMER GARDENING Looking for some new gardening tools to help with your summer to-do list – or to give as gifts? Fiskars has an excellent selection, including their aluminium fork and aluminium cultivator. Featuring soft touch handles to reduce hand stress, and a hole in the handle for easy storage, these practical tools will make taking care of your plants almost effortless, indoor and out! Available from: mitre10.com.au; $10.95 each. GOOD GUM Chew consciously with biodegradable packs of yummy gum flavours, such as eucalyptus mint, fruit, ginger lemon, and cinnamon. Honest Gum is made using natural chicle, sustainably harvested from the Mexican sapodilla tree, leaving out the nasties, such as artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, and petrochemical bases. For stockists visit: www.honestgum.com.au. GIVE IT A STIR! If your compost is getting compacted and needs more air,…

WITH NATURE Fiona Brockhoff HARDIE GRANT, 2022, $70 Gardens should be sustainable, functional and beautiful. This is the philosophy of one of Australia’s most celebrated designers, Fiona Brockhoff. In her latest book, Fiona leads the reader on an inspiring tour of some of her best gardens, from the inner city to coastal rural, describing the challenges and decisions that led to creating these naturalistic gardens, each displaying a strong sense of place. Beautifully photographed by Earl Carter, the garden profiles include an extensive list of the native and exotic plants used, chosen for their climatic suitability and capacity to provide year-round interest. As a bonus for budding designers and creators, Brockhoff steps through the practical aspects of her approach with tips for understanding a site, considering scale, mass and void, colour and texture,…

Sweet summer berries and bright tomatoes, luscious plums and crisp apples, heaped baskets of zucchini and cucumber: harvest season is so much fun for organic gardeners! Alas, it’s also feast or famine because, when all those crops ripen at once, there’s no way to eat the surplus… or is there? Of course there is: gardeners in every culture worldwide have been preserving harvests for centuries, and you can, too. Fruit and vegetables were dried in sunshine, salted in brine, steeped in alcohol, fermented or pickled in vinegar, soaked in honey, and buried in the original freezer: snow or ice. Why preserve? Ironically, the advent of home freezers saw home preserving decline, but no tuckerbox can compete with a pantry or garage lined with shelves of bottled produce, pickles, jams, liqueurs and dried fruit.…