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LIVING grow your own
heirloom
SIMPLY zucchinis
for the future Happy
holidays
SLOW for chooks
CLOTHING
make, mend festive
& repurpose
season
organic
drinks

COSTA ON LIFE
gardening and the planet

Root to leaf
EATING THE WHOLE PLANT
07
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issue 113 2019

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 contents
November to December 2019

on the cover
LIVING SIMPLY FOR THE FUTURE
22 Root to leaf: Eating the whole plant
28 Grow your own heirloom zucchinis
62 Festive season: Organic drinks
66 Slow clothing: Make, mend and repurpose
74 Costa on life, gardening and the planet
81 Happy holidays for chooks

organic gardening
16 20th anniversary: looking back, looking forward
36
As part of our 20th anniversary, we asked some of our
longstanding contributors, past and present, to talk
about their gardening lives, the changing environment
and our fragile future. They offer hope, despair and
everything in between.
22
22 kitchen: waste not (making every part count)
We often waste edible parts of common vegetables
and herbs – Justin Russell explains what we are
missing out on.
28 grow: super producers
Penny Woodward says zucchinis can be flavoursome
COVER PHOTO BY GAP PHOTOS. OTHER PHOTOS: TOP: ALAMY/BOTTOM:THE GARDEN COLLECTION.

and prolific, making a great vegie garden staple.

35 grow: a herb to dye for
Penny Woodward loves the beautiful, butter-yellow
flowers of dyer’s chamomile, its attractiveness to
butterflies and its usefulness as a dye.
36 biology: the cryptogamic garden
Ecologist and photographer Alison Pouliot delves
into the unheralded world of mosses, liverworts,
lichens and more, explaining their valuable role in
the garden and how to encourage them.
43 action: to your health
Gardening is not just about work, make sure you leave
space and time to just get out in your garden and enjoy!
78 natural solutions: cane toads
Simon Webster looks at how we can slow the march CHECK OUT FEATURE ARTICLES, READ BLOGS
of the cane toads from the north into southern states. OR SUBSCRIBE AT ORGANICGARDENER.COM.AU

organicgardener.com.au 5
 CONTENTS

48
WIN
one of 10
seasol hampers
Valued at
$50 each
see pg 89

organic living
48 life: accidental artisans
How a family used the principles of permaculture
and a desire for self-reliance to build a thriving
natural skincare business.
54 harvest: baskets full of goodness
Chef and organic farmer Matthew Evans is back
with another book about life on his Fat Pig Farm,
plus paddock-to-plate recipes.
62 drinks: organic celebrations
Max Allen says there is a growing array of local organic
wines, beers, ciders and more, so your festive season
celebrations can be all-Australian and organic.
66 planet: clothes with meaning
81 Slow fashion advocate Jane Milburn says it’s time
we paid as much attention to the eco-footprint of
our clothing as we do to our food.
74 conversation: Costa Georgiadis
Leanne Croker chats with ABC Gardening Australia’s
host about life, gardening and the future of the planet.
76 life: spreading garden love
Eliza Henry-Jones reflects on her gardening life
and memories, and the many rewards.
81 poultry: happy chook holidays
Jessamy Miller explains how to set up your chooks
and organise carers when you want to go on holidays.

regulars
9 Editor’s Letter
10 MATTERS: News and events
PHOTOS: TOP: HONEY ATKINSON/BOTTOM: JESSAMY MILLER

12 MAIL: Reader questions and thoughts

OUR COVER
cover photo by Gap PHOTOS.
to read penny woodward’s story
on why zucchinis are a great
garden staple, turn to page 28.
NEXT ISSUE ON
SALE dec 19 2019
19 PLANT: living gifts
Karen Sutherland finds some delightful plants to
give to friends, or yourself, this festive season.
72 subscribe today for your chance
to win a trip to vietnam!
87 LIBRARY: The latest books
88 Gardening on your ABC
90 LOSING THE PLOT: lawn traitor
Simon Webster reveals a secret love of lawns.

6
 JUST

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nextmedia, Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590. ISSN: 1447-7335

Great gift!
Organic Gardener is 20 years old and
going strong. Our aims have always
been the same: to provide practical,
in-depth and trustworthy advice so
that readers can grow chemical-free
food, become more self-reliant and
live lightly on the Earth.
Subscribe now!
or give as a gift
8 issues of inspiration
and action
See page 72 for details
and subscribe today!
Organic Gardener magazine has been printed
using recycled paper certified against the
FSC R Chain of custody standard. The text
is printed on Leipa Ultralux Silk, which is
an offset paper made of 100% waste paper
that not only satisfies the highest quality
requirements but is also 100% environment-
friendly, as it uses only recycled fibres as
raw material. This saves resources, energy and
therefore protects the environment as well.
EDITORS LETTER
AWAKE BUT NOT
OVERWHELMED
I
t is amazing how fast, and at the
same time how slow, change is
happening on the climate crisis.
Only a couple of issues ago, we reported on the extraordinary
and electrifying speech from Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg
to the British Parliament. I’d only just become aware of her and
the youth ‘climate crisis’ movement she had helped spark.
Now, Thunberg is a global icon, hailed and denigrated alike.
While many media commentators in Australia (which sadly
is way behind in accepting the science of global warming) deride
her as a ‘mentally ill’ teenager controlled by her parents or
unknown forces, many others see her as a plain-speaking
heroine who has cut through the politics and greenwash to
tell things as they are.
Her recent words to world leaders at the UN Climate Action
Summit will go down in history: “You have stolen my dreams and
my childhood with your empty words... We are in the beginning
of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and
fairytales of eternal economic growth – how dare you!”
UN secretary general, António Guterres, recently said he can
see a new momentum and turning point in action on the climate
crisis and that Thunberg and the youth movement was helping to
fundamentally change the thinking of people and whole nations
on the emergency we now face.
Perhaps some readers are bored by all the talk of climate
change, or climate crisis as it is more accurately named and ask
“What does this have to do with organic gardening?”
Our view at Organic Gardener has always been that gardening
cannot be done in isolation. We cannot quarantine our gardens
from the effects of climate change, just as we can no longer ignore
the social unease that is building around the world and taking
hold of our consciences. Some years ago, the legendary Peter
Cundall, when writing in this magazine, began referring to the
‘climate crisis’ or ‘climate disruption’. He woke me up to the fact
this was not some far away event in 2100 – a slow and gentle
and stoppable warming – it was already happening. It is now
the defining issue of this generation who hold the future of life
in their hands. Peter Cundall, was revered for his organic
gardening know-how but also for his love of the planet.
I have read a lot recently about what the future holds and how
we should respond. My view is that we focus on the here and now,
on what we can do that brings joy to us and good to the world, on
what we can do to protect what we love and to stem the worst. To
be awake to the reality but not overwhelmed by it. A tough ask
I know, but one we will pursue through the articles of this magazine.
organicgardener.com.au 9
 news
Kitchen garden kids thrive
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is famous for its pioneering
work since 2001 getting kitchen gardens and cooking into schools, but until now
had never measured the results.
A new study done on behalf of the Foundation has found an overwhelmingly
positive outcome for school students who participate in the program.
Of the young people who took part during a 2008 and 2010 sample period (now
aged 18-23 years), 84 per cent agreed the program had a positive impact on their lives,
with 58 per cent reporting it increased their enjoyment of school.
A researcher from the University of Melbourne, which helped with the study, said:
“The surveys showed positive trends and those interviewed discussed a range of
benefits, including increased cooking skills and confidence, with several describing the
program as the highlight of their primary school years.”
Back in 2001, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation was set up to Getting to
provide food education
to children within
the core
Next time you crunch into a
the school or early crispy apple you might want to
learning centre eat a few of the seeds in the
environment. The core. It turns out that apples
program continues are filled with a selection of
to expand and now good microbes – but if you eat
works with thousands the whole apple, including the
of schools and early core, you’re not only getting
learning services extra fibre, flavonoids and
around Australia. flavour, you’re also eating 10
Left: Stephanie times as many bacteria per
Alexander started the fruit as those who discard the
first garden in 2001. core. And science has added
Below: The Eos one more factor into the
Bioreactor.
mix of goodness, with a new
study published in Frontiers
in Microbiology, claiming

ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK. PHOTO: LEFT: THE STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN FOUNDATION.
organic apples harbour a more
diverse and balanced bacterial
Algae to the rescue community. The main finding was
In the race to come up with solutions to our that variety is the spice of life –
climate crisis, scientists are searching for and in this regard, organic apples
ways to soak up all that carbon dioxide that is seem to have the edge.
playing havoc with our atmosphere. Trees are “Freshly harvested,
a very natural, and beautiful, way to soak up organically managed apples
the damaging gases but algae also has proven harbor a significantly more
carbon absorption abilities. Now researchers diverse, more even and distinct
in the US have designed a box-shaped machine bacterial community, compared
that reportedly soaks up as much carbon from to conventional ones,” explains
the atmosphere as an acre of trees. The Eos study senior author Professor
Bioreactor, designed to be installed in urban Gabriele Berg, of Graz University
environments, captures and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, and produces of Technology, Austria. The
clean bio-fuels that could be used to further reduce a building’s carbon footprint. research also found the majority
The key is the specific strain of algae (Chlorella vulgaris), which is claimed to soak of the bacteria are in the seeds,
up much more CO2 than any other plant. Hypergiant Industries, the company behind with the flesh accounting for
the ‘reactor’, hopes to have a commercial product ready for market in 2020. most of the remainder.

10

Protecting organic
consumers
A new non-profit organisation has been formed
to campaign for strict organic standards and
protection of the interests of organic consumers.
The Organic Consumers Association of
Australia (OCAA) says it will work in the areas
of organic standards, certification, promoting
organic food to consumers and encouraging more
conversion to organic growing.
The association’s founder, Tim Marshall,
is an author, trainer and consultant who has
been involved in organic certification and
the setting of organic standards for more
than 30 years. He previously worked for the
International Federation of Organic Agriculture
Movements and has been a contributor to
Organic Gardener magazine. “This is the first time
there’s been an agency whose main goal is to
protect organic standards,” he says.
The OCAA wants to encourage:
PHOTOS: VEGETABALES: ISTOCK/BEE: TIM HEARD. ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK.
Government policy that supports transition to
regenerative and organic agricultural practices.
Fair Trade and economic justice policies to
protect workers.
A global moratorium on genetically modified crops.
Corporate accountability in food production.
The phase-out of factory farms, toxic pesticides
and genetically modified organisms.
The OCAA also supports participatory
guarantee systems – self-run certification groups
that can be economical for small growers and
a stepping stone to third-party certification.
For more information: organic-consumers.com.au
EVENTS
SECOND AUSTRALIAN NATIVE
BEE CONFERENCE
Native bees are a valuable but under-utilised
natural resource, a situation this conference aims
to change. Organisers expect several hundred
beekeepers, farmers, enthusiasts, industry leaders,
educators and researchers to attend. The first
conference, held in July 2018 attracted over 200
delegates. This year’s event will have a three-day
program, including international guest speakers,
recent innovations and more.
WHERE: St Leo’s College, College Road,
Saint Lucia, QLD
WHEN: December 5-7
COST: Full registration: $275; Concession: $145;
Full registration for members: $220; Single day
registration: $130
DETAILS: australiannativebee.org.au
STATE ROSE & GARDEN SHOW
Victoria’s State Rose Garden, in t
grounds of the historic Werribee
Mansion, is considered to
be among Australia’s best.
Only a 30-minute drive
from Melbourne’s CBD, the
State Rose & Garden Show
offers plenty for all levels
of gardener – whether a
novice or a green thumb – and
entertainment the whole family
will enjoy. Picnics welcome.
WHERE: Werribee Park, K Road,
Werribee South, Vic
WHEN: November 9-10, 10am-4pm
COST: Gold coin donations to support garden
volunteer work
DETAILS: stateroseandgardenshow.com.au
organicgardener.com.au 11
ORGANIC FEEDBACK

PEST REPELLERS
I bought my first issue of Organic Gardener today.
Penny Woodward’s article ‘Scent to repel’ (OG 112) was
interesting. The number of items on her list of pest
repellent plants that I have on my balcony might
explain the comparative freedom from attack that most
of my plants enjoy. However, I think it’s worthwhile
emphasising the place of garlic. That is my first line of
defence against anything which eats my plants. I was
also interested to learn that pigface is edible. Since
developing arthritis I’ve taken up eating the leaves of
celery, which are often cut off at the greengrocer’s
shop. In fact, they are just another leafy green
vegetable. It all helps to keep the pain at bay.
Finally, I feel that Penny’s prescription for aloe
vera (in same issue) is a bit restrictive. My aloe plants
SAVING SEEDS seem happiest in the laundry, which only gets the
I just read an older copy of Organic Gardner (No. 102 smallest amount of direct sun in summer, but gets
July/August 2018) about saving seeds but it didn’t say diffused light from a textur d l window ll r
when to collect them. Be it when they are still green Rosemary Sharples, Pensh
or wait till brown. Sorry if I am a dumb bunny!
Thelma, via email Hi Rosemary
I agree totally with you abo
Hi Thelma, all the time (and in fact hav
I’m glad you found the article on heirloom seeds and seed about garlic) but find it’s th
saving (‘Seeds of Discontent’, Issue 102) interesting. The that helps to repel pests, ra
answer to your question is not simple because the way just growing it in my garden
you save seed varies from plant to plant. In that article, seed is also good for arthri
Simon Webster discussed how to save seed from peas chew on it or include it in yo
(allow pods to dry on the vine before harvesting the seed), As for aloe vera, I have n
tomatoes (harvest ripe fruit and scoop out seed onto a grown it inside but will give
saucer to dry) and broccoli (allow at least one floret to go. I find if grown outside it
develop into flowers and form seed, harvest seed pods only adversely affected by
as they turn from green to brown). Also, every issue in hottest afternoon sun in
our ‘Action’ section we include instructions on saving summer, but otherwise doe
seed from at least one plant. pretty well as long as it
As a general rule, plants in the Apiaceae family: dill, doesn’t get too wet and col
celery, carrots, fennel, parsley, parsnip, etc, form seeds in in winter.
big umbrella like seed heads. You wait for the seed to start Penny Woodward
to turn from green to brown, then cut the whole heads off
and put them in a paper bag. Wait for the seeds to drop
into the bottom of the bag and then store.
Plants in the Solanaceae family: tomatoes, eggplants,
capsicum, chilli, etc – wait until the fruit is ripe, harvest
and cut open, remove the seed and leave to dry on a plate.
Please include your town/suburb. Photos are helpful, and any details
For the bean and pea families, as well as sweetcorn, such as climate and soil. The more information we have the better.
PHOTO & ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK

leave the pods/seeds to dry completely on the plant and

then harvest and store. post Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards NSW 1590
If you are really interested, look for a good gardening email editor@organicgardener. com.au
book with seed saving details, or try The Seed Savers’
web organicgardener.com.au
Handbook by Jude and Michel Fanton.
Penny Woodward Find us on:

12
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Every drop counts watering your garden the practical way

The perfect gift for the passionate gardener, GARDENA’s
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The perfect gift for the people
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taking care of trees

An automatic tree watering
device, the Eco Bag is
designed for Australia’s harsh
climate. Placed around the
base of a tree and filled with
water and soluble fertiliser, it
waters and fertilises young
trees for up to one month;
stops weed growth; and
prevents evaporation.
Holding 25 litres it can water
Stay healthy and organised through 2020 young trees and plants for up
The Moontime Diary 2020 is focused on wellbeing, home and to 28 days. It also helps
garden. Practical daily tips aligned to the moon’s cycle will increase survival rates when
inspire and guide you towards a healthier, more organised mass planting trees in remote
and sustainable lifestyle. Find out how you can navigate the places, or where there is a
whole year in tune with nature’s seasons and cycles and visit short supply of water. Visit
moontimediary.com.au or phone 02 6684 2770. ecobag.net.au.

14
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Harmony for your home Increase your garden’s productivity

Available in four harmonious melodies, Terra (earth),
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wind chimes are constructed from bamboo veneer and
treated with natural oil. Free gift wrapping for Christmas
and free delivery for orders over $100; $67.50 each or
$250 for the set. Visit windchimesaustralia.com.au.
Flexi Garden Frames ® is an innovative Australian-made
modular system, designed to make gardening easier and
more productive. The lightweight frames sit on the ground,
are easy to move and can be reconfigured to fit any garden
size or plant. You can even run your irrigation through them.
Only available at flexigardenframes.com.au; from $39.95.

Sustainability
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Did you know that 39-45 per
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organic and compostable?
The Tumbleweed Can-O-
Worms is great for teaching
kids of all ages how nature
recycles, and best of all – it’s
fun! Australian designed
and manufactured from
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worm farming has never
been easier. Embrace the
revolution and recycle your
kitchen scraps at home.
$69.70 at Bunnings stores.
Visit tumbleweed.com.au.

Garden Art to Delight
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift that just keeps on
giving? Metalbird has got you covered! Metalbirds are
Australian-made, native birds for your garden that surprise
and delight. Crafted from Corten steel, they have a rust-
coloured patina that develops over time and that keeps
on giving with every season. Visit metalbird.net.
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ANY AVID GARDENER
This beautiful gift box features a selection of our favourite
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Berkel pruner valued at $29.90. Visit gardenexpress.com.au.

organicgardener.com.au 15
 celebrating

20
Looking back,
looking
forward
As part of our 20th Anniversary, we asked some of our longstanding
contributors, past and present, to talk about their gardening lives,
the changing environment and our fragile future. They offer hope,
despair and everything in between.

PHOTO: ISTOCK
Gardening is contagious
Annette McFarlane is no longer
a regular Organic Gardener writer
but was a treasured and respected
contributor from the earliest
issues until recent years.
I began my career at a time when
horticulture was an unconventional choice
for a woman. But after spending years
watching the legendary Kevin Heinz on the
ABC TV program Sow What, I was destined
to a life with my hands in the soil. Imagine
how many unsuspecting readers have
become similarly addicted by the enticing
cover shots and stories in the ABC’s Organic
Gardener magazine over the past two decades!
As an ABC Radio gardening talk-back
presenter (Brisbane, Saturdays, from 6am)
and full-time horticulture teacher for more
than 30 years, you might think I have heard
every gardening question there is to ask. But
gardening has an enduring fascination. There
is always something new to learn: plants;
insects; fungi; new ideas or historical
knowledge waiting to be unearthed.
While now retired from full-time horticulture
teaching, I continue to write and broadcast
each week and run free gardening workshops
in libraries and other community venues most
weekends. I am addicted to seed saving and join
other local gardeners in supporting several
community seed exchange programs. My aim
is to encourage as many people as possible to
discover some aspect of gardening.
Of course, I still have a very large garden
of my own to enjoy with vegetable plots, fruit
trees, hens and ducks as well as remnant dry
sclerophyll bushland that is home to many
plant and bird species.
If you have knowledge or any practical
experience of gardening I encourage you to
share it with others. Propagate cuttings; save
seed or share homegrown vegetables. Help
out at your local school garden or simply
water the street tree belonging to your
non-gardening neighbours.
Gardening is contagious and if every Organic
Gardener reader ignites a passion for plants in
just one other person, imagine the difference
we can make.
Finding the will
Simon Webster entertains us
each issue with his ‘Losing the
Plot’, but He has also covered
a string of environmental
issues for OG over the years.
I’ve had a complicated
relationship with food growing
over the years, having gone
on a journey from wide-eyed
enthusiasm to disillusionment
to cautious hope. Many times,
often between breakfast
and morning tea.
Having been fortunate
enough to work for Organic Gardener for the past 10 years
or so, I’ve got no excuses for being a bad gardener, yet my
thumbs stubbornly refuse to turn even the lightest shade of
green (as readers of ‘Losing the Plot’ will be aware). What
I have done, however, is learn a bit about environmental issues
(from glyphosate to electric cars) thanks to editor Steve Payne
commissioning me to write stories about them (probably because
he feels sorry for me and wants to get me out of the garden).
So where do I stand on our climate change future? It seems to
me we just about have the technology to create a carbon-positive
world, which makes it all the more frustrating that we don’t
have the political will.
Fortunately, while we wait for the pollies to catch up, there
are lots of people out there doing good things – from buying
solar panels to setting up food co-operatives.
Organic Gardener plays a role in that, by educating and
inspiring, and hopefully will continue to do so for many years
to come. If I keep reading it, maybe I’ll get to grow some
decent tomatoes one day.
organicgardener.com.au 17
 celebrating

20 More bums on bike seats

Since bursting into the limelight and onto the
pages of OG in 2006 with her book The Good
Life, Linda Cockburn has gone even deeper in
her pursuit of a low-carbon life.

Our family has come a long way. Sustainability

means something different than it once did, and
we now live in Tasmania. Travel is no longer an
option. The game of musical chairs is over – yet the
roads are still full of cars, the sky full of planes.
I no longer believe solar panels and wind turbines
are the answer, they’re just a slightly longer route
to extinction and more short-term thinking.
The answers lie in finally seeing what nature
always knew – store it in the soil (regenerative
agriculture), store it in trees, farm it from the
oceans with seaweed, and convert every bit of
waste into biochar. All this while dramatically
reducing what we consume and adopting
alternative economic and social models.
Never has there been such a radical need for
change and there aren’t enough bums on bike seats.
Will we manage to get them there before it’s too
late? Is it already too late? I dream of bell curves.
From Vogue to Organic Gardener How can I accept not just human extinction, but an
entire planet of non-human inhabitants? I can’t.
Jessamy Miller writes our regular poultry column but there So we turn up for protests, grow our own food
is much more to this inner-city, sustainable-living dynamo. and heirloom seed for others to grow theirs too.
We live as simply as we can. I preach from the
I’m very passionate about living a sustainable life, particularly social media pulpit to an audience often already
if it involves sitting under the lemon tree with a glass of converted and look for answers to questions we
home-brewed kombucha, watching the chooks dig the should have answered 100 years ago.
vegie garden for me.
Truthfully, I have not always felt a lust for the lentil
lifestyle. My parents started the magazine Grass Roots in
1973, and I grew up on a self-sufficient farm. We were busy
growing food using organic methods while many others
were embracing greed in the 1980s.
As a teen rebel, I immediately moved to the city to make
my own life, preferably a glamorous one, with a flushing loo.
But I couldn’t help myself; planting vegies in pots, mending
clothes, dreaming of chickens. I soon ditched Vogue and
replaced it with Organic Gardener mag; far more appealing,
as well as productive, positive and based on best practice.
Inspired, I set up my urban vegie patch, hit up my parents
for purebred chooks and worked at creating a sustainable
oasis in an urban setting.
For the past six years I have loved sharing my articles
on chooks and low waste living with readers of OG, and
being informed by other writers and doers in its pages. It’s
a community I (and my family) are proud to belong to and
which I believe is making a real impact. By planting more,
being organic, growing our own food, and reusing our
rubbish, we will change our world.

18
 ORGANIC PLANT

LIVING
GIFTS
Karen Sutherland finds
some delightful plants
you can give to friends,
or yourself, this
festive season.

CONVOLVULUS ‘ARCTIC MOON’

Convolvulus sabatius ‘Arctic Moon’

This new white form of the popular blue

flowering ground cover is just as free
flowering but has more compact growth.
Drought tolerant once established, it’s a
great choice for low maintenance gardens
with little water. Arctic Moon tolerates
a wide variety of soil types, thrives in hot
dry situations and coastal and poolside
1m W gardens. Use this plant to cascade over
and soften garden walls, or to make a
stunning display in a hanging basket. If you
Ground garden in pots only, a tall pot will allow
cover
this plant to look its best. Flowers are
produced throughout the warmer weather
Full sun and plants can be relied upon to fill an
area quite quickly. Prune plants regularly
to keep bushy and encourage flowering.
Plant Apply an organic slow release fertiliser
all year
round in spring each year.
 ORGANIC PLANT

Climate Zone Key:

Tropical subTropical Arid/Semi-Arid Warm Temperate Cold Temperate

STRAWBERRY ‘PINK’
Fragaria x ananassa ‘Pink’

20cm W Strawberry ‘Pink’ looks as good as it tastes, with fruits that

are small-to-medium in size, sweet and flavoursome. All
strawberries need rich, well-drained soil and regular watering.
20cm H
Although they will grow in some shade, they need full sun to
fruit well. Like other strawberry varieties, this one can be
Full sun grown in pots, hanging baskets, or in wall gardens, which all
help to keep the tender fruit away from slugs and snails and
also from touching the soil, which helps reduce the fungal
Plant diseases they are prone to. Plants also work well planted
spring-
autumn along raised garden bed edges. Grow multiple plants per
person if you want a reasonable harvest. Plants need to
be replaced every three years to keep them producing well.

PEACE LILY
Spathiphyllum varieties
30-60cm
W
Peace lily is one of the most reliable of indoor plants so is
a fantastic gift to give a beginner gardener and is available
30-60cm in a range of sizes and varieties. With lush, green foliage and
H
long-lasting white lily-like flowers, these plants tolerate
fairly low light and don’t have high water requirements.
Tolerates Water your plant in a sink every 7-10 days with lukewarm,
low light
preferably filtered water, and allow to drain fully before
returning to its location, to avoid salts building up in the
potting mix. Give your plant the occasional shower to keep
Buy all it dust free. Apply an organic liquid feed a couple of times a
year
round year. Like other lilies, all parts of this plant are poisonous
to animals, so if you have a curious kitty avoid this plant.

VARIEGATED APPLE MINT

Mentha suaveolens ‘Variegata’
50cm W
spreading
Variegated apple mint is a fresh-looking and tasting
addition to a kitchen garden and makes an aromatic gift.
30-50cm Like other mints, it’s easily grown but is best kept in either
H
a pot, hanging basket, wall garden or some other confined
garden bed, where it can’t take over. The patterned leaves
Full sun/ add interest and help identify the plant when harvesting.
partial
shade Add young leaves to salads, fruit salads, summer drinks
or make a refreshing tea, which is delicious hot or cold.
PHOTOS: ALAMY/ISTOCK

Cut plants down to ground level in winter and give them

Plant some slow release organic fertiliser when they regrow
spring
and in spring. Plants need to be lifted and divided each year
summer
or so, to allow them fresh soil to grow into. Look out for
fungal diseases such as rust or mildew in late summer.

20
The Natural Solution
for your Garden’s Health!
 Root-to-leaf
eating will help
reduce food
waste and save
money.

Waste not
(making every part count)
we often waste edible parts of common vegetables and herbs –
Justin Russell explains what we are missing out on.
H
ave you ever picked a head of broccoli and fed
the remainder of the plant to the chooks or the
compost heap? Have you pinched the top from
a broad bean plant to deter black aphids, and thrown
the shoot on the ground? Do you cut and discard garlic
scapes in the hope that the bulb will fatten up, without
realising what culinary delights you’re missing out on?
The idea of eating all the edible parts of a plant isn’t
new. For generations, frugal kitchens the world over have
sought to waste nothing, especially during times of war
and famine. Some cultures take great pride in using every
possible root, stem and leaf, but our wealthy, modern
culture has become fickle. Frugality, although making
a comeback, has been a dirty word in home kitchens.
However, as is often the case with food, leading chefs
have taken a different view. In an effort to genuinely
connect the paddock to the plate, and to do justice to
well-farmed ingredients, the idea of ‘nose-to-tail eating’
has become prominent. The term was coined by English
chef Fergus Henderson, who in 2004 published a book
titled The Whole Beast, saying: “If you’re going to kill
the animal it seems only polite to use the whole thing.”
FACING PAGE: THE GARDEN COLLECTION
Around the same time, people like Hugh Fearnley-
Whittingstall (of River Cottage fame) were exploring
similar ideas and regenerative farmers like Joel Salatin
talked in terms of honouring the animal by using
everything but ‘the moo’.
Facing page: Rainbow chard stems are often
thrown away but are filled with goodness.
ORGANIC KITCHEN
Honouring life force
Whether you are a carnivore, a vegan or simply
someone who wants to eat ethically, there’s no getting
around the fact that for humans to live, we must kill. If
I’m going to kill a plant in order to put food on the table,
it would be ethical and frugal to honour its life force and
usefulness by eating as much of the plant as possible.
There’s also the issue of food waste. In Australia
alone, around 5 million tonnes of food ends up as
landfill each year (enough to fill 9000 Olympic-sized
swimming pools). I’d expect that compared to the
general population, organic gardeners would do pretty
well on the food waste front, adding scraps to compost
heaps, chicken runs or worm farms. But while there have
been times when I haven’t had enough scraps to feed
my chooks, there have been times where I’ve become
lazy, and simply thrown leftover bits of veg in the bin.
We owe it to ourselves and the planet to eat those
parts of a plant that typically get overlooked, and
wasted. Let’s call it “root-to-leaf eating”, a kind of
nose-to-tail eating for plants.
Root-to-leaf edibility
Before I launch into a guide to what non-typical
parts of various plants can be eaten, let me offer a
word of caution. Not all parts of every edible plant are
edible. Some plants have edible stems and toxic leaves
(for example, rhubarb). Others are only edible once
cooked and shouldn’t be eaten raw. Also note that
in conventional farming systems, some less commonly
organicgardener.com.au 23
 ORGANIC KITCHEN

eaten parts of a plant will harbour residual pesticides (for

example, carrot tops, which are sprayed while the roots
aren’t). By all means, experiment, but do it sensibly.

AMARANTHACEAE FAMILY
Beetroot – Just about everyone has eaten the root
at some point, but it amazes me how many people
have eaten silverbeet, but not beetroot leaves. The two
are almost identical. Granted, the older leaves can be
a bit tough, but the young leaves are a tender and
lively ingredient in mixed salads. Just don’t harvest
too many at once, or your bulbs will be very small.
Chard – It’s common for cooks to trim the stems from
the leaf bases, but why? They’re often super colourful,
containing antioxidants and other goodies, and have
a multitude of uses, from stuffing chickens or turkey,
to adding a colour hit to a red curry.

Apiaceae family
Carrot – For years I’ve pulled carrot tops off as
soon as possible after harvest and thrown them to
the chooks. They are great at helping the birds clear
intestinal parasites. This is hardly the most appetising
way to suggest that we humans should eat them too,
but trust me, they’re pretty good. The ferny leaves are
nicer than the stems, which can be a bit rough, and
they can be used in a variety of ways – in pesto,
soups, salads, sautéed and more.
Florence fennel – The fronds are used as a herb and
the bulbous base goes great in anything requiring a
hint of aniseed, right? Yes, but don’t ignore two other
parts of the plant: the flowers and the seeds. The former
are among the prettiest garnishes going, and the seeds
are a wonder with anything porky or from the sea.
Celery – Unlike chard, whose leaves are prized and
stalks discarded, celery is the opposite. The stalks are
the prize and leaves discarded. Go figure. This is despite
the leaves being perfectly edible and arguably nicer to
eat than the stalks. Use them in place of flat-leaf parsley,
in soups and salads, and try making celery leaf pesto.
They’re also brilliant in smoothies.

Amaryllidaceae family
Onion – Bulbing onions are usually left to reach a
point of maturity before harvesting, at which point
the tops tend to wither and brown. Before that point,
PHOTOS: TOP & FACING PAGE: ISTOCK/BOTTOM: ALAMY

however, those same tops can be harvested just like

spring onions. Remove a leaf or two from each plant,
leaving a few in place to help the bulb to fatten up.
Garlic – Hardneck garlic cultivars have the habit of
producing a sometimes wonderfully curly flower stalk in
spring. In order to direct more of the plant’s energy into
the bulb, most growers remove this ‘scape’ and throw it

Top: Young beetroot leaves are tasty in salads.

Left: Garlic scapes can be used like you would chives.
Facing page: Every bit of the coriander plant is edible.

24
 HERBS & FLOWERS
CORIANDER is a root-to-leaf plant
par excellence. Everything including the
roots, the leaves, the flowers and the
seeds are edible and unlike some plants,
equally delicious.
PARSLEY is another fully edible herb –
and more than just a garnish. The flowers
are nice in salads and the seeds can be
added to bread and a host of other dishes.
Parsley roots are similar to parsnips
but with a flavour somewhere between
carrots and celeriac. For the best roots,
look for Hamburg parsley, a more tuberous
subspecies of regular parsley.
FLOWERS OF VIOLAS, such as pansies,
heartsease and violets, are commonly used
as an adornment on cakes and as garnish
for salads, but the leaves are also edible
and go well in a mixed salad.
WASABI is edible from the root to the
flower. While only the stem is used to make
wasabi paste, all parts of the plant convey
a peppery punch. The finely shredded
leaves are lovely in sushi and the white
flowers make a great salad garnish.
 ORGANIC KITCHEN
Smoothie magic
The simplest way to make use of the
overlooked parts of vegetables and herbs
is to whiz them into smoothies. It works
especially well with those parts of a plant
that can be a bit coarse, such as stems, and
by adding fruits, seeds, honey and other
ingredients, you can devise some truly
unique, tasty and health enhancing recipes.
Fire up the blender and get blitzing!
26
away. What a waste! Garlic scapes are a delicacy. Simply
chop them into pieces and use raw like chives or spring
onions, or wherever you might use garlic. How about a
garlic scape and carrot top pesto? However, if you leave
the scapes to grow, they develop an umbel containing
10-500 bubils (depending on the cultivar), and these
bulbils are also edible.
Brassicaceae family
Broccoli – The unopened flower head is the bit we
commonly eat, but equally nutritious are broccoli
flowers, leaves (essentially another form of kale) and
stems. The latter has a texture like water chestnuts
and when chopped into pieces, is delicious in a stir-fry.
Turnip and radish – Radishes tend to be eaten
raw and turnips are usually cooked but apart from
that the leaves are equally edible (they can be a bit
hairy in texture but cooking fixes this – hairs disappear
and you’re left with a wonderfully nutritious and
mildly peppery green). Radish seedpods and flowers
are also a gourmet treat.
Cucurbitaceae family
Pumpkin – The leaves, though edible, are always
going to be a hard sell because of their texture but
the seeds are lovely roasted, spiced and eaten as a
snack. There are specific varieties for pumpkin “pips”
of course (‘Styrian Hulless’ being the main one), but
any variety of pumpkin will do the job.
Zucchini – The flowers are a thing of absolute beauty
and when stuffed with soft cheese and fried in a light
batter, they taste even better than the fruit. An excellent
variety for flowers is ‘Long Florence’.
Fabaceae family
Broad beans – In my view, these are hands down one
of the best, but most laborious plants to grow and harvest.
To get to the tender beans they must be podded, then
skinned – a time-consuming process, especially if you
have a bumper crop. To add more value for your efforts,
pick and eat the soft green shoot at the tip of the plant
once it has reached chest height. This helps prevent aphid
infestation in spring, plus, the shoots have a delicious
leguminous flavour. Try eating them steamed and tossed
with butter or even better, in an omelette or risotto.
Peas – Again the shoots are delicious (the Japanese
call pea shoots “green gold”), but what about the pods?
Obviously sugar snap and snowpeas are eaten pod
and all, but shelling pea pods are also sweet and
deserve to be used. They can be cooked and blitzed
PHOTOS: TOP: ISTOCK/CENTRE: ALAMY
as a fresh spring soup, or stuffed, battered and deep
fried. Somebody hold me back!
Top: Stuffed zucchini flowers.
Above left: Pick broad bean shoots once
the plant is chest height.
 HOW TO KEEP
YOUR PLANTS
HAPPY & HYDRATED
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The ‘Costata Romanesco’ is an Italian heirloom.

Super
producers
Penny Woodward says zucchinis can be flavoursome as well as prolific,
making this member of the squash family a great vegie garden staple.
Z
ucchinis quite rightly have the reputation for
being easy to grow but also are often regarded
as bland and boring. I want to convince you that
these underrated plants are interesting and can be
delicious. Plus, they have some idiosyncratic relatives
that are also worth growing. As a bonus, with good
pollination, zucchinis can be highly prolific.
The zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) falls into the larger
squash family (Cucurbitaceae) along with pumpkins,
cucumbers and marrows. In Australia, Germany,
Sweden, Italy, the US and Canada these plants are
called zucchini; in France, the UK, Ireland, Belgium,
French-speaking Canada, Malaysia and Singapore,
they are more generally known as courgettes or, when
PHOTOS: GAP PHOTOS/GARY SMITH
bigger, vegetable marrow. And in all countries they
are often just called summer squash. So this poor
vegetable has a serious identity crisis!
Historically, zucchini come from central America with
most of the other members of the squash family, but
zucchini specifically were adapted and developed
in Italy about 300 years ago.
ORGANIC GROW
Planting
Seeds are planted straight into the ground, or into small
pots first and later planted out. Sow two seeds in each
position and then remove the weakest plant. Choose a
sunny and well-drained position. Zucchini that grow as
bushes need at least 70cm between plants. Climbing
forms can be planted closer together, but will need
plenty of space to spread on the ground, or preferably
on a trellis. All the plants described in this article are
frost tender, so in cooler regions don’t plant them into
the garden until the last chance of frost has passed.
Bush zucchinis thrive in large pots and containers –
a 45L green woven planter bag works well.
Soil preparation
Zucchinis grow fast, which means they need plenty of
nutrients to thrive. Prepare the soil well with added
compost, pelletised organically certified fertiliser or
blood and bone and extra organic matter in the form of
well-rotted animal manure (cow, horse, sheep). Dig in or
sprinkle over the surface. Once plants are growing well,
organicgardener.com.au 29
 FACT FILE:
ZUCCHINI
Cucurbita pepo

Climate: Tropical,
Subtropical, Arid/Semi-arid, Warm
temperate, Cold temperate
height: BUSH 80cm OR CLIMBING
Spacing: 70cm
Position: Full sun
PLANT: Spring, SUMMER
HARVEST: 40–70 DAYS

mulch the soil surface and water with diluted seaweed

extract every three weeks. They shouldn’t need any other
feeding but if leaves start to yellow, add some complete
liquid fertiliser for extra nitrogen. But don’t overdo the
nitrogen, or you will have masses of leaves and few
flowers. If your soil is heavy, then plant seeds or seedlings
into a raised mound to keep the leaves and fruit off
potentially soggy soil, or plant into a raised bed or pot.

Watering
Always water around the roots, not on the leaves.
Leaves will often wilt during hot weather but will
usually revive again once the sun is off them. If they
don’t revive then you will need to water, but it’s better
not to water at night unless you have too, as it sets
up humid overnight conditions that are perfect for
powdery mildew growth.

Flowers and pollination

Zucchinis produce male and female flowers, with the

PHOTOS: FROM TOP: PENNY WOODWARD/GAP PHOTOS/FHF GREENMEDIA/PENNY WOODWARD.

male flower on a long, slender stem, and the female
flower occurring with the tiny developing fruit behind. If
the female flower is not fertilised, this fruit will collapse
and fall off the plant. If it is fertilised, then the fruit will
start to grow. When the weather is very hot or wet, or
there are no bees or other pollinators around, then
sometimes there will be no fruit. In very hot weather you
may only get male flowers, so no zucchini will grow. If
needed though, you can do the pollinating yourself.
Detach a male flower and break off the petals so that
the central stamens are exposed; these are covered in
pollen. Poke this into the female flower so that the
stamen touches the central stigma and the pollen is
transferred. One male flower can be used to pollinate

Top left: Lebanese growing in a planter bag.

Above left: A cut off plastic bottle allows
slow water infiltration.
Left: Plant two seeds in each position.
 ORGANIC GROW

Above from left: ‘Black Beauty’; ‘Rondo de Nice’; and ‘Golden’.

ONLY THE BEST

CULTIVAR DESCRIPTION DAYS TO HARVEST,
FLESH AND FLAVOUR
Heirloom from about 1940, dark-green Early 50–60; mild, creamy-white flesh. Great
‘Black Beauty’
elongated fruit. Bush. roasted or baked.

Italian heirloom from 1920s. Long slender

‘Cocozelle’ 55–65; firm, nutty, full-flavoured flesh.
dark-green fruit with lighter stripes. Bush.

Italian heirloom. Grey-green with pale
‘Costata Romanesco’ flecks and distinct pale ridges. Long,
slender fruit. Sprawling plant.
Australian heirloom. Oval shape with
‘Cowlards Green’ slight ridges, speckled with pale green.
Bush.
55–70; nutty, delicious, solid flesh. Large male
flowers good for eating, or pick fruit at 10–15cm
with flower attached and fry whole.
Very early 40–45; creamy flesh.
Harvest very small at 10cm.

Heirloom from 1970s. Cylindrical bright

‘Golden’ Early 50–55; smooth flesh, sweet flavour.
golden fruit. Bush.

Lebanese heirloom. Light-green, sweet,

PHOTOS: FROM LEFT: PENNY WOODWARD/ALAMY/ISTOCK.

‘Lebanese’ (Grey) 50–60; pale sweet-flavoured flesh.

shorter, fatter fruit. Bush.
Italian heirloom. Strongly ribbed, olive-
55–65; long harvest. Excellent for stuffed female
‘Long Florence’ green, long, slender fruit. Ornamental
flowers with small fruit attached.
leaves. Bush.
Australian heirloom. Stumpy, cylindrical
‘Melbourne Cream’ 55–65; creamy, nutty-flavoured flesh.
shape. Pale-green skin. Trailing vine.

French heirloom. Round, pale-green,

‘Rondo de Nice’ Very early 45; fine flavour. Prolific.
flecked fruit. Very tender skin. Bush.

organicgardener.com.au 31

Zucchini relatives
These plants need similar soils, and
growing conditions, to those
described for zucchini.
New Guinea bean
Lagenaria siceraria
These impressive fast-growing
fruit are long and slender with a
swollen tip. They can grow to more
than 1m long but are best harvested
small (10–20cm) and eaten as a
zucchini. The large vigorous vine
is grown from seed sown in spring
in cool regions, or from late winter
to autumn in the tropics and
subtropics. They need a strong
trellis to support the fruit.
Tromboncino
C. moschata
A climbing, sprawling plant that
produces bountiful supplies of long,
slender, sweet-fleshed fruit with a
bulbous end. Full-grown fruit can
get bigger than 1m with a firm skin,
and are then used in the same way
32
Cut, rather than tear,
fruit from the plant.
as a pumpkin. But fruit are best
picked small, at 20–30cm. When
small the flesh is mild and sweet.
Often described as a zucchini
because of the similar flavour.
Fruits for many months. Flowers
PHOTOS: MAIN: GAP PHOTOS/FHF GREENMEDIA/TOP INSET: ALAMY/BOTTOM INSET: PENNY WOODWARD.
are excellent for stuffing.
Wax gourd
Benincasa hispida
This vigorous tropical vine is planted
in spring in colder regions and grown Above: Young New Guinea bean.
through the summer into autumn. It’s Below: Trombocino.
grown from late winter to autumn in
the tropics. Wax gourds need a
strong trellis or plenty of space to
spread over the ground. Very young
gourds are harvested when only
10–15cm long and used in the same
way as a zucchini, although the flesh
is slightly sweeter. If left on the vine
the fruit can grow into mammoths.
The flesh is added to soups and
stews. Young growing tips, flower
buds and flowers are all also edible,
either in salads or stir fries.
 ORGANIC GROW

lots of female flowers. If you don’t want to break off a

male flower, then use a paintbrush to collect pollen from
the stamens in the male flower, and then transfer this
pollen by touching the brush onto the stigma in the
female flower. Pollination is best done in the morning
as the female flowers close up in the afternoon.

Diseases
The best known disease that affects zucchini is powdery
mildew. This is a natural part of autumn senescence in
temperate and arid regions. The spread can be delayed
by removing the worst affected leaves, and spraying
the rest of the plant with a milk solution of 1 part milk
to 9 parts water. Over-watered plants and those grown
in badly drained soil can suffer root disease. If the
whole plant collapses, then pull it out and start again
in another part of the garden.

Harvesting
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
Zucchinis are generally ready to harvest from seven 500g grated zucchini
days after fertilisation. Around 15–30 cm long is ideal, ½ tsp salt
or 15cm with the flower attached. They are best cut, 8 spring onions or chives, chopped
rather than pulled from the plant, and regular 20g chopped basil
harvesting promotes ongoing production. If left on the 20g chopped parsley
plant, zucchini can quickly reach huge sizes with the 20g chopped mint
world record currently being 2.52m. For really sweet, 125g crumbed feta
creamy, nutty delicious flavours, always grow your own 2 free-range eggs lightly beaten
and harvest small. There is just no comparison with Salt and pepper
their bland, watery shop bought brethren. 60g plain flour
60g olive oil for frying
Seed saving
Zucchini can cross-pollinate with any other plants Place grated zucchini in a colander with salt and
in the C. pepo genus. So if you are growing several leave for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel. Place
different cultivars, you will need to hand pollinate. the zucchini, chopped onions and herbs, crumbed
Select a female flower that hasn’t opened (best in the feta, eggs and salt and pepper, into a bowl and
early morning) and using a paint brush, fertilise from combine. Finally stir in the flour.
a male flower on the same plant. Cover with a paper Pour the oil into a non-stick frying pan and heat.
bag. Remove the bag once the fruit is growing strongly. Spoon in the fritter mix to the desired size with a
Label and allow to grow to full, mature, seed-setting size. tablespoon and cook until golden brown.

In the kitchen
Zucchini flowers are eaten fresh in salads, stuffed and
cooked or dipped in flour and deep fried. In canvassing selected SEED suppliers
friends, I found that everyone has a favourite zucchini the diggers club diggers.com.au
recipe. They ranged from zucchini and carrot pancake, Eden Seeds edenseeds.com.au
to sliced zucchini tossed in beaten egg and then fried, Green Harvest greenharvest.com.au
as well as zucchini bread and slice, stuffed zucchini Rangeview Seeds rangeviewseeds.com.au
and finally barbecued zucchini sliced lengthwise and Seed Freaks seedfreaks.com.au
PHOTOS: ISTOCK

cooked with olive oil and lemon. But my favourite Southern Harvest southernharvest.com.au
recipe is zucchini fritters. The Lost Seed thelostseed.com.au

organicgardener.com.au 33
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 ORGANIC HERB

A HERB TO DYE FOR

Penny Woodward loves the beautiful
butter-yellow flowers of dyer’s
chamomile, its attractiveness to
butterflies and its use as a dye.

I
’ve been weeding and cleaning up parts of my garden,
ready for some planting. One of the perennials that I
love, and have been digging and dividing, is dyer’s
chamomile. It’s botanical name was Anthemis tinctoria but
is now Cota tinctoria, although you’ll still find it under both
names. I do understand the need to update botanical names
in line with new research, but it can make it really hard for
gardeners and garden writers to keep up!
This lovely perennial, spreading herb grows as evergreen
mounds of soft-green ferny leaves. Plants grow to about
50cm when in flower and will spread to cover more than
a metre in every direction.
I love the early mornings in spring and summer when the
beautiful butter-yellow flowers of dyer’s chamomile glow in
my garden. Unsurprisingly, they attract butterflies and make
delightful cut flowers, which occur from spring to autumn.
Many years ago, when I used to spin and dye my own wool,
I picked buckets full of flowers and prized the soft orange
colour produced when combined with an alum or chrome
mordant, the greenish-brown with an iron mordant, and
bright yellow with no mordant.*
Aside from all this, you can also rub the leaves onto a bite
to relieve pain and swelling. Alas, you can’t use the flowers
to make tea as you can with the true chamomiles Matricaria
recutita and Chamaemelum nobile.

Growing needs
Newly planted clumps may need some water on a summer’s
day to help them survive the heat of the day but they are
otherwise easy to grow. They will also tolerate mild frosts.
This herb does best in a sunny position with well-drained soil,
and thrives on stoney ground and spilling over stone walls.
Plants will not survive constantly wet soils or heavy frost. In
sub-tropical regions, grow in a pot or a very well-drained bed,
in a position where it is sheltered from heavy summer rain.
There are several cultivars to choose from with flowers of
different shades of yellow, including ‘E. C. Buxton’ with pale
lemon-yellow flowers, another called ‘Kelwayii’ that is a mass
PHOTO: PENNY WOODWARD

of canary yellow flowers, and ‘Alba’ with white flowers.

As well as division, dyer’s chamomile is also easily grown
from cuttings taken in spring or autumn.
* Mordant is a dye fixative.
ORGANIC BIOLOGY
 The
cryptogamic
garden Ecologist and photographer Alison Pouliot delves into the
unheralded world of mosses, liverworts, lichens and more,
explaining their valuable role in the garden.

C
ryptogam. It’s an enchanting name that
feels good, rolling off the tongue. And these
plants feel good beneath the fingertips, too,
if you stroke their many textured forms.
Cryptogams comprise a kooky coterie of
taxonomically unrelated organisms: the bryophytes
(mosses, liverworts, hornworts); ferns, fern allies and
algae; as well as lichens and other fungi.
While the collective ‘cryptogams’ contravenes
convenient categories for ordering life, they commonly
cohabit, sharing many lifestyle and habitat preferences.
But having enticed you with the broad stroke of
cryptogams, it is such a big group that I’m going to
home in on bryophytes and lichens – more than
enough to keep us interested.
PHOTO: ALISON POULIOT
It’s all about changing spatial scales – coming in
close to observe the depths and details of these arcane
organisms. What bryophytes and lichens lack in the
more familiar vascular plant features (such as seeds
and flowers) they make up for with intricate specialised
structures to advance their most important mission –
to disperse spores.
The ways we think about gardens are shaped
by shifts in aesthetic taste and growing knowledge.
In recent years, the notion of the ‘wood wide web’ –
the underground alliances between fungi and plants
– has inspired many gardeners to accommodate the
dynamism and complexities of other garden ecologies.
This integrates not just plants, but soils, lichens
and bryophytes, as well as other cryptogams and

Bryophytes and lichens, like other cryptogams,
are cryptic and inconspicuous. They don’t loom
overhead or flaunt showy flowers. Theirs is a
world in miniature, although their actions
are far-reaching.
myriad microorganisms that work their wonder
in the subterrain. So let’s begin delving into their
Opposite: Reproductive structures of the
umbrella liverwort, Marchantia berteroana.

organicgardener.com.au 37
 world. Further along in the article are specific
descriptions of the plant groups, but let’s start by looking
at their unheralded role in the garden and environment.
In the garden
These small organisms do good things in gardens. They
make bare soils more inhabitable for plants by trapping
moisture and windblown nutrients, providing a sheltered
and moist seed bed. Like higher plants, bryophytes take in
carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere,
enabling us to breathe. Because of their slow decay rates
in some environments, bryophytes can sequester large
amounts of organic carbon, stopping its release into the
atmosphere and slowing global warming.
Probably most exciting to gardeners in this eroded and
soil-deprived continent is that lichens create soil, albeit
very slowly, enriching it further when they themselves die
and decompose. Almost all plants require soil before they
can colonise. Bryophytes and lichens not only create soils
but they also stabilise them, providing architecture and
the necessary conditions for plants to establish and grow.
In drier gardens they are especially important in
holding soil together as part of biological soil crusts,
preventing erosion by intercepting surface run-off and
regulating water filtration. Hence, encouraging carpets
of mosses and lichens provides the dual benefit of
retaining moisture and flood control. Bryophytes in
particular, quickly absorb large volumes of water
during heavy rain then slowly release it, enabling
other plants to benefit from it for longer periods.
Many garden birds use mosses and lichens to line
and camouflage their nests. Invertebrates such as
38
Above: Lichens and moss often live in intimate
association. Pictured is the lichen Pseudocyphellaria
dissimilis and the moss Wijkia extenuata.
moths and butterflies, bevies of beetles, lacewings and
bristletails either live in, feast on or disguise themselves
as bryophytes or lichens. In turn, these invertebrates are
consumed by organisms further up the food chain. And
what nicer nook for a frog to nestle in than a damp
bed of bryophytes.
Reimagining lawns
Moss growing in lawns adds not only habitat diversity but
subtle shades of tone, texture and sensoriality. Think of
the tactile delights of walking barefoot on a mossy lawn.
Moss lawns stay greener longer than grass lawns and
require less maintenance. Moss cover protects underlying
soil from drying and moderates surface temperatures.
Japanese gardens often feature moss as a central
and grounding element, creating a sense of serenity,
space and simplicity. Swap grass with moss and you
can spend Sunday mornings doing something more
exciting than wrestling with the mower.
As they seek out nooks and crannies, mosses provide a
sense of continuity in a garden, clothing exposed patches
and uniting disparate aspects. They are a logical choice
for shadier areas of your garden where many vascular
PHOTO: ALISON POULIOT
plants struggle to establish. If we offer the right conditions,
bryophytes invite themselves into our gardens, offering
an exciting tension between control and creative chaos.
Growing interest in vertical gardens or ‘living walls’
as well as rooftop gardens, is increasing the popularity
 ORGANIC BIOLOGY

Above: Moss is often a feature of Japanese

gardens, giving a sense of serenity and space.
Right: Trunks of the Nothofagus species of tree and
the forest floor are covered with bryophytes.
Below right: A frog in its mossy haven.

of bryophytes. Green walls are popping up in offices

and airports, extolled for their calming effect on human
inhabitants. They are also efficient biofilters, reducing
air and noise pollution, while rooftop gardens provide
insulation, moderating temperatures and reducing
energy to heat and cool.

Be encouraging
It’s easy to accommodate these organisms in our
gardens as it largely involves simply leaving them be.
Bare soil does not occur naturally in nature, at least not
for long. When it does, these organisms quickly move
in and try to cover it up again before it blows or washes
away, or gets compacted or baked by the sun.
To actively encourage cryptogams in your garden,
PHOTOS: TOP: ISTOCK/TOP AND BELOW RIGHT: ALISON POULIOT

entice them with nice homes, rather than collect them

from ‘the wild’, as many are vulnerable.
You can maximise their chance to establish by
retaining organic matter (with diverse size, age
and species structure); creating heterogeneity (by
creating microhabitats and microclimates); and
minimising disturbance wherever possible – avoid
digging, over-watering, raking, burning or
compacting the soil.
And of course, avoid all toxic chemicals. So rather
than reaching for the high pressure hose to blast them
from your garden wall, remember that diverse bryophyte
and lichen communities in gardens indicate good health.

organicgardener.com.au 39
 ORGANIC BIOLOGY

Left: To really
appreciate bryophytes
and lichens, pop
your trowel down
for a moment and
don a x10 hand lens.
You can pick one up
from optometrists
or scientific suppliers
for under $20.
Right: The distinctive
drum-like capsules of
the moss Polytrichum.
Opposite: A microcosm
of lichens and mosses in
a tapestry of colour.

Bryophytes
Let’s start with bryophytes – among them hornworts,
mosses and liverworts. They are sometimes called ‘lower’,
‘simple’ or ‘primitive plants’, but these denigrating
descriptors bely their superb survival skills and success.
Bryophytes existed long before flowering plants.
They colonise some of the most extreme habitats on
earth; exhibit resourceful responses to harsh conditions,
especially extended periods of dessication (extreme
dryness) and sub-zero conditions; and deter hungry
herbivores with an artillery of chemical defences.
Bryophytes don’t have vascular systems. Rather, they
obtain water and nutrients by absorbing them directly
through their surfaces and circulating them inside
specialised cells. Some have rudimentary internal
conducting systems or other structures such as scales,
hairs and ridges to assist external water conduction.
Nor do they have true roots, although many have
root-like anchoring structures called rhizoids, but
without the absorptive functions of true roots.
Bryophytes are opportunists, colonising many
different surfaces including rock and soil, wood and
bone and even human constructions such as concrete,
roof tiles and the odd old boot. They have been around
awhile, appearing over 450 million years ago.
While many bryophytes dwell in damper areas of the
garden, some thrive in hostile environments such as
deserts, where they constitute the major flora because
of their size advantage and tolerance to desiccation.
Many employ ingenious strategies for minimising
water loss by curling up or dipping in and out of
dormancy. A dispensary of chemicals such as anti-freeze
agents allow alpine bryophytes to ride out cold winters.
Mosses
The most familiar of the bryophytes are the mosses.
Liverworts are sometimes mistaken for mosses, which
are commonly assumed to be any green thing lying on
the ground. The most obvious difference in mosses is
their clearly differentiated stems with simple-shaped,
ribbed leaves, unlike the deeply lobed or segmented
leaves of liverworts.
Mosses first appeared about 400 million years
ago and almost 1100 species have been described in
Australia. Some can endure the low temperatures
and short growing seasons of Australia’s sub-Antarctic
islands, where along with lichens they comprise
the main vegetation.
Mosses of the cosmopolitan genus Polytrichum prefer
the damp but cope with dry spells by twisting their
leaves around their stems to minimise water loss. An
extra row of photosynthetic lamellae on the upper
surface of their leaves enables them to trap moist
air between them, further reducing water loss and
protecting their photosynthetic cells.
Liverworts
These moss-like plants were the first bryophytes,
appearing at least 450 million years ago. They have
diversified to over 7000 species with about 900
described from Australia.
The name liverwort is derived from the lobate
leaf-like green structures (gametophytes) that
resemble lobes of the liver. Liverworts are mostly
found in damp locations as they have no cuticle to
prevent desiccation. There are two main types: thallose
liverworts have a flattened, plate-like body (thallus),
often topped with umbrella-like sexual organs.
Leafy liverworts have flattened ‘leaves’ growing
out from a stem.

40
 Glossary

Dessication: To be completely dry.

Kingdom: One of the great divisions of
natural organisms (for example, plants,
animals, fungi).
Lamellae: Thin sheets of cells standing
up along the midrib of the leaf.
Lobate: Having a lobe.
Sporophyte: Asexual life-cycle phase
in some plants.
Spores: Reproductive bodies that become
detached from the parent and give rise to a
new individual.
PHOTOS: ALISON POULIOT

Substrate: Ground or other solid object

to which organisms can attach.
Thallus: A simple vegetative plant body.
 ORGANIC BIOLOGY
Above: Often dubbed ‘extremophiles’, lichens can withstand
extreme environments like this frozen waterfall.
Hornworts
These bryophytes are similar to liverworts but are not
leafy. As their names suggest, they are characterised by
elongated horn-like structures (sporophytes) that grow
from a greenish, flattish sheet. This differentiates them
from liverworts, which have shorter sporophytes.
Some hornworts are aquatic and provide
important habitat for invertebrates and fish ‘fry’ as
well as oxygenating water. About 30 species have been
described in Australia of approximately 250 worldwide.
Lichens
Lichens are not bryophytes but are classified in the
Kingdom Fungi. They are thought to have appeared
on earth about 700 million years ago and their best
trick was to team up and double their talents. Lichens
epitomise the notion of symbiosis and comprise intimate
associations between fungi and algae (and often
cyanobacteria). What one partner lacks, the other
provides, expanding the ecological range of both. The
alga produces carbohydrates through photosynthesis.
The fungus reciprocates by providing a dwelling with
the algal cells securely wrapped up by the fungal
hyphae in a structure called a thallus. As an extra treat
the fungus supplies the alga with mineral nutrients
extracted from the substrate through enzyme secretion.
The coral lichen (Cladia retipora) was the first
lichen to be described in Australia, by French naturalist
Jacques Labillardière in 1792. Lichens are the most
well studied group of fungi in Australia with over
3700 species described.
42
LICHEN MONITORS
Lichens are especially useful
air-quality indicators because
of their sensitivity to pollutants
such as nitric and sulfuric acids.
Air quality can be tracked using
changes in lichen community
composition, abundance and
distribution. Epiphytic lichens
(those growing on trees) are
often used because their lack
of roots and location above
the ground means they receive
greater exposure to air pollutants. For example, the
beard lichen (Usnea longissimi), pictured above, grows
only in areas of low sulphur dioxide pollution.
Scientists have put lichens to good use in other areas
of research. Lichenometry involves the use of lichen
measurements to determine the age of rock surfaces,
for example, to date stone walls, sea-level changes,
river flooding, glacier retreat and moraine formation.
The crustose lichen genus Rhizocarpon is a popular
choice in such research because of its low radial growth
rates and longevity.
Lichens have also been used in geological prospecting.
Because they can accumulate heavy metals such as
copper, lead and zinc, they are used to indicate the
presence of particular mineral deposits.
Alison Pouliot is an ecologist and
environmental photographer and
honorary fellow at the ANU. Her
recent book, The Allure of Fungi,
documents a forgotten corner
PHOTOS: ALISON POULIOT
of the natural world that is both
beguiling and fundamental to life.
Visit alisonpouliot.com
Special thanks to John Walter for
assistance with species identifications.

To your
health
G
ardening is not just about work. Make sure
you leave space and time to enjoy your garden.
A strategically placed seat will entice you to sit
a while with a cuppa. In winter its good to have some
sun to keep your vitamin D at acceptable levels, but in
summer, shade is better. Spring is my favourite time for
grazing the garden, new growth is much more tender
than old growth. I wander around picking leaves and
PHOTO: ISTOCK
eating them, checking out the flavours of new edible
plants, and trying combinations of old and new.
ORGANIC ACTION
We already know that the physical act of gardening
is good for you, but research from Deakin University
shows that eating healthily with lots of vegies, herbs
and fruit, and eliminating unhealthy food has a very
positive affect on mental health (this.deakin.edu.au/
self-improvement/the-fascinating-connection-between-
diet-and-depression). Combine the two (growing
and eating your own produce) and you’ve got all
bases covered.
Penny Woodward
organicgardener.com.au 43
 Top: Grow plants, such as nasturtiums, over
sides of raised beds to reduce reflective heat.
Left: Tomatoes with lower leaves removed to
reduce the risk of fungal diseases.

Tropical
Top tip: Have some fun recycling items, such as old
boots, teapots and wheelbarrows, to grow decorative
plants. Drill drainage holes in bases as needed, add
potting mix and plant small flowering specimens such
as herbs and succulents. Water well to settle them in.

Pest alert: Reduce the risk of fungal diseases in

the cucurbit family by ensuring there is ample airflow
through and around plants. Best to water in the
morning and don’t water overhead or on leaves. As
a preventive, spray milk remedy (1 part organic full
PHOTOS: TOP: LEONIE SHANAHAN/LEFT: PENNY WOODWARD.

cream milk to 9 parts water in spray bottle – spray

both sides of leaves). This can also be used to help curb
an outbreak. Ladybirds with yellow markings are
beneficial insects that eat the powdery mildew, so
don’t kill them.

Must do: Plant ‘picking greens’ along pathways

for quick and easy access to the food you harvest
every day. Plant basil, garlic chives, Timor lettuce,
nasturtiums (all parts edible), Lagos spinach and
sweet potato for its leaves.
Leonie Shanahan

44
 ORGANIC ACTION

Subtropical
Plant now: Grow understorey plants as groundcovers
and interplant between your crops to protect your soil
from the harsh elements and to provide a living mulch
cover. Warrigal greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides),
a native, edible groundcover with a spreading habit,
is easy to grow.
Pest alert: Lace bugs are a tiny 2mm sap sucking
insect causing spotted or mottled leaf damage. Begin by
waiting for good predators, such as lady beetles and
parasitic wasps, to arrive and feast on them and restore
balance. Alternatively, spray with neem or white oil on
the underside of leaves late in the day.
Top tip: Raised garden beds heat up significantly
on hot days. To reduce heat, grow plants on the outside
high enough to insulate the bed, such as lemongrass.
Another option is growing heat-tolerant plants in the
bed that cascade over the sides – nasturtiums are a
good choice.
Leonie Shanahan
Arid/semi-arid
Problem: Fungal and bacterial tomato diseases thrive
in warm, wet conditions. Minimise by pruning lower
leaves of tomato plants to improve air circulation. Only
water in the morning, and/or water only at the base of
the plants so that water is not sitting on the leaves.
WORM FARM
IN A BATH
Old baths can make marvellous worm farms. Here’s how:
1. Secure bath on top of besser blocks or in a timber
frame, with a slight downward angle towards the
plughole. Place high enough off the ground to fit
a bucket under the plughole.
2. Remove the plug and place some fly mesh or shade
cloth over the plughole.
3. Put 2cm of gravel over the base of the bath. Cover
gravel with shade cloth or geotextile fabric.
4. Add 1cm layer of coarse river sand. Then add damp
coco peat or old cow/horse manure for bedding
on top of the sand.
5. Add compost worms or worm farm worms (they
are not the same as earthworms). Leave in a pile
in the middle.
6. Add finely chopped food scraps.
7. Cover with shredded paper or hay, then hessian bags.
8. Place a waterproof cover over the top, (I use a sheet
of corrugated iron), then secure with weights such
as bricks or rocks.
9. Place a bucket underneath the plughole to catch
worm juice. Leonie Shanahan

Action alert: Help to beat the heat by regularly

watering more tender plants with dilute seaweed extract.
This helps to toughen leaves and increase
heat tolerance.

Top tip: On a sunny day, learn more about the

micro-fauna in your garden by finding a comfy seat and
sitting still to observe. You’ll likely see small birds you
haven’t noticed before, and myriad insects working the
flowers or preying on pest insects. A magnifying glass or
hand lens will help you to get up close and personal.
PHOTOS: INSET: LIBBY WOODWARD/RIGHT: LEONIE SHANAHAN.

Penny Woodward
(Helen McKerral is away)

Left: The Caper

Berry butterfly Top: The finished worm farm with bucket of worm juice.
is attracted to Above: Put some flymesh over the plughole so it doesn’t clog.
native plants.

organicgardener.com.au 45
 Warm temperate
Action alert: With hotter and drier weather, water
in the garden becomes vital for all animals from insects
to larger mammals. Use ponds, bowls, pots with water
plants and more. Have them at different heights, and
some in the open, others in hidden corners. Refresh
the water regularly.

Top tip: Plants need protection from increasingly

windy conditions. To help keep temporary windbreaks
in place, maintain an easily accessible supply of pieces
of string, old stockings and old T-shirts cut into strips,
for tying plants to stakes or supports. Also hay bale ties
or similar for tying frames together, and pegs to hold
temporary screens in place.

Get creative: Look at what you have in the garden

that can feed a creative streak. Use cuttings from trees to
create tripods and simple climbing frames, collect
strappy leaves to weave a simple basket; find lengths
of short cuttings of bamboo or other partially hollow
stemmed plants such as salvias, that can be bundled
together in a frame and hung in trees or mounted
on posts, to make insect homes.
Penny Woodward

Above: Bundles of sticks in a frame

make a simple insect home.

oleracea)   
a to grow, tolerant of heat
tious and attractive. There are
e from, many with curly edges,
n, some purple (called red). The
Cavolo Nero’ and ‘Red Russian’.
ill produce an abundance of
ear of growth. Kale will cross with
owering at the same time.
ch are a tubular shape, are ready
PHOTOS: ABOVE: PENNY WOODWARD/INSET: ISTOCK.

pods are dry and rattle. Cut off

pods to finish drying. Place a large
neath the pods, then rub pods between
llecting the small black round seeds.
oring seeds in dark glass bottles and
achet. Label with name, date and where
tore in cool, dark, dry area. Seeds are
our years.
 Cold temperate
Top tip: Find some parts of your garden where you
can plant small colonies of locally indigenous species
(source them from a local council or private indigenous
nursery) to attract and support local indigenous insects,
butterflies, bees, spiders and other fauna.

Tropical
Plant: With everything growing like crazy, now is a
Subtropical
great time to plant some quick-growing, unusual leafy
Arid/semi-Arid
edibles, such as red mizuna, watercress, rocket/arugula,
Warm Temperate
bloody dock and orach. The leaves of these plants are Cold Temperate
used in a variety of different ways, some cooked and some
eaten raw, but all will add interest to your summer fare.

Pest: Once the weather warms up, white flies appear. WHAT TO PLANT AND SOW NOW
Recent UK research from Newcastle University’s School
of Natural and Environmental Sciences, published in the
journal Plos One, has shown that limonene found in
French and African marigolds (Tagetes species) will PLANT/SOW NOVEMBER DECEMBER
actually repel tomato whiteflies. So plant these small Artichoke
growing marigolds among or near your tomatoes.
Bean: French/Climb
Penny Woodward
Bean: Snake
Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Capsicum/Chilli
Carrot
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Eggplant
Right: Red-spotted Fennel/Florence
Jezebel butterfly
is attracted to
Ginger
indigenous species. Herbs/Mediterranean
Below: Orach in Kale
the garden. Kohlrabi
Leek
Lettuce
Melon
Parsnip
Potato
Pumpkin
PHOTOS: PENNY WOODWARD/INSET: LIBBY WOODWARD.

Radish
Silverbeet
Sweetcorn
Sweet potato
Tomato
Turnip
Zucchini/Squash

Our climate zone map is a simplified version of a Bureau of Meteorology map.

For more detailed climatic information in relation to cities and major towns,
go to: bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/climate-classifications/index.jsp

organicgardener.com.au 47
 PHOTOS: HONEY ATKINSON

Kay interests one of her resident

sheep in some borage.

Accidental
artisans
Kay and Gregg Saarinen have built a thriving skincare business on the principles
of permaculture and their aim to live a self-sufficient life, writes Emma Castle.
F
or a chef and a carpenter it was a big shift; not just
the career change, but moving to a bush property
with not much on it except for dead wattles and a
burnt out shed. But that’s what Kay and Gregg Saarinen
did about 18 years ago, when they fell in love with what
was to become their home in Wyndham, NSW. The
object of their affection was a 6 acre (that’s about
3 hectares) piece of land bordering a national park,
with a freshwater creek, but not a lot else.
Initially, all they had on their side was bucketloads of
energy and a dream to create a permaculture-based,
self-sufficient lifestyle. They lived in a caravan while
building a straw bale house, which is now 100 per cent
off-grid with solar power, hot water and a solar bore pump.
The next step was to figure out how to become fully
self-sufficient, not just with food but an income as well.
The couple’s first experiment was with growing and
selling organic produce at the local markets.
“We got the property organically certified and worked
hard at planting fruit and nut trees and berries. We also
milked goats and raised sheep for meat,” she says.
They quickly realised that it was tough to make
enough money to sustain themselves.
A new business arises
The idea to make their own skincare products first arose
when their daughter Gemma, who is now 11, was a baby.
“Gemma had eczema all down her neck,” explains
Kay. “I took her to the doctor and was given a cortisone
ORGANIC LIFE
prescription. While I was walking to the chemist, I
thought, ‘What am I doing?’
“Instead of going straight for medication, I decided
to try a home-made calendula ointment on her first. It
worked, and I found that I enjoyed making it. We had
loads of other herbs on our farms that I could use, so
I decided to do a naturopathy course and learn all
I could about other herbal treatments for skin conditions.
“That moment was the true beginning of Saarinen
Organics,” Kay says.
Kay and Gregg now have a purpose-built lab and a
range of products that are made using herbs they grow
on their farm, including borage, calendula, peppermint
and comfrey.
This year’s comfrey crop was a bumper.
“It’s been the best crop we’ve had in ages. Comfrey
is one of the plants that doesn’t mind the dry weather
because it’s susceptible to root rot,” Kay explains.
Once the comfrey roots are harvested they are dried
on racks outside Kay’s lab and then turned into an
apple cider vinegar tincture to be used in a number
of the skincare products, including soothing gardener’s
hand cream.
While the region around the farm has been badly
affected by the drought, Kay says that a combination of
careful crop selection and biodynamic soil preparation is
what has saved them.
The farm still has enough water due to a solar-
powered bore and two stainless-steel rainwater tanks, as
organicgardener.com.au 49
 ORGANIC LIFE

well as a grey water system that filters water from the

house through river sand and out into the orchard.
Water is just one of the assets on the farm that is
thoughtfully managed. Compost is another, with Kay
and Gregg spending a lot of time getting it right.
They have a composting toilet that ‘takes about a
year before you have to empty it,’ and they have recently
brought in additional compost beyond the usual
amounts they generate in their previously closed system.
Kay explains that the Bega Valley Shire Council has
introduced a FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics)
household compost collection service and is selling
high-quality, hot-composted material for about $25 a
trailer load. Kay says that local residents were offered
free compost in a note that came out with the rates
notice – an offer that was too good to refuse for a
farm that relies on healthy soil.

Organic trade-offs
This is just one of the reasons Kay and Gregg have moved
away from organic certification: they weren’t allowed to
take up offers like that because of the tight rules.
In the beginning, the farm was certified organic
(hence the business name) and the couple spent a lot of
time, money and energy growing and raising everything
themselves on the property. They even became certifiers
and inspected other farms.
But Kay says aside from the costs of certification,
some uncomfortable trade-offs developed.
“We found ourselves in a position where we were
looking at importing certified organic honey that was
blended and lavender oil from India because we couldn’t
get enough from Australia. The embodied energy in that
was huge, and then there was the import tax. We started
to look around locally and we found Tony Bee, an
amazing local honey supplier who takes his bees to
other organic farms and national parks, as well as
a biodynamic lavender farm up the road.
“The whole basis of permaculture is supporting your
local community and reducing your carbon footprint.
It was great to be certified in the beginning but now
we focus on eco and sustainable, and we still practice
organic and biodynamic farming methods,” Kay says.

Animal inputs
An important part of that system involves animals –
72 in total. There are Muscovy ducks in the orchard,
which help create natural liquid fertiliser and keep the
weeds down, peacocks to help control snakes, chooks,
Merino x Dorper sheep to keep the fireweed down, two
ponies for pony poo, and a mob of free-range guinea
pigs that mow the grass and eat the weeds in the
orchard. There are also two dogs – one old, one young.
PHOTOS: HONEY ATKINSON

The animals help maintain orchards and gardens,

including over 1000 raspberry bushes, six kiwifruit vines,
Top: Gregg, Gemma and Kay. thornless blackberries, garlic, potatoes, Jerusalem
Centre: Kay harvesting borage. artichokes, citrus all year round and seasonal vegies.
Above: A range of the skincare products. The chooks keep the family in eggs and Gregg makes

50
 ORGANIC LIFE

bread. They supplement all this with local Tilba cheese,
organic meat from a local butcher and bread they buy
at the weekend markets. There is also a lively local
barter system in place, so they will often swap skincare
products for other bits and pieces.
Top: Kay and Gemma walk the property.
Below: Animals are a major part of controlling
weeds and pests.

Sharing the permaculture love

Kay, Gregg and Gemma have plenty to do managing
the farm and making and selling the skincare range
but there’s more on the horizon. Gregg has been putting
down paths through the orchard, and the couple are
converting the old stables into a bed and breakfast,
with new toilet facilities being built.
For the past few years, permaculture and school
groups have been touring the farm to learn more about
permaculture principles. Tour groups from the nearby
cruise ship port at Eden are now coming along.
On the B&B front, Kay says that this is more for
people who are living in the city and dreaming of
moving to a farm like theirs. They can come up from
Melbourne, stay for the weekend and learn about what’s
involved in building a straw bale house, living off the
grid and establishing gardens and orchards.
Diversifying the business is a long-term goal for
the couple, and their focus now is on selling skincare
product bundles to address particular problems, such
as pimples or itchy skin.  
“It’s all about helping people,” Kay says. “We don’t
want to flog products that promise to fix wrinkles. The
message is: if you can’t eat it and you don’t know
what it is, don’t put it on your skin.”
More information: saarinenorganics.com
ADVERTising promotion

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ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK

52
 welcome to
Organic
Living Inside:
food slow clothing
chooks books and more

Slow fashion advocate Jane

Milburn explains how we can
reduce our footprint by extending
the life of our clothes, see page 66.
PHOTO: CHARMAINE LYONS
Every piece of land has the potential
to be something, be it wilderness, or
an ornamental garden, or a farm.
 ORGANIC HARVEST

Baskets full of
goodness
Chef and organic farmer Matthew Evans is back with another book –
The commons: A Year of Growing, Cooking and Eating on Fat Pig Farm. It’s
a mix of how-to, diary and cookbook, and very different to his exposÉ On
Eating Meat (OG 111). Here is a taste, with Matthew introducing spring on
the farm and tantalising seasonal recipes.

I
t seems like it’ll never come. In the midst of a Tassie
winter, spring seems too far off. In our little corner of
the world, spring seeps into being. The first hints are
in early September, but you’re never quite sure it’ll
arrive until late in the month.
You can tell what time someone left the house in spring.
Are they wearing an overcoat, a sunhat, a rain jacket or
shorts? Spring can be frosty, or even sprinkle a little snow
on occasion. But it can also be over 30°C, perhaps even
the day after it has snowed. The weather berates us for not
wearing enough or too much. It toys with us. The wind
awaits our complacency, and the promise of warmth
one day can be dashed with an icy blast the next. The
cosseting of winter makes way for the unpredictability
and excitement of spring. There’s the promise of new
life as plants surge forth with young growth, and
blossoms unfurl and the insect population explodes.
Spring means the chooks are back on the lay, after
the recharge of their annual moult. The cows calve.
Spring milk is loaded with golden-coloured cream.
Goats have their kids in spring, too. New chicks
crack open their shells and the cycle of life turns
again. Spring lamb is born in spring, named after the
season that bore it, not the season you eat it in. We do,
however, eat lamb at this time of year, even if it should
be called hogget or two tooth: sheep that are over a
year old. We like them that way; they’ve better flavour.
The soil is starting to warm after the long
hibernation of winter. Seeds that wouldn’t germinate
in winter now have a chance to shoot. And while
everything grows, there’s actually a moment where
there’s not the usual abundance.
Despite the fecundity, the green, growing
gloriousness of this time of year, we call parts of
spring, the later parts, ‘the hungry patch’ because
the garden is growing but not yielding. The crops are
fattening, but aren’t yet ready to harvest. Though
perhaps ‘hungry patch’ is a misnomer. Thanks to

organicgardener.com.au 55
 200 asparagus plants, and judicious winter
plantings, we never actually go hungry.
The variety of crops is, no doubt, lower than
the heady days of summer, but there’s still
variety. If anything, it’s more fun in the kitchen,
finding new ways with the staples. A turnip
pasty, perhaps? Our very own polenta from our
stone-ground corn? A spring risotto using
whatever is good on the day? Broad beans? (You
know you can eat the whole pod if you get them
at the right time, and cook them the right way.)
As the season ends, we get strong hints of
summer. A ripe strawberry or two. Peas, sugar
snaps, the first glimpse of fat gooseberries,
though they’re still so sour they make your
whole body pucker.
The elder trees that adorn neighbours’ land,
however, are fat with umbels, ready for the
picking. The umbels are made up of hundreds of
tiny blossoms, each one sweetly scented.
We scale ladders and fill baskets with
elderflowers, as many as we can in the short-
but-prolific season, ready to make a delightfully
fragrant cordial that will last the summer long.

The sweetly scented

blossoms of the elder tree.

Satsuma plums
These mid-season blood plums have
beautiful purple-red skins and
deliciously sweet flesh. Fruit ripen in
my garden from late spring to
mid-summer. I leave them on the tree
to fully ripen, both to maximise
flavour but also because they won’t
ripen off the tree if picked
too early. They are
ready to
HARVEST NOTES
pick when fully coloured, they smell
plummy, and they’re just starting to
‘give’ when you touch the skin. Once
fruit is ripe, it doesn’t keep for more
than a few days, so eat straight from
the tree or stew, bottle, make into
jam, or one of my favourite preserves,
plum chutney. Alternatively use them
to make one of my family’s traditional
spring desserts, plum sponge.
Garlic
These odoriferous bulbs are ready to
harvest when the older leaves die
back, leaving 4-6 green leaves. At this
point, pull back the dirt around a
couple of bulbs and check the size and
development. If
the bulbs are big
and you’re
starting to feel
cloves under the skin,
then they will be ready to lift.
Don’t water for several days before
digging with a fork. Brush off excess
dirt. Don’t bang them against anything
to remove dirt or you’ll damage the
bulbs. Garlic can be eaten as green
garlic, straight after harvest, or cure
it by hanging in bunches of 6 bulbs in
an airy, dry position for up to 6 weeks.
In humid areas or for faster curing,
remove the roots and most of the
leaves first. Penny Woodward

56

SPRING GARLIC AND SPINACH TART
We grow a lot of our own garlic, but there’s a window of
time where the stuff in the ground doesn’t have big fat
bulbs yet and the garlic from last year has all sprouted.
It’s at this magic moment that we use spring garlic: the
straight, leek-looking stems of growing garlic.* It’s milder
and sweeter, and lovely in a tart like this. Clean it as
you would a leek, discarding any really tough green
bits and watching for dirt between the leaves.
Serves 4
PASTRY
150g butter, chilled and diced
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
Good pinch of salt
2 tablespoons plain yoghurt, chilled
FILLING
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stems spring garlic, washed and finely sliced
2 handfuls of young spinach leaves, washed and finely shredded
(about 1 large bunch if buying it)
5 free-range egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
100g grated aged cheddar or parmesan
Salad, to serve
ORGANIC HARVEST
1. For the pastry, rub butter into the flour and salt until
it resembles breadcrumbs (or you can pulse it in a food
processor). Add the yoghurt and enough ice-cold water
to make a soft dough, kneading until just combined.
Rest for 30 minutes, then roll out to fit a 20cm × 6cm
(8in × 2½in) tin. Rest for another 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and blind-bake pastry.
3. To make the filling, heat the oil in a pretty big frying
pan over a low heat and gently fry the garlic until it’s
yieldingly soft. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often,
until wilted. (Popping a lid on can speed up this process.)
Spread the garlic and spinach evenly over the base of
the tart case. If you like, return the pan to the heat and
reduce any runny cooking juices before adding to the tart.
4. Beat the yolks, add the sour cream and beat until
just combined. Season with pepper and a little salt,
remembering that the cheese is salty. Stir in three-quarters
of the cheese and carefully pour this egg mixture into
the tart case to fill. Top with a little more cheese.
5. Reheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 12–15
minutes, or until the egg mixture has set. Serve the tart
warm or at room temperature, with salad.
* The window to harvest spring garlic may have passed
for some gardeners. However, for those who have
planted late garlic, you will be able to harvest spring
garlic well into December. Alternatively, you can use the
stem and leaves of green garlic (see Harvest Notes).
LAMB BRAISED WITH SAFFRON
IN THE SARDINIAN STYLE
I don’t know where I first heard of this dish,
but I was in a Sardinian frame of mind
and I had lamb, I had saffron, and I had
potatoes. It tastes kind of like a goulash
of the Mediterranean.

Serves 6
2–3 tablespoons olive oil
1kg diced lamb shoulder
2 large onions, peeled and cut into rough
3cm cubes
5 garlic cloves, crushed
Good handful of flat-leaf (Italian)
parsley, chopped
200ml passata (puréed tomatoes), or use
tinned tomatoes and purée
Generous pinch of saffron threads, ideally
soaked overnight in 1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano, or
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
if leaves are big
500g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut
into chunks
Steamed greens, to serve

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large,

heavy-based saucepan over a cracking
heat, add about half the meat and brown
it well. Remove with a slotted spoon and
repeat with the remaining meat. Remove
that too, reduce the heat to about medium
and fry the onion well until just starting to
brown, drizzling in more oil if needed and
stirring regularly as it cooks.
2. Add the garlic and parsley and fry for 2
more minutes. Add the meat back to the pan
with the passata, saffron, 2 cups water and
oregano. Bring back to a simmer, scraping
off any yummy brown bits from the bottom
of the pan with a wooden spoon.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put a lid
on and leave to simmer for about 1 hour
on a very low heat. (You could do this bit
in a 150°C/300°F oven, if you like.)
4. After an hour, add the potatoes, pushing
them down into the sauce, and cook,
covered, until both the potato and lamb
are tender. The lamb will probably need
PHOTOS: ALAN BENSON

another 30 minutes or so at least, but it

does depend a lot on the age and breed
of the lamb. Taste for salt and pepper
and serve with steamed greens.
ORGANIC HARVEST
 ORGANIC HARVEST

FERMENTED CUCUMBERS
You can make pickled cucumbers using vinegar and
salt, and perhaps even some sugar, but fermenting
them adds a whole new layer of complexity. We add
vine leaves or tea leaves to the mix to help stop them
going too soft. Try this with zucchini in the peak of
the season if you’re running out of ways to use them.

Makes 500g
500g small pickling cucumbers
30g salt
1 grapevine leaf, well washed (or use ¼ teaspoon
black tea leaves)
1 teaspoon dill seeds (optional)

1. Scrub the cucumbers well and, if they’re tiny, use

them whole. If they are bigger, slice them, or cut into
chunks about 3cm (1¼ in) long and about 1cm (½ in)
or so wide, making sure each piece has skin attached.
2. Place the cucumbers in a large, sterilised sealable
pickling jar (glass is great because it doesn’t react),
or in two or three jars if that’s all you’ve got. Make
sure they’re wide-mouthed jars, and leave room at
the top for the liquid.
3. Heat 2 cups water, the salt and vine leaf in a
saucepan over a moderate heat, whisking just until
he salt has dissolved. Spoon dill seeds over, if using,
nd when water has cooled enough so you can hold
in season e pan with your hand, pour the pickling liquid over
e cucumbers until they are well covered. You can
eigh them down with a smaller jar if necessary so the

Vegetables ucumber is under the liquid. Cover with a clean cloth

o insects can’t get in but air can. Leave in a warm,
ut not sunny, place for a few days to ferment. It can
ASIAN GREENS CHERRY TOMATO ONION tart to fizz in a day or two, but will take about a
ASPARAGUS CUCUMBER RADISH eek to fully ferment. Taste it every day to see how
BEANS GARLIC RHUBARB ’s going, because once it’s reached the flavour you
BEETROOT GLOBE SILVERBEET ant, it’s important to get it into the fridge.
BROCCOLI ARTICHOKE TURNIP . Once the cucumbers reach the desired flavour
CARROT LEEK ZUCCHINI a bit sour, with a salty tang, and some subtle
CELERY LETTUCE nkiness along with the sweetness of the original
uit), cover tightly with the lid and place in the

Herbs Fruit
idge. They are still a fresh product, and are
est consumed within a month.
. Use with salami, in sandwiches with pastrami
CORIANDER AVOCADO r cheese, or use in a goulash.
DILL BANANA
FRENCH TARRAGON BLUEBERRY
GARDEN SORREL CHERRY
This is an edited extract
ITALIAN PARSLEY DRAGON FRUIT
from The Commons by
ROCKET MANGO
Matthew Evans with
THYME MULBERRY
PHOTOS: ALAN BENSON

photography by Alan
WATERCRESS PAWPAW
Benson, published by
PLUM
Hardie Grant Books,
STRAWBERRY RRP $60.

60
PHOTOS: ISTOCK

Organic celebrations
Max Allen has a challenge for you This festive season, see if you
can go all-organic, and all-Australian. Not just with what
you eat, but also with what you drink.
T
he food side of organic festivities is pretty easy.
Given the title of the magazine you’re holding in
your hands, it’s a safe bet that much of the fruit
and veg you plan to serve to family and friends at this
time of year will be homegrown and organic. Or straight
from the farmer’s market, or your local wholefoods store.
Even the supermarkets have cottoned on to the organic
food trend and now stock heaps of certified local produce.
But finding organic and biodynamic Australian wines
– and other alcoholic drinks – isn’t quite so easy. Yes, some
independent bottle shops have a good selection, and the
larger liquor chains are slowly improving their organic
range. But most of Australia’s organic drinks-makers are
boutique operations with limited distribution, and
tracking down their products requires a bit of planning
– especially if you want to offer a wide range of drinks,
from crisp sparkling to mellow brandy: you either have
to buy direct from the cellar door or order online
through specialist retailers (see the list on page 65).
It’s definitely worth the effort, though. For a start, it
feels right to drink local: not only are you cutting down
on the “booze miles” involved in the life cycle of the
drink – from the vineyard or paddock or orchard to
your glass – but you’re also supporting Australian
farmers, workers and business owners, most of
whom live in rural communities.
And the same reasons for eating organic also apply
to drinking organic. Whether it’s grapes for winemaking,
grains for beer or distillation, or apples for cider, growing
crops according to organic or biodynamic principles
ORGANIC DRINKS
means not using synthetic chemicals, promoting soil
health, and ensuring the sustainability of the farm and
business. It can also, I believe, produce better-tasting,
more enjoyable drinks – which is why choosing organic
makes sense during the time of year that’s all about
enjoying yourself.
To help you stock your fridge and drinks cabinet this
festive season I’ve recommended a few options in each
category. I’ve also included a few higher-priced drinks in
case you feel like treating yourself to some posher-than-
usual Christmas cheer, or are looking for ideas for a
special present for wine-loving friends or family. But
for more options, look at the ever-expanding range
and reviews by the online organic retailers.
And remember: drinking more organic and biodynamic
wines and beers and spirits may be better for the planet,
but it’s not better for you if you drink too much. “No
synthetic chemicals” doesn’t equal “no hangover”.
Sparkling wines
Sparkling wine consumption always goes up during the
festive season: whether it’s Christmas Day, Boxing Day,
New Years’ Day or all the holidays in between, there’s
always an excuse to open a bottle of bubbly.
There aren’t that many Australian certified organic
sparkling wines out there, but the Spring Seed Wine
Co. in McLaren Vale can cover most of your organic
fizz needs: the pale pink Sweet Pea Moscato is a good
accompaniment to present opening on Christmas
morning; the Gypsy Blanc de Blancs is what you need to
organicgardener.com.au 63
 ORGANIC DRINKS
wash down oysters; and the Wanderer Sparkling Red is
the perfect drink for roast turkey (all are $20 a bottle).
The lovely, savoury 2018 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc
($18) from Raw Vine Estate in South Australia is another
excellent option: not only is it preservative-free, it’s also a
novel blend of chardonnay and vermentino grapes.
Pétillant naturel: Pét-nats
If you want to be really on-trend this festive season, pour
your guests a glass of cloudy, foaming pét-nat: pétillant
naturel or “naturally sparkling” wines finish fermenting
in the bottle (which is why they’re cloudy) and the best
are vibrant and exciting. Because they’re almost all
made by smaller, boutique producers, they’re seldom
cheap – but they’re lots of fun.
The Delinquente winery in South Australia’s
Riverland produces good, lively pét-nats such as the
perfumed white 2019 Tuff Nut ($25) made from the
rare Italian white grape, bianco d’alessano; biodynamic
winery Ngeringa in the Adelaide Hills makes a fine
pale-pink pét-nat, 2019 Uncultured ($30); and in
WA’s Margaret River region, another leading
biodynamic producer, Cullen Wines, makes a bold,
rich pink pét-nat, 2018 Rose Moon ($50).
White wines
White wine during the summer festive season is a must.
What are you going to drink on the fifth day over 35°C?
“Room temperature” shiraz? I don’t think so. Or with the
prawns on Christmas Day? Cabernet? Definitely not. So,
stock up and chill down with organic whites – preferably
made from aromatic grape varieties so they burst from
the glass when drunk in the sun.
Tamburlaine Organic Wines in the Hunter Valley
has enjoyed trophy-winning wine show success recently
with its 2019 On the Grapevine Riesling ($18); the
2018 Organic Viognier ($22) from South Australian
64
A word on words
What do ‘natural’, preservative-free, and
vegan-friendly mean?
For me, one of the most exciting and disruptive
trends in the drinks world over the last decade
has been the increasing popularity of natural
wines – wines made with minimal intervention and
little-to-no additions: wild fermented, unfiltered,
sometimes cloudy, often funky.
A lot of people assume that natural wines are
made from organically-grown grapes. Many are –
but not all. The term “natural” is neither officially
defined nor regulated, so there’s nothing stopping
winemakers using conventionally-grown grapes and
calling their wine natural just because they didn’t
add anything in the winery.
It’s a similar issue with “preservative-free” and
“vegan-friendly”. Some consumers associate these
terms with organic, but they’re not interchangeable:
yes, quite a few organic and biodynamic winemakers
do bottle their wine with no added preservatives
and avoid using animal-derived processing aids
such as egg whites (a traditional clarifying agent),
but there are also plenty of wines out there made
from conventionally-grown grapes that are free of
preservatives or animal products – just as there are
plenty of organic wines clarified with egg-whites
and bottled with some preservatives.
So, here’s the thing: if it’s important to you
that what you drink is organically grown – like
the food you eat – look for wines and beers, ciders
and spirits from producers who are certified
organic or biodynamic.
winemaking stalwart, Yalumba, is typically rich and
flavoursome; and if you want to splash out on one of
the most outstanding white wines in Australia – that
also happens to be certified organic – go for the
mouthwatering 2019 Grosset Polish Hill Riesling
($61) from the Clare Valley.
Pink wines
Australians have developed a huge thirst for pale, dry
rosé over the last few years, and local organic and
biodynamic vignerons have been more than happy to
accommodate. I always have at least one bottle of rosé
in the fridge over the summer holidays: it’s a wine style
that goes well with pretty much anything, from sunset
conversations in the backyard to big beautiful salads.
One of the first South Australian winemakers to
PHOTO: ISTOCK
develop an affordable organic brand was Angove, and
their 2019 Rosé ($15) is as crisp and fresh as ever; one of
the latest vineyards to gain organic certification is Rosily

Vineyard in the Margaret River: their bright spicy 2019
Gros Ventre Rosé ($22) is made from grenache grapes;
well-established biodynamic winery in McLaren Vale,
Gemtree, use tempranillo grapes to make the pale,
thirst-quenching 2019 Luna de Fresa Rosé ($25)
Red wines
Inspired by the natural wine trend, a growing number of
winemakers (both conventional and organic) are making
lighter, fresher styles of red wines intended for early
drinking, bottled with low or no added sulphur-dioxide
preservative. These reds, lightly chilled, make perfect
barbecue wines. Having said that, though, the best
organic and biodynamic red wines also have the capacity
to age extremely well in the cellar, and make great gifts
for the wine geek in your life.
The Indigo Organic Grape Growers Collective is a
new Victorian wine brand featuring contemporary, fresh
styles such as a slurpy purple 2018 Nero d’Avola ($20);
Paxton in McLaren Vale produce a range of preservative-
free organic wines including the juicy, gutsy 2019 NOW
(Natural Organic Wine) Shiraz ($25); and if you’re
looking for something with more longevity, consider the
superb, spicy, sinewy 2015 Syrah ($55) from biodynamic
Cobaw Ridge vineyard in Victoria’s cool Macedon Ranges.
Beer and cider
There’s not a lot of certified organic barley or apples
grown in Australia, and as a result there’s not all that
many locally-produced organic beer or cider brands.
Luckily, though, two of the best – Mountain Goat and
PHOTOS: ALI NASSERI
Willie Smith’s – have good national distribution through
large liquor chains, so there’s no excuse not to have a
few stubbies of organic beer and cider on ice in the esky
for those long summer days watching the cricket.
Above: Cider maker Willie Smith’s
apple orchard in Tassie.
Victorian craft brewery Prickly Moses is one of very few
local beer-makers to produce an Organic Pilsner ($4) to
appeal to the lager-lovers out there; Australian craft beer
pioneer Mountain Goat is now owned by a giant Japanese
drinks company, but still makes the excellent, perfumed
organic Steam Ale ($5); and Tasmania’s Willie Smith’s sell
tasty Organic Apple Cider in both bottles and cans ($6).
Spirits
Although only a handful Australian distillers are certified
organic, between them they cover most bases from vodka
to liqueurs. Because all these organic spirits are produced
on a tiny scale, though, and because taxes are high on
spirits in this country, none of the drinks listed below
are cheap. But then again, it is Christmas and you do
deserve a treat...
South Australian winery – and long-time brandy
distiller – Angove make the full-flavoured Blind Tiger
Organic Gin ($70); based in the Hunter Valley, The
Antipodes Gin Co, which is certified organic and carbon
neutral, produces a range of gins, vodka and Espresso
liqueur (all $89); and Harris Organic Wines in the
Swan Valley north of Perth sells a range of fortified
wines, liqueurs and spirits, including gin, vodka and
a 10-year-old Organic Brandy ($99). You can even
offer your festive guests a fully organic G&T, made
with Victoria’s Daylesford and Hepburn Mineral
Springs Co. Organic Tonic ($3).
Selected suppliers
organicwine.com.au rawwineandbeer.com.au
theorganicwinecellar.com.au vineful.com.au
organicgardener.com.au 65
 ORGANIC PLANET
Clothes
with meaning
Slow fashion advocate Jane Milburn says it’s time we paid as much
attention to the eco-footprint of our clothing, as we do to our food.
G
lobal supply chains are very efficient at meeting
our essential food and clothing needs for a handful
of dollars – alas, often in a way that disconnects
us from the significant humanitarian and environmental
damage it wreaks. Fast food, and its twin fast fashion, may
be convenient but ultimately they are proving unhealthy
and unsatisfying, and in many cases, unethical.
A background in agricultural science and rural
advocacy led me to observe the emergence of the Slow
Food movement, the return to local and backyard
growing, and reconnection with sustainable agriculture
as a better source of our food.
In 2008, US author and activist Michael Pollan
defined his ‘Eater’s Manifesto’: eat food, not too much,
mostly plants. He was inspired by farmer and author
Wendell Berry, who described eating as an “agricultural
act”. Through gardening, cooking and brewing, we can
make choices that increase our connection with the source
of our food. There is a parallel story with clothing and
fibres. In my book Slow Clothing, I define the ‘Wearer’s
Manifesto’: wear clothes, have few, mostly natural fibres
– and believe dressing is an agricultural act (if we want
to wear natural fibres rather than plastic ones).
66
Slow clothing philosophy emerged as a holistic,
grassroots response to industrial production and links
into many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It
is about self-empowerment, independent and individual
styling through strategic local purchasing, resourceful
thinking and actions.
While it is labour intensive and impractical to make
all our own fabric, there are things we can do to be more
connected to what we wear.
Handmade and preloved
As a lifelong maker and natural-fibre champion, I was
never a slave to fashion. This stems from a childhood
on a sheep farm in New Zealand at a time before
conspicuous consumption, when handmade skills
were still part of everyday practice.
After observing fashion excess in 2011, I went on to
set up Textile Beat and explore the benefits of a hands-on
approach by upcycling, mending and adapting preloved
clothes to keep them in service for longer.
Research shows that extending the life of clothes
by just nine months reduces their carbon and water
footprint by up to 30 percent. As we grow our skills we
 Joyful clothing
Our clothes do for us on
the outside what food
does inside. They warm
and nourish our bodies,
and influence the way we
feel and present to the
world. This is the essence
of slow clothing as antidote
to fast fashion. It is about
choosing, wearing and
caring for garments so
they bring value, meaning
and joy to every day.

Jane Milburn wearing some of her

creations, accompanied by her chooks.
PHOTO: CHARMAINE LYONS
 “Clothes do not fall from the sky and
meals do not gush out of the earth.
Our food and clothing must come
from our own labour.”
These centuries-old thoughts are
from Buddhist scholar Master Zi Bai
of the Ming Dynasty and contrast to
today when most people outsource
food and clothing needs and ‘labour’
in the office instead. I saw the quote
on the wall years ago when visiting
PHOTO: FIONA LAKE

Chi Lin Nunnery in Hong Kong.

Learning how to sew means you can

make, mend and patch your clothes.
 ORGANIC PLANET

(the wearers) can solve problems in our wardrobe and Slow Clothing Manifesto
explore our creativity. If you are not a skilled sewist or
mender, find a friend who is for advice, or join the many 10 ways to reduce your
sewing groups popping up around the country. material footprint

Buy less, and natural

1. Think – Make thoughtful, ethical,
informed choices.
We are buying up to four times what we need because
fast fashion has become so affordable. This is due 2. Natural – Treasure fibres from nature
largely to the fact 90 per cent of it is made offshore, and limit synthetics.
where modern-day slavery continues despite the horror
of the collapse in 2013 of the Rana Plaza Factory in
3. Quality – Buy well, once; quality remains
after price is forgotten.
Bangladesh. It is also ‘cheap’ because there’s been a
significant shift to less expensive synthetic fibres derived 4. Local – Support local makers, those with
from petroleum, such as polyester, acrylic and nylon. good stories and fair trade.
Two-thirds of clothing is made from these synthetic
fibres, which research shows are shedding microplastic
5. Care – Mend, patch, sort, sponge, wash less,
use cold water, line dry
fragments into our water and food systems, with as-yet
unknown health implications. This is why buying 6. Few – Live with less, have a signature style,
fair trade, organic or natural fabrics, and if possible, minimal wardrobe, unfollow.
local, is so important.
7. Make – Learn how to sew as a life skill,
value DIY and handmade.
Going to waste
When we buy more, we waste more, as the ABC’s 8. Revive – Re-wear, re-love, vintage,
War on Waste program highlighted, with 6000kg of exchange, op-shop, rent and swap.
textiles going to landfill every 10 minutes in Australia.
Other figures show Australians are the second-largest
9. Adapt – Upcycle, refashion, eco-dye, create
new from old.
consumers of textiles in the world, each buying on
average 27kg annually, at the same time as we each 10. Salvage – Donate, pass on, rag, weave,
send 23kg of textiles and leather to landfill. recycle and compost.
Another ethical issue arising from fast fashion
culture is the loss of skills and knowledge about where
clothes come from, how they are made and from what.
The onus is ultimately on conscious consumers to
actively seek information from independent sources
and to think carefully and ask questions before historic Gardams fabric store returning to pride of place
buying anything (see ‘Resources’ box below). in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall.
It is important to support local makers and designers
Re-engaging when you need new clothing but remember, the most
I’ve found that re-engaging with clothes through acts sustainable clothes are those that already exist in your
of mending, making and upcycling, has made me wardrobe or op-shops.
appreciate and value natural fibres as resources.
I became mindful through this hands-on process and
Jane Milburn is a 2019 Churchill Fellow, founder of Textile Beat,
more interested in local, quality garments made to last.
member of Fashion Revolution Australia committee and author
It liberated me from commodification and the endless of Slow Clothing: Finding meaning in what we wear.
search for meaning through buying more things.
As conscious consumers we can look beyond TURN THE PAGE FOR MORE ON SLOW CLOTHING
appearances, understanding that planetary health is
at stake here. There is a resurgent interest in locally-
made clothes, of known provenance, using sustainably Resources
produced natural or organic fibres such as wool, • Fashion Revolution: fashionrevolution.org
cotton and linen or cellulosic fibres like bamboo • Ethical Fashion Guide: baptistworldaid.org.au/
or tencel (wood). resources/2019-ethical-fashion-guide/
Local manufacturing is re-emerging as small-batch • Good On You app: directory.goodonyou.eco
production and made to measure, and there is a marked
increase in interest in learning to sew exemplified by the

organicgardener.com.au 69
 ORGANIC PLANET

Creating together
The followers of the Slow Clothing Manifesto are
a creative bunch, who love sharing their ideas with others.

A growing network an old tie given to her by

For the past decade, Kate Fletcher has organised a a retired friend and sewed
sustainable clothing show in Tasmania as a response buttonholes at the different size
to growing awareness of the environmental and markers, adding two buttons to
social impacts of the global clothing industry. accommodate a range of sizes.
Kate’s individual style is influenced by people at It’s a skirt with a story!
home and abroad, many of whom she has met through Reflecting on changes
the international volunteer program Willing Workers in recent decades, Libby
On Organic Farms (WWOOF). says: “I really dislike that
“I am always darning, patching and dyeing fabrics globalisation means it doesn’t
and garments,” Kate says. “I often have a number of matter where I am in the world,
WWOOFers staying and we create garments together. all the shops are the same and
My motivation is doing whatever it takes to keep all the clothes are the same.”
garments looking great, in circulation and away from “In my view, it makes it even
landfill. I also enjoy networking and sharing ideas, skills more important to seek out and
and resources. We grow things to eat and forage for the support the local designers who are making 
dye pot and table. We network and share. I model what something different.”
I think is important and what works for the planet. Libby’s advice is to buy the best sewing machine you
“I have a very eclectic wardrobe, mainly handmade, can afford because they sew better, last longer, and are
upcycled, recycled and secondhand clothing. I trade in easier to use and maintain.
these things so I have access to a wide variety of raw “Buy from a shop where the staff sew and can help
materials. My most typical raw materials are blankets, with advice, and do the workshop and/or lessons that
sheets, curtains, tablecloths and doilies.” should come with the purchase of a machine. And,
Kate believes fast fashion and the culture of finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help even if it seems 
consumerism is sad and soulless. She wants to change like a kindergarten problem.”
people’s thinking that it is ok to buy a new garment so
cheaply that they can just throw it out without a care. • These two stories are edited extracts from Jane
“That is not smart or sustainable,” she says. Milburn’s Slow Clothing.
“We must create together. The magic of a creative
life is sharing it with people you love, then you get Below: A sewing group at Reverse Garbage Queensland,
to love them even more because of what you shared.” in Woolloongabba.

Supporting locals
With a background in creative
expression, Libby Woodhams is an
advocate for the healing benefits
of making things with our hands:
when hands are occupied, enriching
conversations somehow happen
almost involuntarily.
One of her favourites is her
reversible wrap skirt, which enables
different looks and is flattering for
diverse body shapes. On one side,
she used fabric pieces reclaimed from
men’s merino trousers from an op-
shop. The reverse side is a patchwork
of hand-painted and block-printed
fabrics, scraps from other projects
and remnants. To fasten it, she used

70

The repurposing revolution
Leanne Croker discovers a company that is turning discarded tyres into
shoes to help reduce global pollution and change consumer attitudes.
It’s not often a broken shoe leads to a creative solution to
a global problem. But that’s exactly what happened to
Kyle Parsons. He went from a broken pair of thongs on
the streets of Bali, to founding the company Indosole that
makes stylish footwear from recycled tyres. Not quite
a total solution to a problem that stems from 1.5 billion
tyres that turn up as waste every year – but a successful
beginning that Parsons hopes will make people think
about what they buy and wear.
Standing barefoot on the sidewalk of Seminyak in 2004,
Parsons went in search of shoes that weren’t made from plastic
and were representative of Bali. He ended up buying a pair of
thongs with a sole made of tyre, which he’d never seen before.
“What I learned is that the Indonesian people are really
resourceful and naturally talented at turning trash into
treasure and art, anything to give it a new life,” Parsons
explains. “I did some research into tyre pollution and what
it meant. I wanted to understand on a global level if there
really was a problem. And I found there was – these days
there’s billions of tyres ending up in landfill or in the
ocean and on the land.”
The next step was to turn a local product into a global
solution, using ethical and environmentally aware
production methods.
After a great deal of research, Parsons and his colleagues
developed a way to repurpose rubber tyres sourced from
landfills, mechanic garages, and gutters from all around Bali
From left: The Indosole factory is
in Indonesia; Kyle Parsons.
and other islands of Indonesia. The tyres are ground into
a powder that is used to make the soles of their footwear.
Parsons says the company is not just about making ethical
footwear, they want to change people’s attitudes.
“The biggest impact we like to see is just getting people
thinking,” he says. “If Indosole is a catalyst to get someone
thinking on a more conscious level about the products they
buy and wear – our goal is that they will implement that in
other areas of their life.”
Indosole is now a ‘Certified B Company’,* having gone
through a lengthy certification process which proves
that throughout their business they consider the impact
of their decision on their workers, customers, suppliers,
community and the environment.
“B Corp is a very valuable mark for us; one we worked
very hard to achieve. It took us about a year and half to
actually get everything in order and to qualify for B Corp,”
Parson explains. “It is something we really cherish – it is
also a mark of comfort for our consumers so that when
they go to our website or find our tag in a local retailer
they know that we are doing what we say we’re doing
and that rings true not only for the environmental aspect
but also the working conditions in our factory so that
they have fair working conditions.”
For more information visit: indosole.com.au
*Certified B Company: bcorporation.com.au
organicgardener.com.au 71
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MA/OG113
 in conversation with
costa Georgiadis
Leanne croker chats with ABC Gardening Australia’s host
about life, gardening and the future of the planet.

C Q
atching Costa (no need for surnames with this : When you first took up the hosting role on ABC
fellow) for an interview isn’t easy. He is a busy man, Gardening Australia in 2012, you spoke of wanting
with a full agenda that can involve anything from to “clean the mirror for people to see more clearly
sustainability festivals and climate change discussions, to how their actions impact on the community, the
filming ABC Gardening Australia, which is into its 30th year. country – and the world.” What did you mean?
PHOTO: ABC SUPPLIED

But there’s no pretence, no posturing: just a man who wants : I suppose what I meant was that we can be dragged
to give 100 per cent to his community, whether that’s the along in the fog of the day-to-day and the “When I have
many followers he’s gathered on social media, talking to kids this I will be happy” and “When I have that I will be happy” and
as they work in school gardens or having a cuppa with a mate. “When I have the latest version of this” all will be in order.

74
 ORGANIC CONVERSATION

You look at the world around you

and just go, what at the end of the
But what I was trying to get at was a perspective where we
look at the day to day for what it’s worth and be in that day
day is it that makes you wake up?
to day and not be sold a kind of “everything will be better
when”. Because everything is better now when you are just
And for me, it’s just people and our
doing and involved in the real, practical side of contributing,
engaging, and making time to see your links with the people
chance to engage at any given point.
around you, not just your family, but your broader community.
We do have a wonderful world around us and it’s good now.

Q : How do you think you are going with changing

that perspective?
amplify good stories, and put them through a prism of, not
just blind optimism, but real, quantifiable action. If we amplify

A : One of the things I wanted to do was really drive that

family and community, and connection with children and
family in the bigger picture. So I feel like the momentum just
keeps on building – at events I’ve attended recently there
have been so many families with children and I think of all the
work that’s being done by early childhood engagement and
education, and schools and school gardens. I feel like the
momentum is getting stronger – and that momentum also
comes with the bigger public profile, like our profile at the
recent Logie Awards. But that’s all step by step; it hasn’t
happened because of one moment. It’s really the process
of a lot of little steps, like the work people have put into
school and community gardens over the last 10–15 years.
That impact and reach has fertilised real traction.
that and motivate people to realise they have real change-
making capacity, then they become a role model without
having to put a role model hat on, just by doing and living,
and exercising sustainable practices.
Q : Your verge garden is renowned, both in your own
suburb and across the nation because it’s been
shown on ABC Gardening Australia — how did it start?
: Because we were making it on television I couldn’t
guerilla it. So I had to go through all the steps and the
processes. I had to be totally transparent, putting it through
all of the local requirements of the council. In doing that, it
meant I could confront those guidelines and policy issues
that hadn’t necessarily moved with the times and was able to
help craft and influence some change, which is now used by

Q : You are out there, talking with gardeners,

children, etc — what’s the feeling about the
future of the planet?
other people to provide a building block for their own
councils. The flow-on effects have been very positive.

: My thought is that we have to be conscious that we can’t

live in the urgency space – there is urgency and I don’t deny
that – but we can’t immerse people in urgency all the time,
because then they’ll just be deflated and feel disempowered.
One of the most exciting things for me is when people see a
story we do or read an article in a magazine, and take some
action and say we’re now doing this with our family; we planted
a whole lot of beneficial plants or we’ve made a bug hotel for
native bees. It’s those little, practical things that are able to
take the urgency and turn it into real, active change. And, go
ahead, call it ‘activism’, because it’s people getting ‘active’. A lot
of people immediately associate activism with being some
extreme disturbance, but people are disturbing the status quo
because they’re doing things; they’re actively engaged with the
world around them. And that, for me, is an encouraging thing.
Q : What does living an organic life mean to you?
: To me, it’s about slowly taking responsibility for not only
the things you bring into your life but the consequences of
choosing or purchasing those things. When we do that,
rather than fighting a system that exists, we create the
alternative and we back them with our dollar – we
underestimate exactly how far reaching our actions are by
what we buy. To me living an organic life is becoming part of a
regenerative generation, where our actions and our choices
regenerate the planet, not degenerate it.
Q : You seem to have an endless supply of energy,
what restores you when the batteries are low?
: Lots of different things. Nothing restores me better than
having a swim at the beach. I also love walking and bicycle

Q : How do you give people that feeling of power

and that they have the capacity to take action?
: One of the most constructive things people can do, and
this is where I see the positive side of social media and
all of the digital connected world we live in, is that we can
riding. Probably the other thing that restores me, without
question, is just losing time in the garden. You know, thinking
I’ll just go down and check on something and then suddenly
45 minutes has gone – I find that stopping of time in the
garden is the ultimate regenerator for me.

organicgardener.com.au 75
 Spreading
garden love
Eliza Henry-Jones reflects on her gardening life and memories,
and the rewards that can be passed on through generations.

M
y earliest memory of eating from a garden –
of someone clever enough to grow food – was
the garden belonging to my grandmother’s
brother. A flower farmer, turned chicken farmer, turned
home gardener, his vegetable patch was outside the
kitchen. I remember beans, tomatoes and sugar snap
peas. I remember running my hands over the silky
threads of fresh corn cobs.
His commercial glasshouse stood a couple of hundred
metres down the hill from the house. Once, it had been
filled with flowers but now stood empty. Life had been
pared back to the essentials: to flowers that could be
seen through the window, to fresh vegetables and cool,
sharp rainwater cupped in a metal tank.
Later on, I ate herbs from my father’s garden and
quinces and figs from my grandmother’s. Our family farm
– used for beef cattle and then agistment – had a little
vegetable plot wedged in near the holding yards. I’m sure
it grew many things, but all I can remember is the crunch
of gritty silverbeet. For me, gardening is entrenched with
the idea of food and family. With the idea of home.
A gardening community
On a dreary winter’s day in the valley, the owner of our
local post office gives me a bag of artichokes, dug freshly
from his garden. We had talked about it months ago
as I sent off a package – how I’d never grown them but
wanted to. And here they were; washed and carefully
packed; waiting for me. He had remembered.
I have seeds, succulents, flowers, fig trees and grape
vines gifted to me from the gardens of friends and family.
Whenever I catch up with someone, I try to bring a little
piece of our garden as a gift: flowers or marmalade, herbs
or a basket of zucchinis. I talk to my friends who are
selling their produce in a weekly farm gate stall. They do
not need to do it; they sell their produce (more lucratively)
to many of Melbourne’s top restaurants. Yet, each
Saturday they pick and wash and set out their produce.
They want to connect with their community; they want
to help people to engage with new and unusual produce.
They are patient and generous with their customers;
explaining how to grow and eat whatever is on offer.
They will give advice on how people might grow their
own. They want to give back to the community and to
make friends; to find a place in this landscape that is,
in so many ways, still unknown to them.
ORGANIC LIFE
Not everyone has grown up with a garden or in
communities where people have abundance (of
anything) and are willing or able to share it. Growing
things simply and seasonally is not a skill that is as
common as it vitally needs to be. It’s so important to
share knowledge, to teach people how to grow things and
cook things and how to support local growers. To share
plants, to give cuttings, seedlings and seeds to people who
will nourish and care for them. To share food and flowers
and greenery and give away both excess and things that
are treasured to friends, to family, to strangers. This is how
communities are built and strengthened. This is how the
skills of gardening can be collectively reclaimed.
The earth beneath our feet
Gardening can so easily become ingrained within us. We
carry forward those sunlit, dreamy moments of picking
something that has sprung from the earth beneath our
feet. It can thread us to our families and our histories
– keeping us connected to where we’ve been.
Growing plants – and particularly food – is home. It is
the earth where we sleep and love and fight and laugh
and where we eat (always eat). It is cooking and family
recipes. It is the family legend of that time grandma
accidentally made a garlic cake instead of ginger; the
time the home brewed plum wine exploded; the year
that the tomatoes self-seeded all over the garden and the
other year when there were no tomatoes, at all. Growing
food and sharing it with those we love is home. It can
also knit us into whatever community we find ourselves
in; tapping into the people and the place itself; the
winds and rains and soil.
My baby spends long hours strapped to me as
I garden. He reaches for leaves and flowers; stuffing them
into his mouth if I’m not quick enough to take them off
him. He likes rosemary and lemon balm. He likes mint
and calendula. He also seems to have a particular
penchant for the taste of dirt. He will grow up knowing
how to grow things; cook things; share things. I hope
that he takes these lessons with him into adulthood.
And I hope, when he thinks back to his childhood,
that the memories of it will be shaded with green.
Eliza Henry-Jones is a novelist who lives on a small farm in
Victoria’s Yarra Valley. Her novels are In the Quiet (2015),
Ache (2017) and the young adult novel P is for Pearl (2018).
organicgardener.com.au 77
 March of the cane toads
Introduced as a way to save sugarcane crops, cane toads are now a pest that’s
damaging local ecosystems. But we can slow their progress, reports Simon Webster.
O
ne winter’s day in 1935, the Australian Bureau
of Sugar Experiment Stations released 3000 cane
toads in north Queensland. The idea was that
the toads (bred from an initial batch of 100 imported
from Hawaii) would control the cane beetles that were
destroying sugarcane crops, reducing the need for
dangerous pesticide use. What could possibly go wrong?
Today, cane toads can be found all the way down the
east coast of Australia, as far as northern New South
Wales. They have spread across the Northern Territory
and well into Western Australia, with toads on the
invasion front moving up to 60km a year.
They number in the 10s or even 100s of millions.
And everywhere they go, they wreak havoc on wildlife,
thanks to the poison glands on their shoulders that
are lethal for many animals that eat them.
78
When toads arrive in a new area, the effect can be
devastating, particularly for apex predators.
“More than 95 per cent of goannas, blue tongue
skinks, freshwater crocodiles and northern quolls are
killed as soon as toads arrive,” Professor Rick Shine of
Macquarie University told a 2019 parliamentary inquiry
into controlling the spread of cane toads.
Shine notes that cane toads don’t kill everything:
some species (including native rats, insects and most
Australian birds) are immune to the poison. Native
frog populations appear to be unaffected, because the
bad effects (getting eaten by or poisoned by toads) are
balanced by the positives (fewer predators). Some
animals, such as some tropical snake species, grow
in numbers thanks to having fewer predators.
There is also evidence that vulnerable species can

recover, given a few decades, thanks to behavioural
shifts and some natural selection.
But none of this is much consolation for the animals
(including household pets) that die, or the farmers
dealing with parasite-infested dung piles lying around
because cane toads have decimated dung beetle
populations, or the people spending countless hours
and dollars trying to halt the invasion in a bid to
protect Australian ecosystems. To top it all off, the
toads didn’t even solve the cane beetle problem.
There is no easy solution to the ongoing spread of
cane toads, the parliamentary inquiry concluded. “The
best we can do is limit their numbers where they exist,
and prevent their spread into places they have not yet
invaded,” the inquiry report said.
A few ways of doing that have been attempted or
researched over the years, such as the following.
Collecting adults
It’s called toad busting: heading out on a warm
night, picking up adult toads, and disposing of them
(see ‘Humane killing’ above). You can do this as a
community on a toad muster, or alone in your backyard.
PHOTOS: ISTOCK
Kimberley Toadbusters, a community group in WA,
was established in 2004, five years before toads crossed
into the state. The group spent those years toad busting
NATURAL SOLUTIONS
Humane killing
There is some disagreement about what
is the most humane way to kill cane toads.
The NSW Department of Primary Industry’s
standard operating procedure, CAN001,
written in 2011, recommends three methods:
Spraying with a product called HopStop
(since CAN001 was written, another product,
Croaked, has also come on the market).
Stunning followed by decapitation.
Prolonged exposure to carbon dioxide.
However, 2015 research by Professor
Rick Shine suggests that refrigeration for
a few hours followed by freezing for a few
days gives toads a pain-free death (the
refrigeration stage, which puts the toad
to sleep, is crucial). The RSPCA has called
for more research to be done, and for
CAN001 to be updated.
Fans of cane toad golf should note that the
RSPCA considers blunt trauma to be inhumane
unless carried out by a competent operator.
And disinfectant is not only considered
inhumane, but a potential environmental
contaminant, too. Wear protective eyewear
and gloves when collecting toads.
on the Northern Territory side of the border, in a bid to
slow the front and reduce numbers.
Founder and president Lee Scott-Virtue estimates
that volunteers collected almost 3 million adult toads
in those five years. She and just three other volunteers
collected 6432 toads in one Christmas night alone.
As a result of the group’s efforts, when the invasion
did arrive in WA, the numbers were nowhere near as
great and the scenes nowhere near as devastating as
Lee had seen in the NT.
“The efforts of voluntary toad busting movements
work more effectively than any other method,” she
says. “It won’t stop the toads but it can reduce the
impact on an ecosystem when the toads arrive.”
Biological or genetic controls
The CSIRO has tried and failed to develop a genetically
modified virus to control toads. Lungworm and
amoebas that are fatal to toads are being investigated.
And an equivalent to the rabbit-killer myxomatosis
may yet be found.
But so far, no biological solution to the cane toad
plague has been identified. And even if one were, it
would take a brave person to rubber stamp it, says
Professor Rob Capon of the University of Queensland.
“Releasing another biological control to control
organicgardener.com.au 79
 NATURAL SOLUTIONS

another biological control that got out of control… the

cane toads are a good example of why you shouldn’t
do it,” he says.

Restricting access to water

Cane toads mate in water. So keeping them away from
water would stop them reproducing. Of course, this is
easier said than done.
“In parts of Australia there’s so much water that it’s not
going to work,” Capon says. “And in urban areas it’s very
hard to put barriers around every water possibility…
they’re very opportunistic; they’ll breed in a puddle.”
Where it might work is in arid areas of Australia,
where bodies of water are largely man-made and few
and far between. It can also work in your backyard:
Toadwatch, a volunteer project in Darwin, recommends
putting a 50cm high smooth fence around a pond –
toads can climb wire fencing but not a material
such as weed matting.
Swimming pools are generally toad free, because
toads like to breed in the shallows.

Taste aversion Top left: Cane toad tadpoles. Top right: A semi-submerged
Teaching predators that toads are bad might save cane toad tadpole trap. Above: Captured tadpoles.
their lives. The invasion front is led by large toads big
enough to kill a quoll or crocodile straight away, so
researchers have been looking into releasing junior
toads ahead of the frontline.
The idea is that they’re just big enough to give
predators a bellyache, and put them off toads for life.
“Research has shown that exposing predators to
small toads immediately prior to the arrival of the
main toad invasion massively increases resilience
of the predators involved,” Shine says.

Trapping tadpoles
One of the most exciting developments in the war on
cane toads is tadpole trapping. Cane toad tadpoles like
to eat eggs laid by other cane toads – and can find
them even in the murkiest waters, thanks to a chemical
being emitted by the eggs. Capon and his team have
found a way to produce this chemical and attach it
to a bait, which is placed in a trap.
In just a few hours you can collect up to 45,000
tadpoles in a single trap, Capon says.
As part of a citizen science and research project,
these baits are being made available for free, and are
being used by hundreds of organisations as well as
individuals (see ‘The Cane Toad Challenge’ for how
to get involved). It’s no silver bullet, Capon says, but
it could make a difference.
“It’s not going to get rid of toads in Australia,” he
says. “There are just too many of them, and traps
THE CANE TOAD
Challenge
If you want to get involved in the Cane Toad
Challenge and trap some tadpoles, go to
imb.uq.edu.au/canetoadchallenge and look
for an affiliate group near you that can
provide you with the BufoTab baits, free
of charge.
You’ll need to build your own trap, but it’s
pretty simple: a tried-and-tested design is a
plastic crate with holes drilled in the sides
and two funnels inserted, with the wide end
of the funnels facing outwards.
PHOTOS: BEN DONNELLY

only work in places where there are people. The goal
is to provide another tool for groups that are already
picking up adults. If you take out tadpoles and adults,
there’s a better chance you’re going to have fewer
toads over time.”
You can download a Cane Toad Challenge
app and record your cane toad encounters
to help the research program.

80
 ORGANIC POULTRY

Happy chook holidays

Jessamy Miller explains how to set up your chooks and organise
carers when you want to go on holidays.

W
hen you head off on holidays, you
want to have peace of mind about
your animals. Household pets like
dogs and cats can be cared for at kennels, but
birdie boarding houses are still relatively rare.
Knowing the potential challenges will help
you set up a henhouse so that you come
home to healthy, contented chooks.

Supervision
It might seem tempting to leave the flock
unsupervised, but in fact chooks do need to
be checked each day by a designated carer. If
fowls are kept in a deep litter set-up or a fully
predator-proof house and run, the carer may
only need to attend once daily to collect eggs,
and check feed, water and wellbeing. Where
chooks are manually locked up at night and
let out in the morning, you’ll obviously need
someone to visit twice daily.
If there’s a heatwave, bad storm or other
weather extreme while you are away, your
carers will have to be at the ready to check
for dehydrated or heat-stressed birds, or
damage to coops.

Troubleshooting
Chooks are highly strung and a fright or
fracas could result in upturned feed or water
containers, leaving them without supplies.
It is always possible a fowl will fall ill, get
into a fight, or become injured and need
medical attention. And predators love
PHOTO: JESSAMY MILLER

chicken as much as we do; a snake or fox

could strike opportunistically. Bored and
confined chooks can turn to feather pecking
and egg eating, so checking fowls and
removing eggs daily is important.

organicgardener.com.au 81
 ORGANIC POULTRY
Feed
When setting up a henhouse, a bulk feeder is a must.
There are a number of options, but make sure you
introduce a new style of feeder well before travelling
to get all the chooks using it successfully; fowls tend to
be wary of new objects. The feeder should be sited out
of direct sunlight and where moisture cannot penetrate
and spoil feed. Provide more feed than you think fowls
will need, and consider leaving two feeders in case
one runs out or becomes blocked.
Water
Chooks drink a little, often, and it’s vital they are left
with plenty of water as even 24 hours without will
negatively impact their health. Two different styles of
waterer is the minimum for smaller flocks, while larger
flocks might need more. Consider hanging waterers,
ceramic dog bowls, and automatic drippers connected
to a tank. With automatic water set-ups, check that in
preparing to leave, taps are not inadvertently turned
off or the required pressure changed. Once again,
don’t introduce a new system right before leaving;
chooks must be confident at using it.
Eggs
Eggs should be collected regularly as leaving a stash in
the nest will entice many breeds to go broody, especially
in hot weather. An abundance of eggs can also lead to
breakages, leading to egg eating. Eggs are a bonus gift
for the carer, so collecting is win-win.  just safe and cared for but also busy and happy.
82
Above: A coop with good water supplies and food.
Left: A predator proof chook run with fresh hay to
keep chooks occupied.
Automatic doors
Henhouses can be retrofitted with an automatic door set
on a timer, which will raise and lower a guillotine style
door. Solar powered or conventional battery models are
available. The timer will need to be adjusted periodically
as daylight hours change and fowls stay up later.
Solar powered doors require enough lead time to store
the energy needed to work, so cannot be installed the
day before departure. Chooks may also need to be
trained to use the device.
Automatic doors assist a chook keeper, but cannot
fully replace them. Various friends have shared disaster
stories: cloudy weather caused the solar to incrementally
lose charge; a battery glitch left chooks locked up all day;
or the night the fox visited to find the henhouse secure,
but the chooks roosting in nearby trees, as they had
been out late and missed curfew! Automatic doors work
best when double-checked by a human! They certainly
mean you can sleep in and let your chooks out early.
Finding helpers
It can be a challenge finding a reliable carer over peak
holiday periods. Aside from relatives, neighbours and
friends, consider families who want to test run chook
keeping or schoolkids who want to earn pocket money
(under parental supervision).
Run through the routine in person beforehand as
well as leaving detailed written instructions, and label
everything clearly. Leave your contact number and that
of your vet somewhere obvious in case of emergencies.
PHOTOS: JESSAMY MILLER
Fun
Don’t forget to leave some entertainment for confined
chooks. A bale of lucerne, a hanging lettuce, a pile of
weeds, or a grain pecking toy will mean they are not
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Working with Nature
Jeremy Purseglove
ALLEN & UNWIN, 2019, $32.99
Environmentalist and author
of Taming the Flood, Jeremy
Purseglove, considers his
work as gardening on a
global scale: “Early on in my
professional life I came to
realise that there is often a
creative way of managing
landscapes, which can bring
us their potential benefit
without destroying their
beauty and diversity.” Here,
Purseglove describes the
struggle between the
demands of businesses, such
as agriculture and mining, and
the environment, but from the
perspective of someone who
knows that roads and dams
will be built. As he tells of his
work in places such as Iraq
and Borneo, Purseglove is
clearly distressed by the
damage that has been done,
but he has worked with
engineers to come up with
solutions. As he writes: “If
abused, nature can take
revenge on us, but it is also
wonderfully forgiving.”
Leanne Croker
Feast on Phytochemicals
Paul R Williams PhD
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT SCIENCE,
2019, $24.95
This excellent Australian
book taps into the surging
interest in phytochemicals
(antioxidants, polyphenols
and more) that give plants
more generally, and our
foods in particular, their
colours and flavours.
Williams explains that
phytochemicals are produced
by plants to combat pests,
predators and diseases, as
well as attracting pollinators
and seed dispersers. He looks
at which phytochemicals
are found in which fruit,
vegetables, herbs and spices
(including Australian natives)
and what the health benefits
are for humans. The book is
well researched – exemplified
by 42 pages of references.
With all the superfood hype,
it’s important to have access
to quality information; this
book is the right place to
start. Self-published, the
book is available from:
phytochemicalfeast.com
Penny Woodward
TOP PICK
The Secrets of
Great Botanists
Matthew Biggs
EXISLE, 2019, $34.99
Trivia question: name a
botanist (other than those
who write for Organic
Gardener, appear on
ABC TV, or travelled on
the Endeavour). Can you do
it? If not, perhaps it’s time
for a history lesson. You
could do worse than start
here, with British gardener
Matthew Biggs’ guide to
36 great botanists, past
and present, from Pedanius
Dioscorides (he was on the
tip of your tongue, wasn’t
he?), an herbalist with the
Roman army, to Frenchman
Patrick Blanc, who is alive
and well and credited with
inventing the green wall.
You’ll not only gain insights
into what makes these
botanists so important, but
also tips on growing some
of the plants associated
with them. (If you want
to grow Joseph Banks’
banksia, remember to
skip the phosphate.)
Simon Webster
ORGANIC LIBRARY
The Melon
Amy Goldman
CITY POINT PRESS, 2019, US$50
Amy Goldman loves melons.
And she loves producing
beautiful books about melons.
Readers may be familiar with
Melons for the Passionate
Grower, which, back in 2002,
seemed like it couldn’t be
surpassed in terms of melon
majesty: the photographs
and descriptions were loving
tributes as much as
educational material. But
10 years later, Goldman
realised she’d learnt so
much more, and needed to
share it. So she embarked on
the epic process of producing
this book. She offers profiles
of 120 melon varieties, from
the everyday to the obscure,
illustrated with extraordinary
photographs by Victor
Schrager, as well as chapters
on growing, pollinating,
harvesting and saving
melon seeds. Like a ripe
watermelon on a
summer’s day, it’s big
and beautiful and something
to be savoured.
Simon Webster
organicgardener.com.au 87
 the best of your gard
ening on YOUR local
abcRAD IO

NSW ABC Western QLD

Friday 10am

It’s in the stars

ABC radio Sydney
Saturday 9am
ABC Far North
Friday 10am
ABC radio Central Coast
Alan Duffy is an astrophysicist Saturday 8.30am
Saturday 9am
and associate professor at ABC Central West SA
Swinburne University. When not Saturday 8.30am
ABC radio Adelaide, ABC North
exploring simulated universes on ABC Illawarra & West, ABC Eyre Peninsula,
supercomputers, you can find him Saturday 8.30am
ABC South East SA
in this universe explaining the ABC Mid North Coast Saturday 8.30am
latest science news as a regular & ABC Coffs Coast ABC Riverland
on ABC Breakfast TV, ABC Radio Melbourne and Triple J Saturday 9.30am Saturday 7am
Hack. He generally spends his time looking at the stars, Thursday 9.30am
ABC Broken Hill
but we wanted his scientific take on Earth at the moment. Saturday 9am
ABC Newcastle
Statewide, ABC radio Adelaide,
You know lots of interesting science facts – do you Saturday 8.30am
ABC North & West, ABC Eyre
have one for us gardeners? As any gardener knows, ABC New England
Peninsula, ABC South East,
plants need lots of nitrogen and trace elements of iron, but North West
ABC Broken Hill, ABC Riverland
did you know these elements were forged from two entirely Saturday 8.30am
sunday 11am
different stars that lived and died before our Sun (and Thursday 9.30am
ABC North Coast
VIC
Earth!) even began? Nitrogen can be fused inside smaller ABC radio Melbourne &
stars like our Sun and gently released into space when they Saturday 8.30am
ABC Victoria
die, while iron comes from a massive star exploding as a ABC Riverina
Saturday 9.30am
supernova that outshines the entire galaxy for a time. Saturday 8.30am
ABC Central Victoria
ABC South East
Does your small part of the universe have a garden? Thursday 9.35am
Wednesday 10am
I have a lovely backyard, small enough to manage with ABC Gippsland
Saturday 9am
an occasional mowing of the lawn, but big enough that Monday 10am
ABC Western Plains ABC Wimmera
I managed to miss watering my chilli plant and it died. I
Thursday 9.35am, fortnightly tuesday 9.10am
feel terrible admitting this in these hallowed pages.
Saturday 8.30am ABC Ballarat
Do you think science is heading towards a solution WA Wednesday 10.20am, fortnightly
to the effects of climate change? Science has already ABC radio Perth, ABC Great ABC Goulburn Murray
provided us the tools to mitigate the worst effects by Southern, ABC SOUth west, Tuesday 9.40am
limiting further emissions through mass adoption of ABC Goldfields Esperance ABC Southwest Victoria
new renewable technologies combined with global ABC kimberley, ABC pilbara, 1602 AM Warrnambool
reforestation efforts, amongst other solutions. What ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt 94.1 FM Hamilton
we now need to do is push our politicians and industries Wednesday 2.45pm 96.9 FM Horsham
to take up those tools as quickly as possible. Saturday 9.05am Thursday, 7.35am
NT ACT
ABC radio Darwin ABC radio Canberra
Saturday 9am
discover the ABC Alice Springs,
Saturday 8.30am
TAS
best of the ABC ABC Katherine ABC radio Hobart
Saturday 8.30am ABC Northern Tasmania
Gardening Australia screens on ABC Friday nights
QLD Saturday 9am,
at 7.30pm – watch it for a full hour of inspiration!
ABC radio Brisbane tino carnevale & Joel Rheinberger
Check out organicgardener.com.au for regular
Saturday 6am
blogs, gardening tips, resources, magazine articles,
ABC Southern Queensland for details of programs
competitions and the latest environmental news. Saturday 9am on your local ABC staion,
ABC North Queensland call 139 994 or visit
Friday 10am aBC.net.au/local
ABC Tropical North,
ABC Capricornia, ABC Wide
Download the ABC listen app and listen to live radio
Bay, ABC North West QLD,
streams of gardening programs across Australia.

88

WIN One of 10
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WORTH
$a5c0h
e range of products that will help get your plants into tip-top shape.
Each hamper includes:
1 litre Seasol concentrate
1 litre PowerFeed concentrate
800gram Seasol Planting Gel
500gram PowerFeed Controlled Release
Plant Food Tomatoes and Vegetables
250mL Seasol Super Soil Wetter
& Conditioner
250mL PowerFeed Flowers & Fruit
Seasol soap, pen, gloves and emery board
Brochure
Seasol bucket
For more information visit:
seasol.com.au
ORGANIC COMPETITION
W
hether you are starting a new vegie patch in your backyard,
feeding well-loved pot plants on your balcony or topping
up the goodies in your established garden, Seasol has a
From its signature seaweed concentrate, which is derived from
a blend of brown kelps, such as King Island Bull Kelp (Durvillaea
potatorum), to organically based fertilisers, soil conditioners and
innovative water saving soil treatments, Seasol has products that
will help you create a beautiful and well-nourished garden in the wet,
the dry and everything in between. All the products are designed so
you can grow your own food using environmentally friendly solutions.
how to enter
Simply answer in 30 words or less:
What part of your garden needs the most care and why?
ONLINE: organicgardener.com.au – click on the
‘WIN/COMPETITION’ tab and enter your details and response.
POST: Organic Gardener Seasol Competition,
nextmedia, Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590
Competition is open to Australian residents only. Entry opens at midnight AEST on Thursday
7 November 2019 and closes at 11.59pm AEST on 18 December 2019. This is a game of skill and entrants
must answer in 30 words or less, ‘What part of your garden needs the most care and why?’ Ten
winners will receive a Seasol hamper worth $50 each. Entries will be judged on 07 January 2020
at the promoter’s premises. Full T&Cs are available at organicgardener.com.au. Delivery included
in the giveaway. Remote areas can incur extra charges.
organicgardener.com.au 89
 LOSING THE PLOT

Lawn TRAITOR
Simon Webster reveals a secret love of lawns and other strange shenanigans.

T
here’s something I’ve been spikes in your soles. And instead of the
meaning to say for a while sound of laughter, all you hear is a whine:
now. So I guess I should just “Carry me, carry me. The bindiis hurt.”
come out and say it: my name is (Unsurprisingly, Mrs Plot has just
Simon and I like lawns. about had enough; I’m not as
I know, I know… I’m a traitor light as I used to be.)
to the organic gardening I have tried an organic
movement. I’ll be kicked remedy for bindiis, applying
out of the Permaculture iron sulphate. It turned
Designers Union; them satisfyingly black,
subjected to pyrolysis at but they came
the stake by a mob of back with a
biochar makers; buried vengeance,
in a lasagne bed by possibly
a fundamentalist, because I had
lone wolf, no-dig failed to do
gardener. But I don’t the follow-up
care. I am unrepentant. procedures of
Lawns are nice. aerating and
You can have picnics fertilising the lawn (the
on them. Play football on devil’s in the detail, isn’t it).
them. Throw frisbees. Lie I have also sought local
down and watch clouds, or read advice, and was told that bindii
books, or sleep. Yes, digging up bashing around here involves
your lawn and turning it into a inviting your friends around, giving
vegetable patch might provide a few cherry them a trowel each, and sitting around
tomatoes and a couple of bunches of parsley, but will bonding over root extraction. (I ruled this out on
it allow you the pleasure of spending an entire Sunday the grounds that I don’t have many friends as it is,
afternoon skipping merrily, whistling a happy tune, and the ones I do have, I would like to keep.)
wearing nothing but a daisy chain, a 1981 Ashes series Other options include painting the grass green, as
cricket hat and a smile? I don’t think so – not without they do on certain golf courses (ruled out due to lack of
ILLUSTRATION BY TANYA COOPER/ILLUSTRATION ROOM

the risk of doing yourself an injury on a cucumber stake.
Dedicating a patch of land purely to pleasure is a bit
decadent, when you think about it. But decadence is
freedom, as Gandhi said. Or was it discipline is freedom?
Never can remember. Either way, lawns, in their soft,
lush, spongy way, represent a summer haze, family
and friends, fun and games. Which is why it’s all
the more upsetting that my lawn is a dust bowl.
By the time you read this, rain may have altered the
scene, but currently it is a sad one. Instead of green, all
is brown. Instead of grass between your toes, you feel
grass), replacing the lawn with fake turf (ruled out due
to uncertainty over pleasurable effect of strands of
plastic between toes), and applying a chemical herbicide
(ruled out due to fact that humans live in house).
It seems the only thing for it is to make the lawn
healthy. Mow higher, aerate, feed, fix the pH, allow
the grass to out-compete the bindii. In other words, do
some gardening. But on grass. Strange concept, and
it takes a bit of the whole decadence and relaxation
thing out of the scenario, but I’m willing to give it
a go. Now where’s that cricket hat…?

90
 He r e ' s t h e p e r f e c t
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C h r i s t m d g a rd e n e r . . . f o r a ny av i
Every week I tend to bring home at least 1 or 2 plants from our nursery
for my own garden, so I am always looking for my trowel or scoop for
planting or potting up, and inevitably scratching a few weeds as well.
We have a few trusted tools that Jenni and I have used for years, and
I love that they are great quality and have that well used gardeners
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My family have been nursery people for 3 generations in Australia,
not counting the many more back in Holland, and with our kids and
grandchild now joining us in gardening, I wanted to share my love of
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I am pleased to introduce my favourites in this ideal gift box set,
featuring the Potting Scoop, the Digging Trowel, and the Hoe/Weeder.
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