Good Organic Gardening

To most people, the Hunter Valley means vineyards, horse studs, coal mines and power stations. City slickers would no doubt add gourmet dining and spa retreats. Not many would think of chicken farming, though there are several large-scale poultry ope

When basil is in full growth and scenting the garden with its large, slightly aniseed-smelling leaves, you know summer is here. Basil grows well while temperatures are warm, thriving in a sunny garden, in a raised vegetable garden or in a pot on a su

This is a story about a woman who has only recently discovered the joys of gardening — 2012 was the turning point, to be exact — and, in particular, growing edibles. She has now turned this newfound passion into a fully fledged business called Pretty

Basil, beans (dwarf), beetroot, burdock, cabbage, carrot, celeriac, celery, chives, collards, French tarragon, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, marrow, mustard greens, oregano, parsley, radish, salsify, shallots (eschalots), silverbeet, squash, sweet corn, t

Brussels sprouts are not everyone’s favourite vegetable and they can be a challenge to grow. But if you enjoy eating this much-maligned vegetable and harvest it fresh from your garden, you’ll feel a real sense of achievement and have a delicious meal

Papayas or pawpaws, as we call them, deserve a place in the garden, as much for their large tropical-looking leaves as for their sweet, exotically flavoured fruit. They originate from southern Mexico and Central America, so they flourish in tropical

The curious name of olive herb reflects the slightly olive-like smell and taste of this plant. The botanists, however, were commenting not on the fragrance, but the appearance of the narrow leaves when the species was named rosmarinifolia, which mean

You may be surprised to learn that you can grow coffee in gardens in many parts of Australia. Coffee is associated with places like Ethiopia, as it evolved in elevated subtropical to tropical parts of Africa and Asia. With shelter and patience, it gr

True cardamom is native to Sri Lanka and southern India. It has been cultivated and traded from these locations for more than 2500 years and is often called the Queen of Spices. It can also be found growing in parts of eastern Asia, Mexico and Guatem

Nothing conjures up images of the tropics quite like sweet, juicy pineapples. They might look like prickly characters, but this iconic fruit is surprisingly easy to grow. You just need a healthy dose of patience and the right climate. Pineapples are

Pyrethrum is a type of small daisy that is used to produce a natural insecticide also called pyrethrum, found in garden pesticides used to control aphids and other sap-sucking pests as well as caterpillars. It is also in fly sprays and is a contact s

• 800g main fragrance item (eg rose petals, lavender flowers, lemon verbena leaves)• 300g complementary herbs and leaves (eg lemon balm, mint, bay leaves)• Up to 50g whole spices (eg cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg)• 50g dried citrus r

The sunflower, in common with all daisy-type flowers, is not one single flower. It is made up of many small flowers known as disc florets, which are packed into a large flat head. There are some 4000 individual flowers in each sunflower head. The fri

Agapanthus is the flower of summer and its tall-stemmed blue or white heads grace gardens across Australia. A perennial from South Africa, it’s a survivor, from its thick, fleshy roots to its luxuriant, strappy green leaves. In a time of climate chan

Common or green beans have been a staple on Australian dinner plates for generations and for good reason. They’re easy to grow, jam-packed with protein, dietary fibre and disease-fighting antioxidants and they climb (unless you plant bush varieties),

Fruit fly becomes more active as summer progresses and crops ripen. Use organic fruit fly baits and traps or cover individual fruit with exclusion bags. Clean up fallen fruit. As fruit fly is spreading to fruit-fly-free areas, watch for signs of atta

Moss grows everywhere — along pathways, on tracks, on old wood. It’s probably somewhere right under your nose, so you won’t have any trouble finding some for your terrarium project. Keep in mind, though, that it’s illegal to take it from national par

Aquaponics combines fish and plants in a single production system that moves water continuously between the two environments via pipes, pumps and gravity. Aquaponics is by no means new; the Aztecs used islands known as chinampas to undertake aquaponi

Apricot, avocado, banana, berries, carambola (starfruit), cherry (Morello sour), currants (red currant, black currant), grapes, lemons, limes, lychee, mango, melons, nectarine, passionfruit, peach, pear (Paradise, Williams), pineapple, plums, prickly

With traditional vegie gardening, beds are planted, cleared and replanted, alternating between warm-season crops and cool-season crops, season after season, ad infinitum. While plants are still growing, we have considerable slack time when nothing is

Many gardeners rely on chemicals to protect their crops from predators such as insect pests, but in an organic garden, physical covers protect crops from a range of pests both big and small. They can be fiddly to use but, once you’ve worked out the b

You’re sure to be taken aback by the appearance of a Naked Neck chicken and not question the fact this breed has been known by names like Rubber Necks, Turkens and even Churkeys. Rest assured, it’s a dinky-di chook — no foul play has taken place with

The lemony fragrance of the leaves of this rainforest tree is unmistakeable, especially when they’re crushed. It’s one of the reasons florists use branches as fillers in bouquets and why the dried leaves can be used as an air freshener in small enclo

Reduce mozzie numbers by regularly emptying water that’s collected in containers and the saucers under potted plants, which removes breeding grounds and so reduces numbers. Even pet water should be replenished daily to avoid it being used by mosquito