Edible
Landscapes
We make gardens yummy!
GETTING
STARTED
A step-by-step guide to creating
your own beautiful, sustainable and
deliciously edible landscape.
www.ediblelandscapes.com.au :: www.veggiebeds.com.au
/EdibleLandscapesAustralia
Welcome
The purpose of this Getting Started e-book is to guide you through the first steps to
creating your own beautiful, sustainable and delicious edible landscape. I hope you
find it inspiring.
My gardening journey...
I have a confession to make... I’m not a gardener! In fact 6 years ago I killed almost everything I planted. Living on pure
sand at Marcus Beach probably didn’t help either.
Like a lot of new gardeners I was driven by the sense that I should ‘do something’ about my family’s food supply. The constant
doom and gloom stories we hear daily in the media about our unsustainable food systems, financial meltdowns, genetically
modified crops and imported products from rainforest cleared lands were all too hard to ignore.
I watched the even more depressing movie, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, which I almost turned off before it finished. Just when
my finger was about to press the big square stop button, Al Gore said: “When it comes to global issues most people go from
denial to despair without stopping in the middle to do something about the problem”...
That got me thinking, I can’t just ignore the problems and I can’t feel overwhelmed by them either. I’m going to ‘stop in the
middle’ and do something – I’ll grow my own food.
So, I toddled on down to the local landscape suppliers and brought some of the ‘best garden soil’. The bloke promised me
that “Ya veggies will be jumpin’ out of a the ground with this stuff mate!”. Boy was he wrong!
I persisted however to produce a meager crop of 14 cherry tomatoes, some lettuces, 20 snow peas, 2 cobs of corn and a
rather puny head of broccoli – the bugs and turkey got the rest. Talk about frustrating! I’d be better off just buying them from
the multi-corporate grocery stores.
Alas, I don’t give up easily. With a group of inspiring and hard working new
friends, I founded the community garden in Peregian Beach called Veggie
Village (www.veggievillage.org.au). This was my classroom for the next few
years. The teachers were so successful in inspiring and teaching me how
to grow my own food that I decided to inspire others, and founded Edible
Landscapes. In-fact most of those teacher are founding members of our
Edible Landscapes Family.
Veggie Village
So, I’m not a gardener with many years experience, but an ‘Average
Joe’ who has learnt to grow his own food and I am now passing on this
knowledge to others in simple, practical and easy-to-follow ways. What you will find in this guide is a summary of the
best words of wisdom that have made my gardening journey such a success.
My family eats out of our garden every day of the year (yes, including Summer) and we’ve turned our sandy yard into a
beautiful, sustainable and delicious edible landscape.
So join me and thousands of others who are ‘stopping in the middle’ and taking control of our family’s food supply.
Now go outside and plant something edible...
Give me a call on 0411 518 773 to have a chat about creating a beautiful, sustainable and delicious
edible landscape at your place.
cheers,
Bruce Molloy
Watch the Veggie Village story here: www.youtu.be/uxQu84wrrGI
~ Those wonderfully inspiring teachers were Janet Millington, Sonya Wallace, Alan Atkinson, Anne Gibson, Leonie Shanahan, Cath Manuel and Elisabeth Fekonia.
Contents
1. Garden design
2. Soil ain’t sexy
3. Growing soil
4. Composting
5. Planting seedlings
6. Monthly planting guide
7. Sub-tropical vegetables
8. Sustainable systems
9. Pest management
10.Maintenance
1. Garden Design – A place for everything
One hour of good design can save you ten hours of hard work because planning
something saves you bucket loads of hassle, time, disappointment and money!
We tend to just want to bung things in the ground and hope
they’ll grow, giving little thought to planning for expansion or
long term sustainability.
Following these basic guidelines will help maximise your
garden’s potential and provide abundance of food for years to
come.
Access: Ensuring you don’t block yourself in.
Zones: Placing things where they get used the most.
Elements: Diversity creates long term sustainability.
Aspect: Sun, wind, rain and views.
Edge: Creates a more productive garden and looks beautiful.
What if I have terrible soil in my yard?
When designing your garden, don’t be to
concerned about your soil types. You will learn
to ‘grow’ soil, in-fact it will become your most
important crop.
Access – don’t fence me in...
Having easy access to your garden beds and orchards
will save you having to wheelbarrow metres and metres
of soil, compost and manures.
• When placing elements ensure there is enough room to
push a wheelbarrow around them.
• Place your compost bays in an area that has access to
a vehicle where you can easily shovel a trailer load of
mushroom compost or manures directly into the bays.
• We can only reach about 80cm so when creating large
garden beds create small walk-in ‘keyholes’ to ensure you
can reach everywhere without having to walk across your
precious soil.
• If you have to fence your garden because of wallabies or
rabbits ensure you have enough gates installed.
Zones
Placing elements according to how much we
use them or how often we need to service
them. Start at the kitchen and work out.
Zone 0 – The home
Zone 1 – Kitchen Garden, garden area of
highest activity and closest to the kitchen door
Zone 2 – Food Forest, hardy veggies and fruit
trees, chooks and ducks
Zone 3 – Bush tucker, nut trees, large animals,
bees, water systems like dams
Zone 4 – Structural Forest, timber grown for
firewood, fencing, agroforestry
Zone 5 – Natural Forest, strips on the perimeter,
wildlife corridors, bush regeneration
Elements
The sustainability and long term productivity of
your edible landscape depends directly on the
elements you include. Each element you add to
your garden should also perform more than one
function.
When adding an element to
your garden, ask yourself...
“Does this have more than one
use?” If not, then reconsider how
beneficial it will be in your garden.
• Waste recycling systems – compost bins or bays,
worm farms, worm towers and chooks all take
your kitchen and garden waste and turn it into
fertiliser or soil for your veggie garden.
• Beneficial insect attracting flowers add beauty,
pest management and are mostly edible.
• Frog ponds create habitat for frogs that eat pests,
a place to grow edible aquatics, placed on the
northern side will cool the hot summer air as it
crosses it as well as something beautiful to enjoy.
• Support species such as arrowroot, comfrey,
lemongrass, vetiver grass and pigeon pea
provide fodder for the chooks, materials to use
in compost, mulches, herbs for teas, medicinal
remedies and of course yummy food.
• Consider re-using or ‘re-inventing’ household
items in the garden... an old security door for a
trellis, a milk carton for a scoop, palm frond stems
to make a bean teepee... use your imagination!
Understanding aspect
Did you know?
In the southern hemisphere the optimum location
for your garden is with a north facing aspect.
Using the chart on the opposite page and a compass
you can work out where the sun will track across the
sky from the shortest day in winter to the longest day
in summer.
The ideal position for your gardens is where there is no
obstructions in the morning sun until at least midday in
summer and 2pm in winter.
For the best results your
garden requires at least 6
hours of sunshine in both
summer and winter.
The morning sun best as
it is cooler. Try and protect
your gardens from the hot
afternoon summer sun.
Some helpful aspect design tips:
• Plant fruit trees or larger plants to the south-west of your veggie patch so they don’t cast
shadows on your garden in winter.
• Put a trellis on the western side of your veggie garden to help shade the hot summer sun.
• Orientate your garden beds so the longest edge is facing north.
• Trim any trees to the eastern side of your garden and leave the western side to grow.
• Consider planting taller plants like bananas or clumping bamboo to act as a wind break.
• Grow a grape vine above western facing windows to shade in summer.
• Put a pond on the north east side of your house to cool the hot summer winds.
• Place your compost facing west so it can heat up more.
• Place a mulberry tree on the western side of your chook pen to shade them in summer and
provide fodder in winter.
More edge, more veg!
Edges are the most highly productive part of a garden.
Plants that grow on the edge of a garden benefit from:
• No or little competition
• Extra light
• Greater access to water
• More warmth
• Different micro-climates
• More air flow
Ways of creating more edge in your garden are:
• Herb spirals
• Winding pathways
• Mandala gardens
• Banana circles
• Keyhole gardens
• Narrow garden beds
Using trellises also creates more edge and can
vastly increase the amount of growing capacity of
your garden.
Sun path diagram - Latitude: Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast
360º N 0º
Edible
Landscapes
www.ediblelandscapes.com.au
330º
30º
10°
20°
30°
300º
21 JUNE
19 JULY
2
3
4
5
1
10
9
8
60º
7
21 JUNE
19 JULY
60°
SUNSET
70°
80°
4
PM
5
17 OCT
27 NOV
SUNRISE
270º
11
50°
31 AUG
W 23 SEPT
40°
3
2
1
11 10
9
8
AM
7
6
240º
23 SEPT
90º E
17 OCT
6
5
22 DEC
31 AUG
27 NOV
22 DEC
120º
150º
210º
The green centre of the diagram represents your position.
The red curved lines represent the sun’s path for selected dates.
The dotted red lines indicate the hours of day.
S 180º
The Blue lines indicate the degree of the angle above the horizon.
The grey lines are the same as the points on the compass.
Using a compass and this diagram you can find the sun paths for your garden.
Stand where you plan to put your garden. Holding this page flat (on a book or folder), place the centre of the compass on the green dot
and align the north points. Turn and face your body to the north as well.
To find the sun path for the shortest day of the year in Winter - June 21st.
Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Using the compass find the position on the horizon that is 64o East. This is where the sun will rise at approx 6.45am.
Using the compass, find the position on the horizon that is 296o West. This is where the sun will set at approx 5pm.
Facing north, hold your arm out parallel to the ground. Raise it to a 40º angle in the air. This is the position of the sun at midday.
Now draw an imaginary line in the sky from the sunrise point (64o East) on the horizon, crossing through midday position (40o angle up),
ending at the sunset point (296o West) on the horizon. This is your winter solstice sun path.
To find the sun path for the longest day of the year in Summer - December 22nd.
Follow the steps above using these angles:
Sunrise - 116o South-East, approx 4.45am
Sunset - 244º – South-West, approx 6.30pm
Midday - 87º angle (almost above your head)
When drawing the imaginary lines in the sky, there should be no trees or buildings that cross that path between sunrise and midday.
This will indicate there will be approximately 6 hours of sun on your garden every day, which is the minimum required.
The summer path should have a tree or building crossing it in the afternoon to ensure protection from the hot western sun.
2. Soils ain’t sexy
The problem with soil is that it’s the least interesting or ‘sexy’ part of
gardening and is often down-right confusing. But, it is the most important
‘crop’ you will ever grow.
What is soil and why is it so important?
Soil is a combination of mineral and organic
particles. It contains living organisms, mineral
particles, air, water and organic materials. Healthy
soil is loaded with earthworms, microbes and
beneficial bacteria and fungi.
Healthy soil is one of the most important elements
in creating a new garden or maintaining an
existing garden. It’s the main foundation for
producing nutrient dense foods, which in-turn,
adds to the health and wellbeing of you and your
household.
The main function of soil is it provides nutrients,
water, oxygen and anchorage to plants.
There’s a distinct link between
soil and pest problems...
The majority of reasons pests attack
our veggies is because the plants are
often sick or stressed. This can be
directly linked to the soil.
To put it simply:
Sad soil = sick plants = pest problems
= unhappy you.
Good soil = healthy plants = minimal
pest problems = happy you!
Soil Types
There are three main soil types: sand, clay and loam.
Sand has large particles, good drainage, poor water holding, high leaching, good root
development, good aeration, high erosion and low compaction.
Clay has small particles, is dense, hold nutrients well, bad drainage, poor aeration, low leaching,
hard or restricted root development, can have lower erosion and high compaction.
Loam is a balance of sand and clay and is the best growing medium for most plants.
To improve sandy soil – add compost. To improve clay soil – you guessed it... add compost.
Soil pH
The plants ability to access nutrients in the soil
largely depends on the soil pH. Knowing your
soil’s pH level is very important as the level has to
be correct for the plants in your garden to access
nutrients and grow healthy and strong. The soil pH
scale is measured from 4 to 10 with acid being the
lower the number and alkaline a higher number.
The ideal pH for most plants is between 6.5
and 7.
By adding compost you can generally balance the pH level to neutral without having to add
other products. Good compost is around the 7 or neutral pH level so by adding it before
planting an acid or alkaline soil can become closer to neutral. pH test kits are available at most
hardware stores, garden centres and produce stores.
Bringing in soil to set up your gardens
Buying soil from landscape suppliers comes with several risks, most
importantly ensure the soil has a neutral pH (7) and it’s not full of weed
seeds, especially nut grass. Your landscape supplier will tell you that
their ‘best’ soil is great for veggies, most of the time this is not true.
Their soils often has very little organic matter, minimal organisms and no
minerals. However, it is good as a ‘base’ to create healthy soils.
The best method for creating soil for your veggie gardens is to ‘grow’ it
yourself. See the following page for a scaled version of a simple recipe.
Test it first!
Test the pH of the
soil before you buy
it. A lot of landscape
mix comes from
acidic soil bases. If it
is not a pH of 6.5 - 7,
don’t buy it.
Improving your soil
Prior to planting or at the end of a growing season always improve your soil ready for the next
crop. There are a few ways this can be done.
• Grow a cow-pea (black-eye pea) green manure crop over the summer months - November to
February. Allow the plant to grow until it begins to flower, then chop it finely and allow it to drop
into the garden. Cover it with soaked mulch and let it sit for 3-4 weeks before planting out.
• Dig in manures and/or mushroom compost once a year. Be careful not to turn the soil too much
this disturbs the organisms and worms.
• Crop rotate each year to ensure you don’t have pest and disease problems.
Sexing up your soils with microbes
ADULTS ONLY VERSION
Do you
come here
often?
Microbes are the beginning of the food chain that make the
organic matter and minerals in soils easily available for plants and
other organisms to use.
The more microbes you have in your soil, the more worms you’ll
have and the healthier your plants, vegetables (and YOU) will be.
The aim of the game is to breed as many microbes as you can.
Like us, microbes require certain elements to get them in the right
mood and help them create lots of little baby microbes.
Here’s an easy way to remember what they need:
Microbes = are already in most soils but you can introduce lots more by
adding home made compost or worm castings = the stars of our show!
Nitrogen = freshly dead green stuff; lucerne, grass, leaves =
the bedroom where all the heat is generated.
Carbon = long-dead brown stuff; hay, mulch, old leaves =
the kitchen that contains their food.
Activators = diluted seaweed or molasses, comfrey, sour milk =
aphrodisiacs for microbes to keep them going and going...
Water = because it’s thirsty work.
Air = even microbes need to breath.
I’m too
sexy for my
dirt...
3. Growing soil
Treat your soil like it’s your most important crop. Tend to it, nourish it, feed it
and it will ensure your food crops are provided with the right nutrients, minerals,
water and nourishment they need to provide you with a bumper harvest.
What’s all the hype about no-dig gardening?
The term ‘no-dig’ gardening should be called ‘minimal
tillage gardening’, but it’s harder to remember. Basically
by not tilling the soil, as in traditional agriculture, the
micro-organisms, worms and other beneficial animals
aren’t disturbed.
Tilling the soil is like picking up your suburb, giving
it a good shake and putting it back down.
Soil, your living friend
There are more living organisms
in a shovel full of healthy soil
than there are people on earth!
So be careful not to walk over
your veggie garden and treat
your soil like a community of
living friends.
Filling up your veggie beds
The most common mistake novice gardeners make is to fill their garden beds with ‘landscapers
mix’ and nothing else. This may be good for native plants but our veggies and fruit plants are
hungry feeders, so it’s best to spend a little more effort at the beginning to reap the rewards later.
Where do we get all this stuff?
The hassle of collecting all you need to ‘grow’ soil far outways the dissapointment you’ll have
when your veggies struggle to grow. So take the time to find local suppliers near you.
Here are some tips for some of the more difficult materials to find:
Worm castings - try small landscape suppliers, produce stores, Google vermicast, local
community gardens or ‘borrow’ some from a friend who has a worm farm.
Seaweed liquid - we recommend Natra-kelp or major hardware stores sell a more watered
down variety.
Molasses - produce stores often stock this. Use a dollop in a watering can.
Chicken manure pellets and rock minerals - nurseries often stock these.
Mushroom compost - local mushroom farms sell this very cheaply.
Soil recipe
Growing soil on grass
The opposite recipe has been created to scale.
Do these steps first:
1. Print at 100% (laminate so you can use it again)
2. Stick it to the inside of your Veggie Bed.
3. Fill up the materials to match the diagram.
4. Wait 2 weeks before planting your seedlings as
the mix will get quite hot.
For gardens deeper than 30cm, fill bottom void
with gravel or sand.
1. Cut grass very short.
2. Add organic matter - veggie
scraps, manures.
3. Sprinkle one handful of rock
minerals per m2.
4. Water in well.
14
Same as step 5
13
Fine mulch - same as step 6
12
Chicken manure pellets
11
Quality compost
or mushroom compost
10
Quality soil or
landscape mix
9
Cow or horse manure
8
Chicken manure pellets
7
Rock minerals
6
Fine hay or sugarcane mulch
soaked in wheelbarrow of
water plus 1/2 cup of molasses
5
Water in well with hose
4
Fresh lucerne or
grass clippings
3
Worm castings
or home-made
compost
2
Quality soil or
landscape mix
1
Thick layer of soaked
newspaper or cardboard
5cm - Fill to overflow top of garden
Sprinkle 2 handful per m2
4cm
5cm
3cm
Sprinkle 2 handful per m2
Sprinkle 1 handful per m2
3cm
5cm
Sprinkle 2 handful per m2
7cm
1cm
4. Composting
Up to 50 per cent of the waste that goes into landfill in
Australia every single week could in fact be composted
and turned into valuable food for the soil.
Instead of sending valuable kitchen scraps off to become
a problem in someone else’s backyard, we could all be
converting them to humus (fertiliser) for our veggie patches.
This way too, when you add nutrients to your soil they are
staying in your garden and being used again and again –
saving you $$.
What is Humus?
• Humus is the basis for all sustainable gardening.
• It is a source and storehouse of nutrients.
• It is the end result of the composting process – but it is not
compost.
• Compost is not completely broken down, humus is.
Did you know?
When green waste
put in your rubbish
bin is dumped in
landfill, the lack of
oxygen available
there causes it
to decompose
into methane a very reactive
greenhouse gas.
Released into
the atmosphere,
methane is 20
times more potent
a greenhouse
gas than carbon
dioxide.
• Humus is the core molecule to which nutrients cling and in
turn are harvested by the roots of the plant.
• Composting to make humus replicates nature’s process of
decomposition.
• Humus is the single most important factor in achieving
permanent soil fertility.
Humus is one of the most important things you can add to your garden.
It is a fertiliser, soil conditioner, soil improver, water saver, microbe habitat, and importantly it
is ‘plant available’ food for your
seeds and seedlings as they grow
and produce food to nourish you.
6 ingredients of composting
1. Carbon - which usually comes from old, dry, brown things
such as sawdust, shredded paper, autumn leaves, straw or
garden shreddings. The carbon is necessary to supply the
micro-organisms with the carbohydrates they use as food.
2. Nitrogen - materials which are usually fresh and green,
such as manures, fresh grass or weeds, veggie scraps,
lucerne, blood and bone, comfrey and seaweed. This supplies
the micro-organisms with the proteins they need to reproduce.
3. Oxygen - is incorporated into the heap when it is mixed
or turned, and is needed because the thermophilic microorganisms are aerobic and need oxygen to survive. With no
oxygen (that is, anaerobic conditions such as in landfill), a
different type of micro-organism will grow in the heap, which
will decompose the organic material at a much slower rate
and at a lower temperature. The anaerobic process will
also produce methane, which is a contributing factor to the
greenhouse problem.
4. Water - compost should be as damp as a wrung out
sponge. If too much water saturates the heap, the oxygen
will be displaced and the micro-organisms will die, resulting in
a smelly mess. If it is too dry, the micro-organisms will die of
dehydration and the matter will not break down at all.
5. Size - the compost pile should be as large as possible, at
least one cubic metre, and the particles should be as small
as possible. The smaller the particle, the more surface area
the bacteria have to work on and the quicker the pile will
decompose.
6. Activators – Your compost process needs ‘activators’
to get the whole thing moving and are an important part of
the composting recipe. Activators stimulate microbe activity.
Activators include molasses (diluted), seaweed (diluted), liquid
worm castings diluted to the colour of weak tea – mix up in
a couple of watering cans and have ready to go on nitrogen
layers, sour milk, old compost, herbs (comfrey, yarrow, stinging
nettles).
Ratios
You will need more carbon materials than nitrogen.
1 part nitrogen : 2 parts carbon
Coarse Carbon
Twigs
Dried leaves
Mulch
Sawdust
Sugarcane mulch
Vegetable scraps
Fresh cow manure
Grass clippings
Lucerne
Comfrey
Molasses
Fine Carbon
Old grass hay
Coarse Nitrogen
Garden waste
Fine Nitrogen
Fresh grass hay
Activators
Compost
Method 1 - Compost Bins
Secrets to successful composting in a backyard
compost bin.
The most important tip to a fantastic compost is to
make it all in one go – fill it to the top at the beginning,
otherwise it becomes inactive and won’t break down.
• Have a good recipe.
• Always make compost in the same spot (builds up
microbial life in that area).
• Buy a good bin with lots of airflow.
• Buy a black bin to help with the heat activation.
• Put the bin in the sun.
• Put the bin near the house so you remember to maintain it.
• Use activators to get the microbes going.
• Finish with a carbon layer to keep odors down.
• Maintain the compost - keep topping it up and watering it.
• Dig the bin into the ground and always keep the lid on to keep
vermin away.
Where should I locate the bin?
• Near the house.
• Facing North or North/West and in full sun for maximum solar
energy harvesting.
• Protected from the harsh winds, but with sufficient air flow.
• On bare, level soil. Microbes must be in contact with the earth.
• Close to a water source.
• Close to materials for top-ups.
• With plenty of room to move around it – wheelbarrows etc.
The recipe
1. Sprinkle some old compost on the ground to start the process.
2. Add some sticks to the base to improve air flow – prunings, small branches.
3. Nitrogen coarse – approx 10cm deep
4. Water – 1 watering can
5. Carbon coarse – 30cm
Did you know?
6. Nitrogen fine - 10cm
7. Water – 1 watering can
Compost is
cheaper than
8. Add activator - see list on page 3
chemical fertilizer
9. Carbon fine – 30cm
and helps to
10.Repeat steps 3 to 9
improve your soil
structure.
11.Remember, always finish with a carbon layer – 10cm
12.Water lots with a hose
How do I finish off a bin?
• Fill the bin to the very top.
• Always finish with a carbon layer.
• Put the lid on firmly. • LEAVE IT FOR FOUR DAYS – NO PEEKING!
No peeking!
Did you know?
Compost balances
soil pH plus provides
habitat and food
for beneficial soil
organisms.
What next?
After four days remove the lid and, if all is well, you will have
a mini waterfall coming off the lid due to condensation from
the heat being produced in the compost and it should have
dropped a little.
Every day
• Lift the lid to allow air to wick through the compost.
• Check if it needs watering – aim for enough water to create a
single drip when you squeeze it tightly.
Maintenance of your bin until
harvest
During the 12 weeks (or so) it will take for you to produce your
first batch of wonderful humus you will need to regularly top up
the contents to maintain the critical mass of materials to keep
the process happening. Keep topping the bin up until you can
harvest the humus from the bottom. When your bin needs a top
up – just keep repeating this recipe as you did when you built it:
nitrogen, activator (if needed), carbon, water. Always finish with a
carbon layer.
When do you harvest?
The recommended bins have four doors at their base which
you can use to check the progress of your humus production.
When the product is dark brown
to black in colour, smells of
sweet earth or has no smell at
all, is cool and silky to touch,
and you can’t see any noncomposted materials – it’s time
to harvest.
Method 2 - Open Bays
Open bay systems are used for big volume waste – eg spring
and autumn when the garden needs a big tidying up.
The compost pile needs regular turning to speed up the
composting process and to add oxygen.
1. Select the site in a sunny position and place or make the
bays.
2. Collect all the materials and stack them beside the bays.
3. Drive a star-picket into the middle of the compost bay or
use a length of PVC downpipe with lots of holes drilled.
The stake or downpipe allows the heat to escape from the
middle of the pile and helps with aeration.
4. Sprinkle some old compost on the ground to start the
process.
5. Pile on the coarsest material you have, like branches or
corn stalks.
6. Follow the recipe as per the bin method.
7. Repeat the layers until the height of the stake or a bit more.
Make the pile in one go if you can.
8. Water the pile until it is moist.
9. Cover with black plastic to keep the heat in and the rain
out.
10.Turn the pile every 3 – 4 days, moistening it if it is dry.
11.After a week, if it fails to heat up then add more
nitrogenous material when turning.
12.The compost should be ready in 6 weeks. It should be
cool and look and smell like rich soil. It will be HUMUS.
Troubleshooting
Did you know?
Compost is full of
nutrients making it
excellent for feeding
plants.
Compost smells putrid – not enough air, too much water,
not enough dry stuff (carbon). This will also happen if you don’t
make a complete compost in one hit. Just adding little bits of
kitchen scraps into the bin will cause this – make a complete
compost all at once, then add your kitchen scraps every day,
plus regular carbon – it will fix the problem.
Ants in the compost – too dry or the compost cycle is
complete and the ants have moved in.
Too wet – add more dry ingredients, leave the lid or black
plastic off on a dry day.
How do I use humus?
Humus is used at every stage of gardening. From establishing a new garden through to the regular
maintenance, feeding and care of your soil.
• Every time you put a seed, seedling, plant, tree, cutting or
anything in your garden use humus.
• Add a handful of humus and 1/3 handful of solid worm
castings every time you plant a seedling.
• Add it when you turn in a green manure crop.
• Around the base of your fruit trees to the dripline and just
beyond every Spring and Autumn – cover with mulch.
• Dilute and filter it and use as a foliage spray on your plants.
• Add it to pot plants – cover with mulch.
• Put a layer of it over any soil you are not growing in – but
always cover with mulch.
• To add fertility to a no-dig garden.
Did you know?
To break up clay soils – add compost.
To improve sandy soils – add compost.
How do you store humus?
You may not want to use it straight away and humus can be
kept for years if stored correctly.
• Put the humus in a plastic bin or a strong bag (not hessian).
• Don’t put a lid on the bin – microbes need air.
• Instead, put a layer of vegetable scraps on top and then
something like a moistened hessian bag that allows air in
and will also be a food source for your microbes.
• Put the bin or bag in a shady and cool shed – it will die if
exposed to the sun.
• Regularly check it to see if it needs watering or feeding.
• Humus can be stored for years using this method.
Did you know?
Composting increases the amount of carbon stored, or sequestered, in our
soils and can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Where can I get materials from?
Just like any process, the higher the quality of the materials you use and the wider the diversity,
the better the final outcome will be. But not everyone has a huge range of materials to begin
with – if all you have is grass cuttings and cow manure from the paddock next door – then use
them. The humus you make will go into your soil and allow you to grow more and more diverse
materials and produce better and better humus to keep the cycle going.
Be creative - use cuttings from the council verge, leave a bin at a fruit and veg shop and collect
it regularly, make friends with someone who has a gardening maintenance business. Find the
materials where and when you can and store them to dry to become your carbon components.
Compost - it’s a miracle!
From this...
+
+
... to this...
TO THIS!
5. Planting Seedlings
Caring for seedlings is a bit like bringing a new baby home! Choose the right location by giving
them their own personal space in their new home - the garden bed or pot. Then you have to
meet their daily needs including enough food and water so they can grow up to be healthy.
Follow these tips to sow and care for new ‘plant babies.’
Timing
Variety – Select a variety that suits the location you are growing. e.g. Cherry tomatoes do best
in the sub-tropics.
Season – Plan to plant early in the season so you can harvest while the weather conditions are
still suitable.
Moon planting – Consider using a Moon Calendar for healthier plants that produce higher
yields by benefitting from nature’s rhythms during the month. There are optimal days that are
better for planting different crops.
Best times – Early morning/late afternoon/cloudy conditions, especially
in hot climates allows plants time to recover from being transplanted, and
even better after rain. Avoid planting in the heat of the day.
Right Location – Most vegetables and herbs require 5-6 hours of full
sun each day. Avoid hot Western aspects. Some can tolerate semi-shade.
Maturity – if raising your own seedlings, only transplant when they have
developed their first true leaves (2 larger leaves) and have been hardened
off for 10 days to help them adjust to your climate.
Tips
• To prevent transplant shock, soak the roots in a weak
seaweed solution prior to planting (10mls seaweed:1L water).
This also helps the seedling mix stick to the roots. Any
leftover solution can be used to water in the seedlings after
planting. Alternatively, dip the roots in the solution or at least
spray them with seaweed solution before planting out.
• When handling, hold the seedling by the leaves not the roots or stem as these are both easily
damaged.
• Continuous planting will ensure continuous harvesting i.e. don’t plant all your lettuces at once.
You can also continually pick from outside of many veggies like asian greens, celery and lettuce.
Cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants will fruit all season.
Feeding
Fortnightly in Summer - Monthly in Winter
Foliar spray in the early morning or late afternoon with
a seaweed and molasses liquid mixed in a watering
can or preferably a pressurised spray bottle.
Mix 1 cap of seaweed with 1 tbsp molasses into
a 9 litre watering can.
Epsom Salts
Epsom salts adds magnesium
to your soil which helps with root
development. Add a tablespoon to
your watering can.
The Method
Materials:
• Worm Castings in bucket
• Organic soil conditioner • Compost in bucket • Rinsed 2L milk containers
• Seaweed liquid (dilute according to directions) in a spray bottle or shallow container to soak seedlings.
• Watering can with diluted mixture of seaweed and dollop of molasses.
• A trowel, plant labels, measuring spoon and of course, seedlings.
Step 1: Plan where to plant. Check spacing between plants before
digging. Put a plant label in the spot where you are going to plant each
seedling.
Step 2: Prepare the hole. Part the mulch where the seedling is to
be planted. Using a small trowel, gently make a hole twice as deep as the
seedling root size. Fill the hole with water and allow to drain away before
planting.
Step 3: Make the seedling’s ‘bed.’ Add a good handful or two
of compost planting mix in the hole to provide extra nutrients for the new
plant. Then add a small handful of worm castings.
Step 4: Preparing the seedling. When taking the seedling out
of the punnet, hold the seedling by the leaves NOT the stem or delicate
roots. If seedlings have not been pre-soaked with seaweed solution,
using a spray bottle with diluted seaweed, spray the roots with a fine mist.
Step 5: Put the seedling to ‘bed.’ Poke two fingers into the worm
castings/compost layer and plant the seedling ensuring the top of the root
ball is in line with the surrounding soil. The stem of some seedlings may rot
if planted deeper than they were in the punnet.
Step 6: Give it a feed. Add a small handful of worm castings to ‘tuck
the seedling in’ and firm the worm castings down gently around it. Feed
the seedling with one teaspoonful of fertiliser / soil conditioner by sprinkling
around the base of the seedling (not on the stem).
Step 7: Give it a drink. Water it in well with a gentle spray from the
watering can containing a diluted mix of seaweed and molasses. Avoid
watering on the leaves where possible.
Step 8: Pull up the mulch. After planting, pull the mulch back
around the plant leaving about 3-5cm space all the way around the stem
so the plant can ‘breathe.’ Having a nice thick layer of mulch will help
partly shade the young seedling in the warmer hours during the day, keep
the soil moist for longer and help keep the soil warm.
Step 9: Helping them grow. Protect the seedlings for the first few
weeks with a 2L milk container with the top and bottom cut out. Water
regularly until they are more established and the roots have gone deeper
into the soil. Hand watering is best, targeting the base of the plant – water
of plant leaves may lead to fungal problems. Use diluted seaweed every
few weeks as a food for your plants.
Step 10: Label your plant. Add your plant label with the date, variety,
seedling source and spacing distance then watch it grow!
6. Monthly Planting Guide – Sub-tropics
Jan
Feb
Alfalfa
Amaranths
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
4
4
4
4
4
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Harvest
(wks)
-
4
4
Arrowhead
4
4
4
8 - 12
4
4
Asian Veg
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Asparagus
Bananas permits required
4
4
4
4
4
4
If
Bay Tree
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Basil
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Beans (French)
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Broad beans
4
4
4
4
Bok Choy
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Beetroots
4
4
Frost Free
Bitter Melon
12-18
mths
30
4-8
20
16 - 24
40
18
months
tree
tree
6 -10
40
8 - 12
10
10 - 12
15
60
18 - 20
4
4
4
1.5m
10
4
Arrowroot
Size
(cms)
40
50
Borage
4
4
4
4
4
4
8 -10
50
Snake Beans
4
4
4
4
4
4
10 - 14
60
12 - 16
40
20
40
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Buckwheat #
4
4
4
Bush Basil
4
4
4
4
4
Bush Beans
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Bush Pea
Cabbages
4
Capsicum
4
4
4
Cape Gooseberry
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Caraway
Carrots
Cassava
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Camomile
Cauliflowers
Celery
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Ceylon Spinach
4
4
4
Cherry Tomato
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Chinese Cabbage
Chinese Kale
Chilli
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Climbing Peas
Comfrey
Coriander
Cos Lettuce
4
4
4
4
30
8 - 16
30
10 - 16
50
20
16 - 20
15
12 +
90
30
4
4
Climbing Beans
4
4
Chives
Choy Sum
4
4
Choko
4
10 - 12
20
4
4
4
20
30
4
4
10-12
4
4
14 - 24
40
16 - 22
30
15
10 - 12
50
10 - 12
50
6 - 10
40
10 - 16
60
20
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
18 - 20
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
10 - 12
20
8 - 10
30
4
4
4
4
40
4
4
30
30
8 - 10
20
4-6
30
Cress
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4-6
20
Cucumbers
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8 - 12
30
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Daikon
40
Dill
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Dwarf Peas
Eggplant
4
4
Endive
First Fleet Lettuce
4
4
Fennel
4
4
Ginger
Gourd
4
4
Herbs (all
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Horseradish
Japanese Millet #
4
4
Jerusalem
Artichokes
Kang Kong
4
4
Kiwi Fruit
Kohlrabi
Leeks
4
Lettuce (non
hearting)
4
4
Size
(cms)
8 - 10
30
10 - 12
20
14 - 16
50
8 - 12
30
30
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Luffa
4
4
4
4
20
3-4
mths
20
5
months
60
30
10
8 - 10
-
6 mths
50
6-8
20
vine
4
4
4
10
7-9
mths
6
months
4
4
16 - 20
30
4
Lemon Balm
Lupins
4
Harvest
(wks)
4
Fig Trees
Garlic
4
Dec
8 - 10
30
12 - 20
20
8 - 12
30
40
10 - 18
tree
4
Lychees
4
4
4
tree
Malu Khia
4
4
4
20
Marjoram
4
Marigolds
20
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8 - 14
30
14 -16
60
Maize #
4
4
4
Marrows
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Melons
Mint
Mustard
Nastursium
4
Oats
Okra
4
Olives
Onions
Oregano
4
40
20
4-8
-
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
16 - 20
4
4
4
4
4
4
Parsnips
4
4
4
4
4
4
40
tree
9 mths
Parsley
40
30
4
Pak Choy
4
50
10
20
4
20
30
18 - 20
20
18 mths
tree
Passionfruit
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Paw Paw
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
12 - 16
20
4
4
4
4
12 - 16
20
4
4
4
4
4 mths
40
Peas
4
4
4
4
Peanuts
Pepino
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
50
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Pumpkins
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Radishes
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Pigeon Pea
Potatoes
Rhubarb
Rocket
4
4
4
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Rockmelon
Rosella
Rosemary
4
4
Royal Lettuce
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
60
16 - 20
40
14 - 16
120
6-8
10
12 - 16
120
8 - 12
20
20 - 22
60
30
4-8
20
-
Sage
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Shallots
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Shanghai Paak
Tsoi
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Silverbeet
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Snow Pea
4
4
4
4
4
4
Spinach
Size
(cms)
50
4
Rye #
Harvest
(wks)
40
12 - 14
40
20
6 - 12
30
8 - 12
30
4
4
4
4
4
6 - 10
30
Spring Onion
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8 - 12
30
Squash
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
12 -14
30
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Strawberries
4
4
4
Swedes
4
4
4
4
4
4
Sweet Potatoes
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Tall Paak Tsoi
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Sub-Clover #
Sugarloaf
Cabbage
Sunflower
Sweet Corn
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Taro
4
4
4
12 -14
80
30
20
4
Tarragon
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
12 - 16
20
12 -16
30
18 - 20
40
4-8
20
10 mths
90
8 - 10
vine
50
Tahitian Spinach
4
4
Thyme
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Tomatoes
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
12 - 20
50
4
4
4
20 - 30
20
4
4
4
4
4
4
10 - 12
20
4
4
4
10 mths
60
Turmeric
Turnips
Vetch #
-
Water Chestnut
4
Watermelon
4
Wheat #
4
4
4
4
4
4
Yam Bean
Zucchini
# - Green Manure Crop
4
4
30
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
8 - 10
30
4 mths
Vine
26 +
20
10 - 14
60
7. Sub-tropical Vegetables
During the hot summer months when most of our regular veggies struggles to survive or are
riddled by pest problems, there are a hardy variety of veggies that thrive in these conditions and
are pest resistant. Giving your household access to fresh, nutrient rich veggies all year round.
Here are some of the most popular and tasty varieties:
Brazilian Spinach is a perennial tropical green which forms a thick
ground cover. Propagate it by cuttings. It responds well to fertilizer and
relatively pest resistant. Use as you would silverbeet or spinach. Cook
larger leaves or eat small leaves in salads.
Ceylon Spinach or Malabar spinach is a hot-weather substitute for
spinach. A good source of vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron. This
fast-growing leafy vegetable is easily started from cuttings or seed
sown directly in the garden.
Cassava or tapioca is a perennial plant grown for it’s starchy tubers.
It can easily replace potato or wheat. It is grown in areas that are frost
free the year round and will grow in virtually any soil type. The tubers
require fermenting or grating and straining before eating.
Yacon or ground apple is a sweet, crisp tuber that is an ideal apple
substitute for the sub-tropics. It will grow in most soils and will thrive on
rainfall alone. Once harvested the tubers can be eaten raw or cooked
while still retaining their sweet flavour.
New Zealand Spinach or warrigal greens is a perennial creeping
plant with thick stems that grow to one or two metres long. The leaves
are used as an alternative to spinach and require cooking for a few
minutes before eating. It can be cultivated from seeds or cuttings and
is an ideal habitat for small lizards which help with pest management.
Delicious if cooked in coconut cream with a squirt of lime juice.
Sweet Potato is an ideal substitute for regular potatoes and creates
a beautiful ground cover. It is one of the easiest vegetables to grow.
Along with the roots being edible the vine tips can be used in stir-fries.
Harvest the tubers by ‘bandicooting’ will ensure a long term crop.
Cultivate from cuttings or by planting tubers.
Madagascar Beans – A vigorous, climbing, tropical lima bean,
which lives for many years and is excellent at coping with wet, humid
conditions. It can be used as a tropical alternative to broad beans or as
a dried bean. The dried beans cook quickly and make tasty vegetarian
burgers. Ideal for covering archways or a pergola to provide shade in
summer. One vine will produce hundreds of pods each season.
Kang Kong or water spinach is an herbaceous aquatic or semiaquatic perennial plant of the tropics or subtropics with heart-shaped
leaves. The leaves have a very pleasant, mild, sweet flavour and
a slightly slippery texture, which contrast when cooked with the
crispness of the stems. Like many other leafy vegetables, water
spinach’s leaves are very nutritious, being rich in vitamins and minerals.
8. Sustainable Systems
Incorporating sustainable systems into your edible landscape ensures long term supply
of nutrient dense and delicious crops without the expense of constantly buying mulches,
seeds, manures and fertilisers.
The purpose of sustainable systems is to develop your property into a closed loop of energies.
These energies are human, money, waste, water, animal systems and plants. By minimising
the amount of energy lost out of the system, (e.g. money spent on mulches), and maximising
the energies stored in a system, (e.g. turning waste into compost), your edible landscape can
become truly sustainable.
One element should perform many functions
When including an element in your system consider how many uses is has. The more uses it
can perform the more benefit it will have to the sustainability of your garden.
• Chickens as a source of protein (eggs), fertiliser, meat, pest management, workers and
companionship.
•Arrowroot as a source of food, fodder for chickens, bulk nitrogen for compost, weed barrier,
shade for young trees, dried and used as mulch, medicinal purposes and a habitat for frogs.
•Comfrey as a fertiliser, use in compost teas, fodder for chooks, medicine for animals,
activator for compost and as a treatment for cuts and bruises.
•Pigeon Pea as a soil conditioner when ‘chopped n dropped’, support plant for orchard
systems, quick growing pioneer species and feeds us with seed we can make into a dahl.
•Lemon grass as a herb for teas, use in cooking and as a mulch.
•Vetiver grass as erosion control, contour building,
conserves moisture and topsoil, stablises steep slopes, fire
break, very hardy and tough. Deep root system 1-3 metres.
Useful source of mulch, can be fed to stock, vetiver oil used
in aromatherapy, called the ‘oil of abundance’.
Catch and store energy
• Install a rainwater tank to capture water and use on your garden.
•Plant vetiver grass near water tank overflows, grey water sprinklers or in boggy areas.
Vetiver grass can be used as a mulch.
•Use swales to slow down and store water on slopes.
• Use a banana semi-circle to catch any nutrient runoff
from your veggie garden.
• Create a nutrient trap ‘hedge’ of comfrey, lemongrass
and arrowroot to capture nutrient runoff.
•Seed save from your best plant because they have
developed strong growing characteristics for your climate
and soil conditions.
• Install solar panels on your roof or use a small solar pump in your pond.
Produce no waste
Re-use, re-cycle or even re-invent the waste you produce in your household or garden to help
close the loop of energy and positively impact the environment.
• Food scraps as food for chickens or worm farms, in compost
bins, in a ‘worm chute’, or boiled to make dog food.
• Plastic containers and bottles as seed storage, plant
guards, scoops, bird feeders, funnels, worm liquid storage,
seed punnets, compost tea makers – the uses are limited to
your imagination.
• Grey water can be cleaned through a reed bed system and
used to grow mulches or flowering natives to help attract birds
and beneficial insects to your garden.
• Palm fronds are often a problem to remove so use the middle
stems to make a tepee for your peas and beans or lay them
around your fruit trees to help stop chickens from scratch at
the roots.
• Old bathtubs can easily be transformed into worm
farms, small frog ponds, aquatic veggie beds or raised
gardens.
• Garden waste should be recycled in a compost
system or mulched and used on pathways to prevent
weeds. Listen for large mulchers being used in your
neighbourhood and approach the contractor to see if
you can have it for your pathways.
• Newspapers make an excellent sheet mulch under pathways to prevent weeds, ripped up
for a carbon layer in compost or fed to your worms as well as a bedding in your chook house.
• Odd materials around your household can take on
a new life in your garden. Security screens as a trellis,
broken swing sets to grow a choko or Madagascar
bean vine (which creates a cubby house for kids),
pallets for compost bays, tyres for frog ponds or
flower gardens (don’t use tyres to grow food).
Think before you throw...
Before you throw something away,
think about how you can use it again as
something different in your garden.
9. Pest Management
Now that you have established your gardens the question arises as to how you can control
pests and diseases without resorting to harmful sprays and other killers, and, how do we
improve our success rate in the garden.
Fortunately nature, through a great variety of herbs, has provided us with many safe and
effective ways of tackling this problem. As well as pest control planting herbs provides a ready
supply of delicious and fragrant foods.
“I believe that there is no pest problem that will not yield
to our applied commonsense and an integrated natural
approach” Bill Mollison, founder of permaculture, “Lady,
you don’t have a snail problem, you have a duck
deficiency.”
“The whole concept has to be that when you start a
garden you are putting food out for the pests... they will
come… some would be tempted to poison them and kill
them… you don’t want to do that because if you poison
them the birds that come to help you will be killed too”. Janet Millington, co-author of Outdoor
Classrooms. “So plant the garden, wait for the pests to notice… they are the enemy. Now you
need to make friends with the enemy of your enemies. Wait till the birds and beneficial insects
notice the food – the pests. Make them welcome and they will control, as well as confuse the
pests”.
In a nutshell Janet suggests that you attract the birds and beneficial insects which will eat the
pests. One of the best prevention methods is to have healthy soil which in turn means healthy
plants. When plants are unhealthy they omit chemicals that attract insects. It’s like they’re saying
“I’m sick, come and eat me”.
Also, experience has shown that nature has developed
plants which like one another’s company and this has
improved success with plant propagation. This method is
called “Companion Planting” - among other names.
These practices are in line with our Permaculture principle
of CARE OF THE EARTH: Provision of all life systems to
continue and multiply.
Stress less
Pests are attracted to stressed plants – so first ensure plants are happy by increasing water
and food.
For macro pests (e.g. parrots, bandicoots, scrub turkeys, kangaroos, fruit bats, fruit fly),
exclusion is the key – use fencing or nets, bag your bananas.
Invite select wildlife in, and provide habitat for them. Nectar-eating birds also eat insects, as do
frogs and lizards. So provide habitat for them: flowering native plants, ponds, birdbaths, leaf
litter, and decaying logs.
Diversity in your garden is key – so plant a mix of herbs, vegetables and flowering plants.
Good Bugs vs Bad Bugs
Nature has lots of “good bugs”, crawling and flying sci-fi creatures whose favourite food is pests
that eat your prize plants. Plant the plants that attract good bugs among the plants that you
want to protect, and you’ll make insect friends for life.
Beneficial insects such as ladybeetles, hoverflies, lacewings and
tiny wasps control aphids, scale, red spider mite, caterpillar and
other pests without the use of chemicals.
Good Bug Mix from Green Harvest is a cottage garden blend of colourful flowers that will
attract these beneficial insects. The mix includes red clover, lucerne, cosmos, sweet alice, dill,
caraway, coriander, buckwheat, baby’s breath, Queenanne’s Lace and marigolds.
Bug Repellent Plants
Plant
Repellent Method
Insect/Pest
Other Benefit
Garlic
Pungent Aroma
Flying Insects, Aphids
Disinfects & Cleans Soil
Tansy
Pleasant Aroma
Flying Insects
Potted – room air freshener
Mint / Sage
Aroma
White Cabbage Fly
Dried – place with clothes to
repel moths
Thyme
Aroma
Cabbage Root Fly
Marigolds
Aroma
Insects
Marigolds
Root Secretion
Root Eating Nematodes
Marigolds among
Tomatoes
Aroma
White Fly
Basil among
Tomatoes
Aroma
Disease & Pests, Flies &
Mosquitoes
Rosemary / Onions
Aroma
Carrot Fly
Nasturtiums
Aroma
Cabbage White Moth,
Aphids, Cucumber Beetle
Encourage bees
Flowers attract bees
Flowers attract bees
Natural Sprays
Chili spray – Helps stop bugs/grubs from eating leaves; Bush turkey deterrent
• Wear plastic gloves when making this recipe. Avoid contact with eyes and sensitive areas!
• 20 chilies, 1ltr water, 1tspn liquid soap
• Whiz chilies and small amount of water in a food processor
• Pour this water/chili mix through a strainer to remove solids
• Add the strained water/chili mix to the remaining water
• Add liquid soap and mix thoroughly
• Apply (spray) to top and bottom of leaves for bugs and grubs
• Apply (spray/watering can) to area around plants to deter bush turkeys
• Must be re-applied after it rains
Molasses spray – Helps stop bugs/grubs from eating leaves
• 1tblspn molasses, 1ltr water, 1tspn liquid soap
• Mix all ingredients together thoroughly
• Apply (spray) to top and bottom of leaves
• Must be re-applied after it rains
10. Garden Maintenance
A garden used is a garden maintained so try to spend half an hour each day in your garden,
even if it’s just walking around and enjoying the beauty.
There are five key points to growing and maintaining your edible landscape:
The 3 Ms: Minerals, Manure, Mulches
And the 2 Ws: Watering, weeding
Minerals
Australian soils are old and depleted of minerals so you will need
to add some to your garden. In March and September sprinkle
a handful of rock minerals per square meter over your gardens.
Add half a teaspoon of minerals when planting seedlings.
Manures
Manures come in all shapes and sizes including liquid manures
(or compost teas), green manure crops and of course animal
manures.
Liquid manures – Immersing a burlap sack filled with comfrey,
chicken manure, herbs, weeds or compost into a large bucket.
Brew for 14 days and add a cup to a watering can to use as a
fertiliser.
Green manure crops – These legume crops produce nitrogen
for your garden which is the building blocks for strong and healthy plants. From December to
February plant cow pea as a green manure crop. When the flowers start to appear chop up the
plant and let it drop into the garden. Water it in with a diluted mixture of molasses and seaweed
and cover with a layer of wet mulch. Leave for 4 weeks to allow for the crop to break down.
Your gardens will have all the nutrients they need to grow the next year’s crops. Nutrients can
also be conserved by using seasonal crop rotation methods. See diagram.
Animal manures – Horse and cow manures can be used in
compost or dug into your garden yearly. Just lightly dig them in so
as not to disturb the soil life, water in well with diluted molasses,
cover with wet mulch and the worms will do the rest. Leave for 4
weeks before planting out.
Fresh chicken manures tend to ‘burn’ plants because of their
high nitrogen levels so they are best composted or made into a
compost tea and applied to the garden as a liquid fertiliser.
Mulch
NEVER leave soil bare, always apply mulch. Mulch helps retain
water, stops weeds and creates living ecosystems in the soil.
Fine sugarcane mulch or hay mulch is ideal for vegetable gardens.
Fill a wheelbarrow with water and add a cup full of molasses, soak
large handfuls of mulch in the water before applying it to your
garden. By soaking the mulch first there is no need to water it in and
it will help feed your plants and soil life.
Sheet mulching – To help reduce weeds or to turn a lawn
into a garden, use this sheet mulching technique. Soak a large
pile of newspapers in a wheelbarrow of water with a cup full
of molasses. Lay whole, opened newspapers onto the ground
overlapping each other. Cover with fresh lucerne and a thick
layer of wet hay mulch.
Water
Watering your garden in the mornings is best, this keeps water off the plants overnight and
reduces fungi problem. When you water, be sure to water thoroughly and deeply. A shallow
watering or sprinkling will drive the plants roots up instead of down.
The best way to avoid overwatering is by sticking your finger in the ground. Ideally, it will feel
damp but if it feels soggy, don’t water.
Weeds
Weeds are plants out of place – they compete with your plants and
steal nutrients. Mulches will help keep weeds down in your garden as
well as keeping soil cool and moist.
Think of other ways to keep weeds at bay – use ground covers
like sweet potato, pintos peanut (picture), herbs or tropical greens.
Mulching heavily on pathways will also help reduce weed problems.
Once removed, weeds are a resource. You can put them compost
(without seeds), back as mulch, or in compost teas.
Seasonal Crop Rotation
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Congratulation on becoming one of the real fresh food
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Nothing is more satisfying that harvesting food
from your garden and eating it. Enjoy!
For regular planting updates,
recipes and tips and tricks join the
Edible Landscapes’ Family Newsletter at
www.ediblelandscapes.com.au