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 Pip wants to do more than just inspire you to live your best life.
We want to lead by example, practise what we preach and live by
the ethics of earth care, people care and fair share. And although
permaculture is a concept created 40-odd years ago, these ideas aren’t
new. Indigenous people all around the world have been living like this
for tens of thousands of years.

Pip acknowledges the traditional custodians of this land; past, present

and emerging. Created on the lands of the Yuin Nation, Pip respects
the great wealth of knowledge and rich tradition which has cared for
this country for millennia. We invite First Nations People to share their
knowledge within Pip, so that we can all have a deeper connection to
country and learn to care for her in a more respectful way.

We make considered choices about all aspects of

our business, not just our great content. From the paper we choose to
print on, to the energy we consume, right down to the companies
we choose to partner with.

The global challenges we’re currently facing mean it’s never been
more important to inspire positive and community-driven change.

And that’s our promise to you.

CONTENTS
I S S U E 2 8 M AY – AU G U S T 2 0 2 3

G R OW
32
STONE FRUIT

32 What to plant this winter

for a juicy summer harvest.

38
TREES OF CHANGE
Add varieties and improve pollination
with our fruit-tree grafting guide.
REGULARS
8 NOTICEBOARD
10 PIP PICKS E AT
42
WINTER WEEDS
Foraging winter weeds for added
12 INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS flavour and nutrients in your diet.

14 FIVE OF A KIND

16
Winter wellness herbs

BRAINS TRUST
48
GROW TO LOVE
Pruning fruit trees How to turn unloved vegetables
into new family favourites.
18 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

20 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
She-oak

22 SAVE YOUR SEEDS

Silverbeet
58
24 URBAN FORAGING
Turkey tail mushroom

27 IN THE GARDEN
May–August

88 KIDS’ PATCH
Create, find, learn & laugh

92 LOOK & LISTEN

94 TRIED & TRUE

Product tests

96 ETHICAL MARKETPLACE

98 PIP PARTNER

4
 74

52

BUILD
52
COASTAL RENEWAL R E PA I R
80
A NEW LIFE
A considered renovation that turned a Restoring tired and broken garden tools
run-down shack into a family home. into new and improved versions.

THRIVE
58
BENEATH OUR FEET MAKE
84
COSY COVERS
The fascinating world of fungi and How to upcycle a woollen blanket into
why healthy ecosystems rely on it. a new cover for your hot water bottle.

N U RT U R E
64
IT’S OKAY
How acceptance and self-care
can benefit others and the planet.

DESIGN
68
GAME, SET, PATCH
Converting a decades-old tennis court
into a productive vegetable garden.

PROFILE
74
DAWN RISING
The couple using permaculture to
create strong community resilience.

5
 CONTRIBUTORS
JESSICA RASCHKE
Jessica Raschke is a writer,
artist and psychotherapist. Her
background includes working
in the not-for-profit, tertiary
and arts sectors, primarily in
teaching, writing, editing, creative
consultancy and research. In recent years,
she has trained and worked in community and
cultural development, particularly in the death
literacy movement. For more details, visit
www.jessicaraschke.com.
‘NANNA’ ANNA
MATILDA
With a history in horticulture and
fine arts, Anna has worked in
education and consulting for nearly
three decades. She is founder
and creative director of The Urban
Nanna, through which she showcases and
teaches traditional skills, crafts and methods
of living set in the framework of a modern-day
world. As well as reviving traditional ways
of gardening, foraging, cooking, preserving
and crafting, she focuses heavily on living a
sustainable, low-waste permaculture lifestyle
while renting in suburban Australia.
LISA BROWN
Lisa Brown qualified as a
Horticulture Tradesman in the early
1980s, around the same time she
participated in the first Permaculture
Course for women held at Tyalgum,
NSW. She moved to Yuin Country
shortly afterwards, joining the idealistic
optimists of the era. A descendant of gardeners,
sewists and improvisers, these days she gets
her dopamine from gardening, mending, making,
completing cryptic crosswords and attending
unpopulated beaches.
6
Publisher, Editor and Art Director Robyn Rosenfeldt
Managing Editor Kel Buckley
Digital and Social Media Content Emma Gibbs
Digital support Goldie Rutherford
Subscriptions Manager Jane Varvel
Design and Illustrations Sonia Blaskovic
Proofreader Peter Ascot
Advertising enquiries advertising@pipmagazine.com.au
or download our media kit at pipmagazine.com.au/advertising
Directory listings and classifieds enquiries: partnerships@
pipmagazine.com.au
Submissions We would love to hear from you if you have ideas
for articles. Email your pitch to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au
Stockist enquiries If you would like to stock Pip contact:
stockists@pipmagazine.com.au
Writers Julie Bennett, Lisa Brown, Kel Buckley, Trisha Ellis, Jude
& Michel Fanton, Morag Gamble, Emily Gray, Cat Green, Anna
Matilda, Kathleen McCann, Alison Pouliot, Jessica Raschke, Robyn
Rosenfeldt, Bec Shann, Sophie Spencer and Alice Zaslavsky.
Photographers and illustrators Vera Babida, Julie Bennett,
Sonia Blaskovic, Lisa Brown, Kel Buckley, Ben Dearnley, Kyla
Eliza Photography, Trisha Ellis, Emily Gray, Cat Green, Anna
Matilda, Alison Pouliot, Nikole Ramsay, Alicia Rogerson and
Robyn Rosenfeldt.
Pip magazine is printed in Australia by Printgraphics on
100 percent recycled paper cover and FSC paper pages
and printed with vegetable inks.
Pip magazine is published by Pip Media Pty Ltd.
PO Box 172 Pambula, NSW, 2549. ABN: 640 644 944
Copyright: Pip Magazine is subject to copyright in its entirety.
Permission must be sought from the publisher and author before
content may be reproduced in any form.
Views expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the
publisher. To the extent permitted by law, the publisher disclaims
any liability whatsoever in relation to advice, representation,
statement, conclusion or opinion expressed in Pip Magazine.
Pip is produced on the lands of the Thawa people of the Yuin
Nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this
land and thank them for their care of this beautiful place and
its diverse ecosystems. We acknowledge First Nations people
have been caring for this country for thousands of years and
we humbly seek to learn from the vast amount of knowledge
that has been handed down from generation to generation.
 EDITORIAL

Do what you
can, keep it real
and be kind to
yourself
Welcome to another issue of Pip. I am coming into my tenth
year of publishing this terrific title. When I started Pip, my
youngest child was a baby, we were living in our shed,
building our house and I had a crazy idea to start a magazine.
I started this because I saw a gap in the market for a
beautiful well-designed magazine that was both informative
and inspiring, and covered all the different aspects of living a
more earth-friendly lifestyle. I didn’t want it to be just another
gardening magazine, nor did I want it to be a old-fashioned
alternative-living magazine, I wanted it to be stylish and
attractive and inviting to read. I wanted it to be full of lots of
practical information that would not only inspire readers to
live a more sustainable life, but also give them the skills and
confidence to have a go.
Over the years I have had lots of lovely feedback from
readers, saying that Pip is a source of comfort and joy to
read, that it encourages them to keep doing what they’re
doing, when sometimes it feels like everyone around them
isn’t on the same journey as they are, or when they are
finding it difficult.
I love creating this magazine and I base the articles
and ideas on things that the team and I find interesting
ourselves as we are all trying to live the best way we can
too. And as I say in my feature starting on page 64, you
don’t have to try and do it all. Do what you can, keep it real
and be kind to yourself.
This magazine is created with all you beautiful readers in
mind and I am super happy to bring this to you to hopefully
brighten up the cooler darker winter days.
May your compost pile be hot and may your broccoli
be brilliant.
5ʼ\ȫ

&ˊɇųUWLVɕ
ALICIA ROGERSON
Alicia is an award-winning artist and
illustrator based in Bridgetown, WA. Her
signature style is whimsical, evoking beauty
and movement. Inspired by dreams, nature
and her imagination, she has created
children’s books, murals, paintings, fabric
and products. She’s the recipient of a CBCA
Notable award, a Bronze Illustrator’s Australia
award, scholarships, mentorships and artist
residencies. Creating is important for her to
connect with and inspire others.

7
P I P N OT I C E B OA R D

TREK FOR CHANGE

Pip subscriber and environmental educator Lizz
Hills is trekking 6000 km from Brisbane to Perth in
a bid to inspire youths to reconnect with the planet
and give it the love and care needs. The six-month
‘Trek2Reconnect’ journey has so far taken her south
west to Port Augusta in South Australia, before she
headed north to Alice Springs where she celebrated
her 40th birthday. Now well over halfway, as Pip went
to print Lizz was still $30,000 shy of her $80,000
fundraising goal. To donate, head to chuffed.org/project/
trek2reconnect.

GUESS WHAT?!
Melbourne Zoo composts two tonnes
of organic waste every day which gets
blended into Zoo Gro, a commercially
available compost product suitable
for use as soil conditioners and
organic fertilisers.

PIP TIP!
Are you forever losing you snips, seeds or
secateurs, feeling like you’re spending more
time wondering where you left things than
actually getting things done?
Make yourself a lightweight gardening tool
belt by cutting just the waistband and back
pockets from an old pair of jeans. Worn
backwards, you’ll have some handy spots to
stow your most-used items when working
in the garden. You can leave one of the front
pockets on, too, but play around with what
works best for you.

8
COMPOST SWAP THIS GREENHOUSE
Two Gold Coast-based mums have launched a
swap-and-go residential composting initiative
HAS LITERALLY MADE
in a bid to keep organics out of landfill. For MY YEAR BECAUSE IT
$4.50 per month, locals will receive a caddy
to fill with kitchen waste, which they can swap
MEANS I’LL BE ABLE
for a fresh one at their nearest swap station.
And fresh compost can be collected from the
TO START GROWING
same place at the start of every month. Head VEGIES AT MY NEW
to seedtheground.com.au for more info.
HOUSE SOONER THAN
I THOUGHT WAS
POSSIBLE. AND PRETTY
HAPPY THAT THE
AVOCADO WE GREW
FROM SEED WILL BE
SAFE OVER WINTER!
Congratulations to Amanda Temple, the winner of
Pip Issue 26’s subscription prize. Amanda picked
up a Maze Greenhouse from Compost Revolution
worth $1350 for her Tassie garden!

DID YOU KNOW?!

Leaf litter is the second-most biodiverse
habitat on the planet! The layers of organic
matter on forest floors, for example, made
up of leaves, sticks, branches,
bark, etc., is second
only to a tropical
coral reef in terms
of biodiversity. And
it’s crucial to ensure Find out why fungi is
critical for healthy ecosystems and
all-important fungi can how you can do your bit to protect it
survive and flourish. in our enthralling feature,
starting on page 58.

TELL
US! We’d love to hear what you want to read, listen and watch more of.
Let us know how we can inspire you by emailing editorial@pipmagazine.com.au.
And if you don’t like something, we want to know about that, too!

9
PIP PICKS

THINGS WE LIKE T2
KISS THE FUTURE HELLO
Tea retailer T2 asked emerging Australian artists to
interpret a brighter, more positive environmental future
in a mug design and the four winners are now available
to purchase in limited numbers. Printed on mugs and
finished with 24k gold details, the ‘Kiss the future hello’
series mugs are paired with lids as well as a stainless-
steel infuser. The winning artists are Elaine Li, Tammy
Zhang, Sian Downey and Alexandra Truong.
$42 www.t2tea.com

3˂O\ɔ)DUȤ
GARDENER’S SOAP
Handmade from extra-virgin olive oil,
botanicals and other natural ingredients,
this ball of soap comes in a double-layered
cotton mesh bag that’s designed to hang on
your garden tap. After a day in the garden,
just rub the bag between your hands for a
moisturising cleanse. Made using small-batch
cold-process methods, the soaps are allowed
to cure for eight weeks for optimal longevity.
Soaps are also available as naked refills.

$25.00 (with bag) www.pollysfarm.com.auau

10
 )ˈDJʴɎ4XLFț*XLǬ
ALGAE OR WEEDS
These pocket-sized guides will help
you identify either edible algae species
along the Southern Victorian coast
or the edible weeds found in western
Victoria. They are A4 in size but folded
into three and laminated, making them
compact and durable for when you’re in
the field. As well as images, information
includes what and when to collect, their
individual uses and how to preserve them.

$10.00 www.chrisrockley.com

)LǹƲXEɎ
OUTDOOR BATH
Constructed from rust-resistant galvanised steel, fire tubs
remove the dangers associated with under-tub fires and
contains it within a coil a couple of metres away. Using a
process called thermal siphoning, once the coil heats up it
circulates the water without the use of a pump. Available
in three different sizes, each tub comes with everything
required – all you’ll need is water, firewood and a flame.

From $1690 www.firetubs.com.au

:LOGZˆǝơDSɎ
FIRST NATIONS MAP
This First Nations Map is the latest work from
Australian Alexander Broers and highlights the
languages and peoples of First Nations Australia.
A year in the making, the map is available in
three sizes and two colours, and 20 percent
of the proceeds of each map will be donated
to a different Indigenous charity every month.
Alexander said he’s done his ‘absolute best to
include as many Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander languages and dialects that are in use
today and those that are classified as dormant.’
From $95.00 wildwoodmaps.com

11
P E R M AC U LT U R E A R O U N D T H E WO R L D

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
W O R D S BY M O R A G G A M B L E , W W W . P E R M A C U LT U R E E D U C AT I O N I N S T I T U T E . O R G
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PROJECTS

LANDWORKERS’ ALLIANCE
landworkersalliance.org.uk
Local permaculture farms help change the global food system by connecting
with each other. Evidence shows that creating, protecting and restoring
local small-scale agro-ecological food systems around the world is key
to feeding the world in a just and sustainable way, while restoring
biodiversity and addressing climate change at the same time.
In the UK, there is a nationwide collective advocating for this called
the Landworkers’ Alliance, a movement of small-scale farmers, growers, foresters
and land-based workers. It works with La Via
Campesina, the global peasant network with 200
million members, and recognises how hard it is for
young people to move into farming so has catalysed
a network of local on-farm food traineeships and
mentoring programs.
As well as developing small-scale farming, the
alliance focuses on icreasing awareness that the
global food system is broken and unjust. This
example of acting locally and connecting shows that
while we each might be only doing a small action,
together we can make a difference, whether in our
neighbourhood, our nation or internationally.

SUSTAINABLE COOPERATIVE
scoop.org.je
On the Island of Jersey, just off UK’s Normandy coast, a local food movement is being
championed by a local food hub called SCOOP: the Sustainable Cooperative. This
consumer-led co-op is positively transforming its food system by using small-scale
permaculture-type farms to protect natural resources for future generations, nurture
biodiversity and minimise waste.
SCOOP hosts a farm shop, a production kitchen, an island-wide local farmer
network and an education program, which connects children with some of the
island’s most forward-thinking growers, farmers, chefs and environmentalists.
Championing a new food culture on the island, the community shop emphasises
quality, seasonality and biodiversity, celebrates open-pollinated heirloom varieties and
puts local producers and makers first.
The shop is involved with action-research-arts projects such as Re-Wild My Plate, which shows how our
diet can be a practical conservation tool that can be used to improve and preserve natural resources and the
biodiversity of local habitats. Ideas are shared and consumed through a series of meals, actions, presentations,
products, discussions, workshops and publications.

12
 PERMACULTURE
EDUCATION IN ZAF
seed.org.za
Seed has been hosting inspirational permaculture
educational programs since 1998 and is currently offering
extended permaculture vocational education for youth,
called Seeding Futures, which focuses on wellbeing,
resilience and livelihoods.
Young people talk about finding meaning and purpose in
these programs, and over the next three years Seed looks
to work closely with 450 young change-makers who are
inspired and empowered to create thriving and resilient
communities in the areas around Cape Town.
If you are a teacher, homeschooler or parent of children
in grades four–six, there is a set of free downloadable
books developed during an award-winning national schools
program of permaculture, environmental and outdoor
education in South Africa. Topics include permaculture
design, permaculture entrepreneurship, growing a living
laboratory, building an outdoor classroom, teaching
permaculture teachers and plenty more.

GREEN SCHOOL VILLAGE

greenschoolvillage.org
Located near the Greek border, the Green School Village in
southern Bulgaria is just one of many Learning and Network
Demonstration (LAND) Centres hosted by Permaculture
Association UK. LAND Centres are a diverse global network
of sites where people can see how permaculture works and the benefits it can bring to society through
hands-on learning.
The village, led by the Permaculture Association of Bulgaria, invites youth to join on placements up to
six months, volunteering in exchange for food, accommodation and learning opportunities. Throughout
Europe this is done in collaboration with a youth program called the European Solidarity Corp which
connects young people with learning opportunities. The Green School Village also welcomes young
refugees, migrants and asylum seekers to learn practical resilience skills and gain an internationally
recognised permaculture design certificate. For more information on LAND Centres, go to permaculture.
org.uk/land-centres.

13
FIVE OF A KIND

5 WINTER WELLNESS HERBS

W O R D S & P H O T O S BY C AT G R E E N

While winter can conjure cozy thoughts of being
snuggled around fires, it also brings with it a host of
sniffles, colds and flu which get us down. That doesn’t
have to be the end of the story though, not if you
know how to care for yourself naturally at home with
simple herbal remedies. People have been using herbal
medicine for thousands of years – chamomile and
yarrow has been found in the teeth of Neanderthals!
All the herbs featured here have a long history of use
for the immune and/or respiratory systems. All five are
readily available and are delicious when incorporated
into everyday life, either preventatively or when illness
strikes. There’s a lot of information written about
herbal medicine these days, but you honestly don’t need
to know it all or do it all, you can start with just a few
tried and true herbs to support you and your family. If
you’re keen to learn to use herbs for winter wellness,
explore these five this winter.

GARLIC (ALLIUM SATIVUM )

The same volatile oils that are responsible for
that pungent garlic breath are also delivering
the antimicrobial actions of garlic straight to the
respiratory system – helping combat colds, flu, bronchitis
and to clear congestion. To best activate its medicinal
compounds, crush or chop the raw clove, then let it sit
on the bench for between three and five minutes.
When you’re sick, you can make garlic lemonade,
garlic honey or even garlic toast. It’s best eaten in
everyday culinary amounts.

ELDERBERRY (SAMBUCUS NIGRA )

Elderberry is a herb that needs no introduction,
however it is still surprising how few people
make syrup from the berries. It’s straightforward
to make (PIp Issue 18) and a great remedy to
have on hand if you’ve got kids as it’s delicious.
There’s a wealth of scientific studies to support
elderberry’s traditional use as an effective antiviral herb
for colds and flu. Best taken at the first signs of illness,
you can take a spoon of syrup every hour during the
first 12 hours of illness, then three or four times a day
throughout to reduce the severity of symptoms. Elder
trees grow easily in Australia, getting weedy in some
places and you can harvest the berries to dry for later
use. Don’t consume the fresh berries as they’ve got
slightly toxic compounds in the seeds and can
cause tummy upsets.

14
 REISHI (GANODERMA
LUCIDUM )
Known as the ‘tree of life mushroom’
in Chinese medicine, reishi has shot to
popularity as a longevity herb. In winter, reishi
supports the immune system and lungs, and is
an adoptogen, which means it helps us build
resilience to stress. The interesting thing about
THYME (THYMUS immunomodulator herbs like reishi is that they
bring balance to the immune system. And reishi
VULGARIS ) is particularly useful for combating underactive
immune responses arising from chronic stress,
Thyme is a widely used and
and overactivity in the respiratory system
much-loved herb. Not only is
brought on by allergies and asthma. For a warm
thyme probably in your kitchen right now,
drink, stir reishi powder into hot water, and add
but it’s an amazing antimicrobial herb
a splash of milk (and honey, if preferred). Seek
(which means antiviral, antibacterial,
medical advice if you’re on immunosuppressant,
antifungal and in this case antiparasitic).
anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication.
It’s got a particular affinity for the
respiratory system and you can turn to
it for all manner of upper- and lower-
respiratory ailments, including coughs,
bronchitis, whooping cough, laryngitis,
post-nasal drip, asthma, emphysema,
pneumonia, and sore throats. I’ve heard a
herbalist say: “When in doubt, use thyme.”
Thyme is easy to grow, it’s delicious as a
tea either fresh or dried and you can use
a handful of it in a steam inhalation.

MULLEIN (VERBASCUM
THAPSUS )
Mullein is a common weed in some parts
of Australia but it’s also a powerful ally for
winter woes. As a moistening herb with an affinity
for the respiratory system, mullein has traditionally
been used for bronchitis and dry, unproductive
coughs to encourage expectoration (coughing up
phlegm). If someone has had lung infections, it
is also used to bring strength and vitality back to
the lungs. Steep mullein leaves in hot water for
respiratory complaints. Harvest the leaves before
the plant flowers, and make sure not to harvest
from contaminated soils because mullein is a great
heavy bio-accumulator. When making tea, be sure
to strain really well, because the fine hairs on the
leaves could irritate the mouth and throat.

15
P I P M A I L B OX
BRAINS TRUST
Questions answered by Kathleen McCann
PRUNING FRUIT TREES
When is the best time to prune my fruit trees?
You can prune your deciduous fruit trees up to three or
more times throughout the year, but the major cutback
should be done in the cold winter months, before the sap
rises. Start the pruning season with the early fruiters,
such as apricot, nectarine, plum and peach, then come
apples and pears. The really late fruiters such as quince
and pomegranate can be done last.
Stone fruit trees should be pruned after fruiting but while
still in active growth as these varieties are susceptible to
a bacterial disease called gummosis. Pruning in warmer
weather will allow the pruning wound to heal more quickly
and reduce the risk of the bacteria entering.
For citrus you prune after fruiting and before the first
frosts. Citrus tend to have a growth spurt after a prune
and new shoots will be susceptible. You can open up the
tree and take out damaged or diseased branches during
the warmer months, just remember this is when the tree
is setting fruit, so cut back carefully.
You can keep on top of growth all year round by cutting
back anything long and whippy or anything impeding
or rubbing on other branches. When pruning any tree,
remember the three Ds: remove anything dead, diseased
or damaged.
What’s the best way to make cuts while pruning?
It is best to make cuts at an angle so water can’t pool on
the wound. When pruning near a bud, cut just above it,
so the bud faces out from the middle of the tree. When
pruning a branch, prune as close as you can to the main
trunk. Often the stub that is left dies back and can be an
area for disease or insects to get in. Rub the cut with
your glove to close it over and to help the healing process
to begin. Remember when using a saw on larger lateral
branches to cut underneath first, then on top, so as not to
rip the bark off the tree.
I hear people talking about pruning a tree into
different shapes? What trees suit which shape?
Shaping a tree is done to maximise sunlight and airflow
for fruiting, while also allowing good access for harvesting
and keeping it to within a manageable shape for its space.
16
Shaping also means that the tree is
stronger when fruiting and less likely
to break under a heavy load. Apple,
plum and nectarine can do well in a vase shape, however
some trees, such as apricot, pear and peach, look and
behave better in a pyramid shape.
A leader is required in the pyramid, with healthy
branches coming out from the central trunk of the tree,
continually shaped over its life to a central point. To achieve
a vase shape, choose three or four healthy low branches
which radiate out at different sites on the main leader to
keep, before removing the main leader. Espalier is where
you train a tree flat against a surface, usually on wires.
I have an old tree and it’s too big. How do I go
about pruning it?
Many old trees have been left to fend for themselves and
are too big to easily maintain. Some have great sentimental
value as well, making a heavy prune daunting. A staggered
prune over a few seasons is generally the best solution for
long-term success. It’s important to remove dead, damaged
and diseased branches and a small chainsaw may be
needed for a quick clean cut. To start with, reduce the size
of the tree by a third.
Clean out any rotted areas with a wire brush and some
watered-down detergent. Note if it’s fruiting on older wood
or newer growth, so you know what to encourage back.
Watch for new growth over the summer and prune out
any shoots that look too big, are too close to others or will
hamper airflow. It is important to stand back as you prune
to look at the shape and check how you’re going.
How important is good hygiene with secateurs
and saws?
Always clean your tools with vinegar or methylated spirits
before you start and as you move between trees to prevent
any diseases being spread through your garden. A good
tip is to keep a spray bottle of methylated spirits handy to
spray on any pruning tools to stop cross-contamination if
any disease is present. Take the time to sharpen your tools
before pruning season, too, as sharp tools give clean cuts
which also reduces the risk of disease.
 $39.50
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P I P ’ S M A I L B OX

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We’d love to receive your feedback, questions, ideas or to see if we’ve inspired you to
embark on any projects. Email your letters and photos to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au

ʩHɀżDOȤųQǝƅDUGHȫ LETTER
RȂƲDz
I grew up in Yatte Yattah, NSW, on my ISSUE
grandparent’s property with a very young
WRITE IN mum. I was always on the go with my nan in the

AND WIN!
chook run or making my own posy of cuttings. Without
this foundation of life, I would have never lived my best
life in finding my fiancé 14 years ago at my age of 22
The letter of and he 31. I moved into his place where my skills were
the issue will lifted by his orchid garden and his silkies, bantams, dove
win this canvas pigeons and dogs!
apron and I loved our time in our Sydney rental; we built gardens
secateurs from out of old fences, chicken wire or screen doors, while
Aussie Gardener buying all the old things we could find. Two years on, we
valued at $69 sadly had to move, but bought a home in western Sydney
where I have owned up to 40 chooks of different bantams,
but my love lies with my white silkie and golden frizzle.
I’ve had countless gardens built as Mother’s Day gifts
6KDULQȈźˉQWɭ and endless purchases of cymbidium potted orchids –
never, ever have I been given a bunch of flowers, not when
My mum thinks my vegie
he can gift a whole plant! Now, going on 12 years and three
garden is Pip worthy, so
kids later, we are so comfortable by living sustainably. And
I thought I’d send you a
without your magazine and endless re-runs of YouTube
photo. We’re looking at
videos and instagram, there is no way I would be loving
newly planted lettuce,
living this way. Your time and knowledge is undoubtedly
baby spinach, newly
underrated, and the biggest skills I have tackled have all
seeded lettuce and
came from either the calendar of planting phases or letting
carrots. Then, in the next bed; beans,
plants go to seed.
bunching onions, lettuce, all sorts of herbs, tomatoes and
But most of all, feelings of calm, listening to myself in
chillies. There are sunflowers for the chickens – their
the garden, knowing that we are doing the right things for
house is just visible, far left – and weeds, all mixed in
our kids and ourselves. I’ve recently put a few gardens
together. What you can’t see, hidden behind this bounty, is
together at the kids’ school, which is so much fun. I’ve
a patch of potatoes, shallots and pumpkins.
put a green-manure crop in to help the
Tristy Sheridan
preschool learn.
via email
Hope Odell
via email
Your garden sounds beautifully abundant, Tristy. What
I love seeing is all those plants flowering and going to
seed, creating biodiversity for the birds and bees. Robyn

)ʳȝƅˆǝƄʳGEDFț
Just letting you know what a great read Issue 27 is. I know
the time and effort it takes to bring this together, thank you.
Sherry Fishlock
via email
Thanks for your feedback, Sherry. We always love
hearing from readers who love Pip. Robyn

18

2XWEDFțƇQVSLUDWLȰ
Inspiring stories from Alice Springs, The Happy Farmer
(Pip, Issue 25), and Mataranka, A Desert Oasis (Pip, Issue
26), profiling how two creative, determined and practical
permaculturalists have literally made the deserts bloom.
Well done to Rod Angelo and Yen Nguyen for making
organic food easily available to their communities and to Pip
for publicising their wonderful work. May more be inspired
to follow their examples of implementing permaculture in
challenging places.
Keep up the great work!
Philip East
Carramar, WA
SOCIAL AWARENESS
Don’t take our word for it; Alicia is a small-scale flower
grower near Coffs Harbour, NSW.
_the_alkemist_ I’ve listened to podcasts for years now,
sitting behind the sewing machine, at the desk analysing
data in my old career, long drives and while cooking. These
days I would rather listen to them instead of music. Since
starting the vegie patch, I started listing to @pipmagazineau
where Robyn interviews a wide range of incredibly
inspiring, knowledgeable and interesting people covering a
wide range of topics. I’ve listen to all of the episodes – 41
of them – with some a couple of times over. I’ve learnt so
much and have been inspired by so many of the people
interviewed. So well worth a listen.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
Stay connected at Pip Magazine Community,
our closed facebook group, where you can
share ideas, information and inspiration
for earth-conscious living.
19
FAIR SHARE
Your place to share inspirational ideas and
earth-conscious care with the Pip community.
$GDSWLQȈƲȶżKDQJǠ
My vegie patch here in Perth is now set up to
deal with 40 ºC+ temperatures. I’ve never before
experienced adequately watered and mulched citrus
tree leaves being scorched by the sun, as happened
last year, so sunshine is now being filtered through
the heat of the day.
Being water-wise is very challenging in these
temperatures, when leafy greens need misting
several times a day, even while growing under shade
cloth. But it is all worth the time and diligence to
enjoy delicious organic fruit and vegies year round.
And I have now added a smaller, more shallow
tier to my birdbaths so the increasing drinking needs
of bees, wasps and other beneficial insects can be
more safely accessed. Plus I’m scattering around
more semi-secluded saucers of water for ground
dwellers such as lizards.
All of us living beings need to adapt more rapidly
than we are accustomed to doing, but for every
challenge there are mediations, solutions and
benefits, if we only approach our world looking for
positive cooperation for best outcomes for all.
Thank you for your continued compassionate
commitment through Pip and all else you do, Robyn.
Bestest wishes to you and your Pip team.
Anni Macbeth
Perth, WA
INDIGENOUS
K N OW L E D G E
SHE-OAK
W O R D S & P H OTO BY T R I S H A E L L I S
Not a conifer or an oak as the name would
suggest, the coastal she-oak is native
to southeast Australia. A member of the
Casuarinaceae family, she-oaks are drought
hardy and fire resistant.
Aboriginal use of native plants is often threefold. The plant
may provide a valuable resource in the manufacture of tools,
weapons and/or utensils. It may also provide an ingredient
that either has medicinal value or be a source of nutrition.
FOR PROTECTION
Aboriginal children are told that if they get lost or are
separated from the larger group, they are to seek shelter in
the thick she-oak groves. This will protect them from the
elements. They can light a small fire for warmth and survive
comfortably for a few days if need be.
When the wind picks up the she-oaks make a sighing
sound, this makes the children easier to locate when
someone is searching for them. Our old people believed
the sighing sound to be the whispers of our ancestors and
would lay children to sleep under the she-oak. There, they
would be comforted by the sound and protected from the
elements. And when the she-oak leaves eventually die and
fall to the ground, they form a dense blanket of needle-like
cover. Snakes would normally avoid crawling over the leaves
as it does damage to their skin.
POLLINATION
The she-oak flowers in autumn through winter, the flowers
on the female are red and on the male they are yellow. The
male also forms a kind of dust on the tip of the needle-like
leaves, this dust is carried by the breeze and washes over
the female flower, this is known as wind pollination.
The gentleness of this process was used by Aboriginal
people to teach proper, respectful and consensual relations
between genders.
20
The tiny, winged seed lives in the nut until it opens,
the seed is then released and carried by the wind to the
forest floor to await germination.
TRADITIONAL USES
Young leaves of a she-oak are edible. The nut can
be chewed when green to stimulate saliva, causing
uncontrollable dribbling which tricks the brain into
believing that you are drinking water and therefore
prevents dehydration. The nuts are also a favourite of
many birds including cockatoos and gang gangs.
Because of its light weight, strength and resistance to
splitting and chipping, the roots, branches and trunk of
the she-oak were used to make boomerangs, shields and
bullroarers. These qualities make for a fine resource for
woodturning and carving.
The trunk of a sapling was used to make clubs, the roots
were cut from the burl at the bottom of the trunk, cleaned
up, fire hardened and stained, engraved or decorated for
effect. The young sapling shaft was also used to make
spears. The bark was removed from the sapling, then fire
hardened and straightened. The points were sharpened or
modified with stone or bone points.
OTHER USES
She-oak is an excellent firewood, the smell of the wood
permeates through food when it is cooking on an open fire
to leave a subtle flavour.
The nut of the bull-oak are much larger than those of the
she-oak. Children who were tormented with nightmares
were encouraged to hold the large nut in their hand when
sleeping, as the nightmare intensifies the child would
clench their fist, thus causing enough pain to wake them
from the disturbed sleep.
The branches of the she-oak were used as brooms to
sweep the ground and dead leaves are good tinder for
making a fire.
 Aboriginal children are
warned that if they get lost or
are separated from the larger
group they are to seek shelter
in the thick she-oak groves

21
S AV E YO U R S E E D S
SILVERBEET
W O R D S BY M I C H E L & J U D E FA N T O N
Beta vulgaris – from the Latin word for a
common beet.
ORIGINS
Silverbeet is native to the sea coast of Spain, Portugal
and islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Wild sea beets are
still found in the Cape Verde Islands, the Canary Islands
and Sicily. Beetroot, sugar beet and forage beet are also
classified as Beta vulgaris.
DESCRIPTION
Silverbeet, also called Swiss chard, has been used for
human consumption and animal fodder for centuries.
Rainbow silverbeet has has purple, orange, yellow, pink,
red or yellow stems.
CULTIVATION
Popular with gardeners because it is so easy to grow. Each
multiform cluster of seeds contains between two and five
seeds. If you plant an unbroken cluster you will have to thin
plants out. But seed clusters can be broken up by placing
them in a paper bag and softly pressing against them with
a rolling pin, or similar.
SAVING THE SEED
Silverbeet is pollinated by both wind and insects, and is
a biennial. In warmer Australia, silverbeet tends to go to
seed in less than 12 months. It will cross with other beets
and beetroots, but when flowering it can be bagged to
exclude foreign pollen and insects. If you are after a large
amount of seed, do not harvest the leaves and let more
than one plant go to seed, because it’s as if beets are self-
incompatible – they need company!
The centre of the leaves will start throwing some
smaller leaves and developing a flattish and branchy stem,
which may reach a height of 1.5 metres. Prune the tips of
22
the branches, because the branch ends only produce
small seeds.
Start harvesting when most of the seed clusters have
turned light brown. Run your fingers up the stems to
remove the seeds. You’ll get some small stems, which can
be winnowed out, as well as some small seeds which can
be separated using a sieve. Do not dry them in full sun.
STORAGE
The seeds will remain viable for up to 10 years if stored in
cool, dry and dark conditions. There are between 60 and
90 seeds to the gram.
USAGE
Some varieties are bred for their fleshy leaf stalks rather
than their leaves. These stalks can be used to bulk out
soups or stews or or served on their own, steamed, with
a cheese or white sauce. Italians favour steamed stalks,
battered and fried in olive oil. The leaves can be wilted in
butter and garlic, steamed or added fresh to salads.
Some relief of acne may be gained by applying vinegar
that has had silverbeet seeds soaking in it for three to five
days. Apply every day for one week.
ON THE LOOKOUT
The type with lighter-coloured leaves has a sweet taste,
while the darker green leaves taste more acrid. There are
three groups of silverbeet; the first is an altogether small
and quite decorative light-green one with much-crumpled
leaves and a narrow stalk. Lucullus is in this group and
common in Italo-Australian gardens. The second is a
medium-sized green one with smooth leaves and broad
stalks; Large Ribbed White or Silver Leaf is in this group.
And the third group is a large plant with tall, dark leaves
and broad stalks. Fordhook Giant and rainbow chard are
examples of these.
This is an edited extract
from Michel and Jude
Fanton’s book The Seed
Savers’ Handbook: A
Permaculture Seed (Seed
Savers Network 2020)
www.seedsavers.net

23
URBAN
FO R A G I N G
TURKEY TAILS
W O R D S BY K E L B U C K L E Y
Striking in their appearance, Turkey tail
(Trametes versicolor) mushrooms have been
a favourite among foragers all around the
world for many years due to their immunity-
boosting properties.
Found in damp forests growing on dead or decaying
hardwood trees, logs and stumps, turkey tail mushrooms
are saprotrophic, which means they get their nutrients
from dead organic matter which is breaking down.
As a result, they play an important ecological role in
decomposing dead trees and recycling nutrients back
into the forest ecosystem.
For a long time, they have been used in traditional
Chinese medicine for their potential health benefits,
but they are also used in some cultures as a culinary
ingredient. Turkey tail mushrooms are edible but unless
they’re small and young, they are usually tough and not
very palatable when eaten raw.
Turkey tails are a type of bracket fungi, which means
they grow in a shelf-like formation with multiple layers.
They tend to grow in large clusters, often forming dense
overlapping layers that resemble the feathers of a turkey’s
tail, hence where they get their common name.
HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM
Turkey tails have a distinctive shape and colouration.
Spotted initially by their unique fan-shaped cap and bands
of colours which can range from brown to blue-green
to grey, you’ll know they’re true turkey tails by the tiny
(3–8 per mm) pores on the underside of the cap. If the
underside has gills, or large pores (1–3 per mm), it’s not
what you’re looking for.
There are other fungi which have a similar growth
habit and can be found on trees, but you’ll find they have
smooth and single-coloured uppers, while turkey tails have
more textured surfaces that boast clear bands of colour.
MEDICINAL USES
Excellent immunity boosters, they contain contain
polysaccharides and beta-glucans, which may help
24
stimulate the immune system and increase the production
of natural killer cells and other immune cells. Turkey tails
contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds,
while the prebiotic fibres found in them may help feed
beneficial gut bacteria and support digestive health. Some
studies even suggest that compounds found in turkey tail
mushrooms may have anti-cancer properties and can help
improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
HOW TO FORAGE THEM
When harvesting turkey tail mushrooms, cut them at
the base of the stem using a sharp knife. Don’t pull the
mushrooms off, as this can damage the mycelium and
prevent future growth. When foraging, only take what you
need and try not to harvest all your mushrooms from one
single location. By spreading your foraging around, you’re
helping to make sure there’s always enough for the fungi
to continue to play its important role in the ecosystem.
HOW TO CONSUME THEM
To prepare turkey tail mushrooms for consumption,
they are usually dried and then steeped in water or
added to soups and stews. Some people also use them
to make a mushroom or vegie broth, and they’re a very
useful ingredient to add to your bone broth this winter.
One of the most common ways to consume turkey tail
mushrooms is to dry them and then use them to make a
tea. Simmer the dried mushrooms in water for between
30 minutes and an hour, before straining the liquid and
serving. You can also add other herbs or spices to the
tea to enhance the flavour.
Dried mushrooms can be ground into a powder,
which can add the powder to smoothies, juices or other
beverages. And young mushrooms can be chopped up and
added to soups, broths, stews or other savoury dishes to
enhance both the flavour and nutritional value.
Some wild mushrooms are toxic and can cause serious illness
or death. Positive identification when foraging is essential.
25
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 IN THE GARDEN

MAY-AUGUST
Seasonal garden guides for Australian climates

COOL TEMPERATE

WARM TEMPERATE

SUBTROPICAL

TROPICAL

ARID

0ˆȫƦ˶DQWLQȈ
The moon’s phases and its associated gravitational pull has a significant effect on the behaviour of tidal oceans, so it’s
easy to understand how the moon can have a similar effect on the moisture in our soils and plants. By planning what
you sow to coincide with the phases of the moon best suited to the type of vegetable and how you’re planting, you’ll
give yourself a higher chance of success as well as increase your yields.

NEW MOON FIRST QUARTER FULL MOON LAST QUARTER

In the new moon phase,
light increases and
lunar gravity pulls water
higher. In the garden,
this means balanced
plant growth. A new
moon phase is ideal
for sowing plants with
edible leaves and seed
heads.
Light increases further
in the second quarter
as the moon grows
fuller. There is less
gravitational pull, making
this time ideal for leaf
growth. A second
quarter phase is the best
time for sowing plants
that fruit.
After the full moon,
as it wanes and light
decreases, gravitational
pull returns downwards,
making this the best
week in the month for
sowing root crops,
bulbs and crowns. It’s
also a good time for
transplanting.
In the fourth quarter,
both the amount of light
and the gravitational
pull decrease further.
Therefore the fourth
quarter moon phase is
best used for harvesting,
fertilising, making
compost and general
garden maintenance.

6–12 May 13–19 May 20–27 May 28 May–3 June

4–10 June 11–17 June 18–25 June 26 June–2 July
3–9 July 10–17 July 18–25 July 26 July–1 August

27
 COOL TEMPERATE WARM TEMPERATE

AY

AY
G

G
N

N
L

L
AU

AU
JU

JU

JU

JU
PLANT

M
PIP
TIPS Artichoke ` ` ` ` ` ` ` 6
Asparagus ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Basil N
SOW DIRECT
Beans (bush)
• Generally speaking, seeds should Beans (runner)
be sown at a depth of twice their
width.
Beetroot 2 2
• Because not all seeds will Broad beans 2 2 2 2 2
germinate, sow two and nip off the
weakest at soil level. Broccoli 6 N
• Successful germination relies on Brussels sprouts
three important things: moisture,
warmth and light. Cabbage ) 6 6
Capsicum N
PLANT SEEDLINGS Carrot 2
• Seedlings are not ready to sow until
their first ‘true’ leaves appear. Cauliflower 6
• Prepare the bed with a decent Celery
amount of organic matter to ensure
good nutrition. Chilli N
• Watering them in gently removes
any air pockets and helps them Chives
settle into their new home. Coriander
Corn
S E E D L I N G T R AY
Cucumber
• Sow seeds in a sifted blend of
potting mix, compost, worm Dill
castings and sand.
• Moisten tray with a seaweed Eggplant
solution prior to removal to Fennel
minimise transplant shock.
• Try to minimise root disturbance Garlic
and get them in the ground quickly
so they don’t dry out. Kale 6 6
Kohlrabi 2 2
PL ANT BULBS/CLOVES Leek 6 N
• Plant bulbs with the widest part
at the bottom with the pointy end Lettuce 2 2 2 2 2
facing up. Melons N N
• When planting garlic, choose the
biggest cloves to use as seed. Mustards 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
• Use mulch sparingly, if at all. Garlic
can have a tendency to rot if it’s Onions 2 2 2 ) 6 6 6 6
kept too moist. Pak choi 2 2

PLANT CROWNS/
Parsley 2
RHIZOMES/RUNNERS/ Parsnip 2 2
SUCKERS
Peas 2 2 2 2 2
• Mound the soil before draping the
spread-out roots of crowns over the Potatoes `
top, then backfill.
• If you’ve cut rhizomes, allow the cut Pumpkin
to dry before planting to reduce the Radish 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
risk of disease.
• Where possible, leave runners Rhubarb ` ` `
attached to the mother plant while
waiting for roots to develop.
Rocket 6 6 )
Silverbeet N 6 N
PLANT UNDERCOVER, Spinach 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
I N T R AY S
• Plant more seeds than you plan to Spring onions 6 2
use and thin out to the strongest as Strawberries ` ` `
they grow.
• Be sure to label your trays with the Swede
variety of your seed and the date it
was planted.
Tomatoes N N
• Move seedling tray outdoors for Turnip 2 2
up to a week before planting out
to harden off. Zucchini N

28
 SUBTROPICAL TROPICAL ARID

AY

AY

AY
G

G
N

N
L

L
AU

AU

AU
JU

JU

JU

JU

JU

JU
PLANT

M
Artichoke 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Basil ) 2 2 2 2
Beans (French) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Beetroot 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Broad beans 2 2 2 2 2
Broccoli 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Cabbage 6 2 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Capsicum ) 6 6 6
Carrot 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Cassava ` ` ` `
Cauliflower 6 6 6 6
Celery 6 6 6 6 6 6 ) ) 6 6
Ceylon spinach
Chilli ) 2 2 2 2 ) 6
Chives 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Coriander 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Corn 2 2 2 2 2 2
Cucumber 2 2 2 2 2 )
Eggplant 2 2 2 2 2 )
Fennel 2 2 2 2 2
Garlic
Ginger ` ` ` `
Kale 6 6 6 6 ) 6 6 6 6 6 6
Kohlrabi 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Leek 6 ) 6 6 6 ) )
Lemongrass ` ` ` ` 2
Lettuce 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Melons ) 2 2 2
Mustard 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Okra ) 2 2 2 2 N
Onions 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Pak choi 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Parsley 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Parsnip 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Peas* 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Potatoes ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `
Pumpkin N 2
Radish 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Rocket 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Silverbeet 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Spinach 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Spring onion 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
Squash N 2 2 2 2
Sweet potatoes ` ` ` `
Tomatoes 6 6 6 6 N
Turnip 2 2 2 2 2 6 6 6 6
Zucchini N 2 2 2 2
*Snow peas only for tropical climate

29
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Now is the perfect time to think
about which varieties you
might want to grow

32
 GROW
:LQWɇƦ˶DQWLQȈ
STONE FRUIT
W O R D S BY B E C S H A N N
Ever dreamed of picking deliciously ripe stone
fruit from your own backyard? Winter is the
time to put the work in if you are wanting to
be picking sun-warmed fruit in summer.
While great quality fruit is available seasonally at farmers
markets and roadside stalls, nothing can beat the taste of
a sun-warmed peach straight from the tree or homemade
plum jam on toast.
And it’s not just the harvest that makes stone fruit a
great addition to the home garden – branches laden with
blossoms in spring attract bees and beneficial insects when
they are needed and provide a beautiful reminder that
warmer weather is on the way.
CHOOSING YOUR FRUIT
Stone fruits are deciduous trees with a period of winter
dormancy. Because bare-rooted trees are planted out
in winter, now is the perfect time to think about which
varieties you might want to grow.
They are best suited to areas with warm summers, lower
humidity and cool winters, with some exceptions. All stone
fruit varieties have a ‘chill hour’ requirement, meaning
they need a minimum number of hours below specific
temperatures when they’re dormant to stimulate healthy
bud development for spring. Cultivars have a high, medium
or low chill requirement, differentiating what will grow best
where. For example, low-chill varieties of peaches and
nectarines will grow in temperate and subtropical areas,
while high-chill varieties (like most cherries) thrive only
with cold winters. When acquiring trees, make sure their
chill requirement matches your location.
Stone fruits are versatile in the home garden. They can
be grown as standalone trees in a garden bed or with
companion plants and herbs beneath them in a guild or
33
food forest. They also do well trained in a fan espalier
along walls or fences, on trellises or as dwarf trees in large
pots, making them a great option for those renting or with
smaller yards.
APRICOT
Apricots can grow several metres tall, be pruned to a
smaller size for ease of maintenance or purchased as
a dwarf variety suitable for pots. They can be grown
freestanding or trained to grow on a trellis, and will be
ready to harvest in early to mid summer. Expect your first
full harvest to take up to three years. Cultivars are available
in a range of chill hour requirements, including low-chill
options. Popular choices are Moorpark or Trevatt for
temperate areas, where they especially like warm and
dry summers.
PEACH AND NECTARINE
Despite the different skin, peaches and nectarines are
actually closely related. They prefer warm summers and
cool winters, with fruit ripening right through summer
depending on your cultivar and a full harvest occurring
after two or three years. Dwarf and low-chill options are
available, and they can easily be espaliered or grown as
a freestanding tree. Look for peach cultivars Anzac and
Golden Queen, with Tropic Beauty a low-chill option; for
nectarines, Gold Mine, Fantasia and Early Rivers come
highly recommended.
PLUM
Plums are prolific fruiters, flowering early in spring with
fruit ripe from early summer. Because they flower early,
place them where frost won’t damage their blooms. Plums
can provide a good harvest after only one year, so are
great for impatient gardeners! There are many plums
 GROW
Avoid areas of
strong wind
or where you
know late
frosts tend
to settle, as
both of these
can damage
delicate
flowers and
young fruit
available; popular cultivars include Satsuma, Santa Rosa
and Mariposa. European plums like Damson and Green
Gage are also readily available, though the fruit is generally
more suitable for preserving or jams.
CHERRY
Sweet cherries traditionally require more chill hours than
other stone fruit and are most suitable for growing in areas
with cold winters, though lower chill varieties are becoming
more common. Cherries flower early in spring and can be
susceptible to frost damage, so careful placement in your
garden to avoid frost pockets is key. Cherry trees are large
and vigorous, taking several years to fruit. Popular varieties
include Stella and the low-chill Royal Crimson, as well as a
dwarf Trixzie Black Cheree.
DOES MY TREE NEED A POLLINATOR?
Cross-pollination is the process of transferring pollen for
fertilisation from the flowers of one tree to another by bees,
insects or wind. Many fruiting trees and plants require
cross-pollination to produce a harvest, but not all. Self-
fertile trees still benefit from having a compatible variety
close by to maximise pollination and harvests, but will set
fruit if planted on their own. Most apricots, peaches and
nectarines are self-fertile, while cherries and plums may
be either self-fertile or need a pollinator depending on the
cultivar. Pollination charts will tell you which varieties are
pollination compatible, and your local nursery will be able
to help you too.
Short on space, but want a variety that requires cross-
pollinating? Look for ‘fruit-salad’ trees which have two or
more varieties grafted on to one tree, or consider planting
two or three trees into one planting hole (see Pip Issue 25).
34
BARE-ROOTED OR POTTED?
Plant fruit trees during winter when the trees are dormant
and often sold ‘bare-rooted’. Because the plant is dormant,
it can be without soil for just a few weeks as long as the
roots are kept moist and cool, usually wrapped in damp
shredded paper or coir. Easy to transport, you can source
a wide variety at local nurseries and online fruit-tree
specialists. Potted plants, on the other hand, have the
advantage of being available throughout the year, often
as older trees with more established root systems. Some
gardeners prefer potted trees, believing the reduced root
disturbance and transplant shock results in healthier trees
and earlier fruit production. Most nurseries will pot up their
unsold bare-rooted stock before the end of winter, so be
sure to ask when shopping around.
PLANTING OUT
Choose a position that has full sun (at least six hours
during summer) and good airflow to discourage fungal
diseases and pests. Avoid areas of strong wind or where
you know late frosts tend to settle, as both of these can
damage delicate flowers and young fruit.
Stone fruit love a deep free-draining soil with good
organic matter and a pH of 6–7. If your soil is heavy with
clay, try mounding up the soil and adding a free-draining
soil mix. If planting in pots, your pot should be at least 50
centimetres across and use high-quality potting mix.
Soak the roots in a bucket of water and liquid seaweed
for an hour. Dig a wide hole deep enough for the root ball
but no deeper than the graft point on the trunk. As you
backfill the hole, reduce air pockets around the roots by
jiggling the tree and settling the soil as you go. Finish with
watering in and tying it to a stake to keep it stable, top
dress with compost and mulch. Planting out a potted tree
is a similar process – just skip the soaking and opt for a
deep water-in at the end instead.
MAINTENANCE
Once established, fruit trees require some regular
maintenance. Apply compost to the trees in late winter to
support flowering and fruit set and prioritise regular, deep
watering and mulching to maintain consistently damp soil,
as dry conditions can reduce fruit production. Regular
applications of a liquid seaweed throughout spring and
summer also promotes healthy growth.
Strong weeds and runner grasses like couch or kikuyu
can really interfere with young tree establishment. Keep
these competitive weeds away from the base of your trees
Opening page If you want to be able to pick your fruit, now’s the time to be planting new fruit trees. This page, clockwise from top left Cherry
trees may take a few years to bear fruit, but when they do they can be generous; Birds will love your apricots, so net them early; If you’ve never
grown stone fruit before, a plum is a good choice; Bare-rooted trees are generally less expensive to buy and only available in winter.

35
 GROW

Though pruning is a winter job for many

deciduous trees, it’s actually better to prune
stone fruit in summer after harvest

using thick mulch or by planting companion plants like

marigolds, nasturtiums and comfrey around their base –
they’ll attract beneficial insects as well.
Though pruning is a winter job for many deciduous trees,
it’s actually better to prune stone fruit in summer after
harvest. Stone fruits are susceptible to fungal issues and
bacterial canker if pruned in winter because the cuts may
not dry and heal properly. Winter pruning (see Brains Trust,
page 16) can also promote vigorous vegetative growth
in spring at the expense of flowers and fruit. Summer
pruning instead means the cuts heal faster and discourages
vegetative growth meaning the tree will have more energy
for fruit production.

PESTS AND DISEASES

Fungal diseases of the foliage and fruit like Brown Rot, Leaf
Curl, Shot Hole and Rust are common issues in stone fruit,
particularly in areas of high humidity or rainfall. The best
way to reduce them is to apply an overwintering spray of
lime sulphur several times throughout the dormant period.
)˻XLɕƲKLQQLQȈ
The spray coats the bark and buds of the fruit trees and BECAUSE LESS WILL MEAN MORE
kills off the spores lying dormant until spring. Lime sulphur
Fruit thinning involves removing some young
is a low-risk application and an accepted organic input, but
fruit to encourage a crop of larger sized fruit.
cover up and take care not to spray it around too liberally…
It is especially important for younger trees
the smell lingers!
that might be damaged by snapped branches if
Sap-sucking insects like scale, aphids and thrips can
they are too heavy with fruit, and encourages a
be controlled with soapy sprays or a white oil, though if
more consistent crop size year to year.
you wait a little you’ll probably start to see some beneficial
Complete thinning in early to mid-summer,
ladybirds arrive to help you out. Bigger pests like birds, rats
between fruit set and when the fruit is two
and possums will find ripe fruit irresistible – if you find
centimetres or so in diameter. Look at each
yourself in a battle with them, netting either the whole tree
cluster of fruit on the tree and simply snap off
or using exclusion bags to isolate just the fruit will be the
the smallest fruit until two or three healthy
best solution.
fruit are left. For trees like plums, remove fruit
In many parts of eastern Australia, the dreaded
so that there is around 10 centimetres between
Queensland Fruit Fly can turn a bumper crop into a mushy
each pair of fruit on the branches. While some
mess. If you live in an affected area, follow an appropriate
trees will naturally shed fruit as they mature,
monitoring and baiting program (see Pip Issue 18), clean
manual thinning is still beneficial and the
up your fallen fruit and set up exclusion netting early in
earlier this is done the larger the remaining
the season if it’s a feasible option for you. Choose early-
fruit can grow.
season varieties that will mature before the hottest weather
– and highest fruit fly populations – occur. Natural insect
predators including small birds, parasitic wasps and spiders
can help to reduce fruit fly pressure as well, so fostering a This article represents the permaculture principle OBTAIN
healthy ecosystem will always help. A YIELD. For more info go to page 99.

36
Kel Buckley
Kel Buckley

This page, clockwise from top left Nothing says the weather’s about to start warming up like the arrival of blossoms; Peaches will do best in
an area with warm summers and pretty cool winters; Leaf curl, like on the foliage of this nectarine, is a common disease. It can occur when
there’s been a lot of rain and/or high humidity.

37
38
 GROW
*˻DIWLQȈ
TREES OF CHANGE
W O R D S & P H OTO S BY J U L I E B E N N E T T
The reasons to try your hand at grafting
are many and varied. As well as increasing
the varieties of fruit you’ll be harvesting
each year, you’ll be improving pollination,
extending your fruiting season and creating
important diversity to benefit your patch.
In simple terms, grafting is the art of taking cuttings from
one tree and attaching it to another. If this sounds easy it’s
because it actually is! So if you’ve ever pondered grafting a
few new varieties of apples or plums onto an existing fruit
tree, or enjoyed a variety of peach or pear from a friend’s
harvest and wished you could have a tree just like it, then
grafting is definitely worth a shot.
With the plethora of grafting techniques out there, it’s
easy to become overwhelmed with what type of graft you
should use. One of the simplest and most versatile grafts is
a basic bark graft. A way to either completely change over
a young tree of around four or five years or to add a few
different varieties to an older tree by grafting into existing
branches, bark grafting is a handy technique to know.
And you’ll become completely hooked on just how many
varieties you can graft onto a single tree.
KEEP IT IN THE (GENUS) FAMILY
For a good compatibility, you will need to match your bud
wood, called scion wood, with a parent tree of the same
genus. By sticking to the same genus, rather than the same
family, your grafts should be accepted by the parent tree
as one of their own. For example, apples (Malus domestica),
pears (Pyrus communis) and quince (Cydonia oblonga) all
may be in the pome family, but all three are in a different
genus so may struggle if grafted onto each other.
Apricots (Prunus ameniaca), plums (Prunus domestica),
almonds (Prunus dulcet) and peaches and nectarines
39
(Prunus persica), however, are in the Prunus genus and
so are usually accepted onto a parent tree within the same
genus – the answers lie in the botanical names.
An interesting exception is the common hawthorn
(Crataegus monogyna) as this thorny old hedging tree will
accept grafts of pear, quince and even medlar as its own.
Hawthorn is considered a weed in many states so grafting
it over to a new variety could be a good way of dealing with
a prickly problem.
COLLECTING YOUR SCION WOOD
The best time to collect your scion wood is when your
trees are completely dormant. The scion wood, or bud
wood, needs to be new wood, which is wood that has
grown this season from an older branch. It needs to be
around the thickness of a pencil, about 20 centimetres
long and needs to have at least six buds. This will give you
enough length to make your grafting cuts on the base while
still leaving you enough strong buds for growing.
Your scion wood should be clean, disease free and cut
from healthy canes with no damage to the buds. Don’t be
tempted to collect suckers as scion wood as this could be
from an old rootstock and be different to the fruiting wood.
Once cut from the parent tree, it’s important to know
which way is up! An easy way to remember is to cut
the base of your scion wood flat when removing it from
the tree before trimming the tip on an angle to easily
distinguish between the two ends – an upside-down graft
will never grow well. Label it clearly and store it wrapped
in wet newspaper in an airtight container in your fridge
until it’s ready to be used.
The time to do your grafting is in late winter or very early
spring when your parent trees are waking up and the sap
flow is beginning to move up the tree. You'll be able to spot
this when the buds are starting to swell.
 GROW
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
As well as your scion wood, you’ll need a pruning saw,
sharp secateurs, a grafting knife, grafting tape and
wound-dressing paint. If you don’t have a grafting knife,
a box cutter with a new blade will do the trick, and some
people prefer to use electrical tape instead of grafting tape
because it’s more likely to become loose on its own accord
and not strangle the graft. Likewise, a plastic bag covering
the graft can be just as effective as wound-dressing paint
in stopping the graft from drying out or filling up with
water during heavy rain. You will need to make sure that
all equipment is sterilised well.
HOW TO BARK GRAFT
In these images, there was a large tree that was too tall
and unwieldy to prune back to a manageable state, so
the decision was taken to saw if off below waist height
and graft new varieties of scion wood around the trunk
to form a new crown. If grafting to a branch, choose
healthy outward-facing branches about six centimetres
in diameter. Try not to choose branches that are inward
facing as they can create congestion and may get damaged
from other branches. Using your sterilised pruning saw,
make a clean cut through the branch, making sure the cut
has no jagged edges and bark is undamaged.
Looking at the exposed wood, identify the outer bark, the
inner timber and the thin cambium layer between the two.
The cambium layer is where the outer bark changes from
dark to lighter wood on the main tree or from green to
pale brown on the scion wood, and successful grafting is
ensuring the cambium layer of both parts marry up firmly.
To do this, make a small vertical cut in either the trunk
40
Store your
bud wood
until late
winter or
very early
spring when
your parent
trees are
waking up
of the tree or branch through to the cambium layer, before
identifying the inner edge of the cambium layer and making
a tee cut for your scion wood to be pushed into. Using a
sharp knife, make two clean cuts on the base of your scion
wood to form a chisel point, which is then inserted snuggly
into the cut so both the cambium layer of the parent tree
and the scion have good contact. This will mean the sap
flow can continue from the parent tree into the graft.
Trim the top of your scion wood to flat and give it a
gentle tap to help it make tight contact and ensure the graft
is held in place. The tape will assist, but a nice firm seating
of the graft is important.
For branch grafts, place two grafts opposite each other
to maximise success, and if grafting over a young tree,
placing up to six grafts into the top of the trunk will create
a new workable crown lower in the tree. Don’t forget to
label your grafts so you know what’s what.
Once your grafts are in place, wrap them with tape to
hold joins securely, then either paint with wound dressing
or place a clear plastic bag over the grafts and tape it
closed. You can remove the bag once you see new green
shoots appearing on your scion wood.
DON’T GIVE UP
If your grafts aren’t successful, try to identify why and
use it as an opportunity to learn. Look at where the graft
connects with the parent tree and see if the cambium
layers line up. Pests could have eaten the new shoots or
maybe the parent tree had too much sap flow that could
have drowned the scion wood. If your tree is throwing out
lots of new growth that wasn’t where your grafts were, let
it grow this year and try again next winter.
Opposite page Grafting isn’t a task better left to experts – give it a go and see what you can create. This page, clockwise from top left Be sure to
label your scion wood; Sharp, sterilised tools are a must; Use tape to keep grafts protected and in place; Identifying the cambium layer is key to a
successful graft; For a bark graft, you’ll need to form a chisel point on your scion wood.

41
42
 EAT
:LOǝƄˆǝ
WINTER WEEDS
W O R D S & P H O T O S BY A N N A M AT I L D A
Winter can feel like a bleak, barren time in
nature and many gardeners find slim pickings
from the patch as we wait for our winter
vegies to sweeten with the arrival of frosts.
A simple solution to filling the nutrient gap is
to turn to foraging. Rather than curse those
weeds that crop up between pavers and in
dormant vegie beds, why not eat the problem
instead? Here are three weeds which are as
nutritious as they are common, and really
versatile in the kitchen too.
CHICKWEED (STELLARIA MEDIA)
Sometimes referred to as common chickweed, chickenwort,
winterweed or starwort, chickweed is a sprawling, bright
green plant, with a shallow thin root system, identifiable
by its tender pointed oval-shaped leaves which grow
on alternating sides of its stems. Those stems feature a
‘mohawk’ of soft, curved hairs along one side and a sturdy
central vein which exudes a small amount of clear sap
when broken. Odourless flowers with five deeply-lobed
white petals grow from short stalks in bunches at the end
of stems.
WHERE & WHEN
Chickweed likes the sun on its face, but its feet cool and
damp. Look for big patches of bright green among soft soil
around the base of trees in parklands, and around pots and
raised beds in your garden. Seedlings emerge late autumn
and plants grow through to early spring.
43
Be aware of toxic lookalikes in Euphorbia peplus (petty
spurge, radium weed, cancer weed – their milky sap will
alert you) and Anagallis arvensis (scarlet pimpernel, red
chickweed – their flowers won’t be white).
HOW TO USE IT
Chickweed is a really beneficial winter weed because it has
high levels of iron – more than twice that of spinach – is
chock-full of protein and vitamins A and C. It does have
relatively high levels of saponins, which shouldn’t be eaten
in excess, but these are neutralised by the cooking process.
Medicinally, chickweed was used for centuries as a
topical remedy for various itchy skin conditions. When
infused as a tea, oil or tincture, chickweed is used in many
cultures to treat inflammation, congestion, constipation
and other digestive complaints. Always check with your
healthcare providers before introducing homemade natural
remedies.
IN THE KITCHEN
Chickweed is about as close to butter lettuce as you’ll find
in the weed world: it tastes mild, sweet, subtly ‘green’ and
has soft leaves. The sturdy stem mid-veins are stringy to
chew, so chop them into smaller bits before eating.
Chickweed is an excellent bulk filler for dishes like
pesto, weed pies, green smoothies or creamy green
soups and curries. Its delicate green leaves and starburst
white flowers make beautiful garnishes. Adding chopped
chickweed to lacto-fermenting sauerkraut or to a fire cider
infusion is a great way of increasing their nutritional value
and your gut health.
 EAT

In some
cultures, they
are ground to
a condiment
HOW TO USE IT
paste with Hairy Bittercress is full of vitamin C, beta-carotene,
vinegar antioxidants, calcium and magnesium, so it’s an excellent
all-round health-boost to enjoy during colder months.
similar to The leaves, flowers, stems and immature siliques are
horseradish edible raw or cooked. Even the roots can be used: in
some cultures, they are ground to a condiment paste with
cream vinegar similar to horseradish cream. As with most weeds,
the younger leaves are less bitter and more tender than
mature ones, so keep them for eating whole, and chop
older parts up to mix through dishes.
&KLFNZʳǝƦDNˈDɎ
IN THE KITCHEN
Hairy Bittercress sits in the Brassicaceae family, along
INGREDIENTS with mustard, horseradish and rocket, which helps to
100 g chickpea flour 1 handful wild garlic explain its flavour profile: it has a punchy, herbaceous
1 tbsp curry powder leaves & bulbs (or 1 taste that pairs well with rich, creamy flavours like egg
½ tsp baking powder small onion), roughly and smoked fish. Contrary to its name, this weed isn’t
½ tsp sea salt chopped so much bitter as peppery: not unlike the sharpness of
120 ml water 1 garlic clove, crushed a radish or a handful of rocket.
50 g chickweed, chopped Oil for shallow-frying Use Hairy Bittercress wherever you’d use rocket,
watercress, radish or horseradish. Anything with eggs or
METHOD oily fish is likely to be an excellent match – from a smoked
Combine dry ingredients, then stir while adding enough fish terrine through to a humble egg sandwich. Add it to
water to make a silky batter. Add the remaining salads – leafy or creamy – as well as sandwiches, pizza
ingredients (not the oil) and mix until the greens are and soups, or use it in salsa, pesto or chimichurri sauces
well coated. for some added punch.
Heat vegetable oil in large frypan and dollop in
spoonfuls of the mixture before covering. Cook until
pakora bases are golden, then flip and cook the other :ʳGɭƼLQWɇƦdz
side. Drain on a tea towel before serving immediately.

HAIRY BITTERCRESS (CARDAMINE HIRSUTA) INGREDIENTS

With commons names like flick weed and land cress, 2 tbsp olive oil 2 eggs
bittercress grows as a rosette of leaves stemming from 1 medium onion, chopped 100 g creamy cheese
a central taproot. The lower rounded leaves are sparsely 2–3 cloves garlic, (goat’s, buffalo
covered with short fine hairs, while the stems – which chopped mozzarella, Danish feta
grow up to 30 centimetres – have alternating compound 6 cups mixed greens & or ricotta)
leaves of skinny leaflets, and terminate in expanding weeds, chopped 1 sheet puff pastry,
bunches of tiny white flowers. Upward-pointing thin 3–4 mushrooms (wild, if defrosted
seedpods (called siliques) explosively disperse seeds when available), chopped 50 g butter
brushed at maturity, hence the name flickweed. salt and pepper

WHERE & WHEN METHOD

Seedlings spring up between pavers and in disturbed
soil – such as around building sites, garden nurseries and
newly cleaned-out garden beds. As it has a preference
for cool damp soil, you’ll most often find Hairy Bittercress
emerging from late autumn right through winter and into
the beginnings of spring. There are no toxic lookalikes.
Preheat oven to 180C ºC. Heat oil on low in large frypan
and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Set aside one cup
of the greens and add the rest and the mushrooms to
the frypan, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are
cooked. until mushroom is cooked. Season with salt and
pepper and allow to cool.

44
 Opening page Common weeds can bring a humble sandwich to life. This spread, clockwise from top left Hairy bittercress, or flick weed, has
a peppery flavour profile not unlike rocket; Jazz up a bland cheese bagel with some ‘unwanted’ weeds from your garden; When foraging for
chickweed, remember it will always have a white flower; Create a weedy showstopper this winter. Page 46 Oxalis is great for adding a lemony zing.

45
 EAT
Add the remaining greens, butter and half the cheese
to a food processor and blitz into a paste. Spread paste
evenly over pastry sheet then roll into a log. Chill in
freezer for 15 minutes.
Lightly whisk the eggs and pour all but two tablespoons
into the frypan of greens and stir to combine. Spoon
greens mixture into a small pie dish and dollop on the
remainder of the cheese. Remove pastry from freezer,
cut into wheels 10 mm thick and lay them on top of the
pie filling, overlapping slightly if you have enough. Brush
with remaining egg. Bake for 20–30 minutes or until
pastry is golden.
OXALIS
Known as wood sorrel, soursob, sour grass and bermuda
buttercup, the Oxalis family is large, with nearly 600
species and subspecies appearing around the world. We
have around 30 in Australia, all of which are edible.
Identifying features are what’s predominantly three
heart-shaped leaflets, and funnel-shaped flowers with five
petals. Flowers can be yellow, white, pink, purple or peach.
Some varieties reproduce via tubers beneath the soil, while
others creep along the surface.
While it can be confused with clover (Trifolium spp.), both
are edible.
WHERE & WHEN
Typically you’ll find Oxalis in abundance during cooler
months, when the ground is damp and soft. Look for
creeping varieties around paved garden areas, especially
46
near water sources. Bulb-growing varieties can be found
in large clumps amongst shaded lawns, nature strips and
parklands.
HOW TO USE IT
Oxalis species vary in their nutritional content, but as a
general rule, they all have good amounts of vitamins A
and C, both of which are useful to stock up on in winter.
Historically, oxalis was used alleviate fever, nausea, cramps,
scurvy, mouth ulcers and more, and has been used in a
broad range of cuisines, from desserts to cheesemaking.
IN THE KITCHEN
As the name suggests, oxalis has a high oxalic acid
content, which can cause issues for people with kidney
stones or gout. While it’s best for everyone to eat weeds in
moderation, it’s worth noting that spinach, kale and black
tea also have high oxalic acid levels, so oxalis isn’t that far
removed from our cultivated diet. There is evidence to show
that if you pair oxalis with calcium-rich foods like cheese
or yoghurt, you can greatly reduce the risk of any digestive
issues, so you may like to factor that in to your usage of
this weed.
You can eat the leaves, stems and flowers of most
commonly appearing oxalis, and some varieties – like Oca
(O. tuberosa) – are grown for their edible tubers. All parts of
oxalis have a deliciously fresh, lemony flavour. This means
they can be used to add flavour in dishes where you might
normally use vinegar or lemon juice.
The zingy citrus tang make oxalis species great additions
to salads, sandwiches and sauces, and they complement
many seafood dishes. Their decorative leaves and flowers
make them excellent garnishes, too. Adding them to lemon
risotto, or use them in a watermelon, feta and mint salad.
2SHȫƅDUGHȫƬDQGZLFȍ
Recipe pictured page 42
INGREDIENTS
2 hardboiled eggs, 2 stalks wild garlic/spring
de-shelled onion, chopped
1 tbsp mayonnaise 1 handful salad-type leaves
1 tbsp sour cream 2 slices bread, toasted
small handful oxalis, edible flowers & weeds to
chopped garnish
METHOD
Mix eggs, mayo, sour cream and weeds together, season
to taste. Lay salad leaves on the toast, dollop on the egg
mixture and decorate with garnishes.
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48
 EAT

ʫVʜɇƙQˌȫƻHJLHɎ
GROW TO LOVE
W O R D S BY A L I C E Z A S L AV S K Y P H O T O S BY B E N D E A R N L E Y

By learning more ways to cook the lesser-
known vegies this season produces, you’re
increasing diversity in the kitchen and giving
yourself more planting options for your patch.
This time of year produces plenty of vegies that often get
overlooked for the garden or in the kitchen because we’re
not sure how to get the best from them in a meal. But with
a little bit of know-how, winter vegies like brussels sprouts,
turnips and okra will go from fillers for stews and soups into
stars of meals the whole family will love.
oil, 1½ tbsps wholegrain mustard and a finely sliced bunch
of chives in a bowl. Add some thinly sliced sprouts and
cabbage, and an apple cut into matchsticks, then toss to coat.
Stand for five minutes to soften and scatter with parmesan
and hazelnuts. But the Dinner-party sprouts are sure to turn
even the most bullish brassica denier into a believer.
'LQQɇƦDUWɭƬS˻ˉWɎ

BRUSSELS SPROUTS INGREDIENTS MARINADE

I use ‘willingness to give sprouts a chance’ as a friendship 500 g brussels sprouts, 2 tbsp honey
test: if someone is closed off to brussels sprouts, how are trimmed and halved 2 tbsp light soy sauce
they going to go with arthouse cinema or cat memes? The 1 tbsp peanut oil 2 tbsp peanut oil
key to a good sprout is to treat them right. roasted peanuts, roughly 1 tsp ground coriander
When buying or harvesting, check for yellowing leaf chopped, to garnish 1 tsp caraway seeds
tips or mangy gnaw marks. Pull off any yellow leaves (optional) ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
before storing, but don’t wash them as this will hasten chopped red chilli, to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
decomposition. Use within three or four days. garnish (optional)
To prepare them for cooking, trim off the dried-out base
and any scungy leaf tips, then soak to release any wrigglers. METHOD
Cook whole, or halve or quarter if large. Be liberal with acid, Preheat the oven to 220 ºC, with a baking tray inside.
salt and sweet to mitigate bitterness. In a shallow dish, combine the marinade ingredients and
They go really well with cheese (parmesan, ricotta), arrange the sprouts, cut-side down, in the marinade.
cream, cured meats, garlic, herbs (chives, parsley, thyme), Remove the hot tray from the oven, line it with baking
lemon, nuts (almonds, chestnuts), vinegar (apple cider, paper, then pop the sprouts cut-side down onto the tray;
balsamic, chardonnay). reserve the remaining marinade in the bowl.
Two quick ideas to cook them is to halve them and roast Roast the sprouts for 10 minutes, or until the top
them cut-side down in oil and honey, maple syrup or brown leaves are basically burnt. Pour the peanut oil into your
sugar at 220 ºC for 12–15 minutes. Alternatively, make a leftover marinade to loosen it off, then drizzle over the
slaw by whisking two tbsps of vinegar, ¼ cup (60 ml) olive roasted sprouts. Scatter with peanuts and chilli to serve.

49
 EAT

OKRA
Okra is a seed pod that contains mucilage, which lends a
6ˉWKʴȫƄ˻LHǝˁUNj
delicious goopiness to stews and soups. Alternatively you
can subdue the sliminess and enjoy it crispy-fried.
INGREDIENTS
When storing okra be vigilant for brown, black or soft
rice bran oil, for deep- 100 ml milk kefir, plus
spots. Keep it towards the front of the crisper, or bagged up
frying extra for dipping
but with some airflow in a cool part of your pantry, with no
1 bunch of thyme 400 g okra pods (smaller
risk of moisture. 1/3 cup maize flour ones are best)
To avoid the slime factor, keep okra dry. Use a cloth to
1 cup plain flour
wipe the skin clean. Use a sharp knife, chop as little as you
1 tsp salt flakes PAPRIKA SALT
have to, and only right before cooking. Stainless steel or
1½ tsp smoked paprika ¼ cup salt flakes
enamelled cookware is best.
1 tsp curry powder 2 tsp smoked paprika
Okra is best paired with capsicum, chilli, citrus, corn,
garlic, ginger, herbs (coriander or parsley), onion and
METHOD
tomato.
Heat 4 cm of oil in a saucepan to 180 °C. Add the thyme
You can deep-fry okra as is until golden and top with a
leaves and cook for 1–2 minutes, or until crisp. Remove
sauce or salsa to serve. Adding it to stews means going all
with tongs and drain on paper towel. In a wide bowl, mix
in on slime, just add it towards the start of cooking and let it
together the flours, salt, paprika and curry powder. Pour
break down. Or you can split the difference and fry the okra
the kefir into another bowl. In a third small bowl, toss
until golden on all sides, then add to your braise towards the
together the paprika salt ingredients.
end of cooking, so it doesn’t have time to break down and
The trick to stop the okra going too gloopy is to keep
become slimy.
the okra dry until the very last minute, and deep-fry in
small batches. Dip the okra into the kefir, then in the
flour mixture, then immediately into the hot oil. Fry for
2–3 minutes, until the batter is golden and crispy. Drain
on paper towel.
Sprinkle the paprika salt over the fried okra and
scatter with crispy thyme leaves while still hot. Serve
warm, with extra kefir for dipping.

50
 TURNIP
Small turnips are more abundant in summer, while autumn
3˱FNOHǝƲXUQLSɎ
and winter stocks are bigger and more robust. When
cooked, turnips become sweet with a hint of mustardy heat.
INGREDIENTS
Smaller and mid-sized turnips are sweetest, becoming 1/3 cup salt flakes 1 tsp black peppercorns
spicier and woodier as they age; save the bigger ones for 1/3 cup caster sugar 4 bay leaves
pickling. Slice the tops off, then wrap and store as you
100 g beetroot, chopped 800 g turnips, peeled
would fresh herbs.
into 1 cm cubes and cut into 2 cm half-
Turnips go wonderfully with allspice, bacon, butter,
2 garlic cloves, peeled moons
caraway seeds, cream, fennel, herbs (parsley, thyme),
and bruised 1 cup vinegar
juniper berries and lemon. As well as pickling, two quick
zest of 1 lemon
ideas for preparing small turnips are to either bake them
whole (quarter larger ones) by parboiling them first, then
METHOD
tossing in oil or butter and roast at 200 ºC until burnished
Pop the salt, sugar, beetroot, garlic, lemon zest,
on the outside. Or they’re great in a stir-fry, too. Add them
peppercorns, bay leaves as well as two cups of water
in a hot wok with plenty of oil and ginger. Don’t forget to
into a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil.
include the tops!
Remove from the heat, add the turnips and leave to cool
completely, then stir in the vinegar. Drain the turnips
into a jug, reserving the spices and liquid.
Wash a 1.6 litre jar with hot soapy water, rinse well
and leave to dry. Add the turnips and spices to the
clean jar. Pour in the liquid, all the way to the top, to
cover the turnips. Seal the lid, then leave in a cool
Illustrations by Vera Babida

This is an edited extract from Alice
Zaslavsky’s Little Box of Veg recipe
cards (Murdoch Books 2023).
dark place for five days to pickle. The lid should pop to
concave and seal in this time.
If you find your lid doesn’t seal, you can store the jar
in the fridge and use within one month. If the lid does
seal, you can store the jar in a cool dark place for up
to three months.

51
52
 BUILD
6XˏDLQDEǵƨHQȶ
COASTAL RENEWAL
W O R D S B Y S O P H I E S P E N C E R P H O T O S B Y N I K O L E R A M S AY
A considered renovation and clever
retrofitting turned a small dilapidated house
on Wathaurong country into a rustic, coastal
retreat for this creative young family.
When Harriet Birrell (otherwise known as Natural Harry)
and husband Fraser West needed somewhere to live, they
felt overwhelmed by the price of buying close to family on
Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.
‘We had a very small budget,’ explains Harriet. But when
the option arose to renovate a small, run-down house on land
owned by relatives, the couple jumped at the opportunity. At
40 m2, ‘It’s not technically a tiny home, as it’s not mobile and
cannot fit in a trailer, but it’s small nonetheless’. By utilising
their own skills and labour and incorporating upcycled and
reclaimed materials, the couple made the house liveable
within six months, creating a compact but well-considered
space, full of light and closely connected with the outdoors.
THE BRIEF
To keep costs down, the couple used Fraser’s skills as a
sustainable building designer and carpenter.
‘Fraser cleverly crafted the house for our specific needs
and within the restraints of the project, such as existing
structure, aspect, location, availability of locally sourced
materials and our extremely small budget,’ explains Harriet.
In previous years, the pair built a vintage-style caravan
from scratch, using mostly reclaimed materials. They parked
the caravan on a vacant lot in the beach town of Barwon
Heads, and sold organic desserts and plant-based smoothies
53
to the local community.
‘Using reclaimed, discards, offcuts and secondhand within
the caravan definitely influenced and motivated us to do the
same for our house,’ explains Harriet. For the renovation
design, the couple’s non-negotiables included maintaining a
sense of space, enhancing natural lighting and for the kitchen
to ‘flow and be practical’ for Harriet’s work as an author. At
over 180 centimetres tall, Harriet was clear that she did not
want to feel cramped.
‘Fraser is clever with space and visualisation so he
challenged himself to fit a lot in, whilst still keeping a feeling
of space.’
THE BUILD
The building’s existing cladding and lining were not
salvageable, but some of the roof sheets were and the
build took around six months.
‘Some of that time was acquiring things like the
secondhand windows and some of it was the actual works,’
explains Harriet, who said she prepped materials, sanded
and painted while Fraser did the building and retrofitting
work. ‘I am not a professional painter so probably not as
fast but, for a whole house it is also quite a short timeframe,
which is the benefit of a small house!’
During the renovation, the couple lived in a share house
and when that lease ran out, moved in with parents for a
month. It was a busy time; Harriet was writing her first book
and Fraser was working as a subcontractor carpenter, ‘so
most of it had to be done around his work. That meant that
the daylight hours were greatly reduced.’
 BUILD

It doesn’t
matter
where you’re
standing
inside the
home, you can
always see
the garden
outside

INTERIOR LAYOUT
The house layout consists of three main rooms. On the
right-hand side is the kitchen and living area, which you
enter via the front veranda. To the side of the entranceway
are shelves and a coat rack, sealed with tung oil. The
room is furnished with a small, mustard-coloured sofa,
dining table and chairs, as well as what Harriet calls a ‘big,
workable and smart’ kitchen, which takes up one third of the
total footprint.
The kitchen fit out includes reclaimed stainless-steel
benches and overhanging drying racks, while ply offcuts
create open shelving on the walls. Additional under-bench
shelving houses larger kitchen appliances, covered by calico
curtains, which Harriet made from naturally hand-dyed
fabric. And it doesn’t matter where you’re standing inside
the home, you can always see the garden outside, you can
glance out any window and see greenery.
A divider wall with inbuilt windows separates the two
rooms. Stepping down into the bedroom/living/office, your
eyes are immediately drawn to the queen-sized ‘bed nook’,
recessed into the wall, with a small shelf, reading light and
full-length window for ventilation and sunlight.
‘People say [the nook] feels like a boat, but that wasn’t the
inspiration,’ adds Harriet. ‘The idea was to free up space, as
the floor is often used as [daughter] Winnie’s play area.’
This room is also home to Winnie’s cot and another desk,
which houses the couple’s record collection. Towards the
back of the room is a cavity-sliding door opening into the
bathroom. Inside is a toilet, vanity and large shower lined
with offcuts of corrugated iron. A series of deep, open
shelves on the opposite wall act as the couple’s wardrobe.
EXTERIOR LAYOUT
The house is north-facing with a triangular timber deck at
the entranceway, which adds greatly to the living space of
the house, creating ‘a lovely warm area to sit in the sun in
winter,’ smiles Harriet. Surrounding the deck are planter
boxes and garden beds, as well as an ornamental grapevine
growing on overhead wires.
‘What was once a patch of dusty and sparse lawn is now
a small vegie patch and multiple native gardens surrounding
our home,’ says Harriet. The exterior cladding is corrugated
iron on the lefthand side of the house, giving it a shed vibe,
and weatherboard cladding on the right-hand side, which
Harriet says ‘makes it feel like two small buildings joined
together.’ The family utilises the roof and tanks to capture
and harvest rainwater, which is their sole water source. The
house runs on solar and has a gas cooktop. Harriet says
the couple are constantly discussing ways they can improve
the sustainability of their home and says they have plans to
‘electrify everything’.
SMALLER FOOTPRINTS
After building and working from the vintage caravan, living in
a small house was an easy transition for Harriet and Fraser.
‘We chose to live in a very small house for many reasons,’
she explains. ‘To make do with less, to make living more
affordable for our budget, for lower energy consumption, plus
it’s quick easy cleaning.’
Small houses make a lot of sense from a sustainability
perspective. They require less materials to build or renovate,
less maintenance over time, less energy to heat and cool and
you have less space for storage, reducing the compulsion to
impulse buy, because – where would I store that? The main
concern for Harriet was ensuring the building felt spacious.
‘There are many ways people can achieve this,’ she starts.
‘People use windows, people use white paint and mirrors.
We have mainly used windows because we have lovely
surroundings here – we can’t see another building. Also,
the use of white in the kitchen space. We originally had bare
lining boards on the ceiling in both rooms. We painted them

54
Opening page According to Harriet, the entrance deck is the most well-loved ‘room’ in the house. This spread, clockwise from far left Putting the
bed in a nook was about prioritising floor space; Fraser used recycled roofing sheets to create the shower; Bare ply wood lines the interior living
spaces; The deciduous grapevine provides important shade in summer and allows warmth in during winter.

55
 BUILD

The north-
facing deck
creates a cosy
winter haven deck creates a cosy winter haven while the bi-fold doors let
the light stream inside. Of assistance too, is the grapevine,
while the which creates shade over the bed nook in summer and
bi-fold doors allows in sunlight through winter.
‘For particularly cold and hot times, we have a radiant
let the light panel heater in the living/bedroom/office and in the kitchen
stream inside room we have a reverse-cycle air conditioner, but we almost
never use them,’ explains Harriet. The house is quickly
cooled by opening windows and is well-insulated to retain
heat from the sun in the cooler months.

LOOK, FEEL & LIVEABILITY

white and that has made the ceiling feel quite a bit higher.’ Harriet has an enviable knack for simple design that makes
Another strategy was to design every space to be the home feel airy, homely and beachy. The abundance of
multipurpose. ‘Every area has to have a use, a function and locally sourced and reclaimed wood creates warming tones
everything in it also. The room that we sleep in with the bed to balance the cooler tones of stainless steel and corrugated
nook, it’s also a wardrobe, office, living space, Winnie’s room iron. The colour palette throughout the home draws mostly
and bathroom. on whites, greys and blues, with the odd splash of rainbow
‘Everything has to be multipurpose to make best use of from Winnie’s toys and Montessori style toy shelf which she
the space and to keep the feeling of space.’ loves to explore.
One thing is for sure, this style of home will mean Winnie
UPCYCLING MATERIALS will grow up with a rich appreciation of turning a derelict
The choice to use recycled and reclaimed materials was building into a loving and sustainable home.
intentional as a means to reduce consumption and waste, as
well as to keep the budget within reason.
‘Waste from the building industry makes up an enormous
chunk of landfill – that has definitely influenced our choice of
materials in our home.’
Fraser was able to source seconds materials from )DFWɎųQǝƄLJXUHɎ
contacts in the building industry at a greatly reduced price.
Materials Locally sourced timber (both new
‘We were able to purchase things that people had made
and reclaimed), weatherboards and ply lining
mistakes on,’ says Harriet, like the timber bi-fold doors
boards, reused iron cladding
and shower base, which the couple would have otherwise
Joinery work Reused ply-wood cut-offs
been unable to afford. The windows are reclaimed, as
Window types Reclaimed double-glazed
well as some of the weatherboards and lining boards. The
windows.
benchtops came out of a commercial kitchen and were
Footprint 40 m2
retrofitted by Fraser to fit, while the joinery and one of
Bathrooms 1 bathroom/toilet/shower
the doors were made with ply off-cuts. Harriet says using
Power Solar and mains power, gas cooktop
reclaimed and upcycled materials gave her ‘great joy’, but
(intention to transition to all electric)
meant the couple had to be flexible with the design and
Water Water tanks
layout of their home to make best use of what was available.
Cooling Windows, air conditioner, plants
Heating Double-glazed windows, radiant wall
HEATING AND COOLING
panel, air conditioner
As a sustainable building designer, Fraser is well versed
Building Designer Fraser West and
in passive-design principles and the couple aimed to
Harriet Birrell
incorporate these into the build, while working within the
Builder Fraser West and Harriet Birrell
constraints of an existing dwelling and a tight budget.
Window placement was key to maximise solar gain and
cross-ventilation.
‘The smallest window is on the western side, which gets This article represents the permaculture principle
the baking sun. There is also an eastern-facing highlight USE AND VALUE RENEWABLE RESOURCES AND
window for the morning sun,’ Harriett says. The north-facing SERVICES. For more info go to page 99.

56
 This page, clockwise from top Repurposed commercial benchtops give the kitchen a minimalist industrial feel; A dusty patch of sunny
lawn is now a small but productive vegie patch; Large openings blur the lines between the indoors and the outdoors, making the small home
feel much larger than its footprint suggests.

57
Fungi extend relationships through the soil to other plants, assisting
nutrient transfer and uniting plant communities

58
 THRIVE
0\FHOLDȝƢHWZˈNɎ
BENEATH OUR FEET
W O R D S & P H OTO S BY A L I S O N P O U L I OT
Once it was mushrooms attracting all the
attention. They still are but the growing
interest in mycelium and the notion of
subterranean networks of fungi is changing
not only how we understand fungi and
forests, but life. Fungi provide a fundamental
foundation to the forest and are a key to
understanding how forests work.
For many of us, fungi are puzzling because we make sense
of nature based on our understanding of animals and plants.
That’s what we were taught in school. Fungi are often defined
not by what they are, but by what they are not.
Fungi are very different organisms to plants and animals
in the way they are composed and how they operate. To
grasp what fungi are and do in ecosystems, it helps to get
a sense of how they grow and feed, the nature of their
interactions with plants, and their pivotal role in transforming
environments, recycling organic matter and creating soil.
MYCELIAL SCAFFOLD
While we often only become aware of fungi when mushrooms
push through the earth, the growing and feeding part of the
fungus exists underground as a network of connective fibres
known as mycelia. This scaffold of mycelia contributes to the
architecture of soil, underpinning its structure and function.
Meshworks of mycelia bind soil particles. They also create
spaces in between. By aerating soil, they make it habitable
for other organisms that have evolved to live underground
and that contribute to the recycling and liveliness of the soil.
59
The mycelial architecture allows water to gently trickle
down to the soil’s deeper horizons. Without scaffolds of
mycelium and air spaces in the soil, it would quickly become
waterlogged and less habitable.
MEET THE MYCORRHIZAS
The survival of most plants relies on their beneficial unions
with fungi, or mycorrhizas, as they are known. The term
mycorrhizas – literally ‘fungus roots’ – refers to the mutually
beneficial relationships formed between fungus mycelia and
the roots of most plants. In these subterranean alliances,
fungi greatly extend plant root systems, helping them to
access water and nutrients. The fineness and greater
length of hyphae give them far more reach than plant roots,
accessing pores in the soil that roots can’t penetrate. They
also improve the resilience and health of plants by increasing
their drought tolerance and resistance to soil-borne disease.
A cache of chemicals makes fungi more adept at
unlocking nutrients in soils and organic matter. In return for
the nutrients and water supplied by their fungal partners,
plants provide fungi with a feed of sugars produced through
photosynthesis. It is a good deal, it works and it’s crucial to
the growth and survival of most plants.
One of the dominant types of mycorrhizas are
ectomycorrhizas (ecto meaning outer). Ectomycorrhizas
form when fungi wrap a mantle around the feeder rootlets of
plants. The fungus serves as an interface between the soil
and the plant, mediating the intake of materials needed for
survival. Mycorrhizal networks are increasingly recognised
as orchestrators of plant interactions and nutrient transfer.
 THRIVE
Conservation
groups have
started to
recognise the
importance
of including
fungi in their
strategies
about land
restoration
TEAM PLAYER
The relationships that are formed between fungi and plants
are especially important in Australia’s old and weathered,
phosphorus-poor soils. What’s more, these mycorrhizal
networks stretch beyond just individual trees.
Fungi extend relationships through the soil to other plants,
assisting nutrient transfer between them and uniting plant
communities. Successful revegetation therefore means
understanding how to accommodate fungi as well.
In recent years, conservation groups have started to
recognise the importance of including fungi in their strategies
about land restoration. Many are wanting to understand their
ecological significance and how to incorporate them in their
efforts to rejuvenate ecosystems.
The great recyclers of organic matter, fungi return
nutrients to the soil and makes them available to plants.
Through secreting enzymes they can degrade almost any
organic material containing carbon. Although bacteria and
invertebrates also contribute to decomposition processes,
only fungi degrade lignin. Every leaf and stick that falls to the
ground is likely to be recycled by fungi.
GIVE AND TAKE
Fungi also provide mutually beneficial habitat and food for
a range of animals including vertebrates and invertebrates.
Many fungi are rich in phosphorus, nitrogen and other
elements that are usually more highly concentrated in fungal
tissue than in leaf litter. Animals are likely to find fungi
through their sense of smell. Once a mushroom has released
its spores and fulfilled its ‘purpose’, it starts to decompose
and release volatile compounds, often with strong odours,
which attract invertebrates.
Other fungi don’t wait until this stage and actively deploy
putrid odours to lure flying vectors. Stinkhorns, when at their
slimy spore-producing phase, are the most irresistible of all.
Over 30 species of native Australian mammals are known
to eat fungi, with some relying on them to provide up to
60
90 percent of their diet during the autumn months. Some
fungi such as truffles – fungi that produce their sporing
bodies underground – take advantage of a bettong, potoroo,
wallaby or other digging mammal for spreading spores. The
spores of many truffles remain viable after travelling though
mammalian digestive tracts and, if deposited in a viable
location, will germinate and form mycorrhizas with plants.
DIVERSITY IS KEY
So how can we help fungi to flourish? Maximising habitat
types and microclimates by retaining a variety of organic
matter – leaves, sticks, branches, bark, etc., of varying age
and size – provides the best opportunity for a diversity of
fungi to colonise.
This could begin with re-thinking the importance of leaf
litter and other organic matter. Rather than thinking about
it merely as ‘litter’ or ‘fuel’, but as vital habitat for a huge
diversity of organisms, we can maximise the chance of
ecosystems flourishing. If we look beyond it being untidy or
a fire hazard, we can retain the very habitat that contains the
fungi that support almost every plant in a garden (or forest,
woodland or other ecosystem). Further to providing habitat,
keeping organic matter in place helps retain moisture,
nutrients and a range of microclimates.
And when we talk about increasing the diversity of
substrates, we’re referring to a diversity of size of the
available organic matter; everything from leaf fragments
to whole leaves to twigs, sticks, branches, limbs, stags and
old logs, for example. This also refers to diversity in the age
of the available organic matter, because younger and older
matter will attract and support different and diverse species.
By creating diversity, or heterogeneity, we’re increasing
the potential diversity of fungi. More heterogeneity of fungi
increases the complexity of the ecosystem because they
can perform a greater range of different processes, which
contributes to making the whole system a lot more robust
and resilient.
When we talk about resilience, we’re talking about
the capacity of the ecosystem to both resist and respond
to pressures and changes such as those brought on by
climate change.
SUPPORTIVE SOILS
As well as making a conscious effort to increase important
 Opening page Mushrooms emerge from a crevice in a decaying log. This page, clockwise from top Fungi and moss colonise a fallen branch;
Hypholoma australianum grows on organic matter in temperate eucalypt forests; The mycelial networks are clear to see; This native Australian
coral species is called Artomyces austropiperatus. Page 62 A cluster of Bonnet Fungi. Note None of the mushrooms in this article are edible.

61
 THRIVE
They make
it habitable
for other
organisms
that have
evolved to live
underground
habitat and microclimates for fungi to flourish, we might also
consider ways to support the mycelial scaffold by minimising
soil disturbance.
Adopting a no-dig approach in your patch will reduce the
stresses that break up or damage the scaffold or tapestry
of mycelium in the soil and the mycorrhizal networks they
form with plants. Soil compaction, through things like hard
hooves or heavy machinery on a large scale – or even too
much stepping on your garden beds in your own backyard
– is another way we could cause unseen damage to fungi.
Over-irrigating or inappropriate use of fire or fertilisers can
also damage fungi.
And while you would be forgiven for thinking that adding
commercially available inoculants to your soil is helping
the cause, recent studies have found that inoculant content
is negligible in many commercially available products.
Without knowing which plants form mycorrhizas with which
particular fungus – and usually we don’t – then there’s little
point adding inoculants.
This is an edited extract from Dr Alison Pouliot’s latest
book Underground Lovers. Alison is an ecologist and
photographer who runs fungal ecology workshops both
in Australia and internationally. She is also the author
of The Allure of Fungi and Wild Mushrooming. To see
more of her work, visit www.alisonpouliot.com.
62
GROW AND ENCOURAGE
This vibrant mycelial scaffold underpins the forest, our
gardens and most terrestrial ecosystems. We can try to
comprehend the flourishing lifeforms around us that are
exponentially mirrored beneath our feet, but the world of
fungi can be complex and wonderful beyond our human
understanding. Compared to the size of the mushroom that
could fit easily in the palms of our hands, the subterranean
mycelial networks are much more expansive. They make
soils habitable for other organisms that have evolved to live
underground and that contribute to its liveliness.
Further to the revelations of scientific research, we
might also just appreciate fungi in their own right, in all
their wonderful strangeness. It might mean recognising
how they differ from us and accepting that we may never
fully comprehend their enigmatic and mysterious lives. And
knowing that one of the most important things we can do is
to restore our damaged soils by encouraging a diversity of
fungi to colonise right there under the ground.
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Sca o the la
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listen t dcast with
Pip po n Pouliot
Aliso
I have had to simplify and accept that for the time being, while
my kids are still young, I just can’t do it all

64
 NURTURE
<ɨżDQɛŽȶƇɕųOȝ
IT’S OKAY
W O R D S BY R O BY N R O S E N F E L DT
When we try to live our best life each and
every day, things can get overwhelming.
Just don’t let the thing that has to give be
your own wellbeing.
In an ideal world, we are doing it all. We’re practising all
the old homesteading techniques our grandparents did.
We’re baking bread, growing food, preserving produce,
making and mending clothes and other belongings, all while
being fantastic humans. Humans who are available for our
kids, partners, friends, family and communities and at the
same time, running businesses or working full time, not to
mention looking after our own wellbeing.
It’s a lot to fit in and when we try and do it all, we can
end up feeling exhausted.
HOMESTEADING
At Pip, we’re all about sharing the skills to do things for
ourselves and make things from scratch. This is because
it means greater resilience and less reliance on the
system. It also means less transportation of products, less
industrialised production, less waste and generally less
harm to the planet. And when it comes to food, we are
creating more nutritious and wholesome options.
Many of us would love to spend our days baking, growing
and living off the land, but we are also working, earning
money and in many cases, bringing up children as well.
So when we try and do it all, it can start to feel like it’s
impossible to keep up.
At this point, it’s important to take stock and be kind to
yourself. Doing what you can is better than nothing at all.
65
PRIORITISE
To make sure our health doesn’t suffer as a result of
thinking we’re doing the right thing, we need to work out
what our individual priorities are.
If you have kids, it will probably be their health and
happiness, it might be your work and the success it brings
you, it might be having an amazing abundant garden and
growing your own food or it might be making all your food
from scratch. But hopefully, although it’s easy to ignore,
your own health and happiness is high on that list of
priorities, too.
Because the kids aren’t going anywhere – well, not for
the short term anyway. Work needs to be done to earn
money to help support you and your family. You could cut
it back, but with the world the way it is currently, that could
be tricky. So prioritise the things that you enjoy doing the
most and which have the greatest effect.
For me, kids and family are number one. Then creating
this beautiful magazine that you all enjoy is high on the list.
Self-care is also super important because if I’m not feeling
good physically and mentally, then I can’t keep up the rest.
Gardening is a major priority, and edibles first (sorry
ornamentals). Spending time in the garden is therapeutic
on all levels, plus growing food in my own backyard has
a huge impact on the food miles of what we eat and the
nutritional value of what we put into our bodies.
What this has meant over time is I have had to say no to
things and accept that I can’t make everything from scratch
and live a zero-waste lifestyle. I have had to simplify and
accept that for the time being, while my kids are still young,
I just can’t do it all. I’m less involved in community activities
 NURTURE
We can do
our best but,
at the end
of the day,
we need to
be realistic
and if things
aren’t always
perfect, that
is okay
than I would like to be. This year I didn’t make passata and
although I love baking sourdough, often I just buy it from
my local bakery and support a local business.
PARENTING
If you don’t have kids, sorry to bore you, but parenting
takes a lot of time. And for those of us who are juggling
parenting, work and everything else, it is a constant source
of feeling like we are not doing enough.
Spending time with our kids and bringing them up well
is usually our number-one priority. When we have babies
we have fantastic intentions and high ideals of how we are
going to do it all. And it usually starts off okay…
But as time pressures increase, and your kids develop
their own needs and wants, which aren’t always the same
as your own, it can be harder to live up to your own values
and expectations. Making everything from scratch, only
serving healthy options, avoiding sugar, doing creative
constructive activities; it can be hard to fit it all in. Slowly
plastic-wrapped snacks appear, you become more relaxed
about not-so-healthy food options and the dreaded screen
time creeps in, when we swore we’d never let it happen.
Feeling like you are not bringing your kids up in a way
that is perfectly in line with your values can be confronting
and anxiety producing. It is easy to feel guilty about these
imperfections, but we have to be kind to ourselves.
It is really hard to fight against a society that is so
steeped in screens and sugar and plastic. We can do our
best but, at the end of the day, we need to be realistic and
if things aren’t always perfect, that is okay – do what you
can and don’t give yourself a hard time for the things you
can’t do.
ACCEPTANCE
It is easy to look around and feel like you are falling behind,
whether that be looking at the outer lives of our friends
and acquaintances, or the picture-perfect worlds created
66
on Instagram but if you scratch beneath the surface, we
are all just doing the best we can. And nobody is doing it
perfectly.
For me, while I am busy working and raising kids, my
garden can become overgrown. Weeds line the paths and
start taking over the beds, pruning happens late, seedlings
outgrow their containers – but there’s always something to
eat from the garden. It’s just a bit messy and unruly, and
I am okay with that. I have to be because I just don’t have
the time to do it all.
Although I have the skills to make my own beauty
products, make simple clothing and make most foods from
scratch, I don’t always do it. I choose to support other
people that are doing those things well and I do it when
I can. I can return to doing it regularly when I have more
time.
MAKE TIME FOR YOU
One priority that is often pushed aside is our own health
and wellbeing. We all know the rule of putting on our own
oxygen mask before helping others – well that’s what we
need to do in life, too. If we don’t care for ourselves and
make that a priority, then we do burn out and it is harder to
keep doing all the things we need to do.
I know at times there literally isn’t any spare time, some
days it can be impossible to even get out for a short walk,
but often it is just about finding a bit of time each day to do
something that makes you feel good.
For me that is exercise and spending time in nature. I
can’t cope if I haven’t had any exercise; my mental health
depends on it and my body depends on it. My real panacea
is surfing, where I have time in the ocean, connecting with
nature and exercising at the same time. When I am feeling
overworked and overwhelmed, just spending some quiet
time in nature – walking, surfing, anything – will reset
everything and make it possible to get back to doing the
things I need to do.
Whether it’s walking, surfing, quiet time reading a book,
pottery, gardening, playing music, meditating or even just
lying still doing nothing. Whatever it is, we need to make
time for ourselves, to fill our cups and to not let it become
something that happens after everything else is done.
We are all doing the best we can. Be kind to yourself,
accept the imperfections and acknowledge that the to-do
list will forever be unfinished.
Opening page Allowing yourself time to do things you love can help you be a better parent/partner/friend. This page, clockwise from top Time in
nature can help you refocus; Growing food is rewarding and nutritious, but it’ll still be there tomorrow; Pass on skills to kids – when you can.

67
 %HIˈǠ
$IWɇ

Transforming a site that once played host to

family tennis tournaments into a productive
patch was a no-brainer

68
 DESIGN
3˶DQQLQȈNjƅDUGHȫ
GAME, SET, PATCH
W O R D S & P H OTO S BY K E L B U C K L E Y
For Jaclyn Crupi and her partner Andrew
Stewardson, transforming a disused tennis
court into a productive vegie garden was
about finding a design that balanced history,
happiness and health.
In 2019, Jaclyn and Andrew acquired half an acre on the
Mornington Peninsula, less than 100 kilometres southeast
of Melbourne. On it stands a mid-century home that
remains practically unchanged from what would have
been regarded a quite forward-thinking build in its day,
right down to the pantry’s cold cupboard next to the small
original kitchen at the rear of the home.
Imagined by Andrew’s grandmother and designed by his
grandfather in 1948, the home has been the Stewardson
family’s holiday destination for as long as Andrew
can remember. Filled with as much light as important
memories, it’s not the building we’re here to see, but the
impressive enclosed vegetable garden Jaclyn and Andrew
have created on the property’s original tennis court.
GROUND WORK
When the couple moved in in 2019, the first job was to
clear the 2000 m2 property from its established population
of pittosporum, agapanthus and cotoneaster, all classified
as environmental weeds in Victoria. These were replaced
with around 400 young native plants, combined with the
installation of a large pond in order to attract native fauna
to the space.
‘Gardening was never a part of what happened here,’
explains Andrew. ‘We want to respect and enjoy the legacy
69
and history, while revitalising the property and introducing
our own passions and interests.’
For Jaclyn especially, who has written numerous books
on growing food and cooking it, that passion is tending to
a large sprawling vegie garden. And with a 420 m2 netted
tennis court sitting idle at the bottom of the property,
transforming a site that once played host to family tennis
tournaments into a productive patch was a no-brainer.
But designing the space to work within their lifestyle,
while getting the most from the unique challenges the site
presented, was a different story altogether.
‘We didn’t know what to put where, because we could
have put anything anywhere,’ said Jaclyn.
The pair made an effort to visit as many properties
with netted gardens as they could, to learn from other
experiences before committing to the design of what Jaclyn
says ‘will be the last garden we ever build.’
INSPIRATION AND FORETHOUGHT
The transformation of the property was inspired by Adam
Grubb and Annie Raser-Rowland’s book The Art of Frugal
Hedonism, which is a self-proclaimed guide on how to live
lightly but luxuriantly; spending less money while enjoying
the things that are important a lot more.
Jaclyn and Andrew took a holistic view of not just what
their life looked like and needed at the time, but they also
considered what their long-term future may look like, before
consulting landscapers whose experience helped plan and
implement the design.
‘It might seem silly, but we even thought as far down the
track as to when we’re ageing and not as agile, we might
 DESIGN
The couple made a commitment
to reuse as many things as they could
need to get a small buggy through the gate,’ says Andrew.
Chickens were a must, as was having an orchard
separated from the vegetable-growing area, and with
a large pine tree in the northern neighbours’ property
throwing shade, there was plenty to weigh up in terms
of what needed to go where – but not only in terms of
planting. After living without a car for six years overseas,
Jaclyn and Andrew wanted to continue without one when
they moved back to Australia almost a decade ago.
‘We put some barriers in place to slow us down, and not
having a car was part of that,’ offers Andrew. And barrier
is probably a good word for it, because they’ve now found
themselves living on top of a hill and a 20-minute walk to
the nearest shopping precinct. Without transport, and given
the toll 70-odd years of maintaining a clay surface has had
on the soil beneath the court, having the ability to produce
plenty of high-quality compost on-site was another priority
design element.
In the end, Jaclyn an Andrew realised the chickens
needed to be the central point of their design. So two large
composting bays were built into the end of the chicken
coop, which can be accessed from either inside the coop in
order to add spent bedding material and manure, or from
the outside of the coop for general green waste from the
garden. The furthest-away wall of the coop lines up with
the fence separating the vegie garden from the orchard,
while a pulley system mounted on the closest corner
actuates a hatch to allow the chickens into the orchard.
‘It means if you’re lying in bed and realise you’ve
forgotten to close the hatch, you’re walking the shortest
distance to get there,’ Jaclyn offers.
CONTROLLING WATER
The net installation – which feels remarkably open when
you’re standing inside – was only completed about this time
last year, so the garden is still very much in its infancy. In
fact, the so-called orchard currently has thriving zucchini
plants where each stone fruit tree will eventually be
70
planted, but they will go in in the depths of winter when
the young trees are dormant. There’ll be espaliered pome
fruit running parallel to the eastern wall and there are
two young passionfruit planted beneath the northern wall
of the chicken coop that will eventually cover the wire to
provide the chickens much-needed protection from the hot
afternoon sun. Andrew explained that the position of the
raised beds near the entrance was actually determined
by the site’s pooling water.
‘That corner of the court had the deepest excavation,
so there’s a lot of clay which gets waterlogged,’ he says.
‘Without a base in the raised beds, they act like wicking
beds. And during construction, we installed a field drain to
disperse some of the water out to the citrus trees.’
Water to the garden otherwise comes from a 9000-litre
tank perched above the new retaining wall made from
natural rocks on the northeastern corner of the garden,
which is fed from the roof of the house. There are two taps
within the enclosure, one mounted centrally on the main
post and another marking the spot where the potting shed
and greenhouse will be.
‘Once the water in the tank gets down to a certain level,
the system switches over to mains water. And there’s a full
irrigation system in place that’s all controlled by an app,’
Andrew adds.
LOOKING AHEAD
As well as the netting – which is well tensioned to eliminate
the risk of animal entanglement – completely enclosing the
garden to keep out birds, rabbits, possums and anything
else wanting to help itself to their produce, a one-metre
high length of chicken wire envelops the entire structure
and kicks outwards a further 30 centimetres underground
to fox-proof the garden and the chickens it houses. But like
any garden, Andrew concedes there’s still plenty to learn
about the site.
‘Without birds and other animals, we’re almost meddling
with the holistic pest-control system,’ he says. ‘It’s more
complex than we thought.’
Outside the netting, Jaclyn has planted citrus and olive
trees, a single pomegranate and a couple of caper bushes,
with plans in place to add a chestnut tree, artichokes and
a bed of asparagus.
Opening page A water tank, natives, vegies and a view – bliss! This page, clockwise from top left The property’s old swing set is a ready-made
frame for trellising tomatoes; Putting so-called waste to very good use; The decommissioned retaining wall now forms the bottomless wicking-
style garden beds; A simple pulley simple allows the chooks access into the orchard end of the netted enclosure .

71
 DESIGN
Having the
ability to
produce
plenty of
high-quality
compost
on-site was
another
priority
design
element
And in terms of infrastructure, Andrew points out where
a small potting shed and greenhouse will eventually stand
near the southwestern corner and says they’re looking
at using the disused back corner of the yard to set up a
biochar system. He shoots a look in Jaclyn’s direction
before revealing his interest in incorporating humanure
into their soil-improving strategy with the inclusion of a
composting toilet on the site.
‘But Jaclyn probably needs a bit more convincing on
that,’ he grins.
USE WHAT YOU HAVE
The couple made a commitment to reuse as many things
as they could from what was already on the property. They
discovered the original retaining wall comprised of thick
concrete sleepers on the eastern side of the court was no
longer structurally sound, so they now not only form the
raised garden beds at the entrance of the garden, but also
a couple of sculptural and useful benches dotted between
the native plants around the yard.
The purple beans are climbing up one of a couple of inner
spring frames from old mattresses found within the house,
while the new citrus trees planted on the western edge
of the garden in order to eventually form a windbreak, are
staked and guarded using the tough external canvas from
the same mattresses.
‘We were only left with a small bag of waste from those
mattresses,’ says Jaclyn.
The galvanised-steel swing set that many a Stewardson
generation swung away summer afternoons on is now the
frame on which Jaclyn’s saucing tomatoes are growing.
And while the original steel posts supporting the court’s
72
fencing weren’t strong enough to support the new roof
netting, there are plans for those to become a pergola within
the garden’s confines to trellis an edible grape vine up.
THE GROUND UP
When structures needed to be built from externally sourced
materials, sustainable items were always the priority. The
two largest poles supporting the roof netting are recycled
telegraph poles, while the internal fence, chicken coop and
adjoining compost bins are all constructed from sustainably
sourced cypress macrocarpa.
To build the no-dig style beds before their own compost
production hits full swing, Jaclyn and Andrew used a mix
of composted manure and bedding from the enclosures
at Melbourne Zoo, loads of horse manure from the nearby
racecourse, as well as large amounts of compost. And
given how healthy and productive all of the plants are in
what’s essentially still a relatively young garden, it’s clearly
a nutritious mix.
‘Without a car, I probably wouldn’t buy a whole
watermelon or pumpkin – I don’t want to carry it up the
hill,’ laughs Jaclyn. ‘But I haven’t bought vegetables in two
months and it feels really good.’ Taking into account the
fact both Jaclyn and Andrew are vegetarians, that’s quite
an achievement from a space that was a well-maintained
tennis court just a couple of short years ago.
This article represents the permaculture principle DESIGN
FROM PATTERNS TO DETAILS. For more info go to page 99.
 COURSE
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74
 PROFILE
+LJȍ9DʻHɭ'DZȫ
DAWN RISING
W O R D S BY J E S S I C A R A S C H K E P H OTO S BY K Y L A E L I Z A P H OTO G R A P H Y
Ross O’Reilly is the visionary behind High
Valley Dawn, a 140-acre seaside off-grid
property nestled in the Capricorn Coast in
Queensland, of which the Darumbal people
are the traditional custodians. Established in
2016, it has the optimal climate for growing
food, allowing Ross to work faithfully to core
permaculture ethical principles: land care,
people care, fair share.
Ross, Judy and their family had a vision to create ‘an ever
evolving, self-sustaining community model nurturing love
and joy in harmony with nature for the greater good of
all’. High Valley Dawn is cared for by a team of volunteers,
working among free-ranging animals: cows, chickens,
ducks, horses, sheep, turkeys, geese and pigs, as well as
resident working dogs, all living in harmony together. It
offers a dynamic eco-business model that includes farm
tours, education, events, and its nearby paddock-to-plate
restaurant, Beaches.
The farm also features a natural biofilter desalination
plant, a powerless cold room, solar irrigation systems, an
upcycled solar-powered house, a solar-powered education
centre, and a mud brick pizza oven.
LIFE LESSONS
Central to the High Valley Dawn approach is the promotion
of healthy lifestyles, nourished by naturally grown,
chemical-free produce. Ross is determined to create a
permaculture-based business model that can actually
sustain itself without any philanthropic support. The
volunteers, who each work 25 hours per week in exchange
for food, accommodation and education, help with planting,
propagating, weeding, mulching, composting, preparing
garden beds, caring for the animals, fencing and other
75
general maintenance. This has led to an incredible change
on the property which, seven years ago, was a bush block
overgrown with lantana.
Ross grew up on a dairy farm in northern New South
Wales. As one of 11 children, resources were scarce but his
family was self-sufficient.
‘We had a really good lifestyle,’ says Ross, who left
home and school when he was 15 and found himself
coaching rugby league at 22 years old. ‘I got into studying
coaching and sports psychology, which led to a lot of self-
development.’ He also had his own financial planning and
real estate businesses. ‘But then I found permaculture.’
Ross says the ethics of permaculture really resonated
with him and earth care is what ‘we desperately need
on our planet right now, so that we can become more
conscious. We need to look after our dear mother who
provides us with everything you could think possible and
we need to look after each other.’
PEOPLE POWER
High Valley Dawn is a flourishing farm, which is principally
due to its large and dedicated team of volunteers. People
come from all over the world to work on High Valley Dawn.
They usually sign up for four weeks but decide to stay for
longer periods, sometimes up to six months or more. Even
then, they’d rather not leave.
High Valley Dawn actively takes in people recovering from
drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues, and homeless
people to help them transform their lives for the better. The
farm provides them with purpose and health-giving support.
Practising earth care helps people feel good about their
lives again. It makes sense that the permaculture ethic of
people care is absolutely central to Ross’s work.
‘Which is what my mother practised,’ he says. ‘There
was always people in need and my Mum took them in. We
 PROFILE
The only way
we can move
forward as a
species on
this planet,
I believe,
is to build
good, strong
communities
practise it on our farm more than any other permaculture
farm that I’ve seen or studied. It’s also something that is so
much needed in our world today – there’s so many people
lost. There’s so many people turning to drugs and alcohol,
so many people with depression and anxiety.
‘A lot of them do a lot of healing when they get into
this environment. We create a space where there is no
judgement and it’s safe to share, everyone in the community
sits around at a sharing circle every week to share how
they are feeling. It’s a process that runs deep and is very
healing for all.’
DYNAMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY
High Valley Dawn’s model is dynamic, creative and geared
towards self-sufficiency.
‘We wanted to do and create a model that we could share
with others that show that if Plan A turns bad with food and
energy, then we’ve already got Plan B ready to go. We’re
already set up off-grid, we’re producing our own food, so
we’re fully self-sufficient in those areas.’
The farm features a range of permaculture-inspired
infrastructure. In fact, when you arrive, you’re met with
solar-powered front gates. The farm also has a natural
biofilter desalination plant that was created in the lead-up
to the drought experienced four years ago.
‘Water runs through a series of trenches that are
all vegetated or planted out with vegetation that helps
desalinate the water,’ explains Ross. ‘And we’ve got an
underground cold room made of a shipping container
buried in the side of the hill. That stays cold, we put our
produce in there overnight. All of our irrigation pumping
is solar powered.’
MARKET GARDEN AND FOOD FOREST
The two-acre market garden was the first thing that
established when the farm started six years ago.
‘We had to clear fences, set up all the sprinkler systems
and it’s now very productive,’ says Ross. When there is
surplus, High Valley Dawn sells its produce at the Yeppoon
76
farmers market on a Saturday morning and supplies its
local family restaurant, Beaches.
The burgeoning food forest features an array of tropical
Australian natives and bush tucker. ‘We’ve involved our
local Aboriginal community, the Darumbal people. We’ve
involved them from the start as they’ve given us permission
to do what we’re doing on the land,’ explains Ross. ‘They’re
involved in each project, especially the Buderoo bush tucka
forest. We’ve got over 200 seedlings in there now. And
we’re going to put over a thousand different Australian
native plants in there.’
The name Buderoo honours the Darumbal totem, the
green tree frog.
BEACHES RESTAURANT
Beaches, which is located close to Kemp Beach and Keppel
Bay Marina, is only four kilometres away from High Valley
Dawn. Established before High Valley Dawn, it offers a
paddock-to-plate menu that features food from the farm, as
well as locally sourced sustainable seafood and beef.
‘We ended up with the restaurant because we wanted
a facility where we could run wellness retreats, which
we’ve been running for 11 years. Then we discovered
permaculture so we combined the two. The farm feeds the
restaurant. It’s a big restaurant so we can’t totally provide
it, especially during the hot months. But we certainly
provide it with as much as we can when we can.’
BUILDING COMMUNITY
High Valley Dawn runs a farm tour once a week. People
can wander through the farm and sample some food. This
is central to the farm’s vision: to educate the community as
much as possible.
‘We share that a lot with our farm tours and educational
tours. The education that we do here with all the day care,
home-schooling, kindergarten groups, primary school,
secondary school, the university groups, gives our next
generations the opportunity to see there is another option.
‘The only way we can move forward as a species on
this planet, I believe, is to build good, strong communities
that are far more self-sufficient, far less reliant on our
governments and corporations, more independent, more
resilient in the areas of food, energy, even education
and health. We’ve got to get back to nature in a lot of
those areas.’
Ross’ hard work and enthusiasm is broadly supported by
the local community.
 Opening page Ross and Judy O’Reilly are building community resilience. This page, clockwise from top left High Valley Dawn provides a
non-judgemental place for healing; The farm’s subtropical climate is favourable for growing a wide variety of crops; Ross fosters a close-knit
community; Young families are welcome to volunteer at High Valley Dawn; As well as volunteers, the farm is home to lots of free-ranging animals.

77
 PROFILE
Here at High
Valley Dawn,
we share what
we’ve got,
we share our
knowledge,
just like our
ancestors did
‘I’ve been in this community for a long time. We receive
support from our council, and from different government
departments now that make us aware of different
grants that we may be eligible for. The support has been
overwhelming. Permaculture ethics apply perfectly to
communities where we care about our beautiful planet, we
care about each other, which takes me to the third ethic,
which is fair share.
‘Here at High Valley Dawn, we share what we’ve got, we
share our knowledge, just like our ancestors did. Sharing
our knowledge, sharing what we have got, sharing our
facilities, sharing the model that we’ve created, is all about
community.’
All of this work does have lasting impact and Ross often
hears from former volunteers.
‘They go back and they do work in their communities,
starting community gardens, buying their own little piece of
land and create their own self-sufficient systems. So we’re
having ripple effects out into local community, the wider
community, and internationally, as well.’
MEETING THE CHALLENGES
Of course, maintaining such a vision does have its
challenges.
‘We’ve put everything we’ve got into creating this farm
and it’s got a long way to go. Just having the finances
and having the borrowing capacity has been challenging
because it’s not about producing an income and producing
a profit,’ explains Ross. ‘It’ll be great one day when we
break square. We’re working really, really hard to make this
happen, but it’s a slow step-by-step process.
‘It’s on the way though,’ he adds. ‘People are paying for
78
farm tours. We’ve got a lot of bus tours that are coming
through now. We leave it up to people to make a donation
after the tour towards our education centre. We are
supplying food to the restaurant. We go to the markets and
do farm boxes.
‘And we’ve got visions of running conferences and
permaculture design courses. We’re in the process of
getting council approval to put some cabins and glamping
tents up around the farm. So, it’s all coming together.’
GENERATION’S WORTH
High Valley Dawn not only transforms the lives of its
volunteers, but it has clearly transformed Ross’ life. He
hopes it will have lasting effects beyond his lifetime.
‘I’m living a whole different life now. I’m really passionate
and really believe in the work we’re doing throughout the
generations. You know, that’s the driver for me,’ he says.
‘I’ve got two grandsons in London and it got me asking
what our planet’s going to be like, what their lifestyles are
going to be like. My main inspiration comes from thinking
about leaving this planet in a better place for our future
generations.
‘We create that space where there’s no judgement and
it’s safe for people to share. That’s something that I feel
we’ve become very good at on our farm. The long-term
vision is to grow High Valley Dawn into a bigger and better
version of its current form. It’s all happening organically.’
This article represents the permaculture principle INTEGRATE
RATHER THAN SEGREGATE. For more info go to page 99.
 Every article Pip
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80
 R E PA I R
7ȣƨHˏˈDWLȰ
A NEW LIFE
W O R D S & P H OTO S BY K E L B U C K L E Y
It’s pretty common to have a handful of
broken, old or rusty garden tools that you’ve
vowed to get around to repairing one day.
With a bit of elbow grease, patience and
creativity, not only can you get them back
to good working order, but you just might
be able to make yourself a tool you didn’t
know you had.
This scenario sees a snapped shovel, a broken short garden
fork as well as a pair of very rusty shears that were found
in the bottom of an old overgrown garden. But instead
of repairing the shovel and fork back to their original
condition, the decision was made to use the shovel’s long
handle on the head of the garden fork – perfect for a winter
compost-turning workout – and set about seeing if those
old, but well-made shears could actually be resurrected.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
As well as your tired tools, you’ll need a few litres of white
vinegar – as long as you’re patient, it’s far superior at
removing rust than anything you can buy commercially.
You’ll need a hand saw, a grinder and a drill, a punch
and a hammer, some wood glue, a nut and bolt and some
sandpaper, as well as oil and a rag to finish the handles.
You’ll also need something to be able to taper the end
of the shovel’s snapped handle so it fits snugly into the
housing of the fork – we used a drawknife. And for the
shears, as well as vinegar, you’ll need a wire brush, some
fine steel wool and a file.
GETTING STARTED
Before you do anything, it’s important to get the rustiest
81
things soaking in vinegar to give the acids the maximum
amount of time to coax the rust off the metal beneath. With
the shears soaking, remove the snapped handle from within
the fork’s housing. You’ll generally find handles are held in
place with a steel pin which has been burred over on each
side to keep it in place. To remove it, grind off the burs. If
you don’t have a grinder, a sharp cold chisel and hammer
would do the same job.
Once the pin is flush with the handle, take your centre
punch and, using the hammer, tap the pin through and out
the other side – don’t be scared to use force, depending on
the age of the shovel, it might need persuading – at which
point the broken end of the handle should be released. It’s
important to keep this broken-off end section, because it
will guide you as to what shape and taper the end of the
‘new’ handle will need to take.
HANDLE (WITH CARE)
If you’ve got one, place your shovel handle in a vice to hold
it sturdy and saw off the snapped end to create a clean
straight end to work with. Grab the broken-off end section
and sit it on top of the handle in line with your newly cut
end. Using a pencil, mark where your taper needs to start
on the length of the handle, before placing the tapered end
against the centre of newly cut end and trace around it.
This will let you know the narrowest diameter you’ll need to
achieve for a snug fit.
Taking your time and being mindful not to take too much
off, begin shaving the wood from where your taper needs to
start. Keeping an eye on the diameter you need to achieve
at the end, spin your handle as you go so you’re achieving
an even shape. Occasionally slipping your fork head onto
the forming shape will show you where you might have
 R E PA I R
When it
comes to
removing
decades-old
rust from
metal, white
vinegar and
time are the
two best
things you
can use
high and low spots. Layer by layer, you’ll find carving
the handle quite cathartic as you transform what was
once a dried, snapped piece of wood into a useful piece
of fresh timber.
Once you’re happy with the taper and the handle fits
snugly into the opening all the way up to the original mark
you made on the handle, use the sandpaper to create the
same fresh finish along the entire length of the timber.
Check for any raised splintered sections and take extra
care at the places where you’ll be holding the fork when
you’re turning your compost. Again, depending on the age
of the handle – this one was quite weathered – you may
need to use a couple of different grades of sandpaper to
achieve the best result. Start with a coarse grit to remove
the weathered layer of timber, before following with a finer
grade to achieve a lovely smooth finish.
ATTACHING THE TWO
With the handle completed, it’s time to attach it to the fork
head. For the strongest result, cover the tapered end with
some wood glue and slide the head onto the handle. Give
it a tap with your hammer to ensure it’s tightly seated all
the way in.
Drill through the existing holes of your old pin to create
a hole through the width of the handle before pushing
a stainless-steel (if you have one) bolt through the hole
and tightening a nut on the other side. You’ll know it’s as
tight as you can get it when you see the handle housing
contracting around the timber. You could use a thread-
locking solution to ensure it doesn’t come undone, but it
isn’t necessary. If any thread is sticking out through the
nut, grind it off for a cleaner finish.
Give your handle an oil – equal parts linseed and mineral
82
turpentine is great – and you’ve just made yourself a
brand-new tool out of broken bits in the corner of the shed.
SHEAR PATIENCE
When it comes to removing decades-old rust from metal,
white vinegar and time are the two best things you can use.
After that, a fine steel wool and plenty of elbow grease will
achieve a lovely patina on the steel and finish the job.
The rust on the shears pictured here took at least
three days soaking in vinegar before it was convinced
to start shifting, but once it started, it lifted off in sheets.
Once the bulk of the rust is gone, you can use the steel
wool to begin revealing the metal underneath. Again, the
age and condition will determine the end result – these
shears had at least two decades of rust, meaning the
metal is quite pitted – but the result is still hugely pleasing
simply because of the quality of the original tool that was
eventually uncovered.
Use the file to sharpen the blades – always file from the
outside in, you never want to create distance between the
two passing blades – and sand and oil the handles as you
did previously, and you’ve resurrected a pair of shears
many people would have thrown in the bin.
RESTORATION REWARDS
There’s so much to love about restoring old garden tools.
Not only do they live on to work another day, saving you
money and the earth of landfill, but the satisfaction that
comes with doing it yourself is hard to replicate. As well
as a new compost fork, a sharp new set of shears, there
could be a handy little short-handled shovel in the works
one day, too, which would be perfect for top-dressing
raised garden beds.
Opening page From broken tools to all-new ones. This spread, clockwise from far left If you don’t have a big enough vessel, you can make one
using timbers and a garbage bag; A drawknife is a useful wood-shaving tool; Remove the head of the original pin to release it; Gluing the handle
will add strength and longevity; Once out of the vinegar, a wire brush will help shift stubborn rust; Use the broken-end as a guide.

83
You can make these covers from any wool
fabric; blankets that are past their best or
even a worn-out machine-knitted jumper

84
 MAKE
:LQWɇƼDUPɇ
COSY COVERS
W O R D S & P H OTO S BY L I S A B R O W N
Hot water bottles are an efficient low-cost
method of taking the chill off your bed, or
warming parts of your body. This homemade
woollen cover will improve its efficiency.
Used cleverly, a thermal layer or two of woollen fabric has
the ability to improve the quality of your sleep by helping
your hot water bottle retain its heat for longer.
You can make these covers from any wool fabric; blankets
that are past their best or even a worn-out machine-knitted
jumper. The principles are pretty straightforward, and
there’s a lot of room for improvisation and embellishment if
you want to go beyond the basics.
Australia and New Zealand were huge producers of wool
and woollen blankets throughout the 1900s and the high
quality means they mostly remain in great condition half a
century or more later. Blankets as bedding fell out of favour
during the 1970s with the introduction of feather-filled
quilts and doonas, so woollen blankets turn up frequently
in far corners of linen cupboards, at garage sales and in op
shops. Upcycling woollen blankets extends the use of these
fabrics for another lifetime at least.
LINING IT UP
You don’t need a pattern, but before you start cutting your
blanket, size up your hot water bottle; they vary in size and
while a snug fit is desirable, the important thing is that neck
of the bottle can pass through the only opening. That’s the
one crucial measurement, so you need to know that width
before you start cutting out.
An advantage of the plaid patterns on most rugs is that
85
they provide a straight cutting guide. Often you can utilise
the selvedge edge as well, and thus avoid an extra hem.
Every fold of the cover adds more and more thickness to
the seams, and this can be a struggle for some sewing
machines. It’s a good idea to start with a new needle in
your machine; don’t create hard work for yourself by
using a blunt one.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Lay out your blanket and work out how to cut your cover
to create the least waste. It might be along one edge or
close to an area where the blanket is worn through. If
you’re using an old blanket which is close to threadbare
in patches, make your cover double layered. That could be
four separate pieces of fabric or, if you cut double width,
fold it over before you begin to sew. The simplicity of basic
rectangular construction allows for a lot of options. And
while you can choose to conceal the raw edges, you’ll
discover that heat and friction assists the seams to felt over
time anyway, so a zigzag stitch is enough to hold all those
layers together. If you were making it for a gift, you could
hand-sew a blanket stitch along the edges that extend past
the zigzag seam for a fancier finish.
MEASURING UP
For a hot water bottle measuring approximately 20 cm
wide and 33 cm long, you’ll make a roomy bag that requires
fabric measuring 120 cm x 90 cm (or 60 cm x 180 cm).
Cut out four pieces measuring 30 cm x 45 cm each or,
if you’re using the folding method, two pieces measuring
60 cm x 45 cm. So the rule of thumb is to make the cover
 MAKE
The rule of thumb is to make the cover about 10 centimetres larger
than your hot water bottle in all directions
about 10 centimetres larger than your hot water bottle in
all directions.
Pin two pieces together along the shorter sides; these
will become the top and bottom edges. Sew using a
straight – not zigzag – stitch about two centimetres in
from the edge. Turn outside in, pin and sew again, this
time about 2.5 centimetres in from the edge, making sure
that this seam is only working through two thicknesses of
your fabric. Repeat the process for the other two pieces
of fabric. Now’s the time to choose which end will be the
bottom of your hot water bottle bag.
ADDED PRACTICALITY
If you like to hang your hot water bottle upside down to
drain and dry out between cold seasons, now is the time to
add a loop to the bottom edge. We’ve used a length of cord
salvaged from the handles of a large rice sack, but any
strong cord about the thickness of a shoelace will do the
trick. Position your loop of cord centrally so it’s going to
poke out on the outside of the bag.
With the cord centred and in place, stitch both these
86
doubled pieces together, once again sewing through a
minimum of layers (ideally you now have four). Next,
line up your pieces along the side seams. A wide, dense
zigzag stitch is ideal for holding these layers together and
discouraging fraying. If you have an overlocker, it would
also be an effective way to sew these parts together.
FINISHING OFF
Now measure the widest section of the hot water bottle
neck against your bag, and pin along the top edge leaving
sufficient space for the neck to protrude (for when you’re
filling it). Sew across these two seams with a straight
stitch. The soft rubbery part of the hot water bottle will
bend enough for you to wriggle it into its cosy new case,
and means it won’t fall out when you hang the whole
ensemble upside down to dry out.
Roll your empty hot water bottle up so it slides through
the opening before filling, removing any air and sealing
tightly. Not only are you giving an old blanket a new
lease on life, but you’ll be snug and warm for a lot longer
throughout the colder months.
Opening page Add efficiency and colour to your hot water bottle. This spread, clockwise from far left No pattern required – use your bottle as
a size guide; The width of the bottle neck is the most important measurement; A loop will aid in drying out your hot water bottle; ensuring the
opening is large enough to slide your empty bottle in is crucial; Useful at home and great for gifts, one blanket could make quite a few covers.

87
KIDS’ PATCH

We love seeing
what kids are
growing with
their families in
their gardens, so
snap and email us
an image of what
you’re harvesting
at the moment.
Send the photo
to editorial@
pipmagazine.com.au, and our favourite will )˻H\MNj+HʻDQǝ
receive a copy of Slow Fashion by Megan ƾHDUɎ
Anderson. This issue’s winner is four-year- %HJNjNSW
old Freyja Helland from Bega, NSW.

lemonade fruit, coffee, basil, tomatoes, blueberries,

strawberries, grapes, chilli, oregano, thyme, cucumbers,
SHOW US YOUR GARDEN loofahs, lettuce, snap peas, spinach and parsley.

Avery John, 4 What’s your favourite thing to do in your garden?

Ashgrove, Qld
Describe your garden
I have four big square raised gardens to keep the dogs out
of and there are lots of fruit trees around the yard.
What do you grow?
We have lots of things in our garden; lemons, finger limes,
I like catching grasshoppers and caterpillars that are
eating our vegetables and fruits. And I love watering the
plants so they can grow bigger.
What do you enjoy eating from the garden the most?
I love eating strawberries and handfuls of parsley – and
also brushing my teeth with the mint I pick.

88
 1 WOOD & WOOL ART
By Emily Gray

Use wool offcuts and ends to make your own

unique design with a hammer and nails

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Claw hammer and nails (2.5 mm)
Pencil
Timber board
Masking tape
Wool or string

DIRECTIONS
Use a pencil to draw a picture on a piece of paper and
1 tape it to your wood.

Lay your drawing over the timber and begin tapping

2 nails through the paper into the wood, following the
lines on the picture.

Once all the nails are in place, carefully pull off the
2
3 paper template.

Take a piece of wool or string and tie it onto one of

4 the nails to start.

Wrap the string tightly around the next nail, this will
5 keep things tight and help keep the shape.

Trace the nails with the wool like a dot-to-dot then

6 colour in the picture using wool.

3 5

89
FUN PAGES
Q WHAT DO YOU CALL
A NERVOUS TREE?

FACTS ABOUT STON

FUN E FR A A SWEATY PALM
UIT
S ix
thi
ng

1 2 sy
ou
may
Plums are the
second-most
Apricot
trees are
in the rose
3
Peach trees
not k
now about the juicy fruits
cultivated family. should
fruit in the produce fruit
world. for about 12
years. 4 6
Astronauts
ate apricots
on the Apollo
5
On average,
A nectarine
is really just
mission to a cherry tree a smooth-
the moon. will produce skinned
7000 peach.
Q WHAT DO YOU GET cherries!
IF YOU CROSS A DOG
WITH A DAISY?
A COLLIE-FLOWER

M O X N X H U S Q F C F H J Y L U R W I
M T W E Y E B U A K O R O O T S T O C K
C Q B Q S F Y R P O G R T P O W V M T Z
D D B Y T I E E U R W R K U H H N O U V
Y H X A H D P Y E S U J A P N Y Z M R S
W H T X P O O J G B S N T F P C C Q K H
FIND-A-WORD
G M C E K R T O O S S E I U T O N R E E
How many of the 24 words
from this issue can you find Z W U S N O I W S G G G L N R I A R Y A
hidden in this box? M B O S I N H C A H S D P S G N N R T R
Q L L M H L I L O T E P Y V S F I G A S
APRICOT PLUMS
P X H A S R V S R T E O K G S P Z P I M
BLANKET PRUNING
E I P I N I O E C A Z R A S W F R D L J
BRUSSELS SPROUT ROOTSTOCK
FORK SCION A V L X G K F O R O B C B K M T Z O U T
FUNGI SHEARS C K U K T H E O M B U I B O A A F B U M
GRAFTING SHEOAK H U M Z A J V T Q S E R Z P T L Q C E T
HIGH VALLEY SILVERBEET
E F S H R F C A J L D E T M R T E V L A
HOT WATER BOTTLE TARP
S V U O P K Q G L D Z Q T B P X L Z J F
KALE TENNIS COURT
KOHLRABI TURKEY TAIL B F Q N Z C R M Q L W O O L L E N E N O
MUSHROOMS TURNIP H B B H G I O G Q Y E N S C I O N I L T
PEACHES WOOLLEN R K Y V V I Q Z M G A Y I W C W G Z C X

90
 COLOUR IN OUR COVER IMAGE
Have a go at colouring in the image that appears on this
issue’s cover. Once you’re happy with it, ask mum or
dad to take a photo of you holding your finished artwork
and have them email it to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au.
You can post your entry to Pip magazine, PO Box 172,
Pambula, NSW, 2549. The winner will be published in
the next issue and will pick up a copy
of The Incredible Edible Garden by
Victoria Breehny.
' H ʺ L ] ɇ 

)LHOGLQȈ ˅YLʻǠ7DɎ
The winner of Issue 27’s colouring-in
competition is Fielding Dekeizer from
H DUɎ  + X
 ƾ Huonville, Tasmania. Well done to
everyone who entered.

91
LOOK & LISTEN
The books, films & podcasts inspiring you to make a difference

%ˆNɎ

THE WIRES THAT BIND

ELECTRIFICATION AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL
QUARTERLY ESSAY BY SAUL GRIFFITHS (2023)

The country is at a crossroads. In The Wires That Bind,
inventor, engineer and visionary Saul Griffith reveals the
world that awaits us if we make the most of Australia’s
energy future.
Griffith paints an inspiring yet practical picture of
empowered local communities acting collectively when
it comes to renewable energy, and benefiting financially.
He considers both equity and security – an end to
dependence on foreign oil, for instance. He explores the
rejuvenation of regional Australia, as well as the rise of
a new populist movement driven by Australian women.
And he explodes once and for all the trees versus jobs
binary. This is an essay about building a better world, one
community at a time.
‘We need a realistic and achievable vision for the
future because the future is coming fast,’ Saul says. ‘We
have only about one-quarter of one century – 25 years,
one human generation – to get ourselves out of this
climate quandary. If we get this right, if we design the
incentives and the policies and the regulations correctly,
communities will thrive. Every Australian will benefit
economically, socially and even health-wise.’

3RGFDˏɎ

OUTRAGE! + 3CR GARDENING THE PRODUCERS

OPTIMISM
Hosted by former UN
Chief Christiana Figueres,
Tom Rivett-Carnac and
Paul Dickinson, Outrage!
+ Optimism covers the
latest news on climate
change in what it says
is a more truthful way
than mainstream media.
While environmental and
sustainability issues are
an ever-growing weight
on the world’s shoulders,
this podcast shows people
that they have the power to
make change.
SHOW
The popular weekly
talkback gardening show
on Melbourne’s community
radio station 3CR is
available as a podcast. Hear
hosts AB Bishop, Chloe
Foster, Virginia Heywood
and the former host of the
ABC’s Gardening Australia
Stephen Ryan discuss
all things horticulture
with an emphasis on
environmentally friendly
ideas. Good for tackling big
garden jobs, each episode
runs for around 1h45m.
The Producers, a food
podcast telling the stories
of producers, farmers,
growers and makers, is
one of six shows from the
Deep in the Weeds podcast
network. It’s hosted by
food writers Dani Valent
and Anthony Huckstep,
who share the individual
stories of farmers and
food artisans around the
country. The 30-minute
weekly episodes highlight
the hard work and passion
of the Australian men and
women producing our food.

92

BUILDING A BETTER
WORLD IN YOUR
BACKYARD
INSTEAD OF BEING ANGRY AT
BAD GUYS
BY PAUL WHEATON & SHAWN
KLASSON-KOOP
The 2019 book Building a Better
World in Your Backyard, which
has now been re-released as an
eBook, is about redirecting the
BUY THE! anger that results from caring
E-BOOKe
Scan th about the overwhelming list
cod e
QR of global problems to make a
positive impact, starting in your
very own backyard. The book
provides tips and tricks for everyone to start building a
better world, regardless if you live in a small apartment or
a large rural property.
According to author Paul Wheaton, if 20 percent of the
population implemented half the solutions in this book, it
would solve the biggest global problems. All without writing
to politicians, joining protests, signing petitions or being
angry at the people that are causing the problems.
&ODVʜLǗ THE COUNTRY
DIARY OF AN
EDWARDIAN LADY
BY EDITH HOLDEN
A reproduction of a naturalist’s
diary for the year 1906. Through
words and paintings, Edith
Holden recorded the flora and
fauna of the British countryside
through the changing seasons of
a calendar year. Holden’s words,
all carefully written by hand, include her favourite poems,
personal thoughts and observations in the wildlife she saw
both surrounding her home and on her travels.
The impressive paintings of birds, butterflies, bees
and plants reflect her deep love of nature and have
been executed with a naturalist’s eye for detail and the
sensitivity of an artist. First printed in 1977, Edith’s diary laid
undiscovered for seven decades before being published for
the first time as a full-colour facsimile edition and remains
as one of the few true records of the era in print. A book for
all seasons and a gift for all times.
93
NEW RELEASES
A CONSCIOUS HOME
BY REBECCA SULLIVAN (BAUER
MEDIA BOOKS 2023)
In a world where climate
resilience is more important
than ever, Rebecca Sullivan
takes you on a room to room journey to create
a natural, healthy lifestyle for your whole family
using easy recipes, projects, tips and tricks for
all eco-minded Aussies. just starting out or
already in action. Whether you’re just starting
out or already in full swing, small actions in our
own homes can make a massive difference –
and can be quick, simple and inexpensive.
THE GREAT
REGENERATION
ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE.
OPEN-SOURCE TECHNOLOGY
AND A RADICAL VISION OF HOPE
BY DORN COX (CHELSEA GREEN
PUBLISHING 2023)
In The Great Regeneration, farmer-technologist
Dorn Cox and author-activist Courtney White
explore unique, groundbreaking research aimed
at reclaiming the space where science and
agriculture meet as a shared human endeavour.
By employing the same tools used to visualise
and identify the global instability in our climate
and our communities – such as satellite imagery
– they identify ways to accelerate regenerative
solutions beyond the individual farm.
A FORAGER’S LIFE
FINDING MY HEART AND HOME
IN NATURE
BY HELEN LEHNDORF (HARPER
COLLINS 2023)
A memoir about belonging and
motherhood, told through the
author’s lifelong passion for wild food. Weaving
memoir with foraging recipes, principles and
practices, A Forager’s Life is an intimate story
and a promise that, with the right frame of mind,
much can be made of the world around us.
TRIED & TRUE
Where we use and review products that nourish us and the planet

$XVʜdz*DUGHQɇ6WˈǠ
CANVAS TARPS
By Robyn Rosenfeldt

I was immediately attracted to this tarpaulin because it

is made of canvas. Most tarps these days are made of
polyethylene and over time they get weak and degrade,
shedding strips of plastic all over the place as they
eventually fall apart.
The beauty of canvas is it is strong and it won’t break
down as quickly. And unlike the old blue tarps, it won’t
shred micro plastics as it ages. Canvas tarpaulins are
breathable and won’t sweat, and they have that beautiful
unique smell of canvas, which reminds me of camping
as a kid.
The Aussie Gardener canvas tarps are made of a
sturdy 340 gsm canvas so are great to use as covers
and as part of your camping set-up. They have
reinforced stitching for strength and the larger sized
options have double-stitched seams where the canvas
is joined together. They are UV stabilised and have anti-
mildew properties, too.
The stainless-steel eyelets are spaced at 60 cm of a cotton canvas. The positives of their polyester
intervals around the edge and are reinforced for extra construction is they don’t need to be regularly retreated
strength. The reinforcing means they shouldn’t rip when to maintain their waterproofness. But it also means they
you tie them down really tightly, like over a load in a aren’t a natural material, so to keep it out of landfill,
trailer or using as a taut shelter when camping. you’ll need to think of something creative to do with
The quality is clear to see and feel, and the weight the fabric once it’s no longer fit for purpose as a tarp.
compared to a plastic tarp is really useful in permanent Though, given their quality, that will be years down the
application, such as a cover for a boat, trailer or wood track.
pile. And the two available colours, green or tan, means WANT
they’ll blend in well and won’t be as jarring to the eye as ONE?
a blue or silver plastic tarp might be. %XɭƇɕƇ 
Water beads off them really well when properly
ƆʴǠ
installed, but like any tarp, if water is allowed to pool
in places, it will eventually drip through. It’s important
Product Canvas Waterproof Tarps
to protect any really sharp edges that you’re covering
Sizes 1.2 m x 1.8 m, 1.8 m x 2.4 m,
with the tarp, as pulling it tight over sharp things might
2.4 m x 3.0 m or 3.0 m x 3.65 m
damage the canvas and stop it being waterproof.
Price $63.00 – $199.00
Although they are made of canvas, which means
they’ll have a long and useful life, they’re not made aussiegardener.com.au

94
*DUGHQLQȈųˎɎ
DIGITAL ADVICE
By Kel Buckley
Time in the garden is generally time we look forward to
forgetting about screens and devices, but a dedicated
gardening app can be a really useful tool to inform your
planting choices and to keep track of not only what’s
happening in the current season, but also from year-
to-year. I’ve tried a handful of different apps over the
years, but generally always come back to two: one called
Gardenate and one produced by the ABC called Vegie Guide.
And the way I see it, two heads are better than one.
VEGIE GUIDE
For a free app, Vegie Guide has a lot on offer. Launch the
app and tap the funnel icon to let it know what climate
you’re in, which month you’d like results for and if you’d
like to focus on one particular plant family. From there,
you head to the Nursery icon where you’re presented with
an alphabetised list of all of the fruits, vegies and herbs
that can be grown in your climate at that particular time.
Tap on a vegie and you’re taken to a screen giving
you all sorts of information; Proven varieties, Planting
direction, Planting hints, Potential problems, Harvest times
and Harvesting tips, among others.
For me, this is about as much as I tend to to use, but
the app has plenty more functionality. At this point, if you
intend to plant something in your garden, you can tap on
an icon, tell the app if you’re sowing seeds or planting
seedlings, and it’ll add it to your ‘Patch’.
Like a garden diary, the Patch section of the app will
give you dates to maturity and, if you allow it access to
your smartphone’s calendar, will even send you alerts
when it thinks it should be time to plant out your new
seedlings, or harvest your maturing crop.
Under the Facts icon, you’ll find lots of other info, too,
like companion planting, how to build a no-dig bed, soil
challenges, crop rotation, composting and worm farm
how-tos – even how to care for your tools. Being ABC, it’s
trustworthy info, easy to use and it won’t cost you a cent.
Product Vegie Guide
Price Free
Platforms Apple only
95
GARDENATE
The Gardenate app isn’t free, but it does provide some
extra info that the ABC app doesn’t; it uses photographs
over graphics, for example, and what I like most is that it
gives you an at-a-glance table of the full year (pictured),
advising you what months to sow seed, transplant
seedlings or direct sow in the garden.
Like the Vegie Guide, you can send things to ‘your
garden’, and it’ll alert you to when it thinks things should
be nearing maturity, but you can take photos of your
plants throughout their stages and add them to the notes
section to refer back to.
I find it slightly more intuitive to navigate than Vegie
Guide, in that I can swipe left or right to go forward or
back a month while I’m looking for planting inspiration,
and the info under each particular plant is slightly more
in depth, too. As well as the table, germination times,
planting guides and harvest times, you get companion
plants, plants to avoid growing alongside, how to use it in
a rotation system and even culinary uses.
The My Garden icon is seperate to the Diary icon, which
means you can diarise other things like rainfall, and there’s
a Wish List icon, too, allowing you to bookmark plants
you’d like to add when they’re not in season and the app
will alert you when the best time eventually arrives.
Perhaps not as trustworthy as an ABC product, it feels
more informative, though at $2.99, you’re paying for it.
Product Gardenate
Price $2.99
Platforms Apple & Google Play
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96
WORMTICKLERS
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P I P PA RT N E R
)ɈƅUʳȫƲKXPEɎ
AUSSIE GARDENER
Far more than an online gardening shop
offering good old-fashioned customer
service, Brian and Kaylene Chapman’s Aussie
Gardener Store website has built an online
gardening community where you can shop,
share, connect and learn.
Aussie Gardener Store’s aim is simple: to simplify
gardening so everyone can give it a go and succeed.
Whether it’s through the rigorously tested range of
products, the unrivalled customer and after-sales service
or the growing online community supporting new and
experienced gardeners on their journey, Brian, Kaylene and
the Aussie Gardening team want to help.
TRIED AND TESTED
Aussie Gardener Store (aussiegardener.com.au) offers a
wide range of products, from tools and gadgets, watering
and irrigation, plant food and protective gear, through to
pest deterrents and wildlife-safe netting. Brian says the
team has tested each and every product it sells and if you
have a question before or after purchasing a product, you
can ask a question online or ring and speak to someone
directly who will be more than willing to help.
‘Buying online always carries an element of risk so we
want our customers to be confident that if they buy it from
us, it’s going to be good,’ he says. ‘We have earned our
customers’ trust and plan to keep it.’
Some of Aussie Gardener Store’s best-selling products
are PestFree Covers to protect plants and crops from
pests, its wide range of planter bags for those wanting to
grow food in small spaces, as well as its popular canvas
products, which includes tarpaulins, gardening aprons
and kneeling pads.
GROWING CONNECTIONS
As well as the online store, the pair has created a thriving
online community, comprising of free online classes,
instructional videos for products, as well as a platform to
share ideas, ask questions and learn from the experiences
of others. According to Brian, the community has gained
over 6000 members in the space of just 12 months.
‘We’re very proud of that,’ he says. ‘It’s a place where
people can get inspired, make friends, take up a challenge
and learn something new.’
You don’t need to be a member to have a look around
the community before signing up, nor do you need to
be an existing customer of the store. Check it out at
aussiegardenercommunity.com.au.
SOUND ADVICE
For those just starting out on their vegie-growing journey,
Brian and Kaylene have three pieces of advice: keep it
simple, arm yourself with knowledge and just give it a go.
‘You’ll have great successes and epic failures, but it’s
all part of being a gardener,’ says Brian. ‘The first time
you taste something you’ve grown yourself, it’s just so
satisfying and rewarding. What are you waiting for?’
To purchase Brenna’s Permaculture; Ethics, Principles & Actions poster
(A1-size, 594 mm x 841 mm), head to www.growdoit.com.au
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