Books to beg, borrow or buy
Garlic:
An
organic guide to knowing, growing and using garlic, from
Australian Whites and Tasmanian Purples to Korean Reds and Shandongs
Penny Woodward
Pub. Hyland House 2nd Edition 2014
‘One rule in life, if you can smell garlic, everything is alright.’ (JG Ballard)
It
is not so very long ago that I can remember Melbournians looking on
garlic with great suspicion.
However, as Penny notes in her
introduction, garlic’s popularity has grown dramatically over the
past few decades, thanks to the arrival of migrants from the
Mediterranean and Asia. Most of our
garlic is imported, and there are
good reasons to prefer locally grown varieties. This book is a
wonderful resource for those of us who would like our garlic to be
very
locally sourced: from our
home gardens.
It
is not just a ‘how to’ manual on growing garlic. There is a
chapter detailing its botanical structure
and characteristics, its
chemistry, its cultivars, and its place in culinary and medical
history. There
are the stories of a dozen or so Australian growers
who describe the cultivars they grow, the
techniques they use, and
how they have adapted to their particular climates and soils. And
whether
it is a recipe for a simple salad dressing or the more
complex instructions on making black garlic,
you’ll find it here,
along with traditional folk remedies using garlic. Penny’s
background in science is
evident in her careful summary of the most recent research into garlic’s possible health benefits.
Then
there is the ‘how to’: how to choose suitable cultivars, how to
prepare the garden bed, how to
plant the cloves and tend the plants,
how to harvest and store your crop, how to recognise and deal
with
pests and diseases. This is clear, practical information from an
experienced garlic grower, well
illustrated with excellent photos.
There
are squillions of garlic cultivars! I’d figured out that there are
soft necks and hard necks, white
garlic and purplish garlic, plus
elephant garlic which isn’t really garlic, more a type of leek.
Penny’s
book, however, describes about sixty distinct varieties, with photos of each.
I
am inspired! I’ve followed Penny’s
instructions, my garlic is in, and shooting. Now, here’s
hoping
for some home grown garlic with cloves that are no
microscopic like those from my previous garlic growing attempts.
'A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.’ (New York proverb)
Community Gardens – A celebration of the people, recipes and plants.
Penny
Woodward and Pam Vardy
Pub. Hyland House 2005
You
may be detecting a bit of a theme here! This is another of Penny
Woodward’s books, this time
written in collaboration with Pam Vardy.
There
are over 600 community garden pots in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.
Penny and Pam have
gathered the stories of some of the gardeners:
residents of public housing estates, people of many
nationalities and
cultures who delight in tending their little gardens and growing food
plants from
their home countries. Sharing their plants and their
knowledge with one another is a wonderful way
of overcoming language barriers and building friendships.
Many
of these gardeners have been through horrific experiences as they
fled war or persecution in
their homelands. Their gardens have become
places of peace and healing, and, as they grow and
harvest some of their traditional foods, a little bit of home here in Melbourne.
As
well as sharing their often heart breaking stories, many of those
interviewed by Penny and Pam
have shared recipes from their home
countries. The second section of this book looks at some of
the
plants grown by this diverse group of gardeners, and how they are
used. Many of the plants here
are either unfamiliar to the average
Aussie, or regarded as inedible weeds. Who knew that both the
leaves
and young shoots of black nightshade (Solanum
nigrum) are
good for diabetes and high
blood pressure, and can be used in stir
fries and soups? Or that the ripe berries can be added to
soups and
made into relish? Or that not only the flower petals but also the
leaves of calendula (C.
officinalis) can be eaten? In Russia they are added to salads and sandwiches.
The Thrifty Gardener
by Millie Ross
An ABC book published by Harper Collins in 2012
‘Our
cities need gardens, big, small, flowery, flavoursome,
forbidden, fragrant, flawed or just a bit of fun.’
Millie Ross's approach to gardening involves low cost, rental-friendly gardens and the
re-use and
re-purposing of materials. The Thrifty Gardener is a
practical, ‘how to’
manual with plenty of step by step
instructions and photos as well as many creative
handy hints. Her
down-to-earth manner and quirky turns of phrase make this a
great
resource for beginners to the joys and frustrations
of gardening, while still having useful
snippets and ideas for those who have a longer history of growing stuff.
Millie
discusses all the basics, from assessing, planning and designing
your property to
soil structure and plant nutrition; from
propagation to organic pest control - and all in
easy to
understand, colloquial language. Container plants, no-dig gardens
and wicking
beds are covered, as well as pond construction, paving,
building fences and walls, and
growing a living cubby. Other
projects include a native bee house, solar shower,
self-watering pots, a fire pit and more.
Kid
welcoming and dog friendly gardens are important and
recurrent themes, as is
making use of what you have or what you can get for free.
Millie
is clearly excited about gardening and its joys and possibilities,
and it is hard not to
be caught up in her enthusiasm.
My
only criticism is that the attractively coloured pages can make
reading the text a bit
of a challenge.
Millie Ross is a regular guest on the 3CR Garden Program on Sundays (7.30 - 9.15am
855AM radio).
She is a contributor to the ABC’s Gardening Australia program and magazine.
http://thriftymillie.blogspot.com.au
Creating Your Eco-Friendly Garden
Mary Horsfall
CSIRO Publishing
Mary Horsfall describes the development of
the garden she and her husband created
on an almost empty block in north-central Victoria. It is a mostly
ornamental garden
but the careful thought and planning processes are applicable to everyone. This book
nicely counters the current trend for the instant gardens seen on TV shows.
Chapters on
planning, choosing plants, preparation, construction, planting and
water
use make up much of the book.The author emphasises the
importance of waiting and
observing, thinking about what you need and want, and using books,
magazines and
garden visits for inspiration.
There are practical
suggestions for choosing plants: buying advanced plants that can
be divided, browsing local community markets for cheap, hardy plants,
and selecting
species that will contribute to and encourage
biodiversity. Lists of poisonous or
potentially drain blocking plants
are helpful too.
We are reminded about the importance of doing things
in a sensible order
(earthworks before planting!), and of thorough
soil preparation, as well as the value of
minimising hard surfaces in
favour of water absorbing mulch or pebbles. There is
good basic information about greywater use and an evaluation of various
irrigation
techniques.
Biodiversity is a
recurring theme throughout the book, and the chapter addressing
this topic gives an excellent explanation of how and why
we should encourage
biodiversity of plants, animal life and soil micro-organisms.
Regarding safe pest control, the author notes that
the starting points for healthy
plants are healthy soil and
biodiversity, that spraying pesticides hurts beneficial
insects as
well as pests, and that destroying the pests removes food for the
predators
we need to make welcome. Alternatives to spraying are offered: flowering herbs and
nitrogen fixers among the orchard,
companion planting, crop rotation, physical
protection, traps and lures. However, the reality is that things do get out of kilter at
times, and the book includes an extensive list of safer pesticides, mostly home-made.
Drought struck soon
after the Horsfalls moved into their new home. Their garden had
been
designed to cope with minimal water, and just as well. The author outlines their
experiences and lessons. No matter
how carefully one thinks and plans in advance,
not everything works
as anticipated.
Well worth a read.