14
ORGANIC FEDBK
Thank you, Dianne, for your
lovely letter and photo. For
your enthusiasm, we will send
you a copy of Paul West’s
new book The Edible Garden,
published by Plum (39.99). See
recipes from the book on p. 64.postLockedBag5555,StLeonardsNSW 1590
email editor@organicgardener. com.au
web organicgardener.com.au
Find us on:Please include your town/suburb. Photos are helpful, and any details
such as climate and soil. The more information we have the better.WICKING
BED SOIL
How can I keep
my wicking bed soil
healthy? The soil is
ex-landscape soil
with added manures,
which I mixed
in probably five
months ago. Any
advice is welcome.
Chris Hogan, Camira
(Brisbane, Qld)Hi Chris,
With two exceptions, the advice around healthy soil for
wicking beds is the same as for any food-growing garden
bed. Your photos indicate you are doing most things right.
Your soil needs to have plenty of organic matter, enough
nutrients to keep plants growing well through the season,
adequate water, surface mulch and a pH of 6.5–7.
For wicking beds, two things you need to consider
are the possible build-up of nutrients in the soil and
possible flooding that causes prolonged soil dampness.
A wicking bed is a closed system where most of the
nutrients added stay in the soil, so don’t overdo the
fertilisers, otherwise the salts formed will build up
and make the soil unsuitable for plants. Overcome
this by flushing the bed once a year by watering heavily
and allowing the excess water and dissolved salts to
flow out of the overflow pipe. If your bed is under
cover, you might need to do this twice a year.
If your wicking bed is out in the open, and you get
prolonged heavy rain, the soil will stay wetter longer
than soils in well-drained non-wicking garden beds. This
can cause plant roots to rot and plants to die. In a region
with seasonally heavy rain, it may be worth setting up
a temporary cover to protect your bed. If you do get
heavy rain, and your overflow pipe is working properly
then you may not need to flush the bed each year.
Penny WoodwardINSECTS AND HUMANS
The excellent article ‘Where have all the insects gone’
(by Reese Halter in Issue 109) missed one vital point.
The main reason behind the sixth mass extinction is
human population, which has doubled since 1970. The
industrialisation of agriculture enabled a population
explosion, to nearly 8 billion people who now depend
on the use of machines, petroleum fuel, chemicals and
other destructive methods for mass food production.
We need to rein in our population growth, nationally
and globally, by among other things, educating women
and girls and giving free access to family planning.
Karen Joynes, Bermagui (NSW)A DRAWER OF ASIAN GREENS
I’m a first-timer reader of your mag and was thrilled
to discover I was on the right track to achieving a
successful crop of Asian greens (OG ran an article
on Asian greens in
Issue 110). Driven
by a desire to
reuse and recycle,
I planted my
greens in an old
sock draw rescued
from a dumpster.
The greens look
so fabulous, I just
had to share a
photo with you.
Keep up the great
work at Organic
Gardener because
I’m now hooked
on your mag.
Dianne Draper
Bendigo (Vic)WIN
G
WORDS