Practising Organic Principles

  • Beelarong Farm isn’t a certified organic garden but members are encouraged to follow the principles of organic farming in the growing of vegetables, fruit and flowers and in the controlling of pests and weeds. 

  • The farm does not support the use of pesticides. Many pesticides do not discriminate between the good and bad bugs and they can also end up in your plants which are then eaten by you.

Caring for the gardens

  • Good rich organic compost lightens and loosens the soil and provides essential food that plants need. Worms and beneficial insects thrive. Organic rich soil encourages good nematodes that in turn help control pest nematodes.

  • Healthy plants are less susceptible to pests and disease. Maintaining watering and fertilizing will improve their resistance to attack.

  • Mulching can suppress many weed species and in summertime mulch helps keep moisture in the soil. It can be dug into the soil once it has decomposed sufficiently.

  • Green manure / cover crops are often planted over summer for enriching and protecting soil. Before a crop flowers and seeds drop the crop is dug into the soil. It takes about 30 days to decompose - the organic matter lightening and loosening soil structure and enriching with nutrients ready for plantings. Green manure plants include lucerne, oats, mustards, lupin. [Gardening Australia tip - sowing mustard seed produces a green manure crop that assists insect pest control. Mustard exudes isothiocyanates, (which causes that ‘hot’ taste) which pest nematodes find unappealing].

  • Crop rotation is a sound practice that helps maintain soil health and healthy crops e.g., peas and beans not only add nitrogen to the soil, they can be grown where pest nematodes have existed.

  • Companion planting. Certain plants provide beneficial qualities when planted together and there are many publications about which plants go together successfully and those that don’t. Companion planting make for interesting gardening. E.g., marigolds help control root-knot nematodes (minute worms in the soil) that attack many plants and inhibit uptake of water and food in summertime, especially the Solanaceae family that includes tomatoes, eggplants, chilli and potatoes.

  • Diseased plant material is placed into council green bins for transfer to a green waste facility where it is composted at very high temperatures to kill pathogens and unwanted bacteria.

  • Traps and manual control. A careful inspection of your plants generally shows up hiding grasshoppers and caterpillars that you can manually control. Coffee grinds deter snails and there are other trapping methods such as upside-down citrus skins under which snails hide.

  • Biological control. If you take a quiet seat, you will soon discover the army of lizards patrolling the farm. These little helpers have a veracious appetite. Placing a few rocks around your plot will encourage the lizards to stay and feed on any grubs and insects they can find. You may also notice the Magpies, Willy wagtails, Kookaburras and other birds that frequent the farm. They all are an effective method of controlling pests.

Tips and hints: One of the best things about growing things at the Beelarong Community Farm is the breadth of knowledge and experience among members. This is willingly shared, providing ideas and advice, which new gardeners find particularly helpful.

Beelarong Community Farm | Cnr Beverley and York Sts, Morningside, QLD, 4170 | info@beelarong.org.au | 0401 168 657