July - August 2019

Organic NZ

New Zealand’s organics and sustainable living magazine

Organic NZ2 min read
Organic NZ
Published by the Soil & Health Association of NZ Inc. Our AGM this year will be in Christchurch, and we have an amazing line-up of talented people willing to put their names forward to be on the National Council and build a stronger Soil & Health Ass
Organic NZ3 min read
20/20 Vision
Soil & Health has had a vision for two decades now of an ‘Organic New Zealand by 2020’. Over the years we’ve held conferences and workshops to discuss goals and how to get there, and worked with others in the organic sector to try to advance this. No
Organic NZ5 min read
Your Letters
Email: editor@organicnz.org.nz Post: POBox9693, Marion Square, Wellington, 6141. WINNING LETTER I read the article on scything (ONZ March/April 2019) and noted that Sharon Stevens mentioned that they were having trouble getting rid of the agapanthus
Organic NZ2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Competitions
Wow! Three lucky winners will each receive $100 worth of delicious ethical chocolate from Bennetto Natural Foods. Each prize pack includes two bars of each flavour: the two brand new products – Amaranth & Sea Salt and Raspberries in Dark – plus the e
Organic NZ5 min read
News
In April a special Project Gro funding round was made possible through collaboration between Soil & Health and Thunderpants. The successful applicants were: Oxford St Community Garden (Masterton), Te Kura a Papatuanuku Wairarapa – Earth School Charit
Organic NZ5 min read
Organics: THE TIME IS NOW
The growth of the organic market is significant such that within a relatively few years every major food retailer has felt compelled to have an organic offering even though organics is still a very small percentage of the total food market. Organics
Organic NZ6 min read
From Crop To Shop 30 Years Of Teamwork
Janet wakes pre-dawn and pulls on three-quarter pants, a cotton T-shirt from which the colour has long been bleached by the Hawke’s Bay sun, and woollen working socks that would look at home in a shearing gang. She begins her day with yoga and pays h
Organic NZ7 min read
Rabbits In An Orchard Ecosystem
Rabbits are the most efficient converters of grass to protein, and their poo contains as much nitrogen as chicken manure, but in slow-release form so no nitrogen burning occurs. Hearing this was enough to start me experimenting with rabbits in the or
Organic NZ4 min read
Coping With Chemo – NATURALLY
Last year I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. Scientific research suggests that this cancer type is due to a diet deficient in fruit and vegetables, and/or a lifetime of overindulgence in nefarious activities. As I don’t fit either pro
Organic NZ4 min read
Tiny Homes For Plants
I always wondered why they were called cold frames when it’s warmth you are trying to attract. I guess cold frames are best described as mini glasshouses. They extend the growing season for your plants and can be used to raise seedlings in as well. T
Organic NZ6 min readBotany
PRUNING Subtropical Fruit & Grapevines
No matter what fruit tree you prune, they all begin the same way – with a ponder. Follow that with the removal of the dead, damaged, crossing and diseased wood. Unless stated, stick to the golden rules: prune on a dry day, think first, and prune no m
Organic NZ1 min read
Moon Calendar For August
Note: Always consider your particular climatic conditions and the weather. Plant and sow the varieties most suitable for the time of year in your own location. Check with experienced local growers. Seeds germinate rapidly when sown one or two days be
Organic NZ2 min read
Brooke Woolsey Isn’t One To Shy Away From A Challenge
Study NZ Diploma in Agribusiness Management @SIT2LRN As if running a 4000-acre sheep, beef and dairy grazing unit in West Otago with her husband and being mum to two small children didn’t make for a busy enough life, Brooke decided to take up distanc
Organic NZ6 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Ready To Roll A Mobile Organic Kitchen
Lewis and I have been talking and dreaming about our own venture with organic food for the last five years. We’ve been waiting for an opportunity to share our passion for wholesome organic food and do something we feel will be contributing to the urg
Organic NZ5 min readMedical
Winter Wellness
There is a common misconception that ill health is brought on by cold temperatures and the turn of the season. However, viruses are prevalent all year round and it is more likely that our chances of catching viruses and infections increase because ou
Organic NZ5 min read
REDUCING Electrosmog Exposure
After six hours’ hiking the first leg of the Old Ghost Road, Ricki Neumann (47) was glad she’d booked accommodation over the next four nights rather than lug in a tent. Unfortunately she was unaware the huts on this remote Buller District trail have
Organic NZ6 min read
Hidden Heroes
An astonishing 92% of plants form mutually beneficial relationships with mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. David Whyte explores how this works, and how farmers, orchardists and gardeners can encourage and add these fungi to the soil for the benefit of p
Organic NZ3 min readEarth Sciences
Tracking Soil – Regular Soil Testing To Track Changes
A single soil test is a snapshot. You get an idea of the availability of nutrients and soil pH compared to some suggested standards. But you don’t know how the soil is changing over time. You don’t know what effect the fertiliser you are putting on,
Organic NZ5 min read
Future-proofing SHELTER
When I remember back to my childhood, I have particularly fond memories of the huts we built, whether in trees, or underground, or the caves we used as hideouts. Humans need shelter and all children I know love constructing and inhabiting their own c
Organic NZ6 min read
Soil & Health Association of NZ 2019 AGM and Organic 2020+ Workshop
Saturday 20 July 2019 Christchurch Venue: Piko Wholefoods, 229 Kilmore St (corner of Barbadoes St) Times and walking tour locations to be announced – see www.organicnz.org.nz/events 1. Walking tour 2. AGM 3. Organic 2020+ Workshop Bailey Peryman will
Organic NZ3 min read
Things We Like
Abby Pearl grows herbs organically, and makes a range of natural bodycare products at her family’s farm near Warkworth. These include soaps, shampoo bars, moisturiser, toner, body oil and more. One of the Organic NZ team tried out some Earthly Pearls
Organic NZ6 min read
Goods And Services Directory
• Certified organic goods, services or businesses are marked: ✓ • Non-certified producers are included on the implicit expectation that they share a philosophical and practical commitment to recognised standards of organic production. Organic Gardeni

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