Blog
Our blog features a variety of gardening and growing tips on topics such as soil biology, wicking bed construction, composting, grafting, pruning, water-saving and irrigation. Plus we regularly post recipes to help you make the most of the ‘seasonal glut’ and tips on how to live in a more sustainable way.
June garlic hint
There is not much to do for garlic in June - it is now too late to plant it. Presuming you have weeded, mulched and watered your patch, you have done all you need to. Now it is time to wait until the shortest day after which garlic heads will develop. Garlic is...
A glut of cumquats
Cumquats* resemble small oranges about the size of large olives. The skin of the fruit is sweet but the pulp is tart, making an interesting juxtaposition of flavour. They are often underrated as a fruit because of their tartness.
Virtual fencing to prevent wildlife roadkill: promising technology?
Every year, countless native animals are killed on Victorian roads, including wallabies, wombats, echidnas, koalas and kangaroos. Roadkill is not only a tragic loss for biodiversity, it can be a serious danger for drivers. Perhaps the greatest risk is of hitting a...
Queensland fruit fly alert – June
This is the time to put out Wild May to mop up any males young enough to survive over winter. Females will be dying as winter approaches. Mopping up young males will largely protect your early summer fruit from QFF attack as they will not be around to fertilise the...
Simple steps to warm your home
The cold months are upon us and it's time to take steps to make our homes cosy. To decide how best to do this, it's important to understand some fundamentals. It might seem obvious, but ideally our home will be warmest when it acts like a sealed container, so that the...
Contaminated Compost
Have you ever sighed with frustration when you receive a fresh load of compost only to find it laced with blue string, plastic strapping, fruit stickers, plastics, glass and other contaminants? Have you expressed disappointment at this state of affairs and wondered...
Queensland Fruit Fly alert – May
As the photo above shows there are still plenty of Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) around. In this dry lure from a pomegranate tree in my back garden, there are at least 40 males and in a second lure in a lime tree in my front garden, there are over 30 males. These have...
Jagajaga Community Volunteer Awards
Congratulations to Guy Palmer for his Jagajaga Community Volunteer award which honours his extensive work over more than 10 years for Local Food Connect. Guy produces the weekly newsletter, maintains the website and connects local growers, suppliers, retailers and the...
Storage is now the issue, not generation of energy
Energy storage is the new frontier for the achievement of energy independence in Australia. With 4 million households and businesses sporting rooftop solar, and 4 million more projected to do soin the next few years, energy generation is no longer the issue. Energy...
Urgent jobs in the garden for May
Make compost. Collect autumn leaves to make leaf litter or to add to compost. Add sparingly to compost as too much in a layer causes matting. Mix leaves well with other ingredients to prevent this. Net brassicas and Asian greens with exclusion netting, weighing down...
Growing perfect peas
Top tips for growing peas water pea seed at planting and not again until they shoot plant in slightly alkaline soil (pH 7-7.5) support climbing peas with a trellis or frame With a little care, peas are very easy to grow. Autumn, winter and spring are ideal planting...
The Banyule community battery launch!
I was thrilled to attend the launch of a 400kW community battery on 24 April. The battery was launched by Shaun Readon, CEO of Jemena, Kate Thwaites, MP for Jagajaga and Felicity Gordon, local artist. Banyule-Jemena-Federal Government partnership This is a community...
Bringing back balance with ecological burning
In Victoria’s dry forests and native grasslands, fire often gets a bad rap. But when used thoughtfully and respectfully, fire can be a powerful force for regeneration. Some people may have noticed smoke from Cherry Street Reserve in Macleod a few weeks ago. It wasn’t...
Queensland Fruit Fly alert – April
As in March, your winter fruit is at risk. At risk right now are persimmons, guavas, feijoas, pomegranates (despite their tough skin) and citrus, but any fruit including berries is susceptible. This is the time to put out Wild May again because the females are dying...
Join Sustainable Macleod
Become a member and get access to the community garden, the tool library and our seed library. We welcome all members of the community and have regular events and workshops to enjoy.