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.
Silverbeet, spinach, Swiss chard, rainbow chard… what is the difference?
Top planting tips: prepare soil to a fine tilth soak silverbeet/chard seed but not spinach seed add compost or well-rotted manure keep well watered Silverbeet, spinach, Swiss chard and rainbow chard all belong to the Amaranthaceae family but they are not all the same....
Polystyrene Waste
From bean bags to waterways – why polystyrene has to be eradicated from our lives. In the early 1970s, my family had two orange bean bags. They were very fashionable items at the time, and besides the allure of lounging in them, I loved unzipping the bags and plunging...
QFF success at the community garden!
Sustainable Macleod has succeeded in having a summer season with NO infection of fruit and vegetables at the community garden! We are proud of this achievement and inspired to spread the word about how we did this throughout the Banyule community and beyond. Please...
Jagajaga Community Volunteer Awards
Congratulations to Sustainable Macleod's nominees for Jagajaga Community Volunteer awards. From left Amanda Tattam, Lou Marks and Jen Willis. Amanda and Jen were recognised for their contributions to the newsletter and development of Sustainable Macleod’s...
Comfrey
Comfrey In the 1970s, comfrey (Symphytum Officinale) was the 'in' herb. Countless articles, papers and books were written on the subject, trials held and societies formed to promote it. Sadly, it is rather obscure these days partly because in spite of evidence that it...
10 tips for winter vegetable planting in Melbourne
Brassicas - cauliflower, cabbage, cabbage, kale 1. Before planting out, dip seedlings in Dipel, an organic bacterium that takes care of green caterpillars, the eggs of which may already be on the underside of the leaf. It is available from Yates as 'Nature's Way...
Wanting to stand for the next executive?
Words of wisdom from the current officeholders. The AGM will be coming up in May so we thought it timely to interview all 4 office-bearers about their roles so that others wishing to stand for the executive have a good understanding of what the roles entail. This...
EV charging in multi-residential developments
In my previous article, 'Supporting the change to electric vehicles', I discussed the possibility of including in council building regulations a requirement for new developments to include electric vehicle charging infrastructure. I have been in contact with Banyule...
Bulleen River Red Gum to stay
There’s some good news about the Bulleen River Red Gum, with confirmation from the North East Link Project team that it will no longer be felled for construction works. This is a significant win for locals who were outraged about its planned removal for the freeway...
The shelf-life of garlic: choose cultivars to last year round
Garlic isn't just garlic! Garlic encompasses a wide range of flavours from spicy to buttery, nutty to sweet, mild to hot and more. There are 11 groups, several of which are not grown in Australia, and each has its own distinct growing and harvest season, soil and...
Turn autumn leaves into gold!
Recently I saw an unusual site - a Banyule City Council worker was blowing leaves from the gutter onto the nature strip. Usually, it is the other way round, I see people blowing leaves from the nature strip or their driveway into the gutter! This is a poor choice -...
Creating hollows for wildlife with chainsaws
Many of our native birds and animals rely on tree hollows for their survival. Without them they can’t find shelter to raise their young. Due to a lack of big old hollow-bearing trees, Banyule City Council have recently funded the installation of some artificial...
What is eating my tomatoes?
If your tomatoes have large bites out of them or are half eaten, it will be rats or possums. If they have round holes that contain a calloused concave depression with solid edges, it will be the green caterpillar as seen in the photo below. If you cut open your...
Choosing a community garden
Recently a woman came to the Sustainable Macleod Community Garden researching our garden and others to find a garden that was a good fit for her. Not many people do this but it is essential that prospective members understand that no two community gardens are alike...
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.