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.
Midyim berry – an easy to grow Australian edible native
Midyim berry (Austromyrtus dulcis) is a perennial, native to eastern coastal regions from northern NSW to south-east Queensland, and is a member of the myrtle family. It is a low growing, spreading bush with delicious small berries. My first bush, planted from a...
Ruby red rosella
Rosella (Hybiscus sabdariffa), known as Roselle in countries other than Australia, is not an Australian native as many people think but from West Africa. It is a bush that produces ruby red calyxes that make delicious jam or cordial, leaves that are used in tea making...
Queensland Fruit Fly: a new angle on waste
Many people in the gardening fraternity get very upset about wasting water. Often in an attempt to conserve, they will underwater their fruit and vegetables, resulting in undersized and poor quality produce. With the advent of Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) damage, we...
Wildflowers of Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs
Spring is a glorious time both in the home garden and in the bush. Flowers and birds abound, butterflies and dragonflies emerge, and the sun (usually!) shines. The idiom ‘build it and they will come’ really does apply. By planting even a handful of indigenous plants,...
Interview with Kate Farrelly of BANSIC
I had the opportunity to interview Kate Farrelly, who leads the team at BANSIC. Kate is the Volunteer Manager. P: Kate, what is BANSIC? K: BANSIC stands for Banyule Support and Information Centre. We are an emergency relief organisation. Emergency relief is very broad...
Riding the Electric Highway to Far North Queensland – Long-distance EV travel without an extension lead
Having bought our electric vehicle in June, we decided to take a journey north to Port Douglas. Aside from hankering for the warmth of Far North Queensland, we wanted to test out the practicality of long distance driving in what is still seen in Australia as a novelty...
Managing paint and coatings waste
Home renovations and all sorts of makeovers are a ubiquitous feature of our lives: a lick of paint, a bit of replastering, varnishing a wood table. There are a huge variety of products used for home improvements, but this article will focus on paint and coatings....
Plant a Pomegranate in Spring
The beautiful red fruit of the pomegranate (Pumica granatum) has increased in popularity as our culinary tastes have become more diverse and inclusive of Middle Eastern and North African dishes over recent years. Pomegranates are not cheap so why not plant a tree...
Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) – Take action NOW to protect your fruit and vegies
Our long wet, cold winter is likely to have delayed the start of the Queensland Fruit Fly season in Banyule and surrounds. Hopefully, it has also killed the overwintering males which would give us a head start. Remember, QFF will mate when the temperature is 16...
Shocking North East Link clearing & what to do if you hit a roo
Most of us have been shocked at the scale of the clearing at the Simpson Barracks on Greensborough Highway as part of North East Link works. Shockingly, the new highway will actually run underground here but they say they need somewhere to park equipment. The complete...
Volunteering in crisis!
There has been growing concern among Banyule charities and groups who rely on volunteers, about the downturn in volunteering since the beginning of COVID-19 and more particularly, the lack of bounce-back this year. This led me to research what is happening more widely...
Sustainable housing – incorporating new technologies
In the last two articles on sustainable housing, I have briefly looked at getting the basics of sustainable house design right and some simple ways to improve the energy performance of existing homes. At some point, most of us will add technical solutions to create...
Which liquid fertiliser should I use?
Which liquid fertiliser should I use? I'm often asked questions about liquid fertilisers such as: Are all liquid fertilisers the same? Can I use them interchangeably? What's the difference? How would I know which one to use? The short answer is that they are not all...
The difference between organic and inorganic fertiliser
The fundamental difference between organic and inorganic* fertiliser is their source. Organic fertilisers are derived from living things including plants, animals and manures while inorganic are synthetically derived chemicals plus minerals from the earth. From this...
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.