Blog
Our blog features a variety of gardening and sustainablity articles on topics such as soil biology, composting, grafting, pruning, water-saving and irrigation clean energy, waste and biodiversity. 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.
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...
A pink, red and white spring show
Take a drive to many places in Victoria at the moment and you’re likely to see our state’s floral emblem in all of its splendour. But did you know it grows exceptionally well as a pot plant or planted directly into your garden? The Common heath (Epacris impressa) is...
Poor & declining: the state of our environment
The State of the Environment report 2021 came as an unsurprising, but nonetheless devastating blow last month. In June 2021, 1385 plant and 533 animal species were listed as threatened, including 21% of all Australian mammals. The report was completed in late 2021 but...
Food Security
Towards a Banyule Food Strategy Recent rises in the prices of basic foodstuffs has come as a shock to many of us. Most of us would take for granted that food is both available and affordable, but how secure is our access to food really? Not as secure as we might like...
How to resolve the complexity of crop rotation!
Whenever I plan my next season vegie garden I'm faced with the tricky question of how to rotate my crops. It may sound simple - just grow something different in each plot each season - but in reality there are a lot of factors to take into account which do not resolve...
Preparing an autumn/winter vegie garden
The first section here covers soil preparation, watering tips and site selection. With these covered, not much can go wrong! Below this section, are 6 families of vegetables and herbs with specific guidelines for each. It is worth reading the whole article to get a...
Lettuce and light
Light-dark requirements for lettuce seed germination Top tips: lettuce seed needs light to germinate lettuce seed has a shelf life of one year prepare a firm, moist seed bed for planting lettuce and keep seed moist at all times know the light and dark requirements for...
5 pretty purple local plants in Banyule
Nature abhors bare earth. Where there’s bare earth, mother nature finds something to fill it. In spring, that’ll likely be weeds. Why not instead fill some small spots in your garden with something that’s pretty and local to the area? They’ll require very little (if...
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.