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.
Banyule Bicycle Strategy
Rising petrol prices, increased road congestion with the pandemic and the indisputable health benefits have all made cycling more popular than ever. Banyule City Council have released the Banyule Bicycle Strategy for 2022-2027, building on the 2010-2020 Bicycle...
Banyule’s No Local Species Extinction plan – part 2
Jen Willis interviewed Banyule’s biodiversity adviser, Paul Davis about the No Local Species Extinction Plan that Council are developing. If you haven’t already, you can read the first part of the interview with more information about the six key indicator species...
Get to know your committee
We recently held our annual AGM and voted in our committee for the coming year. Find out all about the newly elected committee and why they decided to get involved.Paul Gale-Baker - President I am grateful to be elected President of Sustainable Macleod for another...
Great news – Banyule is developing a No Local Species Extinction plan!
You may have seen a request from Banyule City Council’s (Council) biodiversity team for community group input into the No Local Extinction Plan they are developing. This is the first action plan of its kind locally and is a fantastic initiative to attempt to retain as...
All those cords and old mobiles? …solutions for managing your E-waste
Each time you upgrade your phone, TV or other electrical device, the redundant or broken item becomes ‘e-waste’. How can we do our bit to keep e-waste out of landfill? Firstly, we need to understand the definition of e-waste. E- waste is a much broader category of...
What’s wrong with my zucchini?
I have always assumed that pollination is a once off event for fruit and vegetables. In other words, I’ve always assumed that a fruit has either been pollinated or it has not. But, from my research, it appears that this is not true for all fruit, including zucchini....
What Banyule Clean Energy Group can do for local organisations
Local support centre BANSIC, which provides emergency food relief and other services, has experienced much higher demand for assistance over the past year. As a result, they’ve had to install additional fridges and freezers to store enough food for our community’s...
More tips for growing spectacular eggplants
Use net bags Plant in a row in full sun Keep very well watered Have you ever cut open a beautiful looking eggplant only to find a winding, black track through it? This is a poo trail from an eggfruit caterpillar. It is rare to see where the caterpillar has entered, or...
Taking action on textile waste
When you open your wardrobe or drawers you will probably see things that you haven't worn in ages. Chances are most were bought new, on a whim. All those shirts, singlets, pants, dresses, skirts, tops, scarves, jackets, socks, novelty clothing and of course school and...
What can we do to cool the urban heat island?
As summer warms up, the heat island effect is becoming more noticeable. Put simply, the heat island effect (UHI) comes about because cities create their own microclimates. Most gardeners are aware of the different microclimates created in backyards.
The magnificence of dragonflies
Across our north-eastern Melbourne suburbs, dragonflies (and their cousins damselflies) are relatively common. They are found right across Australia and all around the world. There are hundreds of species in Australia alone and it’s estimated there are about 5,000 species around the world.
Can I save zucchini seed?
Top tips for saving zucchini seeds allow fruit to fully mature on the vine until skin is hard cover male and female flowers with mesh bags and hand pollinate ferment the seed The short answer to whether you can save zucchini seed is 'yes' but it is a complicated...
What you need to know to grow an avocado
Top tips on growing avocados create excellent drainage stake your tree protect from wind and frost prepare your hole and add nutrients several months before planting Planting an avocado tree is quite straightforward as long as you have specific knowledge about site...
The case for growing your own avocados
Have you ever considered that when you buy an avocado you could be supporting a Mexican criminal cartel or supporting water rights in Chile that are resulting in thousands of small farmers being effectively deprived of their livelihoods? Mexico is the biggest producer...
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.