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.
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...
Myths about Sustainable Macleod
Sustainable Macleod is nearly 11 years old. We were a small group back in 2011and there are just a few of the original members still involved. It is not surprising that myths and misunderstandings have grown up over the years. Time to set some of them right! Myth #1:...
What is a Community Battery…and why would you want one?
Most people are familiar with home batteries, such as those produced by Tesla. These privately owned batteries usually sit on an exterior wall of the house and are located behind the meter. This means they store energy (from solar panels), for that household, allowing...
The life in the soil and why you should soil your undies!
Diversity is important. Above ground, there is an amazing array of plants, birds, animals, flowers and insects. In the ocean, there are amazing fishes, crustaceans and other animals. Diversity below the ground is important too. The micro-organisms below the soil are...
8 Ways to Reduce Light Pollution Impacts on Wildlife
Leaving unnecessary lights on at night is a waste of electricity, carbon emissions and money. Importantly, it’s also creating harmful impacts on some of our wildlife. Artificial light at night directly impacts the health and safety of individual creatures and...
FOGO Waste Collection in Banyule
The kerbside green waste revolution coming soon A new waste management system is coming our way soon, with the start of the Food Organic and Garden Organic (FOGO) waste collection in the City of Banyule. From 4 July, food and garden waste will be collected every week....
Simple steps to make your home more energy efficient
Last month I wrote about some of the basics in building a more energy efficient home. This article describes some of the ways you can make an existing home more energy efficient with some simple steps. While a full 'ground up' retrofit can make a house far more energy...
Growing perfect parsnips
Top tips for growing parsnips use fresh seed cultivate the soil to a fine tilth keep ground moist from seed sowing to emergence of seedlings thin seedlings at 5-6 weeks My survey this week (last week of May) revealed that parsnips on average are $12.50 per kilo and...
The Swift Parrots are back!
The Swift Parrots (Lathamus discolor) have returned to mainland Australia. Research published in December 2020 suggests there may only be several hundred Swift Parrots left, meaning they are on the very brink of extinction. Logging and habitat destruction are the most...
Sustainable Housing
Looking around at new houses being built in Macleod, there are multiple examples of houses that could be far more sustainable if they followed some simple principles of environmental design. Older houses in the area also suffer from not following some basic principles...
Recycling Footwear
It's the start of the sports season and you realise that your budding footballer or netball star has outgrown their shoes. How will you dispose of them? A few enterprises are now focusing on upcycling or recycling sports footwear and equipment or making recyclable...
Figuring out the fig!
The fig family is a complicated one when it comes to fertilisation, choice of variety, cropping and pruning, but very easy to grow in most soil conditions and in our climate. Different types of fig There are 4 types of fig: Adriatic or common figs which are a variety...
Jagajaga Volunteer Award recipients
The annual Jagajaga Volunteer Awards which were presented on 2 April to 51 recipients including six members of Sustainable Macleod. Most recipients received awards for service to Jagajaga across a number of organisations. The awards were presented by our federal...
The under-rated turnip!
Turnip top tips Net seedlings Water well Succession plant for a constant supply Eat when young Turnips are a much under-rated but easily grown vegetable. The root can be eaten raw either grated into a coleslaw or sliced for a salad or cut into fingers for dips;...
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.