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.
June garlic hint
There is not much to do for garlic in June - it is now too late to plant it. Presuming you have weeded, mulched and watered your patch, you have done all you need to. Now it is time to wait until the shortest day after which garlic heads will develop. Garlic is...
Growing kohlrabi – king of the cabbage family
What is kohlrabi? It is hard to imagine why kohlrabi is not cultivated more often as it is easy to grow, crops twice a year and is delicious raw or cooked. There are two types of kohlrabi in Australia - white (or light green) and the princely purple. Both grow a bulb...
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...
Revisiting civil discourse
Talking across the divide in 2026 This article is a rewriting of one I wrote in May 2024, prompted partly by listening to Laura Tingle (ABC 7.30), present the John Button Oration on uncivil discourse. The recent fracturing of social cohesion makes it worthwhile...
Weather versus climate. Do you know the difference?
(This is an edited version of an article published in the Sustainable Macleod newsletter in 2019) Weather is not the same as climate! Weather is a short term phenomenon referring to everyday atmospheric conditions. It works on a short-term day to day basis, varies...
Hardy & cheap local native plants for your garden
Autumn is the perfect time to be planting lots of indigenous plants, allowing them to develop roots and settle in before the spring and the growing season begins. Planting tube stock is the best option: they are extremely affordable (usually cheaper than a cup a...
Growing perfect peas
Top tips for growing peas water pea seed at planting and not again until they shoot plant in slightly alkaline soil (pH 7-7.5) support climbing peas with a trellis or frame With a little care, peas are very easy to grow. Autumn, winter and spring are ideal planting...
May Garlic Hint
If you haven't already planted your garlic, do so immediately. You will only get small bulbs, if you plant later. Garlic must have time to develop roots and shoots before the shortest day of the year on 21 June. This is a 4 -6 week process. After that, lengthening...
What to plant in May in Melbourne
May is an ideal month for planting winter vegies in well prepared beds. Continue to water well through any dry spells and install dripline for brassica family vegies and garlic. Plant seeds in punnets broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi,...
Urgent jobs in the garden for May
Make compost. Collect autumn leaves to make leaf litter or to add to compost. Add sparingly to compost as too much in a layer causes matting. Mix leaves well with other ingredients to prevent this. Net brassicas and Asian greens with exclusion netting, weighing down...
Queensland Fruit Fly alert – May
As the photo above shows there are still plenty of Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) around. In this dry lure from a pomegranate tree in my back garden, there are at least 40 males and in a second lure in a lime tree in my front garden, there are over 30 males. These have...
Baron Ferdinand von Mueller and the Victorian Acclimatisation Society
Have you ever cursed deer, carp, pigeons, rabbits and other introduced species populating our landscape? Read on for a glimpse of the thinking of Government botanist Baron Ferdinand von Mueller (1825 – 1896) and his colleagues in the Victorian Acclimatisation Society...
Now is the time to dump oil and electrify everything
Never have the reasons for electrifying everything been so clear. In June last year (2025), I wrote about Australia's energy dependence, highlighting the extent to which our entire economy depends on ships bringing many billions of litres of oil to Australia, 80% of...
The Plenty-ful native fish of our local rivers
The Yarra and Plenty Rivers support a surprisingly rich community of native fish, many of which play an important role in the ecological health of Melbourne’s waterways. Several species are recorded in surveys, reflecting the success and ongoing need for conservation...
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