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.
It’s time to begin saving dry seed!
What is dry seed? Dry seed is seed that forms on a stalk or in a pod as opposed to wet seed which forms inside a fruit such as a tomato or pumpkin or zucchini. It may be podless such as coriander or dill or lettuce or in a pod such as radish, peas or beans. Wait till...
Macleod Community Bus
Community buses are not a new idea, with municipalities and towns offering some form of local community bus service. Many of these services are designed specifically for people who have no other ready means of transport, such as the elderly and the disabled, while...
Fermenting tomato seed to remove disease
The easy way to save tomato seed is to squeeze it onto paper towel and dry it. However any diseases - viruses and pathogens - will be retained in seed dried this way. At Sustainable Macleod, we share seed with the community and grow seedlings for the Macleod Organic...
Water for wildlife
This summer has been a pretty wet one thanks to the end of the drought and the onset of La Niña. That said, we’ve had a couple of extremely hot days, which put our local birds, reptiles and marsupials living in the suburbs under extra pressure. Before widespread...
Sally Wise’s Plum Sauce
Congratulations to Mikoto Araki who won this months #inseason #cookoff with her recommendation of Sally Wise's plum sauce recipe. Ingredients: 3kg damson or other dark plums, washed (or greengage plums) 1.5kg sugar 6 cups cider vinegar 500g onion, chopped 6 cloves...
Help wanted!
Sustainable Macleod needs members willing to take on the following jobs: Minute secretary when we restart our monthly meetings at the garden Vegie swap coordinator. This position requires someone to be at either the community garden or rotunda in Macleod Park at...
Banyule 2041 – Shaping Our Future
Sustainable Macleod's vision for Banyule in 2041 is of a city which is an inclusive, connected community where all people feel valued and respected, a city that respects and enhances the environment and one which has achieved zero carbon emissions at Council, business...
Macleod Pop-Up Pantry
Let's get Macleod Pop-Up Pantry off the ground! Sustainable Macleod member Angela Chung, supported by member Gaby Guthrie (next door neighbour), has launched Pop-Up Pantry from home. This is a great initiative and just what Macleod needs. For so long we have been...
How dirty is the water you’re swimming in?
Did you know there were several days earlier this month when the quality of the water in all of Melbourne’s popular swimming spots in the Yarra and Port Phillip Bay was deemed not safe to swim in? Water quality in our swimming spots often looks good enough (but who...
Eat less meat to fight climate change
Many people these days are aware of the link between eating meat and climate change. Raising large animals, particularly beef cattle, has a significant impact on the level of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. The production of dairy products has...
Defeating pear and cherry slug
A close inspection of pear and cherry trees at this time of year, is likely to reveal small, black slimy slugs on almost every leaf. The pear and cherry slug munches its way through the green chlorophyll of the leaves, leaving behind a lacy network of veins that is...
Microwave your Queensland Fruit Fly infected fruit
At the Sustainable Macleod Community Garden we have been experimenting with destroying fruit fly by microwaving bowls of infected fruit for 10 minutes on high. Soft patches or sting marks on the skin indicate the presence of fruit fly but if in doubt, cut the fruit...
Why are my tomatoes still green?
There’s been a fair bit of consternation this tomato season about when, or if, tomatoes are going to ripen. The good news is that they probably will but there are some things to take into account and some not to do. Like all vegetables, the movement from seed or...
Silverbeet Dolmas
Congratulations to Emily Willocks who won this months #inseason #cookoff with her silverbeet dolmates. Emily noted that she usually uses roo instead of lamb and often likes to use red rice. Thanks for a great recipe Emily! 50g minced lamb 1 cup rice (uncooked) 1 small...
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.