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.
Preparing your soil for autumn/winter edible planting
It's worth preparing all your beds as early as possible for autumn/winter planting. This requires deciding which beds will house which vegetables. Different ones will require different soil preparation. Some will need a fine tilth, others a rough dig. There'll likely...
What to plant in April in Melbourne
Planting in April Your beds should by now be prepared for autumn planting. Check the weather forecast as far ahead as possible and wait until after any very warm/hot weather to plant to avoid seedlings bolting. Autumn/winter vegetables thrive in cool air and cool...
Urgent jobs in the garden for April
Save last seeds from the garden. Microwave, freeze, solarise or drown any fallen fruit or fruit infested with Queensland Fruit Fly or codling moth including quince, apples, citrus, guava, feijoa, berries and any other fruit growing in your garden. Check citrus for...
Plant garlic in April in Melbourne
April and May are the months to plant garlic in Melbourne; the weather is cooling, there's rain and our beds are prepared. See March hint for bed preparation . If you have saved or bought Australian garlic that is rust free, the job is easy but if you have saved...
Queensland Fruit Fly alert – April
As in March, your winter fruit is at risk. At risk right now are persimmons, guavas, feijoas, pomegranates (despite their tough skin) and citrus, but any fruit including berries is susceptible. This is the time to put out Wild May again because the females are dying...
Solar knocks out gas
If you have solar panels on your home, backed up by a battery, you are not only reducing your power bill, you are helping replace fossil fuel gas in Australia's power generation. As recently as 2018, the former senior Royal Dutch Shell executive, Ian Dunlop spoke at...
Pruning apricot and cherry trees
Top tips: Prune in February or March or not at all Prune only on a warm, dry day Use a thinning technique for pruning Keep watering after fruiting Apricot pruning fundamentals Prune the structural branches to a vase shape. Remove diseased, broken, and crossed branches...
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.
March garlic hint
March is the time to prepare your beds for planting in March or April depending on garlic varieties chosen. Choose a site with full sun which is well drained. If not well drained or the soil is heavy, build a raised bed. Do not grow garlic where you have previously...
Urgent jobs in the garden for March
Save seeds from the garden. Net fruit trees including citrus, guava, feijoa, pear, apple, quince, loquat, persimmon, grape and olive. Also net tomatoes, eggplants, capsicums and chillies. Use fine net to prevent Queensland Fruit Fly entry and to protect from birds,...
What to plant in March in Melbourne
Planting in March March is the time to put all your effort into preparing your soil for heavy-feeding winter crops which are best planted in April. Once upon a time, March signalled the beginning of autumn, and cooler weather, but climate change has altered this and...
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...
What is eating my tomatoes?
If your tomatoes have large bites out of them or are half eaten, it will be rats or possums. If they have round holes that contain a calloused concave depression with solid edges, it will be the green caterpillar as seen in the photo below. If you cut open your...
Watering and feeding indigenous plants
A common assumption about indigenous plants is that once they’re in the ground, they’ll look after themselves. While it’s true that local plants are generally tougher and lower-maintenance than many exotics, they’re not completely hands-off—especially at the start....
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.