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.
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....
What to plant in February in Melbourne
February is the time to maintain your summer garden with good watering but also to begin preparations for your autumn/winter garden. It is a tricky month, often hot without much rainfall. Cool weather, autumn crops are best grown in punnets, potted on, kept well...
Planning your garlic crop – start in February!
Although it may be several months before we plant out garlic, preparations must start now. There are 2 reasons for this. Firstly, you may need to order in garlic heads, and secondly you may wish to give your garlic a false winter (vernalisation) by placing it in the...
Urgent jobs in the garden for February
Check Queensland Fruit Fly lures for fruit flies. Net your fruit trees including guava, feijoa, pear, apple, quince, loquat, persimmon, grape and olive plus tomatoes, eggplants and capsicums with fine net, tying tightly at the base to prevent Queensland Fruit Fly...
Urgent jobs in the garden for January
Spray summer vegetables with seaweed solution. Spray eggplant fruit with Dipel to prevent caterpillar infestation. Water citrus trees once or twice a week especially in extreme heat as they are shallow rooted and need water near the surface. Water, weed, and mulch all...
Should we be worried about battery fires?
Many people considering buying an electric vehicle are concerned about the risk of battery fire. This is understandable. Who wants to buy a car likely to catch fire? News reports dramatically highlight the dangers of battery fires, which are harder to extinguish than...
Queensland Fruit Fly alert – December
This is the critical month for prevention of QFF in stone fruit and other soft fruits such as figs, loquats and cherries (assuming there is a 45 day window before ripening). Also protect citrus - especially lemons, cumquats and early tomatoes. Netting is the best...
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.