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.
A glut of cumquats
Cumquats* resemble small oranges about the size of large olives. The skin of the fruit is sweet but the pulp is tart, making an interesting juxtaposition of flavour. They are often underrated as a fruit because of their tartness.
Virtual fencing to prevent wildlife roadkill: promising technology?
Virtual fencing to prevent wildlife roadkill: promising technology? Every year, countless native animals are killed on Victorian roads, including wallabies, wombats, echidnas, koalas and kangaroos. Roadkill is not only a tragic loss for biodiversity, it can be a...
Simple steps to warm your home
Simple steps to warm your home The cold months are upon us and it's time to take steps to make our homes cosy. To decide how best to do this, it's important to understand some fundamentals. It might seem obvious, but ideally our home will be warmest when it acts like...
Contaminated Compost
Have you ever sighed with frustration when you receive a fresh load of compost only to find it laced with blue string, plastic strapping, fruit stickers, plastics, glass and other contaminants? Have you expressed disappointment at this state of affairs and wondered...
Jagajaga Community Volunteer Awards
Congratulations to Guy Palmer for his Jagajaga Community Volunteer award which honours his extensive work over more than 10 years for Local Food Connect. Guy produces the weekly newsletter, maintains the website and connects local growers, suppliers, retailers and the...
Storage is now the issue, not generation of energy
Energy storage is the new frontier for the achievement of energy independence in Australia. With 4 million households and businesses sporting rooftop solar, and 4 million more projected to do soin the next few years, energy generation is no longer the issue. Energy...
The Banyule community battery launch!
I was thrilled to attend the launch of a 400kW community battery on 24 April. The battery was launched by Shaun Readon, CEO of Jemena, Kate Thwaites, MP for Jagajaga and Felicity Gordon, local artist. Banyule-Jemena-Federal Government partnership This is a community...
Bringing back balance with ecological burning
In Victoria’s dry forests and native grasslands, fire often gets a bad rap. But when used thoughtfully and respectfully, fire can be a powerful force for regeneration. Some people may have noticed smoke from Cherry Street Reserve in Macleod a few weeks ago. It wasn’t...
Why Wild May Works – Queensland Fruit Fly Prevention
Preventing Queensland Fruit Fly destroying your fruit and vegies Wild May works because 'teenage' male Queensland Fruit Flies (QFF) cannot produce the pheromone needed to attract females without first taking it in from an outside source. Wild May and a few flowers -...
QFF: Put out Wild May and protein lures NOW
September is when Queensland Fruit Fly will begin mating and sting your fruit and vegetables. Take action to prevent this. Put out: Wild May in lures to attract the males Ceratraps or other protein lures to attract females and males Then: Place the lures 1.5 to 2m...
Why autumn is the best time to plant indigenous species
It’s been a long dry summer. According to the Bureau of Meterology, during December, January and February Viewbanks’s mean temperature was 2.1 degrees above average and rainfall was about 80%. And March has hardly been cool. If you’ve struggled to keep exotic plants...
Soil amendments and fertilisers: are they the same?
The terms ‘soil amendment’ and ‘fertiliser’ are sometimes used interchangeably, but in fact mean quite different things. However, some substances such as compost and aged manures can function as both. Amendment Soil amendment refers to a substance that conditions...
How can your solar panels be remotely turned off?
In last month's clean energy article, I explored the impact a nuclear energy industry would have on homeowners' rooftop solar. This month I follow on with an explanation of exactly what the mechanism would be that would allow this to happen. Let me begin by saying...
Indigenous grasses: summer blooms for your garden
When you think of flowers in late summer, grasses probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But Melbourne’s locally native (indigenous) grasses put on a beautiful show at this time of year, with delicate flowers that shimmer in the sunlight and attract all...
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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.