Gardening to Nurture the Planet - Videos


A series of short gardening videos for the low-down on everything from worm farming and composting to saving water, reducing your food miles and growing incredible edibles.  Whether you’re a first time gardener or a seasoned green thumb, these bite-sized, fast-paced, funny little flicks will get you growing in no time.  You’ll find it all in these compact episodes of gardening wisdom. Gardening videos like you've never seen before.

Episode 1 - Lord of the Bins (Part 1)
Lord of the Bins is a hard-hitting, 2 part expose of the relationships in your compost bin. In part one Helen reveals the uncensored story of decomposition that's smouldering in the backyard compost bin. Capture carbon, improve your soil, feed a worm, reduce household waste and discover why a hot and healthy relationship with your compost is an essential part of being a planet conscious gardener.


Episode 2 - Lord of the Bins (Part 2)

Things really start to warm up in part two as we delve deeper into the compost heap. Helen shares her own special family recipe for sweet smelling compost, no science degree required. Find out what makes your compost sing and what should go in the rubbish bin, it’s all about the balance in this relationship. Who would have thought that reducing your carbon footprint could be so steamy!


Episode 3 - Mulch Ado about Nothing

Wrap your soil up in a blanket of mulch to conserve water use, add nutrients, suppress weeds and enhance habitat. But what to use where? Meander through a multitude of mulches with Helen as she show us what to goes where, what’s sustainable, what’s not and how to avoid common problems when mulching. From straw, to stone, to living mulches, this flick makes mulch ado about mulching and will have your garden beds snug and warm in no time.


Episode 4 - Renter's Guide To Sustainable Gardening

If you only ever venture into your garden for a quick hack before property inspection, then this film's for you. Find out how to grow plants in a pot, up a wall, in a shoe and on a budget... without jeopardizing your bond. Create a moveable vegie patch and cultivate much more than couch potatoes. Tips and tricks for low cost, temporary and mobile gardening that all gardeners can use. There's even something for the indoor gardener in this priceless pic.


Episode 5 - We Love Tools

The behind-the-scenes tour of where it all happens – the toolshed. Get to know the colourful characters who make your garden dream a reality.


Episode 6 - Grow Your Own Incredible Edibles

Turn your food miles into metres with a backyard full of brag-worthy produce all home grown by you. Produce in pots or bountiful plots, Helen makes it easy to grow fruit, herbs and vegies no matter where you live. Prepare and mulch your soil, planting from seed and seedling, companion planting, organic pest controls and more. Everything you need to know to get growing your own.


Episode 7 - Trees, not just for hugging

Think like a Koala and take a look at trees from a whole new perspective. The home of our famous Aussie icon can also add significant value to our homes, reducing energy use, improving air flow, building soil health, and more. Our friendly neighbourhood koala (who resembles a certain horticulturalist we know), gets enthusiastic about the many sustainable benefits of trees at home and how to maximize their value in the backyard. And if you have never seen a koala ride a bike, watch on...


Episode 8 - Weeds, not in my backyard

Prevent a triffid-style invasion of the worst kinds of weeds. Not just in your backyard but into the bush and beyond. Be alert and be very alarmed!


Episode 9 - Return of the weeds

So they’ve made it past your defences and past your bio-controls. They are running rampant threatening to take over. Fear not, help is at hand with these tried and tested and very sustainable garden weed remedies.


Episode 10 - Wheeley good green waste solutions

Ever felt like the third wheel? Now you know how the green bin feels. It’s here for good and not for evil, so treat it right and feed it nice. One of our most misunderstood and intriguing bins.


Episode 11 - Tank Girl

You are about to embark on a relationship that will be long and lasting. And as there is no ‘d-i-v-o-r-c-e’ in tank world, let us help you get it right the first time. Relationship training for you and your tank that will bring everlasting bliss and satisfaction.


Episode 12 - OMG I’m going grey!

Just be thankful you’ve got any water at all, even if it has been around the block once or twice before. But treat it with caution and ensure that you follow the ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ of greywater use to ensure happy soil, plants and neighbours!


Episode 13 - DIY water tank

So you want to store water but you don’t have the big bucks for a glamorous tank? Fear not, you can still have water. Learn how to turn and old wheelie bin into a portable water carrier. So ingenious!


Episode 14 - Don’t be a drip!

Take the irritation out of irrigation and go sub-surface. It’s fast, efficient and it makes the most of every precious drop. Go on your garden will love you for it!


Episode 15 - Wicking beds

Loved by many, enjoyed by few. The ultimate 'How-to' guide for creating and enjoying your very own garden wicking bed. And once the plants have been tucked in for the season, blissful self-watering takes over.


Episode 16 - How to be a good parent to your worms

Parenting worms demands a certain amount of attention to their voracious vegan appetites. However they are rarely seen and constantly produce wondrous liquid fertilisers and worm castings. Really, like any family member, they're more than worth their weight in gold.


We Love Tools - Video

 

 

The behind-the-scenes tour of where it all happens – the toolshed. Get to know the colourful characters who make your garden dream a reality.

 


Cheap Tools are for Fools!

Like most people, I enjoy my gardening, but have to do so on a fairly tight budget (as they say, horticulture is a job you do for love, not money!). So, when it comes to garden tools, it used to be a case of 'the cheaper the better'. Not any more. I now buy the best I can afford, even if it means going without beer money for a week! Why? Well, there are a number of reasons, the first being that cheap garden tools just don't last, be they secateurs, shovels, shears, picks or loppers.

Why?

Longer lasting and money saving

Cheap, nasty cutting tools don't last, blunt quickly, are difficult to sharpen, rarely cut cleanly (thereby damaging plant tissue), and are more likely to injure you as you use excessive force to accomplish the job. I was replacing my cheap secateurs more often than I watered my pot plants - spending money, time, petrol and emitting carbon that I just couldn't afford. And don't even get me started on cheap shovels, mattocks and picks. In one afternoon alone I managed to bend the tines on a (new) fork, snap a shovel and axe handle, and crack the head of a mattock attempting to cultivate what was to become my veggie patch! Needless to say, I stopped buying cheap garden tools that day.

Environmental Impacts

The environmental impact of continually replacing cheap garden tools is astounding, and the main reason I now save up to buy the best tool I can. Consider the use of resources that go into the manufacture of most of the cheap, imported garden tools on the market, not too mention the (often) excessive packaging and transport costs. Embedded water, carbon emissions, and the significant contribution these broken tools make to landfill are reason enough to buy the best. So, while the initial outlay for some of these top of the range garden products can be a little daunting, consider the savings you are making in the long run. Good quality tools should last for years provided they are cared for.

Secateurs: Top quality secateurs (eg Felco) cut better, are easier to sharpen, are more comfortable to use, and easier to maintain. Look for handles with rubber shock absorbers and cushion to protect the wrist, toothed centre-nut for aligning the cutting and anvil blades easily and precisely for a clean, accurate cut. Remember to try the product out before you buy, and make sure it is the right size for your hands. Left handed gardeners should always choose left handed secateurs (eg Felco 9 and Felco 10).

Forks: for turning and breaking up clumps of soil, and aerating compost, forks are fantastic. Look for a fork with the tines drawn from a single piece of carbon steel and the shafts are made from hardwood. D-shaped handles are generally regarded as the most comfortable.

Shovels: this has a scooped blade (as opposed to the flat blade on a spade), which makes it suitable for moving garden material such as sand and dirt. Choose a size to suit you - small is right for most women, and medium is fine for the average man.

Select the proper handle length for a garden shovel, with the length of shovel handle dependent on the height of the user. A standard shovel handle length is 28 to 29 inches long and made of wood or metal, with wood being the preferred option, due to weight and durability. Opt for the garden shovel with a D-type hilt or handle instead of a Y-type hilt that could split if used for heavy loads.

Spades: this has a flat blade and is used for digging, cutting edges and dividing plants. The critical thing with spades is to keep them sharp (bevel the back edge off using a bench grinder or sharpening stone). Buy a stainless steel bladed shovel or spade for a lighter weight, non-rusting option, although a carbon steel blade is still the best all-around blade.

Loppers, Choppers and all things garden: for all the other garden tools around, it is vital you select the right tool for the job, and buy the best you can afford. Wolf-Garten, a German company, manufactures a great range of top quality garden tools with interchangeable handles, effectively increasing the versatility and usability of each tool. While the initial outlay may be high, the environmental and dollar savings are significant in the long run.

Using a diamond sharpening stone on secateurs is on of the best things you can do, and will reduce user effort and damage to plant tissue by keeping blades sharp. Clean and sharpen secateurs and loppers, and be sure to check blades carefully for rust, particularly if you've discovered the secateurs under a pot or abandoned in a garden bed! Careful use of steel wool and oil should restore good quality cutting blades to use.

If you buy the best quality tools you can afford and look after them, they will perform well for years. Don't leave them out in the rain! Look after timber handles with regular oiling (50% mineral turpentine and 50% raw linseed oil is best). Clean blades carefully and sharpen where necessary, and sand down rough splinters on wooden handles. To keep blades and the edges of spades and shovels sharp, use a bench grinder or a sharpening stone. Squirt some oil on saw blades and anything else that might rust, then rub the oil in with an old cloth. Oiling tool handles and blades is a great job for a rainy day.

Top quality garden tools such as shovels, forks, mattocks and picks should almost last a lifetime (Spear and Jackson offer a 10 year guarantee on their digging tools), are designed to reduce discomfort to the user, and makes the difference between a gardener that works daily in the garden and one that cannot get out of bed in the morning.

First class garden tools are both an excellent investment and an absolute pleasure to use by comparison with cheaper products. They are better for the environment, our garden, our health, and ultimately, our back pockets!


SGA Footprint Flicks - We Love Tools


The behind-the-scenes tour of where it all happens – the toolshed. Get to know the colourful characters who make your garden dream a reality.