July In Your Patch
When you look outside this time of year the last thing you feel like doing is standing out in the cold, wet and windy weather, especially if you live…
The Benefits of Indoor Plants
On average, every Australian spends around 90% of their time indoors, be it at work, at home, at the shops or the local pub - a figure that is quite…
Growing Apricots
Apricots with their luscious combination of sweetness and tanginess are, in my opinion, the tastiest fruit in the stone fruit orchard. There's…
June in Your Patch
Ok, it’s official, winter is upon us. And while it may seem easier to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book, it is the perfect time…
Produce in Pots
Plants in pots... it’s hardly a new or revolutionary concept... I mean, we are all well acquainted with the potted Maidenhair fern in the bathroom, a…
A Pathway to Sustainable Gardening
There are many prompts that lead people into wanting to get into gardening and grow their own food. One of SGA’s enthusiastic volunteers tells us of…
Choosing Fruit and Vegetables to Grow or Buy Organic on a Budget
If it is important to you to reduce your exposure to artificial chemicals in food, it can be quite expensive to buy organic fruit and veggies and it…
May In Your Patch
While the southern parts of Australia have donned winter pyjamas and flannelette sheets, the northern states are still revelling in warm, and…
Growing Plants from Seed
If you would like to have an attractive and productive garden which doesn’t cost a packet and which allows a wider range of choice than is available…
Can’t compost food waste? Try sharing it
Would you like to reduce your carbon footprint by decreasing food waste which accounts for 30% of all the resources used in farming i.e. water,…
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!).…
April In Your Patch
The perfect month for chocolate lovers and practical jokers alike, April is also a top time to get into the patch! There is a little bit of rain…
Should I Use Sphagnum or Peat Moss?
Have you ever been confused about what is in a garden product? Here’s a prime example! For many years, peat moss and sphagnum moss have been staple…
Crowd Seed Harvests
Tiny Trowel, a relatively new initiative, seeks to engage the wider community to supply excess fresh fruit and veggies from back yard gardens to…
March In Your Patch
March, the month named after Mars, the Roman God of War, is an excellent month to wage war on your patch. Be it ripping out the weeds, mulching up a…
Malabar Spinach Research Project
A great spinach to grow in summer as an alternative to English spinach, which can struggle in the heat, is Malabar spinach, also known as Ceylon…
Preventing Spread of the Queensland Fruit Fly
QFF depositing eggs in a tomato. Photo: J. Newman, M. Schultz Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) are tropical Queensland rain forest insects, that need the…
Summer Pruning of Apple Trees
Pruning fruit trees in summer results in less vigorous regrowth and maintains the trees’ general size and shape. When pruning apple trees, it is…
Is Your Tea Sustainable?
Tea has been a favorite beverage of many cultures for centuries. Drunk originally in China for medicinal purposes it is now mainly drunk to get a…