Carbon Emissions from Gardening
In a previous article we explored ways that gardeners can lock up carbon in the soil. Although increasing soil carbon is important, it doesn’t…
Compost, Worm and Weed Teas
If you are a gardener who tries to reduce your impacts on the natural environment, you will be using methods which avoid manufactured fertilisers,…
Pear and Cherry Slug
While most babies are cute, cuddly and adorable, this is definitely not the case for the offspring of the Black Sawfly Caliroa cerasi. The larvae,…
New Book “Tomato”- All Your Questions Answered and More
Tomato – Know, Sow, Grow, Feast, 2018 This new book by Penny Woodward, Janice Sutton and Karen Sutherland makes a major contribution to providing…
Early Blight of Tomatoes
Hi, my name is: Early Blight of Tomatoes Describe yourself: I'm a saucy little fungal disease with a real thing for the leaves of tomato plants!…
Citrus Leafminer
Describe yourself: I’m the tiny larvae of a beautiful silver moth, and am very rarely seen. That said, you can sure see my silvery trail of…
Winter Washing of Fruit Trees
Although it may look like there is not much happening with your fruit trees over winter, the microscopic world of fungi is making plans,…
Virus or Variegation
A common error gardeners make is to assume that appearance of coloured areas on leaves is caused by natural variegation, fungal infection or nutrient…
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…
Seaweed as Fertiliser Pt. 2
Seaweed products are valuable sources of fertility for garden soil. Click on the image below for a video which is the second part of a Sustainable…
Seaweed as Fertiliser Pt. 1
Seaweed is a valuable source of minerals which are necessary for plant growth. Click on the image below for a video which is the first part of a…
Feeding Your Plants
Gardening is a bit like life really... the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. It can be so full of hits and misses, trials and errors,…
Green Manure
If you have a bit of space in your garden, growing green manures or cover crops is a great way to improve soil fertility and add organic matter to…
Are glyphosate products safe to use?
Unless you follow the news in detail you might not know about current debates regarding the weed killer, glyphosate, widely used in garden products…
Black Spot of Rose
Hi, my name is: Black Spot of Rose Describe yourself: Umm, my name pretty much says it all. I'm a black spot, kinda round with fringed margins and…
Snails & Slugs
Hi, my name is: Garden Snail Describe yourself: Like most of the snails in your garden I'm a foreigner to this land. I am a bit of a nomad,…
Pest Repellent Plants
Every garden is sometimes afflicted with pests - grasshoppers, cabbage white butterfly caterpillars, scale and aphids being very common. Is it…
Could manures, composts or mulch damage plants?
As sustainable gardeners we are probably relying quite a bit on commercially sourced compost, manures and mulch to help promote healthy plant growth.…