Urban farming on a more commercial scale is evolving in Australia and although its early days, Millen Farm in Samford represents a great example of a peri-urban model that is packed with innovation in how it developed and operates. At the recent 2017 national composting week opening run by CORE and held at Millen Farm...
Managing fruit trees is a task most backyard gardeners and hobby farmers take on. It can be very rewarding and it is also filled with many challenges of learning, like all food growing. I have found working with biodynamic methods to support organic management of our fruit trees to be very effective and wanted to...
Low cost vegetable garden created from your lawn, if you have grass, is the easiest and most cost effective way to get started with your vegetable garden or expand an existing vegetable garden. Here are my design tips which expand on the short movie I did a few weeks ago about a new vegetable and...
Growing marigolds and nasturtiums in your vegetable garden helps control insects, adds beauty and is a tasty and healthy addition to your dinner plate. I have used them in my food gardens for many years. Both plants are prolific seeders once their long flowering period finishes and I have noticed to my delight that as...
Organic garden design and build is always an interesting challenge. There are so many factors to consider with any organic garden design to ensure the mix of design elements match the goals and resources of the gardener. I wanted to share some experiences and photos of quite a large and interesting project we are currently […]
Managing soil ph levels in your vegetable garden can make a big contribution to its success. There are a number of ways to easily and quickly fine tune your soil ph levels. How is ph measured? Soil acidity is measured by a ph test. Ph test kits can be bought inexpensively at most nurseries and […]
Understanding soil is the key task in a successful organic and biodynamic garden. How do you get a grip on the importance of all the soil nutrients or grasp the complexity of the living process in the soil and then develop a rhythm of activity in the garden that enhances soil fertility? Its a big […]
Managing excess moisture in the vegetable garden will be on the minds of most vegetable gardeners in eastern Australia now as ongoing rains are forecast for the coming months. Food gardeners in Australia are more often presented with the challenge of keeping their organic gardens moist than managing excess moisture. In managing excess moisture in […]
Controlling weeds organically is a concept that could transform a massively destructive herbicide industry. The “war on weeds” could be a thing of the past. Is this an impossible dream when up to 80% of our food in Australia is grown with toxic herbicides, pesticides and fungicides? Perhaps it will take a lot of time, […]
Climate change adaptation is being forced upon food gardeners and farmers that grow in the open air. One could become negative about this as its yet another challenge to get healthy crops. But like all things in life that require us to work outside of the box, there is an opportunity lurking within the challenge. […]