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 […]
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Managing excess moisture in the vegetable garden will be on the minds of most vegetable gardeners in South East QLD. In Brisbane we’ve had about 200mm in 48 hours. 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 […]
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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, […]
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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. […]
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Organic garden build is a process that is dependent on many factors and for DIY organic gardeners, its very easy to get sidetracked into creating something that does not really serve your needs and motivations. There are a number of key principles I have worked with over the years with our organic garden build Brisbane […]
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Harvesting herbs from your organic garden is always a joy. We have a mixture of herbs to harvest giving us the delights of fresh herbs for cooking and teas every day of the year. We run the Rose Blossom Children childcare service at our home property and the children, aged from 2-5 years, are often […]
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Nematode control is a common challenge of organic gardeners. There are a large variety of nematodes that are helpful for the garden, but its the root knot nematode that causes grief and demands nematode control if you want a healthy and productive garden. Nematodes are microscopic, long, thin worms that cause stunted and unproductive plants. […]
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Vegetable seedlings are the starting point for a healthy and productive organic garden, once you have your garden layout and soil well prepared. You will be surprised at how small, no-cost changes in how you manage your vegetable seedlings can make such profound difference to their success. I list simple tips below that I work […]
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Planting vegetable seeds using open pollinated, hybrid or GMO seeds is an important question for gardeners and this question has been at the heart of large disturbances in farming over the last 60 years. As a gardener, your ideal is to start with the best quality organic seeds that give you the most healthy […]
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Green manure crops are grown specifically for soil health in your organic garden, rather than grown to eat. This may seem like an unnecessary interruption for most food gardeners. The question is, how committed are you to sustainable soil fertility? My blog this week gives you tips on working with green manure crops. Its a […]
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