Weeds & Natives
/*! elementor – v3.23.0 – 05-08-2024 */ .elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block} Australian native plants are wonderful and deserve to be protected and planted. Now, this is a compulsory statement in Australia. If you speak against the “natives”, you will attract strong criticism from the people who “do the right thing”. The word “dogmatic” comes […]
Combatting Erosion and Harvesting Water at the Same Time
The best way to understand how the water flows on your property is to put on the gumboots and a raincoat and walk on your property when it’s pouring down. In this way you will discover things you would miss otherwise. Rain falls on the landscape. Some water soaks into the soil and whatever doesn’t […]
Sandpaper Fig – A River’s Friend
Sandpaper fig is native to East Coast of Australia. It always grows near streams. First time I saw this tree was in Royal National Park. There was a thick stand of trees on a flat patch by the river that would always flood after the big rains. All these trees were of the same kind, […]
Spring – Why Not All Plants Wake Up at the Same Time
It’s end of August in Tea Gardens and it’s warming up during the day. Many plants are already busy growing. Have a look at the picture above. The mulberry is going for it. Flowering, soon fruiting, all the leaves are out. The papaya in the background is not so sure. Its leaves are battered, most […]
Shaping Your Land to Increase Abundance
If you want to use your land successfully you need to understand your land. One of the basic things to consider is its shape. Why is the shape of the land so important? The first thing that comes to mind is water. Steep slopes lose water fast, flat land holds water for longer. Tops of […]
Supportive Plants in a Food Forest
You could be tempted to start your Food Forest like an orchard: there is this cleared land, so you plant the fruit trees, water them, fertilise them and watch them grow. You may have a bit of foresight and check the drainage and, if needed, you build swales, terraces or drainage lines so that there […]
Ancient Cough Remedy Phyla dulcis
Aztec Sweet Herb Phyla dulcis
Making Charcoal
Make your own charcoal to improve soil.
The Amazing Benefits of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are so easy to grow and they give so much! They are an important staple for millions of people across tropical and subtropical Asia and Africa. They are the 7th most grown food crop in the world. As a nutrition, they compare very well to other starchy tubers and grains and they have […]