Gardening News Blog

Here you will find the latest news and tips around gardening, composting and healthy food.

October

21/10/2010 Rotation against pests and diseases

If you are rotating the cultivation of vegetables, herbs or fruits from season to season, you are very

likely to avoid pests and diseases. By rotating your crops, the pests and diseases that build up in the

soil are deprived of their favourite hosts. Rotation also helps the soil to build up new nutritions, as

different crops have different nutrient requirements. If you grow the same veggies season after

season the soil will soon lack the necessary nutrients, which will lead to an increased demand of fertilizer.

08/10/2010 Local and water efficient

Know Sydney's natural vegetation and enjoy the advantages of native plants in your garden. Native plants have evolved according to the local soil

and climate over a long periode and are perfectly adapted to an area's specific growing conditions. There are many reasons to use this home field advantage: the soil naturally provides the required nutrients, it is water efficient as the plants are used to the local weather conditions and you provide a natural habitat for native animals and insects. After all the secret of successful gardening is very simple: the right plants in the right places.

September

29/09/2010 'Love food hate waste'

The NSW Government Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water 'Love food hate waste' program raises awareness about how the food we waste has an impact on the environment and how we can change our food wasting behaviour. Australians waste around 3 million tonnes of food each year, that is 136 kg per person. Food waste thrown into landfills becomes the main contributor to the generation of methane. The department announced that if food waste produced by households was reduced by 66% cent in line with Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy, the greenhouse gas savings would be equivalent to taking 117,000 cars permanently off the road in NSW. Australia’s supply chain has a significant impact on our environmental footprint, it is the second-highest emissions generating activity after power stations.

We can reduce this high environmental impact by changing our actions towards food production and food waste.

Community, school and private gardening increase the demand for sustainable produce and contribute positively to our environment.
Buying local and seasonal foods reduces transportation costs and subsidizes local farmers.
Planning our meals, shopping accordingly and using leftovers reduces the amount of food we waste.

About 40% of our food wastes, like vegetable and fruit peel, are unavoidable. Setting up a compost or a worm farm can therefore be a good solution to avoid the food wastes going into landfills. The produced fertilizer is cost effectively and environment friendly.

Love food hate waste.

23/09/2010 Non-toxic weed control

Jeremy Winer's handy Greensteam Machine eliminates weeds in cracks and crevices and his Steamwand effectively removes weeds in garden beds. Winer got inspired by the traditional method locomotives used to fight weeds strangling the tracks: by spraying steam. Today Weedtechnics is the leading provider of non-toxic weed control solutions. Weedtechnics is used around Australia in local councils, government authorities, schools and by residential clients. The machines are available for hire and sale. For more information visit www.weedtechnic.com.au or call 9986 1505.