| | Next on: Tonight 7.30pm, Rpt Sunday 1.30pm on ABC + iview | | | | | |
| | | | | Costa meets the gardener behind a movement encouraging community to share home grown produce; Jerry visits a successful project that’s literally bridging an ecological gap; Tino is at The Patch, showing just how easy crop rotation can be and Jane gets stuck into an easy weekend project - making Kokedama balls | | | | | | | | |
 | | | | | | | | Tonight 7.30pm on ABC + iview | | | | Jane gets stuck into an easy weekend project - making Kokedama – Japanese moss balls | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | Fact Sheet | | | | Tino is at The Patch proving just how easy crop rotation can be | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | The Food is Free Laneway Project in Ballarat is a community initiative that has been growing and gaining recognition locally since 2014.
Starting as a simple table/shelf on the laneway outside founder Lou Ridsdale’s corner home, the idea was that people could leave their excess produce for others to take what they need and in the spirit of things, leave what they can if they can.
A simple idea that resonated immediately with people leaving not just produce but cuttings and seedlings, worm juice, compost, egg containers and jars to name a few.
You’ll see what I mean in the story this week but I want to share with you just how much the project grew.. | | | | | | | | |
| | | |  | | Gardening Australia Weekly QuizPerlite (often used as a growing medium in hydroponic systems and seed raising mixes) comes from…. A) Volcanic glass that is expanded under extreme heat
B) Shredded pieces of polystyrene foam
C) Purified corn starch See next week’s newsletter for the answer!
Answer to last week's quiz:
Q) How many species of moths are there in Australia?
A) C - Around 11,000 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Tropical Climate Zone - Broccoli
- Celery
- Kale/Collards
- Mustard Greens
Subtropical Climate Zone - Cabbage (Loose and tight-headed types)
- Pak choy/Bok choy
- Parsley
- Shallots
Arid Climate Zone - Beans (Climbing and Bush)
- Carrots
- Leeks
- Rocket
Temperate Climate Zone - Mitzuna
- Peas/Snow peas
- Shallots
- Spinach
Cool Climate Zone - Broad Beans
- Kale/Collards
- Endive
- Radish
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| | | | COOL - Today is Biological Diversity Day, so to celebrate, plant some native grasses and groundcovers to encourage the smallest garden visitors – the insects.
- Before the winter pruning season hits, spend some time cleaning, sharpening, oiling and disinfecting your favourite pruning tools – a great shed job for a chilly, or rainy, day.
- If edible zing is your thing, it’s the perfect time to sow some seeds for mustard greens. These fast-growing brassicas add heat to a salad, and leaves can be harvested in about 6 weeks.
TEMPERATE - Attractive, vigorous and brilliant for brewing beer, hops can be planted now in warm temperate gardens. Plant crowns in a sunny spot, ensuring they have a strong climbing frame
- As Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ comes to the end of their flowering period, prune these tough succulents back, leaving around 5cm of stem. Don’t forget to propagate the cuttings!
- Bring some biodiversity to your backyard and find a spot for a nesting box. Many bats and birds rely on tree hollows, so a well-placed nest box can make a huge difference in urban areas.
SUBTROPICAL - Keep an eye out for white or brown scale on citrus. Often transported by ants, these sap suckers can quickly kill trees, so regular treatment with white oil is ideal.
- There’s still time for tomatoes, and the tiny cherry varieties are the pick of the patch. Plant seedlings at a spacing of 30cm and give them a climbing support as they develop.
- Every garden is an ecosystem, and while it’s important to recognise pests and problems, track down a relevant garden ID book, and get to know the good guys as well.
TROPICAL - In the tropics, the best time to grow a watermelon is the dry season, so get those seeds planted. Treat them to a rich, friable soil, and leave plenty of space for these rambling vines.
- Don’t have the space to grow a pandanus at your place? Why not pop one in a pot? These slow-growing stunners make great potted feature plants – just make sure they’re in full sun.
- For a tough turf, try Zoysia macrantha. This ace Australian native grass loves the tropics, is drought, salt and heat tolerant, has low water needs and looks great. What’s not to love?
ARID - Atriplex nummularia, the Saltbush, is a must have in any arid garden. These small native shrubs are tough, attractive and their foliage and seed is edible – fresh, dried or pickled.
- If you like sustainable and local fish and fresh produce, have a go at aquaponics - a method of growing plants in water using the fish waste to provide nutrients.
- Celebrate biological biodiversity, and plant a Jingymia Mallee, Eucalyptus synandra. These small, graceful trees bare white to pink flowers in summer, and are increasingly rare in the wild.
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