Composting allows us to recycle plant materials so they can be re-used in the garden, but the materials need to be broken up into small pieces for the composting process to work efficiently. Traditional composting works fine for for soft green plant matter, twigs and small branches, but what do we do with thick branchesContinue reading “How to Compost Logs and Branches with a Hugelkultur Bed”
Category Archives: DIY instructions
DIY Self-Watering Pots and Mini Wicking Beds
Self watering pots that wick water upwards from a water reservoir below have been around for decades. They’re commonly used for indoor plants, and they also have more specialized applications in the form of tiny wick watering pots used by African Violet growers. More recently, large DIY self-watering pots have been finding favour amongst tomatoContinue reading “DIY Self-Watering Pots and Mini Wicking Beds”
Wicking Bed Construction, How to Build a Self-Watering Wicking Bed
A wicking bed is a self-watering raised garden bed, and even though the design is a relatively new innovation that is catching the attention of many produce gardeners worldwide, it is essentially nothing more than a large-scale version of a self-watering pot. Self watering pots have been around for decades, and are based o theContinue reading “Wicking Bed Construction, How to Build a Self-Watering Wicking Bed”
How to Grow Cranberries in Containers
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) are native to north-eastern North America. and grow in swamps and bogs. They are a low growing, trailing woody evergreen perennial with small oval leaves that grows along the ground and forms a dense mat. Berries are produced on short vertical upright branches, known as uprights, which grow from the long trailingContinue reading “How to Grow Cranberries in Containers”
How To Build a Worm Tunnel In-ground Worm Farm
How could composting be made easier? By not ever having to turn the compost and not having to move the compost into your garden, that’s how! You can get Nature to do even more of the work with a Worm Tunnel, an in-ground worm farm that’s a cross between a small compost bin and aContinue reading “How To Build a Worm Tunnel In-ground Worm Farm”
The Complete Guide to Worm Farming, Vermicomposting Made Easy
Worm Farms are a great way to recycle kitchen waste and food scraps into one of the best garden fertilizers available! It’s very easy to maintain a worm farm, it takes very little time and effort, and you can set up worm farms in the smallest of spaces, such as balconies and courtyards. Worms farmsContinue reading “The Complete Guide to Worm Farming, Vermicomposting Made Easy”
How to Build a Worm Farm with Polystyrene Foam Broccoli Boxes
If you’re thinking of trying out worm farming but don’t want to go out and buy a worm farm, you can always build your own DIY worm farm instead. Construction is really easy, and only takes a few minutes, and it can all be done using recycled materials, costing nothing at all. To build yourContinue reading “How to Build a Worm Farm with Polystyrene Foam Broccoli Boxes”
No Dig Gardening, Sustainable Gardening With Less Effort
Everyone agrees that gardening would be way more fun, and many people would be more inclined to take up gardening if there wasn’t the need for all that back-breaking hard work such as digging… It may be a surprise to many people, but digging IS NOT a necessary part of gardening at all! So howContinue reading “No Dig Gardening, Sustainable Gardening With Less Effort”
How to Propagate Plants from Hardwood Cuttings
One of the easiest propagation techniques is propagating using hardwood cuttings. Since these cuttings don’t have leaves, there isn’t the initial requirement to provide a high humidity environment to stop the cuttings drying out before they root. Softwood vs. Hardwood Cuttings At this point you may be wondering what the difference is between taking hardwoodContinue reading “How to Propagate Plants from Hardwood Cuttings”
How to Build a French Drain
Water management is an important aspect in the design of a sustainable garden, for without water nothing grows, as I’ve said before, it’s virtually the very essence of life itself! In Permaculture, designing a garden to make optimum use of water is critical, especially in a country like Australia, the driest continent in the world,Continue reading “How to Build a French Drain”
How to Make Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water
Willows are fast growing, deciduous trees that are mainly found in the Northern Hemisphere, in cold arctic and north temperate zones, in regions with moist soils. The Weeping Willow appears to be a native of extra-tropical Asia, from Japan and China to Armenia and the banks of the Euphrates, and of Egypt and North Africa.Continue reading “How to Make Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water”
How to Start Your Permaculture Garden
Most people passionate about living sustainably and harmoniously with nature will eventually stumble upon the system of Permaculture, it’s hard not to, it’s a world-wide phenomenon and it’s growing! If you’re reading this, then you’re one of these people! Some of you will eventually study Permaculture, and then, on graduating, go through what we termContinue reading “How to Start Your Permaculture Garden”
How to Make Your Own DIY Homemade Garden Sprays
In Permaculture we like to do things naturally, and we like to exercise our initiative to make use of the resources at hand to achieve our ends. What better way to do this than to brew up your own DIY garden natural pesticides, fungicides, plant tonics and other such useful concoctions! I’ve managed to gatherContinue reading “How to Make Your Own DIY Homemade Garden Sprays”
How to Propagate Plants from Softwood Cuttings
One thing a growing garden needs is plants, and lots of them! To buy enough plants to fill a regular backyard garden can be quite an expensive affair, but, thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way. Nature provides freely and abundantly, and when we work with nature, it becomes quite effortless, and inexpensive too!Continue reading “How to Propagate Plants from Softwood Cuttings”
Starting Annual Vegetable Seedlings Indoors
In a cold climate, such as in Melbourne, Australia, the summer is never quite long enough to grow all your summer annuals vegetables, such as tomatoes, chillies, capsicums and so on. The best way to get a long productive season is to start the seedlings early indoors, so they can be planted out in theContinue reading “Starting Annual Vegetable Seedlings Indoors”
How to Build a Small Water Garden
A serene, reflective pool has its allure, it’s something that has always drawn mankind. There is something about water that relaxes us, that makes us feel peaceful and calm. It resonates with a deep inner part of us, a part perhaps long forgotten, but the connection is still there. After all, water is the veryContinue reading “How to Build a Small Water Garden”
How to Make Compost in 18 Days Using the Berkeley Hot Composting Method
Regular composting, also known as cold composting, involves placing a variety of organic materials in a compost bin, enclosure, or even just in a large heap, and leaving it there until it breaks down several months later. It’s a very slow process and typically takes 6 to 12 months. It can be sped up byContinue reading “How to Make Compost in 18 Days Using the Berkeley Hot Composting Method”
How to Graft Eggplant onto Devil Plant
A veriety of “Devil Plant” , giant devil fig Solanum chrysotrichum for grafting eggplant Would you like to grow an eggplant tree, yes you heard right, a tree, that can produce dozens of eggplants, and not die down in winter? Well, you can if you graft eggplants (or tomatoes) onto a perennial Devil Plant rootstock.Continue reading “How to Graft Eggplant onto Devil Plant”
How to Build a Self-Cleaning Rainwater Tank from a Wheelie Bin
Wheelie bin as a water storage container You can never have enough water storage, and a spare wheelie bin makes a handy water carrier that can easily be moved around (when it is empty of course, a full one can’t be moved!) This design was my first ever water storage solution, and being rather experimental,Continue reading “How to Build a Self-Cleaning Rainwater Tank from a Wheelie Bin”
How to Make a Rainwater Tank from Recycled Plastic Drums
Rainwater is a valuable resource that is largely under-utilised in urban environments. It’s one of nature’s free resources that we can use to grow food, and considering that Australia is the world’s driest continent, rainwater is a very valuable resource, far to valuable to let it run down the drain! Why Small Rainwater Tanks AreContinue reading “How to Make a Rainwater Tank from Recycled Plastic Drums”