Making a Compost Tea Brewer

Natural Gardening

Compost tea seems to be a bit of a favourite in the gardening world at the moment. Whether it continues is a question for the future. There have been a number of advocates for brewing compost teas and spraying them onto your plants to increase their health and for want of a better term to improve their immune system and resistance to pests and disease.

A number of names spring to mind as champions of compost tea brewing. Elaine Ingham from the Soil Food Web and another bloke somebody Storch. I remember the Storch part because of Larry Storch, who played the part of Corporal Agarn in F Troop, which when I was a kid I thought was hilarious. (more…)

Lemon Grass Haircut

Natural Gardening

A little green tree frog sheltered by the lemon grass

I was giving the lemon grass a haircut today when I came across a little guest. Most of the time when I am working in the garden I come across cane toads. Especially when I step outside of a nightime, they are all sitting around on the lawn letting the dew settle on them.

This time though, it was a little green tree frog. (more…)

Tree Roots and Wicking Beds

Natural Gardening

One of the many trees with a vigorous root system surrounding my garden.

Tree roots can annoy me. Especially in a suburban environment when you have some 30 metre gum trees, large mango trees and enormous Silky Oaks within 10 to 30 metres of your gardens and compost piles.

Every time you work with the soil you find pesky tree roots taking advantage of all the soil improvement being done. Not that you can blame the trees for taking advantage of the available nutrients, but it dampens my gardening enthusiasm.

I can’t tell you all the trees surrounding me, but I have highlighted the ones in red that I recognize. (more…)