Mulch, Compost and Soil

We live in the wet tropics of northeast Australia, in the northern zones of sugarcane country. We have contact with cane farmers and their families all the time, and during one of these times, we… Continue reading Is compost a good Soil Amendment? can every soil benefit?

To begin with, we should define what a food garden looks like so we can be understood. We are qualified Permaculture Designers who trial and test our ideas on our own system or yard as… Continue reading Is Fertilizer needed in a Food Garden: is fertilizing a waste of time?

When you grow your own vegetables and fruit it is good to get a return for your effort and monetary inputs. The return is more important when you approach gardening with a self-sufficient mindset, as… Continue reading Compost or Fertilizer: what should you use?

We didn’t know about compost when we started down this self-sufficiency path. We were ignorant then; however, things have changed. After learning how to make this extraordinary material in the permaculture design certificate course (7… Continue reading Compost for Self-Sufficient Gardening (what goes into it?)

Soil is where we can make a great harvest, or ruin the entire years crop. Organic growing methods depend on having living soil, and as each season passes, and if we neglect the soil for… Continue reading How to Maintain Organic Soil in Raised Garden Beds

All plants require some sort of growing medium to obtain nutrients, and ginger is no different. The best soil for growing ginger is any free-draining acidic soil that contains plenty of organic matter and allows… Continue reading What is the Best Soil for Growing Ginger? (full explanation)

In these trying times it makes good sense to make as much stuff that you can from what you already have available to you. This means anything to do with the garden, and by default,… Continue reading Simple ways to make cheap mulch (with tools that you have)

Mulch is a big topic these days with so many people starting to grow food in their back yards. While this is fantastic, there is some confusion about what mulch is suitable, and what negatives… Continue reading What can be used as Garden Mulch (safely and cheap)

Every location in your garden will have different conditions acting on it, like sun, shade, moist and dry areas. These all play a part in how long any type of mulch will last for, as… Continue reading How often should you replace mulch? (can I just add to it?)

There is a common misconception about mulch and its potential to get hot and harm plants. This post hopefully presents the reasons why mulch can get hot and what you as a gardener can do… Continue reading Will too much Mulch Burn Plants? (how does it create heat?)