Build Your Own Wicking Bed
We know plants need water to grow, however understanding when and how much they need can seem like a mystery only ‘green thumbs’ can solve. Enter the wicking bed!
Month June 2018
Seedwell
At the gate that opens into the gardens of Seedwell’s St Kilda site, there is a blooming eucalyptus caesia. For the people of the Kulin nation, this gum represents coming of age for young people and for Seedwell it represents a similar idea.
Granny Square Fingerless Gloves
Fingerless gloves are perfect for keeping your hands warm without restricting your fingers. Here is how to make a pair of retro style granny square fingerless gloves. Rather than being strict instructions, this is an inspirational idea kind of pattern.
A Year From The Garden
Could you survive if the only fruit and vegies you ate for a year where those grown in your own backyard? Jodie Vennitti from Perth, WA decided to set herself a challenge and try it out?
An Introduction To Natural Cheesemaking
In Natural Cheesemaking we work with nature, instead of against nature, to make cheese. By using a starter that we make at home, harnessing the rich microbial ecology in raw milk, and honouring traditional cheesemaking methods, we can create cheeses that are more healthy, delicious and complex in flavour.
Dreaming Of A House Cow
Do you dream of milking your own cow? Having fresh, raw milk available on tap? The thought of all of that warm, frothy sweetness pouring into your bucket is very appealing to many but before you consider bringing a house cow into your daily life, there are a few things you need to consider.
Permaculture Around The World
FOSTER VILLAGE, USA www.fostervillagepdx.org Not far from downtown Portland, Oregon, lives this small intentional community. Foster Village is ‘retrosuburbia’ in action. What started as a single shared community home has now evolved into three houses—an urban community homestead with…
Cob Heart House
Jodie Lyn Brown’s ‘Cob Heart House’ sits at the top of a hill in Maleny, Queensland, surrounded by a garden full of fruit trees, herbs and vegetables. This beautiful hybrid home (half cob/half timber) is made even more special as it was built by Jodie herself with the help of a natural builder friend and a team of enthusiastic volunteers.
Editorial
After talking to Jodie Vennitti (A Year From The Garden, page 32) about her challenge to only eat fruit and veg from her garden for a year, I wanted to push myself a bit further so I too could do this. I eat loads from my garden but not everything. Setting myself a challenge makes me really think about what I grow and how, and makes me evaluate the design and systems I have in place.
Introduction To Biodynamics
Biodynamics is a method of organic farming that views the entire farm (or garden) as an organism. Biodynamics utilises a closed-loop system where growers aim to produce everything needed by the farm on the farm itself. While this sort of system is used in other organic farming methods including permaculture, biodynamics also incorporates other unique practices. These include the use of specially formulated ‘preparations’ to nourish the soil, planting and harvesting with reference to influences of the solar system and working with natural forces to revitalise their land.