Category Regulars

Kids’ Patch

Plastic pollution and old fishing lines are a serious problem for sea life, so when 12-year-old Shalise Leesfield learned it was killing thousands of sea animals each year, she set out on a crusade to clean up local beaches and save lives.

‘Two years ago, I started noticing a lot of rubbish around our waterways, especially old fishing line. I was always finding large clumps of it scattered all over the sand. When I found out how bad forgotten fishing line and plastic pollution can be for the marine animals, it made me really upset,’ says Shalise.

‘Fishing line is one of the most harmful forms of marine pollution because it’s strong and invisible in the water. A lot of marine animals can’t see it and get tangled in it. Fishing line can take up to 600 years to break down. Sea turtles, marine mammals and even sea birds can be severely injured or die from entanglement in forgotten line.’

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Pip Picks: Things We Like

Finally! We have milk being sold in reusable glass bottles. Milk from Shulz Organic Dairy is available from selected retailers and farmers’ markets across VIC, NSW, SA, WA and TAS. The full list of stockists can be found on their website.

The full-cream non-homogenised organic milk comes in onelitre glass bottles that have a $2 refundable deposit. Bottles can be returned to any retailer or farmers’ market stall where they are bought. Shulz did extensive research on the glass bottles and lid type, and estimates that 120 kg of plastic will be saved per week thanks to their 3000 glass bottles.

www.schulzorganicdairy.com.au

$6 (includes $2 refund on return of the bottle)

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Permaculture Around The World

Ecovillages, in their myriad forms, are places we can all learn practical skills for regenerative culture, and many thousands of people visit ecovillages each year to learn permaculture and related skills. The Global Ecovillage Network (www.ecovillages.org) has networked thousands of ecovillages and eco-projects around the world and has a growing solutions bank online. You can read about many communities in Ecovillage: 1001 Ways to Heal the Planet (Triarchy Press Ltd 2015), edited by Kosha Joubert.

One of the more established communities profiled is Sirius in Massachusetts. Started in 1978 by former residents of Findhorn, it has ninety acres, fourteen eco-buildings, three acres of permaculture gardens and thirty residents set within a broader eco-neighbourhood of over 150 people. Sirius regularly opens its doors to visitors with workshops, tours, internships, meals, retreats and events.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Editorial

Robyn Rosenfeldt

I’m writing this in the spring sunshine enjoying the signs of the garden coming to life. I have roosters, chickens, guinea pigs, birds, bees and a dog for company. I always like to get away from my desk when I write the editorial so I can get some space and reflect on the issue we have created.

In this issue we have brought together a collection of inspiring and informative articles that we hope will be useful on your path to living more lightly on the planet. If you’re reading this, than I assume you probably have some interest in caring for the environment, the planet and all that live on it.

This issue is designed to expand your knowledge and hopefully give you some fresh ideas that you can implement in your lives. We all know the bigger system is pretty stuffed and we can often feel a bit hopeless and helpless in the face of climate change and environmental degradation.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

In The Garden: November – February

map of aussie

November: Basil, beans, beetroot, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, chives, coriander, cucumber, English spinach, kohlrabi, leek, lemongrass, lettuce, marjoram, mint, onion, oregano, parsley, parsnip, pumpkin, radish, rosemary, silverbeet, swede, sweet corn, tarragon, tomato, turnip, thyme and zucchini.

December: Asian greens, beetroot, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, cucumber, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, potatoes (such as Kennebec), pumpkin, rocket, salad onions, silverbeet, sweet corn, tomatoes and zucchini.

January: Asian greens (e.g. rocket, mizuna, mibuna, mustard, cress), beetroot, bush beans, carrots, lettuce, radish, silverbeet, spring onions and turnip. If you live in a warm spot, try seedlings of late zucchini, cucumber, small pumpkins like Golden Nuggets, sweet corn and even more tomatoes.

February: Plant winter vegies including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, Florence fennel, leeks and parsnips. Garlic is good to go once the weather cools.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Brains Trust

Brains Trust

I grew a green manure crop to add nitrogen to the soil (using broad beans), but last time I did this, I planted summer tomatoes straight after digging the broad beans in and it was the worst tomato crop I’ve ever had. What went wrong? (Emma, Newcastle, NSW)

Growing plants in unfinished compost doesn’t work very well. When we dig plant material into the ground, the soil bacteria will use some of the available soil nitrogen to break it down into compost, taking it away from the plants. This phenomenon is known as nitrogen drawdown. If there was insufficient nitrogen in the soil to begin with, there would definitely not have been enough left after composting to support the growth of heavy feeders such as tomatoes.

When using broad beans as a green manure crop, use the chop-and-drop method: cut the stems at soil level, so the roots decompose and release the nitrogen into the soil. The green leafy growth (despite its 30:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio) should not be dug into the soil; it should be chopped and left on the soil surface. Even better, the chopped plant material on the soil surface can be lightly sprinkled with manure, then covered with a straw-like mulch to create a no-dig gardening, sheet composting system.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Editorial

Robyn Rosenfeldt

When I put together an issue of Pip, I hope to create a beautiful publication full of ideas, inspiration and information about living more sustainably using permaculture principles. I hope that in each issue there is at least one idea that you can take away and implement into your life to help create positive change in the world.

In this issue we are focusing on waste reduction. I put a whale on the cover because after reading about a dead whale found with 40 kilos of plastic in its belly, I thought it was a strong symbol of what our wasteful culture is doing to the environment.

We look at not only reducing physical waste in our dayto- day lives (Waste Not: Reducing Waste in the Kitchen, page 42 and Waste-Free Pets, page 74), but also reducing water wastage (Reducing Water Waste, page 36). In nearly all our articles we are looking at projects and activities that ultimately reduce the amount of waste we create, from making and growing our own food, to making clothes and practicing permaculture.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

In The Garden: July – October

map of aussie

• July: Beetroot, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, peas, radish.

• August: Artichoke, asparagus (crowns), beetroot, cabbage (summer varieties), capsicum (undercover), chilli (undercover), eggplant, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, melon (undercover), parsnip, peas, potatoes, radish, rocket, spring onion, strawberry (runners), sunflower, thyme, tomato (undercover).

• September: Artichoke, asparagus (plant cloves), basil (undercover), beans (after frost), beetroot, broccoli (summer variety), capsicum (undercover), corn (after frost), carrot, celeriac, celery, chicory, chives, chilli, coriander, cucumber (undercover), dill, eggplant (undercover), endive, fennel, horseradish (crowns), Jerusalem artichoke (plant tubers), kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, melons (undercover), mustard greens, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb (crowns), silverbeet, spring onion, strawberry (runners), sunflower, tomato (undercover), turnip, zucchini (undercover).

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Book Reviews

This book is one family’s guide to reducing waste in our lives. It’s not judgemental; they’re not telling us what to do. They are just giving us the information, advice, recipes and projects we’ll need to start making change. They explore every aspect of our homes and provide us with simple, practical ideas for reducing waste and finding or creating alternatives—from making staples from scratch, buying food with no packaging, making your own personal care products, growing your own food, to sewing and mending clothes.

You can choose the recipes and projects that suit you, whether it be to make your own toothpaste, bottle up your own tomato sauce, make your own dishwashing powder or share your waste-free ideas with others. With beautiful photography and design, this book gives you both the inspiration and the information to make a start right now.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.

Kids’ Patch

Our kids’ patch winner for issue 14 is Hunter Williams from the Otways in Victoria. Congratulations! You’ve won the Formidable Vegetable Sound System’s CD, Grow Do It.

Next issue we are giving away a copy of Milkwood’s latest book Easy Peasy Gardening For Kids. To be in the running, parents can email a photo through to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au along with your child’s name, age and suburb.

To read the rest of this article, sign up for a digital subscription from $3.50.

 

Current subscribers login here.