Winter is the perfect time to prepare your patch for that crop of summer berries you’ve always wanted. No more plastic punnets, an unrivalled depth of flavour and the joy of being able to pick the sweet taste of summer straight from the bush. We…

So much more than a place to record your successes and failures in the garden, a diary can help you to connect with your patch, understand your environment and maximise your yield.

It might seem like just another task that’s taking you away from the time…

For Tasmanian-born chef Sarah Glover, cooking over fire is as much about place and connection as it is about flavour.

Author and chef Sarah Glover grew up in a large family in Tasmania. It was before internet and on-demand TV and meal times stick in her…

All too often our preserves sit at the back of the pantry gathering dust. But using them is just as important as making sure your homegrown goodness doesn’t go to waste in the first place.

You’ve worked hard all season in the vegie garden, watering, weeding,…

This Blue Mountains home was designed to integrate seamlessly with the outdoors and to hold a comfortable temperature all year round without the need for air conditioning.

Tim and Madelyn, with their daughter Frankie, were ready to move away from city living, so bought a property…

Dreamtime and Creation stories exist to teach people how to look after the land, its creatures and their custodians. But to truly appreciate their significance, we first must understand what is meant by the Dreamtime and the Dreaming.

According to Indigenous beliefs, the Dreamtime is the…

Science is starting to catch up with what gardeners already know – growing food and caring for a garden is hugely beneficial for the body, mind and spirit.

Research is still unravelling the mysteries of the human microbiome, but it’s certain that getting your hands dirty…

Most of us already know how effective worms are at turning kitchen waste into rich garden goodness, but there are other ways they can help around the home.

Worm farms have become an increasingly common sight in productive backyards and urban gardens over the last few…

Seen by many as harmful feral animals, the humble camel has been put centrestage by a forward-thinking farmer at a regenerative dairy farm in Queensland.

In a classic case of ‘use what you have’, Paul Martin is not only addressing Central Australia’s exploding and problematic population…

Making your own ink, dyes and art materials from the natural world around you is a deeply satisfying and almost therapeutic process. It not only grows your intimacy with the plants and soils of the place you live in, but also is a far more…

The large woven stockfeed bags may be designed for single use, but they’re strong, sturdy and far too good to throw away.

Polypropylene can potentially be recycled and used to manufacture other forms of plastic, but we can delay that process by turning them into robust…

A community science participation program at Macquarie University offers soil metal testing for would-be vegetable growers who want to make sure their soil is free of contaminants before they start planting into it.

Dubbed VegeSafe, the program aims to inform growers about metal and metalloid contaminants…

Sun Seeker – SUN-TRACKING APP

This comprehensive sun-tracking app is the perfect companion when planning your vegie garden, greenhouse or considering solar panels. Using GPS, a magnetometer and gyroscope, the app will tell you the corrct solar position and therefore the exact path the sun will…

The School of Nature (Escola da Natureza) is set within the Piracanga ecovillage, on the coast of Bahia in Brazil. It is a school of permaculture and ecological practices set up to promote – and immerse people in – planetary regeneration and engage children in…

There are not many things more satisfying than pulling a lemon off your own tree, picking some salad leaves to have with dinner or even unearthing potato treasures from your soil. There are some things that are a must- have in your garden that will…

Much of Australia’s eastern seaboard has experienced devastating floods over recents months. And while most of us are all too aware of the work required to clean, restore and even rebuild homes and buildings, Pip has received plenty of questions about the impact floods can…

We’d love to see if we’ve inspired you to embark on any projects. The letter of the issue will receive a limited-edition Pip magazine print featuring archival inks on textured 300 gsm rag paper. Email your letters and photos to editorial@pipmagazine.com.au

Powerless preserving

I’m wondering if you…

As well as producing a sweet edible stem, Australia’s native cherry has important ceremonial and protective properties.

The native cherry (Exocarpus cupressiformis), also known as cherry ballart, cypress cherry or wild cherry belongs to the sandalwood family and is endemic to Australia. A partial parasite, the…

Native to Asia and Europe, this lemony edible plant has naturalised widely in Australia and is commonly found in backyards.

What Is Sheep Sorrel?

Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is a species of flowering perennial weed in the Polygonaceae family. The name sorrel is derived from the Germanic…

Raphanus sativus – from the Greek raphanus meaning ‘easily grown’ and the Latin sativus, which means ‘cultivated’.

Origin

Radishes have a long history of cultivation and their origins are not certain. Alphonse de Candolle (1886) mentions that wild specimens were found near Mt Ararat in Turkey, and…

Seasonal garden guides for Australian climates

Moon planting

The moon’s phases and its associated gravitational pull has a significant effect on the behaviour of tidal oceans, so it’s easy to understand how the moon can have a similar effect on the moisture in our soils and plants….

Electric-powered scooters are still very much in their infancy in this country, but there’s an all-electric brand trying to convince Australians to swap their petrol- powered transport for an emission-free option.

Super Soco is…

Our kids’ patch winners for this issue are Elkie and Kade from Light Pass, SA, you’ve won a Patternation Eco-City magnetic game which lets you design your very own sustainable city! Choosing from 140 tiles, Patternation allows you to incorporate…

This is activist and academic Marcia Langton’s 16th book on Indigenous culture and was produced to help local and international travellers discover important lands and waters, and to do it by making cultural connections through the people who know it…

Wow, what a time we find ourselves in. Now more than ever it is feeling like the world is in crisis. From recent flooding, to war, to the pandemic and just the general effects of global warming and climate change….

Pip’s May issue is full of inspiration and ideas to help you save money in the face of rising living costs, get busy in the garden, and lead a waste – free life.