Water: Governments Asleep At The Wheel

For the last six out of seven global harvests, the world’s farms have failed to yield enough food to feed the world, thanks to industrial, chemical farming and Climate Change. Humanity is on the brink of starvation and only our reserves of food – fast diminishing – have saved us.

What A Difference A Day Makes

The vegetable garden is as drought-proof as it can be whilst still producing some food. In effect what follows is called water ‘demand management’ – limiting its use.

In Flower Today

The Carpenter bees and mosquitoes are back again – a sure sign of the end of spring.

Seedsavers In Papua New Guinea II

Email from Michel: “We had an early start at 5.45am to get ready for a trip near to the swamps. It was the first time we took the main highland road. Clay and bumps, but much larger than our Koli stone-paved road. Tiny bit of traffic – mostly police and army. We visited eight families…

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Seedsavers In Papua New Guinea

Just received this email from Michel Fanton, relayed by his partner, Jude Fanton, both Co-Founders of the Seed Savers Network in Byron Bay. Michel is currently networking in PNG, one of the many international Seed Saver projects: “Even though the rain is falling on the southern highlands the HF email radio is working. All worked…

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Subversion

A fast-food eating city apartment dweller was today caught eating food picked fresh from an organic garden in Bayside Brisbane. “I’m guilty” said Mr Andrews, perpetrator and customer service employee. First it was fresh mulberries warmed by the sun, next out popped some peas and then those really red, sweet cherry tomatoes…”

Rohin’s Organic Botanic Garden

An upcoming story on Gardening Australia will feature Rohin Miles, a Gardener of the Year Award entrant. The story features Rohin, a 20 year old gardener. His passions range from ornamentals, productive and heritage plants, exotics and natives. He’s an apprentice gardener with Tweed Shire Council in the Northern Rivers of NSW. We filmed at…

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Vale The ‘Green Revolution’

A busy day in the garden…rain was forecast, so I cut and spread dolomite on George’s Sustainable Lawn, hoping it would wash it in. It didn’t, so I ended up rinsing it in with recycled water. I want it looking OK for this Sunday’s National Sustainable House Day. I knocked up a temporary bamboo screen…

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The Drought In Management

Evolving about 350 million years ago, the Australian Lungfish (aka the Queensland Lungfish), Neoceratodus forsteri, represents an ancient animal line, more precious than the Wollemi Pine. Of the six living lungfish species found worldwide, our native species is the most ancient and distinctive. As a child I was fascinated by prehistoric creatures. Instead of fantasising…

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Working With Winners

Who would have thought that Auntie’s long-running, bargain-basement gardening show would outlive and outperform the ‘Burke’s Backyard’ tv show and thrive as the ‘Sydney in Bloom’ expo folded? Drought has so far claimed over 11,000 jobs in horticulture in NSW alone. A water state of emergency has been declared in SE Qld. Petrol prices and…

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Oil, Rust, Heat And Global Crises

Four days ago (the 8.8.06) British Petroleum closed Prudhoe Bay, the largest oilfield in the USA. BP’s public relations claim that this was due to ‘corroding pipelines’. No one gets nervous when you hear about a bit – or even a lot – of rust. But is it true or hype? The arctic tundra is…

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Extraordinary Gardeners

Recently ‘Gardening Australia’ screened a segment filmed at Denise and Henk Horchner’s water-wise subtropical cottage garden. You can see that we get on well…they have a great sense of humour and I LOVE old-fashioned gardens and I LOVE discovering plants that I’ve never seen before. The Viola dissecta mentioned is only the second specimen I’ve…

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