Luke’s photos of rough diamond ‘weeds’ and more

Native stingless bee hive on top of chook house - spring clean time The Friday gardeners making a raised bed garden in Myrtle The watermelon Carpaccio with 'weed's - Chippo road garden flowers Wood sorrel (oxalis) - a road 'weed' that graces famous restaurant dishes Salvia flower (pineapple sage) - attracts small birds, boosts soil More chickweed - it's everywhere... Read More

Splitting the hive video

This is one of the videos showing how Michael and friends split the hive on Monday. Here is an alternate view:  Read More

Do Australian governments support sustainable development?

A student studying property has asked me a question and the question and answers are below: “I would appreciate if you could give me your thoughts on  the following: 1) Do you think “Green” Design and Development in residential properties  is supported and progressive in Australia. There is some support by governments. But when you add up the positives and negatives,... Read More

Bob rules

Bob on the case, Bert the enforcer behind Bob the Chook has become my master.  Her dominion over life at home is plain. It starts with the sun. If I’m not up with it she starts squarking to remind me that, in breach of United Nation and the World Food Authority’s standards, she is being poorly fed. For a while I would get up straight away, horrified at her operatic... Read More

TAFE urban farm course now open

Living Sustainably Information Session 10am Tuesday, 21st September 2010 EEORA Centre 333 Abercrombie Street Chippendale Gallery AG.16 For more details phone Outreach on 9217 5006 or 9217 3130 Email: patricia.lane@tafensw.edu.au TAFE and I are working together to give skills to people in Sydney who are doing it tough, whether young or old, and on the ‘edge’ of things.... Read More

Road gardening

Gardeners How time is whizzing by – half way through the first month of Spring already. Time waits for no plant, nor the planters – us. Some of the things we did last Friday are on my blog for that day.  We covered a lot of ground and did plenty – thanks to the dozen folk who turned up. And congratulations to Sam who has bought his own compost bin and taken some... Read More

Manly Vale Community Garden opened today

Central pavilion, Manly Vale community garden, 4 Innes Rd, Manly Vale Raised bed gardens, Manly Vale community garden I went to the opening of the Manly Vale community garden today, about 45 minutes drive from Chippendale over the Harbour Bridge. When I spoke there I described some of the stories from our road gardening here in Chippendale.  From the feedback I received it’s... Read More

Road gardening 10 Sept

Removing compost from bins Quality control by Bob The Chook Planting, espaliering Meyer Lemon  Read More

Calculate the sun for your house

There’s a beaut device on the web which allows you to see how the sun affects your site, your solar hot water panels or your solar photovoltaic panels – or how your neighbours roof may affect your panels  . . . Visit it here: www.suncalc.net… It’s on Google Maps.  To use it, type in an address and a date, and it shows you the track of the sun, from sunrise... Read More

What we did in the road gardens today

About 10 or more of us gardened today; some chefs from a well-known restaurant, some new gardeners, some folk from Total Environment Centre interested in our gardens, some reliables who have been coming for weeks now.  We: - took compost from several bins, turned them with augers, measured the temperatures and put in some coffee husks from Toby’s Estate - planted a Meyer... Read More