permaculture principles

December in the tropical garden by Kathleen Hosking, Mackay, QLD of Solution Focused WHAT TO PLANT? Not a lot of planting in the garden this month. The weather is heating up and scorches new plants. There is enough to do in the general garden without looking after seedlings in this period of disruption and fun that… View more

December Gardening Guide – Mediterranean Climate          with Pip’s Adelaide correspondent Nadja Osterstock Summer has started early here, with some serious hot spikes, strong winds and a devastating early bushfire north of Adelaide. In suburban gardens, water, shade and timing are everything. Fruit ripens quickly in the heat and needs steady watering and close attention… View more

December in the cool temperate garden by Christina Giudici, Hobart, TAS of Food In My Back Yard WHAT TO PLANT? You can plant just about anything in December! As you harvest garlic and leeks, use the space for sequential plantings of lettuce, rocket, adian greens, carrots, beetroot, celery, silver beet, more leeks, salad onions. We tend not to… View more

November in the cool temperate garden by Christina Giudici, Hobart, TAS of Food In My Back Yard WHAT TO PLANT? Pretty much all the summer vegies are good to go now that November is underway and the soil has warmed up well. As you clear out broad beans and peas, in go hungry things like sweet corn,… View more

November in the tropical garden by Kathleen Hosking, Mackay, QLD of Solution Focused WHAT TO PLANT? Plant capsicum and eggplant to get them established before the strong winds and rain of the wet season. Snake beans grow well in the wet season. There are climbing and dwarf varieties. Harvest the beans when they are still… View more

November Gardening Guide – Mediterranean Climate          with Pip’s Adelaide correspondent Nadja Osterstock It’s been a dry spring in Adelaide so far, and with the current El Nino pattern we expect more of the same. However, with plenty of supplementary watering, spring growth is coming along beautifully, and flowers seem to be more profuse than ever…. View more

October Gardening Guide – Mediterranean Climate As I look around the garden today, I’m delighted by the brilliant green of new spring foliage, the shade of trees and vines that self-adjust as the weather warms, the rapid emergence of heat-loving vegetables from seed, as well as new growth on the subtropical trees. It all tells… View more

October Gardening Guide – Tropical Climate What to Plant in October? Rocket, mustard, tatsoi and Miners lettuce: Plant seeds at regular intervals to keep the crops coming. These will all tolerate the build-up to the wet season. Darwin lettuce is a more traditional option that does well at this time of the year. The French Sorrel… View more

October Gardening Guide – Cool Climate What to Plant in October? Tomatoes: Cool temperate gardeners are obsessed with tomatoes in October. There is no need to rush your planting, especially if your seedlings are happy in their pots. The best time to plant is when the soil has warmed up a bit (look for self… View more

September Gardening Guide – Tropical Climate What to Plant in September? There is still time to plant the last crop of just about everything. Be aware that some crops will be lost if there is an early wet season. The last couple of years have not seen a good wet season so planting is likely… View more

September Gardening Guide – Mediterranean Climate After some good soaking rains, Adelaide’s soil is now much better charged. We’re also starting to see longer days and some real sunshine, so we can expect the soil to start warming up nicely over the next couple of months ready for the boom time. (Yep, that’s booming weeds… View more

 September Gardening Guide – Cool Climate What to Plant in September? Loads of leafy greens and roots like carrots, parsnip, beetroot, turnips and swedes can all be sown now. Also celery and silverbeet (or rainbow chard – pretty!) seedlings, brassicas like broccoli and cabbage, leeks, and the ubiquitous spring onions and radish. Peas and broad beans… View more