April – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia

April – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate. April is the month when we start to feel Autumn, and we love it! The lower temperatures make gardening so much more enjoyable. The first winter seedlings are emerging out of the soil, and you can watch them grow, or at least some of them. Let’s have a look at the jobs that we usually do during this month. General jobs in April Sowing, planting, harvesting I am pretty sure that I forgot about a few, but if so, I will update the list during the month as I… Read More

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February – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia

February – Permaculture Food Gardening in Subtropical Australia by Ewa Bekiesch, Permaculture designer, educator, self-sufficient and sustainable living consultant, and healthy food advocate. February is one of the hottest months in our subtropical parts of Australia. Hot and humid! We are thankful for every single drop of rain and appreciate the food we are harvesting at this time of the year, and there is plenty to harvest! We are not running out of jobs in the garden, however, we are limiting the work to the early morning and very late afternoon hours. Additional to the summer gardening jobs described in my post here, February is the month when I prune… Read More

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Permaculture Gardening – How to Prepare Garden Beds after Harvest and before Planting

Permaculture Gardening – How to Prepare Garden Beds after Harvest and before Planting It is definitely worth it to give your garden some love. The garden will love you back and the gifts you receive are priceless. I personally think that naturally homegrown food is one of the most valuable things which lead to a healthy and happy lifestyle. Our food forest is nearly six years old and needs only a little attention. However, there are always some jobs to do in the annual garden, which is zone one and zone two at our place. Taking care of the garden beds will ensure ongoing success in terms of growing food.… Read More

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Sustainable Gardening – Pest Prevention and Management

Sustainable Gardening – Pest Prevention and Management By Ewa Bekiesch – Permaculture Designer and Sustainable Living Consultant There is no pest in a permaculture garden. Insects are very important as primary or secondary decomposers. Without insects, dead animals and plants would accumulate in our environment and it would get very messy. Some insects aerate the soil, the others pollinate blossoms, control other insects and plants or leave pests. Insects are helping us in creating the topsoil which we need to grow plants. When you spray chemical pesticides in the garden, you are not only putting your health at risk. You are killing the beneficial little creatures which are part of… Read More

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Grow and Enjoy! Your Own Tea!

Grow and Enjoy! Your Own Tea! Why would you buy tea if you can grow it in your backyard? All of the plants  introduced below are growing very easily in our subtropical climate where I live 🙂 I’m  pretty sure that most of them will also grow in most climates zones, especially during the summer. Hope you enjoy this  article and the video 🙂 Are you adventurous enough to drink more than just one sort of tea? If so, why don’t you grow your own herbal teas yet? It is healthy, delicious and it grows just at the reach of your hand! The collection in this photo are only few… Read More

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