Gardening Australia

Posting this a day early while I remember.

Spring. A good time for vegetables. According to some table it’s a bit late now to sow tomatoes from seed? But you could still buy seedlings.

In the warming weather what do you have planned for your landscape, pots, patch, window box - or even the lone houseplant/cactus in your apartment?

This service is free via the EPA - apply through GardenSafe in Victoria and VegeSafe for the rest of Australia). The only cost is postage. You may choose to donate but it’s not compulsory.

It’s October and the maggies are singing.

As the weather warms up what do you have planned for your landscape, pots, patch, window box - or even the lone houseplant/cactus in your apartment?

Sorry this is super late. I’ve been busy and forgot to post at the same time as the frugal thread.

I also haven’t been able to do much gardening. The window boxes don’t hold much, I’m struggling with fatigue and the carrots I’m hoping would set seed are being eaten! Perhaps in future I’ll be able to do more.

Have you got any plans for your garden coming into spring?

These are "red sunset" grevilla

Had them self seed from the compost. Now it's a tomato forest...

Sorry it’s late. I really haven’t been doing much over winter.

Something knocked over my pot of carrots and has been eating the tops, boring down into the root vegetable! I’m suspecting a possum.

I really need to repot the rosemary and buy seeds to resow the cat grass.

Have things been more active in your garden? Did you get some good results with winter vegies, or are you thinking ahead to spring?

I've been a bit crook so haven't managed a lot of gardening lately. I'm just leaving my heirloom carrots in their window box until they set seed, and resowing the cat grass.

Have things been more active in your garden? Are you getting some good results with winter vegies, or thinking ahead to spring?

Anyone got a clue what is going on with this critter? Until about 8 months ago it was a single vertical, then had a bunch of pups at once. Have been turning it toward sunlight, but it’s on the only viable inside windowsill. The base of the main is a bit squish. It gets watered twice a year.

The previous Winter vegies link came from a weird source and then broke for me, so let's try again. I waited for June to post the guide for this month.

Ps. It's currently displaying the seeds for June but the link is titled 'Veggie seeds that can be planted now' so it may be a page that will change and suggest appropriate different seeds if you click on it another month.

It's week 4 I think... doesn't matter

I have a depressingly destroyed lawn. Partly dog damage, partly lack of care.

Its mostly buffalo, but some couch self seeded and grows better than the buffalo does, so i'm inclined to leave it and let the two types grow where they like it most. Is this a good idea?

We are thinking to get some top soil, but don't know what time of year to put it on.

We also need to replace the sprinklers, but i haven't really found a type/brand that i'm happy with yet.

Any ideas and advice anybody has would be greatly appreciated!

I've been reading up on the various persistent herbicides that are out there and how they can pass through animals and composting intact and I was wondering how significant an issue this would be for those of us gardening in Australia.

For my fellow gardeners, I'd like to know whether you've encountered this issue in your gardens and what steps you take to reduce the risk of contaminated materials entering your garden?

First photo was the 9th of October 2023.

Second photo was the 15th of March 2024.

I've got a young silver banksia that is getting a bit unruly and I'm looking for a useful guide for understanding how they respond to pruning. Ideally want to understand what they respond well to and how I can train them to grow to suit my garden.

I basically want to encourage it to grow upwards more, so that it can rise above a fence to gain better access to light and provide screening from neighbours. Also hoping that as it grows it'll create room for a bit of an understory in the same location.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

This year I grew tomatoes, and found rats are stealing them. I am certain it’s rats because I have seen them. Have tried netting the tomato plants, but rats found ways in. Called an exterminator to bait in the roof and under house. Feel ambivalent about it, because if a predator bird takes an affected rat it may get ill. But I’m located deep in suburbia and have never seen an owl or eagle so I think it’s unlikely. Didn’t work though, still have rats. Have given up on the tomatoes, plants are destroyed. What are your strategies for ridding yourself of ratty pestilences?

Some close up shots of the damage: