Growing local

All Blog Posts (1,013)

Slim pickings over summer

I am enormously happy that Food Connect can now supply suppplementary vegetable bags in our weekly fruit box. It's fantastic - we're not so completely at the mercy of the garden, and I can buy garlic and ginger without making a special trip to buy chinese imports (pretty much all the garlic in the shops is over from China). So now I've been buying carrots and broccoli every week as well - there are only so many meals we can eat based on… Continue

Added by Scarlett on February 4, 2009 at 14:05 — 3 Comments

A month of neglect in high summer

I am so grateful for all this rain. Our garden has been abandoned for a month with no water!

It's capacity to continue without me is amazing. I can't believe that we could come home and pick dinner from the garden. It was a very good dinner too.

I'm horrified to say that our chooks are completely infested with bird mite, however. I am so mortified - my friend came over to change their feeders every few days and didn't know… Continue

Added by Scarlett on January 12, 2009 at 22:30 — 5 Comments

Stormy November

It's Saturday evening and we're waiting for the next big storm to hit. All our mulch piled up in little mounds around our back door after the last two big storms. I wonder if I will have to rake it all back again tomorrow.

I've been quiet in cyberspace recently - it's amazing how much time organising a six year old's birthday party can consume in an already crowded life.

I've gone right through the garden and been fairly ruthless, making way for the new summer… Continue

Added by Scarlett on November 22, 2008 at 18:30 — 4 Comments

Getting ready for summer

Another big day in the garden - two weeks in a row.

Last week I planted the corn seedlings and seeds of zucchini, rockmelon, and moon and stars watermelon (as per the default profile pictures). The watermelon has germinated already and the corn is growing well. I didn't plant beans because I realised I didn't have climbing bean seeds - must get onto that. I ended up taking most of the broad beans out and cutting some back. I've also left tomatoes in the same bed for the moment… Continue

Added by Scarlett on October 19, 2008 at 19:30 — No Comments

Hooray for rain!!

I hope you all got as much rain as we did last night. Lovely soaking rain that fell steadily for hours. I haven't checked the water tank but I'm hoping for at least half.

Two of our three artichoke plants are heading up - lovely. The third plant is a little squished (between the other two) and didn't recover so well from the aphid devastation - I guess it won't flower this year.

We went up to the bamboo man on the Sunshine… Continue

Added by Scarlett on October 10, 2008 at 21:41 — 5 Comments

It's heating up out there..

This garden hasn't been through a Brisbane summer yet, and I'm scared.

And the worst has happened - our tank is empty!! I rang the Council and apparently I can hand water between 4 and 8pm. So nothing really changes, I just fill up my water bins with chlorinated water instead of beautiful rain. Somehow, though, it's a dreadful feeling to hear that hollow booming all the way to the bottom of the tank.

We went out to Jerry Coleby-Williams's Sustainable House open day. Was… Continue

Added by Scarlett on September 28, 2008 at 13:49 — 2 Comments

Tommy Toe terrific

Ate my first tommy toe tomato today. I can see why they win the blind taste tests at Diggers Seeds. Appear to be somewhat variable in size - the one I ate was larger and single, but this is such a pretty photo..

We ate our first broad beans the other day. Medium sized the beans still have a thin sweet skin. Added to chicken soup, was delicious.

Our lemon and lime trees need feeding (ours aren't… Continue

Added by Scarlett on September 12, 2008 at 14:47 — 5 Comments

Last week of winter

What have I done? I am the anti-potato.

For some reason I cannot grow potatoes in Queensland. They always die on me about half-way through the growing season (OK, so it's happened twice, but it never happened in Melbourne). I know potatoes are a bit marginal in this climate, but it must be possible. I'll post a photo and see if anyone can help out.

It's been a very egg-y week. Hooray for Booty, PinkRosie and Heckle!! Thankyou girls. I had to tape some toy eggs together and… Continue

Added by Scarlett on August 27, 2008 at 17:45 — No Comments

Today in our garden

An exciting day today - we harvested the first bunch of lady finger bananas. Two more bunches coming. The blue faced honey eater came and shouted at me and fluffed all his hair up in disgust when I was cutting one of the flower bells off. Funny critter - sorry little buddy! I left one for him - felt too mean. Found two ripe passionfruits and a small ripe pawpaw.

The Blue Java and Dwarf Ducasse bananas haven't flowered yet - they are in harsher spots. Down the side with washing… Continue

Added by Scarlett on July 26, 2008 at 23:00 — 3 Comments

Tips for using the features on this site

It's taken me a while to work out how to do some things on this site:

Keeping informed

* At top right under your name is 'Settings'. If you go into the 'Email' section you can tick which activity you want to be emailed about. So then you'll get an email with a link when something happens - eg someone replies to your discussion post. Also on 'My Page' (one of the tabs in the red menu bar at the top) there is a link to all your discussions etc..

Keeping… Continue

Added by Scarlett on July 23, 2008 at 21:30 — No Comments

Why have a Brisbane Local Food network....

Jumping off point

* find out who is doing what around the place

* make pathways to getting to know people and getting involved

Social networking is the new black (no, that's compost)

Apparently 60% of web traffic is now on social networking sites (there must be a reason...)

Why social networking sites are easier than email

* you can connect in a very informal day-to-day sort of way

* you can email people without needing their contact… Continue

Added by Scarlett on July 23, 2008 at 20:06 — No Comments

Hoticulture and agriculture, history, ideas and info

Ok this blog will hopefully deliver info and tips on the wide range of possibilities and resources for gardening, agricultural endeavours and growing together.

I’m going to start with a bit of historical background and will try not to get to bogged down in detail, please forgive any grammatical or spelling errors as I have a history based in dealing with dyslexia, but I also have an almost photographic memory for things I am passionate about.

Agriculture well over 100 years ago… Continue

Added by Anthony Foo on May 21, 2008 at 1:00 — 4 Comments

We are now live to air

Hi all

Well take up is pretty good and the feedback is positive - so I reckon we release this thing into the ether and see what happens. Why wait?

So I've changed the network's privacy settings to public - anyone can now see the content on this website, and anyone can now join. Invite away - there is a link you can send to people to make it easy.

I've made more people administrators - let's go for the wikipedia self managing model I reckon. Am available for any… Continue

Added by Scarlett on May 13, 2008 at 11:30 — 2 Comments