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Waratah Eco Farm

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23.01.2022 Best best best kind of compost bins!! I built 2 bays like this in a rental out of fence palings and posts. Mine had double layer chicken wire between the bins... so that the worms et al could move freely back and forth. With these ones the gal could keep the heat of the beds in. The front slats lift in and out one by one as you fill and empty the bins. You can easily dig over one bed into the next, removing and adding slats as you go. See more

22.01.2022 The Edible Gardening Challenge: This is a challenge I offer to people that attend one of my workshops to get people thinking about just where they have room to ...plant edibles amongst their gardens. My experience is that most people think they need a vegetable garden or vegetable patch to grow vegetables but nothing could be further from the truth! Vegetable gardening is much like farming planting in plots or beds and planting your vegetables in rows. Vegetable gardening is hard work as it requires lots of working the soil and attention to keeping pests off with spraying often, farmers have to spray 4-6 times from paddock to plate, I am sure you don’t want to be doing that? An edible garden is using your exisiting garden of trees and shrubs as canopies to provide cover and shade for those plants that need it, providing an ideal microclimate for lots of different edibles amongst them. Planting companion plants with one another helping to deter pests, or enhance flavour, and a whole variety of other reasons like, keeping nematodes away, fixing nitrogen, attracting pollinators, attracting predators, etc. So as you can see this is a very different way of growing edibles than in rows like the farmers. I want to encourage you all to give some thought to using your exisiting garden as a place to grow food you don’t necessarily need to rush out and buy raised garden beds to grow food, this is more simple than people think. Most of the wide leaf plants prefer shaded areas in the afternoon, they are forest dwellers in their natural habitats so they lend themselves ideally to become understory plants in your existing garden. Resist planting the same things together, you will attract insect attack as insects have poor eyesight and recognise things by leaf shape so if you have the same plant, planted all together you have the neon signs out for the insects inviting them in. Planting them away from each other and surrounding them with other plants and flowers will confuse the insects and often repel them. So what is the challenge I hear you ask? Well contrary to how you will have planted edibles in the past ie; punnets of seedlings planted on the same day, job done! Then if 6 weeks you have so much lettuce you cant use it all? Sound familiar? The challenge is break that habit and plant one thing everyday for the next six weeks or so. What you need to do is to go and purchase 6 punnets of your favourite veggie seedlings, and include a punnet of flowers like marigolds, or lobelia, or alyssum. We are headed into the salad season so hopefully you will have chosen a punnet of mixed lettuce anyway the challenge is to go out into your garden and find a thistle, now everyone will have a thistle growing somewhere, you see thistles and lettuce are in the same family so if you can grow a thistle you can grow a lettuce. Now given that lettuce are large leaved plants they will cope the some shade, so wherever you have pulled the thistle from, turn the soil over a little with a small garden trowel and plant one lettuce from your punnet. Sprinkle about a 1/4 of a handful of a pelletised manure of some sort, water the plant in well and then spread some mulch around it like a sugar cane or similar, and water that as well. That’s it! For the first day, now on the second day go into your garden and find another weed and pull that out, and this time go to the next punnet of seedlings it might be a beetroot, same deal cut one beetroot plant out of the punnet and plant it in place of the weed fertilise it, water it, mulch it. Third day repeat the same process only move onto the the third punnet, this time is might be a marigold, find another weed perhaps some where near one of the plants you have planted in the previous days to act as a companion. Are you getting the picture now of how this works? It will take you 5 days of planting one plant each day before you are back to the second lettuce in that punnet to go in the ground. It will take you about 6 weeks to complete planting these punnets of veggies and flowers, which means that you have spread out the picking times for all of them, whereas if you had have planted all of the lettuce at once on day one in 6 weeks you will have too much lettuce! Bare in mind you will need to continue to water what you plant on a regular basis. Now people often ask about the seedlings left behind, will they be ok? Yes is the answer make sure you keep them in a sheltered spot close to a water supply or sit a watering can nearby so that you can water them each day to keep them ticking along, they will mark time unable to grow too much given their roots don’t have the soil to get into to grow out and 6 weeks in the scheme of things is not a long time. In six weeks time you will not believe your eyes in the transformation of your garden, not only will you be seeing less weeds, but as the plants start to grow they will naturally suppress further weeds, along with filling up your garden adding colour diversity and food and when you start to pick from it you will be wondering why you haven’t done this all your life? The funny thing is that you haven’t needed a vegetable bed, or patch to grow them. You see this is how these plants grow in a food forest which how they started out life in the begining. Try it I am positive that it will blow you away, and it only takes 5 minutes or so a day. We all can find that sort of time in our busy lives and this gives those of use that are either time poor or running to a tight budget the opportunity to grow food for the family effectively cheaply and can be done even in a rented garden without altering or changing it. For more info on edible gardening you can obtain a copy of my book at https://ediblegarden.webs.com/apps/webstore/ or book a consultation tailored to meet your needs at www.craigcastree.com.au

20.01.2022 Do you know someone who would love this chicken coop?

14.01.2022 Transforming used textiles into eco-friendly bricks. This is FabBRICK's approach to prevent waste. Brut nature met Clarisse, the architect behind this project. With ChangeNOW Summit

13.01.2022 Complete plant mycorrhizal fungi. $42.95 Inc shipping.

13.01.2022 Today is a HUGE day on the farm. My husband just sent these pictures to me. Our 388 ft trench is finally full of wood. We've made friends with a local tree ...company and they have been dumping their limbs, logs, trees etc. That has been a blessing for both them and us. Cardboard, paper and food scraps have been added too. Now to fill in the voids with one year old wood chips and top with soil, then chips on the soil. #texas. Lulu See more

13.01.2022 Citrus trees: Many of my garden consultations are involving problems with citrus trees and there are some common problems I am asked to solve regularly so lets ...go through what they are and no doubt many of you will be in the same boat. Most of these issues start to emerge now and early spring. It is really important right now to get out and have a look for some of these the tell tail signs you may have on your trees so that you can sort it out quickly before I becomes more of a problem. Q: When should I prune my citrus trees? A: once the frosts are over is a good time if you are not prone to frosts then now is ok. Note: One a citrus tree has been pruned even lightly it will quickly start to produce new growth and in late winter early spring this growth provides the ideal material for citrus leaf miner, discussed in the next Q&A. Q: What are these squiggly lines on the new leaves of my citrus tree? A: This is citrus leafminer the larvae of a tiny silver moth that gets between the leaf layers and eats out the leaf. You need to spray the tree with a horticultural oil or a home made oil like mine on page 200 of my book. It will need at subsequent spray about 10 days apart or so to break the life cycle. Q: How tall should they be and what shape? A: As tall as you can reach standing flat footed reaching up as high as you can reach is how high. The shape is not important provided you are happy with it there is no need to make them open vase shape they still ripen fruit on the inside of the tree, take out the thin whispy branches and anything that looks dead, diseased or damaged. If you get the opportunity to prune out old wood, do so. Q: My citrus trees leaves are yellowing why? A: Yellowing leaves can indicate a tree being hungry how long since you have fed it? They need food at the change of each season. Remember that citrus trees have a different food requirement than other fruit trees so you may need to get a citrus specific food. Q: The leaves on my tree are showing dark green veins and slightly lighter green to yellow leaves? A: This is indicating a deficiency, citrus have very shallow root systems that struggle over time to reach the heavier elements in the soil like iron, zinc, molybdenum, etc this happens over time on the ground or more often in pots as you water the trees these elements sink lower down into the soil or in fact out of the pots so it is very important you feed them with a trace elements dose each year you can get this at your local Nursery. Q: What are these lumps in the stem? A: These lumps are caused by citrus gall wasp this is caused by an Australian native insect that lays its eggs into the stems of citrus trees. The eggs hatch and the larvae feed on stem tissue, causing the swellings. The swellings need to be pruned out and please don’t put them in your compost or in the bin that goes to landfill, they need to be cut open and immersed if possible into a bucket of water for week or so, sent to the tip if they emerge they will become someone else’s problem. You also need to ask your neighbours to do the same thing and that way you will have half a chance of getting rid of it, encourage your neighbours to contact their neighbours to likewise etc. There is a spray out called CGW spray available at vasilisgarden.com Q: Why does my fruit drop off the tree when its small? A: Your tree possible lacks calcium on the soil but before you add it you need to do a soil test as if the soil is too alkaline it will be locking up the available calcium making it unavailable to the tree. If the test is neutral or close too, add calcium- Dolomite Lime or Liquid calcium preferably the tree will take it up quicker. Q: Why does my citrus tree have ants all over it? A: Good chance you have scale and sooty mould going on as well the ants are farming the scale for food they deliver via a sticky mildew they secrete. You need to spray with a horticultural oil or the home made one on page 200 of my book. Q: Can I graft other citrus varieties on my lemon? A: Yes you can, make sure it is a lemon preferably in my opinion the Eureka lemon is best for this, as it has no thorns and is sturdy in its structure. Make sure you graft on low down on the tree for best results. Q: What is the best time to graft citrus. A: In my opinion November is the best time, although they can be grafted any time of the year. For more info on edible gardening you can obtain a copy of my book Edible Gardens a practical guide at https://ediblegarden.webs.com/apps/webstore/ or book a video consultation full consult, general consult, or dedicated consult, varying costs to help your needs at www.craigcastree.com.au

13.01.2022 The Bosco Verticale / Vertical Forest high-rise complex in Milan, Italy. The plant life, which is said to equal 3 hectares of forests (20,000 sq m), not only mo...derates the temperature in summer and winter but also converts as much as 30 tonnes of CO2 each year. On top of that, it filters out dust particles, protects the residents from noise pollution and creates a microhabitat for insects and birds. See more

12.01.2022 *LAST DAY TO JOIN* We’re so excited to share with you that our 6 week online program The Healthy Patch Formula is now open for enrolment! Easily growing your ow...n nutrient dense wholefoods can truly be life changing... and we don't say that lightly! We know this because we’ve experienced it first-hand! Chronic migraines, thinning hair, leaky gut syndrome weight gain, anxiety, pure exhaustionThese are just some of the things that we were battling with before we made the switch to real, chemical free wholefoods. But here’s the thing Growing our own nutrient dense wholefoods didn’t just provide our bodies with the nutrition they needed to heal a life changing benefit on its own... It made living a healthy lifestyle feel easy & effortless It made mornings bright with excitement It even changed the way we looked at food! Being able to harvest your own fresh, clean & vibrant wholefoods at any time of the day Being able to create simple, delicious & healthy meals from food you’ve grown yourself easily Feeling inspired & excited come dinner time to cook up a nourishing meal from your own edible garden that truly tastes amazing It’s one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself & your body! Which is why we would love for you to join us in the The Healthy Patch Formula! Our 6-week easy to follow, step by step, completely online program, designed & created from the ground up, to show your health-conscious self EXACTLY how to grow your own nutrient dense wholefoods easily, to better support your health. Regardless of if you only have one square meter or 100's of acres... Regardless of your time commitments or your experience... What we know is that anyone can grow their own nutrient dense wholefoods easily you just need the right formula! See, without proper guidance or the right knowledge, creating a vibrant organic edible garden that provides you with a bounty of nourishing food & energising health can actually be stressful, expensive, overwhelming & in the end not even that healthy. The Healthy Patch Formula removes ALL of those roadblocks & allows you to create an abundant, nourishing & healthy edible garden easily... Not only so you can have big & vibrant, beautiful wholefoods at arm’s reach, but also to allow you to truly nourish your body with the freshest chemical free, nutrient dense foods so you can ultimately feel your best! Thousands of people from all around the world have already gone through the program, the results have been life changing... & we would love nothing more than for you to join us too! So to help you make 2021 the year where you give yourself the gift of nourishing wholefoods, thriving health & SIMPLE healthy living, for the next 72 hours only, you can enrol in The Healthy Patch Formula for over 80% off the total value of the program and over 50% off the ALREADY DISCOUNTED price. We’re also gifting you lifetime access to our upcoming program The Real Food Project for FREE as well (as well as a HEAP of other bonuses too!). Click the button below to learn more now!

10.01.2022 Cilantro is one of the most pesticide contaminated foods tested by the USDA in 2018, according to the latest USDA report on pesticide data. Residues of 68 diffe...rent pesticides were detected in the 177 cilantro samples tested by the USDA. A brief overview: DCPA, the most prevalent pesticide, was detected in 67% of the cilantro tested by the USDA. DCPA contains carcinogenic byproducts arising from the manufacturing process. Pesticides detected included 5 metabolites of DDT (banned in 1972) - one of those metabolites was detected in 46% of the cilantro samples tested. Metabolites are potentially more toxic than the original chemical before it breaks down. Imidacloprid, a neurotoxic neonicotinoid insecticide, was detected in 61 samples or 35% of the cilantro tested. Thiamethoxam, another neurotoxic neonic banned in the EU, was detected in 22% of the samples tested, with 2 samples above the EPA's "safe" tolerance level. Approximately 15% of the samples tested contained chlorpyrifos, a highly neurotoxic insecticide which scientists say has no safe level and has been banned in the EU. TWO of those chlorpyrifos residues were ABOVE the EPA's "safe" tolerance level. The EPA bases pesticide approvals on limited testing done by the chemical companies that create, sell and profit from selling them. The testing is limited to the "active" chemical ingredient and ignores the adjuvants or inerts, which often make the formula more toxic than the "active" ingredient. Further, the EPA does not require testing of multiple pesticide combinations together and ignores the chemical cocktail effect of multiple pesticides when consumed together. Combinations have been found to likely be more toxic than any of the individual chemicals on their own. We've been manipulated, exploited and put in harm's way for the benefit of Bayer-Monsanto and the agrichemical industry corporations. Protect your children and yourselves. BUY ORGANIC. It should be noted that the most recent report is for data gathered in 2018. Further, there is NO testing done for glyphosate residue, or AMPA, its breakdown metabolite (which is more toxic than glyphosate) - the most widely used herbicide in agriculture. So because it's not listed, it doesn't mean it's not there. Stay tuned for more pesticide data. We will be sharing more... USDA report here: https://www.ams.usda.gov//f/media/2018PDPAnnualSummary.pdf #USDA #EPA #cilantro #herbs #Food #DDT #chlorpyrifos #imidacloprid #carcinogen #neurotoxin #glyphosate #Pesticides #health #holistic #holistichealth #FoodSafety #gmofreecanada #gmofreeusa #toxinfreeusa

10.01.2022 This smart trash bin can convert your kitchen waste into fertilizer,Turn your food scraps today into fertilizer in your lawn tomorrow. Get it now https://bit.ly/3apED4T

09.01.2022 Bees, blooms, and beds are just some of the things you'll get to see when we tour you through Imogen and Mike's COVID Cottage Garden at Highvale. Tune in on Sun...day morning at 9.30am to find out what vegies did super well for them in the last 6-8 months, as well as some surprising herbs that make awesome teas, and a nifty fenceline idea that'll give you a break from whipper snippering and yield crops to boot! See more

09.01.2022 What do potatoes, turmeric, ginger and Jerusalem artichokes have in common? You can readily grow them all in food-grade buckets! In this video, Bill of Tullamore Farm talks us through this effort saving method, which you will be able to replicate at home with ease

07.01.2022 There's four new weedy recipes by Annie Raser-Rowland up at www.eatthatweed.com/recipes :)

06.01.2022 Hey KNFrs, I heard an anecdote on a KNF podcast I believe. It described a city in Japan where housewives were encouraged to make bokashi out of their food scrap...s and pour the liquid down the drain. This helped balance out the microbiology in the bay next to the town and improved the habitat for fish, wildlife etc. Does anyone have a link to this story or know what I'm referring to? In general, I am curious to know who is thinking intentionally about using waste streams and microbiology to correct water quality in cities. We have some nasty waterways where I live and I believe they just need some microbiological stewardship. Y'all have any leads or ideas to that end? Thanks!

05.01.2022 What an incredible sight! Thousands of ducks have been set loose in rice paddies in Thailand for a regular clean-up that benefits rice and duck farmers alike.... The ducks get a free feed, while taking care of pests like cherry snails, apple snails and weeds. They roam the paddies for about five months! Apiwat Chalermklin, the duck breeder in the video, says it reduces his costs to feed the ducks and helps the rice farmers reduce their use of pesticides and chemicals. Read more: https://ab.co/33DcRiq : Supplied, Reuters

04.01.2022 Olives dripping from the street trees opposite the Moree artesian pool. I’ve never seen such abundant olives on street plantings. In the middle of town there w...ere so many other edibles along the main streets. I’ll show you in another post. As you can imagine, I was super excited to see this. I wish we would see this everywhere, and start seeing new jobs in local councils ‘urban food forester’, ‘urban farmer’. We are seeing this in some places. Let’s ask our local councils for more. My friend Gavin Hardy just got a Churchill Fellowship to explore urban food forest programs around the world and bring that back to Brisbane City Council where he works, but share it Australia wide too (and beyond ). From this example in Moree NSW, this thinking and action is important in rural towns and regional centres too. See more

04.01.2022 Made my chickens a ‘chicken kebab’. I think it’s gone down a bloody treat tbh with you, look at them go! I went for....... Strawberries Apples Mushroom Lettuce Blueberries Cucumber (Basically things that were starting to go slightly worse for wear in the fridge) #chickentreats #loveyourchickens

03.01.2022 How beautiful would it be to wake up and walk out to this each morning? It's absolutely possible, no matter what your section or your budget looks like. While n...atural swimming ponds may have a greater initial investment, the running costs over time are next-to-none, and they will stand the test of time for centuries to come! Let's make your pond dreams a reality: https://www.waterscapesaustralia.com.au/

02.01.2022 A Village Settlement in Denmark

01.01.2022 Just part of the reason why I buy seeded watermelons whenever possible...