Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Weekly Container Gardening Spotlight-Tutorial
I've been intending to do something about my pot plants for some time. I have quite a few cuttings(mostly succulents) that I potted a year or so ago and conveniently forgot about last summer as it was so hot everything in a pot except these died. We got a heap of new pots and pans for a wedding present so I decided to do something with the old ones. They don't look particularly pretty yet, but once they are thriving I'll post some decent pics.
The benefits of reusing the old pots are that you get to remove the crappy 'terracotta' plastic pots that so many plants are invariably housed in. These were cracked so they went in the recycle bin. Further, the pot handles make them easy to move and rotate when it's really hot (even putting them inside) so you don't kill them off.
You need:
2. Assembly motley crew of pots in the meantime to demonstrate productivity in between cups of tea.
Do you like this watering can? Make Gardens Not War! Awesome wedding present!
4. Drill holes in pot and lid bottoms. Realise it is impossible to take an action shot by yourself. If you don't have a drill you could try a hammer and nails but that may only work on tin cans and olive oil containers.
The benefits of reusing the old pots are that you get to remove the crappy 'terracotta' plastic pots that so many plants are invariably housed in. These were cracked so they went in the recycle bin. Further, the pot handles make them easy to move and rotate when it's really hot (even putting them inside) so you don't kill them off.
You need:
- old saucepans/pots/big lids
- seedlings
- cuttings
- potting mix/succulent mix
- water (grey ish)
- power drill
Directions:
1.Get out power drill only to release the battery has died and it will require several hours of charging. Relax on the couch with the newspaper and a cup of tea.
2. Assembly motley crew of pots in the meantime to demonstrate productivity in between cups of tea.
3. Water all plants you will be repotting. I used water that had been used to rinse garden veggies for the veggie seedling and herbs and a little that had been for some mild cleaning for the rest. The succulents are pretty hardy and dont really know the difference.
Here we have thyme, cucumber, baby lettuce and baby spinach
Various succulents and some tired looking pelargoniums.
Do you like this watering can? Make Gardens Not War! Awesome wedding present!
3. Remove plants from their pots. If they are root bound like mine, chop em up as you wish.
4. Drill holes in pot and lid bottoms. Realise it is impossible to take an action shot by yourself. If you don't have a drill you could try a hammer and nails but that may only work on tin cans and olive oil containers.
6. Fill pots with soil. If you are feeling really excited you could buy potting mix specifically for succulents which is a bit more sandy.
7. Cut and tidy succulents and replant in their improved glory along with the seedlings.8. Arrange decoratively as you wish. These will be significantly more decorative once I get some more plants so I can make more pots.
I love the lid full of succulents here: The box is for our new bbq-the old bbq will be used as a herb planter once I buy more herbs.
You can see my pelargonium collection down the bottom. The pots were decorated by the wonderful Craftea Chat participants as a wedding present!
Close up of succulents. The jelly bean ones are cool.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, give it a try and let us know how it goes.
Resource Efficient Gardening
A few weeks ago I attended an excellent talk and discussion panel hosted by The Food Gardeners Alliance, we posted a little more on them in a previous post.
Buying produce from a supermarket is perhaps one of the most un-environmentally friendly things you can do, not just the direct resource usage of farming, but the effects of product transport, wastage, refrigeration, personal transport and much more. We only have a small patch in our (mainly concrete) back yard but it's enough to supply us with just under half of our weekly food, the statistics on this are :
A 4 by 5 metres patch can produce enough for 2 people, approximately 200kg a year with only 2 or 3 hours a week of work.
Even if you have no yard or garden there are many tricks to be performed with containers, an issue we have also frequently covered here.
Lets take a look at a few more tips offered by some of the speakers at the discussion.
David Holmgren is an infamous figure in the recent resurgence in gardening, one of the co-founders of Permaculture he proposes a more holistic approach to gardening, considering micro cultures and climates to encourage growth and nature. It's a fairly involved process and there are many who offer courses, literature and insight into it. Rest assured it's not just applicable to those with lots of space, permaculture can also be practised easily in restricted spaces with processes such as Rooftop gardening, planting in containers, vertical gardening and aquaponic systems.
www.holmgren.com.au
Diggers is an organisation perhaps better reserved for those with slightly larger gardens, but for a source or certified organic seeds it is ideal. Specialising in vintage, cottage and heirloom varieties of plants Diggers maintains an impressive list of breeds that you've probably never heard of.
www.diggers.com.au
Jane Edmanson is a famous figure in the gardening world, host of TV shows for many years and generally a figure of respect and trust in the wider community. Her tips were generally a lot more practical and common-sensical, moving themes back into the home and the benefits that growing and eating our own produce can bring, such as gardening being a great source of exercise and that fresh produce could help reduce obesity. She also bestowed the virtues of seasonal planting, something that can frequently be overlooked when your attracted to the myriad of pretty plants available to you.
www.janesgarden.com.au
There was also an interesting representative from Sustainable gardening Australia, but I admit that I had to leave early, so missed what they had to say, expect something on the SGA in the near future.
www.sgaonline.org.au
Buying produce from a supermarket is perhaps one of the most un-environmentally friendly things you can do, not just the direct resource usage of farming, but the effects of product transport, wastage, refrigeration, personal transport and much more. We only have a small patch in our (mainly concrete) back yard but it's enough to supply us with just under half of our weekly food, the statistics on this are :
A 4 by 5 metres patch can produce enough for 2 people, approximately 200kg a year with only 2 or 3 hours a week of work.
Even if you have no yard or garden there are many tricks to be performed with containers, an issue we have also frequently covered here.
Lets take a look at a few more tips offered by some of the speakers at the discussion.
David Holmgren is an infamous figure in the recent resurgence in gardening, one of the co-founders of Permaculture he proposes a more holistic approach to gardening, considering micro cultures and climates to encourage growth and nature. It's a fairly involved process and there are many who offer courses, literature and insight into it. Rest assured it's not just applicable to those with lots of space, permaculture can also be practised easily in restricted spaces with processes such as Rooftop gardening, planting in containers, vertical gardening and aquaponic systems.
www.holmgren.com.au
Diggers is an organisation perhaps better reserved for those with slightly larger gardens, but for a source or certified organic seeds it is ideal. Specialising in vintage, cottage and heirloom varieties of plants Diggers maintains an impressive list of breeds that you've probably never heard of.
www.diggers.com.au
Jane Edmanson is a famous figure in the gardening world, host of TV shows for many years and generally a figure of respect and trust in the wider community. Her tips were generally a lot more practical and common-sensical, moving themes back into the home and the benefits that growing and eating our own produce can bring, such as gardening being a great source of exercise and that fresh produce could help reduce obesity. She also bestowed the virtues of seasonal planting, something that can frequently be overlooked when your attracted to the myriad of pretty plants available to you.
www.janesgarden.com.au
There was also an interesting representative from Sustainable gardening Australia, but I admit that I had to leave early, so missed what they had to say, expect something on the SGA in the near future.
www.sgaonline.org.au
Monday, October 13, 2008
Speed Renters the return!
Not strictly 'green renting', but it's about renting, so we're half there...
After a successful debut, speed renting is back on :
6:00pm - 8:45pm
Thursday 23rd October
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale St
See www.iwanttolivehere.org.au/sr for more details
As soon as people register you will receive an email with a link to register your preferred time and whether you are a Renter/Room-Seeker or a Leasor/Flatmate-Seeker.
Here's some links about the previous event.
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/speen-renting-takes-off/
http://www.theage.com.au/national/speed-renting-may-be-just-the-right-move-for-homeless-20080919-4k9d.html
After a successful debut, speed renting is back on :
6:00pm - 8:45pm
Thursday 23rd October
Horse Bazaar
397 Little Lonsdale St
See www.iwanttolivehere.org.au/sr for more details
As soon as people register you will receive an email with a link to register your preferred time and whether you are a Renter/Room-Seeker or a Leasor/Flatmate-Seeker.
Here's some links about the previous event.
http://melbourne-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/speen-renting-takes-off/
http://www.theage.com.au/national/speed-renting-may-be-just-the-right-move-for-homeless-20080919-4k9d.html
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The benefits of growing your own veggies...
It's amazing how beneficial home growing is in terms of carbon emissions and water savings compared to veg you'd pick up at the average supermarket as the photos above illustrate. Not to mention factors like budget and taste benefits! The Food Growers Alliance do some amazing work education the public and lobbying government on the benefits of home grown and the need for increased water access for home growers. Want to get involved? FGA holds regular meetings on the second Wednesday of every month, our next confirmed meeting will be on November 12th. Check out their site for more information
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Milk Crate Man!
In response to reading about our love of milk crates, a Green Renters reader sent us details of the Milk Crate man, a phenomenon enjoyed by many train commuters each morning in the West. You can see more Milk Crate men here (scroll down) and here. Totally amusing and ingenious ways of recycling everyday house hold goods into art! (Aren't you just itching to put one on your roof?!)
Weekly Container Gardening Spotlight!
This is a fantastic use of plastic containers and proof that you don't need a lot of space to have a functional balcony garden:
Drink cartons can be reused for nuturing seedlings (I'd be inclined to bury the containers in the ground once they reach a decent height rather than transport the seedlings):
although I suspect watering would be rather tricky...
Drink cartons can be reused for nuturing seedlings (I'd be inclined to bury the containers in the ground once they reach a decent height rather than transport the seedlings):
Here's a rather inspiring way of combating space issues in a small back yard:
although I suspect watering would be rather tricky...Next week we'll have something from home. We got new pots and pans as a wedding present and plan to use the old ones to plant herbs and succulents and cherry tomatoes. Their easy transportability will be great in the burning summer as we can move them to cooler spots. Stay tuned for details next week...
Green Renters news
Apologies that regular aspects of our blog have been amiss. Chris and I have been busy getting married :-)
Solar Designs: The way of the future!
I was intrigued to find this solar powered table made by Intelligent Forms Design.
It can be used to power personal devices such as laptops, ipods and the like. The wheels mean it is easily portable when it needs to be recharged. Unfortunately it retails for $14000US and is not surprisingly rather out of our price range!
But solar energy products aren't completely new or price prohibitive. Western Australian company Ecopia has an exciting range of products, many of which can be practically incorporated into the life of renters. I'm particularly excited by the solar bike kit which retails for $45 and the solar torch which retails at $29
It can be used to power personal devices such as laptops, ipods and the like. The wheels mean it is easily portable when it needs to be recharged. Unfortunately it retails for $14000US and is not surprisingly rather out of our price range!But solar energy products aren't completely new or price prohibitive. Western Australian company Ecopia has an exciting range of products, many of which can be practically incorporated into the life of renters. I'm particularly excited by the solar bike kit which retails for $45 and the solar torch which retails at $29
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Noble Park Permablitz
Ever attended a Permablitz?
It's a great way of learning some new techniques and methods of handling your garden, here's the next one coming up in Noble Park on teh 8th Oct :
Details
It's a great way of learning some new techniques and methods of handling your garden, here's the next one coming up in Noble Park on teh 8th Oct :
Details
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