Grass Roots Magazine

Lockdown over winter can be a long dull period, believe me, and we have our fingers crossed that contagion of coronavirus has been brought under control and that soon we can embrace the novelty of getting out and about. There have been increased oppo

Lots of people enjoy the flavour and texture of mushrooms in their meals and have tried to grow their own with mixed results. Mickey my partner and I were given a mushroom kit for Christmas back in 2016 and got to taste oyster mushrooms for the first

Aren’t we so lucky that dahlias have made a comeback, they seem to be the new garden trend, especially popular with the slow flower movement and flower farmers. When we first shifted to Fairy Wren Cottage 10 years ago I asked a local plants woman if

Here is a little project that combines recycling and the satisfaction of knowing there is a source of water for birds and bees during summer. You may want to site this little pond under shady greenery, so it’s out of direct sunlight, but be prepared

Frugality does not mean depriving yourself of food, comfort or pleasure. It just means thriving on less, enjoying life with a lighter footprint. It brings on more abundance in the form of contentment, and blissful moments in a beautiful garden. Have

I grow flowers organically and by the seasons, and sell them as cut flowers at our local market. I’ve learnt a lot about flowers over the past few years and would love to share my tips and discoveries. A good diet is vital for all of us; flowers requ

My wife and I, and our daughter and her husband had decided to pool our resources and buy some acreage on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. We had little trouble selecting the third property that we viewed. It was 10 acres of part bush, part pasture, fenc

When the birds have eaten your berries and the possums have pinched the peaches, a clump of rhubarb is a great standby for fruit-based recipes – it’s hardly ever raided by the wildlife. Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum or rhabarbarum) is so easy to grow th

Mailboxes come in many sizes. Most of them are totally inadequate for the sort of mail we have these days. Letter sending has seriously diminished and parcels from online shopping now make up a huge volume of our mail delivery. So where does our trus

After recently obtaining our first little caravan, we quickly found storage to be an issue. So I started thinking how I could rectify that situation without spending a cent. It wasn’t just the storage that I was interested in gaining more of, but als

Many people have just taken on their very first fowls and can anticipate fun times ahead. Chooks, however, are notorious for not having read the same management books we all have so don’t always play by the rules. They may refuse or waste food, bully

We’re in suburbia and let our hens out to scratch during the day in a fenced off area of the backyard. The media has been reporting outbreaks of avian influenza, what should we be doing to protect our birds or is there no risk? I’m sure other GR poul

You have to wonder how serious the outcomes need to be before some insecticides are classed as too environmentally damaging to be permitted. The neonicotinoid group regularly attracts discussion because of their detrimental impact on the nervous syst

How lucky we are to live in Queensland. Now that some of the restrictions have eased and we can travel freely within our state, our little group of friends has loaded up our vans and headed off for some Aussie bush camping. Not only is it a great way

It has been fascinating to read all the recent articles and snippets on how our Grass Roots family have been spending their time during restricted movement and lockdown. Of course, most of us GR folks were never short of things to do whilst confined

2 bunches (about 400g) fresh asparagus2 tbsp olive oil1 med onion, finely chopped2½ cups vegie stock½ lemon, juicedsalt and freshly ground peppercream, to servechopped fresh dill, to serve Chop the asparagus into 3cm pieces. You can include the woody

Most of us have heard of polenta. But have you actually tried it? I remember enjoying it at our elderly Italian neighbours’ house when I was growing up. It is quick and easy, so versatile for savoury or sweet dishes and a great alternative for those

This year lots of people have taken the opportunity to try cheesemaking, I know because there has been a spike in online purchases of our cheesemaking kits and ingredients. You’ve probably noticed the advert for Cheeselinks in Grass Roots; we’re prou

The bokashi system of composting is ideal for small gardens or even apartments and it can be done indoors because kitchen scraps are processed in small amounts in a sealed container. Most home systems use two containers (usually buckets) and when one

I had long wanted to make soap, but being unsure of where to start and wary of using caustic soda made me a late starter in the sudsy business. I began with a soapmaking kit from Green Living. The kit contained five different oils and two essences fo

Here on the Lock family farm we have 160 to 200 ewes that lamb each year. We lamb during autumn from April to June. The weather is generally mild at that time of year with a reasonable cover of green grass. We live in the lower south-east of SA, and

An annual tool inspection and maintenance regime extends the life and use of garden tools. Aim to do this in winter or other garden down-time when garden needs are less pressing. Garden tools will then be optimally useful for the spring to autumn gar

I grew up in the bushland suburb of Woronora in Sydney, and spent my childhood running through the backyards in our street. There were no fences, the only boundary for our games of hide and seek was Forbes Creek flowing behind the houses – unless it

Looking for a natural rustic approach to fencing? Something made from existing materials on your property? Woven fences are suitable for rural and suburban areas alike, but you’ll need to check local council requirements, as with any fencing project.

What inspires someone to become a WWOOF host? Nikki Brown, along with partner Gabe Witcombe and their young family, has an organic hobby farm called Faraway in the Hunter region of NSW. They keep goats, grow vegies and run wilderness survival program

Keen green gardeners, plant lovers and those conscious of the need for water conservation will love my timeless solution to watering. ‘Olla’ (pronounced ‘oh-yaa’) are once-fired terracotta containers. Water diffuses slowly through the porous clay int

As life slowly gets back to ‘normal’ during the unprecedented shared global sickness, and chance to heal, that is the current coronavirus, we at Rainbow Power Company, or RPC, have had a chance to step back and reflect on what is important to our sha

Land degradation is one of the biggest and most urgent challenges that we face today. If we home gardeners can take the methods that alternative farmers are using to improve their soil while increasing yield, then we have a chance at leaving the grea

The Subpod is an in-garden compost system that works with nature, using worms and microbes to compost organic waste without the odours, vermin, mess and hard work that can come with traditional composting. Basically the Subpod sits predominantly bene

Jonathan Sturm Sturm was Tasmania’s first organic market gardener and published Complete Organic Gardening in 1992. His latest is the cumulation of years of practical experience and offers concise and useful information on the nitty-gritty of medium

Subscribe at: www.grassrootsmagazine.com.au BUY GRASS ROOTS BOOKS Add postage and handling costs for books from the chart below. □ Going Tropical – Ron Edwards $10 + P&H Northbound survival guide (incl tropical fruit).□ Your First Pony – Beverley Hes