Garden Tips for Surviving the Drought -2015 (Printable PDF) With the Sunshine Coast going to Stage 3 water use restrictions, we can only use hand-watering methods for our gardens. Stage 4 (which may soon follow) restricts… 

by Kate Gardner, Planet Natural.  As you plan your garden for this year, think about building some raised beds. Raised bed gardening improves drainage, uses space more efficiently, increases yield, and simplifies the control of… 

Even though it’s just November it’s not too early to become familiar with those guests in the garden—bugs and other critters. Not all insects are pests; some are beneficial and they’re actually on your side.… 

Fall clean up is a very important part of the yearly gardening cycle. By cleaning up the garden you are doing more than just making it look tidier, you are helping to reduce disease and… 

Install water barrels to catch water from your gutters. Save and reuse household waste water including unwanted cold water from the hot tap and water used to prepare vegetables for cooking. Increase the soil’s capacity to… 

Basil – Will improve vigour and flavour of tomatoes, planted side-by-side. Also good with asparagus, oregano, and peppers. Basil helps repel flies, mosquitoes, and thrips.  Bush & Pole beans – All beans fix nitrogen in… 

Now is the time to start thinking about getting aphids under control. Here are some ways to do that: Squishing If you don’t have a lot of plants or too much of a problem, don… 

Teas for Two and You in Your Garden… by Kathryn Ptacek Winter is a good time to sit back with a steaming cup of tea and look through garden magazines and seed catalogues. Why not… 

by Elizabeth McNeill. November is a good time to start composting as fallen leaves make excellent brown material for a compost pile. Mixed with green material (vegetable and fruit kitchen scraps) you can get a… 

Here’s a good way to get them to leave! Many people trap raccoons to remove them from their property. However, trapping may have adverse affects. Raccoons are highly intelligent omnivores and, like bears, need to…