Compost is gold for the garden! It does wonderful things to the soil such as helps it hold water better, encourages worms and other good bugs to live in the soil and it has lots of nutrients in it which the roots suck up like a sponge. The best thing about compost is that you…
4 medium sized potatoes Sea salt Thyme, fresh Olive oil Method: Wash hands. Heat the oven to 180°C. Wash the potatoes and use a fork to poke the skin of each at least four times. Put the potatoes on a paper towel in the microwave. Cook on high for about 10 minutes or until the…
Making compost is just like baking a cake but sometimes you get the ingredients wrong and it just doesn’t work out. Luckily, it can be fixed! Question: Why is the compost so slow to break down? Compost needs to be warm for the microbes inside to start breaking everything down so if it’s winter or…
Pruners and secateurs mean the same thing. These are a bit like scissors for the garden but they are tough, very sharp and able to cut through branches. There are different types of pruners for different jobs in the garden so before you decide which ones to choose, make sure you know what jobs you…
125g butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 eggs 1 cup self raising flour 1/2 cup plain flour 3/4 cup milk 2 apples Wash hands. Preheat oven to 160°C. Prepare a cake tin by greasing it with butter and then lining it with baking paper. In the bowl of an electric…
125g butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup golden syrup 1 egg, separated 2 1/2 cups plain flour 1 tbs ground ginger 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp bicarb soda Wash hands. Preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare a baking tray by lining it with baking paper. Separate the egg so that the white is…
HOW TO IDENTIFY IT Lichen looks like a bubbly, green mat that grows on the trunks of trees. It’s not really a disease. In fact, it is a combination of fungus and algae that rely on each other to survive. This is called a symbiotic relationship. The fungus grows on the tree and collects moisture…
Compost is a mixture of decaying organic matter such as leaves, manure and kitchen scraps which is used to improve the soil in the garden. Compost can be bought in bags or by the trailer load but it can also be made in the backyard at home for free. To make compost at home, you…
HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM Portuguese millipedes (Ommatoiulus moreletii) have a smooth, cylindrical body made up of lots of tiny segments and range from grey to black in colour. They are between 2.5cm and 4cm long and are long and straight when they are walking but often curl up in a spiral when they are hiding…
It’s been hot! It’s probably even been hot enough in some parts of the east coast to cook an egg on the footpath. Has anyone tried doing this? I would love to know. There are plenty of plants, especially Australian ones, that thrive on scorching weather just like this. Many Australian plants have leathery leaves…