State of play
KYLIE McGREGOR looks at the importance of outdoor play and why children should be swapping screen time for ‘green’ time.
Life Lessons
PETER CUNDALL reflects on his lifelong journey of learning about organic gardening.As a child during the Great Depression of the 1930s, I grew vegetables organically, but didn’t know it. In those days, few people knew what organics was all about anyway. And artificial fertilisers and poisonous sprays were unaffordable, so my little patch remained pure.
If you can’t beat ’em…
JUSTIN RUSSELL's apple trees have finished fruiting for the season, so he turns to a Stanthorpe orchardist to get an apple fix into winter.
The Fertile Dozen – A beginner’s reading list
In order to understand the present and prepare for the future, it helps to understand the past.When ELIOT COLEMAN was asked what books would be best to help someone understand what a biologically based agriculture is all about, he put together this collection, which he nicknamed “The Fertile Dozen.”
Why Kids Need Nature
KYLIE McGREGOR looks at the importance of outdoor play and why children should be swapping screen time for ‘green’ time.
Permaculture Providers
Annemarie and Graham Brookman have spent 30 years creating a remarkable permaculture property near the Barossa Valley that produces more than 160 varieties of fruit, vegetables and nuts, and provides a working model for sustainable living, writes SIMON WEBSTER.
As the Earth Breathes
Human-created global warming first appeared on our radar more than a century ago, and scientists have been charting its ominous development ever since. Environmental author and activist ALBERT BATES reflects on the unfolding history of global warming and humanity’s response
Book Review: The New Organic Gardener
JUSTIN RUSSELL reviews the new book by organic industry stalwart, Tim Marshall.
What’s in a Name
There's more to plant names than you think. Some bear wonderful names that contribute a sense of poetry to the garden, while other are just plain silly. JUSTIN RUSSELL asks the question, "what's in a name?".
Ethical threads
The environmental impacts of cotton production have been known for years, but the conventional textile industry remains plagued with problems that affect farmers and consumers, writes SIMON WEBSTER. Plus, an extract from a new book on ethical clothing by India Flint.
Beautiful by design
Garden designer Steve Hailstone has combined beauty and functionality to create a wonderfully productive property, writes SIMON WEBSTER.
Welcome to Spring
Some reality TV shows would have you believe that gardening is little more than a way to increase the value of your property or a means of keeping up with Joneses. JUSTIN RUSSELL takes a hatchet to these ideas, and suggests that the benefits of gardening run deep.