landscape

A finished bed ready for planting (Image: https://dirtyhandswarmheart.com/hugelkultur-a-beginners-guide/)
Composting

Hügelkultur for soil improvement and green waste management

By Dan Austin

Translating to ‘hill culture’, hügelkultur is an old German and Eastern European method of creating raised beds consisting of woody material buried beneath layers of biomass, compost, and soil in a mound shape. In addition to the benefits of pest suppression and improved drainage that are gained through any raised bed, the woody biomass in the centre of a hügelkultur bed, gradually decomposes, building soil, retaining water and slowly releasing nutrients over time.Continue reading

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Imperial jezebel feeding on grasstree flower (image supplied by Denis Crawford)
Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

Bushfires can devastate some insect populations

By Denis Crawford

Conventional wisdom tells us that the bush will recover after fire, and that the wildlife will return. It’s not that simple.

I’m not likely to forget February 13th 2024. It was the day a bushfire descended on my local town of Pomonal, destroyed 45 homes, many sheds and other structures, kilometres of fencing, and over 2700 hectares of bushland and private land.… Continue reading

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