Earth Garden

Dear readers, Welcome to the autumn issue of Earth Garden. Fingers crossed, but most of us seem to have escaped a brutal bushfire season this year.What a massive relief after years of stress for all of our rural readers. Not of course, that there’s much respite given the challenges of Covid. I look back five or ten years and realise how idyllic life has been in Australia free of such challenges. I’m lucky that I’m not the sort of person to take my good fortune for granted. In fact every single day I reflect on a list of things to be grateful for. I close my eyes and say “How wonderful“ and think of the first thing. Then I think of the second thing that’s wonderful in my life. Before long it’s…

RE-READING PROGRESS Dear Earth Garden, I really enjoy reading your magazine and appreciate being able to go back to articles of the past to remind me of what I have learned. Congratulations on a great read. Alison Marshman. Dear Earth Garden, Last year I had the wonderful folk at Green Connect help reorganise my garden to make it more geriatric-friendly with six raised beds. A great success. Heather Saville. THIRD GENERATION EARTH GARDENER Thanks for sorting my subscription Judith, It’s a great magazine that we’ve always had in our home for generations now: my late grandma, my dad, and now me always make sure we read it! Naturally we share the same copy of each issue (would be wasteful if we all bought one!). And we have piles of back issues that regularly get pulled out…

TEN KILOWATT SOLAR ROOFTOP SYSTEMS 10kW solar systems are a great investment for Australian homes with high levels of electricity consumption or businesses with relatively small electricity needs. Most residential solar panels have a output rating of 330W to 400W meaning a 10kW system will need 25 to 30 solar panels and will require about 80 square metres of roof space. More efficient solar panels will reduce the roof space required and typically cost more as they are utilising newer technologies. Solar Choice publishes a monthly Solar PV Price Index that tracks average pricing trends in every capital city in Australia. According to Solar Choice’s data, the average 10kW solar system price in Australia as of November 2021 is about $0.91 per watt – or about $9,090 after the federal STC rebate…

THE rain has set in. Dark grey clouds surround the valley water everywhere, except for this tiny green nook where the deluge has paused. Instead, clouds whisper up over the escarpment — this is Wonnarua Country, in NSW. Backed by bushland on one side, a tiny house sits nestled; there are beehives, grazing ponies and a flock of contented chooks roaming about to complete the picture. For Tricia D Walker this is her space to deepen connections to nature, land, and self, while also helping others building their own connections in life. An ability to do that comes in many ways, and it starts with bare feet, a cuppa, and a wander while we chat. As an ecologist, nature writer, and facilitator in nature connection, how would you further introduce yourself to…

WHY BANTAMS? There are many reasons you may want to consider keeping a bantam chicken over a larger chicken breed, besides the adorable factor. • Lack of space is top of the list. With the ever-expanding urban landscape, people’s backyards are getting smaller and smaller. The thought of fitting four to six large Australorps on a 500 square metre block may mean a loss of gardens, utility and entertaining areas, playgrounds and so forth. Instead, you could easily fit six+ Pekins for example on a small block without compromising the whole yard. • Pet factor. Bantams being smaller can make quite user-friendly feathered pets. Being smaller they are less daunting to smaller children. The smaller stature makes them easier to handle too. • Garden and damage control. Bantam chickens will still scratch but the…

I SPEND A WONDERFUL day with Daniele at his historic family Acetaia – a traditional balsamic vinegar vineyard and distillery. He kindly walks me through the whole process, starting with the grape varieties, then through pressing, fermentation, distillation, storage, aging. I marvel at the barrel batteries which fill the cellar. Each one is a series of seven interconnected wooden barrels, the two largest are 250 litres each, reducing down to a single, small, ten litre barrel at the outlet. Only ten per cent of each battery is tapped out each year. Del Christo are the largest producer of aged traditional Balsamic in Italy, around 600 litres per year, and I learn heaps from Daniele’s gentle and assured tuition. He then takes me into the tasting room and explains about the different types…