Death of the Australian backyard

The slow death of the Australian backyard occurred sometime in the 1990s. Limited carbon sequestration, lack of security, obesity, social disconnect, high temperatures, no tree cover and reliance on air conditioners...these are the some of the disadvantages of the maximum house/minimum garden footprint on the edge of our cities.

Tony Hall of the Urban Research Program at Griffith University has posed the question why? He has come up with a reasonable proposition that makes chilling reading. Australians are spending most of the week commuting, working and then the rest of the weekend shopping. Gardening and a nice outlook are not a priority.  Large homes are seen as a financial investment and economic behaviour has driven the market to buying the most house possible and affordable with lenders willing to maximise mortgages. Resale value drives a presentable front yard with a house squeezed onto a block and no room in the backyard for a Hills Hoist, composting system, space for children to play let alone any food production.

It makes chilling reading and confirms the words of a British philosopher/academic I heard who said we have created the society we live in and ultimately it comes down to our individual actions to change it to something better. I'm starting to genuinely believe people not government are driving change and I think there is a groundswell but we are only at the beginning.

Pumpkins

I could be on the urban fringe in a McMansion but through sheer luck I ended up in Ainslie all those years ago. Without much money but thanks to an economic downturn we were able to get a foothold in here and now we are living in one of the best spots in Canberra. The chickens are the icing on the cake and in our 900 metre square backyard they have taken over a sizeable proportion. So have the pumpkins. My pumpkin vine self seeded while we were away and has run rampant from the vegie bed thriving on nutrient rich soil. They look magnificent and are fruiting nicely.

A friend reminded me today of the Collector pumpkin festival coming up on 1 May. Good country Autumn fun she said. When you harvest pumpkins you need to leave about 10cm of stem and allow the pumpkins to harden up for a few nights in the cold. This maximises their storage over autumn and winter. If you do snap the stem, some melted candle wax will help protect the pumpkin from rotting.

A natural spray to knock harlequin bugs

I was waiting for an appointment recently and picked up an old copy of Gardening Australia. I opened the page and saw a recipe guaranteed to nuke those nasty harlequin bugs and no synthetic chemicals.

Here it is.

Heat 2L of water with eight chopped up garlic cloves. Add 10-15 of the hottest chillies you can find. As the water begins to boil turn down the heat so it just simmers for 15 minutes. Add some liquid soap (best if potassium-based) and allow to cool. Strain through a sieve to save the liquid. Dilute by adding 10 parts water to 1 part of the brew.

The inventor claims this spray is 100 per cent effective in killing harlequin bugs in seconds and works on other bugs. It is safe to use on fruit and vegetables. I'm going to make some as I have a heap of chillies finishing up for the season. The red and black bugs seem to have disappeared but I will be ready for them.