In early 2012, we referred new house owners (and young parents of 3 children) Tineke and Hamish to Lucas from Libertas Gardens. They had recently taken possession of a 900m2 property in inner Melbourne (Kew), with a house that was in need of a substantial renovation and garden calling out for a full makeover.

A couple of weeks ago Lucas and the owners invited us to the house to check out their work. We were blown away. So much so we asked Lucas to talk through the process, and the elements of the garden/house. We hope this will provide some inspiration for anyone looking to become more self sufficient while living a city lifestyle.

From Lucas, Libertas Gardens

At first look, the task of designing and building their dream outdoor space seemed monumental. Like most neglected blocks, theirs was a dense thicket of self-invited trees, very old and tired ornamental plants and lots of ‘weeds’.

The brief was clear and exciting. The garden was to be visually striking, highly productive, extremely child-friendly and relatively easy to maintain. It fitted the exact description of a dream project for me. This family wanted it all: fruit trees, veggie patches, chickens, aquaponics, a herb garden, a large lawn space and entertainment area, play space for the kids, artworks, water tanks and a swimming pool. Within just a few months of exchange and brainstorming, a plan had emerged. We devised a construction timeline that would tie in smoothly with the house renovation.

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Both aphids and whiteflies suck, literally. There are close relatives in the world of sucking pests, the aphid belonging to the superfamily of pests known as the Aphidoidea and whitefly to the Hemiptera, but both love to feed on the sap of your edible plants. Favoured plants are usually members of the gourd and nightshade families; meaning your pumpkins, cucumbers, squash and zucchini, along with tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum and chilli respectively. 

Aphids 

Optimal conditions: wet and warm (also known as spring)

Signature: clusters of small black or green dots on the stems of your plants and underside of the leaves. Turns the leaves yellow by sucking out their sap and then leaves behind a sugary residue - called honeydew - that ants feed on. An abundance of ants, that then protect the aphids, is a tell tale sign of a problem.

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Autumn offers many of us an opportunity to downshift in the garden, which comes as a welcome step back from the hectic and demanding nature of summer growing. For a brief period of brassicabliss we get to enjoy our newly sown crops of kale, cabbage, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Every year we allow ourselves to get swept up in the affair and to let our guard down. Surely, we won't make the same mistakes as before. This year is different. I've never loved like this before. Unfortunately, the honeymoon period is always interrupted by the same seasonal adversaries- the white cabbage moth and its insatiable caterpillar spawn.

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In what is commonly thought of the lesser of the two growing seasons, we can still become overwhelmed by the number of planting choices available. That's because in our mild climate with its mild winters, the cool season presents an abundance of opportunities.

Varieties that typically fall into the spring planting calendar in the northern hemisphere, such as peas, broccoli and broad beans, are kind enough to grace our patch now. The skill is in deciding what plant will present the most value and is most likely to succeed. If the cool season is typical of one thing (other than choices), it is pests that seem to revel in the abundance of opportunities themselves. 

So we present you our top 5 autumn varieties. We've selected them based on a few things, such as yield value, ease to grow and resistance to disease. But we've also thrown in our own personal 'je nais se quoi', which is that thing we can't describe, something so intangible, but a reason nonetheless why we want to grow it. We also include the best methods for getting them set and exempt from the pests that tend to wreak havoc.

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It’s the beginning of a new season but nothing at the moment feels new. Over the last few months, we’ve been riding the highs and lows of a tumultuous season and as we emerge into March, and the start of autumn, we’re feeling strung out, tired and looking a little worse for wear. So is our vegetable garden. 

The start of calendar autumn is more accurately the end of summer, or, as it proves more and more often, the continuation. Temperatures are often at their highest and most consistent in March, and while this seems to prolong each year, we as people and gardeners find the imminent change too irresistible to ignore. Preparation for autumn begins now, here are our tips on how to prepare best:

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