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Experiments

It has been 10 years since I set up my first potting mix trial. Much has changed in that time. I’ve become a dad, my business has grown and shrunk again, my family has moved from Melbourne to Kyneton, in Central Victoria, and the range of potting mixes on shelves […]

What Is the Best Potting Mix for Growing Tomatoes and ... Recently updated !

This entry was posted in Experiments How to Grow on September 16, 2026 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

I’m often mocked for my obsession with growing a Christmas tomato. But I’m not the only one who strives to achieve this gardening glory. Every spring, many hopeful gardeners plant precious tomato seedlings into the garden with the hope to develop and ripen a tasty tomato before Christmas. It is […]

How to Grow a Christmas Tomato without a Greenhouse

This entry was posted in Experiments How to Grow on July 23, 2024 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

Compost thermometer being used to measure soil temperature. Early spring planting — Long term readers will know that I live in Kyneton, a town in Central Victoria. The winters here are cold, with heavy frosts. Our summers are much hotter than in Melbourne and very dry. The growing season for summer vegetables is short in my garden. Local gardeners know better than […]

Early Spring Planting. A Fool’s Garden?

This entry was posted in Experiments Projects on September 28, 2023 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

Ryset Heat Mat Seed Starter Trial and Review — Many of you are familiar with my enthusiasm (some even mock it as an obsession) for cultivating and ripening a Christmas tomato. In Melbourne this is relatively easy, but I’ve also managed it in my first three years of growing food here in Kyneton. Part of my approach to growing […]

Is a Heat Mat the Best Way to Germinate Tomato ...

This entry was posted in Experiments How to Grow on September 26, 2023 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

thermal image of the garden is useful microclimate Kyneton — The sustainability house kit supplied by Goldfields Libraries is full of useful equipment and information. My local library in conjunction with the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group offers for loan sustainable house kits to help improve the energy efficiency of your house. There are some exciting pieces of equipment in the […]

Using thermal imaging to analyse the garden

This entry was posted in Experiments In Our Garden on August 1, 2023 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

The soil on my property on the outskirts of Kyneton is very sandy and is low in many nutrients required for optimal plant growth. In October 2019, I conducted a soil test in our orchard. The soil tests were taken at ten sites across the paddock, each one to a […]

The Impact Of Compost On Garden Soil: A Case Study

This entry was posted in Experiments How to Grow on August 3, 2021 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

Soil conditioners for vegetable gardens Melbourne — My “grow trials” are proving very popular with local gardeners. In the past, I have trialled different potting mixes and also different chemical and liquid fertilisers. This summer I have trialled some different soil conditioners available to all of our gardeners. I focussed on options that are relatively easy to […]

Plant Soil Conditioner Trial

This entry was posted in Experiments Projects on March 6, 2019 by Leaf, Root & Fruit

Recently, I posted some observations and theories that I have been developing on citrus gall wasps. To test out the theories, I’m setting up a trial to see which treatment regime might produce the healthiest and most productive trees. Setting up the gall wasp experiment In August 2017 I purchased […]

Experiment: Control of Citrus Gall Wasp

This entry was posted in Citrus Growing Guide Experiments on October 5, 2017 by Leaf, Root & Fruit