Actinobacteria are a common group of mostly aerobic bacteria that occur in both soil and water (fresh and sea). In the soil they include some of the most common forms of soil life and play a vital role in the decomposition of organic matter, e [...]

Ants are a great example of the type of soil arthropods we featured a few weeks ago—the shredders—but they are so common, and generate so many questions, that they deserve their own article. Read article in: Spring Week 7.

Winter is a great time of year to be applying a properly made, organic compost to your trees. Making your own compost—turning waste products from your own garden into a fantastic source of plant and soil food—is one of the most satisfying acti [...]

Getting to know the names, habits and uses for the various plants in your garden (some of which you might think of as ‘weeds’) will not only increase your botanical knowledge, but massively increase your food choices, help you to diagnose issu [...]

Getting to know the names, habits and uses for the various plants in your garden (some of which you might think of as ‘weeds’) will not only increase your botanical knowledge, but massively increase your food choices, help you to diagnose issu [...]

Worms are one of our most useful allies in the soil. After going into detail about worms and what they like last week, in this article we tell you about four different types of worm farms, their pros and cons, how to build them and how to look [...]

A native of southern Africa, capeweed is a poor-pasture plant that thrives in bare and compacted areas, particularly those that have been overgrazed. Unlike most weeds, it doesn’t have any uses that we know of (anyone?). If you’ve ever wondere [...]

Chickweed is considered to be one of the ‘alternative’ herbs, which means it acts as a catalyst on the action of other plants. It is an extremely useful plant both for eating and for treating a wide range of conditions. Chooks also love it (an [...]

Do you make your own compost? If not, what are the limiting factors...lack of space, knowledge, time, experience or materials? With a little planning, it’s possible to come up with a system that suits every garden and gardener. Read the articl [...]

You can tell from the many common names for this plant — burrweed, catchweed, goosegrass, stickywilly, Velcro plant, gripgrass and everlasting friendship — that it’s very sticky! The stems are covered by small backward pointing hooklike hairs [...]

Nutrient deficiencies can be hard to diagnose, but symptoms generally follow recognisable patterns. Luckily, the solution to almost all nutrition problems is the same - build healthy soil. Read the article in Summer - Week 1

Earthworms are extremely important and play a vital role in recycling plant nutrients and aerating the soil—they’re the “superheroes” of the soil. By doing a survey of your soil, you’ll help improve your knowledge of earthworms and the soils t [...]