Knowledge Base

A seed that sits unchanged for six weeks in winter is usually not a bad seed. Here is what day length, soil temperature and light intensity are actually doing to your garden, and how to plan around them.

Hardy, half hardy and tender describe how a plant copes with freezing, not with cold in general. Here is what each group tolerates, why a July frost is easier than a March one, and why a forecast of 2 degrees can still mean frost on the ground.

The short list of things that actually hurt Australian gardeners, and the simple habit that lowers each risk, from potting mix and UV to snakes, sprays and ladders.

Broadcast a handful of seed over a raked bed and let it grow where it falls. Which crops suit it, how to do it well, and the mistakes that waste seed.

A green film on your seed-raising mix is a sign the surface never dries. What it is, whether it hurts seedlings, how to clear it and how to keep it away.

Every packet carries a days to maturity figure. Here is what it counts, why your garden will differ, and how to use it to plan sowing and harvests.

Tomatoes and potatoes are siblings, cabbage and rocket are cousins. Knowing the families makes crop rotation, pest control and seed saving make sense.

Whether a plant lives for a season, two years or decades changes how you sow it, where you put it and what to expect. The three life cycles, with Australian examples.

The Latin on a seed packet is not there to confuse you. How botanical names are built, what the words tell you, and why they matter.

Big seeds, fast results and a few safety habits. How to get children growing from seed, which seeds to start with and what to keep out of small hands.

A greenhouse can overheat, breed pests and rot seedlings faster than an open bed. The ten mistakes that undo the benefit, and the fix for each.

A fortnight away in an Australian summer is one of the toughest tests a garden faces. What to harvest, mulch, shade and set up before you leave, and what to expect when you get back.