Composting a tree in an Arizona garden

Composting in the Desert

Deserts are notoriously harsh environments. Hot and dry (excluding Antarctica), with low rainfall, desert soils are challenging for most plants and take years to naturally build fertility. Deserts are found on multiple continents, from Australia to the Desert Southwest in the USA. Compost is an excellent soil amendment and a powerful way to enrich impoverished soil. But as compost requires moisture and plenty of organisms, is it possible in the desert?...

An image displaying three unripe Gooseberry fruits - they are spherical and pale yellow, with the husks of dead flowers still clinging to the bottom of the fruits.

Growing Great Gooseberries in your Garden

Now, if you’re reading the title and thinking “Didn’t I just read about those?” well no fear. Gooseberries, and Cape Gooseberries, are two entirely different plants, from entirely separate parts of the planet. Amazing, really, that they both ended up being called Gooseberries. But below you’ll find a guide for growing the far more difficult Gooseberry! The Gooseberry plant is a small, stiff-stemmed plant native to Europe, and is often considered difficult to grow in temperate climates....

An image displaying a large field and trees - it is bright and sunlit.

Six Australian Native Trees to have in your Garden

Native fruits and plants surround us all the time, on the sides of paths and in the depths of forests, but rarely do we think to include them in our edible gardens. But some truly astounding varieties of edible fruits are out there! From finger limes to Blueberry Ash trees, let’s explore six varieties of small native Australian trees that can provide fruit for your garden! Finger lime (Citrus australasica) The Australian finger lime – an underrated, underappreciated fruit tree that can easily be grown in most gardens....