White oil is a multi-purpose pest treatment that is a must-have for every food garden. It is used to combat sap-sucking and chewing insects like aphids, scale, mealy bug and citrus leaf miner. It suffocates rather than poisons these insects, so they can’t develop a resistance to it. You can buy a commercial white oil
Heard of the saying, see the forest for the trees? Well, how about see the animals for the vegetables..? Frog on a radish leaf in a raised garden bed (image above) And I'm not just talking about pests either because whilst most gardeners look for pests when they inspect their plants it's often the good animals that
There's mounting evidence that people are increasingly and unknowingly being exposed to cancer causing agents through the food we consume. Some of the most common things we eat and drink and take for granted in our diet are possibly killing us! Tea is one of these products. It's universal, it's a pleasant beverage to consume,
Have you ever purchased a fresh vegetable or fruit from the supermarket or green grocer only to find once you bite-in the taste doesn't live up to your expectations? Well, you're not alone (not surprisingly because ever is a rather large window), but also, it seems the trend in tasteless vegetables and fruit is becoming
More cynical is one way to describe how view the world these days. For me, it’s a trait which has developed from life experience and knowledge gained along the way because I believe most people become a little more cynical as they get older. When I first joined the Army at just 18, I was
If anyone is still undecided as to whether insecticides are dangerous to humans then they should read the news today about 20 school children who died in India over the past 24 hours after eating a school prepared meal, which allegedly had not been washed correctly before cooking. Apparently, insecticide was still on and in
Our native birds are dropping like flies and almost two weeks since the first sightings of unexplained dead native birds in central NSW, Australia, only now has this concerning environmental disaster been reported to the public in any real sense. In fact, I have only personally heard reports about this incident on our National broadcaster
So it’s the dreaded fruit fly season in Queensland Australia (where I live) and unfortunately it coincides with our best growing seasons being spring and early summer – that’s no surprise I guess. However, what does surprise me is how much fruit actually survives the sting of the fruit fly. Queensland fruit fly preparing to
Self Sufficient Me is a blog about self-sustainment by growing our own produce (plant/animal), and self-fulfilment by looking after our health (physical/mental) through exercise and slowing life down a little.
