Welcome to the Urban Patch Growing Diaries – your backstage pass to our little Brunswick garden. Here you’ll find what’s blooming, bolting, and bewildering us through the seasons. From first sprouts to harvest feasts, each diary entry is rooted in Australia’s urban climate and small-space growing challenges.
🍂 Autumn 2026
Autumn in Melbourne is the garden’s deep breath after summer’s chaos – and the gardener’s too. The tomatoes are winding down, the basil is finally giving up the ghost, and there’s a relief that comes with not having to race outside at 7am to water before the heat sets in. Cooler mornings mean being in the garden is a pleasure again rather than a survival mission. It’s the season of pulling things out, tucking things in, and quietly setting the patch up for winter – silverbeet goes in, cool-season seeds get their moment, and the soil gets a much-needed rest and refresh.
- From Seed to Seed: The Most Satisfying Thing I’ve Done in the Garden This Year
- Wait – Radishes Do WHAT? A Very Unexpected Harvest
- Seeds or Seedlings? How to Know Where to Start (and When to Transplant)
- Companion Planting: The Secret Social Lives of Your Veggie Patch
☀️Summer 2025/2026
Summer in the garden is full-on, but full of joy. The tomatoes are finally showing off, basil is happily taking over, and watering becomes a peaceful little daily ritual. It’s not about perfection – it’s about keeping things alive, celebrating the small wins, and enjoying the sunshine with a cold beverage as you look out over your little garden (or pot plant!) oasis.
- 5 Simple Ways To Make Your Tomatoes Grow (and Fruit) Better
- The $0 Fertiliser: Turning Kitchen Scraps into Liquid Gold
- Little Black Flies in the Veggie Patch: What They Are and What to Do
- 5 Fast Growing Veggies for Impatient Gardeners
- The Best Veggies to Grow If You Only Get 3–4 Hours of Sun
- Lots of Leaves, No Fruit: What’s Going Wrong?
- The Holiday Guide: How to Keep Your Plants Alive While You’re Down the Coast
- Transitioning Your Veggie Patch from Spring to Summer
- The Joy of “Cut and Come Again” Veggies: A Love Letter to the Never-Ending Harvest
🌱Spring 2025
Spring has sprung in Brunswick, and the garden is humming with new life – the mint is back, mustard shoots are stretching skyward, and frosts feel like a long-forgotten memory. Mornings still hold a shiver, but the afternoons shine and feel full of possibility (and early knock offs at the pub). Warm-season seedlings are starting indoors, compost is going on, weeds are popping up, and Odie’s supervising from his sunny patch. After winter’s quiet, there’s a restless energy in the soil – and I’m ready to meet it, spade in one hand, tea in the other.
- It’s Getting Hot in Here: Simple Water-Saving Hacks for Australian Gardens this Summer
- From Mess to Magic: Transforming the Forgotten Corner
- How to Grow Your Own Lawn for $20: Easy, Budget-Friendly DIY for Small Gardens
- Why You Should Let Some of Your Veggies Flower (Yes, Really!)
- Don’t Toss Those Tops! Why Root Vegetable Greens Deserve a Place on Your Plate
- Dill: My Love-Hate Herb
- When Weeds Take Over: Chickweed, Friends & Foes in the Urban Patch
- Spring has Sprung: What to Do Now in Your Urban Patch
☔ Winter 2025
Winter in Melbourne is when the cool-season champions shine – silverbeet, kale, broad beans, and garlic all take centre stage. In the Urban Patch, we’re making the most of crisp mornings and low winter sun, testing what thrives in our small Brunswick garden (with Odie keeping a close eye on the action).
The Urban Patch 