Composting Masterclass

Watch this practical demonstration on how to compost by Jardine Macdonald, Program Manager of Rangelands NRM in WA. With a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Management) and Masters in Hydrogeology, Jardine is well qualified and about soil health. Looking after soil health results in improved soil structure to hold rain and nutrients, and healthy plants in return. Compost is an easy, inexpensive way to use garden waste and help the soil food web for a healthy garden. Composting also reduces the need to use pesticides on plants as it strengthens plants to resist garden pests. Doing away with pesticides in your garden reduces polluted runoff from your garden running into stormwater drains that discharge into Roebuck Bay. Moreover, composting helps to keep Roebuck Bay’s water quality clean and marine web healthy which includes fish stocks, migratory shorebirds and nearshore dolphins. Jardine is passionate about soil health so this is an awesome short film to help you learn how to compost.

Coastal Gardens A planting guide for Broome »  is another great resource, providing practical advice on growing a waterwise garden that benefits your wallet and Roebuck Bay.

Verge planting can help coastal waters

The endemic herb Tall Mulla Mulla does well on your verge. © Kandy Curran

Have you considered giving your verge a makeover? There are many reasons to plant out your verge; the entrance to your home is beautiful, your verge is a refuge for wildlife and you can grow edible food to improve your health and wellbeing.  Another awesome reason to plant your verge is to reduce polluted runoff from your property entering magnificent Roebuck Bay – a international Ramsar site, Yawuru Nagulagun Roebuck Bay Marine Park and National Heritage site.  Here is a list of Coastal plants for a Broome verge »

 Tips on how to go about planting a verge in Broome…  

• Draw a map of your verge then populate with favourite local trees, shrubs, herbs and groundcovers. Medium trees such Gubinge and Jigal are best planted furthest back from power lines, shrubs in the middle and annual herbs such as Mulla Mulla mass plant along the roadside (don’t mulch annual herbs so they propogate themselves).
• Avoid plants that will block line of sight along your driveway.
• Dig water swales to capture rainwater and recue run-off into stormwater drains that discharge into Roebuck Bay.
• Fill out a Street Tree Order Form and email to Broome Shire to receive a free allocation of local coastal plants.
• Get a copy of the free book Coastal Gardens A planting guide for Broome  Not only does the book identify local coastal plants that do well in Broome conditions, it lists the local nurseries who sell native plants.
• Use a burr hoe to remove common weeds before you plant out your seedlings.  To ensure you don’t plant weeds take Coastal Gardens A planting guide for Broome with you to the nursery as the book includes pages on the weeds not to plant i.e. ‘DONT PLANT a garden escapee’.
• The optimum time to plant your seedlings is from September when the soil warms up and plants come of dormancy.
• Irrigate seedlings daily for for one to two months with a drip system, then twice weekly for a year. Thereafter only water once a week., although vine thicket species do well twice weekly.