Hannah Moloney

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Hannah Moloney

Hannah’s worm farm is looking a bit under the weather so she’s giving it some TLC. Worm farms are a wonderful way to transform kitchen waste into valuable garden resources: worm castings as a soil conditioner and worm tea as liquid feed. Hannah checks over the farm once a week. She also brings down kitchen scraps as needed, including onion skins and citrus, which many people prefer to keep out of worm farms.

Dec 5, 2024 | abc.net.au | Hannah Moloney

Green manures help improve soil health at any time of the year. Typically the process involves planting quick-growing legumes and grains that are dug back into the soil to add nutrients and organic matter. Mixes are chosen to suit the season. In summer, buckwheat, soybean, millet, marigolds and lab-lab are good. Hannah is using buckwheat, crimson clover and lupin for her summer mix. In winter she uses a combination of broadbeans, peas, mustard and oats.

Nov 29, 2024 | abc.net.au | Hannah Moloney |Jane Edmanson |Jerry Coleby-Williams

HANNAH: There are a few ways, but the simplest is to freeze it. When bulbs are beginning to shoot, pop the whole bulb in the freezer or break off individual cloves and store them in an airtight bag or container. You can do this with or without their skin. When needed, they can be defrosted and used like fresh garlic. JANE: A 4-5-year-old cactus grown from seed is still small enough to fit in a 10cm pot, while the huge metre-high giants you see in display gardens are probably 40-50 years old.

Nov 28, 2024 | abc.net.au | Hannah Moloney

Hannah shares her love of the herb lovage, which she says “looks and tastes a bit like celery with hints of parsley and anise. And you can eat every single bit of the plant!”Use it to flavour salads or stews, but use sparingly – it has a stronger flavour than celery. The stems, seeds, leaves or roots are particularly useful as a celery substitute or to add flavour to stock. The seeds can be used as a spice.

Nov 21, 2024 | abc.net.au | Hannah Moloney

Grafting is a great gardening technique that allows you to grow plants successfully, even if they’re not ideally suited to your home environment. The plant might not like the soil type, the amount of moisture, or it might be prone to disease. Grafting the plant you want onto a closely related plant that does cope with your conditions allows you to grow a wider range of plants.