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Micro gardening in South East Queensland, Ipswich (2026)

27/01/2026

It's looked and felt like rain ☔️ was coming! But none here since the Jacaranda limb came down. Still working on mulching here, February has proved to be for me the hottest month. 🥵

Pic 1. About 2 years ago when I first got into gardening I bought this vertical wall, as it turns out it's become my favourite place for cuttings of my new plants. I don't use the pots 🪴 that came with it, too small for me, so I bought some over the fence hanging pots from the big green shed. Photo in comment of the tiny little plants coming through.

Pic 2. You may think I strategically put this cardboard here because we are in a heat wave 🤷‍♀️ but I did it to stop the girls 🐓 digging in it lol however, it kept the soil that it was in a healthy moist through yesterday and I was happy. 💦 ☀️ 🐓 🤔

Pic 3. This is my bee 🐝 water pond out the back. When I first moved it here I put some pennyroyal in the water, after 1 week it started to not only survive but grow, it provides a lovely platform for them to sit and drink from. Love doing little experiments in the garden. 🐝

23/01/2026

26 degrees today, still 80% humidity but overcast all day. I couldn't get out to garden last 2 days but chose to look back what 14 months can evolve into.

Pic 1. Blank canvas of my back yard just after the 3000 litre water tank was placed under the house.

Pic 2. What that space looks like now. In 14 months so much has grown in here, this is the back yards first summer on its own without sun cover. It's amazing how much the larger bushes like citronella shade the lemon verbena, basils, and all littler plants.

Pic 3. My 4 year old orange habanero has just started fruiting again, this bush got a seed thrown in the besser block and has survived and thrived in this uncanny position. 🌶️

Pic 4. Unfortunately we are inundated in Brisbane and surrounds to the varroa mite infestation that ravished down south last year. So glad The Backyard Beekeeper Rick has me sorted with a appointment to handle this horrible mite. Poor bees 🐝 no one can escape this mite. 😔

21/01/2026

Beautiful day here! Weather was so nice and there was loads of lorikeets today! 🦜 its getting closer to sowing my seeds and prepareing the garden beds for autumn seedling planting. 🪴 cannot wait!

Pic 1. My beautiful pawpaw is towering upwards. I'm trying to keep it short so I can reach the fruits. 🪜 Beside the pawpaw to left is my Pine Geranium, i took many cuttings of it as I love the aroma and shape.

Pic 2. My potted Guava is almost unrecognisable, its in its 4th year, it started to get a lean on it and it is getting transplanted into a prepared garden after fruiting has finished. I find the bags effective.

3. The little guavas are super cute, and where you can see a bag there is fruit in it.

I'm attempting to save some money on mulches this year, in the photo in the comments is my cardboard layer:

18/01/2026

Spent the last few days finishing the mulching in the front yard tree wall, and both raised garden Trugs at side of house. Started preparations in the back closest raised bed garden 1.1m x 90cm for its new Kensington Pride or BOWEN mango as I used to call them when I was young.

Pic 1. After the storm yesterday, no pooling water out back or damage 🙏 and now 🤞full tanks (8k litres) My new pump motor went in Thursday, thankyou for your help Scott Miiller, your advice worked and its so good to have it back.

Pic 2. dragonfruit: Its flowered the same time as last year, (post dated January 2025) the bees go ballistic inside and so cute to watch, there is about 7 flowers out and more coming! Happy little 🐝 bees.

Pic 3. As irony has it, my Jacaranda Tree lost its first big sized branch ever yesterday in what must have been a super cell, a 40ml 💦 crazy wind 💨 but quick Tropical Storm! After Cyclone Alfred last January and several other storm doozies with hail recently, this efficient storm took it down in minutes 🤔

🦜 🛀

12/01/2026

Around this time last year. Post is dated 24/2/2025 . I started noticing little tiny eggs up my Panama Berry's stem, branches and then on their leaves. I had to in the end completely cut it right back! It came back 😅 and thrived with a lovely crop of recent berries. Pic 1. This is her yesterday full of new fruit again!

So it was yesterday I took these photos, I found out that my efforts by hand had not stopped these pest eggs appearing now much faster on my poor tree, on leaf Pic 2. And
Pic 3. Not too bad so far I cut off the most damaged parts so far. 🤞hope i dont have to cut it right back again...

In the comments below I have added how this pest appears on the trunk, and further leaves. And a photo after I had remulched it also. This literally is a horrible pest and you can see the tree deteriate very quickly after spotting them.

NB: this happened around Cyclone Alfred last year 🤔 might there be similar perfect conditions for this pest this year. Prediction of ☔️ is forecast!

08/01/2026

This my harvest today, my orange habs are starting to produce also. I want to thank this group, I must have learnt a little bit in the 2 years? I've been here 🙌 special thankyou to David Raschke, a very knowledgeable and helpful man who I consider a good friend thanks to this group. 🌶️

07/01/2026

Today I'm having a "thankful" day! Although it was slightly overcast the sun was really hot out in it today! 🥵 I'm super thankful that my 2 big trees give my home shade, lots of wonderful mulch and homes for my birds and possums. That being said, its a lot of work as I get older, but its worth it for me in my life.

Pic 1. The back garden is doing good for Mid summer ☀️ here in Qld. I love that my citronella shades so much of its under plants! The ground cover is catnip and pennyroyal, I love that it's flowering.

Pic 2. This area cops the most sun and I did have to move my chilli's 🌶️ but I spread some marigolds, basil and zinnia seeds so have to wait and see. Jed the Cavoodle is the photo bomber.

Pic 3. Just another reason I still cannot cut my basil just yet! The bees 🐝 need to hang around here at the moment as the Varroa mite that is rampant here in the south east is getting closer and closer around me. I really am a bit scared for them.
For more info on varroa mite, I can refer The Backyard Beekeeper and Norma May Honey here in qld.

31/12/2025

Pretty warm 🥵 here today, we did some more yard work and saved some branches and leaves for the 2nd raised backyard garden bed.

Pic 1. These are my chilli's that have been grown from seeds. The big one at the front is an Anaheim chilli I grew from Companion Plant SeedCo and the jalapeño, chocolate hananero and red scotch bonnet chilli from my good friend David Raschke and other members of the wonderful FB group "Chilli growers of Qld".

Pic 2. This is my favourite so far, this black cayenne is not super hot and I've just pickled some for later! I love the look of the tree itself and it just keeps on producing. I cut up chilli for my parrots 🦜 and chickens 🐓 as they are a natural wormer for them and they don't feel heat!

Pic 3. This retro wash basin was in my dear neighbour Emma's house, we've been neighbours for over 16 years and I've always loved it and shes renovated and now it's a piece I will cherish always. I will use it as a potting station. 🪴 Thanks No 1. Son for carrying it for me. Perfect Christmas present.

28/12/2025

The cooler day today made me want to get into the garden, some hedging - which all went into the corrugated raised beds out the back and pretty much mowing and tidying up 🐓 the girls 🐓 just have to scratch out the mulch in EVERY garden bed 🐓 😠 🤣 lucky they are so worth it with their manure and fresh eggs everyday.

Pic 1. The jungle out back is staying healthy at the end of the 1st SUMMER month. If you remember I got a quote for a shade cloth sail 🙀 and decided to just keep this full sun area alive. 🤞so far so good!

Pic 2. Ok the basil still has flowers and the bees 🐝 are still enjoying it them so it's still there! It's been doing an awesome pest deterrent job, no curled leaf from leaf minors either. Definatly worth a try!

Pic 3. So I've thrown some chilli seeds in this garden but the one that chose to come up, did so in a besser block, this is its 3rd year 😂 it's a wonderful producing orange habanero too!!! They must be a hardy chilli 🌶️ lol

Melissa
🐝 🐓 🦜 🐕

24/12/2025

Just had a lovely drop of rain in that storm (22 ml) been lovely to not have to water as much and the nitrogen will be a nove boost for the plants:

Pic 1. This is taken from my bedroom window just after the rain, so lovely and green, the Jacaranda tree 🌳 is flowering again and continues to provide much needed shade for these plants during the heat of that sun....

Pic 2. This crows nest was mounted onto the Jacaranda tree approximately 18 months ago, it's doubled in size I reckon, it does get some morning sun ☀️ but is sheltered by overhead jacaranda branches. (Faces east)

Pic 3. When my friend gifted me some paw paws I had to throw in the seeds out the back, I've had a few come up, this is my fastest grower, I have a few at all different stages if you live close by!

Although I am working on next seasons mulch for my plants and not seed propagating during Dec/Jan I still love pottering around the garden saving seed and finding maintence jobs for my "to do list". Whatever you do over this Christmas break I hope you all enjoy your time. Merry Christmas! 🎄

19/12/2025

It may have only been 35 degrees here today but it felt a lot hotter to me, 🥵 the high humidity is a killer!

Pic 1. A fellow member of the Chilli Group of Qld gave me the seeds to this black cayenne chilli and I am so happy to say it's producing beautifully, I was unaware of what type it was until the fruit appeared. 🌶️

Pic 2. My mulberry is fruiting again. Can anyone tell me if this is unusual or not. I'm not complaining I'm just happily surprised. Very sweet too. If you remember in winter I transplanted it into the garden from a pot and this is its 2nd flush of fruit 🤷‍♀️

Pic 3. So the cleanup of the basil in the Trug gardens is taking a bit more time then intended, the girls 🐝 are still enjoying the flowers so waiting until they completely seed before pulling them out.

Pic 4. In the far right of my tree wall I have this hybrid rose, 🌹 it's a Jacaranda tea rose and it sits under the lemon Myrtle tree and even in the heat we've had so far it's flowering again. So nice with its pop of colour! I don't use fertiliser on any of my garden but it does get an approx monthly watering of seasol or Charlie carp.

Have a great weekend 🪴

15/12/2025

A hot day here in Ipswich today, a possible storm coming from the south west. 🥵 hope it cools down a bit.

Pic 1. Today I am very thankful for my bees 🐝 and chickens 🐓 and they have excelled with their food production, so I love to share some goodies with my neighbours, Christmas 🎄 seems the perfect opportunity to gift to those special to me. (Pic. 4)

Pic 3. This is a photo of my approx 1metre Feijoa (sellowiana) in December, 2024. 🌳

Pic 2. This is a photo of it 👆in December, 2025. Approximately 2.5 metres growth in just 1 year. 😬 It has been in for 3 years, has flowered each year but as yet no fruit has formed, but I would say it's a quick grower here in the subtropical climate and it's flowers last for ages and it's a beautiful bush tree in my Tree Wall.

Stay hydrated in this heat everyone 💧

Micro gardening in South East Queensland

27/01/2026

23/01/2026

21/01/2026

18/01/2026

12/01/2026

08/01/2026

07/01/2026

31/12/2025

28/12/2025

24/12/2025

19/12/2025

15/12/2025

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