Muddy Boots

Another Q&A packed with practical gardening advice, from curl grubs and sick olive trees to thrips, blueberries, wicking beds, Boston Ivy and growing your own passionfruit.
🌿 Plants Mentioned
Vegetables & fruit
Tomato — Solanum lycopersicum
Cauliflower — Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
Blueberry — Vaccinium spp.
Lime — Citrus × aurantiifolia
Lemon — Citrus × limon
Black Passionfruit — Passiflora edulis
Ornamentals & natives
Olive — Olea europaea
Lavender — Lavandula spp.
Rosemary — Salvia rosmarinus
Ornamental Pear — Pyrus calleryana
Snow Maiden Grevillea — Grevillea 'Snow Maiden'
Crepe Myrtle — Lagerstroemia spp.
Banksia — Banksia spp.
Boston Ivy — Parthenocissus tricuspidata
Climbing Fig — Ficus pumila
Plants mentioned as companion/mulch options
Pea Straw — Pisum sativum
Lucerne/Alfalfa — Medicago sativa
Pine — Pinus spp.
🐛 This Episode's Questions
Curl grubs: How to tell beneficial yellow/orange-headed grubs from root-eating black-headed cockchafers.
Olive trees: Supporting mature olive trees showing possible signs of Verticillium wilt, including irrigation, soil health and root support.
Cauliflowers: Identifying whether slugs, snails or earwigs are responsible for damaged leaves.
Rice hull mulch: Why Keith doesn't recommend it as a mulch and alternatives including pea straw and lucerne.
Thrips: Why Success isn't effective against thrips and how Eco-Oil and Eco-Neem can be used.
Blueberries: How often to repot, pruning advice and maintaining acidic soil.
Limes: Why ripe limes can turn yellow — and what happens to their flavour when left on the tree.
Grevilleas & Crepe Myrtle: Can they grow together? Plus designing a garden to provide succession of flowering and attract birds.
Wicking beds: Advice for hot climates, reducing watering requirements and automated irrigation.
Boston Ivy: Why it can take a year to establish and whether it can damage a metal fence.
Passionfruit: Growing black passionfruit from seed, protecting plants from frost and why grafted passionfruit can become invasive.
🧰 Products & Resources Mentioned
Original LOWY No.1 Anvil Pruner – www.backyardbotanist.com.au
Neutrog Populate – https://neutrog.com.au
Neutrog Go-Go Juice – https://neutrog.com.au
Munash Mineral Rock Dust – https://www.munashorganics.com.au
MycoGold – https://www.biostim.com.au
Eco-Oil – https://www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au
Eco-Neem – https://www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au
Clyde Compost – https://clydecompost.com.au
Digger's Club – https://www.diggers.com.au
The Plant Runner – https://theplantrunner.com
🏆 Plant Runner Giveaway: Congratulations to Gerry, this month's winner, for her question about her 18-year-old olive trees.
Happy gardening! 🌱
Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook

Got a sloping block, awkward corner, or challenging piece of land that feels impossible to landscape? In this episode, Keith explains why difficult terrain can become one of a garden’s greatest assets. From creating garden rooms and pathways to making the most of views and natural features, this episode is packed with ideas to help gardeners see opportunities where they once saw obstacles.
Plants recommended in this episode
Callistemon spp. — Bottlebrush
Acacia spp. — Wattle
Eucalyptus spp. — Eucalypt
Products & Tools recommended in this episode
Geofabric
Jute erosion-control matting
Weed Gunnel
F.D Ryan's Broadfork
Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook

August is all about getting ready for the spring rush. In this practical seasonal episode, Keith talks through the key jobs to tackle before the garden takes off, from sowing warm-season seeds and planting flowering annuals to improving soil, feeding organically, protecting fruit trees from disease, and staying alert for late frosts. It’s a useful preparation episode for gardeners wanting to build stronger soil, get ahead of pests and diseases, and make the most of the final weeks of winter.
Seeds to sow indoors or in greenhouse
Tomato
Chilli
Capsicum
Eggplant
Black Passionfruit
Cosmos
Snapdragon
Marigold
Seeds to sow directly into your garden
Snow Pea
Sweet Pea
Cornflower
Poppy
Carrot
Potato
Radish
Turnip
Seedlings to start in August
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kale
Silverbeet
Products & Tools recommended in this episode
Clyde's Compost
Neutrog “Who Flung Dung”
MycoGold
Neutrog Gogo Juice
Neutrog Popul8
Munash Rock Dust
Neutrog Rooster Booster 
EE Sea Liquid Fertliser
Lime Sulphur
Copper Fungicide
Seasol
Moon calendar
Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook

Looking for quality gardening tools that actually last, or wondering what products experienced gardeners swear by? In this episode, Elizabeth and Keith chat with Jamie Stewart, founder of Backyard Botanist, about turning a passion for plants into a successful business. From heirloom-quality tools to small-space gardening and the growing demand for well-made products, this episode is packed with inspiration for gardeners who appreciate quality, practicality, and a love of the craft.
Products & Tools recommended in this episode
Lowe Secateurs
Hori Hori Knife
Trugs
Haws Watering Cans
Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook

This month’s Q&A brought to you by The Plant Runner
Moving plants, battling persistent weeds, setting up productive veggie beds, or wondering if you're doing things the right way? In this practical Q&A episode, Keith tackles a wide range of real-world gardening challenges submitted by listeners from around Australia. Packed with straightforward advice, seasonal tips, and problem-solving solutions, this episode is ideal for gardeners looking to avoid common mistakes and get better results from their gardens.
Plants recommended in this episode
Raphanus sativus — Radish (particularly French Breakfast radish)
Pisum sativum — Sweet pea
Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon — Snow pea
Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon — Sugar snap pea
Products & Tools recommended in this episode
Clyde's Compost
Manutec pH Test Kit
F.D Ryan's Broadfork
Dicamba Herbicide
HDPE or LDPE Food-Grade Plastic Liner (for raised garden beds)
Neutrog Gogo Juice
Wormly Worm Farms
Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/ 
Facebook: Muddy Boots Podcast | Facebook