The Growers Guild

07/10/2026

More than half the samples had a chemical that's "banned overseas".

14/08/2026

**I Thought I Was Just Useless at Growing Food**

Have you ever stood in your garden with the hose in your hand, looking at another struggling plant and thought, *What am I doing wrong?*

I have.

One summer I felt like I did nothing but water. Some days the plants needed it two or three times, yet they still wilted, pests moved in and the vegetables barely produced.

I bought fertilisers and followed the instructions. At first, the leaves would green up and I’d think, *Righto, maybe I’ve cracked it.*

Then the boost disappeared and we were back where we started. More fertiliser, more seedlings, more water and another plant being tipped into the compost.

Then one day, sitting in a doctor’s surgery, I picked up a magazine and read something that stayed with me:

**Feed the soil**

That sent me down a very deep rabbit hole. I spent thousands on courses and workshops, completed a Permaculture Design Certificate with Geoff Lawton and volunteered on a biodynamic farm.

I learned that many fertilisers are concentrated mineral salts. When those salts build up, they can damage soil life and make it harder for roots to take up water. It made sense to me because salty water leaves my own mouth feeling thirsty.

My plants didn’t need fertiliser or water. The soil underneath them needed life.

I took what I learned back to that same rocky ground. The worms returned. Rock began weathering, the soil held moisture for longer and plants that once needed watering several times a day could eventually manage with a deep watering once a week.

The soil was finally doing some of the heavy lifting.

That is why I use living bioferments and why I created The Growers Guild. Living ferments support the tiny living workforce beneath our plants as part of a complete system using compost, mulch, moisture and diverse planting.

If you’re constantly watering, feeding and rescuing your garden, you’re not necessarily a bad gardener.

**You might not need a stronger fertiliser. Your soil might need more life.**

**Feed the soil. Feed the plant. Feed your life.**

09/08/2026

Crop Swaps or Shares Around Brissy, Goldie, Sunny Coast and South Burnett

When you have an excess of fruit &/or vegetables &/or anything else, please consider attending one of the harvest sharing events.

Join their Facebook groups below & follow their pages for further info as Dates, Times & Venues may vary.

Things like egg cartons, eggs, jars, mulch, compost, plant pots, seeds, seedlings, home made and home baked goods as well as homegrown fruit and vegetables.

Brisbane:
Boondall
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4034boondallmonthlyfoodswap
Beaudesert Crop Swap
https://www.facebook.com/groups/636844274940785/
Carina
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1Etek34Ehx/
Community Crop Swap Jimboomba & Surrounds
https://www.facebook.com/groups/269270978093053/
The Brookfield Food Swap
https://www.facebook.com/Thebrookfieldfoodswap/
Brighton Fruitful Suburbs 4017
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fruitfulsuburbs4017/

Sunshine Coast:
Sunshine Coast Harvest Swap
https://www.facebook.com/HarvestSwapSunshineCoast/

Gold Coast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/313177666576503/

South Burnett:
Harrisville Community Crop Swap
https://www.facebook.com/groups/474310831286301/
Wondai Community Share https://www.facebook.com/groups/1474492289625484
Goomeri Community Share https://www.facebook.com/groups/386646927874408
Tableland Community Share https://www.facebook.com/groups/2075107632709841
Nanango Community Share https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069170568331
Wattle Camp Village Grow, Gather Share https://www.facebook.com/groups/1739608393690852
Yarraman Harvest Share:-https://www.facebook.com/groups/990198680286346/
Blackbutt Harvest Share:- https://m.facebook.com/groups/970873890679005/

05/08/2026

28/07/2026

Common Causes of Deformed Carrots

Hard or Compacted Soil:
Dense clay or packed earth stops the main root from pushing straight down, forcing it to branch out.

Rocks and Obstacles:
Pebbles, stones, or large clumps of unmixed compost block the root tip, making it split to grow around the object.

Overcrowding:
If carrot plants sit too close together, their developing roots collide and twist around each other.

Fresh Manure or Excess Nitrogen:
Too much nitrogen or un-rotted manure causes chemical or structural irregularities that lead to branching or hairy roots.Pest

Damage:
Tiny soil insects or root-knot nematodes nibble on the main root tip early on, causing it to fork

28/07/2026

Just watched that Four Corners DUPED documentary and my blood is boiling! It completely reinforces why I am so set on running our local North Brisbane food warrior hub to get real produce straight from Aussie farmers and their distributors for our neighborhood.

It makes me furious knowing apples are picked up to a year ago, coated in petroleum wax, thrown into cold storage, and gassed just to sit on shelves 10 to 12 months later. No bloody wonder half the supermarket stuff rots a day after you bring it home! We deserve actual fresh food, and our farmers deserve better support.

If you guys at South Burnett need this kind of food warrior hub direct from farmers and their resellers let me know I would only come up if i had 20 families buying their fruit and veg and delivery was paid for at about $25 each to cover time, costs, wear and tear and exorbitant fuel prices.

The link to the news report is here if you wish to watch it. You can also find it on youtube

22/07/2026

Let's grow it local, share it local and keep it local. Support our Aussie farmers and farmers markets. Share what you grow at home with your local community.

17/07/2026

Lets go Australia! Back our farmers while growing some of your own food.

16/07/2026

Who's with me?

15/07/2026

What do you think Australia?