Muddy Boots

Brought to you by The Plant Runner, Keith and Elizabeth answer listener questions on phosphorus levels in wool-industry by-products, fast-growing screening plants, alkaline compost readings, camellias struggling in pots, vegetable garden design, moving Hardenbergia, sooty mould and cat-contaminated garden beds. The episode focuses on practical ways to choose plants, improve soil, manage pests and diseases, and design a productive, low-maintenance garden.
Plants recommended in episode
Grevillea spp  - Take extra care with phosphorus levels, as grevilleas can be more phosphorus-sensitive than many other Australian natives.
Banksia spp - Another group to monitor when using products containing phosphorus.
-Syzygium australe ‘Straight and Narrow’ Recommended for dense screening; plant approximately 1.2 metres apart
-Escallonia ‘Iveyi’ - A non-native screening option with dark green foliage; plant approximately 1.2 metres apart.
- Viburnum odoratissimum - Suggested where a taller, wider screening plant is required; plant approximately 1.5 metres apart
- Cupressus ‘Arctic Green’ - Recommended for a tall, dense screen; plant approximately 2.2 metres apart.
- Camellia japonica- Planting in the ground is preferred to growing in pots in hot conditions.
- Espaliered fruit trees - Suggested for lining a redesigned vegetable garden.
- Pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchinis and melons - Recommended for growing over tunnels or archways between raised beds.
- Hardenbergia - Can be moved with care; prune it back by approximately one-third, retain as large a root ball as possible and replant promptly.
Products and gardening materials
MycoGold
Weed Gunnel
Clyde's Compost
Munash Rock Dust
ECO Neem
Eco Oil
Neutrog Popul8
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 episode is a practical guide to growing herbs at home, whether you have a backyard, balcony, or sunny windowsill. Elizabeth and Keith discuss the easiest herbs to start with, where different herbs grow best and how to keep plants productive through regular harvesting.  They also cover perennial and less familiar herbs, herbs that attract bees and beneficial insects, growing basil and coriander indoors, preserving herbs by drying, and using fresh herbs in cooking. 

Herbs can be rewarding, useful, and adaptable—provided each plant is matched with the right light, drainage, moisture, and space.
Expert Recommendations — Plants
•  Rosemary
•  Oregano
•  Sage
•  Mint — grow in pots because it can spread aggressively in the ground
•  Thyme
•  Marjoram
•  Common mint
•  Chives — divide established plants when necessary and remove old bulbs
•  Lemongrass
•  Chinese chives
•  Vietnamese mint
•  Spearmint
•  Peppermint
•  Basil
•  Coriander
•  Slow-bolt coriander
•  Chervil
•  Saltbush
•  Lemon myrtle
•  Tasmanian pepperberry
•  Aniseed myrtle (Syzygium anisatum)
•  Borage
•  Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
•  Heartsease
•  Goldenrod
•  Elderberry
•  Nettles
•  Mullein
•  Slippery elm
•  Red rose petals
•  Burdock root
•  Gotu kola
Also mentioned in this episode:
Diggers Club
Morningside Landscapes
Mudbrick Herb Cottage

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

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

September marks the garden’s transition into Spring across much of Australia. Elizabeth and Keith discuss how to prepare gardens for the growing season, including planting, soil preparation, pruning, feeding, lawn care, dividing plants, and attracting beneficial insects. The episode focuses on practical jobs gardeners can tackle now to encourage healthy growth and prepare for productive Summer crops and colourful spring displays.
Plants mentioned in episode:
•  Evergreen trees and shrubs, including camellias
•  Peas
•  Beans
•  Berry canes
•  Potatoes
•  Dahlias
•  Horseradish
•  Artichokes
•  Lily bulbs
•  Ginger
•  Galangal
•  Turmeric
•  Violas
•  Marigolds
•  Alyssum
•  Nasturtiums
•  Borage
•  Comfrey
•  Summer-flowering bulbs
•  Ornamental alliums
•  Crocosmia
•  Monarda
•  Bottlebrush
•  Grevilleas
•  Hakeas
•  Banksias
•  Camellias
•  Apple trees
•  Pear trees
Product and Tool Recommendations
MycoGold
Clyde's Compost
Neutrog Gogo Juice
Neutrog “Who Flung Dung”
Munash Rock Dust
Green Harvest
F.D Ryan's Broadfork
Neutrog Sudden Impact for Lawns
Rooster Booster
EE Sea Liquid Fertliser
Charlie Carp 
Power Feed
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

Cheryl’s chat with the Muddy Boots crew is really a story about shock, survival, and slowly finding your feet again. She talks through the chaos of the Ruffy bushfires — the scrambled updates, the awful wait to hear what had happened, and the surreal moment of returning to a completely blackened landscape with only her little house still standing. It’s emotional, but she tells it with such honesty that you can almost feel what those days were like.
From there, the episode becomes a gentle, hopeful look at how gardening helps people heal. Cheryl explains how she started clearing ash, watering anything that looked vaguely alive, and reconnecting with neighbours who were all trying to rebuild in their own way. When Keith organised donations of compost and soil products, it wasn’t just practical help — it gave the whole community a lift. By the end, you really get the sense that growing even a few veggies or seeing a tree reshoot can be the first step back toward feeling normal again.
Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

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

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