Sabrina Hahn: New book How To Do It In The Garden reveals gardening expert’s top tips for home gardeners

Never before have gardens been so important in contributing to our wellbeing, ecological biodiversity and addressing a warming climate. This is why my latest book How To Do It In The Garden focuses on sustainability, biodiversity, growing your own food and managing all aspects of your garden in a changing climate. I wanted to provide practical, problem-solving tips for all Australian gardeners, wherever you live and regardless of the size of your green space. The book is the culmination of 35 years of horticultural knowledge encompassing plants, soil, biodiversity and ecological principles. All gardeners have to start somewhere but it can be a daunting task for people who are new to gardening and may not know where to begin. This book will not only give you very practical guidelines, but also encourage you to dabble deeper and become a competent gardener with many skills. It’s a large-format, fully illustrated book covering everything from working with the soil rather than against it, preparing soil types for different plant species, plant selection, growing and managing the vegetable and fruit garden organically, pruning techniques, how to propagate your own plants, organic control methods of dealing with pest and diseases, and understanding the ecological systems that exist in every garden. Growing your own food, even if it’s just herbs in a pot on a small balcony, will bring you a surprising amount of joy, but understanding the needs of the plants is important to being successful. Being armed with knowledge before your gardening journey will give you the best results and spur you on to greater challenges. This book has something for the novice and the more experienced gardener who may want to try propagating their own plants or their friends’ plants that they envy. It will give people the courage to start experimenting with gardens and be more informed about the role insects play in our gardens. Loss of canopy cover and habitat is an issue felt Australia-wide and our gardens play a role in cooling our neighbourhoods down and at the same time giving back to nature. The correct tree species that suits your needs and the environment will ensure that it provides an asset to both you and other species for many years to come. Every small piece of our private green space requires nurturing. Our gardens don’t really belong to us; they are a shared space, for some people a sacred space, where nature heals and replenishes the soul. For children it is a free space full of adventure, play and learning. In writing How To Do It In The Garden I hope to inspire gardeners of every ability to get their hands dirty and add a little bit of nature to their world. How To Do It In The Garden by Sabrina Hahn, $49.99, is published by Fremantle Press. Three jobs to do 1. Aphids may be attacking vegetables and roses, but they are a favourite food for ladybirds, insect-eating birds, parasitic wasps and other predatory insects. A hard blast with the hose will help keep numbers down. 2. Plant out flowers to attract bees to pollinate veggies and fruit trees. Herbs like oregano, thyme, rosemary and borage flower freely all summer. 3. French tarragon is a great herb that is available now as it wakes from its winter sleep. Plant in full sun in rich soil.