Secondhand is lighter on the planet and your hip pocket. Recently, when we were going through all the submissions for our Grants Program, we noticed that every grant application was for new stuff! Our preference is to fund grants that commit to purchasing supplies secondhand and/or with minimum planetary impact.
WHERE TO GET FREE MULCH
Mulch is often available FREE for residents of councils. Contact your local council to find out. Local arborists may also deliver several cubic metres for free – confirm what you are getting before accepting it though. A good place to ask for leads is Crop Swap Sydney on Facebook.
CHEAP COMPOST!
Mushroom compost, cash only, $2/bag (maybe less) 496 Windsor Road, Vineyard…drive in, load up, put cash in the box, leave, not well-labelled so gps advised, can return bags next visit
WHERE TO GET SEEDS/VEGGIES etc
Facebook groups like Crop Swap Sydney are filled with wonderful people willing to swap and share seeds/plants/excess produce and more.
For the price of two stamps (via stamp addressed envelope) you can get seeds from fellow seed savers in Australia at Share the seed Australia on Facebook.
Your local permaculture group may have a seed-saving group
- Permaculture Sydney North https://www.permaculturenorth.org.au/
- Permaculture Northern Beaches https://www.permaculturenorthernbeaches.org.au/
- Permaculture Sydney West, sells seasonal seeds to members at a reasonable price https://www.permaculturesydneywest.com.au/
- Permaculture Sydney South/Inner West Seed Savers Addison Road Marrickville https://www.permaculturesydneysouth.org.au/
OTHER SEED SUPPLIERS (includes organic seed suppliers, heirloom and open-pollinated seeds)
- Green Harvest https://greenharvest.com.au/
- The Lost Seed https://www.thelostseed.com.au/
- Boondie Seeds (very reasonably priced) https://www.boondieseeds.com.au/
- Eden Seeds https://www.edenseeds.com.au/
- The Seed Collection https://www.theseedcollection.com.au/
- Life Force Seeds https://lifeforceseeds.com.au/
- Green Patch Organic Seeds https://www.greenpatchseeds.com.au/
- Australian Seed (based in WA) https://www.greenpatchseeds.com.au/
- The Diggers Club (based in Vic) www.diggers.com.au
FREE or CHEAP GARDEN TOOLS, COMPOST BINS, and OTHER GARDEN EQUIPMENT
- Check out Freecycle in your area
- Facebook Market Place
- Gumtree has free and low costs items
- Other low waste and share Facebook Groups for your geographical area
WICKING BEDS vs Regular Raised Beds
- Wicking beds are a great way to reduce the amount of water needed to raise crops. Our preference is to fund grants for wicking beds rather than raised beds. Check out our blog post on wickings beds for more info
- Our preferred supplier is Waterups a great local Aussie company and one of our generous sponsors (be sure to mention where you heard about them)
- Other suppliers are Vegepod Australia
BUSH TUCKER
- Indigigrow is a social enterprise specialising in Bushtucker plants
- Bush to Bowl is another great (and Sydney local) supplier
NEED HELP BUILDING YOUR WICKING BED?
- Check out your local Men’s Shed. They’re often glad to lend a helping hand.
- Habitat for Humanity could be another useful resource (be sure to mention SEGT)
OTHER WATER SAVING DEVICE SUPPLIERS
- Up on the Rooftop supplies Ollas
