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Suburban Refuge

Building a sustainable urban homestead in the tropics

Suburban Refuge

Suburban Refuge

Building a sustainable urban homestead in the tropics

  • Homepage
  • Blog
  • Self-Sufficiency
    • In the Garden
      • Fruit
      • Native Food Plants
      • Vegetables
    • In the Craft Room
      • Crochet
      • Candlemaking
      • Knitting
      • Sewing
      • Soapmaking
    • In the Kitchen
      • Baking
      • Fermented Foods
      • Breakfast Recipes
      • Lunch Recipes
      • Dinner-to-Lunch Recipes
      • Dinner Recipes
      • Preserving
  • About Us
    • What Motivates Us?
    • Contact

Latest Blog Posts

Catch up fast with the latest posts

An orange and red zinnia and full bloom

Thoughts and Reflections of the Year Past

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

A truss of black and red cherry tomatoes growing in my tropical garden

Tomatoes: Collecting Unusual Varieties for my Tropical Garden

Raised garden beds featuring young corn.

Planning Projects by the Seasons – Preparing Around Limited Time

A bowl of delicious roasted pumpkin & bacon soup, with a cheese and garlic bread scroll on the side.

Roasted Pumpkin & Bacon Soup Recipe

Tropical Gardening – A Recap of April

Introducing Us!

SEE OUR TOP CATEGORIES:
CROCHET
A bowl of delicious roasted pumpkin & bacon soup, with a cheese and garlic bread scroll on the side.
DINNER RECIPES
IN THE GARDEN
A truss of black and red cherry tomatoes
CULTIVAR PERFORMANCE
SOAPMAKING

Our Most Read Blog Posts

An orange and red zinnia and full bloom

Thoughts and Reflections of the Year Past

An orange and red zinnia and full bloom

Thoughts and Reflections of the Year Past

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

A truss of black and red cherry tomatoes growing in my tropical garden

Tomatoes: Collecting Unusual Varieties for my Tropical Garden

SEE ALL BLOG POSTS

An image of the author

Welcome!

I’m Tash, and I live in Cairns, a regional city well above the Tropic of Capricorn, sharing life with my partner and three demanding cats. I spend a lot of time thinking about improving our home, lifestyle, and health. This site is a record and a resource for living a self-sufficient life in the tropics.

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NEW? GET STARTED HERE.
CROCHET PROJECTS FOR FNQ
DELICIOUS SOUPS
CHARITY PROJECTS
SUMMER GARDENING
MY FAVOURITE CULTIVARS
THINGS DIDN’T GO TO PLAN

Projects

Always having a project on the go keeps my hands busy and keeps us moving closer towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle

TO DO TO LEARN THE FINAL RESULT
An orange and red zinnia and full bloom

Thoughts and Reflections of the Year Past

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

A truss of black and red cherry tomatoes growing in my tropical garden

Tomatoes: Collecting Unusual Varieties for my Tropical Garden

SEE TO DO POSTS
An orange and red zinnia and full bloom

Thoughts and Reflections of the Year Past

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

A truss of black and red cherry tomatoes growing in my tropical garden

Tomatoes: Collecting Unusual Varieties for my Tropical Garden

SEE TO LEARN POSTS
An orange and red zinnia and full bloom

Thoughts and Reflections of the Year Past

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

A truss of black and red cherry tomatoes growing in my tropical garden

Tomatoes: Collecting Unusual Varieties for my Tropical Garden

SEE COMPLETED PROJECTS

Heirloom Veg

One of the biggest advantages to growing heirloom plants is you can seed save to grow true-to-type plants year after year.

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

SEE ALL ARTICLES

Tomatoes

With hundreds of tomato varieties available in Australia, how do you pick varieties to grow? Find out my favourites!

A sliced cherokee purple tomato grown in my tropical garden tomato patch on a black plate

5 Reliable, Tasty, & Prolific Tomatoes for a Tropical Climate

A collection of tomatoes growing in buckets sitting on pavers in my tropical garden.

Tropical Tomatoes: All Year Growth In Buckets

SEE ALL ARTICLES

Looking for more craft?

A selection of craft posts you might have missed

SEE ALL POSTS

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Snacks

Collection Quicklinks

Find my collection posts here
  • Collecting Tomatoes
  • Varieties for the Tropical Garden
  • Chilli Stash
  • Rare and Unusual Varieties
  • Dahlia Obsessed
  • My floral fantasy

Homestead
Projects

Planning potential projects
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Building a sustainable urban homestead in the tropics
© 2025 Tash G