About

Welcome to Avery’s Acres

Avery’s Acres is a gardening website created by Jaxson McConnell, a young backyard gardener based in subtropical South-East Queensland, Australia.

I have been interested in gardening since I was five years old. Over the years, that interest has grown into a passion for backyard food production, soil improvement, plant propagation, companion planting, vegetable growing and unusual tropical and subtropical fruit trees.

Avery’s Acres documents what I am growing, what I am learning and the practical challenges that gardeners encounter along the way. My garden may be in Queensland, but many of the guides are written to help gardeners worldwide. Where climate or location makes a difference, I explain the local context so readers can adjust the advice to suit their own conditions.

What I Grow

One of my main interests is collecting and growing rare or unusual edible plants. My collection includes plants such as jaboticaba, cacao, jackfruit, black sapote, starfruit and other tropical or subtropical species.

I am also developing a productive backyard garden using vegetables, pollinator-friendly flowers and soil-building plants. These include pigeon pea, comfrey, clover and mustard, which I am exploring for uses such as chop-and-drop mulching, attracting beneficial insects and supporting healthier soil.

What You Will Find Here

Avery’s Acres provides practical content about:

• Diagnosing common plant symptoms and growing problems

• Growing tropical and subtropical fruit trees

• Backyard vegetable gardening

• Container growing and plant propagation

• Soil improvement and companion planting

• Seasonal gardening in warm and subtropical climates

• Honest updates from my own garden

• and so much more

My goal is to make each guide useful for beginners while still including enough detail to help more experienced gardeners investigate a problem properly.

How Articles Are Researched

Gardening advice can vary considerably between climates, plant species and individual gardens. For that reason, researched Avery’s Acres guides prioritise information from university extension services, government agriculture and biosecurity agencies, peer-reviewed research, botanical organisations and other reputable horticultural sources.

Sources are linked within articles whenever they support important claims. I also distinguish between established horticultural guidance and observations from my own garden.

I am not a qualified horticulturist, and Avery’s Acres should not replace advice from a local horticultural professional, agronomist or plant-diagnostic service. Readers should identify a problem carefully and follow local regulations and product labels before using pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers or other garden treatments.

Learning in Public

Avery’s Acres is not about pretending that every plant grows perfectly. Gardening involves experimentation, patience, setbacks and constant learning.

I share both successful results and genuine problems because understanding why something went wrong can be just as useful as celebrating a successful harvest. When I update an article because better evidence or new experience becomes available, I aim to make that change clear.

About the Gardener

I’m Jaxson, an 18-year-old gardener from South-East Queensland. While many people my age are only beginning to discover gardening, I have already spent years learning about propagation, microclimates, soil health and unusual edible plants.

My long-term ambition is to develop a diverse property filled with productive gardens and rare fruit trees while sharing the journey through the Avery’s Acres website, YouTube channel and social platforms.

Quick Fact: The first plant I propagated was a fig cutting

Follow the Journey

Avery’s Acres is still growing, just like the garden behind it. New articles explore real gardening questions, plant problems and projects as they develop.

Visit the blog to read the latest growing guides, or follow Avery’s Acres on YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest for garden updates, photographs and videos.

Thank you for visiting Avery’s Acres.

— Jaxson