When you mention the word "peppers", depending on whom you're talking to, it can illicit a plethora of different meanings. In Australia, for example, we call pepper plants "Capsicum", hot peppers are known as "Chillies" and the only thing we refer to as pepper is the spice that's ground from dried peppercorns. However, throughout the rest of the English-speaking world it's apparent that peppers refer to sweet peppers - a member of the Solanaceae family.

While the way we define them may differ the methods for growing pepper plants remains the same - we just grow them at different times of the year. The season for success is spring through summer when all members of the Solanaceae family grow best. The prefix Sola is probably the biggest giveaway referring to the sun - or the months when the sun is the closest to our region.

Growing pepper plants is as simple as transplanting some seedlings once the soil warms and the threat of frost has passed. For the keen gardener, cultivating pepper seeds in a coldframe towards the end of winter will give you a headstart and they can be planted out as the seedlings mature provided they're covered with a garden cloche.

As they grow, pepper plants will require staking to support their fragile frame - fragile due to the weight of the fruit as they mature. The definition of mature peppers depends upon when you decide to pick them. Green peppers are merely an unripened pepper while red peppers have been allowed to ripen for longer allowing the pigments to enhance.

Provided you water your pepper plants regularly, usually every day during the hotter months - and certainly once the fruit has set - they should produce well. Fertilising them with a liquid fertiliser and soluble feed such as blood and bone (bonemeal) will help them immensely and should be applied every 2-4 weeks.

You can also retain the seeds from one, or two, of your more mature fruit to ensure that growing pepper plants in your garden will continue again the following year.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

"You mean there's a HARD way to grow broad beans?" I can feel you chortling already but you can mock away, if something is too simple then there is always the fringe element who like to make it harder than it needs to be.

In fact, growing broad beans, or fava beans as they're commonly known, is as easy as popping a seed in the ground, watering it, and then picking the produce once they're ripe. That's it. End of story.

Yet, if that were the entire post on how to grow broad beans you can bet the comments to swell asking for all kinds of further information and advice. Queries would range from "I'm getting a lot of flowers but no beans" to "How do you know when they're ripe?" or even "How should I cultivate the soil before I plant the bean seeds?" The answer: see above.

To grow broad beans successfully they require 5 simple things; a growing medium, water, sun, support and a little patience - in that order.

1. The Growing Medium - broad beans can grow in almost any growing medium; soil (whether it's sandy, loamy or clay), hydroponic gravel beds and even containers (provided they're deep enough). The growing medium doesn't need to be rich in humus or nourished with fertilisers. Instead, the broad beans will grow in the most impoverished soils and add nitrogen back to it as it matures.

   If you have soils that really need some serious amending then growing a few crops of broad beans will certainly assist the process for you.



2. Water - as broad beans are a cool season legume annual rainfall is usually enough moisture to satisfy the needs of these beans. However, as they ripen off in spring they will often require some supplementary watering. If you cater for them every 2-3 days then this should be enough to keep the plant healthy and the beans growing.


3. Sun - like most vegetables, broad beans need at least a few hours of full sunlight per day so growing them in the shade is not going to be too effective. They will grow in partial shade but the plants are often stunted in height and more susceptible to disease. Plus, the beans take much longer to mature.


4. Support - all beans need some support. Either some trellis against the side of a wall, a climbing frame or even a teepee will suffice. Broad beans are much stronger than many other legumes but they still have a habit of falling over once they're laden with fruit. The best way to keep them supported is to loosely tie them as a bunch against their support. This should keep them growing upright and not snapping at the base.

As for the patience, growing broad beans will test yours. Most legumes germinate quickly, grow to their full height and produce mature fruit quite quickly. Not so with broad beans. Every part of their growing cycle seems to be naturally slowed to a snail's pace. But, if you're willing to just let them do their "thing" they will succeed in the end.

Once the broad bean plant starts growing past germination it's quite quick that their flowers will start to bloom in readiness for pollination. However, it can seem like months before any of those flowers start to produce bean seeds. Then, its another few weeks before they grow large enough and their shell begins to harden off somewhat before they're ready to be picked.

But the best part of growing broad beans is that you can save a few, dry them out and then replant for next year's harvest. They truly are one of the easiest beans to grow in your garden.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

For a while there snow peas, also called mange tout, were the pea crop to grow. Their soft and edible skin meant that the age-old art of shelling peas around the kitchen table was destined for the archives. Instead, picking and eating them directly from the vine was not only accepted, but encouraged.

Then, as if the pea growing industry needed a shake-up, sugar snap peas entered the market. Fatter and more shapely than the snow pea, these snap peas looked more like a traditional pea but sported the very edible outer pod as well. It was as though the historical pea had been pre-softened and flavour enhanced purely to satisfy our delicate tastebuds.

The beauty with growing sugar snap peas, or any legume crop, is that they don't need much in the way of soil preparation. Obviously a loamy soil or one with more sand content is preferable to clay but when it comes to nutrients, the soil can be completely lacking and the peas will still flourish. In fact, as they grow they will begin to rejuvenate your soil depositing much-needed nitrogen for the next crop of veggies that will take their place.

We planted our recent crop in soil that was basically woodchip covered debris - with a smattering of sand - almost 3 months ago. Since then the sugar snap peas have climbed to a height of more than 2m (6.6ft) and are flowering their heads off. Spent blooms are now producing a rich crop of peas ready for picking, and eating.

Like snow peas, sugar snap peas require a trellis to grow. Their soft stems easily bend in the wind or under the sheer weight of a bumper crop so they need to be staked against some support in order to keep them growing and producing. As I found this season, a 1.8m high supporting trellis isn't high enough and you would do much better to go to at least 2-2.5m. An unsupported 40-50cm can still break and cause problems for the whole plant.

The best support for sugar snap peas is a wire fence, lattice or some pea teepees. I've seen them supported on string supports as well but they are more susceptible to breaking if they only rely on this.

In most temperate climates, like ours, sugar snap peas can be grown all year round so saving your seed after a crop is definitely encouraged. To do this, leave a few pods on the vine to over-mature (this becomes obvious when the pea casing begins to split) and then, after picking, shell and allow the peas to dry out in a cool spot. They can be re-planted almost immediately or stored for a future growing season.

Fertilising your snap peas is a breeze too. Every 2-4 weeks coat your crop with a solution of liquid fertiliser - diluted worm wee or seaweed emulsion is the best. You can offer some compost around the base of the peas but it will be the liquid fertiliser that offers the most nutrients to these vegetables.

Snails are the most likely pest to disturb your snap peas effectively whittling out the sickest plants and devouring them over night. While you could lace the soil with snail pellets or some other repellant, the best option is just to leave them. They will leave the healthiest specimens and concentrate only on the sugar snap peas that are struggling anyway - possibly doing you a service.

Apart from snails, your kids are going to love these once they get a taste for them as well and I'm all out of options for tring to repel them.

However, if you're wanting to grow a pea crop this season then you can't go past sugar snap peas. They're delicious, easy to grow and produce such abundant crops. Start growing some now.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

Ok. We've all seen them advertised on TV and balked at the gimmick-like fanaticism in which they're displayed. But, if you cut through all the sales pitch are these upside down tomato plants any better than sticking a few tomato seedlings in the ground?

For the record, growing tomatoes upside down is not a new concept. Anyone who's ever tried to make their own compost and then use it for potting medium will have witnessed a few tomato seeds escape through the bottom of their hanging baskets and continue to hang upside down while they fight for survival. Even seeing them grow wild, reaching out under ledges, trees and any other obstacle that might try to prohibit their growth is a sign that tomato plants weren't just designed to grow up against our nice and tidy stakes.

It's the tenaciousness of tomato plants that seems to work so well. While they can't be confined to growing as we would like their will to survive and produce means that they could almost grow anywhere - hence the success of the upside down tomato planter.

And, the more you think the process through the more it makes sense on a few different levels. For gardeners who are restricted to balconies or small courtyards, growing tomatoes upside down can save a whole heap of space. Sure, they could be grown in a pot but taking them out of the floor-bound container means that not only can you have your tomatoes, growing upside down of course, but you now have room for another plant or two.

Another pro in the argument for upside down tomato plants is it's ability to generate warmth. After recently planting out our tomato seedlings we have had to endure some very cold nights meaning that the soil cools down and then takes all day to warm up again before the sun drops and the process resumes. While this type of tomato planter isn't immune to the night cold, its size and position encourages the soil to warm quickly once the sun shines again.

The one downside of these planters is that the sheer weight of the crop, especially towards the end of the season, can literally pull the plant out of the container. This means that at the height of cropping you may be forced to pick some green ones just to give the plant some relief.

However, an upside down tomato plant - while not revolutionary to any degree - is a paradigm shift in how we think about using space and growing our produce. It challenges the mindsets that vegetables need to be grown in soil in blocks of horizontal space. If we think outside the box then growing tomatoes upside down isn't really a tall ask at all.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

The turnip is one of those vegetables that you either love - or despise with a passion.This emotion possibly stirred in your childhood years depending how your mother cooked them and has carried throughout the ages defining your views on whether you would ever eat them again.

It seems a shame really that so many people dislike this vegetable, for the humble turnip has a wonderful flavour. Provided that it's cooked well, and not boiled until the structure of the vegetable has broken down beyond recognition, the turnip offers something a little different to the palate.

But, it's not all in the cooking. Turnips get their gorgeous flavours from how they're grown as well. While they can be grow year-round the best flavoured turnips are those that are grown through the end of summer and harvested in autumn. They produce a much sweeter vegetable.

Growing a turnip is not that difficult and requires only some well-drained, fertilised soil and regular watering. Once the crown of the turnip begins to show then you know they're ready to harvest. But, if you want to propagate turnips for the next season then you need to sacrifice a few of these veggies so that seeds can develop.

They need to be harvested at the same time as the rest of your turnip produce but then stored over the winter. Once spring returns, plant them back into your veggie patch and allow the foliage to grow. Fruit will begin to set within a few weeks and can be harvested once the seed pods dry.

Turnip seeds can then be planted out almost immediately ready for another autumn crop to develop.

One word of caution: don't mix your turnip varieties if your trying to reap the seeds. Cross-pollination will occur if this has happened and your turnips may fail or produce results that you weren't expecting.

When starting your first batch of turnips opt for these varieties: Purple top, Serrin top or the Japanese habu. The crosses and hybrids may not produce the same results.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

We've never had a veggie patch here before and my plan has always been to set up aquaponics in our backyard. However, progress on this project has been somewhat stimied - yet still, slowly, evolving - and I just became tired of looking at all this vacant soil.

So, rather than let another winter pass by without anything to show for it, little M. (my youngest daughter) and I have been planting some seeds and seedlings hope to cash in on this wonderful rain we've been getting.

The soil is completely ordinary, at best, and previously we've done nothing to nurture it - the aquaponics setup doesn't require soil. So, in some small spots I've amended it with the small amount of compost that I had left hoping to improve the nutrient levels at least a little.

In this small bed we've planted half a dozen brussell sprouts and broccoli seedlings which have now doubled in size. However, one or two have become the "taste sensation of the month" for a few voracious snails.

In the area where the soil is not good and I didn't have any compost spare I planted broad beans and sugar snap peas. Both of these should contribute some nitrogen back into the soil and with a little amending make it a good plot for my spring solanums.

The peas and beans are humming along nicely and with fortnightly feeds of fish emulsion should produce quite well.

The great thing about this project is that little M. doesn't realise that these veggies will become part of her staple diet in the spring: broad beans, broccoli and brussel sprouts - not usually on a 6 year olds menu of choice. ;-)

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

Growing potatoes in tyres, or tires as you may spell it, is not as bizarre as it may initially seem. While farmers have been growing them in mounded dirt for aeons it's a relatively new trend to grow spuds in your vehicle refuse.

But, on so many levels it makes sense. Firstly there's the recycling component: you will need at least 4 tyres to grow potatoes in which accounts for at least 2-3 years of driving value. Then, there's the space issue: you can grow far more potatoes per square metre than growing them in the soil. Plus, vertical gardening is always an added bonus because it makes use of the space above the ground which is often wasted.

Finally, when it comes time to harvest your spuds it's just a matter of pulling off the tyres and letting the potatoes fall out - much easier than breaking your back digging them up.

So, how do you grow potatoes in a tyre stack?

The first step is to source some old tyres. One option is to head to your local refuse site and pick up a few that are already taking up landfill. However, these are usually quite dirty and can often have spiders or other creepy-crawlies inhabiting them. Instead, I prefer to visit a local tyre dealership and request some of their waste tyres. These have come off vehicles and are waiting to go the refuse site but are usually quite clean and much easier to deal with. Plus, the tyre store will be very happy to part with them because they save dump fees.

When picking your tyres try and source ones that are the same size. This will make it easier for stacking and keep your stack in a uniform shape.

Step One

The first step in starting this process is to cut out the inner width of the tube (marked by the yellow crayon line). This allows more growing space but won't damage the strength of the tyre wall. The tyre that will be positioned at the bottom will only need this performed on one side with the full tyre wall facing the soil.

Don't throw out those inner rings as they can be very useful too. One single cut from inside to outside can turn this surplus rubber into a great mulch collar for new trees and shrubs and they can easily be stored hanging flat in your garden shed when not in use.

Step Two

Start by laying the base tyre on the ground in the position that you want it to stay - remember, once these are stacked you won't be able to move them. Fill the first one with some growing medium: you can use half soil/half compost, straw (hay) or even potting mix. Then spread the seed potatoes across the surface and water in and place the next tyre on top.

TIP: don't use potatoes that you bought from the grocers. These have usually been chemically treated or processed in such a way that they will become infertile in the soil. You can usually source these from your local nursery or rural services stores and expect to pay about $5-10 per kilo. Note: some can be kept from this harvest for next season's planting.

Step Three

This is the final stage of the process and involves covering the potatoes with more growing medium. You may be tempted to continue building the stack immediately and then leaving it to its own devices. While this sounds nice and almost maintenance free, growing potatoes this way isn't that simple. Instead, once the vine protrudes through the medium and continues to grow then you are able to add more tyres and more medium.

The one trick here is not to cover the vine totally but to always leave a few leaves sticking out. If you do cover it, the vine will begin to rot and you will lose your spuds. It's time to harvest your potatoes when the vine begins to brown and die down. Then you can start pulling the stack apart and gleaning your fresh potatoes.

Remember to keep some for next years planting and store these in a dry, dark spot. The rest can be washed and then stored in your pantry to impress, and feed, your family.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

Plant spacing is a very serious business when it comes to maximising the yields your plot of land will produce. If you space your vegetable plants too far apart then you're wasting precious soil: too close and your plants will struggle.

So let's assume that you lost the seed packet or seedling tag with their planting directions on them. How would you be able to work out the best distances between your plants?

In order to calculate this yourself you need to take into consideration a few variables; root growth, foliage width and height of the mature plant.

• Root Growth - for carrots, parsnips, turnips, swedes and other umbellifers the vegetable is the root. These vegetables don't have a horizontal growing habit so you can afford to plant them quite close together. For these veggies the rule of thumb is to imagine the final sized carrot, turnip, swede etc and then double the width of it. This then becomes your plant spacing measurement.
• Foliage Growth - for vegetables that exhibit greater foliage growth than others such as cauliflowers, cabbages, broccoli and many of the asian leafy vegetables you will require a different standard spacing. Consider the final width of your mature leaf vegetable and multiply it by 1.5. This is the required distance between these plants.
• Height of the Mature Plant - this variable isn't as directive as the other two but it will affect the above rule of thumbs. For every 50-60cms (20-24 inches) of height you should consider another doubling of space between your plants. This is due to the size of the root structures required to uphold these plants plus also the need for light into the soil and foliage.

Now, these are only general rules - and very general at that. For many vegetables you can space them quite close together in the same row provided that you increase the distance of the rows between them. This forces the roots to access soil nutrients in a horizontal pattern rather than occupying the traditional circular area usually alloted to them. The benefit of spacing your vegetables this way is that you can gain easier access into your patch without reducing yields.

Plant Spacing by Sowing Seeds

Fine seeds; carrots, parsnips, radishes etc can be spaced out when they are being planted by combining the seeds with some clean river sand in a small jam jar. Shake the jar until the seeds have mixed with the sand well, poke a hole in the jam jar lid and then begin pouring along the drill.

Seeds will still require spacing out, even after this process, but there shouldn't be as much wastage when you do space them out.

Space your plants over time

One of the common mistakes newbie gardeners make when they're trying to grow a veggie garden is planting everything at once. They'll spend one weekend transplanting their corn, tomatoes, lettuces, and cabbages and realise that they have a glut of fruit in 4 months time.

It's much better to consider what your family will want to be eating on a weekly basis and then plant accordingly. This means staggering your plantings so that you have some vegetables maturing as others are being sown.

For instance; take broccoli as an example. Your family may eat 2-3 heads of broccoli per week so plant 6 seedlings every fortnight over the growing season and you should be able to achieve this

Conclusion

Plant spacing for vegetables is just as crucial to their success as watering and fertilising, so take the time to plan it well and you will reap the rewards.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

So what's hard about growing Savoy or Red Cabbage, you may be asking? Well, nothing really. I guess it's more based on the fact that why would you want to grow the humble green cabbage when there are so many more interesting varieties to challenge yourself with.

Savoy cabbage is that wrinkled variety that resembles your fingers when they've been soaking in water for too long. It's origins stem back to middle-ages England where it was one of the first hard-headed (tightly grown) cabbages in that part of Europe.

The Red cabbage, on the other hand, was an introduced variety to the UK and its background isn't as well-defined. However, it's fair to say that with the history of cabbages red varieties were probably travelled from Asia Minor before gaining acceptance by Western civilisation.

Even today, the greatest producers of cabbages are China, India, the Russian Federation, South Korea and Japan - according to FAOSTAT.

While it's helpful to know some history it doesn't achieve much in the way of growing them, does it? So let's look at how to maximise your yields when growing cabbages and see if they can't improve somewhat.

Savoy and Red cabbage, like any cabbages, don't require copious amounts of maintenance while they're growing. They're best grown when planted in the cooler months (mid-winter to early spring) which removes any watering concerns and the main issues they struggle with are pests.

Yet, talk to any veggie gardener that's been growing cabbages for a while and they will certainly have their own "secret method" for success. If you distill these anecdotes down you'll find that the main ingredients are mulch, fertiliser and sun.

The fertiliser doesn't come from a packet. Savoy and Red cabbage are very fond of manures and compost teas or worm wee. For my money, I'm happy to shovel a heap load of well-rotted cow manure around these increasing the application as they grow. Mulching with lucerne hay should also keep the snails and sowbugs at bay while they progress from seedlings and companion planting with marigolds will deter the caterpillars and cabbage moth.

Red cabbage needs a heap of sun as well. At least 4-6 hours of winter sunshine will help them grow to their potential while growing them in shade will stunt their growth and they will become leggy as they try to reach light.

The final consideration is water. While most winter climates offer enough rainfall for these to be successful and they are quite impervious to frosts they may still need some extra water in more temperate zones. Those who garden in areas where the winters are more dry should consider at least a once per week deep watering regime to encourage the cabbages growth.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink

The humble gourd is quite possibly the most versatile plant that a gardener could raise in their vegetbale patch. Their obvious use as a food source is unquestionable but most gardeners prefer to grow these for other purposes instead.

The many shapes and sizes of gourds lend them to being used for more practical and decorative uses. Here are ten of the best gourd offerings:

1. 
   Gourd Candle

   
   The most obvious use of a gourd is when Halloween rolls around each year. The traditional Jack-o-lantern is a carved pumpkin with holes shaped into the shell to allow the light out. A fairy candle placed inside illuminates the gourd and while it may be most expected of a pumpkin, candles are quite a decorative use of gourds and their different shapes and sizes lend very well to this.
   



2. 
   Gourd Birdhouse

   
   A birdhouse, or bird-feeder, constructed from a single gourd is a also another creative use of this vegetable. The gourd lends itself well to this use because of its bulbuous base and strong neck that allows it to be hung outdoors. A hole is drilled into the side of the gourd and your local birdlife can enter/exit at their discretion.
   



3. 
   Decorative Gourd (Gourd Pyrography)

   
   Gourd pyrography is the art of creating burned designs on the outside of a gourd. Provided the gourd is dry the shell can be scarred with burning or painted with food dyes or ochre paints. These can be turned into objet d'arts to adorn the house or utilised in more specific ways such as salt and pepper shakers, candle holders etc.
   



4. 
   Banjo Gourd

   
   One very interesting use of the gourd is creating a banjo from one. While this may not be something that the average DIYer can achieve it is still a very creative use of this vegetable. The banjo gourd originated in the 18th century and still inspires instrument craftsmen. If you want some plans for building your own here is a very useful site with step-by-step illustrated plans.
   



5. 
   Gourd Instruments

   
   And, of course, banjoes aren't the only musical instruments that can be made out of gourds. Rattles, drums, thumb pianos and even mouth organs can be fashioned from a gourd. The primitive foundation of these instruments is a testament to how versatile a gourd can be. Here's a link to check out some great gourd musical instruments.
   



6. 
   Gourd Vase

   
   Another great use of the humble gourd is fashioning them into vases. Due to their bulbuous shape they are able to support themselves in an upright position, with a little flattening of their bottom, and hold anything from water to flowers to anything else that can be held in a normal vase.
   



7. 
   Gourd Doll

   
   A gourd doll is another creative use of these vegetables. Children's craft activities can explore the many shapes and diverse sizes of these fruits but they are also becoming a crafters delight in recent years. Even Amish settlers were known for their highly crafted gourd dolls.
   



8. 
   Mate Gourd

   
   Mate is a drink that originated in many South American countries and is traditionally drunk out of a hollowed out calabash gourd and drunk through a metal straw. The drink is infused using leaves of the yerba-mate (a sub-tropical type of holly). The mate gourd shouldn't be any bigger than something you can hold in your hands but western interpretations can often be much larger. More info here.
   



9. 
   iPod Speakers

   
   Probably the funkiest use of gourds is by creating them into speakers. Here they are used as speakers for an iPod but there's no reason that they couldn't be crafted into more substantial accessories for your home stereo. Stay tuned for the headphone version....
   



10. 
    Eat them

    
    Finally, the gourd is a vegetable so its best use is as a food source. While we often create masterpieces with pumpkins, gourds can be overlooked. Here are some recipes to help you do more than just create ornaments with a gourd.
    

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

Growing lettuce, for many gardeners, is the quintessential leaf vegetable to raise in their patches. And it's no surprise that they are the most common leaf vegetables grown. What is surprising for many novice gardeners is that they are quite simple to grow - and can be grown almost year-round.

Lettuce comes in many different varieties these days: common Iceberg, Romaine (Cos), butternut, coral, festive, radiccio, chard, endives, rocket...and the list goes on. And it seems that a new variety (or two hundred) turns up in seed packets every season.

What makes growing lettuce such an endearing leaf vegetable is that they are relatively simple to raise and they yield so abundantly. Many of the chards and mesclun varieties even have the ability to be pick-and-grow again type plants that offer small families the option to take only as much as they need, when they need it. Plus the lettuce can continue to grow and produce for months afterwards.

Growing lettuce from scratch

The best way to start growing lettuce is from seedlings (seed starters). You can grow them from seed but they are best raised in seedling trays or punnets than directly sown into the soil. It also allows you to start them earlier than the beginning of spring so that once the season changes you can have them in the soil with a big head-start.

Once your lettuce seedlings have grown 2 or more leaf offshoots they are large enough to transplant. The soil must be warm enough and frosts should no longer be a credible threat otherwise your lettuces may not make it.

Begin planting them out and immediately apply a liquid fertiliser - fish emulsion, worm wee or compost tea are best. The growing period for lettuce is quite short so slow-release fertilisers will be fairly inneffective. Sticking with regular applications of liquid fertiliser and readily available bonemeal is the key to helping these plants grow to their full capacity.

Once you transplant your seedlings into the soil they will become the next buffet for many of your garden pests. Sowbugs and snails can demolish your whole patch within a single night and you'll find yourself questioning whether you even planted them or not. While some gardeners will reach for the pesticide spray or the snail pellets they can be organically controlled using copper for snails or sawdust or pine needles to deter woodlice. You may even opt to cover them for the start of their new life with a garden cloche.

When can you grow your lettuces?

The vegetable patch, directly in soil, is a good place to start. But once you've mastered that skill the sky's the limit (literally) as to where they can be grown. Lettuce can be placed quite close together as long as they have enough space to expand their growing leaves.

Many gardeners choose to grow lettuce in pots or containers that are close and accessible to the kitchen. They don't require any special treatment in this environment except for in the hotter months when they will require regular daily waterings.

Some gardeners have even opted to growing lettuce indoors, either on window-sills or in greenhouses. They can be grown in traditional growing mediums or even converted to hydroponic growing cells. This gives the gardener access to lettuce leaves throughout the year, or can at least extend the growing season for a few months more.

If you haven't tried your hand at growing lettuce in your garden give it a go. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

When you have unlimited resources and enough space to fling a Mack truck it doesn't matter what you grow. Even if you're trying to escape the supermarkets and remain self-sustainable, unlimited resources allows you to to be frivolous with your choices and grow any plant you like.

However, confine yourself to a suburban backyard and the options become very limited. No longer can you grow every exotic fruit or experiment with boutique vegetables. It now comes down to finding the most appropriate plants that will supply your needs throughout the year, and limiting your choices to just those ones.

So, if you were given the task of restricting your choice to just 10 plants, what would they be? Here's my 10 MUST grows for a suburban self-sustainable garden;

1. Lemon/ Lime Tree - ok, this one may border on the luxury end of the choice scale but when it comes to flavouring and preserving other foods, acidic limes are one of the best options you could grow. Plus, if you had a surplus you could always make lemonade or churn out your own marmalade.
2. Apple Tree - this is your source of winter fruit. If you're not into apples you could always grow pears or even mandarins. The beauty of an apple tree is that it produces abundantly and can easily be espalliered against a boundary fence to minimize space. A good apple tree can keep you in fruit for most of the cooler months.
3. Peach / Nectarine Tree - then there's the summer fruit to consider. You could opt for a berry vine instead but for the sheer amount of fruit that glupe producers offer it would be hard not to choose at least one. Not into peaches or nectarines? Then you could choose from apricots, plums or even loquats.
4. Cabbages - a winter-growing vegetable. Cabbages are a great storing vegetable with a superb shelf-life. If you grow too much they can always be pickled and stored as sauerkraut.
5. Tomatoes - tomatoes are the best fruit/veg that the self-sustainable gardener could grow. Not only do they taste great during the summer months but you can easily produce enough to can, bottle or freeze for the cooler months.
6. Potatoes - the ultimate carbohydrate vegetable can be grown for at least nine months of the year and produce brilliant harvests. Potatoes, like cabbages, have a great shelf-life and provided they're kept in a cool, dry yet dark location should be able to keep you in stock for most of the year.
7. Beans - with the range of beans available you can have these growing for almost six months of the year as well (depending on your climate). Beans are a great vegetable that lend themselves easily to being blanched and frozen for the winter months.
8. Carrots - the ultimate all-rounder vegetable that will grow as a continual crop. Carrots can be grown at any time but if your area is too cold to support them during winter then they can be blanched and frozen like beans.
9. Lettuce - while mostly considered as a summer vegetable, lettuce can also be grown indoors in a small hydroponic setup that gives you year-round supply. It's a great vegetable, especially the many new varieties that avail themselves to be picked indiscriminately and still continue growing.
10. Onions - the final choice in this list. I would have said garlic if I had another option but we're trying to limit ourselves here. Onions are a great option for the home self-sustainable garden. They store really well making them available in the off season and are great producers. Plus, like lemons, onions are a great flavouring for many dishes and are useful in pickling and preserving other vegetables.

Could that list satisfy you and your family? Or, would you need to embellish it with a few more choices or even replace some the ones I've mentioned.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (10)

The vegetable garden is a sacred site for most gardeners. It encompasses much of our raison d'être for gardening: growing our own produce, seed-raising and collecting, composting and soil management. Our desire for self-sustainability, even if it is only some seasonal carrots, makes all the effort - and it requires much being the most labour intensive garden activity - appear worthwhile.

For some, growing vegetables comes easy and their success rate is enviable. For the rest of us, it takes a lot of trial and error, wasted seeds and frustrated hair-pulling as the garden pests enjoy the tastiest morsels. For beginners, though, it can be a little daunting knowing how to start and which way is up.

So, here a few answers that may help and hopefully point you in the right direction.

Vegetable Gardens - The WHAT

What is a vegetable garden? Obviously it's a garden where vegetables are planted, nurtured and harvested. It offers the home gardener a place to grow their own produce and realise a type of self-sufficiency that many farmers would have enjoyed in years gone by.

Some gardeners utilise their veggie patch year round while others just use it to grow spring and summer vegetables. Regardless of how it's used benefiting from your own homegrown produce is a pleasure few enjoy these days - but it is coming back into vogue.

The HOW to Vegetable Garden

There's more to the vegetable garden than the 6 x 6 ft plot of land. While most gardeners have cordoned off a spot within their garden solely to grow vegetables this method is waning in popularity. The reasons are many but they primarily focus on gardeners realising that their garden styles need to be more efficient with the limited resources available. Here are some methods that are gaining acceptance amongst the gardening community;

• Permaculture - while certainly not a new method permaculture utlises all the available land on offer. It encompasses companion planting, strategic placement of trees and shrubs to buffer against extreme weather conditions and the vegetables are usually grown amongst flowering ornamentals. In some cases, they're grown instead of traditional flowering plants and use the foliage and flowers from the vegetables to create aesthetic appeal.


• Hydroponics/ Aquaponics - these two methods are also gaining in popularity. Hydroponics is the process of growing vegetables in nutrient-rich fluids while aquaponics uses fresh-water fish to provide the nutrients for the veggies.


• Growbags - growing vegetables in growbags is also taking off for gardeners with limited space. Growbags utilise height in the garden where traditionally it hasn't been used for producing foodstuffs.


• Container Vegetables - growing vegetables in containers has been popularised by high-density dwellers because they just don't have the soil available to plant their own veggies. Containers can be just as successful but often are more laborious than traditional vegetable gardens.


• Indoor Vegetable Garden - growing veggies indoors is getting some attention of late especially for cold-climate gardeners who don't get many warm months and where snow or frosts are climatic problems.


• Allotments - the final alternative, allotments, are great for people with no garden space at all. These are usually allotted to gardeners as part of a community plot and allow gardeners to grow their own produce or share with others in the same plot.

The WHEN to Vegetable Garden

When to plant, grow and harvest vegetables is the most common question I field via this blog so I have produced this document - Veggie Gardening Plan.pdf [PDF] - for you to download or refer to as, and when, you need it.

While each climate and gardening zone around the globe differs, this is just a general guide to help you consider times when these veggies are most likely to produce in you vegetable garden. You may find that each of the three phases may differ for your specific region with extended, or shortened, periods for each.

The WHY of Vegetable Gardens

• Cheap - the obvious reason many turn to growing their own vegetables is to save money. Plus, once your vegetable garden is flourishing you can collect your own seeds for future seasons and it becomes even cheaper.
• Healthier for you and your family - after linking to this list of Vegetables that MUST be organic it highlighted for me that buying produce from the grocers was certainly going to have some implications on my health and that of my family. Therefore, growing my own produce I can rest assured knowing that they have never been contaminated with inorganic pesticides and growth hormones.

  Growing vegetables can also be good for your body physically as it is quite a laborious activity.



• Environmental benefits - these can't be applauded enough. Growing your own veggies adds to the environment where mass-grown vegetables always subtract. There are less pesticides, herbicides, inorganic fertilisers and water consumption can usually be reduced too.

So there you have it. If you don't already have a vegetable garden of some sort then it's definitely time to get out there and start one.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

Garlic is usually considered in the same moment coupled with halitosis - smelly breath. In fact, in most conversations that centre around this wonderful vegetable/herb, bad breath will most certainly be raised as a reason for its distaste. Yet there are so many other uses of this distinctive plant.

Culinary Uses

1. Infused oils - garlic oil is so easy to make yet it is such an amazing resource to have in the kitchen. Peel 2-3 cloves, pressing them gently against the back of your knife on a chopping board to release their flavour, and drop them into a small glass jar with about 500ml of extra virgin olive oil.


2. Garlic bread - it's incredible how popular this item is in restaurants and kitchens all over the world. All it takes is some pre-softened butter with a few crushed cloves of garlic, lemon juice and finely chopped parsley and you're onto a winner. Spread it onto some bread and throw it in the oven or on a char griller and in moments you will have a delicious entree.


3. Flavouring for sauces and dishes - there aren't too many dishes that can't accept garlic as a flavour enhancer. Pasta, roasts, casseroles and their accompanying sauces can all lift with the addition of this herb.

Garlic for Health
4. Acne problems - supposedly, rubbing your skin with cloves off garlic can reduce pimples and acne problems.


5. Regulate blood - it has also been shown that regular intakes of garlic can regulate the blood helping to improve coronary issues


6. Ward off and fight the common cold - while it's never actually been proven, there are certainly enough 'old-wives -tales' to consider at least trying it.

Garlic as a Decoration
7. Braiding - braided garlic hanging in your kitchen is such a great ornament - and useful too. Here's a post on how to braid garlic.

Planting Garlic
8. Companion planting - obviously garlic is best when it's in the garden and it excels when used as a companion plant for roses and other vegetables.


9. Growing garlic as a vegetable/herb - here's a post on planting garlic

Garlic Sprays
10. Organic pesticides - garlic's natural repelling tendencies leans itself to being a great pesticide that you make at home. Here's a recipe that you can use in your own garden.


11. Insect repellants - the above link also offers some ideas for how to use garlic as an insect repellant to spray on yourself and your family and pets.

De-Ice Roads
12. Melting snow and ice - mixed with salt, garlic can be used as powerful de-icer

Aphrodisiac?
13. Improve your love life - while halitosis and odorous sweat glands are worth considering when conusing too much garlic, tests in rats have proven to increase testosterone levels so maybe there is some correlation with garlic and your love life.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

Growing herbs is by far one of the easiest aspects of gardening that you can enjoy. They're very forgiving, need little to nil TLC and produce far beyond what you could hope for. Until you try growing them indoors. Then they become wimpy, whining little plants that throw a tantrum the moment you ignore their pleas.

They lean towards the greater outdoors like a cat waiting to be let out but if you give in and take them outside they'll cry to be let back in. Aaargh! Can there be any level of success in growing these plants inside your home?

Sure there can be. Yet, I guess the most important consideration for growing herbs indoors successfully is that they require more of you when grown inside. The set-and-forget mentality with outdoor herbs just won't work and if it does then the results are more spasmodic than reliable.

Here are the some considerations for growing herbs indoors, in order of relevance;

1. They need a light source - sunlight is by far the cheapest form of light for your herbs but they can grow just as well under grow lights. If you opt for sunlight then finding a location within your house where they can access between 4-6 hours of sunlight per day is recommended. For those living north of the equator, a south facing window is ideal while the obverse is a northern aspect in the southern hemisphere.
2. Water less - when growing herbs inside they don't suffer from the effects of evaporation quite as much as their outdoor counterparts. Overwatering is the main culprit for the demise of indoor herbs as plants struggle to deal with the excess moisture and problems associated with it.
3. Keep them away from draughts - most herbs are fragile in their structure so extreme weather changes will affect them adversely. Therefore, keep them away from doors that are open and shut constantly or windows where draughts are unstoppable.
4. Feeding - your indoor herbs will require more nutrient than when growing outside because they have much more to contend with. Feed them with a foliar spray fertiliser every 4-6 weeks at least and if you're using them regularly then increase this to 2-3 weeks
5. Use with restraint - indoor herbs don't have the same growth rate or ability to bounce back like they did when they were growing in your garden beds so don't over use them. Always cut from the edges and leave a good deal of growing material so that the plant is able to continue growing. If you require more herbs then grow more.

So, now that you have all this sorted and feel ready to embark on growing herbs indoors again, the next question becomes which herbs grow well inside? Here a few to get you started;

• Chives - Allium schoenoprasum
• Marjoram - Origanum majorana
• Oregano - Origanum vulgarie
• Coriander - Coriandrum sativum
• Thyme - Thymus sp.
• Tarragon - Artemisia dracunculus
• Chervil - Anthriscus cerefolium
• Parsley - Petroselinum sp.
• Valerian - Valeriana officinalis
• Mint - Mentha sp.
• Roman Chamomile - Chamaemelum nobile
• Borage - Borago officinalis

Most gardeners grow herbs indoors for their culinary value but growing herbs for their aesthetics and medicinal purposes are equally as worthwhile.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

Growing potatoes in your garden - doesn't necessarily have to be within the confines of a predetermined 'veggie patch' - should be counted as one of life's joys. The reasons are clear: dig one spud into the ground and get five or six back. Obviously this depends on many variables, including the type of potato, but your yields will far outstrip your initial investment. This is what makes them one of the greatest, and easiest, vegetables to grow.

I've tried a few different methods to grow potatoes but have found that the heaping system is far more efficient for the home garden than any other. It's efficient because it makes use of vertical space rather than letting your potato plants take over valuable square metres. Plus, this system is much safer from predators enabling you to enjoy more of the harvest than sharing it with the local fauna.

The idea works by increasing the height of the soil, or plant medium, as the potato foliage begins to grow. This means that you will need to start with some type of container. While some gardeners use pots, others are reusing car tyres and still another idea is to use a cage fence, like chicken wire, supported in a workable circle. What you use really doesn't matter so long as it can support the weight of the potatoes as they grow and the aesthetics don't bother you. If they do, stick with a pot.

How to start growing potatoes?

Start your potato pile with a layer of potting mix or well-rotted composted. Then add some seed potatoes, preferably certified organic, and then cover with another layer of compost/ potting mix. Cover this with some pea straw, a handful of bonemeal (blood and bone) and finally a layer of well-rotted manure - sheep manure is probably best. Then, water in well and leave to grow.

You will want to water these at least every second day, and every day during the hotter months. Within 2-3 weeks you will start to see the foliage emerge from the midst of the heap and continue to grow. As this happens, it will require new layers to be built around the stems enabling the plant to grow much larger.

The key to making this successful is to NOT cover the whole plant. Sure, it was covered when it first started it's journey from the seed potato but now that it has seen the light of day, there's no going back. If you do cover it up completely, the foliage will succumb to rot and the plant will die.

When can I dig up my potatoes?

Here's the good news: you don't have to DIG them up. Because you've been growing them vertically the harvest process is simply removing the confinement which held them and then letting gravity help you sift through them. Removing tyres filled with soil is obviously a little harder than peeling away a piece of wire but if you run a spade around the rim lifting it off shouldn't be too much of a challenge.

Depending on your type of potato, harvest should occur anywhere between 3-5 months and the longer you leave them the greater chance the spuds will be larger and mature.

Which is the best season to grow potatoes?

Obviously the winter months when you are most likely to get the best rainfall prove to be the better growing times. However, if you live in a location with mild summers and water availability is not scarce then there is no reason why a second crop can't be grown mid-spring and throughout the early hotter months.

How should I store my harvested potatoes?

Like most tubers, potatoes detest moisture so after washing them you will need to dry them completely and then store them in a dry, airy place until required.

Regardless of popular opinion, keeping some potatoes aside for next season's seed is a good idea. While most producers of seed potato would have us shake in fear over such a suggestion for the most part potatoes can grow quite well without being certified. Obviously this will require some trialling unless you can source some quality heirloom varieties but they should still grow well in years to come.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (8)

If you were given twenty seconds to list 5 herbs it's guaranteed that thyme would make the draft. Quite possibly, it would even head the list. Yet it seems to be one herb that many gardeners don't bother with.

We're all replacing our common flavourings with coriander, gingers, Vietnamese mint and Kaffir Lime trees. The eternal herbs that our mums may have dabbled in - marjoram, thyme, parsley and perhaps oregano - have all had to take a back step. Asian is the new gardening and cooking 'black'.

But few herbs have the versatility that thyme enjoys. Asian herbs, while presently the flavour of the month, are somewhat limited - they don't work in Italian dishes and seem rudely out of place in your favourite Moussaka. But time-honoured thyme could lethargically handle itself in any dish.

And, amazingly, the kitchen is not the only place that thyme presents well.

I'm constantly intrigued by gardeners who don't have at least one variety of thyme growing in their gardens. For me, it's a no-brainer. This plant MUST be in my garden. In fact, I could almost build my entire garden around it and still feel like I haven't paid it enough homage.

How can an herb this good, be so versatile?

I guess the biggest let-down for thyme is its phlegmatic subtlety. If it were more vivacious like coriander or basil then gardeners would be falling over themselves to get some in the ground. Yet, its weakness actually proves to be its strength.

During my cooking days, our kitchens would always be filled with pots of thyme or bags of it would line the coolrooms. It would make its way into stocks, soups, marinades, pasta dishes, casseroles, and even desserts. There didn't seem to be a dish where thyme wasn't required and it made salt and pepper appear as distant orphans.

Thyme varieties

Common (or French) thyme, Thymus vulgaris, was the dominate flavour but lemon thyme, Thymus x citriodorus came a close second. Then, if we felt adventurous we would play with caraway thyme or any of the other oddly flavoured thymes that would enter and exit the fastidiously, trendy industry that cooking was, and still is.

And then there were the thymes that had no culinary benefit and were purely for the garden. Creeping thyme, the prostrate ground cover that works great in pathways or along the edge of perennial borders, or woolly thyme, another groundcover barely growing more than 1cm high.

Most thymes are prostrate but even those that do form shrub status fail to get higher than 40cm.

How to grow and care for Thyme

Thyme by name and time by nature. They're not blindingly fast-growers but given the right conditions they can be matured within two or three seasons. Thyme is a perennial plant and like most herbs prefers a well-draining soil with at least 4-6 hours of sun per day. However, due to their prostrate growing habit they can mix it with the best of them in part-shade conditions and have even been known to survive completely dappled shade environments.

Fertilise thyme at the start of spring and again at the end of summer. They aren't completely dependent on much water but they aren't classified as drought-tolerant plants either.

If they're culinary varieties and you use them often in the kitchen, then pruning shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise, trim any dead stems and reduce any excessive foliage. They don't require much pruning and it's more about shape than plant management.

Propagating Thyme

The main method of cultivating new plants is via division. Creeping thymes will often set down their own roots as they spread so these can easily be cut to form new plants. For those wanting a little more of a challenge, then softwood cuttings taken at the end of spring or hardwood cuttings in late autumn are another option.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink

Some of the excuses I often catch myself using, when it comes to growing vegetables in my garden, is that (1) I haven't prepared my veggie patch yet, and (2) there doesn't seem to be that many vegetables to grow.

Well the first lame-duck excuse can be overcome by getting my gluteus maximus into gear and tilling some soil. For those who struggle with physical labour you still don't have an excuse for you could easily start a no-dig garden or even begin straw bale gardening. There are quite a few options available to those who are unable to create traditional soil vegetable gardens.

However, it was the second one that got me beat. Perusing the seed packet aisles is an exercise in regressive optimism. One could easily conclude that the Vegetable Growers Association were conspiring against the home gardener and in bed with the large box stores. Their options for the DIY vegetable grower are ordinary, at best.

So, I decided to remedy the situation and create my own list of vegetables that I could grow in my garden. And here's the list according to their families.

1. Alliums
Alliums are great for home gardeners because they range from those that require basic gardening skills up to those with a little more patience. Most of them can be grown year-round or if not, they can be interchanged with others than can.

• Chinese Chives
• Chives
• Garlic
• Italian Red Onion
• Japanese Bunching Onions
• Leeks
• Pickling Onions
• Shallots
• Spanish Red Onion
• Spring Onions/ Scallions
• White Salad Onion


2. Brassicas
Brassicas is the family of vegetables that kids hate. There's an old joke that goes, "What's the difference between broccoli and snot?" A: It's harder to get kids to eat broccoli. Yet while they may not have the greatest publicity campaign surrounding them, they are essentially the great bulk veggies.

• Aburana
• Bok choy
• Broccoli / Calabrese
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cabbage - White/ Green/ Red/ Roundhead
• Cauliflower - Romanesque
• Chinese Cabbage
• Collards
• Flowering Cabbage
• Globe Artichokes
• Kale
• Kohlrabi - Green & Purple
• Napa Cabbage
• Pak-Choi
• Pe-Tsai
• Savoy Cabbage
• Spring Greens
• Tatsoi


3. Cucurbits
Cucurbits are the squashes, gourds and cucumbers that grow well in our summer veggie patches. They all grow on vines which can meander through our gardens tempting the pollinators with their bright blooms. If you're looking to grow vegetables that can take up a large amount of room in a short space of time, then cucurbits are your answer.

• Acorn Squash
• Bottle Gourd
• Butternut Pumpkin
• Champagne Melon
• Courgette
• Custard Squash
• Dill Pickle
• Golden Nugget Squash
• Honey Dew Melon
• Hot-House Cucumber
• Ironbark Pumpkin
• Japanese Pumpkin
• Lebanese Cucumber
• Luffa
• Marrow
• Minikin Pumpkin
• Ridge Cucumber
• Rockmelon
• Snake Squash
• Spaghetti Squash
• Striped Marrow
• Watermelon
• West Indian Pumpkin
• Zucchini


4. Legumes
The vegan's staple, legumes are great veggies for adding height in your garden. From corn and maize with their tall trunks to those that need trellising, legumes can add more than just their edibility.

• Bean Sprouts
• Borlotti Beans
• Butter Beans
• Chick Peas
• Fava Bean/ Broad Bean
• French Bean
• Garden Pea
• Haricot Beans
• Lentils
• Maize
• Monguete
• Mung Beans
• Okra
• Red Kidney Beans
• Runner Bean
• Snake Beans
• Snow Peas/ Mange Tout
• Soybeans
• Sugarsnap Peas
• Sweetcorn


5. Mescluns
Looking for some salad that looks fresher than the supermarket's wares. Try growing your own. There are so many easy to grow lettuces, and leaf vegetables that you can easily become addicted to producing these ready-to-eat delicacies.

• Bulls Blood
• Butterhead Lettuce
• Chicory/ Endive
• Coral Lettuce - Green/ Red
• Cos/ Romaine Lettuce
• Frizzmo
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Krispy
• Mizuna
• Naples Cos
• Oakleaf Lettuce
• Radiccio
• Rainbow Chard
• Rocket
• Silverbeet
• Snow Pea Sprouts
• Sorrel
• Spinach
• Watercress
• Witlof


6. Solanaceae
The summer vegetables always make a great addition to the garden when the seasons warm up. If you haven't grown tomatoes yet (one of the most common and easiest vegetables/fruits to grow) then your title as a gardener is seriously in doubt. Every season there seems to be a new variety making its mark so finding one that suits your needs should be easier than herding a hungry dog into a meat truck.

• Aubergines/ Eggplant
• Capsicum/ Peppers
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Chilies
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes - Hundreds of varietals
• Uchuva
• White Egpplant


7. Umbellifers
Preferring to do their growing business underground, umbellifers are another staple to your veggie patch. This list of tuber vegetables is another great reason to get into the veggie patch and most can be grown year-round.

• Beetroot
• Carrots
• Celeriac
• Jerusalem Artichoke
• Navette
• Parsnips
• Potatoes - Hundreds of varietals
• Radish
• Salsify
• Scorzonera
• Swedes/ Rutabagas
• Sweet Potato
• Turnips
• White Radish (Daikon)
• Yam

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (10)

In my past life as a chef one of my favourite ingredients was the humble clove - or two - of garlic. The piquancy of flavour could add a subtle distraction to a dish or completely overwhelm it. It's strength of character would depend on distinct nuances between varieties, seasons, growing medium and the enlarging hole in the ozone layer...okay, well maybe the ozone layer had very little to do with it.

Yet, while some factors may have less bearing when it comes to growing garlic there are others that can make or break their success. Trust me, I've had more failures than I've had successes in the garlic growing department. But each season I try to improve on what I learnt from the last. With autumn now approaching I'm psyching myself up to start the most bountiful harvest ever - now there's positive thinking in action.

While I've had success with garlic in the past, the results have been very sporadic. One bulb will be a gargantuan specimen worthy of a blue-ribbon in the local show while its neighbour appears smaller than the clove I originally planted. Obviously this is an exaggerated example, but you get my gist.

So what have I learned from years of trying to get this bulb to love my garden?

My gardening tips on growing garlic

1. Early autumn is the best time to plant - usually summer finishes and autumn races towards winter and I often find myself planting cloves on the colder end of this season. If you really want a successful harvest of this allium then the cloves NEED to be in the ground at the start of autumn when the ground still has some warmth in it.


2. The soil needs to be deliciously friable - I know, I know. All we're ever recommended to grow in is friable soil and who ever has that? Well, in the case of growing garlic it's more a necessity than a luxury. Those with clay soils will struggle equally as much as those with sandy soils. The clay soil will restrict the growth of the bulbs in the same way as they encourage bifurcation of carrots. And sandy soils just won't be able to retain the moisture or nutrients that these precocious vegetables demand.

   If you want to grow a good crop of garlic then your soil needs to be a welcoming mat. They love a soil that is slightly on the acidic side so pouring compost and manures into your bed before planting will please them beyond imagination.
   

3. Keep the soil moist - if your autumn and winters are fairly dry then keeping some irrigation on your young bulbs will prove invaluable. Otherwise, you might just want to mulch the beds. They don't need heaps of water but they don't appreciate drying out either.


4. Source quality bulbs for planting - most often you can buy bulbs of garlic to grow straight from the supermarket. However, increasingly it seems that many producers are spraying bulbs with growth inhibitors to protect their stock. Your best source for quality bulbs would be from someone who has already grown their own from a past season or from organic producers.


5. Plant the cloves the right way up! - like any other bulb, if it's planted incorrectly they will never see the light of day - literally. The base of each clove should be pointing downwards while its peak should face the sun. Fairly obvious, one would assume, but the number of people who ask the question illustrates the need to make the point.

Once your cloves are in the ground you can easily engage the set-and-forget mindset. They will mostly take care of themselves and apart from a side dressing off liquid fertiliser once the foliage begins to show, they won't need much more attention.

Then in late spring, when the leaves begin to die down you can begin to harvest these wonderful veggies leaving them to dry out in the sun before storing. And the best way to store garlic is by braiding and hanging.

Here's a toast to a bountiful harvest of your own home grown garlic.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (7)

We've all seen Vegiforms and how much fun they can be in the veggie patch. But it seems that a few chefs - with a little too much time on their hands - have come up with their own creations.

The real charm is that until these vegetables came in from the garden they were just your average caspicums, pak choy and cauliflowers. It boggles the mind what dinner might look like tonight, doesn't it?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink

Forget your Delawares, Nadines and Red Pontiacs, when it comes to mashed potatoes there are far better varieties to grow.

The humble spud has come a long way since the Depression years and the ensuing one-size-fits-all-50's. While the staple Delaware is still one of the most convenient types found at the grocers - and unfortunately still the most popular seed potato found in nurseries across the globe - it is losing market share to better varieties.

The difference with growing vegetables as opposed to growing plants for their flower or foliage properties, is that their appeal extends past their growing season in the garden. Therefore, gardeners need to take more characteristics into account when considering the end purpose. There is no use growing a vegetable that you find distasteful and end up adding to the compost heap. If you're going to grow them then it may be preferable to grow ones you like to eat.

And when it comes to potatoes I can't go past a good plate of mashed spuds. Creamy, fleshy, not too starchy and melt in the mouth sensations won't be the experiences you enjoy if you've just harvested a season's worth of general-purpose potatoes.

So which ones should you be growing if you're a mashed potato lover? Here's some you can start with;

• UK Gardeners - Golden Wonder, British Queen, Maris Piper, Edzell Blue, Shetland Black.
• US Gardeners - Maris Piper, Caribe, Irish Cobbler, Carola, Purple Chief.
• Australian Gardeners - Mondial, Royal Blue, Coliban, Toolangi Delight, Desiree.
• Canadian Gardeners - Russet Burbank, Century Russet, Goldrush, Shepody.

Once you've decided which spuds you're going to grow for some decent mashed potatoes the next step is to get some in the ground. The logical step is to prepare some soil and dig them in mounding the soil as they commence their growth.

Or you could do it the cheat's way and follow Bare Bones' instructions on growing potatoes in a no-dig garden.

Now, just because I've discussed the merits of some great mashing varieties it doesn't mean that the spuds you plant will be good for everything. And this is the reason why general-purpose potatoes like Delawares and Nadines have kept their appeal.

If you decide to plant some potatoes specifically for mashing then you may also need to plant some other variety crops for other cooking methods. There are spuds that are great for frying but useless for mashing and potatoes that are great for baking but are less than desirable in the mashing department.

If potatoes are on your vegetable to-do list, decide to grow a few different varieties. That way you'll have some to enjoy mashed, baked, fried or any other method you choose.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

We're creatures of comfort when it comes to growing vegetables in our gardens. The perennial favourites; tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces and cabbage always get a guernsey and the only time we move outside of our preferences is when we experiment with a new variety.

Yet we rarely try a new species. Why is that? Is it because we have no idea what to do with some vegetables? Or, maybe we don't like eating them and therefore won't grow them in favour of our taste buds. Perhaps it has more to do with economics - limited space = demand = supply.

Whatever the reason, kohlrabi is one of the least preferred vegetables to take up space in our veggie patch. Over the past week I've had a poll asking gardeners: Which vegetable WOULDN'T you grow in your vegie patch? And the big winner is...

In fact, pollsters granted okra a better chance to make it into their veggie patches than the humble kohlrabi. It seems this alien looking vegetable either needs a better PR officer or gardeners just really don't appreciate it.

What does Kohlrabi have going for it?

Lots, really. Its colour and shape alone set it apart as one of those gourmet type vegetables that could rival the celeriac and multicoloured silverbeet. From a purely aesthetic purpose they should be a welcome addition to any garden.

Apart from kohlrabi's debonair good looks it's also a great tasting vegetable. Similar to a turnip its flavour is much milder and sweeter and can be substituted in many recipes that require turnips.

How to grow kohlrabi

While kohlrabi may share some similarities with turnips their growing pattern differs completely. Turnips, although a member of the Brassica family, are a root vegetable while Kohlrabi enjoys the sun and grows above ground.

They prefer a typically well-drained soil so if you're gardening in areas prone to clay you may want to lift them above ground level and feed with organic matter. While the leaves may attract snails and slugs they're not the essential part - although can still be eaten as greens - of the vegetable while the ball-shaped fruit is almost pest-resistant.

Kohlrabi are a spring vegetable but they can be sown throughout spring and into early summer and take about 6-8 weeks to harvest.

If you're willing to try something new in your veggie patch, kohlrabi could be a different option.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

Kim from A Study in Contrasts has just started a meme titled NIMG: Not In My Garden. Basically, it's provided the opportunity for gardeners to air their dislikes and mention the plants, features and gardening items that would never surface in THEIR garden.

As I've never been backward in sharing what I do or don't like in my garden - here are the items that are DNIMG:(Definitely) Not In My Garden:

1. Garden Gnomes


2. Gazing Balls, and


3. My 5 Most Hated Plants

I thought I would instead ask the question: What Vegetable WOULDN'T you grow? Sure, we all rave about the ones we would. We share our joys, successes and display photos like a grandma with pics of the ankle-biters.

But, are there any vegetables that you would file in the NIMVP (Not in my Vegetable Patch) cabinet?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

If you're wondering what to do with all those tomatoes that are ripening quicker than a bride's cheeks on her wedding night then you might find this guest post that I wrote about sun-drying tomatoes at Tomato Casual, helpful.

Drying tomatoes is the most satisfying way of storing this abundant fruit and it's so respected as a gourmet delicacy. After writing the article, I noticed that Colleen had also written her own post on drying these gorgeous fruits. Colleen's tips are very helpful for those who don't get copious amounts of sun and don't want to risk losing their produce.

If you've never tried drying your own, then there's no time like the present to start.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

Fortunately, another weekend has arrived. And with it comes more time in the garden and hours to wittle away enjoying my favourite hobby.

But as the sun sets on another productive Saturday my mind begins to caress the stay-in-with-a-video notion. The muscles are sore, but not nearly as sore if I hadn't warmed up with some stretching exercises first, and I feel a sense of achievement as I scan the yard.

A warm shower, fresh-pressed PJ's and a mug of hot Milo agrees with my earlier idea of a lazy evening. The one thing that's missing - hot buttered popcorn.

And I get to thinking, where does Popcorn come from? much like a child whose interest is peaked on hearing that Milk comes from cows. Surely, popcorn didn't start life in those microwaveable bags!

Of course, I knew Popcorn didn't just come in bags!

In fact, it doesn't just come from your normal corn kernels either. Corn used as popping corn comes from a distinct genus - Zea mays subsp mays. Commonly known as Flint corn it is a cultivated strain and is branded under the 'Popcorn' name.

Apparently, it was first discovered by native Indian Americans and has since been bred for this very purpose.

So how do you grow Popcorn?

It's no different to growing normal corn. Plant the corn kernels out in early spring right in their growing position. Planting in blocks seems to be far more effective at pest control than growing in straight lines. Water regularly as the stalks begin to grow and increase this to daily when the cobs are in production mode.

You can tell when the corn is ready to harvest as the husk begins to dry and the hair starts to yellow and darken.

Once you've picked the cobs, pull the husks backwards and use this to hang up in a sunny, dry location. Leave them in this place until the cobs are completely dry and you can easily thumb kernels off.

Then store these kernels in a dry, cool location keeping some for next year's crop and the rest goes into the Presto Popcorn Maker (aff.). Add some melted butter, salt or cheddar cheese and suddenly that dull DVD you were watching becomes a little more palatable.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

There's an irrefutable link between chili peppers and testosterone. It seems the hotter the chili becomes the greater the level of testosterone required to consume it.

It was never a rare occurrence during my school years to hear or witness the new boy being dared to bite into a jalapeno. Then the challengers would be marched into the Principal's office as the poor newbie was quickly dashed to the nurse's room, or hospital if it were really bad.

And that was just a jalapeno.

I can see you're already rolling your eyes imagining the excruciating heat emitted from one of these . But, when you compare a jalapeno to the recently recorded World's Hottest Chili, the 'Ghost Chili', its heat is more tepid than acute.

The heat of a chili pepper is measured in Scoville Units derived from the content of capsaicin found in the pepper. While the jalapeno is no small-fry measuring a respectable 2,500-10,000 units it is completely overshadowed by the bhut jolokia - "Ghost chili" at more than 1million Scoville units.

The jalapeno is not even in the same class.

So while most of us home gardeners will never get to grow the bhut jolokia, and most are happy not to, there are ways to make your chili plants produce hotter peppers.

1. Stressing your chili plant by denying it of its preferred watering requirements, or by overwatering the plant will ensure that the capsaicin levels increase.
2. Timing your chilies to mature in the hottest part of their growing season will also increase the pungency of the peppers. If the chilies ripen as the season begins to cool you aren't likely to enjoy their increased 'hot-ness'.
3. After the fruit has begun to set, deprive the plants of any more added nitrogen. Adding nitrogen will reduce the capsaicin levels but it will make them sweeter if that is your desired result.
4. Remove up to half of the flowers and fruits that begin to set. This will force the plant to put its effort into producing better quality peppers than relying on reproduction via quantity.

If you just plan to grow healthy chili peppers and aren't interested increasing the heat levels then make sure they're grown in well-drained soil, with mostly full-sun and continue to water as the plant shows signs of stress.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

Imagine this: Your crop of garlic has exceeded your wildest expectations and while you hoped there was a chance of storing a few in the pantry, it appears that you may end up giving a few bulbs away.

However, while generously donating neighbours and friends a bag of loose garlic may certainly impress, consider how delightfully amazed they would be if you also braided them to hang in their kitchen.

You've probably seen those still-life photos of rustic European kitchens with garlic bulbs dangling against the wall or suspended from a drying rack. But, you've never quite known how they managed to entwine them, dismally watching your attempts fall out one by one as gravity inflicts its pain.

I'm speaking from experience here.

So, I was keen to find out how to braid my own garlic when I stumbled across this definitive article by Bloomingfields Farm. It has a step-by-step illustrated tutorial on how to put these things together.

The challenge: if you can understand what happens to Garlic Top 2 in Illustration D then you've made it - the rest is a cinch.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

My parents always warned me that I should eat my brussel sprouts. If I did then I would increase the chances of growing hairs on my chest. I obviously didn't eat enough. But, here's one guy who obviously got carried away.

Brussel sprouts should come with clear warnings!!

I took much of what my parents said about vegetables as gospel - until I turned 5. Then I started to realise that broccoli wasn't going to make my hair curly (like I wanted curly hair anyway), brussel sprouts had no effect on body hair and pumpkin wasn't going to make me immune toward a current strain of influenza.

Apart from the paternal myths, I was always told that vegetables were good for me. "Good for what?" is what I needed to know.

Here's a list of vegetables and the body parts that they can improve;

Asparagus

Apart from the many vitamins that asparagus contain it also provides our body with a carbohydrate called inulin. Inulin can't be digested while eating so it forces the digestive tract to deal with it and therefore improves its performance.

Broccoli

The mother lode of nutritious vegetables, broccoli is the best for improving your colon. You're probably wondering whether that's an area you really want to enhance but if you can avoid undergoing a colonoscopy in your lifetime then it's a vegetable worth serving up regularly.

Brussel Sprouts

Those little cabbages actually do have some benefits. In fact, they're supposedly beneficial in reducing many forms of cancer but moreso against your colon and your liver.

Cabbage

Cabbage is going to help your mind. It's actually been found to help prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Carrots

High in Vitamins A, K and C, carrots are the 'go to' vegetable for improving your eyes. Vitamin A is essential in maintaining good eyesight. However, if you're completely blind then stuffing yourself with carrots in the hope that they will improve your eyesight is a waste of time. Carrots will only help maintain good vision, not increase it.

Eat too many though and your skin will take on an orange tinge due to the excess beta-carotene. At least you'll have a good excuse if you overdo the spray-on tan.

Daikon

The strong flavour of daikons (Chinese radish) are great for preventing and healing sore throats and can be attributed as a diuretic for those who need some extra maintenance on the plumbing system.

Eggplant (Aubergine)

This incredible vegetable is great for your heart and fighting coronary diseases. However, if you're going to cook it in oil use extra virgin olive oil so that you don't waste it's health benefits.

Fennel

If you can get over the anise flavour (you either love it or you hate it), fennel is a great vegetable in aiding digestion and looking after your stomach

Garlic

A great help for your teenage child, garlic can be rubbed raw over the skin to combat acne.

Horseradish

Got a cold or blocked nose? Horseradish is great for clearing your sinuses.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Jerusalem artichokes is a serious vegetable when it comes to dealing with your Intestinal tract. They're a good substitute of potatoes for diabetics but may increase flatulence.

Kale

Due to high levels of B6 and folate, Kale will help strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis.

Leek

Strung out? Getting testy at small things? Then it's time to introduce a few leeks into your diet to lower your blood pressure. Your family will love you for it....

Mung Beans

Also for the heart and warding off cardiovascular disease.

Nopales

Nopales are the fleshy stem from the Prickly Pear and are great for unblocking arteries.

Okra

Due to its high levels of Vitamin C, Okra is famed with helping those with breathing problems such as asthma.

Pumpkin

High in zinc means pumpkins are able to preserve your spine as a deficiency in this chemical can cause serious bone problems - especially in older men.

Rutabaga (Beetroot)

Promotes the production of seratonin in your body. Seratonin is a mood changing chemical that affects you positively.

Swedes

Swedes, like all cruciferous vegetables, contain indoles that can combat rogue oestrogens that can trigger tumour growth in the breasts and lead to breast cancer.

Turnips

Apparently, turnips are responsible for keeping your teeth clean. Skip the next dentist appointment.

Wasabi

Believed to be an antidote for food poisoning thereby saving your whole body

Yam (Sweet Potato)

Yams are high in complex carbohydrates which produce the sugars needed for the body plus provide enough nutrients so that the body doesn't become depleted. This is great news for your pancreas.

Zucchini

Not surprisingly, the zucchini is a great combatant of prostate cancer. High in manganese and Vitamin C zucchini's will even aid in urinary problems.

Sources:
Sixwise.com
SAC Food Co-op [PDF]
World's Healthiest Foods

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (10)

A few weeks ago I shared how to make an Herb Spiral in your backyard to save room and still grow all the herbs you ever wanted. And that was all good for those who a). have the time to build one, and b) who have the room to accommodate a spiral.

What about gardeners who have only have room for containers?

Well, the answer is to grow herbs in a wine barrel planter. There's enough room in one of these tubs to cater for a few of your favourite herbs plus it won't take up a large section of your backyard.

So here's how to make one;

Step 1

You will need to buy or source a half wine barrel either from your local nursery, landscaping centre or direct from a winery (if there are any close by). They're not usually to hard to come by and might be a little more expensive than a similar sized plastic pot but cheaper than an equivalent terracotta container.

Step 2

The next step is to flip the wine barrel over and drill 5 decent sized holes in the bottom. These are for drainage and will allow any excess watering to run out of the tub without swamping the roots of your plants. Try and aim for the middle of the tub rather than putting them around the edges.

Step 3

Flip the barrel back to its right side up and cover the holes with a piece of gauze or shadecloth. I've used a piece of flyscreen that was left over from another project. If possible, fold the gauze in half a couple of times and then place over the holes.

This is to allow the water to seep out without taking your potting mix with it. It will also keep the drainage holes unblocked.

Step 4

Now it's time to get your hands dirty. A normal wine barrel can hold approx. 205 litres (54 gallons) so half will hold more than 100L. Therefore, you will need about that much in volume of potting mix. These bags contained 30L each and I had to supplement them with about another 1/3 of a bag.

Before you begin adding the potting mix move your tub into it's final location. Trying to move this after it's full of soil and plants will be impossible without a trolley.

Pour the first two bags (60l) into the wine barrel. Start pouring in the third bag to bring the levels up to your plants.

Step 5

Once the potting mix is in place, it's time to start positioning your herbs. The feature of my wine barrel is a bay tree Laurus nobilis so this will take up the majority of my planter.

Place all your herbs in their positions after removing them from their nursery pots. Don't start holding them in with soil yet as you want to take your time to a) move them around until you're happy with the look and mix of foliages, flower colours etc, and b) you will need to lift them all up to a common height.

You can do this making little mounds of soil under their roots until they are all at the same height. This should be about the length of your middle finger below the rim.

Once they're all in place you can begin filling in the spaces with the remaining potting mix. Water in well using a liquid fertiliser and your planter is now complete.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

I could hazard a guess that a greater percentage of vegetarians, especially vegans, grow their own vegetables than buy them. And, if I did a quick word association game with you and mentioned the term vegetarian, what terms would flow through your mind? Soybeans? Tofu (a soy bean extract)? Bean curd?

So, why don't vegetarians grow soybeans?

I guess it all comes down to cost. Soybeans, lentils, and many other pulses are essential cereal crops in the western world. The efficiency of producing them en masse reduces their price that it becomes a futile exercise to grow them yourself.

Currently, here in Australia, potatoes and garlic are expensive items to buy in the shops so many home gardeners are growing them in their vegie patches. Carrots are a dime a dozen, and unless you really wanted to grow your own most gardeners would opt for the convenience of buying them.

And this is another reason why gardeners aren't planting soybeans - convenience. The use of soybeans in many products, including tofu, requires dried beans rather than fresh. So, after you have gone to all the effort of growing them, you then need to hang them to dry (a process that takes a few weeks - and the right conditions) before you get to use them.

Most gardeners might try this once or twice as a novelty, but when you consider the price of buying them retail you would have to be a die-hard purist to continue growing your own.

For my garden I would much rather grow food items that can be eaten fresh - snow peas, sugar snaps, runner beans, broccoli, tomatoes and capsicums. If it needs to be dried before eating then it's most likely to be cheaper and more convenient to buy.

But, what if you were still eager to grow your soybeans? How would you go about it?

How to grow soybeans

Soybeans can be grown just like any other legume. They need to be supported whilst growing and will normally take between 80-90 days to harvest from sowing. Soybeans are good for the soil and will add much needed nitrogen back making the bed fertile for later crops.

They are susceptible to frosts so it's best to sow seeds once the soil has warmed up and you should be picking by the start of summer.

They don't have to be dried once picked but can also be blanched in boiling water until the pods open up. Then store either by freezing or canning for later use.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

For gardeners living with limited space, a herb spiral may be a good method to incorporate some of your favourite herbs into the garden. It winds its way from the base into the centre perched more than a metre above ground level giving enough room to nearly all your herbs.

The herb spiral is a permaculture gardening method that uses nature to its full potential. Gravity allows the water to seep through the levels meaning that the plants at the top get full drainage while the ones at the bottom may reside in a simple bog. It also gives your herbs shady spots with varying degrees. The herbs that need full-sun can be grown in those positions while more shade loving plants can be located on the opposite side.

Here's a great resource for those needing to know which herbs to grow in a herb spiral by considering their light and watering requirements.

Another benefit of a herb spiral is the ease in which one can access the plants whether it be to pick or to plant and maintain them. The spiral doesn't take too much space and its varying heights means that you're not always bending over - much better for the knees and back.

How to build a herb spiral

Obviously, the first requirement is to choose the materials you plan to build with. I have seen these made from staggered PVC piping (100mm diameter), clay tubing and rocks and stones.

Next, drive a stake into the centre of where you plan to construct your herb spiral. Tie a piece of string (1m wide) to the centre and using a loose stake tied at the other end, mark out a circle. This will give you your base measurements and a place to start. If you're using the pipe or tubing you won't need to measure a circle this wide.

Using your chosen materials start forming a base by adding a perimeter of material and filling it with good draining soil. Continue until this base is about 30-40cm high.

Then, take the spiral from one of the sides and begin to work your way in, and up, to the centre adding materials to create a barrier and filling it with soil. Once finished it should stand about 1m high and have come to a small central planting area.

Water well and leave for a few days to settle in before planting. When the spiral seems like it won't move any further and the soil has compacted a little, it is time to begin planting.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

Crop rotation is a practice that's talked about ad nauseum in the gardening world but has the idea passed it's use by date?

It's a theory that's been utilised since the Roman Empire gaining momentum via agrarian farmers in the Middle Ages. The idea suggests that growing the same plants in the exact spot or bed they've previously been grown in will eventually deplete the soil of its fertility and increase the risk of soil-borne diseases and pests.

For the past few decades we've tried to go against conventional thinking and have resourced our gardens with a plethora of pesticides, herbacides and chemical fertilisers. These inorganic products have allowed us to grow our annual crop of tomatoes, melons and corn in the same vegie patch without ever having to rotate their positions.

And what have we achieved? Pandora's box filled with problems. It appears that our forefathers might have been right on the money with their idea of crop rotation.

So, how does crop rotation work? And, is it just a matter of moving crops each year so that they don't grow in the same beds?

There's more to crop rotation than just rotating crops. It's a mix of science and art - like most things. Rotating crops is all about trying to use each crop so that it achieves the best produce but also leaves the soil in a better condition for the next crop. For example, beans and peas add nitrogen to the soil and tomatoes and capsicums love nitrogen. So it would make sense to grow the beans prior to your crop of solaceous vegetables.

There are seven main family types of vegetables that the home grower might want to plant in their vegie patch;

1. Brassicas - Cabbage, cauliflowers, brussell sprouts, broccoli, Asian greens


2. Legumes - Beans and peas


3. Umbelliffers - Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, swedes, celeriac, turnips


4. Alliums - Onions, garlic, leeks


5. Solanaceae - Tomatoes, aubergines (eggplant), capsicum


6. Cucurbits - Cucumbers, squash, marrow, pumpkins, gourds


7. Mescluns - Lettuces, chard, kale, silverbeet, rocket

These vegetables can be grown in a number of ways and it depends primarily on the amount of space you have. Ideally it would be best to have 8 beds so that each vegetable type could grow a season in their own bed leaving one fallow for a season and then rotating them around.

However, very few home gardeners have the luxury of this much space so it takes some coordination to grow these crops and rotate them in fewer beds.

Here's a few options;

• Six bed crop rotation - Combine your Solanaceae and Cucurbits into one bed, keep the Alliums by themselves and Legumes into another. Your Brassicas and Mescluns cna be planted into yet another and your Umbellifers are kept by themselves. The sixth bed is left fallow to be planted with a green manure like clover, barley or rye grass.

  The fallow bed for the next year is the one that the Solanaceae and Cucurbits grew in. They follow the Legumes which follow the Alliums. These follow the Brassicas and they follow the Umbellifers.

• Five bed crop rotation - Combine your Solanaceae and Cucurbits into one bed, Alliums and Legumes into another, your Brassicas and Mescluns into yet another and your Umbellifers by themselves. The fifth bed is left fallow to grow a green crop and have compost added.

  The Solanaceae bed becomes the fallow one next year as they follow the Legumes and Alliums. These follow the Brassicas and they follow the Umbellifers.

• Four bed crop rotation - Combine your Solanaceae, Alliums, Cucurbits and Legumes into one bed, your Brassicas and Mescluns into another and your Umbellifers are kept by themselves. The fourth bed is left fallow and a green manure is grown.

  Your Solanaceae bed becomes the fallow one next year and these follow Brassicas while they follow the Umbellifers. The rooting vegetables get first shot at the new bed each year.

Crop rotation can be achieved without leaving a bed fallow for a whole year however it should at least be left to grow a green crop over one season and composted heavily.

Many gardeners are now divided over whether crop rotation is a worthwhile endeavour and those that disagree support the view that companion planting can solve many of the problems that rotating crops can do without the effort.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (7)

There is nothing more delicious than gardening vegetables in your own plot of soil. As soon as you harvest your vegies you can be eating them without any concern for pesticides, herbicides and any other 'cides' that may have come in contact with your fresh produce.

Not only that, they are dead simple to plant and grow and anybody can do it and achieve a good level of success. Gardening your own vegetables is even a great way to get the kids involved and introducing them to the soil, seeds and enjoying the harvest.

Mother Earth Living [Link since removed] has come up with a list of 10 best crops to grow for beginners. They're not all vegetables but we can live with that. So, while it's a great list there are a couple I thought that should have made it.

Here's Mother Earth Living's list;

1. Radishes.
2. Salad greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula and corn salad).
3. Green beans.
4. Onions.
5. Strawberries.
6. Peppers.
7. Bush zucchini.
8. Tomatoes.
9. Basil.
10. Potatoes.

and to add to this;

11. Carrots. What vegetable garden would be complete without carrots? They are extremely easy to sow and cultivate. The best tip I've seen for sowing carrots is to mix the seed with some coarse river sand in a small jar. Shake until they're well mixed and then poke a hole the size of your index finger in the lid. Slowly pour this mix along the drills that you've prepared and cover over. Too easy.

12. Sweet Potatoes If you're going to grow potatoes, then sweet potatoes aren't any harder. Cut a chunk off a shop-bought variety - ensuring that the chunk exhibits a few eyes - and plant below the surface the same as a potato. They are such a bountiful crop that you will be rewarded well for planting these.

13. Pumpkins I can't believe this list missed out pumpkins. One of the easiest crops to grow and with such a large seed it's a piece of cake to try and sow. You can even collect the seed from your own pumpkin, dry them out and plant in early spring to late summer.

14. Aubergine/ Eggplant Aubergines can be picked up as seedlings at most nurseries and planted as soon as the soil warms up. With 8-12 weeks you'll have a prolific harvest of eggplants that look great in the garden but are far better grilled and on your plate.

15. Squash Not a big favourite with most vegetable gardeners, it is still a great crop to grow - even if you end up giving the produce to your neighbours. There are so many varieties of squash available now that trying a few new ones might even change your mind about them. Plant out as seedlings at the start of spring and you'll be picking within 6-8 weeks.

Gardening vegetables can be so rewarding. Knowing how they grow and what you did to produce them is extremely satisfying. And, it should reduce your food bill.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink

Colleen from In the Garden Online has just posted a great article on 10 vegetables you can grow in the shade.

Now we all know that vegetables need sunlight to produce energy via photosynthesis. But as Colleen quite rightly points out, not all vegetables near full-sun for 24 hours (ok, I'm exaggerating!)

The list including radishes, cauliflower, broccoli and beans can all survive on less than 5 hours sun per day. So all you gardeners who have vegie patches that never see the light of day (metaphorically speaking, of course) have no excuses for tossing something in the ground and growing your own produce.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

For those who struggle getting their kids to eat vegies - the battle may finally be over.

Vegiforms are a molded plastic product that you slip over your fruit or vegetables. As they grow the vegetable is contorted into the shape of the mold and produces some crazy outcomes.

The range includes 5 basic shapes: the Garden Elf, Pickle Pusses, and Ear of Corn; and the Heart and Diamond, which yield heart and diamond shaped slices when cut.

Angela wrote about her experiment with zucchini's last year and was doubtful of their success based on her friends inability to free them from their plastic prison.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

By far one of the most invasive herbs you could ever plant is mint. Any mint. Peppermint, Chocolate Mint, Apple Mint, Common Mint, Ginger Mint or any other derivative. They will seduce you into finding a spare sod of soil and reward you almost immediately with lush green leaves and a bushy habit that tells you all is OK.

Well it's not OK. There is a more sinister plot in hand that was unleashed the moment you introduced your peppermint into the garden bed. It's a plan bent on evil and control.

Peppermint, and any other varietal, wants control of your garden. And it's not prepared to settle for only a piece of the action. It wants it all!

If you've ever grown peppermint you will know what I'm talking about. This plant hates being confined - but must!

Growing peppermint is all about rules. If you break them then you reap the consequences. If you adhere to them you will be rewarded year after year with a bounty bordering on over-abundance.

How NOT to grow peppermint

1. Never grow peppermint in a pot. It dislikes being confined and would much rather be out playing with the other plants.

2. Keep watering to a minimum. Peppermint thrives in drought areas and will wither and die if it's given too much water.

3. At the end of its growing season, never repot peppermint as it will be just as vigorous as the previous year.

4. Give peppermint lots of shade. In fact, the more shade the happier your plant will be.

If you do exactly the opposite you'll find that peppermint, and any other mint, will thrive in your garden. Just never plant it in your garden beds without a serious barrier to contain it.

The origins of Peppermint

Peppermint (and the mint family) originated from the Mediterannean regions. While all mints belong to the same family, they also include oregano, marjoram and sage except these herbs can be grown in your garden beds without fear of taking over.

The peppermint plant is a hardy perennial and can flower in pinks, whites and blues.

Its main use is culinary and is often found in desserts or herbal teas. The leaves can be crushed to excrete their oil which is often used as a flavouring or in perfume essences.

Propagating Pepppermint

Peppermint can be grown from seeds collected as the flowers dry. These can be sown in a seed-raising mix in late winter or early spring and planted out (in a container) when the plants are about 10cm tall.

You can also propagate peppermint from root cuttings and you will find this process much easier and more successful than planting from seed. Take the cutting leaving a small root ball attached and repot into a smaller container. Feed and water well.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

One of my favourite herbs to grow is borage. In fact, I would go so far as stating that I couldn't have a herb garden without borage in it.

Borage is one of those unusual herbs that suffer from an ugly ducking identity crisis. It grows alongside basil, oregano, marjoram and all the usual favourites yet it can't be used in the way that these others are. You would never finely chop some borage leaf and combine it with your pasta dish. Or take some of its leaves and infuse for an herbal tea.

No, borage is not one of those herbs.

It has it's own distinct benefits and hopefully I will convince you that it needs to be incorporated in your garden too.

The Benefits of Borage

While the leaves of the borage herb aren't exceptionally tasty and won't flavour your dish like most aromatic herbs they do have one thing going for them. Their flowers! If you've ever seen borage flowers you will understand what I mean. Fragile, star-shaped blue petals with a black spear-pointing centre make an incredible statement when they begin to bloom in late spring through early autumn.

Not only are they amazing to look at and enjoy they make a great accompaniment in salads and can even be candied to garnish desserts. They have a mild peppery flavour that adds an extra taste to your salad as well as making it look unique.

But, what about those leaves?

Can anything be done with those borage leaves? Sure. Much like comfrey and yarrow, borage leaves are a great compost activator helping to speed up the composting process.

There are many medicinal uses for borage as well. Borage's main identity in this area hinges on its use for stress relief. While the leaves aren't exceptionally tasty they can be made into a herbal tea useful for relaxation and calming. They have also been used as an infusion for mothers who are struggling to breast-feed.

Are there any other uses for Borage?

Borage seeds are also being used extensively for their oil, which also has medicinal purposes. Borage oil's characteristics have been shown to be excellent as an anti-inflammatory mediator and have been successful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. If you're looking for more facts on borage oil search here...

How to grow Borage

This is not a difficult herb to grow at all. The photo at the top of this post is all my new seedlings coming up after I pulled out last season's plants. I haven't done anything special to prepare the soil for these plants apart from regular watering. They just self-seed year after year.

Borage prefers a well-drained soil and grows well in full-sun to part-shade. It prefers a slightly acidic soil and should be treated as an annual.

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