I don’t know how these accidents happened but I’ve been left to pick up the pieces (literally) … If you’ve ever been involved in any kind of outdoor project, you’ll know there are nearly always casualties – especially when you are working in confined spaces! Our renovating and landscaping projects here seem to take forever, and just when one job is finally finished, the next one on the list is looming! I hope my dilemma and discoveries will help inspire what you too can do with broken pots.
To put you in the picture, there have been multiple casualties here lately and I’m not talking about my bruised hubby falling off the ladder – his ego not his body! … No, these accidents have happened to my precious pot collections.
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Tags: Cachepot, Container gardening, DIY, Drainage, Frugal gardening, Micro gardening, Miniature gardens, Pots & containers, Problem Solving, repurposed planters, Upcycling
Second only to sprouts, Microgreens are the quickest food crop we urban gardeners can grow! If you have limited time, space or gardening skills let me introduce you to growing this tasty ‘fast food’ in just a few easy steps.
I loved all the flavours in this rainbow salad with buckwheat microgreens & sesame oil, tamari (organic soy), vinegar, olive oil + maple syrup dressing.
So … What are Microgreens?
With sprouts, you eat the fully germinated seed. Microgreens are the next stage in a plant’s development when they have developed tiny roots and their first true leaves (cotyledons) and have similar health benefits. Whereas sprouts are seeds that germinate by being soaked and rinsed in water, microgreens are grown in soil so you can add minerals to boost the nutrient value and flavour. These young seedlings are harvested smaller than baby salad leaves. Continue Reading »
Tags: grow your own food, how to grow, Micro gardening, microgreens, seedlings, sprouts
Micro Gardening in containers offers you SO many benefits but if you are a beginner or need some ideas to get started, I’ve compiled these creative projects and tutorials to inspire you – regardless of your space or budget!
I change the flowers in these bright pink gumboot planters seasonally - an easy way to upcycle outgrown boots. I also plant in my adult pairs when they split. Just drill holes in the soles! I put tiny pots into the top of this pair & they sit nicely with a clay worm as garden art.
4 Steps to a DIY Container Garden
You can make a new or repurposed planter for a herb, veggie or flower garden in just a few easy steps: Continue Reading »
Tags: Beautiful gardens, Cachepot, Container gardening, DIY, Getting started, Micro gardening, Pots & containers, repurposed planters
If you love tasty, easy-to-grow, versatile vegetables that only need minimal space and effort, then spring onions are an excellent choice! Even the tiniest plot or pot will accommodate them.
I grow all the flavoursome Alliums (the Onion family which includes garlic, leeks, onions and chives) so I can swap them around in recipes and always have an ingredient to add flavour to whatever I’m cooking. If you haven’t grown them before, or are a beginner gardener, just follow the tips in this tutorial and give them a go! Continue Reading »
Tags: grow your own food, Growing food, how to grow, vegetable & herb gardens
Have you ever ended up with ‘dried herb arrangements’ (those that died of thirst or sunburn)? Or herbs that rotted and drowned due to waterlogged roots? Whether you’re planting out a herb spiral, a pot or garden bed, I hope you enjoy my 5 Step Guide to Planting Herbs plus tips on where to plant herbs so they thrive. Understanding the kind of microclimate each herb prefers, can make all the difference to growing them successfully!
“The construct itself gives variable aspects and drainage, with sunny dry sites for oil-rich herbs such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, and moist or shaded sites for green foliage herbs such as mint, parsley, chives, and coriander.” – Bill Mollison
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Tags: Herbs, Micro gardening, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens, Vertical gardens
Want to make your own vertical herb spiral garden? This compact space saving design can be made with just a few basic steps.
Construction materials and methods vary so after deciding on the best position and gathering your materials, you can have one built the same day.
Depending on your budget and taste, herb spirals can be made very economically or be quite elaborate like this one with stone filled gabion walls.
Think of this as a typical ‘recipe’ you can follow, substituting ‘ingredients’ you have handy. If you like this particular design, here are some basic instructions for making a gabion wall or visit BlondeMafia or Garden Drum. Instructional videos for gabions are here and here. For the tutorial steps, read on!
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Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Herbs, Micro gardening, small garden design ideas, vegetable & herb gardens, Vertical gardens
If you have limited space or sun; are sick of trekking outside at night to harvest herbs by torchlight; and don’t have much time to manage your garden, then creating a Herb Spiral Garden close to your kitchen might be just the solution you need.
What is a Herb Spiral?
The Herb Spiral is a highly productive and energy efficient, vertical garden design. It allows you to stack plants to maximise space - a practical and attractive solution for urban gardeners. It is typically 1.5 – 2m (5 – 6.5ft) wide in diameter at the base, ascending to 1.0 – 1.3m (3.2 – 4.2ft), with the centre of the spiral at the highest point. The spiral ramp provides a planting area large enough to accommodate all your common culinary herbs.
The Herb Spiral is easily accessible from all sides - to plant, water, fertilise and harvest. Most importantly, it’s located conveniently close to the kitchen!
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Tags: Beautiful gardens, Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Drainage, Herbs, Micro gardening, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens
How do you label plants in your garden? Plant markers are quick and easy to make by repurposing everyday items like pebbles, bamboo skewers, corks, containers, shells, cans and even broken terracotta pots … there are loads of creative ideas and I’ve rounded up 20 low cost and decorative DIY options to inspire you to make your own.
I use labels regularly even though I can identify most plants in my patch.
My husband however … let’s just say (kindly) that he gets somewhat ‘confused’ when so many plants look similar in the garden!
This must be the explanation for why he brings in rosemary when I ask for basil (are these remotely similar??)
So if you are growing food (and are reliant on family members to pick your produce!); have UFOs (Unidentified Food Objects) in your garden; are learning to identify plants or save seeds; share an allotment; or want to avoid losing your bulbs every year, then plant labels are a must!
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Tags: DIY, Frugal gardening, Plant labels
I’m an unashamed ‘Garlicoholic’ and if you love garlic as much as I do, you may be surprised at some of the incredibly useful ways you can use this ancient herb:
3 Brilliant Ways You Can Benefit from Garlic
- In your kitchen – for its culinary uses;
- For health – and its medicinal benefits; plus
- In your garden – to help with pest & disease management!
So first up:
1. In Your Kitchen …
My Favourite Garlic Tips
- If you want to avoid ‘garlic breath’ eat a few leaves of any chlorophyll rich herb like fresh mint, parsley or basil afterwards.
- When using garlic in recipes, 1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic or ½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic.
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Tags: Companion plants, grow your own food, Herbs, Recipes, vegetable & herb gardens
Do you know where your garlic comes from? One of the most important reasons to grow your own is to avoid toxic chemicals and irradiation (that inhibit sprouting and extend shelf life).*
Garlic ... how safe to eat is yours?
A few years back I didn’t even think about the garlic I ate … but then I became interested in the story behind the food I was eating.
The majority of the world’s garlic is grown in China and is sprayed with chemicals and bleached white with chlorine during importation quarantine processes, not to mention the thousands of food miles clocked up.
But if you really want to gag on your garlic, according to the CEO of the Australian Garlic Industry Association, “some garlic growers over there (China) use raw human sewage to fertilise their crops, and I don’t believe the Australian quarantine regulations are strict enough in terms of bacteria testing on imported produce” … so you might want to think again before you reach for that perfect white bulb in your supermarket! [Learn more & download an 'Irradiation-free Food Guide' at the end of this post]
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Tags: grow your own food, how to grow, vegetable & herb gardens
