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
Inspiring Pallet Gardening Ideas
Recently I upcycled a pallet and large square wooden crate lying around a local landscaping yard into a mini garden shed for $7. I was so pleased with the result it made me consider other ways to reuse materials for my garden needs. With more of us conscious of repurposing rather than impacting on landfill with unnecessary waste, I thought I’d share these DIY creative ideas to upcycle free wood pallets. You may be amazed at the possibilities!
Cheryl has turned this hardwood pallet into a stunning vertical garden - perfect for a narrow balcony or limited space. Repeating coordinated colours works well. You can find the DIY instructions below.
“Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.” – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycling
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Tags: DIY, Pallets, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens
After moving house sixteen times, I’ve learned to adapt my gardens to all sorts of spaces – large and small. In this post, I’m sharing a list of plants I’ve found to grow well in containers plus the depth of soil they need.
Some of my edible container gardens
If you have difficult soil like sand, clay or rocks; limited space or funds, then I suggest you try growing at least some of your food in containers – they offer loads of benefits.
“Growing your own veggies is the first step to self-sufficiency.” – Clive Blazey, The Diggers Club
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Tags: Container gardening, DIY, Frugal gardening, gardens for kids, grow your own food, how to grow, Micro gardening, Pots & containers, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens
If you want fast results for little effort, then here’s an easy way to start a quick veggie (or herb) garden in a box – one you can make yourself in about 15 minutes. The bonus is you’ll be eating the rewards in just a few weeks for only a minimal investment of time AND money. Sound good?
A wide variety of seasonal herbs, veggies and flowers can be grown in micro gardens and can reap you a rich bounty of food for minimum effort.
This is a system I’ve used for years with great success and it’s so easy. Even if you’re a beginner gardener or on a budget and need a thrifty solution, this is it! Continue Reading »
Tags: Container gardening, DIY, Frugal gardening, gardens for kids, grow your own food, how to grow, Micro gardening, Pots & containers, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens
Get Hundreds of Free Workers AND an Abundant Harvest!
To help achieve balance between pests and predators, I’ve found that imitating natural ecosystems can be a useful pest management strategy in my garden.
Facilitating natural predator-pest relationships in your garden is a way to harness hundreds of free workers to help manage insect imbalances. An example is the 'aphid banquet' on the menu for this ladybird's lunch!
Whilst ‘having a relationship’ with birds, lizards, frogs and insects may not be on your To Do List, seeking a ‘win-win’ outcome by working with these creatures in your garden can help you:
- Achieve a higher crop yield (by encouraging more Pollinators); and
- Minimise insect damage to your edibles (by creating an unwritten ‘Workplace Agreement’ of sorts with Pest Predators – one that offers the kind of job perks that are an incentive for them to get to work in your garden)!
I’ve learned the benefits of ‘employing’ hundreds of workers in my garden even though I don’t know them all by name – they still turn up regularly for work, never ask for a raise, are reliable in undertaking their jobs and save me hours of hard labour. In this post, I’ll share with you what my end of the agreement entails and how you can negotiate a similar arrangement at your place.
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Tags: Pest management, Problem Solving
If you’re having a tug-of-war with caterpillars over who gets a fair share of food from your edible crops, you’ll know how frustrating it can be to come off second best! As mentioned in Coping with Caterpillars – Part 1, the first step is observation and diagnosis to ‘know thine enemy’.
The next step is what intervention you choose to use to manage the situation.
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Tags: Pest management, Problem Solving
Most of the time, my garden’s thriving but sometimes the weather tips things out of balance in favour of less welcome garden guests! In our hot, humid and wet subtropical climate, this can happen more frequently than I’d like but no matter where you live, creepy caterpillars are sure to visit sometime during the year. If they start to chomp on your crops, you’ll need some strategies up your sleeve!
Extended periods of heavy rain can play havoc, creating the environment for pest populations to arrive en masse and thrive. It’s hard to inspect your garden with days of teeming rain so by the time the sun shines again, there’s sometimes a pest problem to deal with.
Do you really have a pest problem?
I have a few Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies I use to minimise insect invasions and maintain balance, so I thought I’d share how I deal with one of the most common critters – caterpillars.
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Tags: Pest management, Problem Solving
My early experiences with bagged potting mixes were not happy ones. With a sea of choices, clueless salespeople and confusing labels, I made more than one bad choice.
I fried my seedlings in what I thought from the label was 'potting mix with fertiliser' but was actually almost 100% fertiliser; starved my plants with the next bag that didn't have any food in it at all; and another bag was virtually dead dirt that wouldn't grow anything.
I got so seriously cheesed off wasting time and money with ‘dried arrangements‘ as a result, I decided to make my own mix. It had to be better than going through all that again!
Now, I try to be self-reliant and budget conscious where possible by making my own supplies. If you don’t already, give home made potting mix a go – it’s easy and saves you a whole lot of headaches!
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Tags: DIY, Frugal gardening, Potting Mix, Re-potting plants
Good design is essential for small space gardens. If you have limited room to grow as many of us do in urban areas, maximising the area you can garden in and wise plant selection are top priorities. These space saving solutions may be just what you need …
Sometimes it just takes a little inspiration to make some simple but creative changes to your space.
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Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Container gardening, Micro gardening, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas
The Urban Backyard Supermarket
“Growing your own veggies is the first step to self-sufficiency.” – Clive Blazey, The Diggers Club
Why ‘shop’ anywhere else when you can grow such a bounty in a small urban space? Today’s harvest …
A selection of veggies and herbs harvested from our kitchen garden including jap pumpkin, garlic, leek, zucchini, eggplant, shallots, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, herbs and lettuce.
Regardless of what size your balcony or garden – if it’s tiny or spacious, abundance is not only possible – it’s easy to achieve. It doesn’t cost a fortune in materials … backbreaking labour … expensive equipment … or too much time. Simple frugal gardening practices can help you save money while you grow.
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Tags: Frugal gardening, grow your own food, Small kitchen garden
