Problem Solving articles – here I answer questions and help provide solutions for common garden problems.

Organic Fruit Fly Control Strategies

Fruit flies are one of the most destructive pest insects in home gardens and attack a wide range of fruit trees and fruiting crops. Many gardeners find they are the number one enemy they battle every year.

This pest insect is most active from spring through autumn and species vary in different locations. For vulnerable fruit, you need to be prepared to be vigilant and have controls in place at the right time. You really have to know your enemy to tackle it!

If you’ve experienced damage to your harvest, it can be disheartening to even try to grow your favourite fruit crop. What if managing this pest insect is all too difficult?

Organic Fruit Fly Control Strategies

If you don’t want to deal with fruit fly damage in your garden, you still have options:

1. Remove any host plants that are prone to attack.

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Anne Gibson2018-11-05T06:20:04+10:00Categories: Fruit Trees, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Fruit Fly, Pest management|1 Comment

Is PVC Plastic Safe to Use in an Organic Garden?

Are you growing food? Are you concerned about your health, avoiding chemicals and eating safe produce? Me too! Over the years, I’ve been asked many times whether PVC plastic (Polyvinyl Chloride) is safe and has a place in a food garden. You may have wondered too.

We live in a world filled with plastics and some are more harmful to our health and environment than others.

There are all sorts of uses gardeners find for PVC tubes including irrigation pipes, in wicking beds, worm farms, compost systems, rain gutter gardens and vertical tower planters. It’s understandable. PVC is cheap, widely available and an easy solution. It’s commonly used in landscaping, aquaponics, hydroponics, garden gloves and hoses too.

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Anne Gibson2020-06-29T07:22:29+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Chemicals, Plastic, PVC, Safe gardening|1 Comment

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Raising Seeds

Have you tried raising seeds but they failed to germinate successfully? It may be due to one of these five common causes.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Raising Seeds

Raising Seeds: 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Choosing Unsafe Food Seeds

Did you know the majority of seeds (non-certified organic and some heirloom and open-pollinated brands) are sprayed with fungicides? This chemical process is used to stop rodents and insects from eating the seeds during storage. GMO (genetically modified) seeds are also creeping into our food system. Read the packets carefully when buying your seeds. Look for wording like “Certified Organic” and “Non-GMO”.

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Anne Gibson2023-06-18T20:21:50+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, How to Grow, Problem Solving, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Moon gardening, Potting Mix, Problem Solving, Safe seeds, Seed raising mix, seeds & seed saving|9 Comments

Why Should You Bother Keeping a Garden Journal?

Because if you want to minimize mistakes and maximize successes and enJOYment in your garden, being observant and recording what you see is essential. Even a few brief notes in a Garden Journal can make a massive difference.

Most of us think we’ll remember what we’ve seen or done in our garden. But, time is a funny thing. It’s so easy to forget with the busyness of life, what we saw or did, and when that occurred. Where did last year go? In a flash!

Have you ever noticed holey leaf damage on a plant? Have greedy insects beaten you to it? It can be disheartening and frustrating to feel you can’t do anything about it.

But what if you knew that at a certain time each year, grasshopper eggs were going hatch?
What if you kept a record so you could put preventative controls in place to avoid that damage?
Would that be valuable?
Wouldn’t you feel a sense of satisfaction knowing what to expect and what actions to take when?

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Anne Gibson2020-01-16T11:03:00+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Garden Journal, Garden Planning & Design, Keeping garden records, Problem Solving|8 Comments

How to Prevent and Fix Leggy Seedlings

After seeds germinate, do your leggy seedlings look weak and straggly like this? Need some help?

The stems on leggy seedlings are long and thin, but there are few or very tiny leaves.

What Causes Leggy Seedlings?

‘Leggy’ seedlings typically have stretched skinny stems and look fragile. They may be bending forward rather than growing up straight with a strong stem.

If your newly germinated seedlings look like this, it may be due to one of three common causes: (more…)

Anne Gibson2021-02-18T14:00:07+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Grow Your Own Food, How to Grow, Problem Solving|Tags: how to grow, Leggy seedlings, Problem Solving, Seed germination, Seed raising, seedlings|24 Comments

9 Secrets for a Low Maintenance Easy Garden

Do you feel your garden is hard work? Too much digging, weeding, watering and fertilising? For minimal results?

The principles for doing less work, with greater rewards are simple. These are just a few of my secrets for creating an easy garden. Dig in!

Easy Garden Ideas

1. Good Design

One of the secrets to less work in your garden is thoughtful planning. You may feel overwhelmed if you aim for perfection. I spend time applying Permaculture principles to ‘design out’ potential problems. You can refine and add to your plan later.

Begin one project at a time. A simple DIY edible planter is a good place to start. Once you gain confidence, you can create the next element in your garden.

Locate your edible containers and food gardens close to your kitchen for easy access.

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Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:40:28+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Container Gardening, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Plant Selection, Problem Solving, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Container gardening, Mulch, Problem Solving, Soil, watering, Work with Nature|7 Comments

4 Steps to Improve Pollination and Your Harvests: Part 2

Do you want an abundant harvest? If so, you can improve pollination by making your garden more attractive to pollinators.

There are easy things you can do to improve pollination so you get lots more food on the table.

In Part 1 of this series, I discussed pollination problems in depth and the FIRST STEP you can take: Eliminate ALL chemicals from your garden. There’s some critically important information to be aware of in that article, so if you missed it, check out 4 Steps to Improve Pollination and Your Harvests: Part 1.

What other ways can you improve pollination and your harvests? Read on for 3 more practical steps you can take to work with nature for mutually beneficial outcomes:

Learn to hand pollinate your crops
Provide insect hotels for pollinators
Plant bee-friendly flowers

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Anne Gibson2018-09-07T09:44:56+10:00Categories: Colour & Fragrance, Grow Your Own Food, Plant Selection, Problem Solving|Tags: Bees & Pollination, Flowers, grow your own food, Habitat, Hand pollination, Insect hotels, Problem Solving, Water|20 Comments

4 Steps to Improve Pollination & Your Harvests: Part 1

Are you ever disappointed with your harvests? Ever noticed flowers and baby fruits forming only to drop, wither and die? If so, don’t despair! There ARE solutions to help improve pollination and ensure you have an abundant harvest.

4 Steps to Improve Pollination and Your Harvests: Part 1

Picking a handful of beans is rewarding, but a bucketful is better! Especially when you add up the money this saves you.

You may be happy with your current edible yields, but you can likely improve your harvest even further. One of the secrets is about give-and-take relationships in your garden.

I work with nature to get the most from my Kitchen Garden. You may have a different climate and growing season, but the principles for a productive garden are basically the same wherever you live. I hope these tips will help boost your harvest.

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Anne Gibson2021-06-28T13:45:15+10:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, Problem Solving|Tags: Bees & Pollination, Chemicals, Flowers, grow your own food, Neonicotinoids, Pesticides, Problem Solving|9 Comments

17 Garden Goals for Your Health and Wellbeing

Do you want to improve your health and wellbeing? If you want a garden that feeds your mind, body AND soul, what should you focus on? Want to avoid repeating the same mistakes from last year? Start fresh with these easy goals!

The process of setting your garden goals each year is easy, fun and rewarding.

A New Year is always a good time to look back, reflect and plan ahead. But you can do some planning at any time of year.

Setting goals can help you:

improve your health and wellbeing;
learn from your garden as you grow;
make more sustainable choices; and
find greater enjoyment.

Whether you’re a beginner gardener or experienced, there is always so much to learn. A garden is a great teacher! I call my garden ‘Nature’s Classroom.’ Every year there are new lessons and discoveries. I hope these goals will help YOU plan an edible garden you really enjoy.

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Anne Gibson2020-01-16T10:58:54+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Health and wellness, Problem Solving, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Beautiful gardens, garden plans, pollinators, sanctuary, small garden design, small garden design ideas, Soil, tools, watering|6 Comments

9 Strategies to Help Combat Common Edible Garden Problems

Having garden problems? Do you ever feel frustrated with your soil, pests or limited space? Is it too hot or windy, cold, wet or dry to grow food? If you’re having challenges growing an edible garden, it helps to have a ‘tool kit of techniques’ you can use to overcome common problems.

There are a variety of strategies you can apply to harvest from your edible garden all year round.

When the Growing Gets Tough

Here in subtropical SE Queensland, Australia, we have challenging wet and dry seasons. We often experience long months of drought. Our growing periods are not governed by a calendar with a traditional three month season like many places in the world. Spring typically only lasts a few weeks in the subtropics and summer is at least four months long! Here the hot/wet/dry months can be very challenging to grow food. Many northern hemisphere gardeners look forward to warm summers as a prime growing season but get frustrated with a long, cold period. So no climate is perfect!

“Extreme temperatures, high humidity, wild storms, hail, damaging winds, sudden heavy downpours, driving rain, drought and flooding are common weather issues to deal with. Not to mention pest insect population explosions. It’s no wonder many food gardeners throw their hands in the air and give up altogether!”

So what CAN you do when growing conditions are difficult?

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Anne Gibson2022-11-25T11:01:53+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Grow Your Own Food, How to Grow, Problem Solving|Tags: Benefits of container gardens, Container gardening, Crop protection, grow your own food, Indoor gardens, Pots & containers, Problem Solving, seedlings, Soil, watering, Weather|7 Comments

Previous 123 Next

Organic Fruit Fly Control Strategies

1. Remove any host plants that are prone to attack.

Raising Seeds: 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Choosing Unsafe Food Seeds

Why Should You Bother Keeping a Garden Journal?

What Causes Leggy Seedlings?

Easy Garden Ideas

1. Good Design

When the Growing Gets Tough

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