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

The Benefits of Moon Gardening

I’d like to share a secret I use in my garden to get great results. Strong, healthy happy plants. This ‘secret weapon’ saves me a LOT of time and money. It’s moon gardening or planting by the moon!

OK, ‘moon gardening’ may sound a little strange if you’ve never heard of it before! Stay with me and I’ll reveal the secret in more detail and how YOU can use this to your advantage.

Learn the Benefits of Moon Gardening and how to work with nature’s moon cycles to boost your success

You are probably already familiar with your climate zone and are planting in the right season for your location. One easy way for you to maximise your gardening success is by working with nature’s lunar cycles. By that, I don’t mean getting outdoors with a shovel in the middle of the night! Moon planting has been practiced by farmers and gardeners who were in tune with nature’s patterns. In our busy modern world, many gardeners have lost sight of this age old science-based technique.

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Anne Gibson2023-08-24T06:27:23+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, How to Grow, Problem Solving, Tips & Tricks|Tags: how to grow, Moon gardening, planting, tips & tricks|20 Comments

How to Design Creative Vertical Gardens

Beautiful window box with potted colourful flowers - easy to care for and a stunning view from inside! Photo: Anslatadams

Many would-be gardeners have micro spaces to grow plants. Clever use of vertical structures like a feature window box with colourful flowers or edible herbs is a simple solution.

“Vertical gardening saves time and work, allowing you to spend less time tending and more time enjoying your garden.”
Derek Fell, author ‘Grow Up, Not Out, For More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space’

In Part 1, we looked at some creative vertical structures to help you grow plants ‘up’ and save space in your garden. This post inspires you with more ideas on how to use two other types of vertical structures – ones to grow down and stackable systems. (more…)

Anne Gibson2018-09-07T14:05:50+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Hanging Baskets, Problem Solving, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Micro gardening, Pots & containers, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|6 Comments

Small Garden Design Idea: Maximise Vertical Spaces

Why should you utilise this clever design idea in your garden? Because, no matter what size your garden is, I firmly believe you can improve the productivity, beauty and functionality by maximising vertical space.

What is Vertical Gardening?

Simply put, vertical gardening creatively utilises a structure to maximise the growing space and exploit the potential of both the vertical and horizontal planes. Think outside the square: 3D gardens with colour, shape and texture not just flat designs!

Traditional in-ground garden beds have very limited potential. However, growing ‘up’ or ‘down’ and ‘stacking’ techniques provide you with loads more options. (more…)

Anne Gibson2022-11-19T15:16:32+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Growing Privacy, Problem Solving, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Micro gardening, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas|2 Comments

How to Pick Herbs and Vegies for Top Crops

Have you always wanted to know the ideal time to harvest your vegetables and herbs? What about the best way to pick them without damaging the plant? This post answers both these questions and I share some tips from personal experience to help maximise your yield.

Home grown produce from our kitchen garden | The Micro Gardener

I keep a basket with scissors and a sharp knife handy for daily harvesting.

Timing – WHEN to harvest

The short answer to this is – the timing varies with each crop. However, there are some handy guidelines on what to grow when that give you a good indication approximately how long you have to wait to savour the delicious veggies and herbs you grow!

Strawberries are ready to harvest when they are full size and ripen to a dark red

Here are a few tips … (more…)

Anne Gibson2020-08-14T09:12:28+10:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Problem Solving, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, harvesting, Herbs, how to grow, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens|2 Comments

Revitalising & Re-using Old Potting Mix

Do you garden in containers? If so, revitalising old potting mix and checking your pots on a regular basis are essential routine maintenance activities for ongoing plant health. If you are starting to see problems in your plants, it’s probably time to check what they’re growing in!

This is a trouble shooting article to help you improve your potting mix and solve some common problems.

Revitalising and re-using old potting mix

Can you Reuse Old Potting Mix? If so, HOW?

One of the principles of Frugal Gardening involves RE-USING materials = less waste and reduces our footprint on the planet. It also has the added benefit of saving us money!

Bags of commercial potting mix can be quite expensive particularly if you have lots of pots. It also dries out fast and your plants suffer.

Making your own homemade potting mix make sense (and cents)! Why? Because it lasts longer, provides all your plant needs and contains no nasty chemical additives like water crystals and soil wetters. Re-using your old potting mix definitely is more satisfying, sustainable and cost-effective. (more…)

Anne Gibson2019-02-01T13:30:52+10:00Categories: Container Gardening, Frugal Gardening, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Container gardening, Frugal gardening, Potting Mix, Problem Solving, Re-potting plants|22 Comments

How to Restore Waterlogged Pot Plants

Are your plants or soil waterlogged? There are many ways this can happen, but you CAN avoid losing your precious plants!

Solutions to save your plants from drowning, disease and contamination

What is waterlogging and why does it occur?

Waterlogging occurs when the soil and root zone around plants becomes saturated. Basically, the water can’t drain away fast enough. This happens when more rain falls than the soil can absorb or evaporate into the air.

This can happen with an intense period of rainfall such as summer storms. You may live in a heavy rainfall area and have a seasonal problem. If you live on a slope with neighbouring properties above you, you literally may have water flowing through your garden.

Gardens and plants don’t only suffer from waterlogging as a result of extreme weather events. Overwatering especially in pots, poor drainage and heavy clay soils can also contribute to this problem.

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Anne Gibson2021-03-22T10:11:40+10:00Categories: Container Gardening, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Problem Solving|Tags: Anaerobic soil, Container gardening, Drainage, Re-potting plants, watering, Waterlogged pots|26 Comments

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