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Easy Guide to Growing Perfect Peas

With pretty flowers, crisp green pods, climbing tendrils and delicate leaves, peas are an attractive and delicious addition to any kitchen garden.

Best of all, every part of a pea plant is edible!

Peas are little powerhouses! They may be low in calories, but peas are packed with a surprising number of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Peas are also high in micro-nutrients, vitamins, fibre, protein and minerals that provide us with a wide range of health benefits.

Peas are annual vegetables. Best eaten raw and straight off the plant before their natural sugars turn to starch and lose their sweet flavour.

Peas are easy to grow, so are an ideal first crop for children and beginner gardeners.

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Anne Gibson2020-04-27T10:44:14+10:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, how to grow, seeds & seed saving, Tepee, vegetable & herb gardens|26 Comments

Easy Guide to Growing Microgreens

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 microgreens. You can learn how to grow microgreens – tasty, nutrient-dense ‘fast food’ – in just a few easy steps.

What are Microgreens?

With sprouts, you eat the fully germinated seed. I think of sprouts as the ‘babies’ of the plant world. A seed that bursts open with the first root and shoot(s). Whereas sprouts are seeds that germinate by being soaked and rinsed in water, microgreens are grown in seed raising media. Their roots have direct contact with a growing medium and they photosynthesize with the aid of grow lights or sunlight after germination, producing chlorophyll.

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Anne Gibson2023-02-01T06:23:52+10:00Categories: Gardens & Projects for Kids, Grow Your Own Food, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Indoor Gardens, Recipes, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, how to grow, Micro gardening, microgreens, Safe seeds, Seed germination, Seed raising mix, seedlings, sprouts|56 Comments

Guide to Growing Spring Onions

Want to grow Spring Onions (Allium fistulosum)? If you love tasty, 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 (Onion family). This includes garlic, leeks, onions and chives. You can swap them around in recipes and always have an ingredient to add flavour to whatever you’re 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! (more…)

Anne Gibson2020-09-14T18:22:54+10:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, Growing food, how to grow, vegetable & herb gardens|25 Comments

5 Step Guide to Growing Gorgeous Garlic

Do you know where your garlic comes from? One of the most important reasons for you to learn to grow garlic is: to avoid toxic chemicals and irradiation (that inhibit sprouting and extend shelf life).*

Garlic … how safe is yours to eat?

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. I started to look deeper at the source of my food. Where it came from, who grew it and how. I didn’t like what I discovered!

Garlic – Did you know?

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 travelling long distances in storage.

But if you really want to gag on your garlic, read on! 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 about irradiated foods].

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Anne Gibson2022-11-25T14:14:56+10:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, how to grow, vegetable & herb gardens|99 Comments

Fast Food! DIY Instant Veggie Garden: Part 2

After moving house sixteen times, I’ve learned to adapt my gardens to all sorts of spaces – large and small. This is a handy 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. Pots offer loads of benefits.

“Growing your own veggies is the first step to self-sufficiency.” – Clive Blazey, The Diggers Club

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Fast Food! DIY Instant Veggie Garden: Part 1

Do you want to make a quick mini garden? You can grow healthy ‘fast food’ like salad veggies and herbs in a simple box. Best of all, you can make it 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. Let’s get started!

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! An easy container garden with just a few ingredients to get started. (more…)

How to Grow & Use Nasturtiums

Have you heard the saying: “Be nasty to nasturtiums“? There seems to be some truth to this, because these low-maintenance carefree herbs thrive in a poor, dry soil without a lot of water – or work. This makes nasturtiums a plant of choice for many thrifty and busy gardeners!

How to Grow and Use Nasturtiums – Edible Flowers with Multiple Uses

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Anne Gibson2022-11-25T12:05:46+10:00Categories: Colour & Fragrance, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: Companion plants, Flowers, Herbs, how to grow, Medicinal plants|23 Comments

How to Grow More Plants for Less

Are you serious about saving money in your garden? Want to grow more plants without it costing the earth? There are some clever ways you can grow your garden for free.

Frugal gardening is about ‘thinking outside the square.’ With some basic skills and knowledge, there’s no need to spend a cent at the nursery to grow your edible or ornamental garden!

Save money by learning some simple skills, developing neighbourly connections and working with nature for an abundant garden.

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Anne Gibson2022-06-13T17:47:40+10:00Categories: Frugal Gardening, How to Grow, Tips & Tricks|Tags: Frugal gardening, how to grow, Plants for free, Propagating, seeds & seed saving|2 Comments

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 Gibson2020-11-15T12:04:26+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, How to Grow, Problem Solving, Tips & Tricks|Tags: how to grow, Moon gardening, planting, tips & tricks|20 Comments

Need Herbs in a Hurry? Grow Rocket!

Want to learn to grow rocket? The humble herb known as Rocket or Arugula is one of the easiest, fastest foods to grow. Perfect in pesto, delicious in dips … this slightly peppery green has many bonus health benefits. So dig in!

With both culinary and medicinal uses – try adding this easy-to-grow edible to your garden.

Why grow rocket?

‘Pocket Rocket’ is Packed with Incredible Health Benefits

According to Isabell Shipard in her informative book ‘How Can I Grow Herbs in My Daily Life?’ rocket is a rich source of sulforaphane. A powerful anti-cancer, anti-microbial and even anti-diabetic compound. It’s also a potent trigger for detoxifying blood and cells and helps promote production of cancer-preventative enzymes.

The fresh leaves are highly alkaline and rich in anti-oxidants.

The leaves contain phytochemicals that have protective and disease preventive properties. These include countering the carcinogenic effects of estrogen and helping protect against prostate, breast, cervical, colon and ovarian cancers, by their ability to inhibit cancer cell growth and the cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. (more…)

Anne Gibson2018-04-19T14:36:31+10:00Categories: Grow Your Own Food, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, Herbs, how to grow, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens|5 Comments

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What are Microgreens?

Garlic – Did you know?

Why grow rocket?

‘Pocket Rocket’ is Packed with Incredible Health Benefits

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