October 2016 Newsletter

Organic Gardening Tips for an Abundant Harvest

Hi and welcome to this issue of The Micro Gardener Newsletter. There are lots of tips and inspiration for your garden this month:

9 Ways to Solve Common Nasturtium Problems
Garden Design Ideas (photos to inspire you!)
Herb Tea Garden Tips
4 Ways to Reuse Corn Husks to Feed your Garden
How to Preserve Nutrients when Storing Leafy Greens
Potting Mix Guide + Moon Calendar SPECIAL OFFER
Upcoming Events
Blog articles

So tuck in! If you missed the tips in my last newsletter, CLICK HERE.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2022-10-22T11:28:21+10:00Categories: Newsletters|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Corn, Fertilisers, Leafy Greens, Nasturtiums, Nutrient-dense Food, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas|5 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.

(more…)

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

Design Tips for a Productive Kitchen Garden

Do you ever feel frustrated when pest insects damage your plants? Wish your kitchen garden was more productive? You’re not alone! Even the healthiest gardens struggle with a few ‘unwelcome visitors’ at times.

If you have limited space for your food garden, then losing precious crops, can be even more disheartening.

The good news is there are design strategies you can use to:

Maximise your space;
Minimise pest insects;
Enhance the beauty; and
Even improve some of your harvests.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2020-10-29T16:52:21+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Grow Your Own Food, Plant Selection, Problem Solving, Tips & Tricks, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Companion plants, grow your own food, how to grow, Pest management, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas, Small kitchen garden, vegetable & herb gardens|17 Comments

DIY Pallet Planter

Looking for a DIY Pallet Planter project? I’m always creating compact solutions for my garden. If you have limited time, money, space or skills you may find this easy, low-cost pallet project a simple way to make your garden functional and beautiful.

A tutorial on how to make your own vertical pallet planter

(more…)

Anne Gibson2022-05-14T11:56:15+10:00Categories: How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Repurposed Planters, Vertical Gardens|Tags: DIY, Micro gardening, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|13 Comments

4 Step Guide to Building a Herb Spiral

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.

Stone filled gabion walls are an elegant twist on this herb spiral | The Micro Gardener

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.

* [The original link to this image (via Cara-Ornamentals) is no longer available. I have no control over this & apologise for any inconvenience but you’ll find alternative resources below.]

If you like this particular design and want to learn to make the curved wire baskets, see the end of this post for videos and wire basket suppliers for Gabion Herb Spirals. These are some basic instructions for making a gabion wall or visit BlondeMafia or Garden Drum. More instructional videos for gabions are here and here. For the tutorial steps, read on!
(more…)

Anne Gibson2022-11-25T11:07:45+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Herb Gardens, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Vegetables & Herbs, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Herbs, Micro gardening, small garden design ideas, vegetable & herb gardens, Vertical gardens|28 Comments

15 Benefits of a Herb Spiral in Your Garden

Herb Spiral Design

Do you have limited sun, space or time to garden? Want a highly productive, energy efficient way to grow food? Then consider a herb spiral design in your garden. Creating a Herb Spiral close to your kitchen might be your perfect solution.

The Herb Spiral design is easily accessible from all sides: to plant, water, fertilise and harvest. This large long herb spiral has a dry microclimate at the top and a moist zone at the bottom.

What is a Herb Spiral?

The Herb Spiral is a highly productive and energy efficient, vertical garden design. You can stack plants horizontally AND vertically to maximise space. It’s a practical and attractive solution for urban gardeners. A herb spiral design is typically 1.5 – 2m (5 – 6.5ft) wide in diameter at the base and rises to 1.0 – 1.3m (3.2 – 4.2ft). The centre of the spiral is at the highest point. The spiral ramp provides a planting area large enough to fit in all your common culinary herbs.
(more…)

Anne Gibson2023-02-07T16:59:56+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Herb Gardens, Problem Solving, Vegetables & Herbs, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Beautiful gardens, Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Drainage, Herbs, Micro gardening, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|10 Comments

20 Creative Ways to Upcycle Pallets in your Garden

Inspiring Pallet DIY Garden Projects

Looking for ways to upcycle pallets? Some creative DIY pallet garden projects? Recently I repurposed 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. More of us are conscious of repurposing rather than impacting on landfill with unnecessary waste. So I thought I’d share these DIY creative ideas to upcycle 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

(more…)

Anne Gibson2022-11-25T14:40:31+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Container Ideas, Frugal Gardening, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Vertical Gardens|Tags: DIY, Pallets, repurposed planters, small garden design ideas, Vertical gardens|69 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

(more…)

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…)

Garden Design Ideas for Small Spaces

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.

It's important to use good design principles to make the most of small garden spaces. | The Micro Gardener

Sometimes it just takes a little inspiration to make some simple but creative changes to your space.

(more…)

Anne Gibson2022-11-25T12:05:40+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Container Ideas, Hanging Baskets, Problem Solving|Tags: Clever design ideas; Tips & Tricks, Container gardening, Micro gardening, Problem Solving, small garden design ideas|19 Comments

Organic Gardening Tips for an Abundant Harvest

Herb Spiral Design

What is a Herb Spiral?

Inspiring Pallet DIY Garden Projects

Title