One of my colleagues brought into the office the other day the pumpkin ‘Galeux D’Eysines’. Bringing in veges to the office is something we often do – sharing in the bounty – but this pumpkin, instead of being shared to eat has now been adopted and adored by all! It is considered way too beautiful […]
Tags: vegetables
Posted in Organic Gardening | 7 Comments »
I recently returned from a lovely holiday in New Zealand. I stayed with my Aunt for some of the time and travelled the glorious East and West coast of the North Island – I was really overcome at times at the amazing beauty of the place. What I wanted to share from my journey was, […]
Tags: container gardening, flowers, herbs, vegetables
Posted in Organic Gardening | 2 Comments »
I’ve got several pre-fabricated raised beds in my garden – the ‘tank’ type – and having used them for a few years, have got an idea of the good and bad points of this type of gardening. Here they are! Pros Saves your back: A 70 cm high raised bed brings the growing medium’s surface […]
Tags: container gardening, herbs, organic, pest control, vegetables
Posted in Organic Gardening | 16 Comments »
I can’t remember where my first plant of Warrigal Greens. It spread wide in a mat, self-sowed, was unfazed by the hottest summer and always seemed to be available. Moving north to the subtropics I discovered it really disliked humidity and even though it self-sows, the niche it occupies is much smaller. It tends to […]
Tags: recipe, vegetables, vegetarian
Posted in Kitchen, Organic Gardening | 13 Comments »
I have never wanted to be completely self-sufficient, partly because it would be a full-time job and in its way, quite isolating from other people. The permaculture concept of recognising and living within your bio-region has always seemed both practical and ethical, the ‘Think Global, Act Local’ idea. Supporting my local beekeeper, sourdough bread baker, cheesemaker or local […]
Tags: beans, preserves, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian
Posted in Kitchen | 7 Comments »
It is very early spring here, not by the calendar but instead by the blossoming of the stone fruit. I know there is a risk of a late frost, so it is still too early to plant out tomato seedlings into the garden. Instead I’m starting them from seed, using my reliable old bottom-heat propagator. […]
Tags: fruit, seed propagation, tomatoes, vegetables
Posted in Organic Gardening | No Comments »
It’s time to do winter maintenance of the asparagus bed: here’s how I did mine. My two-year-old asparagus crowns were planted in July last year in a raised bed made from sleepers. To keep the chooks and brush turkeys off the bed, we put up a frame (made from poles of an old three-man tent) […]
Tags: asparagus, maintenance, vegetables
Posted in Organic Gardening | 5 Comments »
Until recently I thought all rhubarb was crimson red. I once grew some rhubarb with green stems but I was too nervous to eat it. I thought it was unripe and maybe even toxic, so I bought some from the shop instead. I know better now. It turns out rhubarb can grow crimson red, or […]
Tags: fruit, health, livestock, recipe, vegetables
Posted in Kitchen, Organic Gardening | 2 Comments »
Every now and then I give a talk on organic gardening at a club or show. Afterwards I’m often approached with the question “do flowers have a place in the vegetable garden?” This is usually posed in an innocent fashion by one half of a couple, but with an obvious agenda of ‘let’s settle this […]
Tags: bees, flowers, fruit, insects, pest control, vegetables
Posted in Organic Gardening | 2 Comments »