vegetable gardening courses and workshops, edible gardening tips and seasonal recipes for home-grown produce..
There's a good reason that certain salad combinations have become classics - Nicoise, Ceasar or Waldorf. They have a satisfying contrast between sweet and salty tastes, crisp and soft textures. I like my salads to include some greens, fruit, a root and a nut, seed or sprout plus a source of protein. Fat from avocado or a dressing made from olive, … [Read more...]
Here are some simple tips that I give on my courses. The next fresh food garden courses and seed sowing sessions will be in October 2012. 1. Increasing the organic matter in your soil will solve many of your gardening problems. 2. Store your seeds in an air-tight container with some silica gel to keep them dry. 3. Wrap worm farm and … [Read more...]
a very fine plymouth barred rock hen on a sunny winter's day So you think your chooks aren’t laying well? Maybe they’re not. If it’s winter, hens have got better things to do, like planning their summer holidays and catching up on some reading. It’s no time to be raising chicks. Laying eggs is a daylight sensitive business. Commercial egg … [Read more...]
Soup is a great winter lunch option - leek and potato, pumpkin or watercress are all delicious and relatively portable. They're a wonderful way to get kids to eat more vegetables, if that is your aim. I managed to scavenge a few winter salad leaves (rocket, red dandelion chicory, mibuna and a beautiful red mizuna) that the slugs and sparrows had … [Read more...]
Once your done with the top seven winter crops and more winter crops, here are six winter staples to serve stir fried, to add to soups or steam as a side dish. And then there's always coleslaw. Or pear, celery, walnut and blue cheese salad. Winter perfection. … [Read more...]
Seeds keep well for at least a couple of years, often much longer. They need a cool, consistent temperature and above all, need to be dry. Seal them in an airtight container (not a tin or cardboard box) and add some silica gel dessicant. Don't let the packets get damp. I have a plastic index card system in a plastic food storage box where I keep … [Read more...]
So how does she smell? Amazingly good since I've sprayed her with EM-A spray. An old joke I know, but Effective Micro-organisms work in chook houses, compost heaps, dirty ponds and septic tanks too. The spray contains the same active ingredients that work so well in a Bokashi bucket. I've only got one dog so it's hard to do a controlled test … [Read more...]
These miniature toetoe (chionochloa flavicans) eventually got too big to interest the rabbits. They looked lovely in the winter sunshine this week. The most useful book on New Zealand native plants for your garden I've found is the aptly named 100 Best Native Plants for New Zealand Gardens. It's recently been revised and updated into a much more … [Read more...]
Sometimes the weather isn't right for outside gardening. Sometimes you don't have access to a garden. Sometimes you want to try something new to get your kids interested in growing things. Here are three things you can grow without leaving your house. You could get your kids to help you make lemon curd too. They'll certainly help you eat … [Read more...]
Herbs are some of the most rewarding plants to grow in your garden. You transform a steaming bowl of tomato soup with a snip or two of chives. You enliven a take-away curry with a scattering of coriander. You don't need to stuff a chicken if you can roast it with half a lemon and some sprigs of thyme inside. Although many herbs tolerate some … [Read more...]
Get your winter fix of Kitchen Garden workshops at HANDMADE 2013
Plan your summer edible garden
Totally Totes
Spring workshops will start in October 2013 and will all be held at The Kitchen Garden in Ohariu Valley Wellington from 6-7.30pm. $29 per person. Get a group of six together and I'll tailor a workshop on a date and topic to suit you.
Planning your summer edible garden develop a plan to make the most of your garden time, space and energy.
Herbalicious growing and enjoying edible herbs for flavour and freshness from your garden to your plate.
Sow your winter edible garden to get your edible garden seeds sown for winter.
Composting for beginners
or for you if your composting isn't working well.
Soil Magic learn techniques to improve your soil and make your gardening easier - mulching, green manure, compost, aeration, double digging, soil testing and much, much more.
