organic vegetable gardening courses, growing tips and homegrown recipes.
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...]
Following my recent foray into pie-making, I noticed a book about the history of the pie. I might try it as I'm ready to move on from a string of illuminating English memoirs. I've nearly finished pruning the fruit trees and everything that doesn't move is mulched - including the rhubarb, broad beans and garlic. I've sown some carrot, turnip and … [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...]
It's seed ordering time. This is Romanesco broccoli. Possibly the most beautiful vegetable in the world - almost too good to eat. It's similar to its cousins broccoli and cauliflower. I found this beauty in the garden the other day having forgotten I'd planted it in the summer. It tasted nearly as good as it looked and at this time of year was … [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...]
Winter is the ideal time to plan the next season. It's inevitable some things work out better some years than others in our gardens. It's probable we know why. It's possible we have control over some of those things. Here are five things I'll do differently next year... 1. Get protection Plants are under attack from the weather, pests and … [Read more...]
