Grocery prices have risen sharply in 2022 due to inflation, and this upwards price trend doesn’t look to be stopping any time soon. Compounded by shortages due to the pandemic and localised extreme weather events, fresh produce prices in particular are higher than ever. We’ve all seen the $12 lettuces headline, but luckily as gardeners
Asparagus is a tasty and versatile vegetable in the kitchen- you can eat it sauteed, fried, grilled, barbecued and of course fresh. There’s no wonder that asparagus is one of the worlds most famous veggies; it contains a wide range of vitamins, making it one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can possibly grow. Naturally
Like any fruiter growing in a pot, blueberries need repotting from time to time. They can be a finicky plant, and any movement or repotting has to be timed carefully. If you’re going to pot up or re-pot a blueberry plant, it should only be done during its short period of non-flowering. Depending on the variety,
Whenever I make Spatzle I think of my sweet grandmother. This German-inspired dish is something she used to make often. She wasn’t German, but lived close to the border and it was cheaper to do grocery shopping there. When she had a growing family it was a thrifty, simple & delicious dish everyone loved, so
Recently I was asked if it is possible to grow blueberries in the ground in my area, and in Australia in general. The answer is ‘yes- as long as you create the right soil for blueberries first‘. Blueberries require an acidic soil, but most natural soils in Australia are quite alkaline. This means that you’ll
Many people enjoy having their fruit trees and exotic plants in pots- and some of them require a specific acidic potting mix in order to thrive. In this article I’ll be showing you how to create an acidic potting mix that plants like blueberries, camellias and azaleas will love. Soil or potting mix ‘acidity’ refers
This recipe is nutrient dense with spinach goodness! You can use a lot of it in one dish and you can use all types of spinach for this recipe. Of course this recipe is healthy, easy and, depending on the pasta and type of cheese you use, it can be vegan and glutenfree as well.
One of the most prolific fruit trees in my orchard is a dwarf navel orange tree. It’s 35 years old (don’t ask me how I know this!) and still going strong, but like all heavy producers it needs regular maintenance to stay at its best. In this article I’m going to show you how to
Ginger is one of the worlds most useful and beneficial foods. Fragrant, tasty, and with a multitude of health-promoting qualities, it’s no wonder that ginger is expensive to buy. But it’s crazy to pay supermarket prices when you can grow your own organic ginger for so much less. I’ve been growing ginger successfully for many
Common name: cabbage white butterfly, small white, cabbage white, cabbage butterfly. Scientific name: Pieris rapae Where it is found: widespread in Europe, Asia & north Africa. Also present in Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. Scarce in desert climates. In Australia: This pest is all over Australia, but more widespread in southern areas. It was accidentally
Are your veggies shrivelling up and dying before they reach full size? Are you getting flowers but no fruit? Then you might be suffering from a lack of pollination. But there’s no need to give up on growing vegetables- you can learn to pollinate them yourself. What is Pollination? Pollination means the transfer of pollen
Mint is one of the best-known and loved herbs. It’s attractive in the garden & versatile in the kitchen, with lots of different varieties to grow and try. You can add it to all sorts of salads, meals and drinks, and even freeze it in ice cubes. But if you don’t know how to grow
Growing a plant from a cutting is one of the most important skills a gardener can learn. Whether your focus is food gardening or ornamentals, propagation via cuttings is one of the main ways we can reduce the cost of gardening and get more plants. Because seriously, what kind of gardener doesn’t want more plants?!
‘As easy as shelling peas’- well that’s how the saying goes- but is growing snow peas really that easy? Well yes, it can be easy, if you follow my 5 top tips on how to grow a ton of snow peas! Snow peas are usually grown to eat whole, and they’re remarkably similar to sugar
If you’re new to growing your veggies from seed, then you might not be familiar with seed raising pellets. Also called peat pellets, Jiffy seed starters & grow pellets, seed raising pellets are designed to make seed starting easier and more convenient for gardeners. They look like small brown discs, and are made from a
One of the best-known edible and medicinal herbs, sage has been grown for centuries in temperate areas of Europe. Part of the plant group known as salvias, common edible sage (salvia officinalis) is just one of over 900 types of sage, many of which are grown as ornamentals. This perennial herb has a reputation for
Everybody loves pancakes- I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t. But sometimes pancakes are not the healthiest food on the planet. So I added vegetables and made them gluten- and lactose free. These versatile veggie pancakes can be sweet or savoury- that’s a better batter! These pancakes have zucchini (courgette) and carrot in them.
This traditional Greek tzatziki dip is a classic! Just thinking about it transports me back to the holidays we had in the Greek islands. Tzatziki is very refreshing and this version is full of cucumber. Tzatziki dip is a natural accompaniment to Greek dishes like gyros and souvlaki. I like to use it instead of
Turmeric belongs to to the ginger plant family, and is one of the most famous foods in the world. This is due to its versatility in cooking and its medicinal qualities. I grow a ton of turmeric every year, and you can too- just follow these key points. Scientific tests have shown that turmeric stimulates
Fruit trees grown in every climate can benefit from a mulch of some description. Mulch is a layer of material (usually organic) applied to the surface of soil which looks attractive and benefits the plants it covers. Mulch adds nutrition, helps protect the root zone, limits damage done by extreme weather and makes mowing maintenance
Self Sufficient Me is a blog about self-sustainment by growing our own produce (plant/animal), and self-fulfilment by looking after our health (physical/mental) through exercise and slowing life down a little.
