I’ve been growing pineapples for over a decade here at my home in south-east Queensland, Australia. During that time I’ve learned a lot about them- especially how easy they are to grow. In a nutshell, pineapples are low-maintenance, very hardy and have a broad growing range. They like warm weather but if you live somewhere
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and that saying proves to be true when it comes to my garden. These portable garden frames have turned out to be the best all-purpose DIY garden bed covers ever- but I kind of designed them by accident! They are essentially a drop-over portable greenhouse or
Fruit trees are a long-term step towards food security. So it makes sense that you’ll want to look after them as best you can. They can take several years to become productive though, during which time you’ll invest a lot of effort, care and energy. Painting the trunks of fruit trees is an ages-old practice
Comfrey is an herbaceous perennial herb originating in Europe. A fast-growing plant belonging to the borage family, comfrey doesn’t provide fruit yet has the widest range of uses in a permaculture system of any plant. If you’re aiming to take steps towards self-sufficiency, this is a must-have plant in your garden system. How Do I
There are literally thousands of fruit trees you can try to grow. So many, in fact, that it can be hard to narrow it down or know where to start. Whether you’re a beginner, short on space or just plain undecided, why not start with the easiest? Some fruit trees are so easy to grow
Cauliflower is amazingly versatile. You can cook, roast, bake, steam, puree and make soup out of it. You can even use it as a substitute for rice. But did you know you can also use cauliflower in sweet dishes, and as a substitute for oats? Wait, what?! Cauliflower in something sweet? You must be crazy.
I don’t think there’s a vegetable gardener in the world that doesn’t love tomatoes- and rightly so! They are one of the most tasty, versatile and all-round fabulous food plants to grow. With the main growing season coming up here in the subtropics and the northern hemisphere, it’s time to think about what to sow.
Burying things in the garden benefits your plants and soil in a number of ways. It helps the environment by reducing waste and landfill. You will save on buying fertiliser and other costly additives that improve your soil. It even reduces your carbon footprint by lowering methane emissions. Let’s have a look at 7 of
Those who have recently experienced the major flood event in southeast QLD and northern New South Wales will be reeling at best and completely devastated at worst. If you have lost it all, I offer my deepest sympathies. Our food garden is like a family member, and when something happens to it, we suffer grief
Frozen peas are good, but fresh peas are even better! The same goes for sugarsnaps. And they are so good for you too.It is one of our quickest-growing crops here in the Netherlands, and they are so yummy when eaten fresh. So when we can harvest, we do so immediately to make this pea and
Citrus are great host trees for all sort of critters- some of them beauties, some of them beasties. From the birds who swoop in on the fruit to microscopic leaf-munchers to the predators in between, citrus attracts them all. Winter tends to be something of a dormancy period for citrus. Growth slows down, water is
This carrot cake with warming spices and dried apricots is so very more-ish! There’s no need to feel guilty either; it’s vegan, gluten free and contains no refined sugars. We eat this carrot cake for breakfast, lunch and dessert! If you can make this carrot cake last for longer than one day, you have amazing
Welcome to winter in the humid subtropics- all three weeks of it. Okay that’s a local joke where I live (Brisbane, Australia), but it’s not far from the truth. The subtropics give us a specialised climate- one unlike any other. Most gardening information found online and in books is written for cool or temperate climates,
This splitpea soup is a typical Dutch dish, which we only make in winter. It is a hearty, thick and very filling soup, full of veggies. We love it! Whenever I think of splitpea soup, I think of the winters when I was a child. Back then winters were still cold and long, so much
I love to grow onions at home. Even though they’re cheap to buy, there is just something special about a freshly harvested, crisp onion. They are so versatile in the kitchen, being useful in everything from sauces, curries, soups to pickles and ferments. I grow them without any chemicals at all so they’re organic, which
There’s nothing better than biting into a fresh, home-grown organic carrot. They’re sweet, juicy, crunchy, and incredibly healthy! A basic vegetable the world over, carrots are versatile in the kitchen. They can be a base for soups, stews and juices, and make a tasty addition to salads and stir-fries. Despite being well-known and well-loved, carrots
This wonderfully purple recipe is a traditional Dutch dish. Red cabbage with apples is sweet and a little sour, easy to make & an extremely good way to get kids (and adult kids!) to eat red cabbages. Originally it is eaten with baked potatoes or potato croquettes and a beef stew that is literally translated
Growing a backyard full of food is exciting, satisfying, healthy, and environmentally friendly, but keeping pest damage to a minimum is sometimes a battle. Things can get away from us quickly, especially in the peak growing season: as fast as the crops grow, the damaging insects come in faster. Here are my 10 top organic
Summer in Australia is supposedly the prime growing season. Plants grow the quickest in summer. In theory, they produce better, are healthier, and are easier to look after. Watering is required less often because there is good rain. All we have to do is arrive in the garden with a harvest basket & cutting implement
This year I had the honor of getting the whopping amount of one pumpkin on my pumpkin plant! Luckily I had another plant, but same story, just the one pumpkin. I don’t know what happend, but apparently my pumpkins just didn’t want to produce more than one per plant. Nevertheless, I was glad to have
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.
