It’s all very fun to grow a ton of food…until you don’t know what to do with it all. Produce gluts can be difficult, if not impossible, to avoid when you have fruit trees. There’s nothing a food gardener likes more than a big harvest, but it can be overwhelming when it comes all at
There’s no question that composting in some way is great for the environment. We all need to do as much recycling as possible, and turning our household food waste into a valuable resource for the garden is a no-brainer. But what form should that composting take? Should you have a worm farm? Or a compost
When you become a gardener, the idea that water is a precious yet essential resource reaches a whole new level. Obviously, plants don’t survive without it, but water quantity isn’t the only consideration. Water quality, too, can impact your plants in a variety of ways, which is especially important when it comes to growing fruits
We all know how good an authentic home-grown heirloom tomato is, so it’s no wonder that tomatoes are one of the most common plants in any home vegetable garden. But growing great produce is really only half of the self-sufficiency journey; we need to know how to use & preserve our harvests too. There are
Gardening is a fantastic hobby, but let’s face, it ain’t always cheap. From garden beds to soil to fertiliser to plants, no matter where you live, the costs can mount up. Add to that the recent worldwide price rises caused by a certain pandemic, and gardening can easily become an expensive hobby. But I think
Beets, beetroot, whatever you want to call them, when you have too many…. well, you have too many. Yet with the price of food these days, none of us wants to be wasting anything home-grown, especially a seasonal crop like beetroot. Our self-sufficiency journey isn’t just about growing the food; we need to know how
Keeping a flock of chickens in your backyard is a great step towards self-sufficiency. A supply of fresh, organically-produced, free-range eggs is a big plus…but what if you get too many at once? Sure, you can boil, poach, fry, and scramble- but what else can you do to make the most of your eggs? Here’s
Are you worried about the rising cost of food? Or even worse, a food crisis? We’ve seen unprecedented pressure on our food supply these past couple of years- things like extreme weather events, a shortage of fertiliser, logistical delays, rising energy prices and even a lack of fruit & veggie pickers are affecting us like
A surprising amount of common plants are in fact environmental weeds. Many of them are still sold as desirable plants at nurseries and hardware stores nationwide, so it’s no wonder that we don’t realise the damage they can do to our environment. Environmental weeds comes in all forms- they can be trees, shrubs, grasses, vines,
The rapidly rising price of food, especially fresh produce, isn’t news to any of us these days. Basic living is getting tougher everywhere: inflation is up, interest rates are higher, and supply chains are stretched to breaking point. Being scared won’t help, because it doesn’t lead us to safety or rational thought. But there are
White oil is a multi-purpose pest treatment that is a must-have for every food garden. It is used to combat sap-sucking and chewing insects like aphids, scale, mealy bug and citrus leaf miner. It suffocates rather than poisons these insects, so they can’t develop a resistance to it. You can buy a commercial white oil
I’m a big fan of upcycling random items to use in my garden. Sometimes it’s by accident, sometimes by design. Purpose-made items are increasingly expensive, and if we can save money & landfill at the same time, then it’s a win-win. All sorts of things can find a new purpose in the garden- you’re only
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
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
Farming worms at home for the benefit of the garden is so fun and easy you can even get the kids involved. Worm castings are used as a fertiliser & provide an enormous nutrition boost to soils. While there are plenty of worm farms available to buy, you can make your own on the cheap
Hot sauce truly fires me up! They provide the spice of life we sometimes need. My children are still young and don’t yet appreciate hot sauce, but they always ask me, “Daddy, why do you put hot sauce on everything?” I answer “Because hot sauce makes things exciting!” I really can’t describe it any other
Walk into any garden store or nursery, and you’ll find literally hundreds of products to spend money on. From fertilisers to weedkiller, pest deterrents to lawn stimulants, they’ve got it all. But did you know that you can make some of those products at home at a far lower cost? Not only that, but they’re
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
Most people want a tidy lawn and garden, free of weeds. But when you pull weeds out, are you removing them successfully and permanently? Or do the same species pop up every season? We’re indoctrinated with the idea that certain weeds are locally endemic and nothing will prevent their regular reappearance. Yet it doesn’t need
Did you know that ashes from a fire can be spread around the garden to produce more, bigger, better and healthier fruit & vegetables? Well it’s true! Even better, it’s completely free, easy to make, and easy to use! In this article I’m going to explain how that works, how to do it, and why
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.
