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
The onset of spring brings an awakening to the garden- but it also brings pest activity. As fruit trees spring into action, bulbs come back to life and flowers bloom, so the insect population booms. Mid-August to early September is when we start to notice pests reappearing the garden in Queensland. You might start to
When you first start growing your own food, the excitement is real. So much so, that it can be hard to wait for your first harvest! But it’s easy to start eating from your own backyard quickly, if you sow the right crops. Here are our favourite 6 crops you can harvest in under 30
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
When you first start vegetable gardening, the path to successful crops isn’t always clear. There’s a steep learning curve, especially when you’re starting your vegetables from seed. Variables like soil, watering, propagation, and maintenance can seem like minefields for the beginner. One technique that is critical to the success of any food garden, is potting
Don’t get the wrong mental picture: this deceptively-named edible plant is in fact a green leafy vegetable. An ancient annual salad green native to southern Europe, its name came about because it would typically self-seeded in corn fields. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of Dutch corn salad- it is definitely a lesser-known edible.
We already know what a great food ginger is for its health and flavour qualities, but unfortunately it’s always expensive to buy. Growing your own ginger that you can preserve or eat as you like is much more cost effective- especially if you buy some rhizomes from a shop and plant them yourself. Here, we
Tomatoes are at the top of every vegetable gardeners’ must-grow list. And while the plant itself grows easily enough, producing large, tasty fruit can be deceptively tricky. Here, we explain 5 ways to make your home-grown tomatoes taste better. Keep Them Out of The Fridge Cold is the mortal enemy of tomatoes. This is something
It makes a lot of sense to preserve radishes so you can enjoy them at any time. Despite being quick and easy to grow, radishes don’t grow year-round in most climates. On top of that, oftentimes you’ll only want to use a little at a time. So it really does make sense to preserve them
Vegetable gardening is so exciting when you first start, and there’s so much to think about. The beds, the soil, the plants, the growing, the sun, the watering, and so on. But what happens once you’ve got everything in place? How do you maintain it? How do you know what to do? Here, our 5
Perilla is a herb from the mint family which is often called by its Japanese name, shiso. A staple in many Asian cuisines, perilla leaves have a unique flavour which is hard to put into words. They’re a bit minty, a bit aniseed, and a bit unlike anything else! The seeds are wonderful too: they
Originating in Mexico, corn is an ancient food whose popularity has not waned with time. Corn comes in a number of varieties and although formally called maize, it is known by many different names. These include popcorn, dent, flint, flour corn and heritage corn. The main type of corn most of us know and eat
When you’re beginning a food garden for the first time, the prospect of growing your own vegetables can seem exciting yet daunting. The thrill of having organic produce in your own backyard is a big one, yet there is so much to learn and so much to do before you get to the stage of
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
Meet dragon fruit- a truly wonderful, delicious and exotic-looking tropical fruit that is easy to grow at home. With the texture of kiwifruit and the taste of lemonade, dragon fruit is a delightful addition to drinks and desserts (like our dragon fruit & finger lime sorbet), and of course, is fantastic eaten on its own.
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,
One of the best gardening problems you can have is too many plants. Sometimes, when you grow from seed, germination can be better than you expect & the garden quickly becomes overcrowded. When this happens, your plants can suffer and fail to thrive because they simply don’t have enough space & resources to reach their
What is Okra? Technically, okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a fruit, but is perceived and eaten as a vegetable. The colour changes with the variety, and ranges from pale green to pink to dark maroon. A heat-loving, low-care crop that thrives in strong sun and humidity, okra does best in subtropical and tropical gardens (if you’re
So many of us have come to live in subtropical climate areas from colder, more mild regions. Naturally, we have grown up eating traditional European vegetables, so when we become gardeners, those are what we try to grow. We soon realise that those veggies aren’t so compatible with humid subtropical conditions, and that we need
Lovage needs to make a comeback! There, I’ve said it. But I won’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of lovage- we don’t see it in grocery stores, we rarely see it in recipes, and the plants are hard to find. To me, plants that are low-care perennials which put a lot of food on
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.
