The Veggie Lady

It’s been another wet summer again this year. Mild weather and lots of moisture is great for lettuce and leafy greens in the garden but not so good for my tomatoes.  How’s your crop? It seems like years since we had a good tomato harvest in the backyard.  We’ve struggled through years of drought, not really having enough water available to irrigate thirsty plants like veggies for the backyard. So when the drought broke we were delighted to finally have a thriving veggie patch again. But our expectations were soon dashed when we experienced the total opposite.  Torrential rain and 

Sowing your own seeds can save you lots of money and you can choose from a much wider range of vegetables, especially heirloom or heritage varieties.  But many of us struggle to get the same results as the seedlings we see in the nursery.  Many of us can’t even get the seed to germinate in the first place.  So what is the problem and how do you sow seeds successfully? There are a few keys to getting it right when sowing seeds in punnets. Here’s my tips: 1. Choose the right mix. Commercial seed raising mix is available from nurseries 

Sometimes enthusiastic gardeners can get a little too carried away.  Have you ever been guilty of killing your plants with kindness?  Well, that’s something that happens quite regularly when growing root crops. Root crops are veggies like carrots, beetroot, parsnip and onions. They’re a particularly fussy mob, these root crops.  They need the right type of soil and the right type of fertiliser and the right amount of water! So what can go wrong?  Have a look at this parsnip as an example. (Yes, it’s one that came out of my garden – Guilty! I confess, I grew it!) Instead 

A good compost can get any gardener excited.  I saw this recently while I was running a class on the subject.  One participant, who was a long time gardener, had really poor results for years trying to make her own compost.  But once she found out a few key steps then everything turned around for her.  She is now an enthusiastic convert and just can’t stop praising the virtues of her home made compost! So what did she learn that made the difference? The key to a good compost is ‘layering’.  It’s no good just putting all of your kitchen 

How much is too much?  How much is not enough? Sometimes it’s really hard to know if you’ve watered your pot plants properly and they can suddenly die if you don’t get it right.  In this post I’m giving you some keys to tell if you’re on the right track. The symptoms of under-watering and over-watering are often very similar, making it hard to tell if you’re neglecting or killing your plants with kindness.  In both cases the ends of the leaves may appear brown and shriveled up. If you have over-watered your plants then their leaves may become soft 

If you missed out last week on winning my online workshop showing you all you need to know about starting up your own veggie garden, then here’s your second chance. I really want to see people grow their own organic food at home so this week I’m helping you to get started by offering another Spring Gardening Giveaway for Kora members. The workshop includes how to select the best location for your garden bed, step by step instructions on preparing your soil and garden bed using a no-dig approach and how to set it up for crop rotation so you 

I’m really passionate about seeing people grow their own organic food at home so this week I’m helping you to get started by offering a Spring Gardening Giveaway.   Kora members will have the chance to win my online workshop showing you all you need to know about starting up your own veggie garden. The workshop includes how to select the best location for your garden bed, step by step instructions on preparing your soil and garden bed using a no-dig approach and how to set it up for crop rotation so you avoid pest and disease problems right from the 

If there is only one thing that you do well in your veggie garden then it should be how you prepare your soil.  Everything else hinges on this important step. Plants depend on the health of the soil for growth and quality fruit production as well as protection against pest and disease. Vegetables need a rich, friable and crumbly soil (called loam).  It should be dark brown in colour and have a clean earthy smell not stale or sour. The soil should crumble easily when teased through your fingers, yet it should also form a firm (but not sticky) ball 

To be honest … should I even confess this? …. I don’t actually like indoor plants!  That might sound a bit harsh but with the average Australian spending less than 3% of their time outdoors, it’s a terrible shame on us when we live in one of the most beautiful countries that just beckons for the outdoor lifestyle.  Why give us a reason to spend more time indoors when gardening is a great excuse to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors? Well, that said … I will also say that there is definitely a place for indoor plants for 

Winter doesn’t have to be a time to hibernate.  Many people are surprized to know that you can actually grow things all year round, depending on your climate.  Even if you’re living in an area that’s covered in snow, you can grow some herbs indoors or invest in a glass house to see you through the coldest part of the year. In Australia we are blessed with a fabulous climate for growing vegetables.  So make the most of it throughout the whole year. I’ve just finished planting out seedlings for another crop of brassicas (the cabbage family plants) and winter 

How do you know if you’ve done all the right things in your garden?  Well, let your plants tell you what they think! Plants are the best indicator of a healthy garden.  If your plants are big, strong and growing consistently then odds are you’re doing a good job.  They should have a nice rich green colour without yellow marks or dots. Yellow leaves can indicate a nutrient deficiency.  Overall yellowing is produced when the plant doesn’t get enough nitrogen.  Yellow patches can occur on the tips of some leaves,  may only be on new or old leaves, or you 

With winter approaching us here in Australia, we can often have a gap in our fresh produce from our home veggie patch.  Not to worry, fill that space with a crop to feed your soil rather than yourself.  After all, veggies are very hungry plants and will easily deplete your soil of nutrients and fertility. Green manuring is a traditional technique used by old-time farmers that has been neglected over the years.  With ever increasing demand for food, farmers are under the knife to get something … anything … to market. So having a paddock fallow or non-income generating can 

Growing plants on your balcony can be lots of fun with novelty containers.  Here’s a few ideas for you to think about. Old shoes don’t need to be thrown out.  If you have a favourite pair of shoes that you really  reflect who you are but they’ve seen way to much jogging or partying, then fill them with potting mix and grow your favourite herbs in them.  You can nail them to a post and make a vertical “shoe garden”! Recycle your old tins into pot plants.  Take the labels off and stand them in a row with parsley for 

Permaculture is a term coined by Tasmanian, Bill Mollison back in the hippie era of the 1960’s to combine the concepts of permanence and agriculture, i.e. perma – culture. This was a time when deforestation was perhaps hitting a peak and land was stripped bare without deep consideration for anything other than human purposes. Permaculture integrates many faculties including ecology, horticulture, architecture, philosophy as well as business, to present an alternative way of living than the industrial revolution would have suggested. But much of what Mollison spoke and taught about is now reappearing as the focus continues to move towards 

Fruit trees suitable for the suburban yard Most of us don’t live on acreage so we don’t have the luxury of setting up our own organic fruit orchard.  Luckily that means also not having the full-time work that goes along with tending a large orchard too.  So what fruits can we grow in a limited area? When choosing plants or trees you’ll want to consider the overall size that it grows to.  A small potted specimen at the local nursery might look great with a couple of fruit dangling on some wiry limbs to entice you into purchasing it, but