My Productive Backyard
Turn your backyard into a productive food-growing paradise
How to keep Chickens laying in Autumn and Winter
Maintaining egg production during autumn and winter I love to eat fresh organic eggs, but even the best quality commercial product cannot compare to home produced eggs. I have been very disappointed over the years when my flock has gone into moult and I have had no...
How to make Beetroot Relish
I like to grow beetroot all year round by planting around 20 seeds a month. Now this normally allows enough for everyday salads, roasting and juicing, but every so often I get a few that grow too big to be used in this way. What I like to do with them is turn...
How to Make Basil Pesto
Making Basil Pesto February is basil making time. In the highlands I have to wait till late spring/ early summer for the soil to warm up enough to get seed to germinate or plants to grow well. Once in, I feed and water well for 12 to 14 weeks. Then as soon as I see...
Growing organic strawberries
Growing organic strawberries Love strawberries but worried about eating them or giving them to your kids, after all the bad press about the amount of chemicals they can contain? Want a great way of getting the kids engaged in growing something? Why not try...
How to Grow Potatoes in Autumn
This is is my latest crop of potatoes- Dutch creams and Ruby Lou. Just delicious. Now is the time to think about planting an autumn crop. Mostly people only think about planting potatoes in spring when all the “seed potatoes” arrive in the nurseries and hardware...
How to Grow Organic Garlic
Growing Garlic Garlic is easy to grow and to my taste home grown bulbs have a much superior flavour to shop bought bulbs. They do not have the acrid after taste present in aged bulbs and most processed product. Although Garlic does not take up much room it is in the...
The last of the summer vegetables
The last of the summer vegetables It is not too late to put in a final crop of summer vegetables. So take some time this week to look at what has grown well for you over the last few months and been nice and productive. Think about which of these plants have...
Garden Activities for Kids in Summer
Welcome to Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability with Kids for 2014 This month, given there is still a little time before school resumes, I thought we might look at some sustainable activities to do with the kids outside. One of the easiest ways to be more...
Sowing the Seeds of Sustainability with Kids
Sometimes, explaining the big concepts to kids about how we can do the best thing for the planet is a hard place to start. At the same time, summer is a great time for kids activities and getting kids to help in the garden is a great way to start establishing great...
Things you need for your Productive Balcony
Hello Balcony Gardeners! Get started with your vertical garden: So great to see you have followed us this far - we are now getting to the part of this series where YOU need to do some things! Now is the time where you need to start buying your supplies and getting...
What Plants Grow Best on a Balcony Garden?
The biggest issue that you will face in your productive balcony is making sure that you plant things that you know you are going to eat lots of, and producing enough of them to be helpful in your kitchen! My answer - vertical gardens. Get started with your vertical...
How do I start a balcony garden?
My daughter and her partner have just Got the call a few days ago “I am putting you in charge of “Designing the balcony” Mum, we would like to be able to pick fresh salad greens and veg every day and then have some luxury foods like lemons and limes (both...