My Productive Backyard
Turn your backyard into a productive food-growing paradise
Why I have decided not to grow Kale this year.
I am just a bit over Kale. We are bombarded through the media with a constant dialogue on the benefits of, and recipes for this vegetable, but frankly I do not like it. Give me a plate of steamed Broccoli any day. I have been growing Kale for the past 5 or 6 years,...
How to make a herbal wreath.
I love to give homemade gifts for Christmas and one of my favourites is my herbal wreath. It is very decorative but also useful as the herbs I use dry beautifully whilst hanging on the front door over the festive season and then can be taken inside and used in the...
Why I will be growing more purple and red varieties of vegetable this season.
If you regularly follow my blog you will know I have a bit of a love affair with purple /red vegetables When I lasted looked I permanently grow: • Blueberries • Purple asparagus • Rhubarb with it brilliant red stems • Reb leafed sorrel • Figs And annually I regularly...
What I am planting this week – 24th July.
Whilst we have had some cool morning in the past week, the days have been quite warm. This type of weather always lulls me into a false sense of security and I start wanting to plant some warm season crops such as beans and carrots- but the ground is still too cold...
A delicous Spinach Salad
After picking a bunch of English spinach the other day I was looking for a new recipe to use it in and came across this recipe from Ocean Spray. It looked stunning was easy to put together so why not. As I rummaged through my cupboards and realised I did not...
What to plant this week, 15th July.
Here in the Southern Highlands with nearly three weeks of frost, some severe, the ground is too cold to be doing and direct seed sowing this week. So this week I will be planting seeds into punnets of Asian greens, Broccoli, snow peas, English spinach, rocket and...
What to plant when. The 30th June.
With the end of June, I am thinking about the spring ahead and this week I am planting seed of Kale and Red and sugar loaf cabbage, just a few of each. Because I am raising my own seedlings I can control the number of plants I put in and with most plants a little...
What I am harvesting in the garden this week -28th June- Winter Carrots.
I love winter carrots, to be able to wonder out into the garden and pull up these wonderful sweet bundles of nutrition throughout the colder months is both a privilege and a pleasure. Learn how to grow carrots easily on Youtube: Here in the Southern Highlands we...
What to plant when- 23rd June.
Whilst I often post up what I am putting in my garden at various times of the year, several followers have asked if it is possible for me to post up a “what should I be planting this week” each week. Although this information is readily available on many websites it...
Happy winter solstice.
Here in Australia the shortest day of the year often indicates the start of colder weather, even though the days will begin to get longer, but in the garden, it is a turning point for plants and often the beginning of the signs of spring. Whist I consider myself a...
Towards a plastic free garden.
I like to think I am pretty green when it comes to not using plastic- I take my own material bags to the supermarket or use cardboard boxes if available, try to buy stuff in glass rather plastic containers,never buy fruit and veg wrapped in plastic,avoid plastic...
Chooks and Dust Bathing.
Why you must provide a dust bath for your girls. If chooks are let run free they will always find a nice patch of dry soil and dig out a small hollow and immerse themselves in the dust until they are completely coated. Why do they do this? Firstly, it is their natural...