Grow Food

Out of the myriad of reasons for starting a garden, saving money is often among the top. As is food security, the ability to eat nutrient-dense vegetables which taste far …

Eggplant – you either love it or hate it. This misunderstood vegetable has very few tepid fans. Even those of us that adore the creamy taste of perfectly cooked eggplant …

More and more of us are using our backyards as additional rooms for our homes. Cooking, dining and entertaining outdoors are all popular options. We use our backyards not only …

Who says that a vegetable garden has to be laid out in rectangular or square raised beds or in neat little rows? Who says that you have to choose between …

There are plenty of ways to improve your garden on a budget – but perhaps one of the very best projects to consider is building a vertical garden with a …

Creating raised beds for your garden can be a wonderful way to create new growing areas for food or for flowers. But not all raised beds were created equal. When …

In an organic garden, one of the most important jobs is returning nutrients to the system. There are a number of different ways that you can take the nutrients stored …

Last fall, I created a new hugelkultur bed in a part of my garden. You can see my step-by-step tutorial here. At the time, I planted onion and garlic sets around the …

Measuring yield can be a great way to determine success in your garden. Growing high-yielding fruits and vegetables can help us maximise the size of our harvests.  But there are …

When the suggested image of “vertical gardening” pops into your head, what do you see? Your mind may automatically dream up luscious ferns, bromeliads, succulents and epiphytes, inspired by many …

Make no mistake, a survival garden is not just any kind of beautiful backyard garden. A survival garden is one that is carefully designed to yield enough crops for you …

There are several different schools of thought when it comes to supporting tomato plants. Some gardeners are advocates of simply allowing tomato plants to sprawl where they will. But if …

Ginger is a delicious ingredient that can be used in a wide range of recipes. It can have a range of other uses too. You may be surprised to learn …

The knowledge and ability to harvest elderflowers and elderberries for both food and medicine, will take you far on your journey to a self-reliant life. Naturally, you may be able …

Tomato plants are pretty darn cool in that they can grow new roots anywhere along their stem. If you’ve ever seen the knobby little bumps growing towards the bottom of …

Lettuce grows easily almost anywhere, making it the perfect crop for cool weather. Its fresh and sometimes peppery notes to the palette also please at any meal. When you plant …

Gardeners – and gardens – come in all shapes and forms, with loads of experience, or none at all. Some of us are great at growing tomatoes, while others are …

Fava beans, also known as broad beans or faba beans, are an excellent choice for home cultivation. They are particularly beneficial in a cool temperate climate garden. But they can …

Creating compost is key to successful organic gardening. It is an important skill that all gardeners should learn. Compost can be used as a growing medium in pots and containers, …

As you dive headlong into spring, with the hopes and dreams of a bountiful garden harvest, your mind may begin to wander and wonder how on earth you could also …

Growing your own food is a rewarding experience. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as the flavor of a tomato plucked from one of your plants and eaten sliced, still warm …

There are plenty of ways to increase yield from your edible garden. Often, the measures you can take are simple. They don’t need to cost the earth, either literally or …

Have you ever freshly planted a beautiful batch of strawberries in your strawberry pot, only to find that they’re practically impossible to water? Watering through the opening on the top …

Those of you with small gardens and a big love for squashes, beware! Squashes will sprawl and crawl, setting their tendrils to whatever they can latch onto first, whether it …