The Practical Gardener

Spring Gardening in the Central Highlands Pt2

There is a definite gear change as the soil starts to warm up in spring. If you’ve got an asparagus bed, it will start to wake up usually in September, so if you haven’t already, it’s time to give it a really good feed with some good compost and a nice thick layer of...

Spring Gardening in the Central Highlands Pt. 1

The flavours of spring to me are sweet sprouting broccoli, crunchy caulis, baby broad beans, sweet beets, carrots, spring onions and bitey radishes. And greens, so many yummy greens bursting their seams in the garden! The colder the winter, the sweeter the brassica...

Seven Steps to Growing a Green Manure Crop

First Step Prepare the ground you want to sow by weeding it and the raking it over to loosen up the soil. Step Two In a bucket mix together all the seeds you are using with at least as much sand or soil. This helps to spread the seed further and get an even covering....

Winter Veggie Garden: Composting & Green Manure

Compost is a fantastic form of organic matter to add to your soil. It is generally made up of a variety of plants (both green and brown) and manures, layered together and allowed to decompose over a long period of time. Because it is made from a large range of...
Spring Gardening in the Central Highlands Pt2

Spring Gardening in the Central Highlands Pt2

There is a definite gear change as the soil starts to warm up in spring. If you’ve got an asparagus bed, it will start to wake up usually in September, so if you haven’t already, it’s time to give it a really good feed with some good compost and a nice thick layer of...

Spring Gardening in the Central Highlands Pt. 1

Spring Gardening in the Central Highlands Pt. 1

The flavours of spring to me are sweet sprouting broccoli, crunchy caulis, baby broad beans, sweet beets, carrots, spring onions and bitey radishes. And greens, so many yummy greens bursting their seams in the garden! The colder the winter, the sweeter the brassica...

Seven Steps to Growing a Green Manure Crop

Seven Steps to Growing a Green Manure Crop

First Step Prepare the ground you want to sow by weeding it and the raking it over to loosen up the soil. Step Two In a bucket mix together all the seeds you are using with at least as much sand or soil. This helps to spread the seed further and get an even covering....

Winter Veggie Garden: Composting & Green Manure

Winter Veggie Garden: Composting & Green Manure

Compost is a fantastic form of organic matter to add to your soil. It is generally made up of a variety of plants (both green and brown) and manures, layered together and allowed to decompose over a long period of time. Because it is made from a large range of...

Winter in the Veggie Patch

Winter in the Veggie Patch

Even though many plants are practising deep rest during winter, quietly saving up their energy to burst back into life with the first flush of spring warmth, for the gardener, winter is not a time of rest. Sure the pace may be at a more steady clap compared with the...

Autumn Veggie Gardening

Autumn Veggie Gardening

I feel blessed to live in a temperate climate where we get to experience the wonder of autumn in all its shades every year. Every autumn is different, even more so as our climate changes and becomes less predictable. As gardeners it teaches us to observe closely and...