Make the most of your Cucurbits

Cucurbits are members of the Cucurbita pepo plant-family. Cucumbers, zucchinis, pumpkins, squash, marrows and melons are all cucurbits. They all need very similar soil and climatic conditions and need to be treated in much the same way to be a success.

Buying soil for veggie beds

Grow healthy soil and you will have healthy vegetables is the motto of many food gardeners, so, when starting a new veggie bed, people want to buy the best soil they can get. Many food gardeners, however, have been disappointed with the quality of soil they bought. The aim of this blog post is to give people a few ways of checking the quality of soils before buying, so they can make the best possible start with their new veggie bed.

All About Spuds

Growing potatoes can be quite rewarding, especially when you eat your own home-grown potatoes fresh from the garden. This blog post will help you producing a nice crop of good-size potatoes, perhaps even more than once a year!

The Case of the Mystery Apple Tree

When Food Garden Group member Avril asked me in August last year how her apple tree could have two types of apples without it being grafted, I did not foresee that this would lead to one of the more unusual Food Garden Group blog posts to date. Do you like reading detective stories? Do you like eating apples? Would you like to find out more about apple varieties and growing apples? If so, you will enjoy reading ….. The Case of the Mystery Apple Tree.

 

 

Medicinal Herbs in the Food Garden

When a few months ago our group visited Belinda Robson’s garden at Dynnyrne, we noticed a great variety of herbs and were impressed by Belinda’s knowledge on their use for both culinary and medicinal purposes. Belinda also encourages particular weeds, which are harvested and used as medicines. Most of us grow and use herbs for cooking, but know little about their uses beyond the kitchen. I invited Belinda to tell us about the medicinal properties of some commonly-known food garden plants.  Here is what she wrote.

When Rust blows in

Rust is a fungus that manifests itself as yellow, red or rust-brown speckles on leaves and stems of plants. Rust loves wet warm conditions and is hard to get rid of once you have it. This blog post shows examples of Rust and offers organic strategies for containing it. 

Rust on broad beans

Fruit & Vegetables from South America

There are at least ten South American vegetables and fruits that can be grown in Tasmania. They are all worth considering because they are nutritious and add variety to your diet. Quite a few of them are rarely available in Tasmanian shops and markets. This makes it even more worthwhile to grow them yourself. Want to know your tomatillos from your tamarillos and tomatoes? Keep reading ...

Beneficial biochar

Biochar is one of many organic substances that can be added to soils to make them more fertile. What is it? What does it do? Why is it worth using it in addition to organic fertilisers? Where can you get it, or how can you make it yourself?