Potted Gardening

There really is no excuse for not growing something edible in your home garden. Even people who live in small apartments or units can grow bits and pieces in pots or trays on window sills! I really encourage people to grow something...be it a couple of herbs or a few lettuce plants. Embrace a little bit of self sufficiency...it might be one less thing you need to add to the shopping trolley, saving you a couple of dollars aswell! :) And that is becoming more and more important in this day and age, with economic problems affecting more and more people.

So, for all of you out there who are pondering growing some herbs or lettuce plants, or for those who only have space for a couple of potted plants on the window sill, here are some of my ideas. All of the produce used here (apart from the zucchini and leek) were grown in pots. I wanted to show people the possibilities of potted gardening, so I have restricted myself to pots for this post. You really can grow so much in pots...here are some of my ideas for potted produce...

Herbal Teas

One of my favourite uses for fresh home-grown herbs is making herbal teas...they are really simple, really tasty and really refreshing. This one is one of my favourites :)
You will need:

• A plunger (as shown in the photos, they are pretty cheap at shops like allens or k-mart)
• Some herbs (I used mint, stevia, thyme and rosemary in this tea)
• A regular tea bag
• Water

Firstly, I chop the herbs up relatively finely, as shown in the photo. Top left is dried thyme from my garden, bottom left is mint and stevia, and bottom right is rosemary...Empty the contents of a regular teabag aswell (top right), because the herbs only flavour the tea.

Note: You can alter this recipe to your own taste. Some people might use mint only, or add extra rosemary etc. It is up to you, this recipe is just my favourite :)

Once the herbs are all chopped, add them to the plunger. If you like sweet teas, add some honey or extra stevia (which is a natural sugar-substitute). Put the kettle on to boil, then...

...add water! Allow to brew for 2-3 minutes, before pouring a cup of delicious, home-made herbal tea :) This tea can also be chilled in a bottle or jug, and sipped on a hot summer day, with a slice of lemon or two added to the glass :)
Rosemary and thyme in a tea like this are fantastic for aiding sleep...so if you have difficulties sleeping, a cup of this tea before bed should help :)


Quick Herbal Salad

On a hot day, one of the most refreshing snacks is a fresh herbal salad. It is aso a very rewarding to harvest a bunch of produce from your own potted garden, coming inside and whipping up a salad for lunch. I did that just the other day :)

I headed out to the garden, and noticed that I had some really great stuff which would go really well in a salad. So, I took out my trusty basket, and picked a few things (please note, the zucchini was not in a pot, and I'm not really sure why it is in the picture...I didn't use it in the salad either :))

My little basket contains:

• Lettuce leaves (Great Lakes)
• Rocket
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Dill
• Fennel
• Mint
• (I also used a leek, which I picked after the photo was taken :) )
  

Ok, so simply chop/slice/cut the different ingredients as you like...throw them together in a bowl, and sit down to a fresh, green salad. I usually add a bit of lemon juice, pepper and salt and some chopped leek to the mix, because they go really well with the fresh herbs.

It's really very simple, cheap and rewarding, to whip up afew things using produce from your potted garden. If you have any questions about veggie gardening using pots, or any other questions, queries or requests, give me a yell at theveggiedude@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you :)

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Cheers again guys, and happy gardening....

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The Veggie Dude

The Harvest Challenge

G'day guys,

Just a quick post today...I'm giving everybody (including myself) a challenge, which I saw some other people doing on various sites and blogs.....its called.....

The Veggie Dude Harvest Challenge

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Basically, all you do is record the amount of fruit and veggies you harvest from your gardens. Easy! Start with a personal goal (e.g. 20 kilos, or whatever you think is reasonable for your space/time/need etc.), and then work towards it....Whenever you harvest something, weigh it, write down the weight, and keep a running total of your harvest...even if you only harvest two carrots a week, it's all good, get involved and have some fun :)

Let me know at theveggiedude@hotmail.com if you are going to take on the challenge...(I know I am) and then send me regular updates of how much you have harvested, and how close you are to your total....It'll be alot of fun, and all the people who reach their goal will get a special mention on the Veggie Dude blog (what a prize!)...

It's all about trying to become a little bit more self-sufficient in a fun and active way...so get out there, plant some beans, and get ready to write down your harvest weights! :) It's a great way to share your stories, successes and ideas from the garden...so get going!

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Jiffy Peat Pots and Silverbeet

G'day again guys,

What better way to start a veggie gardening blog, than writing about starting seeds....so today, I'm showing you all my favourite method of seed starting...Jiffy Peat Pots! Ofcourse, this method is not suited to all types of veggies, but I've found that with a bit of practice and some TLC, this method has a great success rate. Its easy, cheap and it is good for the plants...lets get started!

You will need:

- Some Jiffy Peat Pots (available at all good garden or hardware stores, I normally find they cost about $7 for a pack of 24-30)
- A container, such as a recycled ice-cream container
- A little bit of water
- Some seeds

This method of seed starting has several advantages:

1. Peat moss (used in the pots), is very friable and perfect for the little young roots sent out by a plant at germination. The roots can easily grow and spread out through the peat.
2. The roots of the plant are not damaged when it comes time to transplant the seedling into the main bed - the whole pot can be planted into the ground, which prevents transplant shock and damage to the plant.
3. The peat moss will naturally break down into the soil, and it is all organic!
4. Reduces root 'spiralling'

Peat pots are basically a disc of compressed peat, which, when soaked in water for 5 minutes, will expand up to 7 times its size, creating a perfect little pot for seeds. A thin, biodegradable netting surrounds the pot, to maintain structure and allow air circulation around the plant.

To demonstrate how to use Jiffy Peat Pots, I'm using Silverbeet seeds (Fordhook Giant). I will create another post in a week or so to show you the progress of the plants.
Ok, so here is the method I use to start seeds (in this case, silverbeet seeds)....

1. Ok, start with an ice-cream container (or similar), with about an inch of waterin the bottom (depending on how many peat pots you are using...this will make about 6)

2. Add the peat pots to the water...don't be too fussy, they will absorb water no matter how they are sitting in the water. This photo shows you a peat pot prior to soaking...

Allow pots to soak for about 5 minutes, or until about 7 times the size of what they started.

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After 5 minutes, your peat pots should look somthing like this...notice all the water has been absorbed by the peat moss, and the netting has allowed the peat to take on a 'pot' like shape.

3. I use a recycled meat tray to keep my peat pots on. I simply line them up on the tray, mainly to make moving them around easy, (this is optional, you could keep them in anything...the ice-cream container, a planter tray or even just on the ground in bunches).

You might also notice that I write the type of seed on the tray, which is just an optional little addition I use, because I plant a lot of seeds!

To plant the seeds, simply follow the directions on the seed packet to determine the depth and number of seeds to sow. For silverbeet, I usually plant them in clusters of two. Simply place the seed on top of the peat pot, and then push it down to the required depth with a pencil or your pinky finger...and then pinch the peat moss over the top to make sure that there is good contact between the seed and the peat.

Then you should have somthing, that looks a little like this.....

4. Water the peat pots lightly everyday, as they can dry out very easily. For best results, and to prevent drying out, store the pots in a well-lit spot, out of DIRECT sunlight. In direct sunlight, these pots will simply dry out too fast. (It is important that they are kept moist so the seed does not dry out.) It may be a good idea to place a clear plastic cover over the top (such as a chinese takeaway container), to help retain the moisture, and keep the seeds warm, which will aid germination...however, if using a lid like that, ensure the plants are out of direct sunlight, and make sure they are not over heating :)

I will post again in a couple of weeks to show you the progress of these little tigers...should pop up pretty quickly :) And then I'll show everyone how I plant peat pots when the plants are big enough...can't wait :) Any questions, quries or requests, please feel free to e-mail me at theveggiedude@hotmail.com I'd really love to hear from you guys!

Cheers

The Veggie Dude

Introducing My Garden

G'day guys,

Just thought a good starting point for my blog, would be a little bit of an introduction to my garden. So I took some photos to show you guys around my veggie garden...Sorry about the dodgy pictures...I used a pretty poor camera, and my I didn't realise my fingers were in the way in some of the photos. :)

My tomato plants....also some radish and eggplant...The tomato plants are going strong this year. Generally, I save seed from successfu tomato plants and use them the next year. One or two of these plants were bought as seedlings, but most were grown from my own seed. The radish plants are only 2 weeks old...they grow very rapidly, and are a nice addition to salad or eaten fresh with some s and p.

This is a closer shot of my radish plants....I leave them in the ground until they are about 1.5 times the size of a golf ball, which is when they are the best in my opinion. Left much longer, they tend to turn woody and often become too spicy. Radish seeds are available on seed-tape, which is a long section of tape with the seeds attached at appropriate intervals, which makes growing them easy...just dig a shallow trench and lay the tape...easy :)

Passionfruit vine and compsot bin. This is the first season for this passionfruit, so I'm not expecting much from it this year. Hopefully next year it'll produce a bit of fruit :) I've got 2 compost bins, and a compost dock, but thats for another post :)

Some of my onions and leek....I'm harvesting the leek at the moment, and the onion plants should be ready soon....both very easy to grow with decent soil....

My corn, all grown from seed...Corn is best grown in 'blocks' rather than rows. This block formation, a shown in the photo, is a very successful formation for the corn...

This is one of my new experiment plants...it's a climbing spinach variety, which are pretty popular in Egypt I've heard...as you can see, not alot of foliage yet, but it has started sending out nodes which suggests it shouldn't be too long now! As you can see, I mulch with sugar cane mulch, which reduces the need for weeding, and helps retain moisture in the soil. As an added bonus, it breaks down in the soil, which adds organic matter and nutrients, which can be harnessed by other crops in the future.

Herbs are an easy addition to any garden. They are a perfect starting point for people with limited space, as they can be grown very successfully in pots or in planter trays on window sills. Here are some of my herbs...common mint and curlina parsley - my favourite herbs. I also love rosemary, and I have a huge bush of it at the moment...but no photo :) I'll post one later...

Rocket! Another of my favourite herbs/lettuce...I love throwing a bit of rocket into a salad or other recipe, because it adds a really natural peppery flavour that I really dig. Easy to grow, and is a so-called cut-and-come-again variety, so it's easy to pull a few leaves off here and there to use in cooking or whatever, and the plant will replace them pretty rapidly...

My capsicum plants - I planted them not so long ago, and I've been feeding them with organic fertilisers to give them a kick along...they are starting to produce a couple of fruit buds now so I'm stoked. I love my capsicum, so these 6 plants should do me for a while :)

My apple-cucumber (front) and zucchini (back) are starting to go nuts....The fruit and the flowers of zucchini can be used in cooking, and apple cucumbers are the best as a refreshing snack in summer...a bit of pepper and salt and you're rockin :)

So thats a bit of an intro to some of my garden....there is more...but that'll do for now :) Any questions, queries or requests, e-mail me at theveggiedude@hotmail.com, and I'll get back to you....

See you guys soon

The Veggie Dude

Veggie Dude up and running!

G'day guys,

I've had afew people on my back for a while now, to start a blog about one of my passions - self sufficiency and sustainability. I guess a common misconception in this area, is that self-sufficiency and all it's related components are too 'hippy' for 'normal' people. How wrong you are...

You see, self sufficiency is not only a valid way to improve the world a little bit at a time, but it is also challenging and a bit of good fun. Self sufficiency, for those who are new to the idea, is basically the idea of living without the need for 'outside aid'...this could include doing simple things like growing your own vegetables, raising chooks for eggs, mending your own clothes etc. Whilst it can be extremely difficult for modern families to live in a completely self-sufficient way (I'm not even entirely self-sufficient), everyone can do a few things around their home to become a little bit more self-sufficient, thereby lowering the pressure society is putting on our planet.

So stay tuned...I'll be posting ideas and information for people who want to embrace a little bit of self-sufficiency, and I'll be covering topics such as:

- Vegetable gardening and growing different types of veggies, herbs and fruit, aswell as organic pest control and fertilising
- Recycling and composting
- Raising chickens
- Hints and tips about sustainability in the home and garden

Any questions, queries or requests, please feel free to give me a yell, at theveggiedude@hotmail.com, and I'll be sure to get back to you :)

Cheers

The Veggie Dude