Tag Archives: propagation

I grow all of my veggies and ornamentals without using peat moss. Peat-free potting soil options

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Most every commercial potting mix contains sphagnum peat moss because it’s a good, lightweight, organic amendment that improves drainage, as well as water retention and air circulation. The downside to peat moss is that it isn’t a sustainable resource. Peat moss is the decomposing remains of living sphagnum moss, and it is harvested at unsustainable rates from bogs in a manner than involves scraping off the top layer of the living moss to get to the saleable product below. Continue reading →

Viola hederacea 'Monga Magic' Australian plants for shady spots

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One of the perennial gardening problems (if you’ll pardon the awful pun) is finding plants that will thrive in shady spots next to fences or underneath established trees. Even more difficult is to find ones that also flower well in these conditions. As a lover of Australian plants I want to share a few of my favourites. Continue reading →

Shameful, old seed packets shoved in a drawer and forgotten about! Why seeds fail & tips for success

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I could also call this ‘Confessions of a ‘slapgat’* seed hoarder’, or ‘Now I know why seed companies gnash their teeth!’ It’s a magical moment when seeds germinate, but when they don’t, it’s easy to get discouraged. After enthusiastically sowing all the seed for my fledgling balcony garden, the results were mixed – 100 percent germination of the broccoli and rocket; about 80% of the spinach baby leaves, and dismal for the baby carrots, baby cabbage and beetroot. Continue reading →

Satisfaction: pots filled, seeds sown, and ready for growing. Resist the temptation to start with too many pots because you still need space to move Growing veggies on a balcony

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Living and gardening in small spaces has always fascinated me. I love the challenge of using space creatively. I remember poring over ‘The Apartment Book’ years ago to see how they turned tiny spaces into really beautiful, functional and warm living areas. So when I was looking for a new project, I thought about turning our tiny balcony – barely 1m wide and 2,5m long – into a food garden to see how productive such a small space could be. Sort of like the garden equivalent of a bachelor flat. Actually more like gardening out of a closet! Continue reading →

Sunflower_seedlings Bad seed

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Spring is just around the corner, which means ordering seeds and plants tops most gardeners to-do lists at the moment. I grow heirlooms and hybrids, so the pile of catalogs on our coffee table is out of control. Normally, I find ordering seeds a relaxing experience, but this year I’ve been mulling over a couple of issues that have made placing orders more stressful. Continue reading →

Cyclamen hederifolium foliage Making a pig of yourself!

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Everyone knows the large growing Cyclamen persicum that you can buy throughout winter in almost any florist shop or nursery. Many of you have probably been given or bought one to sit on the dining room table and have then watched it slowly die. Any wonder that the genus has a bit of a bad name! Just as well we no longer call them “Sow Bread” as they were centuries ago, or giving them for Mother’s Day could take on a whole new meaning! Continue reading →

Buttons are taken first to thin the crop & leave space for field mushrooms to develop Mushroom’s labours are in the dark

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In truth, I had no idea how tricky landing those chlorophyll deprived fungi on your dinner plate were. I spent my childhood tirelessly searching for an elf under them, only always to fall short. So I set about, being the fun-guy I am, to delve into the enormous challenges that face the mushroom grower and put pay to 30 odd years of naivety. Continue reading →