In early April it was time for me to plant my winter crop of brassicas. Here I tell you what I did, and what I didn' t do, and why, adding some thoughts about planting seedlings along the way. Those who want to know more about sowing and planting vegetable seedlings might find this snapshot of what I did that afternoon a useful read.TimingMany people plant their broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage ..read more

Would you love to grow large tomatoes, but wonder which good-tasting varieties do well in Tasmania? This blog post shows the varieties that Food Garden Group members put forward for the 2024 Golden Tomato Award, a description of the variety, and where to get seeds and seedlings if commercially available.Ross T. picked this 560 gram amazing fruit in his garden on 18Feb24Here is the impressive list ..read more

Most tomato plants are like demanding prima donnas. Everything needs to perfect all the time, otherwise they will play up. Add to that Tasmania’s fickle climate and you find that even the most experienced food gardener struggles at times. This blog post might help you make things ‘just right’ for your tomato plants or improve things if they tell you that they are not happy.How to make the most ..read more

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.Cucurbits love warmth and sunshine. Grow them in the most sheltered spot in your garden or better still, grow them in a hothouse.Cucurbits are big ..read more

In the Amazon basin of South America heavy rains leach soils of nutrients very rapidly. Local Indians found that adding charcoal soaked with beneficial liquids prevented this. This soil additive is now known as biochar. Ready-to-use biochar is not cheap. In this blog post Food Garden Group member Dirk S. explains how he makes biochar himself, at no cost.There are many articles and blog posts ..read more

Raised beds can be very useful in the vegie garden.  This blog post discusses the various options that are available and how to go about positioning, making and filling a raised bed.Why Raised beds?There are two reasons why beds raised above ground level can be preferable over using and working with the soil that is there in your vegetable garden:Strain - No matter how young or old you are ..read more

Here are short to-the-point tips for pruning of Apple and Pear, Apricot, Citrus, Fig, Loquat, Peach and Nectarine, and Plum trees.An apple at the end of a spurThese tips were written for non-espalier fruit trees, but a lot of the info also applies to trees that are espaliered.Thank you Max K, Steven F, Richard K, and Laura R for your feedback on drafts of this blog post!Terminology:Most fruit ..read more

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 ..read more

Gardening improves the health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally, of millions of people around the world. But some gardening practices can in rare cases makes people ill. This blog post aims to make you aware of how to best handle soil, mulch, compost, manure, hay and other organic materials. If you follow a few rules, then handling these materials will be very safe!I began to look into ..read more

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 ..read more