There are greater demands on the strawberry plant than almost any other variety in the veggie patch. It's not only yours and your child's appetite that needs to be satisfied, but many other patch visitors that also seem quite impartial to the juicy red berry. As a perennial plant that can be productive for up to 5 or more years, rigourous seasonal maintenance plays a crucial role in keeping your strawberry plants healthy and productive. Here's a run down on the end of season jobs.  1. Trim back any dead or diseased foliage to promote airflow and reduce the risk of fungal infections; you ..read more

  Sugo day is the Christmas of the edible gardening calendar and, like Christmas, it is something that builds well before the actual event. The key to enjoying the day to the fullest is in the preparation – drinking beer to vacate the bottles, knowing the best source of saucing tomatoes and when to time your run, and of course, having a Nonna on hand to set the scene and the mood.  Years ago "we" (ahem "they") started the day well before the crack of dawn – more out of habit than necessity – however these days we make a full day of it starting at a leisurely hour.  Not only doe ..read more

Slaters (also known as roly polys) are land-living crustaceans that commonly feed on decaying matter and help to build soils. So while they can be considered friendly under many circumstances, in certain conditions when their food sources are scarce, they can turn their attention to your young seedlings. Sometimes it's just a matter of a seedling being in the wrong patch at the wrong time.  It is believed that the warm, arid climate in conjunction with dusty, dry mulches, have provided the ideal breeding ground for slaters to become something of a nuisance. But more recently w ..read more

Whether it's due to discretion, exaggeration or otherwise, the origins of our prized tomato seeds tend to boarder on urban myth. The "special ones" you picked up from your neighbour's brother in law (who purportedly imported them from the volcano soils of Sicily back in the 50's) seem to grow bigger and taste better over time. Of course, that could just be Darwinism at work, but some part of us feels it's related to the "I got the best bloody tomato" battle that's be raging since the beginning of the veggie patch.  So we decided to chat to a few local dealers and ask how they came ac ..read more

  Sometimes I think about all of the perfect waves that go un-surfed at night. It is usually around sunset when conditions are amazing and you wish that you could stay out for a few more hours. The best conditions in the world are often missed because one major barrier: light. Sure, I understand that there is a certain romance to limitations, but sometimes I just want to surf! The same is true with growing plants indoors. We live in an insulated almost pest-free environment, yet without the right light conditions it is very difficult to grow edible plants indoors. One of the main things ..read more

Did you know in Australia at home we throw out 2.5 million tonnes of compost potential at home into the bin each year? When it comes to composting, there’s so much jargon, do’s, don’ts, mystery and magic, that it can easily get overwhelming and confusing. We are here to dispel some myths, provide clarity and show you the many paths you can take to turn your house into a composting machine. It is time to say “Hasta La Vista Baby” to food waste and hello to the gardening gold that is compost. Compost with us if you want to live. Globally a third of all food is wasted. This contributes to 8-10 ..read more

The magic of community gardens lies in the mixed bag of lollies you meet occupying the “other” patches. It’s the transformation of the “other” (akin to that magic of winter to spring) from an unlikely pairing, the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in Twins kind, to fellow gardener. Brought together through a mutual love and respect for the veggie patch, this is community. Maybe you are limited to a balcony that receives as much sunlight as Tromsø, Norway in Winter. Or maybe your gardening habit is helping to set your sights on expanding your veggie empire onto the streets . Or perhaps ..read more

  I often pause to chat with Elizabeth to and from school drop offs. Living a few strides from the school gates, where she has been for the last 25 years, her street frontage was swarmed by the daily rush of parents and kids. It was her front yard, and her nature, that always made me want to pause.  Elizabeth - or “Queen Elizabeth” as she says to help through her accent - is the effervescent Yiayia; the kind of Greek grandma that any non-Greek would imagine as their own in another life. The day I came door knocking to see if we could look in her garden, she sat me down, faced me wit ..read more

Garlic has been placed upon a mantle and worshiped for thousands of years. Civilisations have been built upon this cultural building block, including the pyramids and Nonna’s lasagne. There is evidence to suggest that pharaohs were buried with garlic in their tombs. Gladiators ate garlic prior to battle to give them strength, or perhaps it warded off their enemies with their breath. Aristotle even labelled it an aphrodisiac. In today’s veggie garden growers test their patience for the ultimate patch prize. The worship continues… Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair veggie patch, whe ..read more

The learning curve is always the steepest when thrown in the deep end, but there also remains the real risk of drowning. So we have taken the plunge ourselves and jumped into the depths of commercially grown vegetable seedlings to uncover the tips and tricks to starting your seedlings at home. Don’t worry, we’ve got our floaties on. Starting your plants from seed is what all home growers should aspire to. Seeds are the most economical starting point for any garden, but they also open up a more diverse range of varieties than if starting from seedling bought from a nursery. Taking the tomato a ..read more