I can’t tell you just how important it is to mulch your garden. It doesn’t have to be something that breaks down in a year or two, but the benefits of this kind of mulch are even greater than say organic pebbles / stones.

This is probably my best organic gardening secret – the thing that makes my vegetable garden so successful!!! Pea straw…  yes, pea straw. I cover the soil with it everywhere in my garden. It’s readily available here in South Australia. Some of the benefits that fill my mind with delight include:

• prevents soil erosion – especially useful in windy locations
• increases moisture retention – great for hot, dry conditions
• adds organic matter to the soil as it breaks down completely over a year
• adds nitrogen to the soil and feeds the soil
• almost eliminates weeds

Wow! What a great list of benefits. And so, you might ask…  “What’s the best way to apply this mulch?” I like to use an old baby bath. As I write this, that last sentence seems really wierd. What does a baby bath have to do with pea straw mulch? I’ll show you…

I like to make my mulch really soggy before laying it out around my plants. Mulches can absorb a lot of water and you don’t want a dry mulch sucking moisture away from your plants. So I make sure it’s really wet by placing a section of the bale in the bottom of the baby bath and covering it with water. I let it sit for a few minutes and then put it out where I want it.

Just on a re-using note… this was my daughters baby bath (she’s 19 now). Over the years it has had a few different uses, but has been of most use as a gardening aid. The two main uses are for wetting the mulch and I also use it to make up batches of potting mix – it’s the perfect size. I’m always thinking of how to re-use things. If you’ve got any good “re-use” tips for us, please leave a comment.

If  organic gardening is a new concept to you, take a look at my e-manual.

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 26th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Just to shock you a little I’m going to show you a small part of my derelict farm that I’ve moved into. But it’s not only for shock value.

I’ve just taken a tiny bit of dirt right next to my kitchen door that had a rain water tank sitting on it, with a bougainvillea growing next to (and through) it. We had plans to use the tank, but when we moved it we discovered that the bottom was entirely rusted out. So with a bit of hard thinking, I reakon it’ll make two great duck or geese ponds once it’s cut in half and the bottom of each half lined with a cement base.

So here’s a photo of how the area was when I first bought the farm. It’s to the left of the photo. You can also see the entrance to my kitchen door – that’s how close it is.

Now this next photo is once the tank and the bougainvillea have been removed. That plant survived 30 or more years without any care whatsoever. What an amazing plant. But I would never plant such a prickly and rampant plant so close to a path or entrance – silly people!

Yes, it’s messy, but it didn’t take me long to clean it up once I got started. Oh, and it was hot too!

Below is how it looked after the clean up. I dug up the “soil” (code name for really hard, compacted dirt) because where the tank had been sitting nothing would have grown. It was almost like concrete. But I’m a firm believer in dirt becoming soil over time. Just keep adding organic material.

I also raked over the area quite a bit to try to get some kind of medium tilth as I planned to sow seeds directly in the soil. I removed all stones and broke down any large clods of dirt.

Now came the really fun part. I cheated a bit and bought a punnet of mixed lettuce and planted them. But everything else that went in was from my own seeds that I had saved from last (or previous) year/s. I put in radish, red salad onions, coriander, basil, lebanese zuchinni…  think that’s it.

Once the planting/sowing was done I covered the rest of the area with pea-straw mulch. Mulching has so many benefits for the garden. And the main benefit I needed immediately was for the area to stay moist for as long as possible.

I don’t have mains water here, so I’m watering EVERYTHING with a watering can from rainwater that I’ve collected. I tell you, it keeps you on your toes. Now I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you want to grow your own food and don’t have mains…  well, what’s a girl to do? Use a watering can!

The mulch is about 7 or 8mm thick (3 inches) I suppose. The other thing I urge you to do when sowing your seeds is to label them with the variety and the date they were sowed. If you don’t remember when you put them in, you might just be tempted to have a dig around to see if anything’s happening. BAD MOVE! Just label them and wait. If they don’t come up, just put more in, simple!

So that’s my new plot, right next to my kitchen. I love it being so close. Of course there are more things to consider when you’re creating a new plot. If you’re a beginner to organic gardening you might be interested in my e-manual “Organic Food Gardening Beginners Manual“, to help you get started.

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Filed under: Uncategorized on February 14th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

I want to say a quick thanks to Tony Lawrence for emailing me with a tip to keep the rabbits off my organic veggie garden. He suggests trying a red pepper and garlic spray. I presume he means using both ingredients together and to spray over the plants that the rabbits find most tasty.

I don’t have much growing at the moment. The lack of available water on my property has been a HUGE problem. But I have managed to keep a few things alive. The rosemary and savoury are growing vigorously. The parsley is past its best, but still usable. A couple of sage plants have pulled through and the peppermint pelargonia is pretty much indestructable. Garlic chives are doing better than the plain chives.

But I’m putting in another small area of garden with lettuce, raddish, parsley, coriander, rocket, basil and a lebanese zucchini. I know it’s late for zucchini, but I think it will still produce something – they usually grow until May or so for me here, so I’m giving it a try.

I’ll have photos next post.

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Filed under: Uncategorized on January 26th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

So another year has passed us by. WOW it goes quickly these days. I want to wish you a *HAPPY NEW YEAR*.

It’s the middle of our summer here in South Australia, so we’re in the middle of our gardening season – but if you are in the Northern Hemisphere you’re in mid-winter, the perfect time for new years resolutions for your garden. Winter is the perfect time for reflection and planning your next growing season. I love spending long hours curled up by the fire thinking about what I want to grow the coming season. And how I can expand my garden to include plants I’ve never tried to grow before.

Do you have any new years resolutions for your garden? Are there things you haven’t grown before that you’d like to try? Do they have any special requirements to help them thrive? Planning really is the secret to a successful food garden and winter is just the perfect time for planning. I have a section on planning in my e-manual “Organic Food Gardening Beginner’s Manual” if you want a little help.

So don’t put it off any longer – especially if you’re thinking about going organic and growing your own food. I guarantee you’ll love it. You’ll love the connection you feel with the earth. You’ll love the sense of accomplishment. You’ll love that you are providing your family with living, healthy food. You’ll love the TASTE!

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Filed under: Uncategorized on January 1st, 2010 | No Comments »

So hasn’t another year wizzed by so quickly? I just don’t know where the time goes – maybe I’m just getting older???

I want to take a few moments to wish you a very merry Christmas and thank you for taking an interest in my blog…  and even more to the point, for taking an interest in organic gardening. The more people that choose to grow their own organic fruit and vegetables, the healthier both this planet and each of us organic gardeners will be.

So I wish for you and your loved ones all your hearts desires. May your heart and your garden be filled with love, beauty and growth in 2010. And now I’m heading off to be with my family and loved ones.

* Merry Christmas to you *

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Filed under: Uncategorized on December 25th, 2009 | No Comments »