Heritage Fruit and Heirloom Vegetables

Where has all the heritage fruit gone?  It’s reported that there used to be thousands of varieties of apples and other fruits grown historically but now we usually only see about 3 or 4 different varieties stocking the shelves of our supermarkets. Some estimates...

What is a Green Manure Crop

Many old-time farmers and backyard gardeners have found the secret to growing produce successfully, year after year. But do you know how they do it? We, on the other hand, may have a bumper crop for one or two years in a row and then run into problems that produce...

How to tell if your pumpkins are ready to harvest

Some people will do anything to get out of mowing the lawn. This is what my friend’s husband did. Tired of mowing the lawn all through summer, my friend let the pumpkins take over instead. Have a look at these photos to see how it looked before and after...

Grow Garlic

Finding organic garlic can be difficult and expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. You can grow your own garlic easily with a bit of time and patience. Here’s how. Why grow garlic? Imported garlic bulbs (you know the ones, they’re bright white and sold for $2 kg)...

Home Grown Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are full of flavour Growing backyard tomatoes is one of the most rewarding things for the home gardener. The flavour just can’t be compared with any that you’ve bought at the shops. So much so, that you’ll never turn back to buying...