Don’t panic if your pepper seedlings are not coming up. Maybe they’re just not coming up YET. Why haven’t my pepper seeds sprouted? Growing chillis or other peppers from seed can be tricky – or actually deceptive is a much better word, especially if you are seeding your peppers around the same time as yourContinue reading “My pepper seeds aren’t sprouting!”
Category Archives: vegetables
Advice for southern hemisphere vegetable gardeners in this time of COVID
It’s springtime in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and much of South America. COVID-19 first came to the attention of most of us here in the northern hemisphere during our springtime – and the many concerns about our food supply made it a very different planting season. In fact, those concerns are why I initiatedContinue reading “Advice for southern hemisphere vegetable gardeners in this time of COVID”
Growing carrots in pots or other containers
Some vegetables work well in containers and some don’t. Sometimes there are even advantages of growing vegetables in pots or other containers! Carrots can go either way – it’s important to do them right. Same as if you are planting them in the garden: you are growing carrots for the ROOT, and it is aContinue reading “Growing carrots in pots or other containers”
How I am preparing for possible food shortages
Even back in July, on Dave’s and my big trip to the city, I could not find fresh products from Asia such as curry leaves and kaffir limes: the grocers told me it was because of COVID. In August, Dave could no longer get the brand of gnocchi, made in Italy, that we usually getContinue reading “How I am preparing for possible food shortages”
One of my favourite garden harvests: home-grown tomatillos
Tomatillos have to be one of the best-value plants to grow in your home vegetable garden. You absolutely cannot compare the quality of home-grown tomatillos to the rock-hard semi-ripe tomatillo fruit that is (occasionally) available in grocery stores. How do you grow tomatillos? Growing tomatillos is pretty much the same as growing tomatoes – butContinue reading “One of my favourite garden harvests: home-grown tomatillos”
How to grow the “right” amount of garden vegetables for your household
Some people think that growing vegetables in your backyard garden is like growing vegetables on a farm, only less of everything. But that is absolutely wrong! Anyone growing food for sale – whether a small-scale market gardener or a huge industrial food producer – wants a whole bunch of one or a few things readyContinue reading “How to grow the “right” amount of garden vegetables for your household”
Mmm mmm mustard greens
One of the (many) great things about growing your own fresh vegetables – aside from the unmatched freshness – is that you get to eat foods that are hard to find, or even impossible, to buy. Mustard greens are one of the garden delights that definitely fit into that category. Just like apples (Mackintosh, GrannyContinue reading “Mmm mmm mustard greens”
Photo essay: Spring garden harvest, June 14, 2020
It’s actually shocking how much food you can grow in even a small garden. The trick of small-scale food production is only having a little bit of everything ready each day – rather than having a large harvest all ready at once. Here’s a little photo essay of some of the fruits and vegetables IContinue reading “Photo essay: Spring garden harvest, June 14, 2020”
How to grow lettuce in containers on your patio or balcony
It’s not even summer yet, but I’ve already been harvesting lots of lettuce, both from my backyard garden and from containers on my balcony. Lettuce is a pretty easy “beginner” vegetable to grow in either garden beds or in pots – but in some ways it is actually more practical to grow in containers. TheContinue reading “How to grow lettuce in containers on your patio or balcony”
Veggie seedlings growing in your compost? Just say no.
This post is inspired by a reader in Italy, who wrote to say that she had pepper and pumpkin seedlings sprouting in her compost. And by a friend here in town who, a few years ago, was excited that she had thousands of tomatoes growing in her compost – she was trying to give themContinue reading “Veggie seedlings growing in your compost? Just say no.”
The Food Garden 