If you are a gardener, you probably have shaded areas that can be difficult to fill, particularly with food plants. Most vegetables require sunlight, and while we can place most plants in the preferred locations,…
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Growing Sweet Potatoes: Will sweet potato grow in clay soil?
Sweet potatoes will grow in clay soil but obtaining a worthwhile harvest from this soil type can be a challenge. Clay will make it harder for them to grow because the ground is always hard…
What Plants grow with Ginger : using your garden space well
We live in the wet tropics of northeast Australia, right in the sweet spot for growing ginger. This article has been written to help those looking to extend food production from the home garden by…
Can Ginger be harvested early? and will the plant live?
You can harvest sections of rhizome from young ginger plants before the plant reaches maturity. The available ginger root size will be determined by how long the plant has been growing, and we recommend waiting…
Is compost a good Soil Amendment? can every soil benefit?
We live in the wet tropics of northeast Australia, in the northern zones of sugarcane country. We have contact with cane farmers and their families all the time, and during one of these times, we…
Is Fertilizer needed in a Food Garden: is fertilizing a waste of time?
To begin with, we should define what a food garden looks like so we can be understood. We are qualified Permaculture Designers who trial and test our ideas on our own system or yard as…
How to Dehydrate Papaya Fruit
Our dehydrator has become an essential part of our self-sufficient lifestyle. Each year, we preserve over a hundred kilos (200 pounds) of papaya fruit that can be used for many cooking and baking needs from…
Compost or Fertilizer: what should you use?
When you grow your own vegetables and fruit it is good to get a return for your effort and monetary inputs. The return is more important when you approach gardening with a self-sufficient mindset, as…
How to Preserve and Store Papaya : Water Bath Method
Papaya (or Pawpaw) grows in abundance in our yard. We have been entirely self-sufficient in producing this fruit for many years. As a direct result of preserving over a hundred Kilos of Papaya each year,…
