Innholdsfortegnelse for Grow Food in Compact Gardens herbs & medicinal i Grow Food in Compact Gardens herbs & medicinal

When you choose to grow your plants the natural way you accept a trade-off: you will lose some of your crop to insect pests and birds and some of it will look less than perfect, but that doesn’t affect the flavour. As for those pesky freeloaders invading your veggie patch and spoiling all your hard work, there are natural ways to combat them without compromising your crop, endangering your own health or harming your garden’s “friendly” visitors. It’s important to to remember that not every bug in your garden is an enemy; for almost every herbivorous unwanted visitor there’s a carnivorous predator that will take care of it. And if there isn’t one, there are natural remedies that can do the job. The bad guys Here are some of the…

New homes are getting bigger but the gardens are getting smaller. And the number of people living in townhouses and apartments has increased. We are also seeing more outdoor entertaining structures being built — decks, pergolas, poolside cabanas — and all of these reduce the amount of ground space available to set up a conventional kitchen garden. This is where container gardening comes to the fore. Being short on space doesn’t mean forgoing a kitchen garden — it just might be comprised of pots and a variety of containers. Potted herbs are a great addition to deck or patio and most vegetables just need six or seven hours a day, good drainage and good quality potting mix to do well. Tomatoes, for example, do well in pots if you choose…

Where garden space is at a premium, pots are definitely the way to squeeze in a few productive plants. You can also use the portability of containers to chase the sun or find spaces protected from cold winds. While most herbs are naturally at home in containers, veggies need a little more thought and planning. The key to success is to grow small or compact vegetables in as large a container as possible and to limit the number of plants you place in each pot. The recommended spacing for a vegetable is a good indicator of pot size. Most veggies are planted at least 20cm apart so they need to be in individual 20cm-diameter pots or, for two plants, a heavy-duty 40cm pot. Pot depth is also a consideration. Any…

In some seasons, beans can be generous and overabundant. They are also best eaten fresh, which is why growers are often urgently looking to offload some when they have more than they can eat. The choice is generally between climbing beans, which are productive over many weeks, and dwarf or bush beans, which crop quickly and are ideal for a container or small space. Growing and care Sow bean seeds around 2.5cm deep in moist soil, placing the beans around 10–15cm apart in a row at the base of a trellis. Alternatively, sow seeds at the base of each leg of a tripod or wigwam. Summer is the best time for planting. Beans perform best in moisture-retentive soils. They can also be grown in raised beds or large pots if…

If you only had the space to grow one plant it would have to be a cherry tomato. Why? Because they are such prolific producers of the sweetest fruit — so good in fact, I tend to eat a lot of them straight from the plant! Last year I grew a tasy, tiny blueberry-sized tomato called ‘Candyland’ — that was incredible. I’d pop a bowl full of them on the kitchen bench and everyone in the family would wander past and grab a handful for a tasty quick fix. If you’ve never grown tomatoes before then start with a cherry tom; they are so easy to grow and such heavy croppers. These pint-sized delights also come in a range of colours, including yellows, blushed pinks, ruby reds and even blacks.…

Once upon a time, this humble staple root veg wasn’t grown for its distinctive orange root at all. In the 7th century, wild carrots in colours of purple, white, red, black and yellow grew throughout the area that is now Iran and Afghanistan. Back then, carrots were a popular forage food that people gathered both for their tasty, nutritious green tops and, albeit tiny, brightly coloured roots. Through cultivation and selective breeding, the orange, larger-rooted carrots we know today began to appear in European marketplaces around the 16th century. Today, home gardeners enjoy growing a rainbow of carrot varieties. Beautiful, colourful heirlooms in purple, white, red and yellow have increased in popularity and are now readily available as seed. Growing and care All carrots need a light, fluffy soil. Before…

Leafy green Asian vegetables are tasty, nutritious, easy to grow and versatile in the kitchen. All are good sources of calcium and vitamins A, C and K. They can be steamed, stir-fried, stewed, braised or chopped and cooked in soups. Asian greens have great flavour but it’s the different leaf shapes, colours and textures that make them such appealing veggies, in both the garden and as an ingredient for the home cook. Growing and care All Asian greens grow best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil that has plenty of mature organic compost mixed in and they like a sunny position. Sow seeds about 5cm apart and 0.5–1cm deep. Water gently so as not to dislodge seeds. Seeds germinate rapidly, sometimes within a week, and can be thinned for proper spacing.…

Herbs lend themselves to both formal and informal planting. They can be grown in rockeries or used as edging (parsley, chives, small-growing thymes). They can be dotted around paved areas, scattered irregularly between paving stones, used as edging to paths and grown in many different types of tubs, pots, window boxes and containers. Use pots of the appropriate size for the plants’ growing needs and a good-quality potting mix rather than garden soil. Thyme, parsley, bay, chives, basil and tarragon all do well in pots. As these are all herbs you will want to pick frequently, it is worth having them growing near the kitchen. You could try a few hanging baskets near the back door, a vertical garden or some pots on a deck or patio that catches the…

Unless you’re a herb enthusiast, chervil is one you might never have come across, let alone used. I’d describe it as parsley’s more delicate, lesser-known cousin. Mind you, a basket of chervil seeds was found in the tomb of King Tutankhamen, the Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th century BCE, so it has a long history. The flavour is like a gentle cross between aniseedy tarragon and parsley but, unlike those more common herbs, chervil’s a tricky one to find at supermarkets and greengrocers, which in my book means it’s perfect to grow at home. Widely used in French cooking, it naturally pairs well with butter, wine, fish, poultry and eggs. The delicate leaves make a dainty garnish in soups and salads. Growing and harvesting Grown in the cooler months, chervil…

It seems the world is divided between those who love coriander and those who hate it. Yet it’s a key flavour in so many popular Asian dishes and just the right garnish for Indian curries, Moroccan tajines and Mexican salsas — how dull would guacamole be without it? The leaves aren’t the only part of the plant used to flavour dishes, either. The whole plant is edible. Coriander seeds are ground and added to curries, and are used whole in pickling and to flavour sausages. The roots, which have a stronger flavour, are commonly used in curry pastes and the little white flowers can be added to salads. The only problem is it’s notorious for bolting to flower and then seed. Just the slightest stress, such as too much heat…

Not all fruit grows on trees, opening up a veritable cornucopia of options for small-space gardeners who want to experience the taste sensation of eating freshly picked homegrown fruit. Some are low-growing shrubs and bushes that could be called upon to double-up as hedging or screening. Some have a trailing habit that makes them ideal for pots, others are bramble types. Then there are vines, versatile climbers that can grow on a trellis or up and over a pergola, maximising space while simultaneously producing fruit. Some are very vigorous growers and need regular pruning to keep them growth in check, ensuring they keep to the size you want or they don’t over-run your garden. Passionfruit is one of the most popular climbers (for more information, turn to page 89) and…

The pomegranate is among the oldest cultivated fruits, originating from Persia, Afghanistan and surrounding areas. The hanging fruit is striking to look at, but even more beautiful when you cut it open to reveal the fleshy jewel-like seeds inside. In fact, the name “pomegranate” translates to “seeded apple” and the fruit is seen as a symbol of hope and abundance in many cultures. It’s even rumoured the apple that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden was a pomegranate. The pomegranate is one small tree with a lot to offer: glossy green leaves, attractive autumn foliage colour, pretty red-orange flowers and colourful fruit that is both decorative and delicious — and brings that some thing special to your cooking. Pomegranates are also members of the exclusive antioxidant-rich superfood group and…

It was 18th-century Christian missionaries in Brazil who first linked the appearance of the local passionfruit flower to the Passion and death of Christ. They called it flor das cinco chagas or “flower of the five wounds”, giving rise to its generic name Passiflora, or passion flower. Typically, passionfruit can be divided into two groups: those with yellow skin and those with purple skin. The yellow varieties tend to have a more vigorous vine and bigger fruit but the purple ones are generally less acidic with a higher juice content. Commercially, Australian passionfruit is grown in northern Queensland and northern New South Wales but it can be grown successfully (and productively) in home gardens in the southern states. Just look for a variety known to suit your climatic conditions; this…

Cameron Paterson of Grounded Gardens took a sculptural approach, ensuring the veggie beds in the backyard of this Melbourne home would be a design feature. The custom-designed raised planters were fashioned using Corten steel that was bent and shaped to create a free-flowing effect that is mirrored in the contours of the lawn. Curved shapes are a great idea for smaller gardens as they invite the eye to meander along a leisurely path, giving a sense of increased space. Corten steel is a popular choice for outdoor art and its rust-like appearance suits myriad garden styles. But these garden beds aren’t just there to look good. They produce an ever-changing menu of herbs and vegetables that the family happily shares with friends. This part of the garden also features lemon…

This Japanese-inspired design by Lisa Ellis Gardens combines clipped evergreens with edible plants, all laid out in a non-symmetrical fashion, to create visual interest and include productive plants in a space-saving way. The repeated use of topiary Buxus balls brings together the various edible plants which, if planted on their own, would not offer much visual drama. Edible plants used as ornamental plants, including citrus and bay trees, give structure to the garden and provide food for the pot and table. In the first summer, the family’s harvest of Tahitian limes and lemons was truly impressive. There is a limited palette of plants for picking flowers, but one example is Daphne odora ‘Alba’, planted beneath the citrus, again showing how easily edibles and ornamentals can work together. Bluestone paving was…

This garden, nestled in a stunning coastal location on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, isn’t short on space, but the area allocated to this veggie garden was of modest proportions and demonstrates what can be achieved in a small space. Having a place to grow veggies and a few fruit trees was important to the owners, so this was a key consideration when Ben McDonald of Iluka Landscape Developments was called in to design the grounds of the home. The property is embraced by Moonah trees that couldn’t be touched and the goal was to capture a coastal dune feel. This meant the design of the productive garden space needed to be sympathetic to that. Two raised corrugated steel garden beds, painted white to reference the trim on the house, overflow with…

Organic gardening is the trend these days as more people are becoming conscious of what they use in their gardens and how they grow plants, particularly edibles, safely and sustainably. This has come about because the safety of garden chemicals is unclear and some commonly used pesticides are being withdrawn because of toxicity concerns. But what does organic gardening really mean, why is it important, and how do you apply the principles to your edibles plants? What does it mean? There are many definitions of organic gardening but an appropriate meaning and one that is easy to grasp is it is a method of gardening that is as close to nature as possible. This starts from building a healthy, fertile and living soil, and using only materials in the garden…

Edible gardening above ground level encompasses a host of different gardening techniques, including no-dig gardening, lasagne garden-layering, raised garden beds, mounded beds and deep, portable garden containers. Each has the same principle: you do not dig into the soil — you create a garden space by raising the soil level. It’s easy, practical, sustainable and a commonsense approach for the smaller backyard kitchen garden. No-dig gardening involves building up a garden bed on top of existing soil, lawn, concrete or paving, or even building a garden bed off the ground. You can also buy moveable containers or get DIY kits you can easily assemble to have a raised garden bed. Why no digging? • Digging damages the soil. Soil isn’t just dirt: it’s a complex natural web of soil particles,…

Vertical gardens offer a host of benefits. For starters, they allow you to introduce plant life — edible or ornamental, or both — into small spaces. If you can’t grow a ground-level garden, you can attach a vertical garden to a courtyard wall, the backyard fence, the exterior of your house … even a balcony wall. In addition to allowing you to grow herbs and veggies for cooking, vertical gardens help to reduce the ambient temperature in their immediate surrounds, clean the air and encourage biodiversity, making them space-saving and eco-friendly. “With more than 50 per cent of us now living in cities worldwide (the percentage is even higher in Australia), our metropolitan areas are becoming more crowded and our gardens ever smaller,” says Karen Sutherland, horticulturalist, garden designer and…

Rocket is one of those enthusiastic plants that you may only have to plant once. It then self-seeds, often abandoning the veggie patch and appearing in cracks in paving. A Mediterranean native, rocket is familiar everywhere. The peppery leaves are delicious in salads, added to sandwiches or made into pesto. As a plus, the flowers are edible and also attract beneficial insects, including pollinators, to the garden. When growing rocket, plant and stand back is the best advice. Rocket is best grown from seed sown directly where it is to grow. It can be grown throughout the year but is a good crop for spring when it rapidly provides a leafy salad veggie. Growing and care Sow seeds in rows in a rich, well-drained soil then lightly cover the seeds.…

If you’ve fallen in love with French cooking and adore the small, almost pearl-like onions that often star in slow-cooked recipes, then you’re a convert to eschalots (also confusingly known as shallots, French shallots, golden shallots or Asian shallots). Like large onions, these small eschalot onions have a papery skin but the bulbs are sweeter in flavour. An easy-to-grow alternative to traditional onions, they can be planted in the veggie patch or a container. They grow in clusters and individual bulbs are around 3cm long. As well as being used in French recipes, or fried, they can also be pickled or even eaten raw in a salad. In Southeast Asian cuisines, they are sliced finely and deep-fried until crisp. Growing and care Eschalots can be grown in rows set about…

Eating crisp, juicy and refreshing cucumbers straight from the vine and warmed by the summer sun is a summer treat. Cucumbers originated from India where the bitter fruiting vines thrived in the subtropical climate. Around the 7th century in China and Japan they started to breed the long green cucumbers we would recognise. The Greeks and Romans were the first Europeans to cultivate the cucumber but when the English discovered they could grow this sun-loving crop in a greenhouse, it was soon adored by those wealthy enough to have such elaborate garden buildings — and so the English love of cucumber sandwiches was born. Today, we enjoy cucumbers in more than just salads and sandwiches. With the rise in popularity of pickling and fermenting, varieties like ‘Parisian Pickling’ are readily…

Celery is synonymous with diets and healthy eating, though it’s said to be a negative-calorie food because it takes more energy to chew and digest than it contains. Growing celery in your own garden will require time (it’s a relatively slow-growing plant) and energy (think lots of fertiliser and water) yet I still think it’s a worthwhile vegetable to grow. Celery is a base ingredient in many soups, stocks and stews and, eaten raw, it makes a handy snack as well. And when it’s growing happily in your own garden you can just remove as much as your dish requires — so no more limp stalks wasted at the bottom of the crisper drawer. Growing and care Celery can be a fussy crop. It does take time and a lot…

My neighbour’s sunroom is filled with potted plants. Some are the usual suspects you’d expect to find indoors such as devil’s ivy and ferns but last winter she moved one of her favourite herbs indoors as well. A late sowing had produced lots of basil plants that weren’t large enough to harvest. As the cold nights arrived, she decided to shelter them indoors. The pots of basil have done so well she was able to enjoy homemade pesto in late June. Even sun-loving basil can be grown in less than full sun in a warm, sunny room or on a windowsill. My friend’s trick was to keep the plants growing with feeds of liquid fertiliser and to harvest leaves as soon as there were enough to use. Herbs are among…

If ever a plant were poised between heaven and hell, it would be Ocimum basilicum, otherwise known as basil. In India and Haiti, the herb is used to ward off evil. In parts of Mexico, it supposedly attracts good fortune. Some ancients believed it opened the gates of paradise for the dying, while others saw it as a symbol of the Devil. Whatever the legend, basil is believed to be native to India, where it’s considered sacred and has been used ceremonially and medicinally for 5000 years. Today, the world over, it’s also considered to be the magic ingredient in pasta, pesto, curries and stir-fries. Growing and care Basil is a herbaceous plant, usually an annual, with a prolific growth of bright green leaves — sometimes purple — and a…

Small-space gardening can certainly be a challenge but it’s also an opportunity to get creative. Backyards are getting smaller and for an increasing number of people, the only outdoor space they have to grow plants in is a courtyard, terrace or deck — sometimes just a balcony — but thinking smart can take you a long way. We all know container gardening is great for smaller outdoor areas, as are vertical gardens which allow you to bring in a little greenery without taking up valuable ground space, but what if you want to grow fruit trees? Well, you can do that, too. Thanks to the proliferation of dwarf and compact fruit trees, you don’t need a big backyard with space for an orchard to enjoy juicy apples, pears or plums…

Foodscaping fruiting plants into hedges is a creative way to cram more tasty organic food into a small garden. And, from a design perspective, there’s the colour and interest of fruit and flowers. You may even inspire passersby. Speaking more generally, hedges can screen out ugly views and noise, add privacy and windbreaks, define boundaries and create garden rooms. Repeated elements tend to be more visually relaxing than using different plants in the one hedge. Edible hedges don’t have to be straight vertical living walls. They can be circular, flowing, low as well as tall, and used to border trees or garden beds. Selecting your plants Morag Gamble, founding director of the Permaculture Education Institute based in Queensland, says a good strategy is to select plants that suit your climate.…

If you’re after a tough, productive tree for your garden but you don’t have a lot of space, don’t overlook the feijoa. It’s an attractive small evergreen tree that’s native to South America, with silvery leathery foliage, beautiful scarlet flowers in spring and a good batch of egg-shaped fruit in autumn. Feijoa is sometimes called the pineapple guava because the pulp of the fruit is guava-like and the flesh tastes a bit like pineapple sherbet. You can eat the fruit in much the same way as you do kiwifruit: slice it in half and scoop out the flesh then perhaps make a batch of jam with the leftover fruit. Most varieties grow up to 4.5m tall but can be kept lower with some judicious pruning. They make wonderful edible hedges,…

In southern Italy nestles the small seaside village of Acciaroli. Of its 2000-odd residents, 300 have reached the great age of 100. If that doesn’t impress you enough, it’s estimated that about 20 per cent of those centenarians have actually achieved the age of 110. In addition, the incidence of heart disease and Alzheimer’s is comparatively very low in Acciaroli. The village is now the subject of ongoing study to determine what it is about its people’s genetics and/or lifestyle that has caused this. What is known already is that many of them smoke and spend a large part of their day drinking coffee until it’s wine o’clock, when they switch to alcohol. Many are overweight but you rarely see them exercising (intentionally). On the other side of the ledger,…

In Germany, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), also colloquially known as melissa, is considered a very important medicinal herb. The German Commission E (a government regulatory agency) has approved its use internally for nervous sleeping disorders and gastrointestinal complaints, while the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP) recognises its internal use for tenseness, restlessness, irritability, and symptomatic treatment of digestive disorders and externally for herpes, or cold sores. The German Standard Licence for lemon balm tea approves it for nervous disorders of sleep and of the gastrointestinal tract. Such acceptance of its medicinal uses has come about as a result of several studies. One important double-blind, placebo-controlled study found a lemon balm cream very effective for the herpes virus, significantly reducing both the area of infection and the healing time. In…

This little slice of paradise in inner-Sydney is the creation of Steve Warner from OUTHOUSE Design. The owner wanted a garden that was visually stunning and offered up fruit and herbs. Raised Corten steel production beds provide a year-round supply of edibles and were designed to allow for crop rotation. Running alongside the edible garden beds and outlining their curves is a stepping stone path of organic-shaped pieces of bluestone. The gently curving path has a softening effect and visually stretches the garden by preventing the eye from zipping straight to the back fence. Creeping white thyme was planted around the pavers to create a fuller look. Climbing plants and espalier draw up the eye, creating the illusion of greater height in what is a small outdoor space. The climbers…

Mark Tisdell from MUD Landscape Design was asked to reimagine this tiny terrace courtyard and include, among other things, an edible green wall and a self-watering, permaculture ecosystem that supported local wildlife. With sustainability at the core of this project, the first step was to source recycled materials. To create the edible green wall, Mark sourced recycled hardwood in all shapes and sizes, carefully arranging the pieces in a Tetris-style pattern. But it’s not just the appearance of the green wall that is so special; each plant has been chosen for its permaculture properties and has been planted in wicking pots. Wicking pots have a space at the bottom which acts as a water reservoir, filtering the water slowly into the soil through a wick. Along with a custom-designed irrigation…

With his characteristic sense of whimsy and penchant for creative colour combinations, Phillip Withers designed a luxuriant garden that demonstrated how easily — and beautifully — an outdoor entertaining space can be integrated into a garden brimming with fruit, vegetables and herbs. The garden, created for the Melbourne International Garden & Flower Show, invited you to step into its leafy, aromatic embrace. Most of the plants were edible but several pretty flowering plants were included in the mix, adding colour. The entertaining area featured an outdoor kitchen, the colours of its front panels referencing the bold accent colours of the wall and other garden structures. Behind the outdoor kitchen unit was a built-in seat and to one side, a dining table with bench seating. The walling behind the outdoor kitchen…

When we make the decision to start growing our own food, often we are impatient to get plants in immediately so we can see results as soon as possible. But before planting anything, it’s crucial to create the right environment for it to flourish — and that means getting the soil right. In fact, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of healthy, balanced, mineralised, living soil. The nutrients in our food come directly from the soil. Added organic matter is great, but if the compost comes from plants (and weeds) that have been grown in mineral-depleted soil, it may do little to remineralise soil that has given up nutrients to plants. Calcium, phosphorus and potassium particularly play a huge role in making soil capable of growing nutrient-rich food. Getting the…

Square foot gardening is the practice of creating small, intensively planted, water-efficient garden plots, particularly in situations where space is at a premium and soil is poor. The term, coined by Mel Bartholomew and the title of his 1981 bestseller, literally means what it says. As befits a retired engineer, Bartholomew’s system is about dividing up a limited space — say, an inner-city backyard — into a number of smaller square garden beds, separated by aisles. Each bed is then subdivided with slats or twine into a grid of foot-square (30cm²) spaces. These squares should remain visible as the plants grow. Each square is planted with one large plant (tomato or broccoli, say) or four medium-sized plants (such as lettuce) and up to 16 small plants (such as carrots, onions…

Homegrown produce has much to offer — greater flavour and freshness, the chance to eat veggies grown without chemicals, and the opportunity to get in touch with the rhythms of nature. Basically, it’s good for you and the environment. And don’t forget the sense of satisfaction you’ll feel when you see your veggie patch flourishing and your family tucking into the meals you’ve prepared using produce harvested that day from your own backyard. Every vegetable has its own requirements so it’s impossible to list them all here, but the basic principles, like good soil preparation, only planting veggies suited to your climate, ensuring they get the right amount of sun and water, are the same. To give you a sense of what’s involved, we explore some of the fundamentals of…

Kale has risen from relative obscurity to become a very trendy vegetable in recent years. It’s even sold by the bunch in supermarkets and turns up on many restaurant menus. Much of this renewed interest comes down to its reputation as a “superfood”. This ornamental leafy vegetable is packed with vitamins, is rich in calcium and iron, and is a source of dietary fibre. The good news is this old-fashioned green is easy to grow with a little care, crops over a long period, and is handy to have growing in winter and spring when fresh greens can be scarce. Growing and care Kale grows best through the cooler months, so seeds are planted in summer and autumn. Seedlings are planted from autumn to spring to keep a good supply…

Some like it hot — do you? If you eat chilli every day, then you’re not alone; one quarter of the world’s population eat chilli at least once a day. The compound in chillies that gives them their burn is capsaicin which, when ingested, triggers pain receptors in our body, alerting it to a dangerous physical heat. It’s the same mechanism that helps us know to drop a hot pan if we hold onto it. Chillies are relatively easy to grow in the garden and many will thrive happily in a pot or planter. Unless you live in a particularly frosty or cold area, most chillies can be grown as perennial plants. Even if they sulk a little during the cooler winters, come the warmth of spring and summer they…

No matter what anyone says, the flavour of frozen peas simply doesn’t compare with that of fresh peas, newly picked and eaten raw, preferably while still standing in my garden. Primitive peas have been found in the teeth of Neanderthals, from a time when they would have been a wild forage crop. But whiz forward tens of thousands of years and there is evidence of their cultivation around 11,000 years ago in the Middle East. The humble pea can also claim credit as the plant that Gregor Johann Mendel used to establish the principles of plant genetics and breeding. Mendel chose to study peas because they’re an easy crop to grow. So what are you waiting for? Pop in some peas! Growing and care Sow peas directly in autumn, winter…

Fast and super easy to grow, radishes are a very reliable year-round staple that will add their inimitable peppery crunch to homemade salads and sandwiches. Best sown directly from seed, they will be ready to harvest in as little as 35 days during warmer weather or around 6–8 weeks in winter. Growing and care Choose a full-sun spot — in summer, somewhere with protection from the hot afternoon sun is ideal — and work through some compost to make the soil friable before sowing seeds. Sow seeds in rows spaced according to the packet instructions. Seedlings can be thinned out if necessary once they have two true leaves. While the seeds are germinating, make sure the soil is kept moist. Once they’ve sprouted you can lightly sprinkle the soil along…

Originating in eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and southern Russia, dill has been enjoyed for thousands of years and is ubiquitous in the cuisines of those regions as well as Scandinavia. Its flavour is like a cross between fennel and caraway. Dill has also been widely used in herbal medicine to, among other things, ease stomach ills and improve digestion. Growing and harvesting Dill likes well-drained but moist, rich soil in a full-sun position. If the light levels are too low the plant will underperform. Dig in plenty of organic matter before planting and give your dill lots of room as it can grow quite tall and bushy. With its attractive feathery foliage topped with soft green-yellow flowers, it’s a pretty plant for the herb garden — and it attracts beneficial…

Lemon verbena is supposed to be a shrub but the veteran plant in my garden is a small, gnarled tree. It’s amazing it ever became a tree as, by growing higher than the fence, it has exposed itself to icy Antarctic blasts from the south. To survive the worst of the cold it goes into a deep sulk through winter, only grudgingly regrowing its leaves just before Christmas. In autumn, it hits full growth and is smothered in flowers as it enjoys its brief time in the sun. The foliage has a lovely lemony scent so brushing against it in the garden is a real joy. The scent remains in the leaves even when dried, which makes them useful in teas and potpourri. Lemon verbena can be used in so…

Cumquats are the smallest of the citrus clan but each little fruit’s sour but tangy flavour packs a punch. Neat, tidy and evergreen, they are also extremely ornamental, bedecked with golden fruit during winter when we’re in need of a bit of garden cheer. In Chinese culture, cumquats (also called kumquats) are considered lucky and prized as New Year gifts, as when the shrub is covered with fruit it looks as if it’s hung with gold coins. Even if you don’t believe cumquats can bring luck or riches, they enrich winter and early spring when they are in fruit. If you can bear to pick the fruit, even a small harvest can be transformed into a few jars of cumquat marmalade or added to both sweet and savoury dishes. Other…

During winter, when the trees are dormant, peaches are available bare-rooted. This means the trees are dug up from the production nursery in early winter, their roots are trimmed then they’re bagged in sawdust for transport to your local nursery. The peak season for bare-rooted stock is June to early August. Peaches love a full-sun spot and some will happily grow in a large pot. One example is ‘Pixzee’, a miniature peach tree producing yellow-fleshed, full-sized fruit. Most varieties prefer a mild climate and cooler winters although some are suited to warmer climes. Also, most varieties are self-fertile, meaning you don’t have to have a second pollinator tree — but always check with your nursery. Growing and care It’s important to prep the soil before planting your bare-rooted peach tree.…

Lemon-scented herbs • Lemongrass • Lemon thyme • Lemon verbena • Lemon balm • Lemon basil All make a fragrant addition to other herbal teas. A part from cooking with them, no doubt the best way to use and get the health benefits from the herbs you grow is to make and drink herbal teas. Some teas are instantly palatable while others are acquired tastes. You probably immediately think of steaming hot drinks, too, but some are very pleasant to drink chilled or even at room temperature, especially those from lemon-scented herbs. Your own homegrown herbs are always the best basis for your teas because you can rest assured they have been grown organically. What you grow will depend on which flavours and aromas you are drawn to and what…

Like its close cousin, ginger, turmeric is a flowering plant that produces a root or rhizome crucial to Asian cuisine — curries in particular. While its deep golden-yellow powder form has also been used as a fabric dye, turmeric has been prized for centuries for the peppery, mustardy flavour it imparts to spicy dishes. But it may have other uses as well. Turmeric, like ginger, has significant anti-inflammatory properties and a long history of use in Asia and India for arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Its main constituent, curcumin, has shown anti-cancer promise. It has also been shown to lower cholesterol, support the liver and have an anti-coagulant action. More recent research has focused on its role in helping to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Growing and care A perennial and native…

Of modest size, this once sloping, impractical backyard now has a place for outdoor dining, a lawn for play, a space for growing vegetables and herbs, and a mini orchard. Step one for Georgina Martyn of BoldSimplicity was to create a series of level terraces. The first level houses a small lawn. To the right is the raised veggie garden built 400mm above the lawn so that it doubles as a seating ledge. Espaliered citrus trees trained on a stainless steel post-and-wire frame provide an evergreen backdrop to the vegetable garden. The three citrus trees produce kaffir lime leaves, Tahitian lime fruit and lemons. A worm farm sits behind a timber screen and provides essential nutrients for the vegetable garden through the liquid and castings it generates. The second garden…

The owners had recently renovated their home and wanted to create a calming outdoor haven with a mix of edible plants, native trees and grasses. When designer Katy Svalbe, from Svalbe & Co, came on board, the rear yard was a sea of grass with a “landing strip” of sandstone slabs down its centre and a majestic lemon-scented gum. The garden is now filled with textural plants that invite you to reach out and brush your fingers along them. Soft and inviting, the garden is the perfect backdrop for its owners to entertain at home and indulge their love of gardening. In broad strokes, the productive edible elements are spread along the left-hand side of the garden while the native plantings lie to the right. To create privacy and soften…