A very important step on the road to self-sufficiency is the veggie patch. As we rent and have a gloriously concreted backyard- we had to think laterally about our patch. We got on to ebay and purchased a bathtub come planter!! More to come (soonish). We hope to have three of them all together. There are also some old pots that we've used, along with a small raised bed that was already here.
Together with the compost bin (don't spend $100's on a commercial one- we just used a solid garbage bin with the bottom cut out!) I think we're on our way with a good Autumn sowing.
We've planted: Green beans, peas, potatoes, garlic, onion, beetroot, carrots, broccoli, brussels sprouts and several companion plants and herbs. I chose not to successive sow these veggies 'cause I haven't planted in this climate before and I will swap and preserve or freeze any glut that I have!
We need to develop a relationship with our food that we've seemed to have lost: We go to the supermarket and can find whatever we want whenever we want it! The relationship that I'm talking about is the one developed when we have an intimate knowledge of the journey that our veggies took to make it to our tummies! It's not a romance...it's a tragedy!! I nurture and care for those little seedlings and mourn their passing in a heatwave, I deliberate over the thinning of the weak ones and cheer on the growth of the rest- but tragically, I must rip them from their dirty home and cannibalise the poor little pets!? This is an important element in the fight against food-waste. Once we recognise that food doesn't 'just appear' in the supermarkets- we are on our way to understanding our place on our very own ecosystem.
Another aspect of the food-waste problem is the packing of veggies and herbs in our supermarkets. Have a look at your vegetable crisper in your fridge....it's scary, I know...but I think I may know just what's gestating in the bottom of that draw- bunches of herbs! Basil that you bought for decorating that pasta, parsley you used to mix with some parmesan or coriander that highlighted your laksa. The other culprit is spring onion- why oh why does it have to be sold in ruddy-great bunches!?
My suggestion is, have a look at that nasty veggie crisper in your fridge and recognise the herbs that you cook with on a regular basis and grow them instead of buying them! No need for a garden veggie patch- just use pots (herbs are more manageable in pots) and line up a row of your favourite culinary flavours.
Recipe of the day
Garlic Insect Spray
1 litre of boiling water
2 tablespoons of grated (plain) soap
2 cloves of garlic
Dissolve soap in the water. Smash garlic cloves with the side of a knife and place in water/ soap mixture. Decant into a glass bottle. Place lid on and leave overnight.
Mix with fresh water in a spray-bottle and use on white fly and other insects in your veggie patch.
The spray does not have a long effective life (say about 2 hours) so use in the garden every morning for 10 days to two weeks to eliminate white fly.
next installment.....a different approach to food waste- out of the garden and into the kitchen...
