In a forest or woodland, the ground cover plants are the first to come to life, able to grow rapidly and complete their annual cycle before the shrubs and trees above them come into leaf and produce a light blocking canopy. Perennial vegetables help fill the “hungry gap” We are coming into the time of […]
I am growing and eating two of the species in this group. Both I grew from seed. They are a useful addition to the salad bowl through the winter and spring. They are woodland plants and so are happy to grow in the shade. This is always a bonus when so many other plants like
This year I am experimenting more with edible flowers. Some look pretty as a garnish or mixed into a salad. Some are good for making herbal teas, cleaning products or medicinal salves. For me, daylilies have some unique edible qualities and stand out as something special. I bought three different varieties, Nile Crane and Pink
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Oca, also known as New Zealand Yam, is a member of the Oxalis family. In order to grow it, it is best to start with some tubers. These come in a variety of colours; yellow, pink and red which make a pretty crop. Mine are much smaller than potatoes at about 1-3cm length, although I
Food forests have become increasingly popular in permaculture circles as a way of planting a low maintenance, diverse, abundant garden. While “forest” conjures up pictures of a large, wooded landscape, you can design the smallest of gardens following food forest principles. The idea is to have plants growing in different layers. By doing this, you
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Self seeding annuals What is a self seeding annual? Annuals are plants which do all their growing, flowering, setting seed in one year and then die. Think of the usual garden favourites such as petunias, cornflowers, begonias. Some of them grow like this whatever the climate, while others might live longer in countries with warmer
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Roast yacon and sausage with chilli and lime This yacon recipe can be adapted to use whatever winter salad greens you have growing in your garden. Some with a bit of a bite are good to balance the sweetness of the yacon. Then add some protein and top with a zingy salad dressing for a
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If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again! This plant, Caucasian spinach (Hablitzia tamnoides) caught my eye as one that is worth adding to a food forest. Like many others, it has “leaves that can be used as spinach”. The two properties that make it more attractive to me are that it grows
