Preserving herbs from your garden is a great way to make the most of their abundance and store them for the winter months when many herbs will not be growing. Herbs are a great way to add flavour to any dish and once you make your own dried mixed herbs you will never want to buy them ever again!
Click below to watch
In this video I share how I pick, dry and preserve my herbs for both a dried mixed herb blend and also to make tea blends.
Why Grow Herbs?
Herbs are the easiest thing to start growing because they are hardy and less susceptible to pests. They also do not require a lot of room to grow. So you can grow herbs in pots or containers if you do not have room for a garden. It is absolutely achievable and you never know where the journey will take you.
Grow Abundant Herbs
Nature provides so much abundance when we learn to see and utilise it. Sometimes cutting your plants can spark new growth and they will continue to flourish in new directions. Young new growth is much nicer to eat than the older woody growth too. Preserving your harvests also allows you to slow down and reconnect with where your food comes from. It just feels so right to go out to the garden and pick food that you know exactly what has gone into creating it. No chemicals, pesticides, or nasty sprays.
Basil is a warm climate herb and will start to die off as the temperatures decrease. So harvesting and storing basil will mean I will be able to have it available during winter. Basil also responds so well to being cut. Especially towards the end of the season as it starts going to flower. By cutting the tops off, it will grow out thicker and will also help prolong the life of the plant.
Take Cuttings for Gifts
My rosemary is growing a little wild and has even collapsed in the middle under the weight. So I am going to take some cutting to replant and also harvest a big bunch to dry and preserve. Taking cuttings to regrow will give me new plants to gift and trade. It is always good to have some on the go for last minute gifting.
When to Harvest Herbs?
The best time of day to harvest your herbs is first thing in the morning. This is when the plants are hydrated and full of life. As the day goes on they will lose moisture and not be as fresh and vibrant. Early in the morning, the bees are not yet active. As the sun comes up and the dew drys, the bees will be about in a hive of activity. So if you do pick later in the day just be slow and cautious not stress them out and avoid getting stung.
Take time to Slow Down
Spending time in the garden harvesting and caring for your plants allows so much time to observe and learn from your garden.
To slow down and reconnect. Giving your mind time to think. Some of my most creative ideas come when I can quiet the rest of the world. Harvesting also gives such a sense of pride. That you have grown all this delicious food is so special.
How to Preserve and Dry Herbs?
To preserve these herbs I first rinse them off in the sink. Next, I separate the stems and lay the leaves out on my dehydrator trays. I put a layer of brown baking paper to stop them from falling through the tray grid. I keep and reuse the brown baking paper for future dehydrating. I then pop them in the dehydrator on the lowest temperature setting. Between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. You can also do this in the oven but just be aware it may take 5-8 hours to dry depending on the thickness of the herbs. So it is important you are home when using the oven. To air-dry your herbs, hang them upside down but make sure you have a dry and warm climate. If you live in an area with humidity I would avoid air-drying. You want the herbs to dry as fast as possible.
Dry the herbs until they feel crispy as you do not want any moisture still left in the leaves. If there is still moisture they may spoil or grow mould in the storage process.
Once they are completely dry you can pop them straight into clean, dry jars or storage containers. If you want to save room you can crush them up using a mortar and pestle. Mix some of your herbs together to make a mixed her blend ready for all your winter soups and meals.
Share and Inspire Others
These dried herbs also make great gifts. Taking gifts from your garden to friends and family is something that should become a regular ritual. They will so feel special and you will also feel joy and pride in sharing your homegrown produce. Sharing from the garden can also spark others to try to grow their own food too. You have no idea how many people can be inspired to make changes from your single action of sharing. It should be the way of the future. Because what we are doing in the world right now is not sustainable.
I hope you feel inspired to grow your own herbs at home and make your own dried mixed herbs. They are so easy to make and so vibrant and full of flavour. Nothing like the dull grey herbs you find at the supermarket.
If you have any questions leave me a comment below.
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge for you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Growing your own homegrown fruit and vegetables does not automatically equal natural, healthy food. We are sold so many things for our home gardens that are actually toxic or full of nasty chemicals.
What we put into our soils will be drawn up through the plants and into the food they produce. Some plants will accumulate and retain more chemical and trace elements than others. Root vegetables and leafy greens are more at risk than those that form from flowers such as fruit, broccoli, eggplant, melons etc. Root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes have constant and direct contact with any contaminants in the soil or water. Fruit bearing plants will often be able to process and reduce any contaminants before it reaches the reproductive flowers and fruit.
Choosing to grow in toxic free soil and not using chemicals or pesticides on your plants will mean your food will be less at risk for harmful contamination. Growing food naturally and sustainably is a big learning journey and below are some ways to avoid harmful contaminants in your food. Actionable steps to grow food naturally and avoid any nasties at the shops.
1. Choose Organic Soil
The soil you grow your food in is absolute key! Not all soils are made the same. Spend a little time doing some research to determine if the soil you are purchasing is organic and free from any nasties. Ask questions, read labels and it may cost a little extra but it will be worth it! Do the same with composts and animal manure. Animal manure is great for your gardens but it is important to know what you are buying! Animals that are eating food with chemicals and sprays or are on medications may transfer contaminates through to their manure. Once you have your base soil sorted, composting and building soil at home is a great way to top up your garden beds with your own organic soil.
2. Select your Seeds and Seedlings Wisely
Seeds can be coated in chemicals! This was something I did not realise when I started this journey. “Roundup Ready seed” was not a term I had heard before but now I can’t un-hear it. Many seeds created by large manufacturers are coated in pesticides so you can spray for weeds and bugs without killing the seed. If you have ever bought seeds that are bright pink or other unnatural looking colours with speckles, this is most likely why. It’s hard to find information on what chemicals or pesticides these coatings contain and I would just avoid them all together. These seeds are also often grown in contaminated soils with chemical fertilisers and pesticides to mass produce large, productive plants to save seeds from.
The best seeds to purchase are heirloom varieties from local distributors. Choosing seeds that have been grown organically in your local area will have a higher success rate. These plants will be adapted to your local climate rather than those imported and grown in a completely different climate. You can find local seed suppliers at your nearest nurseries and plant stores. Take a look online as well to find local organic seed companies. It all starts with a single seed.
Seedlings will be exactly the same. Choose local, organic seedlings and ask questions. Seedlings for mass production will often be grown from pesticide coated or genetically modified seeds, fed with synthetic fertilizers to boost their growth and provide the public with a product that will have a “high success rate”. But of course that does not equate to natural healthy food. A little bit of research and you will find lots of healthy seedlings to purchase. Farmers markets can also be a great place to find locally grown seedlings and you will be able to find out directly from the grower what has gone into their production.
3. Use Natural Pest Management
When you first start growing food you will get slugs and snails eating your new precious veggies and will want to instantly fix the situation. Traditionally, gardeners are taught and marketed to pour on huge amounts of snail bait to combat the hungry predators. This is poison, not only will it kill the slugs and snails but is also deadly to cats and dogs. Now, if it can kill dogs, having it covering the soil and getting watered in and absorbed into the soil that your vegetable will feed on, especially those root vegetables, cannot be good for us.
Growing food naturally and sustainably can often mean we need to relearn old ways and not be afraid to fail. Ditch the need to constantly control the situation and start working with nature to find a balance. A balanced ecosystem where everything works together will not only be healthier for you but also less work in the long run.
There are lots of ways we can use what we have to add healthy vitamins and nutrients into our soil. These will help replenish what the plants have extracted from the soil and give your new plants a boost they need to thrive. Natural fertiliser ideas such as:
Weed Tea– are your weeds thriving? They will be full of vitamin and minerals that can be fermented into a fertiliser for your gardens.
Composting – Composting is a great way to return plant matter and nutrients back into the soil.
Worm Farms and Worm Tea – worms are powerhouses in the garden! Harness their energy by starting a worm farm and turn your recycling and scraps into nutrient rich fertilisers.
Banana Skins or Banana Tea Fertiliser – Chop and sprinkle banana skins in your soil or add to water to make a potassium rich natural fertiliser. This is great for fruiting trees as it promotes fruit production.
Coffee Grounds – Coffee grounds are high in potassium and nitrogen which are both great for the garden. By themselves, they can be quite acidic, so its best to add them into your compost or mix through soil and spread it out.
Mulching – mulching not only helps retain moisture in your soils but also add nutrients as it breaks down. Each time you add fresh mulch on top you are adding new layers of soil. So it is again important to choose natural and organic mulch.
Chop and drop – this is a technique I use often with my gardens. It can look a little messy but adds nutrients back into the soil. When you trim your trees roughly chop up the branches and place them on the surface of your gardens as mulch. This works best with fruit trees or low maintenance gardens. Fruit trees will benefit from the fungal activity of the branches as they break down.
5. Grow away from Roadsides and Contaminates
Cars and high traffic areas will give off a lot of atmospheric pollution. It is best to avoid growing in these places. There are a few ways you can reduce the risk of your gardens being contaminated such as:
Plant trees or hedges to create a barrier and diffuse some of the dust and fumes.
Choose to grow fruit trees rather than leafy greens to avoid directly consuming the contaminates.
Be sure to wash the fruit well before use.
6. Buy Local and Organic
If you are supplementing your food supply with bought produce, choose to purchase local and organically grown for a reduced risk of contamination. Knowing where your food has come from and being able to talk to the grower will give you peace of mind in what you are consuming. There is so much unknown in what goes into fruit and vegetables at the supermarket. Many vegetables will be grown in contaminated soils, constantly sprayed with harmful pesticides and chemical fertilisers. These accumulate and transfer into the food we eat. Many of these contaminants will be used from the beginning seed and then many times during the growth, harvest and transportation of the produce. All to increase production and shelf life.
It is hard to know what exactly you are eating when you purchase commercially grown produce. The best way to reduce harmful toxins is to buy your fruit and veggies from local organic growers and eat fresh!
7. Wash your Fruit and Vegetables
Washing your fruit and vegetables can help remove some of the toxins but not all of them. To wash your fruit and veggies – place them in the kitchen sink with 3 parts water and 1 part white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Give them a good rub to remove any wax or sprays, then dry them and put them away.
8. Don’t get Caught out with “Natural” “Organic” Marketing
Most companies have invested thousands into their marketing and advertising to attract more customers. Using natural green and brown colours, patterns and textures, plants and insect imagery as wells as “sustainable” language. These strategies can trick us into thinking these products are good for us and the environment. Certified organic products are best and will have the accreditations on the labels. Next time you are shopping for gardening or food products take a second to read and evaluate what you are buying. Don’t get tricked with natural and sustainable looking imagery and advertising.
Growing naturally without harmful pesticides and fertilisers is not only better for you but will also make a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of local pollinators and insects. Pollinators are small and very at risk from contaminated gardens. Pollinators help our gardens thrive and produce more food so it is important that we care for them too.
Overall, the best way to eliminate toxic contaminants from our home and gardens is to slow down, read, ask questions and make informed decisions. Growing naturally and sustainably is something that will take work and many failures. Not having instant chemical fixes to problems but to learn to embrace failures and learn from any mistakes.
Sometimes failure is the best way to learn and move forward.
Happy gardening!
Holly
If you have any questions please leave me a comment below.
I was lucky enough to have recently been home to New Zealand to visit my parents and this new DIY greenhouse addition was so impressive! Mum built this DIY Greenhouse and She Shed from scratch using Recycled Timber Windows!!! Learning how to use tools along the way she made her dreams a reality!! I’m so proud of my mum and I can’t wait to show you this greenhouse tour! The perfect space for potting up seeds and cuttings or having a baileys in the evening.
Watch the Full Tour
Click the Image below.
Creating Sanctuary
Mum wanted to create a space to display her family heirlooms and treasured items. A quiet place for reflection when the world around gets too busy. It is rustic and cosy with a warm inviting feel. The plants in the Ladies Lounge spill down from teacups and climb the ladder to help integrate between the outside and the greenhouse, making the whole place feel as if it was always there. The greenhouse also offers a more controlled environment to grow all year round. Being able to open and close the windows can keep the heat in or let air flow through.
From the Ground up
First up another vegetable patch was started in a new location to allow a seamless transition and continuous supply of homegrown veggies. Then the foundations were started and went up around the old veggie patch. The windows were still being sourced and collected along the way then secured in to place. Shiplapped timber walls were constructed using the neighbours discarded timber fence and has created beautiful rustic feature walls.
Recycled and Vintage Treasures
The Greenhouse floors are made from pavers donated from neighbours and the ladies lounge slate flooring was gifted from a friend and had been lovely kept in her family for many years. Then came the exciting part of decorating the rooms with all the special items and decor.
Follow your Dreams
“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself”. – Edmund Lee
Inspiration is often found on the glossy pages of magazines or hoarded away in boards on Pinterest but the key to following your dreams is in the action of doing. You CAN do it. Mum shared her dreams and ideas with friends and family and they came together to offer supplies and words of encouragement. This became her driving force and she was off on a mission to bring her dreams to life. She learnt new skills, got stuck in and didn’t wait for someone to come along and do it for her. So don’t spend too much time searching for inspiration, share your ideas and just get started.
A big thank you to all her friends and family for donating special items and supporting her with this DIY greenhouse project. It sure is an inspiring space to visit!
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Growing Sweet Potatoes / Kūmara (Ipomoea batatas) in your home garden is a great step toward self-sufficiency. Sweet Potatoes are my favourite permaculture plant and are an easy crop to grow for beginner gardeners. It is important to grow plants that support and encourage other plants and beneficial insects in your garden. Creating a cohesive ecosystem that promotes the growth and success of your garden’s health and supports abundant harvests.
Many people do not know that the leaves of the sweet potato plant are also edible. This is most likely because the leaves provide no economical value in the mainstream food system and so they are discarded. Our learnt behaviours tend to come from what is around us but the key is to question things more often. Can I eat this? How do I cook this? We are very lucky to have so much knowledge available to us at the click of a button.
If you want to learn more from outside “the box” subscribe to my blog and let’s get into all things, Sweet Potato!
WATCH my top 12 Reasons to start growing Sweet Potatoes or scroll down to read more.
12 Reasons to Grow Sweet Potatoes
1. The Whole Plant is Edible
Not only does the Sweet Potato plant produce delicious edible tubers underground but, you can also eat the leaves and stems of the plant too ( It rarely flowers but these are not edible). Sweet Potato is not actually part of the potato family but is part of the morning glory family. Unlike potatoes – the sweet potato leaves are edible and packed full of *vitamin A, C, K, B1, B2, B3 and B9. Sweet potato leaves also have minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Sweet potato leaves are used in a similar way to spinach. The young leaves and shoots can be added fresh to salads and smoothies or to curries, stirfries and soups. They can also be sauteed to make a delicious side dish of greens. Sautee in butter and garlic or tamari, garlic, chilli and ginger is another delicious way to use sweet potato leaves.
2. Produces an Abundant Cropon each Plant
Sweet potatoes produce many large tubers underground from a single plant. These tubers are high in calories and carbohydrates which can form a great “base crop” on your journey to living more self-sufficiently. Growing base crops such as sweet potatoes or pumpkin can increase your ability to make wholesome meals entirely from the garden. You can store sweet potatoes by letting them harden off for half to a whole day in sunlight or diffused sunlight. Then store them somewhere dark and cool for a few weeks or up to a few months. They will keep until they start sprouting or start to go soft and spongy. It can be a good idea to make meals from them and freeze them to preserve your harvests that way. Curried sweet potato soup is one of my favourite ways to prepare and save my sweet potatoes.
3. Grows Quickly and Easily
Sweet potatoes like warm weather and once the soil warms up in spring and summer they will take off and grow vigorously. They are a very low-maintenance plant that can still produce well with neglect. They can handle low water or dry spells but will produce best when kept well watered. They require free-draining soil as wet, boggy or heavy clay soils may cause the tubers to rot. Promote healthy, free-draining soil with lots of compost. The leaves may get holes and be eaten by bugs but they are very hardy and it would take a lot to restrict their growth. Sweet potato is fairly pest resistant but as the tubers form they will get closer to the surface of the soil. If they are exposed to the surface, rodents such as rats and mice may find them. Check that you can’t see any above the soil and if so, rebury them.
4. Can be Grown all Year Round
In warm climates with mild winters like we have here (Perth, Australia), Sweet potatoes can be grown all year round. It slows down in winter but you can still harvest the leaves. I have found the purple varieties grow best during winter. In cooler climates, it’s best to harvest your sweet potato before the winter sets in and grow it annually. You can, however, take cuttings and grow them indoors in jars of water or pot them up and have lush house plants over winter. Once Spring arrives and the soil warms up you can replant them back out into the garden. To get the most out of your tuber harvests it is best to harvest annually and then replant your patch. You can leave some tubers in the ground and they will remain dormant until the soil warms up and they will just pop and regrow by themselves!
5. You can Harvest in Stages
If you have a large sweet potato patch and multiple plants you can harvest your sweet potatoes in stages to get the most out of your harvests. When veggies are ready all at once it can be hard to utilise them and not get overwhelmed. Towards the end of summer and autumn, I will also just go out and harvest one or two for dinner. Here in Australia, we call it “bandicooting”. Bandicoots are marsupials that look kind of rat/rabbit-like, that fossick around for food. Find where the main stem of your sweet potato goes into the ground and have a light dig around to see if you can find any sweet potatoes near the surface.
6. Easy to Propagate
Propagating and growing more sweet potatoes is very easy and there are multiple ways to do this. If you do not already have sweet potatoes growing at home then you can start a patch with a single tuber from the farmers market. You can bury the whole tuber in the garden or cut it into 3-4 pieces and start multiple plants. Another way to grow a plant from the tuber is to place the tuber in a jar of water until it sends off shoots. The shoots can then be cut and placed in water to grow roots. Let the shoots get above 10cm before cutting them off. You can keep doing this and using your tuber to farm multiple plants.
Once you have an established patch you can cut sections of the vines off ( known as “slips” ) and regrow more plants. Either plant the slips directly into the soil or place them in a jar of water to form roots first. If you plant them directly into the garden make sure to keep them well watered while they strike roots.
To learn more about growing food from cuttings, check out my ebook. It’s a great way to establish an edible garden for little to no cost.
There are a lot more varieties of sweet potatoes than the ones you commonly see in the shops. Growing your own food opens up so many more exciting options and varieties of vegetables. The varieties available at the supermarket have been bred to aid in mass production, pest resistance and shelf life. Rather than on the quality of nutrients, texture and flavour. I know which ones I would pick! I am growing the Orange, Red and White, Hawaiian (white skin with purple flesh) and Purple skin with Purple flesh variety. They all have unique qualities and cooking properties. The Purple and White are deliciously roasted, whereas, the all-purple variety is not great roasted but delicious mashed. Once you have established some plants you can then swap and trade with others who may be growing different varieties to you.
8. Amazing Living Mulch/ Ground Cover
The Sweet Potato naturally grows as a vine along the ground. It will send off side shoots and quickly become a thick and lush ground cover. This protects the soil from the harsh sun and creates a healthy habitat for beneficial insects. Having lots of beneficial insects is an essential part of growing a natural, thriving garden. This lush ground cover provides an excellent bottom layer of a food forest system. I have Sweet Potato vines growing all in between and underneath my fruit trees.
9. Grows in Sun or Shade
Sweet Potato prefers full sun but will grow in a wide range of locations from full sun to full shade. The plants that grow in shade will be slower to produce but will still grow well. This means you have more options in choosing a location to grow your Sweet Potato. I actually find that during our harsh summers in Perth, my Sweet Potato prefers some shade. Versatile plants are great for the garden because you have more flexibility and options for choosing a location to plant them. It also means they are a little more forgiving for beginner gardeners because they won’t up and die if the sunlight isn’t just right.
10. Grows in Containers or in the Garden
Urban gardens often mean utilising container gardens and selecting plants that grow in both is amazing! Ok, you can see why I love this plant! It is just so easygoing. The Sweet Potato plant can take off quickly and grow very vigorously. This means it can shade out smaller plants and take over the garden. If you are short on space or have small space, or urban gardens, then it may be best to grow it in containers. Don’t be afraid to cut off the edges if it starts to take over.
11. Can be Fed to Animals
Sweet Potato leaves can be feed to many animals including chickens, pigs and rabbits. When you are harvesting the patch or just trimming the edges, then this can be a great way to add feed to your animals. They are full of vitamins and nutrients to help boost your animal’s overall health. Plus, it promotes a sustainable cycle and the animal manure can then be composted to use on your gardens and grow more Sweet Potatoes!
12. Save Money!
Sweet Potatoes can be expensive! Especially if they are not the common variety. Recently the Red and White ones were over $9 p/k at my local store. With their ease of growth and abundant production, Sweet Potato is such an economical plant to grow in your home garden.
As you can see I could talk about growing sweet potatoes all day! They are my favourite permaculture plant because they are versatile and have so many benefits and interconnected relationships within the garden.
If you have any questions about growing, harvesting or propagating sweet potatoes please leave me a comment below. If you found this content helpful please share it with your friends. Sharing my articles will help me inspire and help more people to start growing their own food. Every little bit counts towards growing and inspiring a greener world.
DISCLAIMER: Links included on this page might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my blog so I can continue to provide you with free content each week.
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MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Composting is a great way to reduce waste, build soil and grow healthy thriving plants. Part of a naturally occurring cycle that feeds an ecosystem. Urban composting may mean smaller systems need to be used but they can still be very effective. I have a tumbler compost bin and now I have made a DIY worm tower to go in my Container Gardens. This tower is made from recycled PVC pipe we had left over and a recycled plant pot was used for the lid. The worms love it and so do my plants!
Urban Composting
You don’t need to have a large garden to start composting your veggie scraps at home. There are some great urban composting solutions including Tumbler Composts, Bokashi and Worm Farms. There is even an app called Share Waste that connects people to others that have composts in your local area. Whichever solution you choose it is a fantastic way to reduce your waste and stop it from going to landfill. Food scraps that end up in landfill do not break down in the correct environment so they produce methane emissions that contribute to our climate change crisis. The more scraps you can use up or put back into the earth the better!
How to Make a DIY Composting Worm Tower?
Using things you already have at home is a great way to recycle and get the most out of everything you use. Left over PVC pipes are great for turning into worm towers. The worms can go between the garden and the worm tower to feed and help break down the veggie scraps. This will in turn provide natural fertiliser for the plants to thrive. Creating a balanced and diverse ecosystem is so import for healthy gardens.
To make these I used a 6 inch PVC pipe and cut it down so that it was the height of my pallet plants.
We then drilled holes around the bottom half of the pipe approximately 10mm in diameter. Big enough for worms to fit through.
I then dug a hole in the centre of my pallet planter and buried the pipe with the holes at the bottom and covered the sides back up with soil. Try to bury as much of the pipe as you can as to reduce it’s exposure to the sun.
A lid is important to stop any flies, rats, mice or household pets from getting in and eating the scraps. It will also keep any smells away so your gardens don’t give off a bad odour. The lid we made from the bottom of a plastic garden pot we had spare. I tested out a few for size and chose on that fit tightly over the pipe. It needs to be secure so that the wind won’t blow it off or animals cant easily overturn it. If your pot has drainage holes in the bottom cover them up too.
Once the pipe and lid are secured in place you can start adding your veggie scraps. Use only scraps that will break down relatively quickly and do not place any meat or dairy scraps. You can also add a sprinkle of soil on top of the layers to reduce odours if it is a concern.
IMPORTANT
Make sure your recycled materials are food safe and haven’t been used previously with any chemicals.
Healthy soil grows healthy vegetables!
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my page so I can continue to provide you with free content!
Hi everyone, I thought I would do a bit of an intro and fill you in on my journey to sustainable living so far and where I am heading. This will be a great way to capture where I am and look back on it someday! I hope this inspires you to dream big and continue working towards your goals.
So grab yourself a tea or coffee as I have a lot of things to talk about, so let’s start from the beginning!
Dreams, Goals, Visions
My name is Holly and I was born and raised on a farm in New Zealand. I have been growing my own food in some capacity my entire life. I have also been working towards the same vision and goal for as long as I can remember. That is to own a chunk of land and build a sustainable eco-home that is more garden than it is house. This vision has become more elaborate over time with small eco-cabins, waterfalls, dams and food forests. But in essence, it has always been the same, a piece of land that I can rewild and transform into an edible self-sufficient haven. The land will help provide both food and income and I can feed my ducks, eat straight from the organic gardens, create art and talk to the bees all day.
Slow intentional living
Now…. that is not exactly where I am right now. But I want to touch on where I’m heading and how I intend to get there. Small achievable steps to create a life by design and not default.
Start where you are and use what you have
5 years ago my partner and I along with our dog Tama bought and moved into a suburban house in Perth, Australia. Since that day I have been converting the gardens into edible wonderlands using permaculture principles. I try to use as much recycled or second-hand things as I can with very little waste.
BEFORENOW
After living in our house for a year I realised that the best light and space for growing was down the side of the house which was actually a paved driveway. Not great for growing veggies….but this house is a stepping stone and not the end goal. It will potentially be an investment property or we will sell it to launch towards the next step. So ripping up concrete and pavers to plant veggies was not really on the cards. But, I wasn’t going to let that stop me, so I came up with an idea to grow a whole lot of food with space and resources I had available.
Start small but start now
The pallet planters on wheels were born! These worked out so much better than I could have imagined because they not only gave me control over the soil I was growing in but also allowed me to control the growing conditions by wheeling them in and out of the sun/rain. Perth climate can be so harsh it goes from one extreme to the other with summer and winter so these have been so good!
Investing in knowledge is investing in your future
I dove deep into experimenting with recipes and trying to build and expand my knowledge in growing, cooking and preserving my harvests. Buying vegetables I intended to grow in the future. Learning new ways to use and preserve them means I will be ready to hit the ground running when I do grow an oversupply.
Sustainable Income
The next part of my journey is sustainable income. Because how can I spend my days talking to the bees when I am bound to a corporate office job. This has been my career since leaving uni and it has never sat well with me. I have always been one to question and dislike the rat race.
Last year I was made redundant from my job and I took that as a sign and ran with it.
Since then I have built my website, Instagram, taken on ambassadorships, written paid blog posts and sponsored content. I have also written ebooks and gardening worksheets (CLICK HERE)if you want to learn how to grow your own thriving edible gardens. I have also been busy working away on my membership site and I will be launching that very soon! So make sure you hit sign up to my website to get notified when it opens. I will be opening it at a discount rate for founding members. The membership site will be all about how to grow, cook, preserve and start living more sustainably no matter whether you have a garden or not!
My goal is to build a community of like-minded people to share knowledge, learning to grow real food, save seeds, propagate & swap and trade those for other plants. I hope you join me on this adventure. I’m so excited for what is to come!
Sustainable Living Goals
So to finish off this post my goals for 2021 are to continue forging my own path and inspiring others along the way.
Learning to cook outside over the fire or harnessing the sun’s energy.
Preserving more jams and chutneys.
Experiment and learn from other cultures and cuisines to expand my knowledge of flavours and techniques.
Dive deeper into growing from cuttings, grafting as this will be a valuable skill for building my future food forest.
Make more time to do art and stay creatively inspired
Learn more handcrafting techniques such as weaving or woodwork.
Slow intentional living. We have become so used to instant gratification, being in a rush and always needing more. To start with it can be overwhelming but each time you learn a new skill or recipe it will become easier. Adapting to doing things and seeing things differently. Find the joy in growing and preparing wholesome food, learn how to make milk from nuts, buy second hand, fix and reuse broken items and stop spending all your money on things you don’t really need.
Holly 🌱
MY GARDENING ESSENTIALS // Fertiliser spray gun: https://bit.ly/366nL1t Retractable Hose: https://bit.ly/2TSC0Bo More gardening tools: https://bit.ly/32IQmbD
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