I am so excited to announce the launch of my brand new live show and podcast – Homegrown with Sustainable Holly. Homegrown the live show is a live podcast for those who want to grow food at home and live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Welcome to the edible gardening Podcast x Livestream where you can listen, ask questions, or watch live and be a part of an interactive gardening show. Together we will sow seeds, discuss what’s happening in the garden, make plans, and track goals to grow more food at home naturally and sustainably.
Homegrown is hosted by Holly an Edible Gardener, YouTuber, and Photographer creating a more sustainable life in the suburbs of Perth, Australia. Join us Wednesdays at 5pm AWST – live on YouTube and grow your own nourishing homegrown food!
Be sure to subscribe to get updates on when new episodes go live! And if you found some inspiration from the show I would love it if you could give me a rating and review. This helps me grow the show and be able to get lots more exciting guests.
Why is it a live show?
Live streaming allows us to have real, raw and unedited conversations about growing food at home and also behind the scenes of growing a business from the garden it’s going to be an evolving show but we are starting right here in my kitchen. I’m so excited to have you along for the journey and to see where we can go next with this live cast. I already have some incredible inspirational guests that are crazy enough to put their hands up to join us here in future episodes.
And just a forewarning whether you are watching is live on YouTube or listening to the podcast after the fact i just want to put it out there that this is a live show so there may at times real life background noise like my dog Tama barking at someone driving down “his” street or people turning up, neighbors on power tool. I mean who knows what is going to happen but its all part of the adventure right?
How can I get involved?
Join for the livestream over on YouTube on Wednesays and get involved! Join in the live chat, ask questions and make suggestions for future episodes. To keep the flow of the show for those that are listening to it after recording, i will answer questions at the end. So pop any questions you have in the livechat and write a Q at the start so i can see them clearly from the comments and stick around to the end and i will feature some of your questions!
Want to be a Guest on the show? Send me a quick message with a little info about your garden and we will take it from there!
This coconut and lemon verbena loaf is so easy to make. Whip up a loaf or two for a Sunday Afternoon tea and sit back and enjoy your garden. Crunchy and chewy on the outside and soft in the middle. Lemon Verbena has a fragrant lemony flavour and pairs deliciously well with coconut and passionfruit.
Coconut and Lemon Verbena Loaf with Passionfruit
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
This is the perfect loaf to spend Sunday afternoon in the garden.
Ingredients
1 cup desicated coconut
1.5 cups self raising flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup raw Sugar
2 TBSP Honey
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 TBSP chopped fresh Lemon Verbena leaves
Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 TBSP Passionfruit pulp
1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven. to 180 degrees Celsius.
Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until just combined (as little as possible).
Add mix to a greased loaf tin.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool.
Mix icing ingredients and drizzle over. Or serve by itself with butter.
For a low-sugar option, skip the icing and serve with fresh passionfruit and greek yogurt.
Passionfruit are a prolific edible climber that produces delicious tasting fruit. Semi-deciduous and have a thick layer of lush green leaves over the warmer months. Passionfruit have a sweet and sometimes tart tropical flavour depending on their ripeness.
Like many edible plants, they come in a huge range of varieties! They are hardy and easy to grow in even hot dry climates. There are a few important things to know before choosing a variety that will be best for your garden. Read more below.
Full-part sun. Protect from harsh midday sun in summer.
CARE
Regular water and feeding. Training new shoots.
FERTILISE
Heavy feeders. Compost teas or added compost.
PESTS
Snails, slaters, rats, mice.
HARVEST
Harvest regularly. Fruit will drop from the plant when ripe.
REPRODUCE
Allow to go overripe and save seeds.
Why Grow Passionfruit?
Here are some of the many reasons to growPassionfruit
Easy to grow
One plant provides an abundance
Lush evergreen leaves
Cover or screening
Shade protection
Immune booster
High Vitamin A and C
High antioxidants
Attracts Butterflies to flowers
Important Information
Many Passionfruit are sold grafted which means they are two types of passionfruit merged together. The rootstock often used in Australia is extremely invasive and can cause issues for many years to come. I recommend avoiding grafted passionfruit at all costs. Check carefully before purchasing. Not all passionfruit flowers and leaves are edible – the blue passionfruit flowers from the rootstock are not edible. Check you do not have a rootstock variety that has taken over!
WATCH below for more info on grafted passionfruit.
Popular Passionfruit Varieties
Passionfruit come in many different types a few key types are:
Note: some types of Banana Passionfruit are classified as an invasive weed in some countries including New Zealand.
Sunshine Special – Passiflora edulis – Popular purple passionfruit for Perth Gardens. Heavy fruiter and no invasive suckers.
Panama Gold – Passiflora flavicarpa – Popular tropical passionfruit with yellow skins. Allow to fully ripen and drop before harvesting. Fast-growing and more frost/cold tolerant than many.
Black Nugget –Passiflora edulis – Popular purple-black fruit. Harvest late summer to winter.
Panama – Passiflora edulis – Large red/burgundy fruit with sweet gold flesh.
Banana Passionfruit – Passiflora mollissima – Long yellow fruit with sweet pulp. frost hardy. Light pink flowers. Can be invasive.
When to Plant
It is best to plant new Passionfruit plants in Spring so they have time to get established before winter.
How to Grow
Choose a sunny spot with 6-8 hours of sunlight
Prepare the soil with free-draining compost
Keep well watered, especially during summer
Fertilise in Spring and benefits from high Potassium
Prune in Autumn after fruit – Passionfruit fruit more on new growth.
Fertilize with compost or all round fertilizer after pruning
Care/ Maintenance
Keep plants well watered. Train and direct new shoots regularly to keep under control. If you are growing a grafted variety, check and remove any suckers or side shoots from below the graft – weekly.
Passionfruit do not like soggy or wet ground – if you receive a lot of rain it is best to grow passionfruit on mounds to allow water to run off and prevent root rot.
Pests / Disease
Check for slugs, slatters and snails when the plants are young. Barriers may need to be put around the main stem. Ripe fruit are popular with Rats and Possums. Harvest regularly and you may need to net some fruit to ensure you get a harvest.
How/ When to Harvest
Passionfruit will usually start fruiting by the start of their 1st year – may be longer in cold climates.
Passionfruit drop from the vine when they are fully ripe. They can be picked earlier if you like fruit with a little more tart flavour. Choose deep-coloured fruit.
Passionfruit varieties will fruit at different times of the year but many are ripe during late Summer – Winter.
Reproducing
Passionfruit can be grown from both cuttings and seeds.
Save seeds from mature well ripe fruit. Rinse off the flesh and soak in a jar of water for 24 hours. Plant seeds in quality compost nd potting mix and keep warm and well watered until they sprout. Transplant to a larget pot once they have 4-5 leaves.
Take 20cm cuttings from semi-hardwood. Remove the bottom half of the leaves and place in a jar of water or moist soil to root.
Kitchen gardens are packed full of quick-growing veggies and herbs right outside your kitchen to use in every meal. Integrating a diverse range of plants and structures can help you really maximise the amount of food you can grow in a small space.
In today’s workshop, we will discuss the 7 key steps to set up your kitchen gardens. We will also dive into my own kitchen garden – pallet planters on wheels.
You will also receive a Kitchen Garden Plant list packed with quick-growing edible plants that you can harvest from every single day.
Kitchen gardens are packed full of quick-growing veggies and herbs to use in every single meal.
Quick growing – or pick and come again crops
Often utilising pots or containers
Within eyesight of your kitchen
Flavour enhancing plants
1. Choosing a location
Choosing a location is key to starting a successful kitchen garden.
Close and convenient is key! If you can see it from your kitchen this is ideal! This will be a reminder for you to actually use what you are growing in every meal. It also means you can pick fresh and exactly the amount you need so you don’t have excess waste.
Adequate sunlight – plants need enough sunlight to grow and for most veggies, it is around 6-8 hours.
Moveable containers – maximise summer sun/shade and winter sun
Have a water source nearby.
2. Choose structures or containers
Next up we need something to house our gardens or our soil. There are a wide range of pots and containers or inground gardens that can be used for a kitchen garden. This will be determined whether you are renting, have space available near your house for gardens, or if pots and containers will be best. Multiple pots and containers can be ideal when you are starting out. If you have a plant that gets diseased or something goes wrong your other containers will be ok.
Things to consider with pots and containers:
Black plastic heats up a lot in summer. This can cook our plants.
Timber can rot if not protected – using a lining can be useful.
Do you need them to be moveable? solid casters or pot wheels.
Drainage and raising the pots. It’s important that water can escape out the bottom.
Use recycled containers
Structures
Metal or timber Trellis
T-pee style sticks
Archways
Bamboo stakes
Wire and string lines
3. Soil Tips
Good quality soil is alive! Compost and a mix of sandy soil can help balance and be free of draining.
I also layer small sticks or leftover plant scraps to help bulk up my containers and reduce the amount of soil needed. This breaks down over time to add nutrients and the soil level will drop. Just ensure the top 30cm is just soil.
Add fresh compost each season or I usually do this by-annually before spring planting and before winter planting.
Containers have limited access to nutrients so adding compost or liquid fertilizers is important.
4. Planting and layouts
Planting a kitchen garden is fun because it can change each season. I like to plan my gardens with this structure
Back trellis: climbing plants: Cucumber Malabar Spinach
Back-centre: large shrubby plants: Rainbow Chard, Tomatoes,
Corners – edible flowers
Front – smaller low-level plants:
Gaps – root vegetables: Carrots, Radish, Beetroot
Very edge: cascading plants: Thyme, Oregano,
5. Kitchen Garden Planting
Select plants that grow quickly and have multiple harvests. Miniature versions and “pick and come again” crops are ideal! This means you can harvest small amounts often to use in everyday meals. Growing flavour enhancers such as herbs, lemons and limes means you will have quick and easy access to boost the flavour in your meals or create salad dressings and marinades.
This list will continue to be updated and links for plants that are featured in the A-Z grow guides.
6. Key for Everyday Harvest
The more you cut and use your herbs and veggies the more they will produce. The plant’s main focus or goal is to grow flowers or fruit in order to produce seeds for its future existence. So by harvesting and using your herbs regularly you may receive more abundance from each plant. Try drying out your herbs or chillies or make a delicious garden pesto to preserve and extend your harvests. Dried herbs can be crushed and placed in a jar or added to salt for delicious homemade salt blends. These make fantastic gifts from the garden for everyone to enjoy.
Plant multiples in different beds
Utilise vertical gardening space
Continuously harvest and replant
Succession plant by time and variety
Get into a habit of checking the garden for every meal
7. Maintenance and Feeding
Top up bi-annually or seasonally
Prune and harvest
Liquid fertilisers – worm tea, compost, etc
Empty and clean drip trays
In-bed composting or worm systems
Creating a kitchen garden has so many incredible benefits. It is another way to add design and beauty to your home but with the added bonus of producing delicious, nutrient-dense food. Kitchen gardens are low maintenance and a great way to save money on expensive fresh herbs! In a world where we have lost touch with where our food really comes from, a kitchen garden is a great step towards taking back your food security.
Edible Climbing Vines help maximise growing space and double the amount of food in each garden bed or container. One thing that I think is so underrated is the ability to grow food up 👆 This list of edible climbers to grow in your garden will help you utilise vertical space and create shade and protection. These 10 edible climbing vines are perennials,which means they will produce more and more food each year without us having to replant them! There are so many incredible reasons you should be growing food vertically. Not only to maximise space but also to increase airflow to reduce rot or disease, strategic shade, or like me, to reduce some of the heat in my garden by covering my ugly fences!
Annuals vs Perennials 🌿
Annuals will allow you to still change up your garden beds each season and have the flexibility of space. Whereas perennials (which grow for longer than 2 years) will allow you to get a crop established and provide long-term protection, and produce more and more food each year.
Click to watch for bonus Planting Tips 👇
10 Perennial Edible Climbing Vines
1. Passionfruit
Passionfruit is one of my favourite fruits to eat, and the main reason I am growing this edible climber in my garden. They are also evergreen, so it has leaves all year round to create shade and protection. Passionfruit have thick, lush leaves, so they work perfectly to cover fences or create screens to block out unsightly structures or areas. Watch the video above to see how to plant passionfruit from a store-bought fruit!
BONUS TIP: Purchase a passionfruit plant that is NOT grafted. Grafted passionfruit needs to be carefully maintained or the rootstock can quickly take over and become invasive with no fruit.
2. Choko /Chayote
Choko is a quick-growing, vining edible plant that can make great summer shade to protect your summer garden. They will often die back over winter but will pop up and regrow each spring. Any fruits left on the ground will also easily regrow. Choko are similar to a large zucchini or marrow and can be used as a substitute for potatoes or even apples to bulk up pie recipes.
3. Sweet Potato
Growing Sweet Potatoes / Kūmara (Ipomoea batatas) in your home garden is a great step toward self-sufficiency. They are my favourite permaculture plants 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. Sweet potatoes send out runners and can easily be trained up a vertical trellis. Plus, many people do not know that the leaves of the sweet potato plant are also edible.
4. Grapes
The great thing about growing grapes as edible climbers is that they are deciduous. This means they lose their leaves in winter, so you can plant grapes strategically to provide shade in summer and let light through in winter!
5. Malabar Spinach
Malabar spinach is a fantastic edible climber for warm or tropical climates. It thrives in summer during warm weather when most other spinach and leafy greens die off. This can help fill the gaps in your seasonal harvests. Malabar spinach can be grown in pots or containers. It has succulent-like leaves, so it can handle hot weather, but it can be frost sensitive.
6. Butterfly Pea
If you love colour, then this edible climber will be perfect for you! With bright blue-purple flowers, the butterfly pea is a striking addition to an edible garden. The flowers can be used as a natural food colouring or infused in teas or cocktails. Plus, if you add acidity such as lemon juic,e the colour will transform to hot pink! Such a fun plant to grow.
7. Kiwifruit
Kiwifruit can be grown over structures to create great canopy shade. They are prolific producers and the fruit can be eaten fresh, frozen for smoothies, made into jams and even dehydrated for naturally sweet treats. You will need to have both a male and a female plant for pollination.
8. Kiwiberry
Kiwi berries have a similar taste to the kiwifruit, but are much smaller, around the same size as a grape. Kiwi berry vines grow really well in containers or urban gardens.
9. Nasturtium
Nasturtium is often known for its wild rambling nature but it can be trained vertically as an edible climber. The whole plant is edible, including the leaves, flowers and seed pods. Nasturtium has a strong peppery taste and can be used in salads, flavoured salts, pickles and many other recipes. Here in Perth, my Nasturtium dies down in summer but will pop up and regrow by itself in Autumn/winter.
10. Scarlett Runner Bean
Scarlet runner beans are also known as the 7-year bean because they pop up and regrow each year (for about 6-7 years). Beans are a great addition to an edible garden and can easily be cooked or frozen to preserve.
Annual Climbing Vines 🌿
Annual climbers are also great because they don’t need dedicated space, so you can grow, harvest and remove them to grow something different each season! Having a mix of annuals and perennials will help you grow more food all year round. Annual climbers can be plants such as Cucumber, Squash, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, and Melons.
Fruits that Grow on Vines
Want to grow more fruit without taking up extra ground space? Climbing fruits are a great way to grow more varieties without taking up more garden space! Check out these 17 fruits that grow on vines to get more fruiting plants in your garden.
Making your own homemade green curry paste is so easy! You will never want to buy it again after you get the perfect blend. It will need adjusting to your heat tolerance, but mine is quite low, so you can always build on it from there. Using fresh herbs and ingredients from your garden takes this vibrant green curry paste to the next level! Extra curry paste can be frozen for a future quick and easy garden-to-plate meal.
See the bottom of the page for how to turn this green curry paste into a delicious meal.
Garden-to-Plate is flavour-packed!
If you grow your own herbs and chillies, this recipe is a fantastic way to use up extra harvests. Here’s a look at a few of the key ingredients and how they contribute to your garden and kitchen:
Green chillies: Long cayenne or similar varieties are perfect for this. They’re productive, easy to grow in pots, and can be frozen or dried for later use.
Lemon balm or lemongrass: Lemon balm is a wonderful lemony herb that grows like a weed. It’s a great lemongrass substitute and adds a bright citrus note.
Basil: Thai basil is traditional, but any sweet basil works. It’s easy to grow and makes this paste extra aromatic.
Spring onion: Grows well in containers or in-ground. The green tops add a mellow onion flavour.
Ginger and garlic: While not always garden-grown, both are staples in many food gardens and can be preserved or grown in pots in warm climates.
This paste also works beautifully as a marinade for grilled veggies or protein or as a punchy flavour boost in soups and noodle dishes.
Swaps & Substitutions
Lemon balm vs. lemongrass: Lemon balm is great if lemongrass isn’t available, but either works well.
Chillies: Use what you have! Bird’s eye chillies for more heat, jalapeños or milder green varieties if you prefer it gentle.
Herbs: Try coriander or mint for a different twist.
Green Curry Paste
Yield: 1-2
Fresh and vibrant green curry paste to make a delicious garden-to-plate meal from scratch!
Ingredients
6 Green Chillies (long cayenne) - see notes
1 Spring onion
3 Garlic cloves
10 cm piece of fresh ginger
1 lime
1/2 cup lemon balm (or 1 stalk lemon grass)
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp Raw sugar
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
Cut the ends of the green chillies and remove the seeds (this is optional. Keep to the side if you want to add extra heat) and slice and add to a blender or mortar and pestle.
Peel the ginger using the back of a spoon and slice it into small pieces.
Zest the lime and add the zest and juice to the mix.
Dice and chop all other ingredients and add everything to the mix.
Blitz or pound until a paste-like consistency. You may need to add a splash of water if it is not mixing.
Use immediately or freeze for future use.
Notes
Green Cayenne are on the mild side. If you are using hotter chillies use less or more to your heat preference. I also remove the seeds because I like it mild. Keep the seeds to the side and add extra during the cook if you want to increase the heat.
Other herbs and greens can be added such as parsley or corriander
Tips for Storing and PreservingGreen Curry Paste
Fridge: Store in a sealed jar for 5–7 days.
Freezer: Freeze in tablespoon-sized portions in ice cube trays, then transfer to a container or zip-lock bag for up to 3 months.
Pro tip: Label your frozen curry cubes so you know what’s what when digging through the freezer later!
How to make a Green Curry with the Homemade Paste
To turn your green curry paste into a delicious garden-to-plate meal follow these steps.
In a deep pan or Wok, brown onions in 1TSBP Olive Oil.
Add your protein of choice and brown off.
Add the green curry paste and stir to combine for 1 minute
Add 400ml of Coconut cream.
Stir and taste. Add extra sugar or salt if needed. Salt helps bring out more flavor. Sugar can ease some of the spice.
Add chopped greens and veggies such as Zucchini, Capsicum, Carrot, Snow Peas, Beans, and Chard.
Cook until protein is cooked through and veggies are softened but still have a bit of crunch.
Roasted Sweet Potato rounds are also delicious on top of a green curry!
Homemade green curry paste is a game-changer—flavourful, fresh, and full of your garden’s best. Whether you grow a few herbs on your balcony or have a thriving backyard veggie patch, this recipe is a wonderful way to make the most of your harvests.
If you’re looking for a delicious, nutrient-packed way to use sweet potato leaves, this sweet and spicy greens recipe is the perfect choice. They are not only edible but also highly nutritious, making them a fantastic addition to your homegrown meals.
During the warmer months, when sweet potato vines are growing abundantly, their tender leaves make an excellent spinach substitute. Pairing them with chillies, which also thrive in the heat, creates a flavorful and seasonal dish straight from your garden.
In this recipe, we’ll sauté fresh sweet potato leaves with a blend of sweet and spicy ingredients, making it a perfect side dish or a hearty topping for rice, noodles, or even grilled meats.
Why Eat Sweet Potato Leaves?
Many people don’t realize that sweet potato leaves are 100% edible and packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as iron, calcium, and fiber. Unlike regular potato leaves (which are toxic), sweet potato leaves are safe to eat and have a mild, slightly sweet taste with a soft, spinach-like texture when cooked.
Some benefits include:
✅ Nutrient-dense – High in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals ✅ Easy to grow – Thrives in hot weather, requiring minimal care ✅ Great for permaculture gardens – Offers dual-purpose harvests (leaves and tubers) ✅ Versatile – Can be stir-fried, steamed, added to soups, or blended into smoothies
Instructions
1. Prepare the leaves
Pick and wash the leaves thoroughly (see notes for tips).
Pat dry and remove any tough stems.
2. Chop the aromatics
Finely slice the onion, garlic, and chilli.
If you prefer a milder spice level, remove the chilli seeds before slicing.
3. Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, and other sauce ingredients.
Stir well to ensure all flavors are blended.
4.Stir-fry the greens
Heat a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add the greens and ¾ of the sauce mixture.
Stir-fry until the greens have wilted but remain vibrant.
5.Serve and garnish
Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with the remaining sauce.
Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and garnish with edible flowers if desired.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Leaves
Yield: 2-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Chilli and sweet potato greens are both thriving in the warmer months. This sweet and spicy side dish is a great way to combine the two.
Ingredients
Greens
4-6 cups Sweet Potato Greens
1 TSBP Sunflower Seeds
Sweet and Spicy Sauce
2 garlic cloves
1-2 red cayenne chillies (or your favourite)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tsp Olive oil
1 TSP Red wine vinegar
1 TSP Maple syrup (or honey)
1 TSP Tamari (or soy sauce)
1 /4 cup finely chopped red onion
Instructions
Pick and wash your sweet potato greens well (see notes)
Finely slice Onion, Garlic and Chilli. Remove the chilli seeds if you don't want it too spicy (I prefer no seeds).
Add the rest of the sauce ingredients together and mix well.
Heat a large wok or frying pan on medium-high heat.
Add sweet potato greens and 3/4 of the sauce mix and stir-fry until the greens have wilted.
Place on a side dish and top with the remaining sauce along with Sunflower seeds and flowers to serve. Serve immediately.
Notes
Sweet Potato Greens excrete a white milky substance when picked. This can cause allergies to sensitive skin. Rinse well.
Sweet potato leaves will wilt to less than 1/4 the original size just like spinach does.
Choose young sweet potato leaves and shoots - the newest 4-5 leaves.
Add and swap for other greens such as spinach or chard.
Make it as mild or as spicy as you like by adding in or removing the seeds.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
🌿 No sweet potato leaves? Substitute with spinach, kale, chard, or amaranth leaves. 🌿 Prefer it milder? Reduce the chillies or swap for sweet bell peppers. 🌿 Add protein by tossing in tofu, shrimp, or shredded chicken. 🌿 Make it heartier by serving over rice or mixing with noodles.
Tips & Substitutions
Handling the Leaves – When picked, sweet potato greens release a white, milky sap, which may cause irritation for sensitive skin. If you have skin allergies, wear gloves when handling or wash your hands immediately after.
Wilt Factor – Like spinach, sweet potato leaves shrink significantly when cooked, reducing to less than 1/4 of their original size. Keep this in mind and adjust your portion size accordingly.
Best Leaves to Use – For the most tender and flavorful greens, choose the youngest 4-5 leaves at the tip of each vine. Mature leaves can be tougher and slightly bitter.
Swap & Customize – Feel free to mix in or replace the leaves with spinach, chard, or other leafy greens from your garden.
Control the Spice – Make this dish as mild or fieryas you like by adjusting the amount of chillies or removing the seedsfor a milder flavor.
Sweet Potato Leaves
They are an underrated garden gem, offering incredible health benefits and a delicious, versatile flavor. If you grow sweet potatoes, don’t let the lush green vines go to waste—try this sweet and spicy stir-fry for a quick, nutritious meal! I also add them to any soups, curries, and stirfries for extra greens.
Have you ever cooked with them? Let me know in the comments 👇
Composting turns organic waste into nutrient-rich soil to help feed and grow incredible gardens. Composting is not only great for the fertility of your soil and the secret to growing abundant gardens, it also stops waste from going to landfill.
Compost is alive with bacteria, micro-organisms, worms and many other beneficial insects. Soil that has been left to die will be dry, lack nutrients and will not promote the growth of your plants. There are many ways to start composting your left-over organic waste, depending on your living situation.
Below are some tips and tricks to start composting at home no matter the size of your garden..
Why should we avoid sending food scraps to landfill?
Food scraps, although natural, should not end up in landfill. The problem is, when food scraps are sent to landfill, they are covered with other rubbish and starved of oxygen. They can not break down correctly so in turn, they produce methane gas. Methane gas has a negative effect on global warming and our future planet. “On average Australians throw out up to 20% of the food they buy, which once sent to landfill is generating methane equivalent to around 6.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Not to mention all the energy used to get that food to your table in the first place”.*
Build Sustainable gardens
Creating your own compost at home will reduce waste and help you create a more sustainable garden. Food that you have grown in your garden, can then be put back into the compost to feed your future plants. It is a sustainable cycle that will not only save you money, but also have positive impacts on the planet. Working with nature instead of against it.
Where to Start with Composting?
To get started on your composting journey there are a few things to consider before you jump right in. Below are some tips on selecting the right compost system for your garden and how to keep your compost healthy. This will go a long way to helping you create a simple and effective compost routine to ensure you get the most out of everything that you grow.
1. Choose your Compost Bin Systems
First, you will need something to make your compost in (although you can also just make piles!). There are many systems available depending on the size of your garden. DIY Compost Bays, Compost Bins, Tumblers, or in-ground Worm Towers. To get the most out of your compost it is ideal to have at least two systems. They can be different systems or some compost bins come with two parts already built in. Having two systems means you can stop putting scraps in one once it is full and allow it to break down fully whilst having a second location to put your green waste and scraps.
Below are some pros and cons to help you decide. I plan to have a mix of all these systems throughout my gardens.
2. Choose a location
This is an important part of setting up composting systems. You want the location of your compost system to be close and convenient to both your veggie patch and your kitchen. This will mean you will have easy access to add regular kitchen scraps and plant matter from maintaining your gardens. If it is placed right down the back in a faraway corner you are less likely to utilise it. If you are worried about the smell, following the tips and processes outlined in this workshop will help eliminate that. Having it far away will cause you to neglect the process and this will result in a stinky compost system. A location with part sun – shade will help to retain moisture and stop it from drying out.
If you receive a lot of rain it may be useful to have cover to sop it from getting too wet.
3. Hot vs Cold Compost
You may have heard these terms before and both will work to turn your organic material into the soil but there are clear differences. Again there is no right or wrong but hot composting will produce compost quicker and more efficiently.
For hot composting, the ideal temperatures are 60-65 degrees celsius. If you would like to be efficient and sure that you are reaching these goals you will need to get a temperature gauge to place in the centre of the pile. Once it starts to climb over 70 degrees you will need to tune and aerate with a fork to add oxygen and cool down the pile.
Currently, I do a mix of both. I aim for hot composting but I do not check temperatures and I don’t add all my material in at once. Because of this, my systems will not reach the optimum temperatures. This just means my systems will take a little longer to complete the process and create soil.
To increase temperatures add extra carbon or browns.
4. Inside Compost Bucket
It can be handy to have a small compost bucket with a lid to add your kitchen scraps into. This will make it easy to transfer your inside waste out to your compost bin. Keep it small so that you will need to empty it regularly to reduce odor. I just use a bowl and add kitchen scraps from the meal i am preparing and take it straight out to my compost bin. This reduces any bugs hanging around my kitchen.
5. What can go in the compost?
Any disease-free waste from your gardens and your kitchen waste can go into the compost. Old plants that have finished or gone to seed, lawn clippings, prunings and so much more! Below is a list of some common things you can put into your compost and a list of things to avoid. It might be useful to print this list out and add to your fridge as a reminder.
You will need to add a mix of green and brown ingredients to create the right temperature and environment for the bacteria to live and start breaking down your scraps. If you add too much green (nitrogen) waste without any brown (carbon) the balance will be off, and you may find the compost bin starts to smell bad and look like a slimy mess. Aim for ratios of roughly 50:50 or 60:40. Green to brown. A good way to maintain this ratio is to add in some dried leaves or brown matter each time you add greens/ scraps to your compost.
6. Have a Carbon/ Brown Bucket
Carbon/ browns are an important part of a compost system or recipe. They can also be quite hard to source if you don’t have access to dried leaves. Having a bucket at your backdoor or somewhere nearby will mean you can keep filling it up every time you come across scrap cardboard or other brown materials from the list.
7. Tools Needed
Secateurs to cut up plant matter, gloves to protect your hands, a rake to collect dried leaves and a large fork to aerate the pile.
8. Spread in Layers
Composting is all about layers. Try to add a mix of green and brown layers as you go. It is also important to spread out your materials and cut up larger items into smaller parts. The smaller the pieces, the quicker they will be able to break down. Grab your secateurs and cut your plants or flowers into smaller pieces. Tear or shred paper and cardboard into smaller pieces and scatter across to form a layer. This will help disperse the materials so that they don’t end up in a thick matted clump, as this will slow down the process.
9. Add Garden Soil
It is not essential to add soil but highly recommended as it can help to add in a few handfuls of healthy soil from your garden. This soil will already have living microbes that will help kickstart your compost!
10. Keep Hydrated
Keep your compost pile moist but not too wet as this is important to speed up the composting process. Ensure you have your hoselink hose nearby and use the shower function to moisten the layers evenly. This is especially important during the warmer months of Spring and Summer. Keep your compost covered to reduce evaporation.
11.Turn and Aerate
The bacteria and microorganisms that get to work breaking down your scraps are alive and need oxygen to live. It is important to tumble or mix your compost regularly to help add oxygen into the centre of the pile. Do this every week or two if possible.
12. Finished Compost
Once all your food scraps and plant material have turned into dark nutrient-rich soil, you can add this to your garden beds to replenish and feed your plants. As plants grow, they draw up nutrients from the soil, so it is important that we continue to replenish and feed our gardens regularly.
Urban Composting
Worm farms are great for urban environments because they take up very little space. There are also new ways for people with no land to connect with others that do, and give them their compost scraps. Community gardens, local Facebook groups or there is even an app! Sharewaste
Keep it Simple
Keep it simple and allow nature to do what it does best. Create systems that replenish and regenerate the earth rather than have a negative impact.
Choose a Convenient Location
Add your Green & Brown Waste
Add soil microbes
Hydrate & Cover
Aerate and Turn
The key to thriving gardens is to feed and nourish your soil just as much, if not more, than your plants.
Care for your soil and your plants will grow with more ease and abundance. Nature is amazing and when we allow nature to do the work, there is balance and flow. Gardening will feel more sustainable and your plants will thrive all year round.
Chillies (Capsicum annuumor variationsof species) are a popular staple for a kitchen garden because they produce an abundance of fruit on a single plant.
There are over 400 different species of chilli that vary in heat/spice 🌶 Chillies are part of the Solanaceae family along with Tomatoes, Capsicum, Eggplant and Potato.
Chillies thrive in warm weather and are mainly grown over summer. The great thing about Chillies is that you can grow more than enough in a pot or container. Great for renters or those with limited space.
Chillies are measured in heat using the chilli Scoville rating. The hottest part of the Chilli is often in the seeds. Removing the seeds can reduce some of the heat. Chilli also often get hotter and sweeter as they mature and ripen.
Sow seeds indoors at the end of winter or early spring. Or plant seedlings after last frost.
SOIL
Will grow in most soil typesbut benefits from added compost.
LOCATION
Full-part sun. Protect from harsh midday sun in summer.
CARE
Regular water.
FERTILISE
Easy to grow and doesn’t need much help.Compost teas or added compost.
PESTS
Snails, slaters, spider mites and aphids.
HARVEST
Harvest regularlyto encourage more production.
REPRODUCE
Allow to go over-ripe and save seeds.
Why Grow Chilli?
There are many reasons to grow Chillies and they are so easy to preserve!
Here are some of the many reasons to grow Chillies
Easy to grow
One plant provides an abundance
Grows well in containers
Low maintenance
Flavour enhancing
Easy to preserve
Immune booster
High Vitamin A and C
Popular Chilli Varieties
Long Cayenne –Capsicum annuum – Long chilli that turns from green to vibrant red. Mild heat and seeds can be removed to be even milder. Popular all round Chilli. Produces around 1kg per plant.
Jalapeno – Capsicum annuum – Popular Mexican chilli that is best suited to pickling and cooking (stuffed jalapenos!). Prolific producer. Pick green or red.
Padron –Capsicum annuum ‘Pimientos de Padron’ – Popular Spanish chilli. Great for stir-fries. Mostly mild but some will randomly be HOT! Heat increases as they get Redder.
Hungarian Hot Wax – Capsicum annuum – Yellow – orange colour and a popular mild chilli. Can get hot the more mature they get. Great fresh, as garnishes, pickled or stir-fried.
Birds Eye Thai – Capsicum annuum – Small hot chilli popular in Thailand. Prolific producing and although small you don’t need much! Upright standing chilli. Colder tolerant than other varieties.
Carolina Reaper – Capsicum chinense – Named the hottest chilli in the world 😳 Be very careful handling these (gloves and eyewear). Needs a heat mat to promote seeds to germinate.
When to Plant
Chillies thrive in warm temperatures and don’t like the cold. Plant your Chillies from seed in late winter – early spring inside or in a greenhouse. Plant seedlings out in Spring after your last frost. In tropical Australian locations plant in Autumn.
How to Grow
Choose a sunny spot with dappled or part shade in the heat of summer.
Prepare the soil with free-draining compost
Plant one seedling per pot or in the garden bed at least 50cm apart
1 plant is plenty or try different varieties
Can benefit from protection during the heat of summer.
Plants will tend to die off in winter and are often grown as an annual. You can overwinter your plants to get a few extra years out of them – Click here
Care/ Maintenance
Chilli plants are pretty low maintenance. Ensure they don’t dry out during hot weather. Plants can be pruned and “over-wintered” to get a second season out of them.
Pests / Disease
Chilli are pretty hardy and will thrive with minimal effort. Birds and rats will still eat your bright colourful chillies and are not put off by their heat! If this happens you might need to construct a cage or net around them. Care for young seedlings using natural pest management.
How/ When to Harvest
Once the plant is well-established it will start producing flowers and that turn to chilli. Some plants produce upright chillies and others hang down.
Most chilli will start off green and ripen to other colours. You can harvest chilli in all colours. The more mature reds and purples will be sweeter and have different flavour profiles.
Harvest the chilli often to promote new fruit.
Harvest in the morning or evening when the plants are hydrated and fresh.
Harvest before heavy rains. Chillies can split open with excess water and spoil.
Reproducing
Chillies can be grown from cuttings but it is easiest to save seeds and re-grow each year. Allow a few chillies to go over-ripe and start to shrivel on the plant before harvesting. Be careful handling chillies and wash hands thoroughly after or use gloves. Scrape out the seeds and allow them to fully dry on a plate for a week before storing them.
Cooking and Using
Chillies can be used fresh, dried or frozen. They defrost quickly and can be used just as you would fresh ones.
These Zucchini wrapped haloumi skewers are so delicious and easy to make! Marinated in my favourite green sauce plus the Rosemary flavour also infuses during cooking. I made this during one of my YouTube live streams and had to share the recipe! Serve on a fresh salad or with a charcuterie board. These would also be great for summer BBQs.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a fragrant perennial herb. Rosemary is a hardy, drought-tolerant shrub and can also be used as an ornamental due to its evergreen foliage and purple or white edible flowers. Rosemary is a great herb to plant on your journey to sustainability, as it has a large list of beneficial uses for the garden, home, kitchen, plus many medicinal qualities. When Rosemary flowers it will attract an abundance of beneficial pollinators to increase your garden’s production.
Zucchini wrapped Haloumi on Rosemary Skewers
Yield: 9
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Easy and delicious these Rosemary Skewers make a quick lunch or entertaining dish.
Ingredients
1 medium Zuchinni
1 packet Haloumi
Olive oil
9 Rosemary sprigs
Green Dressing (available below for logged in members or see notes)
Instructions
Soak the Haloumi in a bowl of water for 5-10 mins while prepping the rest of the dish (optional but reduces the salt and makes the halloumi softer).
Cut the Zucchini into thin ribbons using a wide vegetable peeler.
Prepare the green sauce or marinade (available below for logged-in members or see notes)
Pour half the marinade over the zucchini Ribbons.
Remove the haloumi from the water, cut it into squares roughly 1-2cm, and place in the bowl with the remainder of the marinade.
Place the ribbons and halloumi in the fridge to marinate further for 10-20min.
Heat a pan with olive oil on medium heat.
Lay a zucchini strip out flat and place a haloumi cube at the beginning then roll to wrap the square.
Strip 3/4 of the leaves from the rosemary skewers (see notes if you are using the leaves for the marinade you will need to do this at the beginning).
Place 3 wrapped cubes on a skewer and place in the pan. Cook until golden on each side - roughly 3 minutes each side.
Serve on a fresh salad with lemon or lime wedges and extra green sauce or a creamy yogurt dressing.
Notes
Non-member's alternative to the green dressing - Strip 3/4 of the leaves from the Rosemary sprigs. Roughly chop and add 1/4 cup of Olive Oil and use that as the marinade.
Swap Haloumi for Feta or Vegan Cheese
P.S - I make the members green dressing in the YouTube live.
Green Sauce Chimichurri
This vibrant green dressing is packed full of flavour and is a delicious way to add a fresh zing to your meals.
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Chimichurri Dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This vibrant green dressing is packed full of flavour and is a delicious way to add a fresh zing to your meals.
Ingredients
1 cup Parsley*
1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Fennel Fronds*
1 tsp Sugar
2-3 Garlic Cloves
Sea salt flakes to season
Fresh Red Chilli or 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
Instructions
Add Parsley, Lemon juice, Vinegar, Sugar, Fennel Fronts, and Garlic to a mixer or mortar and pestle. I prefer a mortar and pestle as I like it chunky and not to blended. Blitz or crush to combine and make a green sauce.
Then gradually add oil to combine. Add Chilli flakes and a pinch of Sea Salt Flakes. Taste and balance with more salt if needed.
Drizzle over the green sauce. Garnish with sliced red chilli, fennel fronts, and edible flowers.
Notes
* Swap Parsley or Fennel fronds for Radish tops, Carrot tops, Corriander, or a mix.
There may be a little extra sauce than needed so you can keep it in the refrigerator to use within a few days or freeze it in ice cubes to use in cooking.
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