Hi everyone! Welcome to my FIRST ever Urban Permaculture Garden tour! See what I have growing in my edible garden this Autumn (May 2020). My garden is constantly changing so I’m excited to finally document the growth! It’s amazing to look back at old photos and see how much has changed since we moved in. I am currently growing food in containers, pallet planters, makeshift garden beds in the driveway and slowly turning my grass into edible gardens. It is all a work in progress and I am constantly expanding my gardens and my knowledge to create my urban homestead. When we first purchased our property it had one tiny lemon tree and a few ornamental grasses along the back fence.
I now have over 15 fruit trees and many other edibles all throughout the garden. I have noticed so many insects and birds starting to frequent my yard and that makes me so happy! Diversity in plants and animals makes for a happy ecosystem.
You do not need to have the “perfect” place to grow food it is important to get to know your surroundings and just start by growing a few things. It’s all part of the journey and you will continue to learn and develop along with your garden. I hope you enjoy this video and get inspired to grow more of your own food.
Comment below if you have any questions about my Urban Permaculture Garden or anything I have growing in this video.
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!
Hello everyone! Crazy that we are now already into February! I set a goal this year to start recording the amount of food I am growing from the garden and just keep a visual record for fun! I will do a monthly round-up and let you know how much I have grown and share some of the food I have made with those harvests. Keep reading to see just how much I harvested in January!
Front Garden
Another one of my goals is to grow a years supply of pumpkin which I estimate to be about 1 large or 2 small pumpkins a month. I created a new garden bed out the front in a car space beside the carport. Pumpkins need a lot of space and I just had so much unused space out the front so it was a great solution.
I started off strong with my Lakota pumpkins in the ground around October. I harvested these in January and the vines have pretty much died off now. I have trimmed them back and I’m hoping they will go another round. I also had some Butternut start growing from the compost I put in the bed so that was a welcomed bonus! In some of the empty spaces, I have now planted more pumpkin such as the Kent which I’m hoping to get some decent sized pumpkins in the coming months.
The Lakota Pumpkin is apparently kind of like squash and you can eat the skin.
Backyard Garden
Out the back, we built two new Pallet Planters bringing the total to x4 large and 1 small. The larger ones are roughly about 1.2m x 1.2m square and the smaller one 0.5m x 0.5m. I created a video of the process as i often get questions on how we make them.
Pallet 1 – I have Lebanese cucumbers growing and I have been picking them daily in January! This is my first successful attempt at cucumbers because they usually don’t last through a 40degree day. This time I think I had more success because they were in the pallet planter so had a decent amount of healthy soil and I could bring them undercover on hot days.
Pallet 2 – Tomatoes and Basil. Classic companion planting and the bees are loving the basil flowers. I also had a few compost volunteers (rockmelon, watermelon, pumpkin) which i am leaving now that the Tomatoes have pretty much finished.
Pallet 3 – Small pallet has a white apple cucumber growing. I haven’t got anything from it yet but hopefully, this will continue my cucumber harvests through Feb/March.
Pallet 4 – Newly planted with x4 chilli plants, Armenian Cucumbers and some rainbow radishes.
Pallet 5 – I planted some corn seeds in this new planter but our dog kept sleeping in it so I had very little strike rate. I ended up getting some corn seedling on sale at the farmers markets for 50c so I have now planted those and he has luckily stopped using it a bed haha.
Back fence garden – Things are chugging along in the back fence garden. The hot days and sandy soil mean the smaller plants slow down considerably. The fruit trees are all doing ok though and I have a few feijoas on the way!!!! These are my pride and joy and are in their 4th year. Last year I got two baby fruit so I’m hoping for some decent harvests in the coming years. Pretty much a currency over here among the Kiwis 😂
My new carport garden has well outperformed the back but that was all the pumpkins. x8 Pumpkins so far. January I also launched my YouTube channel! I have experienced a lot of technical difficulties being a complete novice when it comes to video and editing but I will get the content rolling in shortly so make sure you subscribe!
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!
I much prefer offering natural and sustainable solutions rather than a pointless list of negative things not to do. But this topic is something I am very passionate about and something new gardeners often get caught up in (including myself when I first started growing food many years ago). You will find my list of natural pest management remedies below 🙂
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. I see some newbie gardeners 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.
If you’re reading this and thinking…I do this..you are not alone. It is something that has been a “norm” for way too long. But the first step you can take is safely throw out your poisonous slug bait. I would place it in something that animals can’t get into in case it crosses paths or they get into the bins. Even better, contact your local council to find the best way to safely dispose of it.
Watch my latest video
There are plenty of ways to naturally combat pests and have safe and nontoxic vegetables for your family.
Eggshells – Save your eggshells and dry in the oven on low. Then crush into small pieces and place in a jar. Sprinkle this around the base of your vegetables and the slugs and snails do not like the surface so will stay away. It also adds some beneficial calcium to your soil.
Plant extras – Plant a few extra plants in different areas of your garden so that if one gets attacked you still have plenty 🙂
Encourage beneficial insects – Plant diversity and flowers to create habitats and attract beneficial insects. You could even make an insect hotel using lots of different sized sticks and logs for them to live 🐞🐝
Manually remove – Go out and check your garden and remove the pests by hand. I often do this when I am on the phone, its a great way to multitask.
Beer Traps – Cheaper the better, there is no need to use up any fancy craft beer. Place little containers around your vegetable patch and this will capture the slugs and snails before they get to your precious veggies 🍺
Coffee grounds – Often your workplace or local cafe will be throwing these out anyway. Sprinkle around the base. Only add a small amount as it will change the PH of the soil ☕️
Companion Plants – Often very fragrant plants will repel pests. These are plants such as: Marigolds and Rosemary 🌼🌿
Soapy Water – this is great for aphids. All my dishwashing liquid is non-toxic and greywater friendly so I just mix up some diluted in water and paint it on the new growth that is affected by aphids. This is the last resort though as it may harm beneficial insects too. Try and isolate the coverage.
Chilli spray – Mix up some chilli powder in some water and spray on your affected plants. I have read crushed garlic as well but that is bad for dogs so I would avoid.
Healthy Soil – growing healthy soil by composting and mulching helps keep your plants strong and healthy 💪 this means that if they do get bugs they can survive and thrive after an infestation.
Sacrificial plants – Usually one plant will just get attacked and I just leave it. It usually means the bugs will only eat that plant and the rest will be fine! Sorry for that one plant but it’s feeding nature…🌿
Chickens and ducks are also a great way to integrate natural pest management into your garden. Win-win 🐛🦆
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!
