Companion Planting 101, 102 and 103

calendulaI’ve had my fair share of companion planting grrrrrr moments – relying on inaccurate information, finding books that give different opinions, or in fact contradict, or wondering why the five different companion plants weren’t protecting my beans. The good folks at Plangarden blog have put together an excellent guide to help me, and you,  get it right.

Plangarden’s three part series first takes you through knowing your plant families to some common blunders. Followed up by a comparison of companion planting guides, all in handy pdf or snazzy slideshows. It’s great stuff, a handy reference with plenty of commonsense:

“credible sources like Cornell University’s Dept. of Horticulture, enjoin gardeners not to hang on to every word found in a CP guide as providing foolproof solutions. Experts encourage us to frequently check our plants (go ahead, look under the leaves!) and document observations from our own plant combinations.”

So read up, experiment, and hopefully all your plants will be zinging along with synergistic vigour soon.

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Link Lovage

Feb08 064 (Modified in gThumb Image Viewer)One week on the couch recovering from surgery hasn’t allowed me much time in the garden. Whether has been so horrible here it hasn’t really been a problem. Despite my incapacitated state, I haven’t spent much time on the computer either. There are a few things though that have come to my attention that I would like to share.

Blogs I’ve put into my Google Reader to keep an eye on include Punk Rock Permaculture, Earth and Tree,  The Herbalist’s Path, and Dandelion Revolution.

Now on to the really useful stuff I’ve spied:

—  The Huffington Post has a great article/chart A Recipe for Longevity: 33 of the Healthiest Foods on Earth – yep, they’re all plants! I’ll be eating a little more pineapple this week.

—  Uncluttering Your Refrigerator’s Crisper tells you how to best store your fruit and veges.

OooOOOOooo and I’ve been drooling over the books at Chelsea Green. You should too…


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Ecological Lawn Care

lawnThe good doctor over at The Phytophactor has provided some very sound and reasoned advice on the care and upkeep of your lawn – or lack there of…

My particular favourite is:

Lesson 5: The plant diversity of your lawn and gardens is directly correlated with your IQ. This goes without saying, and it explains why lawn monoculturalists are so difficult to teach.

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May Garden Tip: Plant Lots of Garlic!

Roasted garlic bulbAre you planting garlic this year? Every garden should have some. Not only is it fantastic food that keeps you healthy but also makes a potent spray to keep ants, spiders, aphids, caterpillars and other bugs away from your plants.

Those of us in the Southern Hemisphere need to be planning our garlic crops now. It’s super easy to grow but you need to have your beds ready and you need to get your cloves to plant. Don’t plant the stuff from the supermarket, it’s too dry and just won’t sprout. Get in to your garden centres quick! Last year wasn’t a great garlic year so everyone will be racing in to buy bulbs.

Traditionally, garlic bulbs go in on the shortest day but a few weeks early will give them a good boost. Remember, garlic stays in the ground for 6 months so you need to think carefully about where you want it. You can plant into pots if you aren’t sure where you’re going to be that far out.

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Fresh sums it up

I’ve just seen this great trailer for a new movie. It could be a trailer for my mind at the moment. Check out Fresh the Movie.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwR44T69_Is]

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Prep’d and ready to go

Dill (Anethum graveolens)I feel so gosh darn urban homesteady today. It’s been a beautiful day and I’ve spent it pottering around getting stuff done.

Off in search of a new oven this morning – depressing. It seems $2500 seems to be the going rate for a new oven that doesn’t appear to be made out of plastic. Most look like they would melt if we turned them on. I make my own bread and pizza – I need decent, heavy-duty cookware. So we’ll have to come up with plan B on that one.

Spent the rest of the day kicking it in the sun collecting more marigold seeds and gathering dill to be prepared for drying. Had a meeting to prep for the next Seedy Sunday and then began my kitchen prep for the week. I’ve made yoghurt, started some fenugreek sprouts and a rocket farm on some paper towels and a lid. Even made one for the neighbours – I’ll get them gardening eventually! Finished the day off  by cooking a big casserole in the crockpot.

So the theory is, I should be all ready set go for a busy week ahead – work, Seedy Sunday promotion, blogging and some proofreading -but I can relax knowing my kitchen is in order, even if the oven isn’t.

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