THE VEGIE PATCH

I think that a simple vegie patch is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things that you can attempt as a family. Not only do you end up saving money in the long run and have a good, all year round supply of fresh organic produce, the time spent with the family is most satisfying and educational. It's just a damn good excuse for some great family time with your kids and partner.

It is not a hard thing to attempt and depending on the size can be very cost effective. To get ours set up it cost around $150.00, that's including everything from seedlings to some soil additives and stakes. It could have cost less if we had used a major department hardware/garden store, but we chose the little guy down the end of our road.

After we had moved into our new digs, a vegetable garden was high on the list of priorities. We were lucky enough to have a strip down one side of the house that had been used before that was in full sun for most of the day. Although it was in a state of disrepair, it didn't take long to come together once we started, done and dusted well and truly in under a day.

We set about the preparation by stripping out all the old vegetation and weeds, except for one eggplant that was still bearing fruit. Turning over the soil a few times to break it all up we then added a couple of bags of good quality garden soil and turned in well. After this we opted for some blood and bone and turned in well again. I then gave it a light water and allowed to soak in a little before planting out, then after planting we gave the seedlings a good drink and then covered with sugarcane mulch to help with moisture retention....see easy.

We have a myriad of seedlings that we decided to plant, butternut pumpkin, silverbeet, black jack zucchini, golden squash, brussell sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, long green and lebanese cucumber, chillies, yellow butter beans, butterhead, cos and green oak lettuce, peas, capsicum, beetroot, roma and ox heart tomatoes, celery, carrots, leeks, sweet corn, and I threw in an old pineapple head to see how she goes. We also have a small bay tree and olive tree in large pots and there's the herb garden that I germinated from seeds and most of which has just been transplanted into a couple of three tier garden stands.

Of course you don't have to go to the extremes that we did, but it gives you an idea of cost, $150.00 for all this. Just pick out what vegies and herbs you like the best and start with that.

Our garden is still only fresh, just a couple of weeks now and has a way to go, but it is growing well. At first a couple of seedlings copped a bit of a hiding from some little nasties munching their way through the patch, but I have been using an organic liquid fertilizer and things are turning around. The overall growth and health is improving and the seedlings that got munched, well you wouldn't know it now.

Here we have placed our taller growing plants at the back, and have moved forward in size

I've been using an organic liquid fertilizer called Dr Grow It All, and it is literally magic in a bottle. I purchased some at the markets last weekend, and well what can I say, except wow. They have honestly grown at least 4 times as much in this past week, then they did in the first two of being planted. It works well at keeping the nasties at bay as well.

If you're in a situation and rent like us, and there is nowhere you can put a garden without digging up the yard too much (lets face it some landlords don't appreciate this), there are varieties of above ground garden beds that you can purchase and easily assemble. Here are just a few varieties.

Of course you can always build your own from timber (do not use treated) or do what I did once, I picked up some old 200 lt plastic drums and cut them in half length ways and drilling drainage holes along the bottom, then supporting them with some old pieces of timber, or bricks, so they didn't roll over. By assessing how much room you have and making the most if it, you're on a sure thing.

In the end, how ever you choose to do it, you're bound to win, and the joy from partaking of the fruits of your own labour are wonderful. It is fun for the kids, healthy and sustainable. Depending on the size and extremities that you go to, its is relatively low maintenance, simply a water daily, a good drink of liquid fertilizer once a week and that's about it...have fun out there :)