Love of Dirt

Flowers are an integral part of a thriving organic vegetable garden. In this post I talk about why should you grow flowers amongst your vegetables and our favourites to grow and why.

One of the first fruits I started to grow whilst renting was a blueberry. Many years ago blueberries used to be so cost prohibitive to buy here - around $8 for a 125g a punnet. I always thought they were a cool weather fruit after seeing them sell dirt cheap in huge punnets when we were travelling in Canada, but failing to realise that blueberry farms surrounded me in my home town growing up.In this episode I share some blueberry growing tips.

If you're a seed hoarder like myself, there is nothing worse than trying to propagate seeds and they are no longer viable even if the date says they should be good. Seeds do have a shelf life, but environmental influences (aka the way you store them) have a massive affect their viability.In this episode I talk about methods for storing your seeds.

I have so many people say to me that they are terrible at raising things from seeds. I get it, it can be pretty easy to kill seeds if the conditions aren’t right. Too much water, too little water. Too much sun, not enough sun. In this weeks podcast I wanted to share some tips for seed raising.

Powdery mildew can be devastating to many crops and it is highly infectious so can spread quickly in your garden if you don’t get control of it. In this episode I chat about what it is, how to avoid it and how to manage it when you've got it.

Square foot gardening is an intensive gardening technique very popular in the US/UK. In this podcast we talk about what it is, the pros and cons and how we do it in Australia.

Tree roots invading your vegetable garden is a huge problem taking water and nutrients. In this episode I chat about some strategies we've used here to fix the problem.

When recently interviewed by Gardening Australia Magazine, I was asked what is my favourite gardening method - and the answer was a no dig method because I am lazy and don't like digging. But laziness isn't the only reason. In this podcast I chat about why we do no dig gardening here at Love of Dirt and how we do it.

Need to buy manure for your garden but confused about what type is the best? In this podcast I share my tips for choosing the right manure to give your veggie patch a boost and what ones we choose and why.

All plants need sunlight to produce energy for growth. But some plants need more of it than others to thrive. So how much sunlight does your veggie patch need?In this episode I chat about what your veggie patch needs, common definitions and working out the best way to position your patch.

Hydroponics and aquaponics are based on the same principals, they both grow food in an inert media using water.But what is the difference and which is better?

Do you have a problem with little flies hovering around your indoor plants or even your kitchen compost caddy?Often people refer to these little monsters as fruit flies, but they are actually fungus gnats or vinegar flies. They don’t bite or spread disease they are just incredibly annoying. In this episode I talk about strategies to get rid of those annoying flying bugs inside.

I often get asked whether cat or dog poo can be placed in the compost bin. The short answer is yes. With a big fat caveat. You don’t want it mixed with your regular compost that goes in your veggies.In this episode I chat about why you don't want to mix your pet poo in with your regular garden compost, and what you can do to compost it instead.

Are you vegan but struggle to find solutions that aren’t animal based for your vegan garden? For a very long time I was super confused as to how you could be vegan and also eat organically. Organic fertilisers are generally manure based, and manure for the horticulture industry generally comes from the animals within the meat industry. Then there’s worm farming and attracting beneficial insects to murder the bad insects.In this episode I talk about ways to boost your organic vegan garden...

Carrots can be one of those tricky crops to grow, which can be frustrating considering they are dirt cheap in the supermarket. However, nothing beats a home grown carrot, especially enjoyed straight from the garden.In this episode I share my carrot tips, along with troubleshooting some common issues.

The idea of companion planting is a broad term used to describe a method of grouping plants together for mutual benefits, whether it is for pest preventing or growth.In this episode I talk about the 3 companion planting techniques we use in our garden.

Whenever anyone asks me where they should start when it comes to composting I always say get a composting worm farm.In this episode I chat about the different types of worm farm setups we've had, we currently use and other options you may want to check out.

Compost is one of the key ingredients to the success of growing food and there is nothing like home grown compost. If you grow your own food, knowing how to make your own compost is key.In this episode I talk about the basic process and types of home composting.

I’ve always been one to thin my vegetable seedlings, beetroot included. I have found over the years that plants do better if they’re not competing with resources (sun, water, nutrients). Thinned plants are usually a little more resilient from bug attacks. In this episode I chat about my latest experiment with not thinning beetroots, along with some tips for growing them.

If you want an endless supply of greens the simplest thing to do is grow micro greens. From planting to harvest you’re looking at anywhere between 2-4 weeks.In this episode I chat about types of things you can grow as a micro green and all the tools you'll need to get started.

Need to buy soil for your veggie patch? In this episode I talk about how to avoid disaster with my tips on choosing commercial veggie mix soil and how to make it amazing.

One of the first posts I wrote on our blog was our setup of a mini wicking bed pot. It worked well for a while but the styrofoam eventually failed and I never got around to implementing that type again as I moved to different ways of doing them. We’ve had some fails and wins with our various experiments along the way so in this Episode I thought I'd share with you our Wicking bed learnings.

Often we are asked what type of raised bed we prefer to use in our suburban patch. There are a range of options and in this episode I have put together a break down of options to suit the Australian conditions.

Root knot nematodes or eel worms are those hidden annoyances that you don’t really know that you’ve got them until it’s too late. Root knot nematodes are a microscopic parasite that sucks the life out of your plants. In this episode we talk about strategies we use when we discover an infestation of root knot nematodes.

Spring is a lovely time of year for us, but it does get hot very quickly! I would liken our Spring to more like a Mediterranean summer, it’s hot and dry. In this Podcast I thought I’d share some of the things we’re doing this Spring to make sure we get through summer reasonably unscathed.

The aphids were pretty insane this year. I know a lot of people had similar issues, and I know the reason I had them was lack of planning and overall management. In this podcast I talk about strategies we use to keep them in check.

In this episode I talk about 3 strategies we're using to beat clay soil and grow great veggies.

In this episode I chat with Second generation herb grower Sarah Heath. We chat about her journey into the herb world along with some of her favourite herbs to grow and eat and essentials for any kitchen gardener. We also talk a little about getting kids to eat the herbs and what's the best soil for your garden.

We're back for a new season of the Podcast in 2020.This episode I chat with Heidi Merika who is a Naturopath and Medical Herbalist. We talk about Heidi's journey into the plant world and deep dive into ways you can boost your immunity from plants you can grow or find.

If you’re anything like me and live in a warm climate, by the time summer hits you’ll just want to give your veggie patch all away. The summer garden means the bugs move in, keeping up with the watering is a full time job and things get suffer from severe sun stress.In this episode I share some of the veggies that I continue to grow through those summer months. This is the last episode of 2019 whilst I take a break and will be back in 2020.

Summer growing in QLD really is a tough gig, it's too hot and the bugs move in. Sometimes it's just easier to give up and hit the beach.In this weeks episode I chat about some of the things I do to combat some issues that we face and still get a harves

If you watch certain garden shows, they will tell you that you shouldn't even try growing garlic in our climate. 'Stick to garlic chives they say', but seriously it's not the same thing at all. Well I am the kind of person that if you tell me I can't do something, I will be determined to prove you wrong.After many years of failure, this year I had a successful crop and in this weeks episode I am sharing my learnings.

Do you have a problem with your zucchinis (or squash or pumpkin or cucumbers) being stunted and not progressing past the size of your thumb? Perhaps they are getting to a certain size and then they just start rotting.In this episode I chat about how to avoid this issue to make sure you get a good harvest of zucchini.

So this week, the last week of spring I made a shocking discovery. The fruit fly have arrived here in the subtropics.In this episode I chat about the strategies I use to stop fruit fly destroying my gardening dreams.

I confess. I never used to plant flowers. I didn’t have the luxury of a lot of space so I always felt like it was a waste of room if I planted flowers.Now since upping my flower game, I consider it an integral part of my veggie planting. In this episode I talk about why you should start growing flowers in your patch and my top picks.

As the weather heats up for us, there is nothing more important than keeping up moisture to your vegetable patch and the best way to do that is to mulch your garden.In this episode I chat about the best mulches to use in your veggie patch and ones to av

In this episode I talk about some of the common pests we get in our garden and how we manage them organically.

Are you a self confessed black thumb? Or perhaps you had some great results when you first setup your veggie patch and now you're failing to see it thrive.Maybe you’re just making some simple mistakes. Here are 3 things you can do to turn things around.

Here in the subtropical climate we have to be super organised to make sure we get things in before summer hits and kills our gardening dreams. In this episode I chat about some of my favourite things to get growing in spring time.

I think the reason I love growing food so much is because I am a natural problem solver. If something fails I will keep trying until I figure it out. In this weeks episode I talk about developing problem solving skills to help you become a better grower

A perennial plant is a plant that will live beyond the single growing season giving you ongoing harvests. In this episode I talk about the benefits and downsides to growing perennial plants in your veggie patch and some options you may want to try.

Are you ready for the warm growing season? Here in the Southern Hemisphere, Spring is almost upon us so it's time to start prepping our garden beds for new crops and abundant harvests.In this episode I'll be talking about 3 key things you may want to do to prepare for the next growing season.I'll also be hosting a free spring preparation challenge, head on over to our website loveofdirt.com.au to register.

Closing the loop on your veggie patch is basically being able to self sustain without having to bring in extra resources to keep it going. In this episode I chat about 10 strategies that we implement (or are going to start implementing) in our garden to close the loop.

This month in the Dirt Lovers Membership we've been chatting all things bugs. We were lucky enough to chat to an entomologist all about bugs in the garden.In this episode I chat about the key take aways from our conversation from the good bugs you want in your garden to whether or not a bug hotel is a good idea. Dirt Lover Members can access the full interview in the Dirt Lovers Portal.

Setting up new garden beds can be a costly exercise, but it doesn't have to be. I've made a few rookie mistakes along the way when it comes to filling raised beds. I now have my technique down pat and can fill a 2x1 metre garden bed for under $10.

It can be incredibly easy to setup a vegetable garden and wonder what the hell is the point. You may find that nothing grows well, your harvests are too small to warrant the effort or your crops are decimated by possums or full of grubs.I experienced ALL of these things but persevered. Had I have known a little bit more about growing my own food, it would have prevented a lot of frustration. In this episode I share the things I wish I knew before I started my veggie patch.

In this episode we look at some easy veggies to grow in the warmer climates. Whether you're starting your first veggie patch, upgrading from a container garden or looking for some veggies that will tolerate hot climates, these are a good base of plants to start off with.

Did you know you can grow food and fish in your own backyard? We've been doing it now for over 5 years with our own Aquaponics system.In this episode I talk about how we got started with our Aquaponics system.

It's that time of year when the caterpillars have been sent on a mission to destroy all our Kale. In this episode I talk about the 3 methods that work for me when it comes to keeping caterpillars at bay in my organic garden.

If you're having problems with bringing the bees to your veggie patch it's time to look at planting some plants just for them.In this episode I talk about what edibles you can plant that the bees also love.

If you live in suburbia in Australia and grow your own food, it's likely you've had the displeasure of feeding the local possum population. In this episode I talk about all the methods I've tried and tested and the one thing that will help you get that

Before we bought our place (less than 12 months ago) we rented for many decades. During that time we still managed to grow a lot of food. In this podcast I talk about ways you can grow your own food in a rental.

Growing food is fast becoming a lost art. It's feared, it's unknown, it's challenging, it's rebellious. But it doesn't have to be hard.In this episode I give a quick introduction about what the Love of Dirt podcast is all about - growing food, fair food and sustainable living.