Edible Gardens

There is nothing better than wandering into the backyard to pick an orange off the tree or harvest a few vegies for the dinner table.  Even the kids love to get involved and actually get to experience the delicious flavour of fruit, vegetables and herbs that couldn’t be any fresher.

Growing edible plants is not rocket science and is much easier than people think.  There are just a couple of key things to remember to ensure success.

1. Feed the plants through the roots.  This gives the absolute best flavour.  So, although liquid fertilisers have their place to give a bit of a boost, really the best thing for both fruit trees and vegies is anything that you can put into the soil to improve it such as manure, compost and soil conditioners.
2. Harvest often!  Lots of people think they should leave the fruit or leaves on the plant but actually, when the leafy greens or ripe fruit are harvested, the plant puts all its effort into producing new ones.  If they are left on, the plant has to work harder to keep these going and won’t have the energy to produce new growth as well.
3. Give them plenty of water.  Fruit and vegies are actually packed with water so when they don’t get enough, they show the signs really quickly.  Leafy plants will wilt and become bitter, some will bolt to seed and fruiting plants will lose flavour and juiciness.  If you start to see these signs, you need to reassess your sprinkler regime and apply water more often.

There’s heaps more information in our fact sheets and we are adding to them all the time!