Meet me in the garden

SHORT ON SPACE?

If you’re a unit dweller don’t despair! There is a surprising amount you can grow with little to no space. Opt for seasonal herbs like basil, coriander, mint and parsley, or leafy and fruit vegetables like lettuce or Asian greens. Or, try dwarf varieties of your favourites like tomatoes, broccoli, and cabbage.

COMPOSTING AT HOME

Check out your local supermarket for everything you need to get started!

There is nothing quite as therapeutic as rolling up your sleeves and grounding yourself in the soil, reconnecting with mother nature and the food you eat. Cultivating a little patch of soil to grow herbs or planting a whole patch of vegetables will not only give you mouthwateringly fresh vegetables to cook with, but is also a great way to engage the whole family with a little outdoor activity.

There’s an undeniable movement toward wanting to know what we’re putting into our bodies and growing our own vegetables is one of the easiest and best ways of doing so. Whether you’re living in the country or the city, have a lot of land or only a balcony, starting a veggie patch doesn’t have to be a pipedream with these easy to grow (and look after) options.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are versatile and surprisingly easy to grow plants and are great for anyone starting their veggie patch. They need a lot of sun but can grow in containers or hanging baskets without requiring a whole lot of space. Check out the gardening aisle at your local supermarket for a starter pack as growing from seeds can be a little harder.

Lettuce

Easy to harvest and quick to grow, lettuce is a great option for your first patch – after all who doesn’t want to see the fruits (or vegetables) of their labour sooner rather than later! Lettuce is best planted somewhere with a fair amount of sun. These days, there are a huge range of composting bins on the market for you to choose from, meaning you don’t have to set up a full compost pile. Check your local Stockland supermarket to see what they have in store.

Tip: the secret to a healthy compost is more carbon than nitrogen. Nitrogen rich matter is food scraps, lawn clippings and green leaves, while carbon items may include wood chips, coffee grounds, paper or straw. Maintain a balance with one-third green (nitrogen) to twothirds brown (carbon) material.

Zucchinis

While they do require a little more space, with enough sun and water you’ll be spying little flowers on your zucchini plants within about a month of planting. A few weeks after that and you’ll see small fruits starting to form and by the second month, you’ll be having zucchini with every meal!

They love warm and wet soil, so are best planted in summer.

Chilli

Adding a little colour to your garden and spice to your dishes, chillies are great for your immune system and fairly easy to grow. In most Australian climates, chilli will do well in pots, but they do need heat and sunlight, meaning you may need to move them in and out of the sun throughout the day.