In our first two articles, we discovered the incredible world living beneath our feet and how bacteria, fungi, earthworms and plant roots work together to support our vegetables. Today, I want to bring all of that back into our own gardens. Because here's something...
There's a whole world beneath your feet! When we look at our vegetable gardens, we see the tomatoes growing, the lettuce pushing out new leaves and perhaps a few carrots starting to show their shoulders above the ground. But have you ever stopped to think about what...
Can You Really Save Money by Growing Your Own Vegetables? One of the questions I get asked quite often is whether growing your own vegetables actually saves you money. And I think it is a very fair question, because if you walk into a nursery today and start adding...
Garden myth: Milk or baking soda for powdery mildew? Every growing season it happens in my garden too. Everything is growing beautifully and then one morning I walk past the cucumbers, pumpkins or courgettes and spot it… That first little white powdery patch on a...
Nematodes in the veggie garden – what now? A few days ago I walked into the veggie garden and noticed something strange with my spinach. Most of the plants looked absolutely fine. In fact, during the day I didn't really take much notice of them because I knew I was...
Determinate vs Indeterminate Tomatoes – What’s the Difference? You are standing at the nursery looking at all those beautiful little tomato seedlings. Roma. Cherry. Beefsteak. Cocktail. Yellow. Red. You pick a few, take them home, plant them... and then three months...
September always gets me excited. You walk outside, the days are getting a little longer, there’s new growth everywhere and suddenly you want to plant everything. But before you rush off to the nursery and come home with a boot full of seedlings — go and have a look...
Recently someone asked me this question: “I've heard that there are specific dates that seeds need to be planted and it all feels quite complicated and overwhelming sometimes. Is it such an exact science? Probably also depends on where you live. Does winter/summer...
For years, our blueberries sulked. We’d plant, pamper, and hope… and still get yellow leaves, weak growth, and a handful of berries at best. This season we pulled the beds apart and started again from scratch—and something clicked. The big lightbulb moment? Our...
There’s something magical about finding a local brand that just gets it — like they’ve raided your kitchen dreams and turned them into real-life goodness. That’s exactly how I felt when I discovered Earthshine. Not only are they proudly South African (high five for...
We all know the familiar smell and taste of Rooibos Tea and thanks to Paul and Anneli Smit, we have access to high quality rooibos tea from one of the oldest commercial rooibos tea farms in South Africa - OUHUIS® ROOIBOS TEE The Start of Rooibos Tea The first people...
Coffee from the mesquite seedpods? Meet Brandt Coetzee, who took the invasive, Mesquite tree, and brewed a cuppa caffeine-free coffee substitute from the roasted beans. Seedpod to coffee has not been an easy journey. It all started back in 1996. Back then...
Epsom salt is one of many naturally occurring mineral salts. It is a compound of magnesium and sulfate found in rock-like formations. The name “Epsom salt” comes from Epsom, located near London in England, where the salt was discovered about 400 years ago. The...
What is Epsom salt Epsom salt, also known as magnesium sulfate, is a chemical compound made up of magnesium, sulfur, and oxygen. Despite its name, Epsom salt is a completely different compound than table salt. It was most likely termed “salt” because of its chemical...
