Spring is in the Air

Welcome to my blog.

Spring is almost here and there are already early signs that it won't be long before our natural enviroment is bursting with new life.

Spring is my favourite time of year, filled with promise of a garden of beautiful flowers and vegtables for the next few months.

Spring is definitely a great time to start thinking of what you would you like to grow and start planning so that once the frosts stop ( Canberra) you can press ahead to ensure you get a full growing season.

My tip is to make gardening a normal part of your life to enjoy it and to make time for it and that way you won't feel that you have not got the time to invest in it. Also another tip is to add 1 or 2 new things to grow each year and make them part of what you normally grow ( depending on how successful you have been in growing the new plant). this way it won't be long before you are growing quite a large array of what you need to prepare fresh, healthy and tasty food full of flavour all from your own back yard. The hardest part about gardening is in the planning and the sowing of the seeds and seedlings. Once this is done, all you need to do is water and weed, mulch and basically watch the plants grow. The results ( hopefully good ones) will make you want to succeed and do more.

Growing your own fruit and vegetable helps in reducing carbon emissions as the food we buy from supermarkets are very high in food miles and energy per kilo joules of food. Not only do we use fuel to drive there to get it, fuel and energy has been used to grow it as well as transport it to the market place. Buying from a local producer is also a great way to reduce your carbon foot print, if you are unable to grow your own , due to health and space restrictions.

Benefits of growing your own.

• You have more flavoursome and vine ripened vegetables. It is healthier to eat fruit and vegetables that have been sun ripened- have more vitamins.
• Freshness- pick when you need.
• sharing- swaping with friends for things you can't grow.
• sense of satifaction
• saves money
• healthy past time - gardening is a form of excercise
• relaxing when you look at the beautiful fruit forming.
• educational - learn about plant/bugs/ pruning etc
• reduce your carbon foot print.

Disadvantages

• hard work - but who said life was meant to be easy - you reap what you sow in more ways than one.
• time consuming
• plant failure - always learn form mistakes - that's a positive as long as you don't keep making the same mistake.
  
  

Tips to get you started on your very own veggie patch

• Start out small - only grow 4 -5 things and grow them well- your success will feed further successes.

These plants are a good starting point

• Zucchinni's - these are fast growers- you will be amazed.
• Parsley- very useful herb.
• Garlic- plant bulbs in winter .
• Lettuce also very easy to grow
• Beans
• Potatoes - these can be grown in old tyres , just keep adding dirt as the palnt matures.
• sun flowers to attract bees
• Pumpkin vine

Happy gardening, I am sure you will not look back once you have decided to grow a few things.

best regards

from the Bejewelled Gardener

Lina of ZaniL Design Jewellery