If I had to choose a favourite place to be,
it'd be my veggie garden.
So it's probably no surprise
that I've spent a lot of time
planning and putting things into practice
to maximise year-round productivity.
(BRIGHT MUSIC)
Our veggie garden is located in an area that gets full sun
and is sheltered from strong winds.
I've also set up compost systems nearby
which are used to continually build up the soil.
These are the basics.
There's a next level of thinking that steps things up a notch.
First up, crop rotation.
I don't plant the same veggie variety in the same bed
in consecutive seasons,
because this helps to reduce the likelihood of pest and diseases
that target a particular crop type or plant family.
I also rotate crops to manage soil fertility.
Leafy crops are typically the hungriest plants,
followed by fruiting crops,
then root crops.
So rotating them in that order helps to reduce reliance on fertiliser
and results in better-quality crops.
Planting legumes like beans and peas
at the end of the rotation
improves the soil, because they fix nitrogen.
I still apply compost and fertiliser between rotations,
but not as much as I otherwise would.
In practice, the timing is really perfect,
as one crop finishes up and the other's ready to go in,
especially in a small, intensive garden
where you're really trying to maximise the use of space.
These lettuce are the last of a crop of leafy greens
that were planted across this bed,
and we've slowly been eating our way through them.
With this last row finished,
I'm putting in some 'Red Leg' onions
to join their allium cousins,
including garlic and spring onion.
Next up, watering.
Now, it's fine to hand-water your plants to get them started,
but, really, you want
a good-quality and properly installed irrigation system
to sustain your crops during dry weather.
(WATER SPRAYS)
Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to water
because the water is applied straight to the roots.
It's great for irrigating veggies once they're established
but not so great for young seedlings or germinating seed,
especially in sandy soil,
where the surface of the soil can remain dry in between the drippers.
To overcome this, I have sprinklers and drippers in the veggie beds
so I can operate either/or independently of each other
across the life cycle of a specific crop.
And then there's companion planting,
or the growing of plants other than veggies
for the purpose of creating a diverse and healthy growing environment,
and in particular,
choosing plants that attract beneficial insects
including pollinators and predatory insects that eat pests.
In our garden, we've created a border around the veggie patch
that includes a range of flowering plants
in addition to fruit trees and vines.
These have been carefully selected to attract beneficial insects.
And after recently pruning things back,
there's room to add more plants to increase diversity.
For example,
the yellow daisy flowers of santolina
attract lacewings and lady beetles.
Same with tansy.
All of these are really hardy
and need minimal watering once established.
This is alyssum.
It's a quick-growing annual,
popular in cottage gardens,
often used in rockeries
or in borders.
And it's a magnet for hoverflies.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Yarrow also attracts a range of predatory insects,
and, being a running plant,
will soon fill out the space
around the base of the compost bins
and cope with being stepped on.
And just behind, where it's a little bit shady,
I'm planting pineapple sage,
which attracts nectar-feeding birds like honeyeaters
that I've observed picking caterpillars off my brassicas.
Welcome visitors indeed.
Crop rotation, efficient watering systems,
and creating a healthy garden ecology -
all practices that will get you on your way
to really cranking up veggie production at your place.
Ideas as old as gardening itself.