Musings

There are things that happen in the vegetable garden that are not always able to be explained.

Sometimes, gardening provides profound insight into other areas of our lives.

Sometimes, it just stills the mind long enough for deep reflection to take place of it's own accord.

This is where I have recorded some of these thoughts.

Vegetable Nutrition

There is an assumption within us all that if we eat our vegetables, all of them...we will be receiving all the vitamins and minerals that we need for good health.

Maybe, maybe not. A UK study has shown a decline in mineral values of store bought vegetables of approximately 40% since the 1930's and 1940's.

Here there is access to the article and a compelling exchange I had with Matthew Adams of the Good Gardeners Association UK.

Read it here.

Gardening by the Moon

Can the phases of the moon really impact on how well your garden grows?

According to plenty of people, it can. The phases of the moon affect the oceans and even the behaviour of people...so why not your plants?

Science Can't Explain Everything!

You will know that if you have spent at least some time reflecting on the world around you, some things cannot be explained in purely scientific terms. Armies of scientists and researchers swarm in labs around the world trying to take the mystery out of every bit of wonder we witness.

This article explores the mystery of companion planting and plant dowsing in the vegetable garden. Read it here.

Jeannie's Garden

A friend of mine, who lives on the outskirts of Melbourne Victoria (Australia) is a committed eco-gardener. She walks the walk AND talks the talk. So I was interested when she recently wrote to me about her gardening efforts.

"I'm finally making some progress on the garden. This house sits on an acre of land and I wondered how I would ever tame it... It was a traditional set up. Lawn front and back, garden beds and concrete paths. I think it's saving grace for me was the small orchard out the back which provided plenty of food for the local wildlife.
This is a simple and uplifting story about how one woman is making a difference in her neighbourhood using no dig gardening methods. Read it here.

Ecological Gardening

Time to reflect, for just a moment, what we're doing growing organic vegetables and where it fits into the scheme of things.

Just what is ecological gardening?

The organic gardening movement has been going since the 1920's and really, it's about remembering how we used to farm food before we discovered chemical fertilisers, pesticides and preservatives.

A sense of powerlessness can paralyse if a problem seems too large. How do we fix land degradation with just a vegetable patch? You would be surprised. What you do on your patch of the earth does make a difference. And growing organic is the first, giant leap. Read the whole article here.

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