Home-grown veggies taste better than store-bought ones. The verdict is in… if only because home-grown veggies are a reward for your own ingenious gardening efforts. Here’s how to go about building your own blooming veggie patch in Wyong or elsewhere.
You can have a garden bed that’s ready for planting by simply turning over an area of soil in your backyard with your garden fork and adding compost, fertiliser, manure and water.
Here’s an easy 7-step method that requires zero digging:
- Define an area double your arm-length wide. This will put all the fruits of your labour within reach.
• Over existing lawn — mow the grass as low as possible.
• Over a paved surface — cover the area with soil or straw.
- Layer newspapers 6mm deep within that area.
- Build your garden walls, using bricks, timber, rocks. About 50cm high would be good.
- Lay down hay (lucerne is good) 10cm deep then top with a 2.5cm layer of organic fertiliser or manure.
- Add 18cm of loose straw and a repeat layer of fertiliser/manure.
- Finish off with 10cm of compost.
- Water well (do not flood). Prepare to plant.
What To Plant When
You can grow pretty much any veggies or herbs in your new garden, depending on the time of year. Here’s a list to give you some vegetable gardening ideas:
Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
| Asian vegetables | Beetroot | Asian greens | Asian vegetables |
| Beetroot | Brussel sprouts | Beetroot | Asparagus |
| Cabbages | Cabbage | Broccoli | Broad Beans |
| Capsicum | Cauliflower | Cabbage | Garlic |
| Carrots | Carrots | Carrots | Leek |
| Cucumber | Celery | Leek | Onions |
| Eggplant | Chinese cabbage | Lettuces | Peas |
| Ginger | Corn | Onions | Rhubarb |
| Herbs | Cucumber | Parsley | Shallots |
| Lettuces | Lettuces | Peas | Silverbeet |
| Peas | Parsnip | Radish | Spinach |
| Potatoes | Radish | Shallots | |
| Silverbeet | Silverbeet | Spinach | |
| Spring onion | Squash | Turnip | |
| Tomatoes | Tomatoes | ||
| Zucchini |
Your local nursery can help with more specific vegetable gardening advice.
Companion Planting
This practice involves placing a neighbouring plant alongside an existing plant. This neighbouring plant will generally have pest deterrent and bio-diversity benefits.
Herbs make ideal companion plants. Along with the above benefits, you get fresh herbs for your cooking, your salads and your health.
Some herbs you can plant in your garden include:
Basil
Your tomatoes will love it and, together, they combine so well on the plate.
Chives
A welcome garnish that also happens to help prevent mildew, deter green flies and repel aphids.
Garlic
Essential in the kitchen, in the garden it repels aphids and controls worms in tomatoes.
Marigold
Root-eating worms don’t like marigolds.
Rosemary
Good for Sage and vice versa. Rosemary brings the Mediterranean to your dishes. It’s good for the brain and digestion. It’s anti-inflammatory and helps fight macular degeneration.
Sage
Pairs well with poultry and pork; is antioxidant, antifungal and antimicrobial. See Rosemary.
Thyme
Immune system booster, cough suppressor, disinfects. Helps deter cabbageworms and whitefly. Also attracts bees and that’s good for humanity as well as your garden.
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