The Amateur Farmer

Attack of the Aphids

Posted on by Jean Campbell

  Last week, I discovered that one of my hibiscus plants, a small and struggling little thing, was covered with aphids. Well, no wonder it looked so unhealthy, I thought, with its puny buds and shriveled leaves, offering little promise of a lush display. What next? My options Idea #1. I could try a natural repellent-type remedy. Con: This could adversely affect the beneficial flora as well, and there are good reasons not to do this, but that is another story. Idea #2. I could pop... Continue reading

Polyculture 7-11 Garden

Posted on by Jean Campbell

My girlfriend Leanna sent me a link to a YouTube video about a gardening technique called Polyculture. It's a broad term, but this particular rendition of the theory never occurred to me, and it's brilliant. In a small area, thickly sow seeds that leverage different soil depths and come into fruit at a different speed. After just a few weeks, you begin to harvest. And you continue to do so. I took the idea and compacted it into what I call the 7-11, a nod to the old convenience stores... Continue reading

Woods Dirt

Posted on by Jean Campbell

My mother was an avid gardener. She insisted my little sister and I help with pulling weeds and feeding the veg patch. Little sister and I in the garden As a surly teenager, I complained a lot, totally missing the point. Gardening would not take hold with me until after the birth of my second daughter. When I asked my mother's advice on a fruitful garden, she replied, "Woods dirt makes the best soil." I didn't really know what she meant, but if she said it, then it was so. In my... Continue reading

The Herb Spiral – Tips and tricks from a new user!

Posted on by Jean Campbell

On the heels of completing the initial sheet mulching steps of The kitchen Garden (formerly known as The Secret Garden), we began our herb spiral. The process is similar in that materials are layered to magically build soil. We began by placing rocks, all resourced from our property, in a spiral formation, and stacked them upwards as we went round. We filled the bottom with sticks and topped them with good old wheat straw. Tip # 1 - Reuse garden waste! Melvin tops the... Continue reading