ligayagardener

Keeping herbs fresh

Herbs are best fresh, but that’s not always possible. Drying is most folk’s preferred option, having a long history of success in keeping the qualities of the herbs. Moisture and oxygen contribute the deterioration of dried herbs, so excluding or minimising both is vital to good storage. One simple way I’ve worked out to keep…

Planting time!

We’ll, I’ve finally got time to scratch myself, so it’s a good time to get some seeds started. I’m not that lucky with seeds but always give it a go. There’s everything in this pile, from lawn daisies (which I recently found to be quite tasty) to that perennial permaculture favourite, Pigeon peas. I try…

The new workspace is coming along nicely…

Marlon and I have been pretty busy building lately. We’re offering workshops along the general theme of resilience, sustainability and creativity at Ligaya Garden pretty soon. So we took down the old shed and converted the space into an outdoor (but covered) workshop area with a solid concrete floor, excellent natural lighting and drainage. Jelina…

The Native verge

The Native verge garden is underway and, in true Ligaya Garden form, everything is edible or medicinal as well as being drought tolerant. I’ve put in seedlings of Acacia retionoides (wirilda) Myoporum insulare (Boobiala) and Dodonea viscosa (Sticky Hop Bush). The Acacia is a fast growing legume to stabilize and replenish the soil that was…

Top Predator

It’s good to see a predator in the garden! Predstors such as this centipede indicate that there’s a good population of things for it to eat. That means bugs and often the very bugs that eat your veggies! So if you see one of these fellas when you move something or dig in the mulch,…