The Vegetable Patch

Advice on how to grow vegetables from seed to harvest, care for them, protect them from diseases, and boost harvests. Natural treatments only!

Which vegetables to grow in winter?

There are several different vegetables that are hardy enough to the cold that you can still make the vegetable patch an enchanting place to be. Zoom in on kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, winter lettuce…
Winter vegetables

Tomato, a fruit or a veggie? The final answer.

Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable? It’s a question many keep asking. Some call it a vegetable because we often pair it with salt, in main courses or sides during meals. Others, with quite a haughty attitude, quip back that it’s most assuredly a fruit!
Tomato is a fruit that many think is a vegetable

Container carrot, short and stout varieties are the answer!

When you don’t have much space in your garden or you live in city, you can absolutely grow carrots in a pot. Container growing is quite easy, provided you select the right varieties, an appropriate container, and a fine, moist substrate.
container carrot

Mini-greenhouses & tunnels, extend the growing season!

Sheltered from unpredictable weather and snugly warm, greenhouse veggies can truly reach peak growth. Big greenhouses can’t fit in smaller gardens, so we’ll also look at easier, smaller greenhouse options to set up.
Greenhouse vegetables

Preserve root vegetables in a DIY silo

Most root vegetables could stay in the ground until their consumption during winter. However, they are often harvested in fall because soil is still loose. Freezing indeed makes harvesting difficult, and in the ground, root crops often perish from excess cold, moisture, or are nibbled on by hungry animals.
Build a simple silo to store vegetables in winter

Rotate crops in the vegetable patch

Crop rotation helps generate abundant harvests. It’s also very effective at reducing crop diseases and maximizing nutrient availability for plants.
Crop rotation in a vegetable patch

Goosefoot, more than a weed: a leaf vegetable!

Goosefoot is a fast-spreading weed, true, but its leaves make for great greens! Goosefoot key facts: Botanical name: Chenopodium Common name: goosefoot Family: Amaranthaceae Type: leaf vegetable
Goosefoot leaves, young ones are purple

Growing mushrooms on coffee grounds

Mushroom lovers, great news! For one, they are a good source of nutrients for our bodies. For the other, you can grow your own in the comfort of your homes – on recycled coffee grounds! Growing mushrooms is easy with a little guidance. Although you cannot use a normal garden soil, you can use spent […]
How to grow mushrooms on coffee grounds

Permaculture fertilizers and compost

Underlying the success of every garden is the health of its soil – this is particularly true in permaculture. Fertilize it with fresh nutrients like compost, maintain it, disturb it only when absolutely necessary. Your soil will stay healthy and fertile, and its quality will increase
Permaculture gardens require fertilizer and compost
Any questions? Ask them on the forum!