By John Gannon
Spending time in the garden is more than a hobby—it’s a proven way to boost mood, reduce stress and reconnect with nature. In this article, long-time participant John opens the gate to his own patch of green, giving us a quick tour of the simple set-ups and routines that keep his household supplied with fresh veggies, berries and herbs year-round. Whether you’re planning your first seed tray or looking to level-up an established plot, John’s tips show just how rewarding—and therapeutic—home growing can be.
Propagation
I grow all my plants from seed. I have a simple propagation setup. I use plastic seedling trays, filled with seedling mix. I drop one or two seeds into each cell, water them in and wait for germination. Warm weather makes this easy, but in early spring I sit the trays on a heat mat or pop them under a cloche so my summer crops don’t stall in the cold.
Composting
I use a large worm farm bin and a smaller one as well. I might add a compost tumbler soon, since we have a lot of kitchen vegetable scraps to process (no citrus or onions). We compost all our veggie scraps, and before planting—especially heavy fruiting crops like zucchinis—I like to lay down a 1–2 cm layer of ready-made compost. I keep a bucket under the sink to collect scraps, and once it’s full, it all goes into the worm farms.
FoodCubes
I bought three (fairly expensive!) wicking beds to grow vegetables in. I’m aiming to be self-sufficient in leafy crops like kale, spinach, silverbeet, chicory, and arugula. I’m also trying to grow plenty of root crops—carrots, beetroot, and radishes. In addition, I want to grow some heavy fruiting crops like broccoli and cabbage. I like to interplant everything and mix them all together.
Berry Patch
I am attempting to grow some berries in the side alley of our house. I’ve got strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and a thornless blackberry all growing in pots. I’m hoping for a big harvest next season—spring and summer. I’m using worm juice and worm castings as fertiliser.
Miscellaneous
I’ve got snow peas climbing a trellis in the ground, and I’m also growing cape gooseberries. The tomatoes are starting to die down now, but I’ve managed to harvest nearly 3 kg from just a couple of plants.
I hope this quick rundown of my garden has interested you, and happy gardening.
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