Gardening, growing, nurturing where’s a good place to start?

Gardening, growing, nurturing where’s a good place to start?

Gardening can be a great way to unwind, get some fresh air and find a bit of quiet in your week. If you’re not sure where to start either inside or outside, potted herbs are a great way to grow something that you can add into your weekly meals. Herbs generally grow quite well (depending on the frost and seasons) from seedlings and bigger plants such as Rosemary do very well planted in a nice soft soil in the ground. My no fail herbs are Parsley, Spring Onions, Rosemary and Chives. Basil will also grow well in the warmer months but as soon as the frost kicks in it tends to die off. Even if you only get a few months out of your herbs they are super cheap to buy as seedlings from about $3 up at Bunnings, K&D Wear house, local farmers markets or grocery stores with a small bunch of herbs at the supermarket costing about the same if not more. A tip when buying seedlings of any kind is that you are actually buying heaps of plants. The seedling containers tend to be split into 6 sections but each section contains many plants. Make sure you pull apart your seedlings into individual plants for planting as you’ll end up with a lot of plants if you do this and they won’t be crowded and fighting for water. Each packet will have guidelines on how far apart to plant each plant, but work with the space you have and see what happens. I love to have Spring Onions on the go, as they are great in stir-frys (and easier on the eyes and hands than brown onions, especially if you need to pick up a baby), omelettes and salads.

Seed packets can also work well if you’re not in a hurry. There are some great options at the Salamanca Market in Hobart such as the Southern Harvest range or the Hobart Botanical Gardens that support local growers. But again seeds can be bought anywhere from the supermarkets, to Kmart and again Bunnings or K & D Warehouse.