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Can Caffeine Really Lead To Brilliant Blooms?

Josh — Fri, 21 May 2010 23:26:31 +0000

My good friend, George asked me about the benefits of caffeine in gardening and I couldn’t resist answering it in a post as it’s such an interesting question. We all know caffeine as a great stimulant, but does that carry over to the plant world too?

(Partially) Wordless Wednesday: 19th May 2010

Josh — Wed, 19 May 2010 18:45:23 +0000

Today was a great day. I finally got out there and started swinging my axe at this new garden to get it looking at least reasonably pretty before autumn comes around. It didn’t go too badly and I managed to get a fair bit done, but the more I did, the more I realised that this isn’t a light task.

When Life Gives You Peppers, Use This Pepper Jam Recipe

Josh — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:30:03 +0000

This post was inspired by Josh’s Plant Spotlight: Bell Peppers post from earlier this year. I’ve decided to share a less common bell pepper recipe in my post, but first: let’s talk about some general pepper preparation.

Wordless Wednesday: 12th May 2010

Josh — Wed, 12 May 2010 21:53:31 +0000

My wordless entry for the 12th of May. Would love help with identifying these flowers, I can't figure out what the last one is.

3 Wonderful Ways Egg Shells Can Help You Today

Josh — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:35:32 +0000

Although we’re encouraged to recycle and compost most of our biodegradable kitchen scraps, one of the biggest and best things to keep hold of are your egg shells. Rich in nutrients and guaranteed to break down, they may be the most helpful to come out of an animal since manure.

Split Your Peace Lily Problems In Half!

Josh — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:01:13 +0000

After seeing the comment from Jan yesterday asking how to split a peace lily in to several peace lilies, and knowing how much my mum is in love with mine, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and give it a go myself.

Cooking: Candied Sweet Potatoes

Josh — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:49:33 +0000

This post will be a bit of a sequel to the Plant Spotlight: Sweet Potato post from last September. So, now that you all know Josh’s tips for growing sweet potatoes, let’s discuss some of the best ways to get them from your garden to your table!

Plants To Fill Your Home With Clean Air

Josh — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 21:25:05 +0000

I was clicking around on TED.com when I came across a fascinating video by Kamal Meattle about 3 plants that produce so much oxygen, you could sit in a sealed container and live off of the air they supply. The quality of the air we breathe has such a massive effect on our health and wellness that I really couldn’t ignore the points he raised.

Getting Protein On A Vegetarian/Vegan Diet

Josh — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:30:43 +0000

Whether you’re looking to bulk up for a competition or to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass, protein is an important part of pretty much everyone’s diet, so one of the biggest worries about dropping meat is keeping the protein intake up.

Gardener's Glossary: Damping Off

Josh — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 06:00:50 +0000

Damping off is the term used to describe a fungal infection which will decay seedlings in their early sprouting stages causing them to die off. Usually, you will find the mould in damp soil with poor ventilation that has been left in a warm area for too long, which is the perfect environment to allow fungus to multiply.