A Food Garden Refresh
16 September, 2025
I’ve had the pleasure of working in Lizzie’s food garden this year. I first visited the garden in summer and could see it had been created with a lot of thought and care, with five raised garden beds, hand made using recycled materials. Fruit trees were planted on the edge of the garden. Time and care had been taken to set up the garden for success, which they’d enjoyed for a few years, but the combination of running a successful, busy business and family commitments had meant less time in the food garden….so Lizzie reached out to me for some help.
The garden beds after I “chop, chop and dropped” the spent crops and then topped with layers of organic material. I also added 2 x 15 litre in-ground worm farms to help process some of the household’s food scraps, whilst passively supporting the nearby plants and improving the soil. I then planted out seedlings and sowed a diverse range of cool season edibles in three of the garden beds. The fourth garden bed was left to ‘rest’ during this growing season.
Heartsease (also known as Johnny Jump-up) adds a pop of colour and joy to the garden. The flowers are also edible.
Family members enjoying the food garden.
“Each day I look out my window and see the beautiful vegetable garden, lush with vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers and it makes me smile. Even better is going outside to harvest the food and herbs from the garden to incorporate into our day-to-day meals. That sense of connection between growing, then harvesting and eating your own produce can easily be lost in the busy life we all lead.”
The Diggers’ Club, Purple Cauliflower and Savoy Cabbage
Diversity is key to keeping the garden healthy, with cauliflower, celery, silverbeet and cabbage growing closely together.
The Jalapenos continued to fruit throughout winter.
In addition to flowering herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme, any brassicas that flower are left to provide food for the bees and other beneficial insects.
Parsley makes an attractive border and when allowed to flower, provides nectar for beneficial insects such as hoverflies, lacewings and ladybirds. These garden guardians help to keep any sap sucking insect populations in check.
A green manure crop was grown in the fourth garden bed. This crop is now ready to flatten and cover with layers of organic material, ready for the new season plantings.
Green manure crops are grown specifically to protect the soil, add bulk organic material, improve soil structure, suppress weeds and provide nutrients to the soil life, who in turn support the plants. If you’d like to improve your soil naturally, I have some green manure seed mixes available for sale in my online shop here.
“Having Alisa by my side for my garden to flourish has been one of the greatest gifts I’ve given myself this year. And it’s always a pleasure to spend time with a person who is so passionate about what they do.”
A food garden is an extension of our homes. In addition to nourishing us and our community, they’re also a place to share with others, be creative, relax, connect with Nature and provide habitat and food for the local wildlife.
If you need help with setting up a new food garden or ‘tweaking’ an existing one, I’d love to help. To arrange a quick chat, you can contact me here.
I’m also currently running a number of ‘working with nature’ workshops locally. You can find out more here.
Til next time, happy gardening!
Alisa 🥗🍃