Veggie Gardens and Home Composting

Veggie-Garden-and-Home-Composting.jpg

Did you know that having a veggie garden has lots of benefits including reducing grocery costs, reducing food waste by using what you grow and only picking ripe veggies, supporting bees, and fostering food resilience!

Here are some things to consider to get the most out of your veggie garden:

  • Plant what you love – in a small veggie garden stick to items that you use often and enjoy eating, if you have a large veggie garden you can plant a more diverse varieties but there is no point in planting items you do not love to eat
  • Plant strategically – some plants help others to grow, whether that is by shading them or provide growing supports, by choosing your plants and the location of these strategically you will get the most out of your plants (e.g climbing beans and sweet corn, basil and tomatoes, and sage and carrots)
  • Timing – understanding the best planting and harvesting times for plants can create year-round harvesting
  • Location – consider the location of your veggie garden so it gets a good amount of sun, has drainage, is near a water source, and is easily accessible from your kitchen
  • Protect from pests – utilise plants that deter pests, and create physical barriers with netting can protect your plants from pests, if you need to use other deterrents choose natural products that won’t hurt your plants, the soil or your family (e.g. a soap spray, diluted vinegar, and using a combination of chili, garlic, water, dish liquid and vegetable oil)

 

Home composting is a great way to reduce food waste and support your garden. Composting can be a labour of love, taking a few months for compost to be ready to use, although your garden will thank you for your work.

  • Green and brown material – use a mixture of green material that are nitrogen-rich (such as fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, plant and grass cuttings, and old flowers), and brown material that are carbon-rich (such as straw, paper, cardboard, dry leaves and woody prunings)
  • What not to compost – meat, dairy, bread, weeds, large quantities of grass clippings, animal waste, and bones
  • Layer – start with twigs, mulch or old potting mix then add alternating layers of green and brown material
  • Size – smaller items will decompose faster, keeping items at a similar size will allow for uniform composting
  • Aeration – turn or aerate with a garden fork every 1-2 weeks to allow air flow
  • Use your compost – once your compost is a rich brown colour it can be used in your garden to add nutrients and water retention

Many items that cannot be composted can be disposed in your FOGO bin, check our A-Z Guide: What Goes in What Kerbside Bin?(PDF, 162KB)

Back to top