In a time where organic reigns supreme and we are always on the lookout to healthier alternatives for our diets, nothing could be more fresh or more tasty than growing your own fruit and veg. Growing your own is a cultural lifestyle in the Greek community. From dad’s front yard garden to the backyard of half-grapevine, half-concrete – it was always a given that you would inherent the Greek green thumb.
But the beauty of growing your own edible plants is that you don’t have to be a gardening expert, you can grow a sustainable veggie patch by getting the right advice, making sure you follow a few simple rules and being certain that the plants receive three hours of light. Vasili Kanidiadis, of Vasili’s Garden fame, says before you even think of embarking on getting your garden ready for spring, you need to think about giving it an overhaul. Remember, your garden has been neglected throughout winter.
“Weeding is the biggest one, because people don’t spend any time in their gardens in winter,” Vasili told Neos Kosmos. “The first thing you have to do is dig the garden over in preparation for spring and remove any weeds.” Standing by his motto of “from the garden to the kitchen”, Vasili says that you should also keep an eye out for some useful weeds which have medicinal properties and are rich in vitamins, such as stinging nettle and dandelion. Stinging nettle can be used to add in spanakopita, and dandelion can be used as a tea tonic or finely grated in salads.
After the weeding has been done, your next step is to determine the nature of your soil.
“If it’s heavily bogged with moisture, it means it’s not draining, and if it’s very sandy then you would need compost and manure. Manure and compost will help aerate it so it can hold the moisture. Don’t go overboard, some people buy ten bags of manure for a couple of square meters. Plants don’t need to be overfed, it actually causes more damage.” In fact, overfeeding and over watering are the two most common mistakes Vasili sees amateur gardeners make. “If it’s yellowing off, it’s been over watered or underfed, if it’s burning off and if it’s falling apart it’s overfed.”
Now it’s time to pick which edible plants you want. This time of year you can pretty much choose whatever veg you want to give a go to from zucchini, asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, to potatoes, but keep in mind the flavours of spring and summer. Think salads, and berries, spring lamb with roasted vegetables.
It’s a great time of the year to experiment with foods you haven’t tried before. “The trend now is that everyone is planting herbs. They love having a variety and readily available for their kitchen. Coriander is very popular,” says Vasili.
“Stevia is an excellent plant for people with diabetes and health issues as it’s an alternative to sugar. And then there are your typical old spices like your parsley and oregano.” Another great way to establish what edible plants you are going to pick for your garden is to speak with someone from a garden centre and get some advice. It also depends on the size of your garden.
If you live in a flat, Vasili says there is no harm in planting edible plants in pots. You need to propagate the seeds before planting them in the soil. Plant them in trays around now, so in six weeks time, around October, they will be perfect for a spring time garden.
Vasili will be opening an organic cafe and grocery store as part of his garden centre at 21 – 25 Munro Street, Coburg, Victoria. Also opening will be an auditorium where he will present cooking classes and gardening demonstrations.