Journal

Quick answer: Plan on roughly 100–200 square meters (1,100–2,150 sq ft) per person to cover your vegetable needs year-round, including storage crops like potatoes and root vegetables. Add fruit, berries and eggs and you’re closer to 450–750 square meters (4,800–8,000 sq ft) per person. Meat, dairy and grain push that into the thousands of square…

Quick answer: Starting seeds indoors means sowing under cover and planting out a finished transplant. Count backwards from your last frost date: chillies and peppers 10–12 weeks, tomatoes 6–8, brassicas and lettuce 5–6, cucumbers and squash 3–4. Most seeds germinate in 4–10 days at 20–25 °C (68–77 °F), then need 16–18 °C and 12–16 hours…

Quick answer: A seed sowing calendar hangs on one date – your average last frost. Onions and chillies go in 10–12 weeks before it, tomatoes 6–8, brassicas 5–6, cucumbers and squash 3–4. Direct sowing starts 4–6 weeks before, with spinach and peas. In zone 6 that means February; in zone 3, April.

Quick answer: A companion planting chart is only as good as the mechanism behind each row. Six mechanisms hold up in trials: scent masking, trap crops, insectary flowers, living mulch, nitrogen fixation and physical support. Claims that basil improves tomato flavour or that onions stunt peas have no evidence. Expect a 10–30 percent effect, not…

Quick answer: Start pumpkin seeds indoors 3–4 weeks before your last frost, or direct-sow outdoors once the soil has warmed to at least 15°C (60°F). Give plants 1–3 m (3–10 ft) of room depending on variety, rich soil and at least six hours of sun. Pumpkins take 90–120 days from seed to a mature fruit,…

Quick answer: Sow peas directly outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked and has warmed to around 5–10°C (40–50°F), usually 4–6 weeks before your last frost date. Plant seeds 3–4 cm (1.5 in) deep, 5–7 cm (2–3 in) apart, give climbing varieties something to grip early, and pick pods often to keep new…