What did you plant today? Garden and Farming for FOOD SECURITY.

[Abondance]

In a plant fair yesterday, I have found some interesting varieties to complete my "forest-garden".

An old japanese nashi-pear tree ( I love these fruits, more than pear). Very resistant ( -25°c), easy to grow but need a companion or pear tree for better pollinisation.

(I hope these names are correct: )

Motherwort (medicinal)
skullwort (medicinal)
Jerusalem sage ( edible flowers and good for bees)
caraway ( spice)
pineapple sage ( very tasty for tea and a lot of flowers until autumn!)

And some flowers for beauty and bees.

I have also some other seeds to prepare. I'll try sweet sorghum, quinoa and millet.

At my parent’s, I've harvested some rush for improving my pond's autofiltration ( not very easy even if my frogs seems happy and made babies this year!)

[Tigger]

I attended a ‘farmer’s convention’ over the weekend in Atherton. Interestingly, the subject of growing garlic came up. Apparently, the ideal way to start garlic at this latitude (17°16’S) is to refrigerate (not freeze) the cloves for several days before planting. Garlic responds to cooler weather in order for the cloves to sprout (I did not know this), so they must be kept cold to start the germinating process. We’re fortunate to be at a relatively high elevation (~900m) to get short, sharp winters (yes, we get pretty cold winters in the tropical tablelands), and the local farmers told me to plant garlic at the end of April instead of early April.

I traded some of my home-grown pineapples for some locally grown ‘Russian garlic’ bulbs, and some heirloom tomato seedlings. I am looking forward to my first garlic-growing season!

[Abondance]

This guy has always good tricks to grow food. Here, how to boost tomatoes flowering ( and harvesting) :

4 simple ingredients

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BKdy0rRxuwI

[RunningDeer]

Farmer’s Garden Survived a Historic Drought, Here’s How

• May 19, 2026
• Warrior Poet Society
• 1.59M subscribers

What if you could grow a productive garden in the middle of a drought — without constantly watering your beds?

In this episode of The John Lovell Show, John sits down with Mike Herbert, a regenerative farming expert with 13 years of experience in soil development, organic farming, livestock, homesteading, and drought-proofing land. Mike has built a thriving family homestead using methods that seem almost impossible at first: hugelkultur beds, deep mulch, buried wood, swales, and water-retaining soil systems that help keep the ground moist even during dry conditions.

John visited Mike’s property and was shocked by how much food his family was growing with far fewer inputs, less watering, and less dependence on the normal garden supply chain. From potatoes and ginger to livestock and family food production, Mike explains why many gardeners may be working harder than they need to — and how building soil the right way can make a homestead more resilient.

If you are starting a garden, building a homestead, preparing for drought, or trying to become a better provider for your family, this conversation will challenge the way you think about food, soil, water, and self-reliance.

In this episode:

• How Hügelkultur beds help retain moisture
• Why buried wood can improve soil over time
• How swales slow down and capture water on your property
• Why deep mulch can protect soil during drought
• How to grow food with fewer outside inputs
• What regenerative farming can teach modern homesteaders
• Why food security starts at home
• How farming can build family culture, work ethic, and generational skills

Mike Herbert is not a full-time farmer living apart from the real world — he is a builder, contractor, husband, father, and homesteader who has learned how to produce food while still living a full and busy life. That makes his approach especially helpful for families who want to grow more food, waste less water, and build practical resilience without turning their entire life upside down.

Topics covered: drought proof garden, Hügelkultur beds, swales, regenerative farming, no water garden, homesteading, organic gardening, food security, soil building, deep mulch gardening, family farming, self-reliance, growing food in drought, sustainable gardening, water retention, permaculture, and how to feed your family in hard times.

Watch the full episode and learn why John says he may have been gardening wrong for years.

Chapters
00:00 Historic Drought, No Water, Tons of Food
01:06 Meet Mike Herbert
01:55 Could You Feed Your Family If the Food Chain Failed?
2:46 Why John Is Frustrated With Normal Gardening
03:52 What Is Hügelkultur?
04:52 Digging Trenches and Burying Wood
05:39 The Underground Water Reservoir
06:18 How to Build a Hügelkultur Bed
07:41 Potatoes, Ginger, and Food Hiding in Plain Sight
09:04 Why Nobody Is Promoting This Method
09:30 Proof That Hügelkultur Works
11:18 Building Black Soil With Mulch
12:04 What Else Can You Grow This Way?
13:16 Is Good Soil Just Bug Crap?
13:29 How Plants Grow Through Thick Mulch
15:19 Moist Soil Even in a Drought
16:32 What Food Is Mike Growing?
17:15 The 100-Year Drought
17:51 How Swales Capture Water
19:14 Using Contour to Drought-Proof the Land
20:52 Why Ground Cover Matters
21:25 Growing Food, Livestock, and Family Resilience
22:35 Building Family Culture Through Farming
25:00 Work Ethic, Ownership, and Raising Capable Kids
26:21 Why Time With Your Kids Matters
27:36 Better Than Life Insurance
28:02 How to Be a Better Provider
29:44 Building, Carrying, and Protecting Life
31:09 Final Thoughts

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=oZ1Y4FXxJos

[Tigger]

Good evening everyone, I haven’t been online for a while (5 months to be exact). Disappointed to see that not many members have contributed to this thread, considering the rising cost of produce these days.

So here’s some inspiration:

- I found some wild cherry tomatoes growing along our fence-line adjacent to the property next door. It’s full of bush and brambles. But here they were - cherry tomatoes as healthy and as tasty as you can imagine. When I spoke to my neighbour, I found out that their property used to be an old Chinese market garden in the late 1800’s, servicing the tin-mining operation in Herberton QLD, not far from us. The tomatoes grew wild throughout their property and the new owners simply did not have the inclination to keep them under control. Lucky for me - I let these cherry tomatoes take root in one of my garden beds, and they have simply gone nuts! I have an endless supply of them now!

- A while ago, I showed everyone my turmeric and ginger harvest. This year I’ve doubled that production! All I did was dedicate a raised garden bed to plant cuttings of last-years’ roots. As many of you may know, fresh turmeric and ginger can be very expensive. I’m selling my excess at the local market and making a few $ on the side.

- I decided to do something novel with my banana pups. I planted them into a raised garden bed and I routinely bury kitchen scraps into the soil and let the worms take care of the rest. Result? More bananas than I know what to do with! I’ve freeze-dried heaps of them, but I still have plenty to barter with my neighbours who can’t quite understand that the secret of growing healthy bananas is that you have to fertilise them regularly.

- Kale, cauliflower and broccoli. The hardest lesson I had to learn. Last season, I lost most of my crop to cabbage-worm moths. This time, I simply placed fine nets over the garden beds. Result? The most mouth-watering produce I’ve ever tasted in my life. No cabbage-worms. And now I’m producing enough to swap with my neighbours for things I don’t yet produce!

- Rocket lettuce, carrots, radishes and burdock root. These are bi-yearly crops. In the first year I grow these for the produce. But I leave some of the plants in the ground to grow over the next season. In the next season these plants will ‘bolt’ and produce a great deal of seeds, which I collect and re-plant. I’ve established a rotation whereby I always have seeds for the next growing season. No need to keep buying seed! For those of you who are unfamiliar- burdock root is an important ingredient in many soups and stews but is largely omitted from commercial recipes as the flavour can be synthesised using esters and synthetic flavour-enhancers. Incidentally, fresh burdock root has liver regenerative properties.

- Potatoes. These are surprisingly easy to grow, provided you ensure your soil is well-draining. This season I harvested 5 different varieties: Congo Blue, Avanti, Sebago, Dutch Cream and Royal Blue (my favourite). If you are careful, you can store some of the medium-sized potatoes and use them for seed-stock the following season.

- Galangal. Similar to ginger, but with a very distinct flavour common in Thai and South-east Asian dishes. Hard to grow outside of tropical regions but if you have a greenhouse, you can grow it in temperate latitudes. As a cash crop, this one is highly recommended! I’ve recently signed a deal to supply the local Thai restaurant here, because the urban supply-chain does not provide fresh product.

- Azolla. A noxious, invasive water-weed that recently invaded my dam when the aerators and bog filters failed last season. I have a 1GL dam on my property and this thing spread over the entire surface within a matter of days! I include it here because I found an unexpected benefit - chicken feed! Once I skimmed the surface (hard work BTW), I found that many local chicken farmers were keen to buy this from me!

- Garlic. OMG did I strike the jackpot on this one! I planted four varieties and they’re all healthy and very close to harvest. They’re all going nuts! Sourced from the local markets, I planted the bulbs last Autumn (April in the southern hemisphere) and they should be ready by October.

- Onions. These all failed in the garden beds. However, I planted a second crop in our greenhouse and they are all growing marvellously. I’ve never planted onions before, so I can only say, “watch this space”.

So there you have it. This is a small breakdown of some of the foods I’ve had success with in the last 5 months. Sometimes mistakes can lead to opportunities. Other times they provide you with learning and experience. But no matter what, hard times are coming. While everyone else is dreaming up fantasy tactical survival scenarios, the smart ones are studying and experimenting - growing foods and herbs that will be worth trading, something that can supplement an already huge grocery bill, or something that can provide food to a hungry family.

Plant a garden. Plant in small pots on your apartment balcony. But above all else, keep planting and experimenting, learning what works and what doesn’t work for you.

Tigger

[Harmony]

So good to hear how your garden is growing Tigger in your post above. It certainly is inspiring as your spring season seems to be ahead of others down in the southern regions.

- Rocket lettuce, carrots, radishes and burdock root. These are bi-yearly crops. In the first year I grow these for the produce. But I leave some of the plants in the ground to grow over the next season. In the next season these plants will ‘bolt’ and produce a great deal of seeds, which I collect and re-plant. I’ve established a rotation whereby I always have seeds for the next growing season. No need to keep buying seed! For those of you who are unfamiliar- burdock root is an important ingredient in many soups and stews but is largely omitted from commercial recipes as the flavour can be synthesised using esters and synthetic flavour-enhancers. Incidentally, fresh burdock root has liver regenerative properties.

I had heard of Burdock root for medicinal purposes but I didn't know about adding it to recipies for flavour as well. Thank you for that information. I also love to save seeds and use them the next season and also extra incase seeds are hard to get for some reason in the future. Last growing season I had some health challenges and wasn't able to collect all my usual seeds, but when I got home from the hospital and in the months that followed, my greenhouse had reseeded itself and my greens bed has been filled to overflowing with rocket, tatsoi, pak choi, green onions and english spinich which has been wonderful. My garden work is in progress getting beds refurbished and plants pruned and getting seeds in punnets to plant out.


I loved reading about the tomatoes you have from the Chinese gardeners from the past. They sound delicious and would be super hardy for your area. I have usually an abudance in my greenhouse and freeze many cherry tomatoes whole in the freezer for recipes all year round along with raspberries, peas, beans, and zuccinis. I keep potatoes, just a few varieties, and fruit preserves and they taste good as you know they are grown in a healthy way so you enjoy them even more.

[Tigger]

Thank You Harmony.

Just a word on the Burdock root:
I began growing this because fresh burdock root is VERY hard to find in the local supermarket. Why did I need it?
I had some issues with my liver several years ago. I found a recipe from a book, “Medical Medium: Liver Rescue”. It called for:
- 1 bunch celery (chopped)
- 6 carrots (diced)
- 1 butternut pumpkin (diced)
- 2 yellow onions (diced)
- 1 inch ginger root (peeled and diced)
- 1 inch turmeric root (peeled and diced)
- 1 cup peeled and sliced burdock root
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (coriander)
- 6 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 12 cups water
- - Place all ingredients into a large saucepan or stockpot. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1-4 hours. Drain off the liquid - this is your broth.

I used to omit the burdock root from the recipe because I simply didn’t have any until I grew it myself. Once I added it, the difference in flavour was very noticeable. It adds an ‘earthy’ flavour to the broth. I’ve since used it in my bolognaise sauce recipe and it definitely enhances the flavour!

Yes, you can use dried burdock root, but it doesn’t have the same flavour nor medicinal qualities as the fresh ingredient.