Over the past few weeks I have been slowly planting up some of the varieties we hope to grow in the garden this year. I’ve got about 20 types of chillies (I’m in a chilli growing competition, more on that soon), as well as tomatoes, beans, beetroot, and cucumber. I’ve also put in some sunflowers […]
Ikea Växer Update
I think hydroponics are my new favorite form of growing. Okay, I lie, I don’t think I will ever fully handover the ‘hands in dirt’ feeling of digging around in the garden, but for now hydroponics hold my heart. The reason for this? I’ll get to that…* Here we are, a month on or so, […]
Ikea Ivar Växer Hack – Hydroponic Hq
As you may have read previously, I’ve decided to give hydroponics a go. The main reason for this is because I would like to enjoy fresh herbs and greens in the winter months. But given that vegetables and salad leaves are wildly expensive in Switzerland, I might extend that to year round if it is […]
First Gardening Day Of 2018
Yesterday I pulled on my wellies and headed out into the muddy mess that is my garden. I’ve not be able to get out sooner on account of the snow and the newborn who was happily slumbering with his Mama inside the house. I was on a mission – build a border. We have an […]
Chilli Adventures 2018!
I’m fanatical about chillies and the flavour bring to a dish. The varieties that are available in the supermarket are fine, but they are limited to Thai Green Chillies and Scotch Bonnets in these parts. Sometimes you just need something else. Admittedly you only really need a few more flavours, but this year I’m trying […]
Ikea Växer – The Start Of Hydroponics
The IKEA Växer series is an entry-level hydroponic set. Sure, hydroponics can get very complicated, but that doesn’t need to be the case. In simple terms, seeds are germinated in water, and then left to grow in a growing medium (in this case gravel, but often also clay pellets). The roots of the plant are […]
New Year’s Resolutions…
The wheels fell off this blog a little bit. If you read along then you will know that sometime last year we moved into a house with a garden – actual dirt in the ground garden. I was beyond excited and began planning my new plot. And then the bureaucracy turned up. Switzerland is a […]
Sandor Katz Style Sauerkraut
I’m married to an Austrian; sauerkraut is a way of life in these parts. The fermented down cabbage mush is a cupboard staple, and yet on asking I found out that my wife has never made it herself. Neither, does she think, has her mother or any of her wider family. I’m reading more and […]
Mead Adventures
Work on the garden has ceased, simply because it is a big pile of mud home to 6ft weeds. Problems between the developers who built our house and the commune where our house is have meant that we can’t finish the outside space. Apparently, this will be resolved at some point, but when and what that will […]
The Joy Of Low Hanging Fruit
My niece likes spending time with me despite the fact I can’t speak the same language as her. I think this is mostly because I let her loose with the garden hose as well as letting her eat things off the floor. In fact, in between soaking me with the hose and running away from […]