Beck’s Basics

GROWN YOUR OWN GARLIC? What can you do with any tiny garlic cloves? #becksbasics

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANNUALS AND PERENNIALS Some plants (particularly vegetables) are “annuals” which means they grow for one season then die. Others (like many varieties of herbs) are “perennials” which means they will grow and produce for multiple years. Some are sort of in between (like strawberries and some varieties of parsley, capsicum, eggplant and chillies) and will grow for a couple of years but will eventually exhaust their productive capacity and need to be replaced (biennials). So, it’s important to research which of your plants fit into which category so that, if you have annuals or biennials, you can save seed for next season. For perennials, saving seed is not needed unless you want to plant more of the save variety or share the seed. #becksbasics

HOW TO SAVE HERB SEEDS A very easy way to collect herb seeds to either save for next season (for annuals), grow additional plants (for perennials), or share with friends #becksbasics

WHICH HERBS ARE MEDICINAL? PART 3 Parsley - fight bad breath, reduce inflammation, fight kidney stones, improve digestion, assist with skin problems, improve immunity, fight bladder infections, fight oxidative stress Sage - improve memory and concentration, fight free radicals, fight degenerative diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s, reduce inflammation, improve diabetes, improve immune system, improve skin health, strengthen your bones Stinging Nettle - improve urinary issues, ease allergy symptoms and hay fever, arthritis pain relief, improve eczema symptoms Thyme - relieve sore throat and bronchitis, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol

WHICH HERBS ARE MEDICINAL? PART 2 Fenugreek - improve blood sugar control and lower cholesterol, aid digestion Garlic chives, mint, basil, oregano, sage - help prevent cancer Holy Basil - fight infections, boost immunity, control blood sugar levels, reduce fever, treat respiratory conditions, relieve arthritis, treat diarrhoea Lemon Balm - antibacterial, antidiabetic, anti-stress, anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, aids digestion, regulates overactive thyroid, eased PMS symptoms, improves sleep,protects heart and liver Mint - relieve nausea, fight IBS pain, relieve headaches, relieve depression, aid digestion, relieve respiratory conditions Oregano - reduce inflammation; anti bacterial, antibiotic Oregano, thyme, sage - rich in antioxidants CONTINUED IN PART 3

WHICH HERBS ARE MEDICINAL? PART 1 Many common herbs have medicinal properties and can be used to soothe various ailments. Here are a few of the main ones that may be beneficial: Basil - pain relief, antibacterial, reduce inflammation Borage - reduce inflammation, treat eczema, reduce fever Chamomile - relieve anxiety, antioxidant, reduce inflammation, aid wound healing , treat diarrhoea, reduce insomnia Chives - antiseptic, antibacterial Coriander - detoxification from heavy metals, reduce anxiety, improve sleep, lower blood sugar levels, boost heart health, improve digestion, promote skin health, fight free radicals Cumin - aid digestion, boost immune system, promote skin health, relieve respiratory conditions, promote detoxification, combat oxidative stress, fight infections, prevent diabetes Echinacea - anti-inflammatory, treat anxiety, antivirals (treat colds and flu) anti microbial, enhance immune system, relieve constipation CONTINUED IN PART 2

STOP GRASSHOPPERS EATING YOUR PLANTS There are a couple of ways to stop grasshoppers in their tracks including making a solution of equal parts water and vinegar and spraying all over your plants. The taste of the vinegar is unattractive to grasshoppers so it can reduce damage but the solution will also wash off in the rain and if you wet the leaves of your plants when watering. So you need to keep respraying. I have found that the MOST effective method of controlling grasshoppers is EXCLUSION. That means keeping them off your plants with netting, old lace curtains, muslin cloth etc. The only thing to be mindful of with this method is that the nets will also keep out bees which means they can’t pollinate your flowers to produce fruit/vegetables. So it’s effective if your plants have finished “setting” fruit (ie the bees have already pollinated everything) or if you’re protecting non-flowering plants like root vegetables. #becksbasics

GREEN TOMATOES FALLEN OFF THE VINE? Don’t throw them away #becksbasics

SAVE YOUR VEGGIES FROM CATERPILLARS!! Butterflies and moths (particularly white butterflies) LOVE your veggies as much as you do and they’re active in the garden right up to Winter. Their tiny eggs turn into very hungry caterpillars which can devour your crops quickly. So here’s how to quickly, easily and naturally get rid of caterpillars before it’s too late: Add 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda to 1 litre of water and spray all over your plants. The caterpillars will start to eat the leaves or vegetables the bicarb is on and it will kill them. You may have to repeat this to catch new caterpillars that hatch progressively (as the butterflies will keep laying eggs) if it rains or if you’ve washed off the bicarb while watering. #becksbasics

GROW YOUR OWN GRAPES How to collect and prepare your own grape seeds to plant in Spring #becksbasics

Don’t forget you can get your ORGANIC, NON-GMO, NON-HYRID, HEIRLOOM Vegetable Seeds - Autumn/Winter planting varieties right here. High quality, fresh seed Each pack contains enough seed for one season - so you have super fresh seed each season which is more likely to germinate. Posting Australia-wide only **NOT posting to WA or TAS due to quarantine restrictions   Beetroot - 30 seeds $2.50 Broad Beans - 20 seeds $2.50 Broccoli - 20 seeds $2.00 Cabbage (Golden Acre Green) - 20 seeds $2.00 Cabbage (Red) - 20 seeds $2.00 Carrot (All Season) - 100 seeds $1.50 Carrot/Radish Mix (to make sowing easier) - 100 seeds $1.50 Cauliflower - 20 seeds $2.00 Celery - 20 seeds  Fennel - 10 seeds $2.00 Kale - 20 seeds $2.00 Leek - 20 seeds $2.00 Lettuce (Iceberg, Cos, or Salad Mix) - 100 seeds $2.00 Onions (Brown) - 20 seeds $2.00 Parsnip - 50 seeds $2.00 Peas (Greenfeast) - 30 seeds $2.50 Radish - 30 seeds $2.50 Rocket - 100 seeds  Silverbeet - 20 seeds $2.50 Spring Onions - 20 seeds $2.00 DM me for orders 💕💕Beck

TEA TIME TIP What veges to plant in February (Southern Hemisphere) The following can be sown now in every region: - carrots - chives - leeks - spring onions The following can also be planted now but only in the areas noted: - beans (warm humid areas only) - beets (all except hot areas) - broccoli (all except hot areas) - silverbeet (all except hot areas) - cabbage (cool and temperate areas only) - capsicum and chillies (hot areas only) - cauliflower (all except hot areas) - celery/celeriac (warm humid areas only) - corn (all except cool areas) - cucumber (warm humid and hot areas only) - eggplant (warm humid and hot areas only) - lettuce (all except hot areas) - pak choi (cool and temperate areas only) - parsnips (all except hot areas) - peas (cool areas only) - pumpkin, melons and squash (hot areas only) - radish (all except hot areas) - zucchini (warm humid areas only) So get those green thumbs out and build your self sufficiency and food supply with some home grown deliciousness 🥕🥬🥦🌽 #becksbasics

How to get rid of white fly - what works and what doesn’t Please share https://www.youtube.com/embed/UaBtBy-w8hI #becksbasics

…. And for those battling white fly at the moment:

Aphid infestation! Sneaky little buggers.😐 Aphids can affect almost any plants in your garden and hinder their growth. Here’s how to get rid of them naturally. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ1SfLt4Mzk #becksbasics

How can you tell if you have aphids in your garden before they reach plague proportions? Here are some early warning signs. https://youtu.be/NVs7eP2EeJ0 #becksbasics

Hi Folks. It’s APHID season again! That perfect time of the year when the weather is warm and a little humid - just what aphids love. So you may be starting to see these pesky critters on your vegetables and it’s certainly time to start looking to see if they’re there (in case you hadn’t already noticed them) so that you can control them before they reach plague proportions and ruin your crop. So the next couple of videos are reposted from last year but very pertinent right now. 💕Beck

How to Prepare Your Garden for Next Season’s Crop WITHOUT Crop Rotation - PART 2 *Planting Root Vegetables: - add a moderate of compost - add a small amount of aged cow manure - these will give you a nice free draining soil for root vegetables to grow in and a little fertiliser but not too much nitrogen so that you only get leaf growth *Planting Legumes: - add lots of compost - add aged sheep or cow manure - these will give you a nice rich, free draining soil with plenty of nutrients ** IN ALL CASES: If possible, allow the garden bed or planter to sit idle for at least two weeks after adding compost and manure to allow works, microbes, etc to start to incorporate them into the soil. #becksbasics

How to Prepare Your Garden for Next Season’s Crop WITHOUT Crop Rotation - PART 1 Crop rotation is important to replenish the soil in preparation for the next crop after the previous one has drained the nutrients. But, due to lack of space, crop preferences, seasonal issues, etc, crop rotation may not be possible for you. So here’s what to do to prepare your garden beds for each type of crop if you can’t practice crop rotation: In ALL cases: - top up any potted planter beds with fresh, good quality potting mix PLUS the below For planters and garden beds mix the following into the garden bed or potting mix: *Planting Leaf Vegetables: - add lots of compost - add aged chicken manure - these will both add nitrogen to the soil which will aid leaf growth *Planting Fruiting Vegetables: - add a moderate amount of compost - add aged sheep or cow manure - these will give you a mix of nutrients for plant growth as well as fruiting nutrients CONTINUED IN PART 2….

How to Prepare Your Garden for Next Season’s Crop WITHOUT Crop Rotation Crop rotation is important to replenish the soil in preparation for the next crop after the previous one has drained the nutrients. But, due to lack of space, crop preferences, etc crop rotation may not be possible for you. So here’s what to do to prepare your garden beds for each type of crop if you can’t practice crop rotation: In ALL cases: - top up any potted planter beds with fresh, good quality potting mix PLUS the below For planters and garden beds: *Planting Leaf Vegetables: - add lots of compost - add aged chicken manure - these will both add nitrogen to the soil which will aid leaf growth *Planting Fruiting Vegetables: - add a moderate amount of compost - add aged sheep or cow manure - these will give you a mix of nutrients for plant growth as well as fruiting nutrients *Planting Root Vegetables: - add a moderate of compost - add a small amount of aged cow manure - these will give you a nice free draining soil for root vegetables to grow in and a little fertiliser but not too much nitrogen so that you only get leaf growth *Planting Legumes: - add lots of compost - add aged sheep or cow manure - these will give you a nice rich, free draining soil with plenty of nutrients #becksbasics