Far From Green

23/08/2026

20/08/2026

I took the first capsicum off this little plant a few weeks ago, gave it a tidy up and basically told it, “Right, your turn now.” 😂🌱

And LOOK at it.

There are capsicums hiding everywhere.

I know removing the first fruit doesn’t magically guarantee a bigger harvest, but I wanted to see what would happen if I let the plant put more energy into growing before carrying a heap of fruit.

So far… I’m pretty happy with that decision. 👀

This is exactly why I love experimenting in the garden. Sometimes it works, sometimes it absolutely does not, but either way I learn something.

Now we wait and see how many of these actually make it to harvest before the bugs, birds, kids or general garden chaos get involved. 😂

Would you remove the first capsicum from a young plant, or leave it alone?

14/08/2026

How much of my lunch can I actually grow myself? 🌱🥚

I’m trying to grow as much food as possible for our family of five using the 450m² of growing space I have available, and today the garden actually provided most of my lunch!

I headed out to three garden beds and came back with radishes, Asian greens, spinach and some slightly questionable chives 😂 Add fresh eggs from our backyard chickens and suddenly I had an actual meal sitting in front of me.

An omelette packed with homegrown spinach and chives, with a fresh garden salad on the side. 🥬🥚

Is it 100% self-sufficient? Nope.

Am I even remotely close to feeding a family of five entirely from 450m²? Also nope. 😂

But THIS is the experiment.

I want to find out just how much food I can actually produce from the space I have. I’m planting, learning, pushing the limits, getting things wrong, changing things and trying again.

Every meal that comes from our own garden feels like another little step closer. 💚

Now I just need those chives to get their act together… 😂

What’s one thing you grow that regularly makes it onto your plate?

10/08/2026

Well… this might be the least impressive unboxing on Instagram 😂🌳

But this little dormant stick is EXACTLY what I wanted!

I’ve just bought my second Fruit Salad Tree, and this time I went for a multi-grafted stone fruit tree.

One tree. Multiple varieties. Very little backyard real estate required. 🙌

This one has:
🍑 White nectarine
🍑 White peach
🟣 Blood plum
🍑 Yellow nectarine

And according to the tag, I’ve scored a yellow plum graft as a freebie too! 😂 So my four-way tree may actually be bringing FIVE varieties to the backyard.

It might not look particularly exciting right now, but it’s dormant and bare-rooted, which is exactly what I want for planting. Give it a little time and hopefully this stick is going to earn its keep. 😂

This is exactly the kind of thing I’m experimenting with as I try to squeeze more food production out of our little backyard. Why give an entire patch of ground to one variety when I can make one tree do the work of several?

Now to get it planted and see what happens! 🌱

Not sponsored or affiliated. I bought this one myself, and actually came back for a second tree because I loved the idea so much, and these guys are this awesome! 🩷
Fruit Salad Tree Company thank you 🙏

Would you plant a multi-grafted tree?

09/08/2026

Apparently my mulberries didn’t get the memo that it’s still winter 😂🌱

It’s AUGUST and I’m standing in the garden eating ripe mulberries straight from the tree… and they’re actually GOOD.

I genuinely expected them to be a bit sad and flavourless because surely they shouldn’t be ready yet?! Nope. Sweet, juicy and disappearing faster than I can bring them inside. 😂

This weather has completely confused the garden. Mulberries ripening, fruit trees flowering early, things growing when they normally wouldn’t… I feel like every time I walk outside there’s another “hang on, WHAT are you doing?!” moment.

Micro farming definitely keeps me guessing. 😂

Anyone else’s garden completely ignoring the calendar this year?

I guess I better start my spring routine? 🤷🏼‍♀️

05/08/2026

I never imagined our kids’ cubby house would end up growing food… but here we are. 🍓

Instead of leaving a sandpit for every neighbourhood cat to claim, we turned the space into a little strawberry patch for the kids.

One simple thing I always do is gently lift the strawberries so they’re resting on top of the leaves instead of sitting on the soil. It helps keep the fruit cleaner, improves airflow and gives slugs and other ground pests less opportunity to get to them.

It’s only a tiny trick, but sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference.

Now the kids wander over, pick their own strawberries and snack straight from the garden. I think that’s a much better use of the space. ❤️

Do you have any little gardening tricks that make a big difference? I’d love to hear them below. 👇

31/07/2026

🌞 It might say winter on the calendar… but our garden didn’t get the memo.

We’re in the middle of winter, yet we’re harvesting leafy greens, growing capsicums, and watching everything take off. This has to be one of the warmest winters I can remember.

It’s amazing what a few warm weeks can do in the garden.

In this garden tour you’ll spot:
🥬 Bok choy
🥬 Asian lettuce
🥬 French spinach
🥦 Broccolini
🌶️ Capsicums
🌱 Radishes
🌿 Chives
🌿 Herbs… and plenty more growing.

I’d love to know where you’re watching from.

🌍 Is your garden ahead of schedule this year, or are you experiencing a completely different season?

30/07/2026

If your capsicum plants aren’t producing as much as you’d hoped, this simple pruning tip could help. 🌶️✂️

In this reel, I’ll show you:
🌱 Which leaves I remove.
🌱 Why improving airflow matters.
🌱 How removing unnecessary growth helps the plant put more resources into healthy flowers and fruit.

It’s a quick job that takes less than a minute, but it can make a real difference over the growing season.

Have you ever pruned your pepper plants before? Or do you let them grow naturally? Let me know in the comments! 👇

💾 Save this reel for later.
📤 Share it with someone growing peppers this season.

GrowYourOwnFood

29/07/2026

I think we’ve finally got our first sage green egg! 🥹💚🥚

When you spend months raising chickens, every first egg feels like a little celebration.

Apparently this gorgeous girl has decided she’s now paying rent… although another one of the ladies might need a reminder that rent is due too. 😂

Watching different breeds lay different coloured eggs has quickly become one of my favourite parts of keeping backyard chickens. Every morning feels like a treasure hunt.

What colour eggs do your chickens lay? Or if you don’t have chickens yet, which colour would you love to collect every morning?

Follow along as I turn our suburban backyard into a productive micro farm, one project at a time.

eggs

25/07/2026

Is anyone else’s garden completely confused this winter? 🤯🌱

My mulberry tree is fruiting… in the middle of winter.

I’m harvesting peaches.

And now I’m standing here wondering…

What on earth am I supposed to be planting right now? 😂

The seasons don’t seem to be following the rule book anymore, and it’s making planning the veggie garden a whole lot harder.

I’m learning as I go, experimenting, making mistakes, and sharing everything along the way. That’s what this little backyard farm is all about.

So tell me…
🌿 Where are you in the world?
🌿 What’s growing in your garden right now?
🌿 Is your garden running early, late, or completely upside down like mine?

I’d love to compare what’s happening in different climates.