Bring heat and color to the summer garden — There is nothing that epitomizes the summer vegetable garden more than the heat and color of home-grown chili peppers. Their bright colors can bring warmth to the dullest corner of your back yard, along with endless culinary possibilities in the kitchen. You can read more on the origins and diversity…

Growing tiny fluffballs into productive members of your flock — I currently have four tiny cheeping balls of fluff and their proud mama hen on top of my tumble dryer. Here in the hot mediterranean summer of Cape Town the tumble dryer doesn’t have much use for its conventional purpose, but it is quite handy for keeping tiny chicks away…

Turn kitchen scraps and garden waste into soil enriching goodness — Gardening has exploded in popularity in recent years, with more and more people taking up the green fingered hobby. It is something that can be done no matter the amount of space you have, from an apartment windowsill to an expansive backyard. The key to happy plants is healthy soil…

Garden with your environment for a healthy and productive outdoor space — In recent years the popularity of home gardening has skyrocketed. People are spending more time at home and are increasingly aware of the importance of wellness, which is directly connected to the food that we eat. You can draw great pleasure from the simple act of growing your own fresh…

Summer botanical beauties of Cape Town, South Africa — As the weather warms, the last of the Cape spring is fading and summer is upon us. The vast carpets of spring flowers for which South Africa is famous are over for the year. …

Horticultural inspiration from South Africa’s Cape Winelands — The arrival of the southern hemisphere summer signifies the arrival of open garden season for South Africa. Around the country at the end of October and early November, owners of their much-loved and carefully tended gardens open their doors to visitors to raise money for a variety of different charitable…

Enjoy collecting your own fresh eggs from your back garden — Keeping backyard chickens is a pastime that is growing in popularity. There is a wonderful sense of satisfaction in wandering out of the house and collecting your own golden yolk fresh and free-range eggs for your breakfast. A small flock of chickens can also form an integral part of your…

Rainforest beaches, ice cream and cassowaries in Australia’s largest rainforest — “You missed them! The cassowaries always come at 7 am…”. I looked sleepily out of my campervan door as the couple in the van next to mine let me know I managed to miss one of the world’s largest birds walking past less than two metres away. It was 2018…

Rainforest parrots and cream tea in Australia’s tropical north Queensland — It was time to leave the savanna and head toward the coast, before journeying north into the Daintree rainforest. It was 2018 and I was on a solo trip exploring tropical north Queensland by campervan after attending a conference in Brisbane. After a couple of days staying at Bustard Downs…