Jian Liu Archives - ABC Organic Gardener Magazine

Jian Liu

Warm temperate writer

Jian Liu is a lawyer by day but an organic gardener at all other times, sharing her experience and knowledge as a regular contributer to ABC Organic Gardener magazine. Her Melbourne backyard is a food forest, with over 70 varieties of fruits, a greenhouse, water tanks, chickens, four worm farms, compost bins, a productive pond, and hundreds of varieties of heirloom vegetables. Jian is determined to grow organic vegies for her young children, teaching them the valuable lesson of just how much work it takes to produce a single vegetable, while at the same time reducing our footprint on the earth. Growing our own food is one of the best ways that we, as individuals, can make a difference every single day.

Jian Liu

Recent articles by Jian Liu

Egyptian walking onion bulbils can also be planted.

How to grow: Egyptian walking onions

Onions are a staple in my kitchen, and garden, so when I discovered an easy to grow variety of the onion tribe I was happy to give it a go.

Tasmanian purple.

Grow garlic in your backyard

Why spend a fortune buying garlic when you can grow this nutritious flavour-enhancer in your own backyard or even a pot?

Silverbeet growing in a Melbourne garden.

Grow these summer-proof leafy greens

Here are three leafy greens that you can plant today. They thrive in the heat and will provide nutrient-dense salads, pasta, pastries and more.

Jian Liu holding the All Year Round lettuce variety.

Easy-to-grow crops: lettuce

Growing your own lettuce will give you a fresh supply of summer salad ingredients that will be tasty and nutritious!

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)

Flowers, shrubs & trees

Grow nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are one of the easiest multi-function plants you can grow, writes Jian Liu – a bright addition to any space.

Herbs, such as thyme and rosemary, thrive in terracotta pots.

Growing in pots

How to master the art of growing plants in containers

Pots are used in smaller yards to conserve space, but growing in containers can be very handy, no matter the size of your garden.

How to grow wombok

How to grow wombok

Add this Asian green to your patch for a fresh addition to stir-fries, salads and soups. You'll also have the main ingredient to make kimchi.

Tatsoi is best grown in autumn.

Fast-growing greens to fill garden gaps

Autumn is a good time to plant fast-growing green to help fill garden gaps when your summer harvest is over.

Bishop's Crown chilli.

Add spice with chillies

Jian Liu loves growing and eating chillies and capsicums, from the hot to the mild. Here’s how to get started in your own garden and choose what’s right for you.

Sow and grow corn during the warmer months.

Grow colourful corn!

Corn in all its colours and types thrives in our hot summers and can be packed into a small space making it an ideal backyard vegie, writes Jian Liu.

Only the stalks of rhubarb are edible.

The joys of growing rhubarb

The scent of rhubarb and apple pie coming from a kitchen is oh-so tempting, especially when you've grown the rhubarb yourself. You can get started with these tips from Jian Liu.

For an optimal harvest, broccoli should be planted after the extreme heat of summer.

Expert tips for the best homegrown broccoli

Jian Liu shares her answer to an important question when you are starting to grow broccoli in your patch: is it better to plant seeds or seedlings?

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