Recent articles by Jian Liu
![How to grow wombok How to grow wombok](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Wombok_Phil-Dudman-500x500.jpg)
How to grow wombok
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
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.
![Fast-growing greens to fill garden gaps Tatsoi is best grown in autumn.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/OG 148 tatsoi_iStock-500x500.jpg)
Fast-growing greens to fill garden gaps
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Autumn is a good time to plant fast-growing green to help fill garden gaps when your summer harvest is over, writes Jian Liu.
![Grow garlic in your backyard Tasmanian purple.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/OG 147 Tasmanian garlic_Jian Liu-500x500.jpg)
Grow garlic in your backyard
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Why spend a fortune buying garlic when you can grow this nutritious flavour-enhancer in your own backyard or even a pot? Jian Liu has some ideas to help you succeed.
![Add spice with chillies Bishop's Crown chilli.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/OG 146 Bishop's crown chilli_Alamy-500x500.jpg)
Add spice with chillies
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
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.
![Grow colourful corn! Sow and grow corn during the warmer months.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Jian Liu's corn_Kirsten Bresciani-500x500.jpg)
Grow colourful corn!
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
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.
![The joys of growing rhubarb Only the stalks of rhubarb are edible.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Rhubarb_web_istock-500x500.jpg)
The joys of growing rhubarb
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
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.
![Expert tips for the best homegrown broccoli For an optimal harvest, broccoli should be planted after the extreme heat of summer.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/OG 141 broccoli_jian liu-500x500.jpg)
Expert tips for the best homegrown broccoli
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
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?
![Tips for growing edible plants in winter Some of the shade-loving greens Jian grows in her urban garden.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/OG 133 shade loving plants_Kirsten Bresciani-500x500.jpg)
Tips for growing edible plants in winter
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Winter brings softer light and shorter days, with long shadows creating shady spots that can be difficult to grow in, but these tips from Jian Liu will help.
![Grow your own fruit salad Figs are extremely long-lived and hardy.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OG 138 figs by Alamy_web-500x500.jpg)
Grow your own fruit salad
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Having your own fruit harvest means you have access to fresh produce at its peak flavour and juiciness. Jian Liu has many favourites – here's two you might want to grow yourself.
![Grow your own: babaco and rockmelon When babaco are fully ripe, they are sweet and juicy, with a star-shaped cross-section.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Babaco by Jian Liu-500x500.jpg)
Grow your own: babaco and rockmelon
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Fresh fruit is the best on a hot summer's day and these two will add a sweetness to a fruit salad that everyone will love.
![Pumpkins: the all-season survival food Kuri (left) and pimply pumpkin (right).](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/OG 137 Pumplkins_Jian Liu-500x500.jpg)
Pumpkins: the all-season survival food
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Jian Liu grows pumpkins in all sorts of places in her suburban garden, and not just because of their taste - they look great, too. They adorn her garden beds and arches, providing abundant harvests through summer and autumn. What's even better is that they store well for eating over winter.
![Building your own raised beds Jian Liu's homemade raised beds.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/135 raised bed made with bricks by Jian Liu-500x500.jpg)
Building your own raised beds
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
There are many ways we can save money within our gardens, here Jian Liu shares her tips for making your own raised beds using locally sourced ‘waste’ products.
![Managing your greenhouse microclimate The polycarbonate greenhouse in Jian Liu's Melbourne backyard.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Greenhouse by Jian Liu-500x500.jpg)
Managing your greenhouse microclimate
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Adding a greenhouse to your garden can take your food growing to another level, writes Jian Liu.
![7 uses for nasturtiums in your garden and kitchen Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus)](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Nasturtiums 3-500x500.jpg)
7 uses for nasturtiums in your garden and kitchen
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Nasturtiums are one of the easiest multi-function plants you can grow, writes Jian Liu – a bright addition to any space.
![Fermenting cabbage Cabbages come into their own when preserved or fermented.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cabbage by iStock-500x500.jpg)
Fermenting cabbage
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Cabbages are wonderful raw or cooked, but they really come into their own when fermented and preserved, Jian Liu writes.
![What is a food forest? Jian Liu's food forest in Melbourne.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Food Forest by Kirsten Bresciani-500x500.jpg)
What is a food forest?
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
A permaculture concept, a food forest promises a self-sustaining system that produces an abundance of food – if designed well. Here's why Jian Liu created one in her Melbourne backyard.
![Top 5 tips for gardening success in a small space Plan your vegie bed in layers to make the most of space.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Jian's food forest by Kirsten Bresciani-500x500.jpg)
Top 5 tips for gardening success in a small space
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Small gardens can be incredibly productive and Jian Liu has 5 tips to help you get more out of your limited space.
![Gardening success in Melbourne Jian Liu's Melbourne garden is a productive space, teeming with life and colour.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/OG_JIAN_LIU_GARDEN_main-500x500.jpg)
Gardening success in Melbourne
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Jian Liu has gone from a Beijing concrete jungle to a lush Melbourne backyard, where she and her husband have created a wonderful food forest.
![Grow your own luffa Luffa aegyptiaca](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Luffa Gap Photos Nova Photo Graphik-500x500.jpg)
Grow your own luffa
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
A multitasking veg you can eat and turn into a sponge? Growing luffas will give you both!
![Smart composting Composting is an important way to turn waste into nutrients for your garden.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Using compost on the garden by Kirstsen Bresciani-500x500.jpg)
Smart composting
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Jian Liu has discovered a few tricks for harnessing all the benefits of compost, with minimal effort.
![Pepino: a year-round rockmelon A ripe pepino.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/A ripe pepino_Melbourne Food Forest-500x500.jpg)
Pepino: a year-round rockmelon
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Pepinos may prefer to be grown in a warm climate, but Jian Liu has found that in her Melbourne backyard, these melons give a generous taste of the tropics even in winter.
![Choosing a chook house Araucana lay unusual green eggs.](https://www.organicgardener.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jian's Araucana by Kirsten Bresciani-500x418.jpg)
Choosing a chook house
![](/wp-content/themes/organicgardener-2024/img/divider.png)
Life is much richer in this Melbourne household with a few chooks added to the mix – here's some tips Jian Liu learnt about making a home for chickens so everyone is happy.