Recent articles by Penny Woodward
Unusual herbs to grow now
Sweet cecily and summer savory are just two flavourful culinary herbs you can easily grow in your own garden.
Herbs for spring
Spring is a great time to plant most herbs, put them in a sunny position and well-drained soil so that when the soil warms up they'll surge ahead.
Gillyflowers, pinks, picotees
These are all names for old-fashioned Dianthus species, which add a lovely splash of colour to any garden.
Growing tomatoes from seed
There are many ways of growing tomatoes from seed, but here is one of the simplest and most common, using punnets or seedling trays.
Welsh onions
Tough, versatile and useful, with a mild sweet onion flavour. Welsh onions tick all the vegie growing boxes.
Snails begone!
Peas appear to be a favourite of snails and slugs in vegie patches, here's a simple solution that you can make yourself to keep them away.
Worm farms and tumblers
Not everyone has the space in the garden for a compost heap -- that's where a worm farm comes in!
Bare-rooted trees and shrubs
If you are looking at buying a bare rooted tree or shrub, read about the best way to prepare the soil and then plant them.
Ginkgo raining gold
This tree grew when the dinosaurs roamed the earth but still has lots to offer, especially in autumn.
Bob’s Summer Surprise
It took 20 years for Bob Magnus to breed this apple, and it all started in Huonville, Tasmania.
Planting seed
First time sowing seed? Here's some tips for new growers to follow, as well as a guide to the plants best grown from seed and then planted out.