Self-Sufficiency Made Simple

This is it!! The last episode.. Booooooo, BUT, where there is some exiting news... YAYAYAYA. Find out what is happening and how to keep listening to informative, fun and supercharged discussions and interviews. Appologies in advance for the audio quality. We had some tech challenges and we just ran with it. That's just life sometimes.

This is the last episode for 2022.. I feel like this year I have achieved so much but haven’t even scratch the sides at the same time… anyone else feel the same? This week I am working on my goals for 2023. We have some big plans for SoH Farmlet including starting a fortnightly food swap where it’s a bring what you can take what you need no money food swap. A produce swap where people can come and...

Ps… I got quite excited recording this episode and there’s a lot of ‘you knows’ and ‘ums’ and ‘sooo’ please do your best to ignore those,🙏 It's the 5th Dec so that means ‘ Happy World Soil Day!! Today is the day you get a pass to totally nerd out on your friends and talk all day about soil. Fun facts to share around with your non gardening friends. There is more living organisms in a tablespoon o...

As gardeners it is our responsibility to understand what we grow may have an impact on more than just our little patch. Some plants have a habit of escaping into neighbouring ecosystems causing all manner of problems. None of us go out and plant something we know to be invasive in our area but our good intentions aren’t going to be good enough to stop a willey plant from taking hold somewhere we d...

If you are a Permie or someone who has practised holistic gardening then it’s likely in this episode I’ll be preaching to the converted. That’s because comfrey is a gardener's magic pixie dust that has been used for aeons. I can’t believe I totally left this amazing herb out of the last episode when we were talking about fertilisers. That’s what middle aged female brain fog looks like. Anyhoo that...

In today's episode I'm sharing with you the top 5 edibles that I think are a must in every garden and anyone can grow. This episode is for you if you are a beginner gardener just starting out on your edible growing journey. If you aren’t sure what is good to grow and are procrastinating on getting started I have you covered. And, if you are a green thumb who has been growing your fave for years, t...

Knowing what needs to be fed, when and with what can be overwhelming. There are so many options and even more opinions on what is the best way to go. I want to help you make sense of what is needed, why and when and keep it simple.

No dig gardening is better for you, better for the soil and better for your veggies. It just makes sense. Dig the way we kicked off season 2? Find us on Facebook and Instagram @sohfarmlet

When I first heard the word permaculture & heard that there were 12 principles it conjured up all sorts of complicated concepts that my new gardening brain just couldn’t fathom. I was flat out working out how to keep a few pots of herb alive let alone applying 12 principles to my gardening. I mean, come on!! Who has time for that? What I came to realise is that we all do. Permaculture is something...

Here in the Hunter Valley Winter is definitely on it’s way. Our nights are getting down to under 10 deg c and even though the days are stunning, there is a definite chill. This means that many of our warm loving plants have packed it up for the season. The cucumber vine died back almost overnight even though we hadn’t had a frost. The cherry tomatoes plants are covered in green tomatoes but they a...

Gardeners have been saving seeds for thousands of years. First for food security, then to preserve the best varieties and more recently to ensure biodiversity. Seed saving is something that was a given for our great grandparents but is a practice that has petered out over the last few generations. Why?

This week I had my very first podcast interviewee on the Self-Sufficiency Made Simple Podcast, and it was AWESOME!! Rachelle Winter from Two Muddy Boots blog joined me and we had an amazing conversation. We went down some cool rabbit holes together, talked about the fun stuff, talked about the hard stuff and touched on some home truths. We talked about: 🌼 Connecting with nature 🌽 Growing food 🌿...

I know for many gardeners that their garden is their sanctuary, their happy place. It is the space they go to when they feel out of kilter or when they need to not people any more. If you are a more rationalist type person who doesn’t believe in anything woo woo then this episode may be a bit challenging for you. I want to share with you that I am all about the woo and anyone who knows me understa...

Medical herbs have been used for eons. Some now see it as outdated and others swear and even rely on the power of healing herbs. Wherever you sit on this scale there’s no denying that some plants, especially herbs have properties that can aid in the all-round treatment of ailments and injuries. Many of the common herbs that we use for flavours in teas and food have medicinal qualities that many of...

Back in episode 8 we covered the difference between perennials and annuals. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet and aren’t sure of the difference make sure you put it on your play next list. Annuals are different from perennials in many different ways. They are very vigorous growers going through a full life cycle in under a year meaning they grow from seed to a plant that produces seeds f...

In temperate zones in the southern hemisphere, we have just transitioned into autumn. It’s cooling off, the colours in nature are starting to change and the garden starts to get a really great vibe. I love this time of year. Apart from the cooling conditions and the abundance from the summer harvests still being picked it’s a great time for some regrouping and preparation as well all getting those...

A while back I asked a gardening community what was something they wished they knew before starting their own food garden. I had many responses including when to plant, water, fertilise, what grows well in their area and how to deal with pests and diseases. These are all pretty common questions for a new gardener and for a well-seasoned one too. One sentiment that came up was I wish I knew about d...

Keeping backyard chickens is one of the most rewarding things that you can do on your self-sufficiency journey. Hearing the clucks, koos and squawks of your girls talking to you and each other is something that will make you smile. There are so many beneficial reasons why keeping a few backyard chickens is something I think everyone should do.

Working out what to grow in the prime sunny spot and what to relegate to the shady areas is something that every backyard gardener has grappled with at some point. Like us, plants have different preferences. Some love being in the full blast of the summer sun every day and others are a little more tender and can suffer from sunburn, drying out or heat stress. Knowing your food plants preferences m...

If you have ever thought growing food was just a bit too hard this episode is for you. I have had times when I was ready to give the whole thing away. Droughts, disease, bugs, flooding it has all impacted our results at different stages (and some at the same time) but there are some really great lessons we learned and continue to learn. In this episode I share the key tips I have found helps to cr...

Companion planting put simply is growing plants together that have a beneficial relationship with one another. And why is it awesome? Because we are working with mother nature rather than spraying chemicals all over her. When we work collaboratively for the mutual benefit of all the outcomes are always bigger, better and far more productive than we could have ever achieved alone. The same principl...

This episode I share my 14 fave gardening tools at the time. I still use all these and more!!

omatoes are a staple in any vegetable growers summer garden. It is rewarding when you see the flowers mature into plump juicy fruit that is bursting with flavour. I want to share my top tips for abundant juicy tomatoes. These are lessons from trial and error and a few that were imparted onto me from other wonderful gardeners throughout the years. And some of these rules I still break now and then...

Perennial vs annual or biennial what do they mean when it comes to growing food and is one better than the other? This episode I will simplify what each means, the pros and a few considerations to growing perennials. I will also share my top 10 favourite perennials that are relatively easy for anyone to grow and why they are my faves. This is a must-listen for the lazy or time-poor gardener. For s...

I am the first to admit that I am a slacker in this department. I always seem to forget about plant labels until after I have planted my seeds, and by the time I get around to it, I have forgotten what I planted where. It’s really surprising how fast you forget what you did 4 days ago. What usually happens is that I plant 4 of the same thing (this year it was zucchini and okra) and forget the less...