Edible Plants

There are few things more rewarding in life than to grow your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. An edible garden gives you freshly-picked organic food at your fingertips, and if you think you don’t have room to grow your own, think again. Even a sunny windowsill is enough to get growing. From sweet potatoes to strawberries, lettuce to lemons, tomatoes to thyme, we’ve got more edible plants than you can poke a spade at.

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How to grow an edible plant: everything from nasturtium to an apple tree

There are few things more rewarding in life than growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs. An edible garden gives you organic, freshly picked food at your fingertips, and if you think you don’t have room to grow your own, think again. Even a sunny windowsill is enough to start your own little herb kitchen garden. Here at Flower Power, we grow all sorts of edibles, including citrus trees, edible flowers such as nasturtium, herbs, fruit trees and vegetables. 

 

How to grow herbs

Herbs are rewarding to grow, and they are one of the most popular kinds of edible plants because you don’t need a lot of space to have a thriving harvest. Even if all you have is a sunny windowsill, you should easily be able to grow a few different herbs – perfect for cooking, making teas and adding fragrance to your home. Of course, if you also have an outdoor area the world is your oyster and you’ll be able to grow a huge variety of herbs. 

 

How to grow herbs indoors

Many herbs can be grown indoors with limited space. Popular options for indoor growth are coriander, mint and thyme. Rosemary, basil and oregano will also grow well inside, but can get quite large, so will need to be harvested regularly or moved to bigger pots. 

At Flower Power, we sell most herbs both as seeds or as seedlings in various sizes – it just depends on how soon you want to be able to use your herbs. Plant them in a premium potting mix in a pot or garden bed. A larger pot will give indoor herbs more room to grow but beware – certain herbs such as mint will spread a long way underground and strangle other plants, so you may want to corral them. 

Place your herbs somewhere they will get plenty of sunlight – either outdoors in a sunny garden or courtyard, or beside a window that gets lots of sun if you're planting indoors. You may need to rotate indoor plants occasionally as they will grow towards the sun.

When watering herbs, make sure to water the soil or potting mix rather than the plant’s leaves. Make sure the soil is moist – never soggy – by watering deeply and only again when the top 4cm dries and ensuring your growing mix has good drainage. If herbs are indoors, feed them occasionally with a good dose of liquid fertiliser. Ask our in-store expert horticulturists for advice on the best fertiliser mix for your herbs.

Herbs benefit from regular harvesting to encourage growth and it gives you a good excuse to get cooking. If they start to look straggly, cut them back a lot and make sure they get lots of sunlight and feed with a specialty liquid fertiliser according to packet instructions so they regrow.

 

How to grow an apple tree for a delicious garden

Fruit trees are both ornamental and delicious. They are usually attractive and the bigger ones provide shade in your garden, while the dwarf varieties can be grown in pots on balconies or in courtyards. 

Deciduous fruit trees, such as pears, apples, peaches and plums, should be planted in winter, while evergreen  fruit trees, like citrus trees, are best planted in spring but all  fruit trees need lots of sun and good drainage. Wondering how to grow a banana tree for that tropical vibe? It is not as hard as it looks – they need all-day sun, and ensure you buy from Flower Power for Sydney-suitable varieties.

How to grow an apple tree in your own garden? Three easy steps:

  • Dig a hole twice the size of the root base of your tree, with plenty of clear space around it. 
  • Carefully remove the tree from its pot and place it in the middle of hole. Fill the area around it with potting mix and cover with your existing soil and compact it down firmly.
  • Fertilise your tree (our horticulturalists can recommend the right product) and cover the base of the tree with mulch to help it retain water as it settles. 

 Warning: Be aware that some fruit trees, including apple trees, require cross pollination so you’ll need two in your garden. Ask our experts in-store if you're not sure.

How to grow your own vegetables

Growing your own fresh vegetables is satisfying and can save you money while letting you feast on organic produce. We have a huge range of vegetable seeds as well as plenty of seedlings to get you started. 

To grow your veggies from seed, you can grow them in a smaller punnet or seed tray then transplant them when they are stronger. This lets you control the environment, giving them a better chance to germinate and grow. Some plants prefer seeds to be sown directly where you want to grow them. This is best for plants with large seeds and root vegetables.

Use a fine seed-raising mix or potting mix and press it firmly into the container. Or for a garden bed, rake the soil so it is even and free of clumps, then water. Follow the instructions on the packet or given to you by a Flower Power horticulturalist – all seeds need different things. Generally, you can sprinkle seed over the surface of the potting mix, then cover with a thin layer of more seed-raising mix. Press bigger seeds into the potting mix gently with your finger, a few centimetres apart.

Put a marker or label on each of your pots or sections with the plant name and date. Keep them in a sunny but sheltered position, and cover them with cling film or a sheet of clear plastic or glass to keep them humid. If you have planted them directly into the bed, you can cover finer seeds with a plank of wood.

When potted seedlings have formed strong root systems, you can transplant them to the garden in the same way you would do any plant. Cover with a net, and keep an edible pest control spray on hand. 

See our Garden Advice and Garden Diary pages on our website for tips and hints on how to grow herbs,  fruit trees or vegetables, or come in-store and talk to our friendly Flower Power horticulturalists.

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