this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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Only thing I would add to the topics covered below (which I largely agree with), is that gardening is mostly a matter of attention to details. I find I need to spend about 10-15 minutes a day just checking on things plus time spent watering, feeding and cosseting plants. Make it part of your daily routine and it's easy. And very relaxing.
I would definitely invest in gardening gloves (cheap at Aldi) if you are nervous about bugs etc. Please don't spray poison on them - there are so many good bugs that actively help you grow things and these really shouldn't to be poisoned. Ordinary rubber gloves are good for physically squashing pests like caterpillars and cherry slugs. And believe me, once you've seen your hard work eaten by caterpillars, one becomes quite murderous where they are concerned.
Something to start with that's edible and easy (at least in summer) is peanuts. Recommend having a go at these for a starter plant in a pot as it's so easy to grow. It's a pretty plant too - very decorative and largely free from pests. They are delightfully weird too as the nuts grow on the end of the branches, just underground. And really fresh peanuts are hard to find in shops and absolutely delicious. Get the seed peanuts from Diggers or similar - ordinary supermarket ones are treated with chemicals or roasted and probably won't germinate. You will only need one or two seeds to start a plant.
That's a good thought and not something I'd considered. Yeah I get quite a bit of happiness and zen from just being outside, although some bugs and insects really freak me out. I don't mind most of the things that actually live in the garden and help like worms and such, it's only really the pesty types and spiders I can't really deal with. Also bees I never kill but I do have this funny tendency to freeze up if anything with a stinger comes anywhere near me
I didn't even know you could just grow peanuts honestly. I mean obviously they're a type of nut so of course you can grow it but I never would've thought they'd be easy to grow or even really like our climate. Always associated them with the tropics and jungle type areas for some reason. But yeah, I like peanuts so I might look into giving them a go. Thanks TW!
Oh
They grow very well in Melbourne over summer. Can't overwinter them, but who cares. My boys got given seed peanuts in primary school to plant etc so they're easy enough for primary school kids to grow. Another nice thing is that they are nitrogen fixers - that is, if planted in the garden they actually improve the soil rather than deplete it. They aren't nuts - just a really really weird bean/legume as @catfish points out.
Ah right. Thanks for the recco