A TOUCH OF COUNTRY

How to get your fix without leaving the city

Grow, baby, grow

Growing your own vegies and herbs is one of the easiest ways to bring life (literally) to your concrete jungle, whether in a backyard vegie patch, courtyard planter box or just a kitchen benchtop set-up. “There’s a certain intangible joy in a homegrown harvest,” say Mat Pember and Dillon SeitchikReardon of The Little Veggie Patch Co, whose new book Grow. Food.

Anywhere. offers hope that even those who have managed to thwart the most “unkillable” plants can grow their own crop. Soil in urban areas tends to be hard and acidic, they say, so start with a five-way soil blend, which mimics an ideal growing environment, or premium potting mix (cheaper versions use a lesser-quality blend and chemical fertilisers). If short on natural light, an artificial LED one can help create the perfect conditions. You’ll also need to be committed to watering, though an automated system will mean you’ll never have to put your plants’ health in the hands of a flaky friend on a weekend away.

Not a green thumb? Try these TIP: hard-to-kill plants: lettuce, rocket, tomato, basil, radish, chilli, mint, mushroom, kale, spinach and garlic.

Buzz feed

Bees aren’t just good for the sweet stuff that tastes great on crumpets – around one-third of our food supply comes from crops reliant on them. While bees can survive and pollinate without our help, tending to your own supply of natural honey can have a range of health benefits due to its natural antibiotic qualities. If you have a rooftop, courtyard or backyard, you can use it to keep a beehive, and along with the structure and water supply, you’ll need a suit, gloves, smoker, hive tool and brush. In most states, you’ll need to register your hive – and yourself, as a beekeeper – and while you don’t require certified training, it takes a little more than a Youtube tutorial to start out and commitment to maintain, so look for a course in your area. The Amateur Beekeepers Association (beekeepers.asn.au) is a good start for hobby apiarists.

If a swarm of bees is in your TIP: backyard, don’t spray them as they’ll get agitated. Find a beekeeper who can move them along.