Save, strike, swap & share

Here are some ways to keep your garden going during tough times, and make the most of your food harvests to ensure a good supply year-round.

Save seed Keep seeds from your favourite fruit, and leave vegies in the ground to set seed. Store the dried seeds in labelled envelopes, ready for next season. When growing fruit from seed, plant the most vigorous seedlings in your garden, then in a few years, cut down all but those that fruit best. Other foods that flower and set seed include onion, turnip, radish and any hydroponic fruit or herb that still has roots. Most will be hybrids, so won’t be like the veg you planted, but all should still be good.

Strike cuttings It’s amazing how easy it is to strike a cutting, whether you’re thrusting geranium, pelargonium, hydrangea, hibiscus or other prunings into some damp sand, or growing tomato or basil cuttings.

Grow plants that suit your conditions Find out what grows best in your area, as this increases your chance of success and avoids waste.

Choose different varieties Grow varieties of the same fruit or vegetable that mature at different times of the year. This also helps to protect you from losses due to severe weather.

Keep small containers Use these for raising seed and growing cuttings, to save buying little punnets and pots.

Grow herbs Simple dishes can be transformed into something special by adding herbs. Have fun experimenting.

Stagger plantings Plant the same crop at regular intervals to ensure a continual supply, so you don’t need to supplement it with store-bought food.

Swap surplus Connect with your neighbours or other gardeners in the local community and arrange to swap any excess food from your harvests. Chances are they will have too much of a different crop, and be happy to make an exchange.

Keep chooks Even a small garden has room for a mobile hen or duck run, with two to four inhabitants to keep the grass down and feed your garden. You can feed them scraps and they will reward you with eggs and fertiliser.

Make your own fertiliser and mulch Start a compost heap so you can recycle kitchen scraps, weeds, leaves and other garden waste to create rich food for your plants.

Preserve your harvest Learn how to store produce so it lasts longer, and make preserves from any excess.

Get creative Experiment in the kitchen with different ingredients when staples are hard to come by.