GROW YOUR FAVOURITE TOMATO simply every year !!

Step. 1 Half fill a medium to large pot with a mixture of compost and potting mix.

Step. 2 Slice your favourite tomato thickly and place slices in a circular pattern in the pot.

Step. 3 Lightly cover tomato slices with potting mix.

Step. 4 Water with a liquid fertiliser.

Step. 5 Cover lightly with sugar can mulch .

Step. 6 Within seven to ten days tomato plant shoots will appear. Let them grow until they develop leaves . Seperate and transplant in the garden.
At the end of each tomato growing season, I keep a firm, healthy tomato to create plants for the new season. Its a great method for succession planting. I have another important reason for doing this. For fifty years I have witnessed, and come to believe that familiarity and adaptability is stored in its growth memory.
The home grown tomato knows, and has adapted to growing in your garden soil. It has acclimatised to the season, rainfall, wind and fluctuating temperatures. Furthermore, year after year it is better prepared for the next season. For fifty four years, I have had, five heritage varieties of tomatoes that have accompanied me on the journey of sustainable living.

HEALTHY TOMATO PLANTS
VEGETABLE PEELING FERTILISER

In a clean bucket with a lid, place vegetable peelings. Fill two thirds with water. Let it steep for one to two days. Scoop out the soggy vegetable peelings and place in your compost bin a. Or give to chickens to have fun pecking and scratching.
Suitable Vegetable peeling mixture – zucchini, carrot, parsnips, beetroot, potato, sweet potato, onion, celery, capsicum, mushroom, swede, and turnip. To create an additional richness, add apple skins or banana skins.
ASH AND CRUSHED EGG SHELL FERTILISER
Mix one third crushed eggs shells and two thirds wood ash. Mix thoroughly.
Burnt vine prunings and fruit tree prunings, produce a nutrient rich wood ash. Egg shells add calcium to the mix.
Eggs shells can be dried in an oven and then crushed in a blender and stored in a jar. Wood ash can be kept in bucket and sealed with a lid.
Dig the hole for the tomato. Add one third of the ash mix. Plant the tomato. Top with soil. Add a thin layer of the ash mixture. Lightly fork to mix.

TOMATOES FOR HEALTH AND WELLBEING
TOMATO REMEDY FORE SORE THROAT

Cut one medium tomato into four to six pieces. Drizzle honey over to cover tomatoes pieces. Add a

squeeze of lime or lemon juice. Toss gently to mix. Consume tomatoes and the honey juice mixture. If the sore throat continues, make up a fresh tomato mix.

TOMATO FACIAL SCRUB

When cutting tomatoes, saved the top of the tomato for a quick, and easy refreshening facial scrub. Making sure the the tomato top is not cut too thinly. Place the cut end facing upwards. Sprinkle with fine crystallised sugar. Press the sugar into the tomato. Let stand 1 min. Place the cut end firmly on your chin. In circular motions rub the tomato over your cheeks, forehead and along the sides and top of your nose. Avoid the eyes. Discard Tomato. Wipe you face with a wet clean cloth.

TOMATO FRESHING HAND SCRUB

Cut a firm medium tomato in half. Add two teaspoon of sugar to the tomato. Using your thumb push

the sugar into the tomato. Using light pressure, place the tomato on the top of your hands, working in a circular motion. Then work the tomato in circular motions in the palm of your hands. Discard tomato. Wash you hands with warm soapy water. Pat dry.

TOMATO HONEY PASTE FOOT SCRUB

Tomato foot scrubs can help remove dead skin cells and improve the appearance of your skin. Tomatoes contain vitamin C, antioxidants that can be beneficial for your skin.
In a bowl, mix the juice of one tomato with one to two tablespoon rice flour. Add one teaspoon of coarse salt and two teaspoons of honey. Stir, to make a paste. If too fluid, add a little more rice flour. One at a time, apply the paste to your feet and massage in a circular motion. The rice flour and salt exfoliates. The honey provides hydration and moisturisation.

IN YOUR GARDEN YOUR 

Compost Bin: Save up the coffee grounds to measure 2 cups. Mix together with four cups of water. Place in a small watering can.

As you build the layers of the compost heap,  add the liquid coffee grounds to three of  the layers in the centre of the pile. Coffee grounds contain  a good amount of nitrogen which is released slowly. Therefore this compost mix will act as a ‘slow’ release fertiliser in the garden bed.

Coffee grounds also contains cop. mag. phos. calc. iron, zinc and potassium  which are released quickly and available to plants. 

Soil Conditioner:  By adding used coffee grounds to the garden bed you are conditioning the soil in the same way as peat moss. 

Seed Raising Mix:  Add two tablespoons of used coffee grounds to a tray of mix.

Dead Lawn Patches:  Spread a shovel load of coffee-compost onto dead lawn patches. Sprinkle with lawn seed and water in.

Coffee and Egg Shell Fertiliser:  Place clean, dry egg shells in a blender to make a coarse powder. Add half cup of the egg powder to half cup of used coffee grounds.  Mix together. Using a large spoon, make small holes around the plant. Spoon in the fertiliser.  Back fill with soil. Water the plant and cover the soil with a very light layer of mulch.

Acid Loving Plants:  Mix sugar cane mulch, dry grass or straw with coffee grounds. Spread around acid loving plants such as hydrangea and camellias.

Pest and Pet Repellant:   Spread coffee grounds around plants that snails and slugs love to eat or that your pet cat loves to rub up against.

Citrus Tree  and Strawberry Mulch:  Mix chopped pine needles with used coffee grounds. Use as mulch. Water in.

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VERMICULTURE

Worms can easily digest the bacteria that is attracted to breakdown coffee grounds.   As the worms  go about their business of making rich compost, coffee grounds aid in the digestion of all the material that the worms have consumed.

ABSORBING ODOURS and CLEANING

Dried Coffee Grounds: Set your oven on low heat. Spread used coffee grounds on a metal tray and bake until dried (about 15/20mins or more).  

Fridge:  Tip baked coffee grounds into a small bowl and place at the back of the fridge for several weeks.  It will absorb odours.

Freezer: Place the baked coffee grounds in an old sock, tying off the open end. Place in your freezer for several weeks.  It will absorb odours.

Your Car:  Remove wet odours and cigarette smells by placing the coffee filled sock in the car.

Smelly Shoes:  Place a coffee filled sock in each shoe. Leave  for several hours to remove smell.

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HEALTH AND BEAUTY

Cook’s Hands:  Processing garlic, onions and strongly scented herbs can leave you with smelly hands.  Keep a sealed container of baked coffee grounds close to the kitchen sink.  Dampen your hands, add a tablespoon of the coffee grounds to the palm of your hands. rub together for a few minutes. Rinse  in warm water. The odour will be gone.

Coconut and Coffee Hand Scrub:  In a bowl place one cup of coconut oil, one cup of baked coffee grounds and one cup of coarse sea salt.  Mix together thoroughly.  Place some of the mix on your hands and rub into your skin.  It will remove dirt and grease.

Facial Cleanser:  Mix together one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon  of coffee grounds in a small bowl.  Apply gently to the face. Leave for five – ten minutes. 

Rinse with warm water.  For oily or sweaty skin add a quarter of a teaspoon of lemon juice to the mix. Coffee exfoliates, honey conditions and lemon juice cleanses and brightens the skin.  Caffeine will help to reduce redness and puffiness. too.

Cellulite: Mix two tablespoons of coffee grounds,  one cup of sea salt or coarse sugar, and enough  coconut oil to make a paste. Rub some paste into the cellulite zone. Leave for five to ten minutes. Rinse with warm water.  Treat the area every day for three weeks.

Shiny Hair Rinse :  Brew a pot of coffee. Let stand until it reaches room temperature. Wash your hair and towel dry.  Pour the warm coffee over your hair and lightly massage into the scalp. Wrap you hair in a towel and wait for fifteen minutes.  Rinse the coffee from you hair with warm water. 

Resetting Your Nasal Palette:  If you are unable to smell aromas or perfumes very well, try using coffee beans. The smell of the coffee grounds or coffee beans will reset your nasal palette. Thus, allowing you to better smell the world around you.

A bowl of coffee beans are employed by all the best perfume houses in Europe.

Diet and Disease:  Current research shows that 2 cups of black,  brewed coffee per day can help to prevent Liver Cancer, Diabetes and Heart disease.

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HOME

Candlelight Coffee Aroma:  Put some stale coffee beans in a glass dish. Put a candle in the centre. Light the candle.  The room will smell like freshly brewed coffee.  At Christmas  time,  mix in some whole cloves for a spicy festive  aroma.

Wood Fire Burners:  To clean out dusty ash in the fire place, first sprinkle with two cups of used coffee grounds.  Leave for three minutes. Then clean. The coffee grounds help to keep the dusty ash from flying around the room and up your nose.

Staining Wood:  In a saucepan, mix one cup of fresh coffee grains with one cup of boiling water. Turn onto low heat and boil gently for one  30mins.  Allow it to cool.   Paint timber.

 If you need a darker look, simply  make a cup of instant coffee, cool,  then give the timber a second coat with instant coffee brew.

Ants : Pour strongly brewed coffee over an ant hill.  It will encourage them to pack up and move to another location.

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KITCHEN

Meat Rub:  Mix one tablespoon of coffee grounds, one tablespoon of  coarse salt, two cloves of garlic minced.  Mix together. Rub on red meat or  chicken.

Pot and Pans:   Dip a cloth into the coffee grounds and scrub greasy pots coffee.

Served with Yoghurt for Breakfast, eaten fresh by itself as a dessert

Can be eaten alone or with grilled sausages, fish, meat.

15 DAY SUMMERTIME COMPOST METHOD

INGREDIENTS

Size:  1m x 1m (compost will shrink by one third only.

Materials: 

Two full wheel barrows of soil (any type)

Three full wheel barrows of greens (lawn clippings, flower heads and chopped herbs)

One full wheelbarrow  of torn or shredded newspaper. Do not use colour leaflets.

Three full wheel barrows of manure. You can use a mixture of animal manures.

Two cups of used coffee grains.

METHOD

• Wet the ground before adding composting layers.
• Cover with a thin layer of torn herbs and flower heads.
• Scatter with a thin layer of shredded newspaper.
• Add a layer of manure.
• Build the compost pile in a  three level sequence. i.e. manure, newspaper, greens, soil, coffee water  i.e. Coffee grains mixed in water =   two twenty litre watering cans.  (40 litre was in total)

TURNING/MIXING/AIRING SEQUENCE

• Turn the compost on the fourth day 
• Turn  four days later
• Turn four  days later
• Turn three days later
• Allow compost to rest for 24hrs. 

Compost is ready to use

HOME MADE POTTING MIX

Half wheel barrow of sifted compost.  Mix in two large shovel loads of sand.  Store in a container.

This is useful for seed raising and cuttings. The potting mix can be adjusted for 

PLANTS THAT ARE VERY GOOD FOR COMPOST MAKING

Comfrey, yarrow, pineapple sage flowers, stinging nettle leaves, dandelion leaves, sow thistle. There are many more weeds, herbs and flowers that are beneficial.  See my Companion Gardening book.

When preparing plants be sure to cut them into small pieces. 

Don’t use any thick leaves or thick stalks.

FOOD SCRAPS AND LEAVES take longer to break down.

Give them to chickens or pigs or goats to eat and turning manure.

Potatoes have been respected and prized by our ancestors for centuries.

Somehow, humans knew that they had to eat potatoes in order to maintain a healthy wellbeing. Aware that the potato not only prevented hunger pains, but it provided physical energy to work and sustain long working hours and days.   

Bad press in the modern world has made potatoes the vegetable that people love….. but hate because of ‘calories’. However, the role of the potato is to enhance your life force. Not to make you overweight. 

There are more than one hundred varieties of potato worldwide. Each variety being specific to the self-reliant health needs of the inhabitants and their environment. 

Nutritional Facts 

No Fat, No Sodium

One cup of baked potato contains –

Vitamin B6 – 32%   Vitamin B3 – 15%  Copper – 22%   Fiber – 14%

Potassium – more than a banana.

Manganese17%,   Phosphorus17%

Vitamin. C. 45% of our daily needs.  

Extra Nutritional Benefits of Purple Potatoes 

Fruits and vegetables that are deep in the colour blue or purple,  are rich in the antioxidant anthocyanin which is found in the powerful flavonoid family of antioxidants.  The same as blueberries and pomegranates.

Potato Juice.

Juice can be stored in Fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Skin: Dab a little potato juice on wrinkles, acne and sunburn. Witness its magic working.

Weight Loss: one glass of potato juice speeds up weight loss. Add a little lemon juice for better absorption. You can also add ginger and carrot for flavour. Or, cucumber and celery with some fresh dill and/or parsley.

Eyes, dark circles/puffiness:  Using a cotton ball,  dab a little potato juice under the eyes. And/or lie down, place a thin potato slice on each eye for 15 – 20 mins.  Remove slice and wipe the eyes with a dry cloth. 

Detox Body Disease toxins:  Cleans liver, treats arthritic disease, kidney disease, pancreas, diabetes,urinary disorders and some heart issues. Drink one glass of  juice on rising and one before you go to bed at night.

Stomach ulcer/food toxicity: Combine potato juice with a carrot to calm, heal and flush out irritants.

Hair/ Itchy Scalp/ Hair Loss:  After shampooing you hair, rinse in slightly  diluted potato juice.  It treats topical scalp issues.  It makes hair shine and stimulates healthy hair growth.

Teeth/Gums: Use lukewarm,  cooked salted potato water as a gargle to heal inflammations in the oral cavity and as a treatment for periodontitis.

Headaches: for hundreds of years headache sufferers have attached thick slices of potato to their forehead and or temples. It is known to soothe and dull the pain.

Burns: While cooking……… if you accidentally burn your fingers or hand……  quickly grab a potato. Attach a thick slice of potato to the burn. It will absorb the heat of the burn, help to  prevent blistering and also help to heal the skin.

Warts: Gently rub with raw potato once a day until wart shrinks and disappears.

Hot and Cold compress to Ease Pain:  Potatoes keep their temperature for a long time. Place either a thick slice or slices of hot potato or frozen potato slice/s in an old cotton sock.  Use as a compress.

Skin Stains:  Ink stains and food stains such as beetroot and turmeric can be rubbed off your hands and nails by cutting a potato in half and vigorously rubbing it on the stained area. Follow by rinsing the skin with lukewarm water and wipe dry.

In The Garden and in the Home

When you boil potatoes don’t add any salt to the water and don’t tip the water down the sink.  

Here’ are some tried and true reasons why.

Tarnish and Cloudiness Remover:  Place items in a bowl and let them soak in potato water for awhile. Rub with a dry cloth.

Window/Eyeglass Cleaner:  Rub a raw potato over the window or eyeglasses, then wipe with a clean dry cloth.

Carpet Stains: Grate a potato and place shavings into a cotton sock. Let stand for 1 min. Then place the

sock on the stain for 1 min. Then, use the sock to scrub the stain for a few minutes. Wipe carpet clean with a warm damp cloth.

Cleaner: Drain the salty hot water off the potatoes and use it to clean burnt pots. It also works on the burnt glass top of the stove. You can use it as a cleaning agent to wipe dull linoleum or vinyl floors — they will look like new.

Bread Making:  Add potato water to dough mix. It will help bread to stay fresh longer.

Over Salting: If you realise while cooking,  that you have over salted pasta water, soup or sauces …. throw in a few thick pieces of potato to absorb the extra salt.  Discard when cooking is completed.

Shoes: Treat your old, comfortable pair of shoes to new life,. Rub over with a raw potato. Wipe off residue.  Polish the shoes. 

Strawberry Garden: Spray potato water over strawberry plants to prevent mildew.

Geraniums:  Grate a medium size potato. Place shavings around the base of the flowering plant. It will provide nutrients. Cover the shavings with a little soil or light mulch.Aphids: Here is a great tip for how to control aphids organically and without using toxic sprays. Cook potatoes without salt, let the water cool down, put it into a sprayer, and spray the plants. It will keep the aphids away. 

Rusty Garden Tools: Spread salt on a small plate. Cut a potato in half and dip the cut end into the salt.  Rub on the rusty areas, rinse and wipe dry with a old piece of towelling cloth.

HOW STORE POTATOES

1.  Potatoes should not be stored in the refrigerator, as their starch content will turn to sugar giving them an undesirable taste. Cooked potatoes will keep fresh in the refrigerator for several days. Potatoes do not freeze well. However if in a casserole, soup or stew base the potatoes will freeze for several weeks.

2.  Do not store potatoes near onions, as the gases that they each emit will cause the degradation of one another. 

3.  They should be kept in a bag in a dark cool place that is below room temperature.

Mature potatoes stored properly can keep for several months.  New potatoes are much more perishable and will only keep for one to two weeks.  

Storing Harvested Potatoes

Do not wash the potatoes before storing.  Use an old piece of towelling cloth to wipe off encrusted soil.  Be gentle.   Careful not to break the skin.  Place in a cool dark place.

…………………IN THE GARDEN

ROOT POWDER

When taking plant cuttings use cinnamon to stimulate root growth.

Place a teaspoon of ground cinnamon powder on a plate or saucer.  Dampen the base of the plant cutting and then gently roll in the cinnamon until coated. Using a pencil make a hole in the potting mix. Gently place the cutting into the hole.  Cinnamon will encourage root development and help to prevent the plant cutting from rot and damping off disease.

SEED PROTECTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Cinnamon can help a seed to develop strong and protect it from damping off disease.

Toss the seeds in cinnamon powder before planting.

PLANT WOUNDS

Plant wounds occur through breakage or pruning.  Use cinnamon powder to heal plant wounds. Dip a dry brush into cinnamon powder and gently paint ‘dry’ onto plant wounds.  Or you can keep the cinnamon powder in a shaker bottle and shake over the wound area.  

The cinnamon powder will treat plant infections and open cuts.

ANT REPELLANT

Ants don’t like to walk in cinnamon powder. If your plants are being attacked by ants try placing  a thick layer of cinnamon around the plant.  In addition you can spray your plant. 

Place one part cinnamon to nine parts of warm water.  Let it steep overnight.  Strain into a spray bottle.   The spray will also help with healing the plant.

ANTS IN THE HOME

Find the ant’s entry point. Sprinkle it with cinnamon. 

MILDEW

Sprinkle with cinnamon powder.  It will help to absorb odour and to kill of fungus.

Using milk on your compost and in your garden will probably come as a surprise to most. Upon closer inspection, however, it starts to make sense. The amino acids, proteins, enzymes and natural sugars that make milk a food for humans and animals are the same ingredients in nurturing healthy communities of microbes, fungi and beneficial bacteria in your compost and garden soil. Raw milk is the best, as it hasn’t been exposed to heat that alters the components in milk that provide a perfect food for the soil and plants, but any milk will provide nutrition and benefits. Using milk on crops and soils is another ancient technique that has been lost to large scale modern industrial agriculture.

Milk is a research-proven fungicide and soft bodied insecticide – insects have no pancreas to digest the milk sugars.  Consequently milk will help protect your plants from insect attack.

The ratio can range from 100% milk to a 20% mixture with water, with no loss of benefits. Use as a spray on the compost and garden soil prior to planting, and as needed when insects appear. Spray directly on the insects and around the areas they inhabit. When combined with molasses, it becomes a highly beneficial soil drench. A proven solution is 20% milk – 1 cup of milk to 4 cups of water, or 2 cups milk to 8 cups water for larger gardens.

Who knew that something as simple as milk and molasses had such powerfully positive, far-reaching effects?

GARDEN SOIL / COMPOST

Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar. It is a source

of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the recommended daily value of each of those nutrients.

Molasses is a very valuable addition to the compost pile, as well as to the garden itself. 

Use 1/4 cup molasses mixed with 1 cup of milk. Add to two litres of water

and spray onto the compost pile or garden……………..add to the drip system for the garden. 

POOR or stressed soils will need a stronger mixture.

SNACKS for plants that need a little boost, add 1/4 cup molasses to a watering can and fill with water. . 

The microbial activity will skyrocket.

Egg shells contain 39% calcium carbonate

Boiled Eggs

Cooking boiled egg?  Don’t forget to save the water.  During the cooking procedure, calcium leaches out of the shell. Making this a first rate calcium fixative for ailing plants. So…… cook the eggs and drain. Being sure to keep the water. Let  it  cool and then apply to calcium deficient plants.

Slugs: broken egg shells scattered close to the stem of a plant can prevent slug damage due to the sharp

edges of the shell.

Ants:  Crush egg shells and place a thick layer close to the stem of a plant.  It will help reduce ant trails up and down the plant.   You can also stir a few drops of vegetable oil into the crushed shells.
The oil adds an additional problems for the ants.

GARDEN

Compost:  Crushed egg shells provide a good source of nutrients to the compost heap.

Seedling Pots:  Wash the egg shells in warm water. Blow dry. Sit the shell in an egg box. Fill shells with potting mix. Add a seed or plant cutting.  Egg shell pots can be planted directly into the garden. The shell will prevent the plant from root eating grubs. As the shell breaks down it will provide nutrients for the plant and condition the soil too.

Blossom End Rot: is often caused by calcium deficient soil. Add dry crushed egg shells to the soil. The shell breaks down quickly.

Blossom End Rot Treatment:  Add one tablespoon of dried powdered egg shell to one tablespoon of white vinegar. Let it sit for  30mins. It will foam up as the vinegar is neutralised by the shell.  Add 5 litres of water and stir.  Use for Tomatoes, Zucchini, Melons, Squash and Peppers.

Potted Plants: Place a layer of  crushed egg shells under the top soil of the pot. Water in.  The shell will help with the growth and  nutrition. 

Tomato Food:  Crush or powder the dry egg shells and sprinkle around tomato plants and cover with a sprinkling of potting mix, compost or mulch.

Super Citrus Food:  Eggs shells and Coffee grounds – Scatter two handful of finely crushed eggs around the stem of the citrus tree. Then scatter two handfuls of coffee grains around the tree.  Using your fingers lightly  rake into the soil. Water in.

HOME AND HEALTH

Irritated, Swollen, Acne or Itchy Skin.

Mix quarter cup of powdered egg shell with half cup vinegar in a jar with a lid.  Seal and let stand for

two days.  Drain off vinegar. Tip the egg paste into a bowl.  Add a little milk.  Apply twice daily to treat skin condition.  Whitening Clothes

Powdered eggs sells can be place into a gauze bag. fastened, and put in the wash to make clothes brighter.

Pet Food:

Mix a tablespoon of egg shell powder with pet food for the health of their bones and coat.

DRYING EGGS SHELLS

Rinse the egg shells. Place in a baking dish. Place in oven heated 180degrees or 160 fan force.  Usually takes fifteen to thirty minutes.  When the shell is dry, the process of crushing and powdering is made easier.