Nina's Nest

Gardening with Nina

Grow Something Wonderful

Practical guides for growing food, tending flowers, and finding your rhythm in the garden — whatever size plot you're working with.

Gardening Without the Overwhelm

New to gardening? No problem! I learned most of it early on in my gardening journey by making mistakes in a some raised soil-beds behind our Nest. What I found is that plants are a lot more forgiving than the world makes them seem — and that growing even a handful of herbs or tomatoes changes the way you cook and interact with nature. Here's hoping you become a proud plant-parent like me!

These guides are written for real gardens: imperfect soil, unpredictable weather, and not enough time. Whether you're starting from seed or trying to keep something alive on a windowsill, there's something here for you.

Starting a Kitchen Herb Garden
HerbsBeginner

Starting a Kitchen Herb Garden

Spring / Year-round indoors

A practical guide to growing the herbs you'll actually use — basil, thyme, rosemary, and chives — in containers or a small raised bed.

How to
  1. 1Choose a spot with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. A south-facing windowsill works well indoors.
  2. 2Use a well-draining potting mix, not garden soil, which compacts in containers.
  3. 3Start with transplants rather than seeds for basil and rosemary — they're slow from seed and easier to establish as young plants.
  4. 4Water when the top inch of soil is dry. Most herbs prefer to dry out slightly between waterings.
  5. 5Harvest regularly by pinching stems just above a leaf node — this encourages bushy growth rather than leggy plants.
  6. 6Fertilize lightly once a month during the growing season with a balanced liquid fertilizer.
Worth knowing
  • Basil and rosemary don't like cold — keep them away from draughty windows in winter.
  • Mint spreads aggressively; grow it in its own container to keep it contained.
  • Snip flower buds off basil as soon as they appear to keep leaves flavorful.
Growing Tomatoes in Raised Beds
VegetablesIntermediate

Growing Tomatoes in Raised Beds

Late Spring – Summer

Everything you need to know to grow a reliable crop of tomatoes — from choosing varieties to dealing with common problems.

How to
  1. 1Choose your variety: determinate types (like Roma) are compact and ripen all at once; indeterminate types (like Sungold or Brandywine) keep producing until frost.
  2. 2Plant deep — bury the stem up to the lowest set of leaves. Roots will form along the buried stem.
  3. 3Space plants at least 60cm apart and install stakes or cages at planting time, before roots establish.
  4. 4Water deeply and consistently. Irregular watering causes blossom end rot and split fruit.
  5. 5Remove suckers (the shoots that grow in the crotch between stem and branch) on indeterminate varieties to keep the plant focused.
  6. 6Feed with a low-nitrogen, high-potassium fertilizer once flowers appear.
Worth knowing
  • Mulch around the base to retain moisture and prevent soil splash, which spreads disease.
  • Yellow lower leaves are normal as the season progresses — remove them to improve airflow.
  • If a late frost threatens, cover plants with fleece overnight rather than bringing them inside.
Planting a Cutting Flower Garden
FlowersBeginner

Planting a Cutting Flower Garden

Spring – Autumn

How to grow a steady supply of fresh-cut flowers from a small patch — zinnias, cosmos, sweet peas, and dahlias for summer through autumn.

How to
  1. 1Choose a sunny spot — most cutting flowers need full sun to produce well.
  2. 2Prepare the bed by digging in compost to improve drainage and fertility.
  3. 3Sow zinnias and cosmos directly after the last frost date; start sweet peas indoors 6–8 weeks before.
  4. 4Plant dahlias as tubers once the soil has warmed, about 10–15cm deep.
  5. 5Deadhead spent blooms regularly — the more you cut, the more the plant produces.
  6. 6Harvest flowers in the early morning when stems are fully hydrated, and place immediately in water.
Worth knowing
  • Zinnias are the most forgiving cutting flower — they thrive on neglect and heat.
  • Sweet peas need support from the start; run twine or netting before they need it.
  • Cut dahlias when the flower is fully open — unlike many flowers, they don't continue opening after cutting.
Composting for Beginners
Soil & CompostBeginner

Composting for Beginners

Year-round

A no-fuss introduction to composting kitchen and garden waste into rich, free fertilizer for your beds.

How to
  1. 1Choose a bin or designate a corner of the garden. A simple wooden pallet frame works well.
  2. 2Layer 'greens' (kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings) with 'browns' (cardboard, dry leaves, straw) in roughly equal parts.
  3. 3Keep the pile as moist as a wrung-out sponge — too dry and it won't break down; too wet and it will smell.
  4. 4Turn the pile every few weeks to introduce oxygen and speed decomposition.
  5. 5Compost is ready when it's dark, crumbly, and smells like earth — usually 3–6 months.
  6. 6Use finished compost as a mulch or dig it into beds before planting.
Worth knowing
  • Avoid adding meat, dairy, or cooked food — they attract pests.
  • Shred or tear cardboard into smaller pieces to speed breakdown.
  • A compost thermometer is a worthwhile investment if you want to know when your pile is actively working.
Saving Seeds at the End of Season
SeedsIntermediate

Saving Seeds at the End of Season

Late Summer – Autumn

How to collect, dry, and store seeds from your best plants to grow again next year — a practical and satisfying end-of-season ritual.

How to
  1. 1Choose seeds from your healthiest, most productive plants — seed saving rewards good selection over time.
  2. 2Allow seed heads to dry fully on the plant before harvesting. For tomatoes and squash, let the fruit over-ripen.
  3. 3For dry seeds (beans, flowers, herbs), spread on a paper towel in a warm, airy spot for 1–2 weeks.
  4. 4For wet seeds (tomatoes, cucumbers), ferment briefly in water for 2–3 days, rinse, then dry thoroughly.
  5. 5Store dried seeds in labelled paper envelopes inside an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
  6. 6Test viability before planting by placing 10 seeds on a damp paper towel — if fewer than 7 sprout, buy fresh seed.
Worth knowing
  • Only save seeds from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties — hybrids won't grow true.
  • Label everything immediately — seeds look identical once dry.
  • Silica gel packets in your storage container will absorb moisture and extend seed life.
Preparing Beds for Winter
Soil & CompostBeginner

Preparing Beds for Winter

Autumn

Simple steps to put your garden to bed properly so it comes back stronger in spring — protecting soil, roots, and beneficial organisms through the cold months.

How to
  1. 1Clear spent annuals and diseased plant material — compost healthy stems, bin anything with signs of disease.
  2. 2Leave the roots of legumes (beans, peas) in the ground — they fix nitrogen that feeds next year's crops.
  3. 3Top-dress beds with 5–8cm of compost or well-rotted manure and leave it on the surface; worms will work it in.
  4. 4Plant a cover crop (clover, winter rye, or phacelia) to protect bare soil from erosion and compaction.
  5. 5Cut back perennials to about 10cm above the ground, leaving some stems for overwintering insects.
  6. 6Mulch tender perennials and bulbs with a thick layer of straw or shredded leaves before the first hard frost.
Worth knowing
  • Don't dig or till unless absolutely necessary — undisturbed soil retains its structure and microbial life.
  • A layer of cardboard under your compost mulch suppresses weeds all winter.
  • Mark where bulbs are planted before the foliage disappears so you don't accidentally dig them up in spring.
Why Every Garden Needs Perennial Flowers
FlowersBeginner

Why Every Garden Needs Perennial Flowers

Spring – Autumn

Perennial flowers come back year after year, attract pollinators, reduce maintenance, and make your garden more beautiful with less effort. Here's why they're worth every inch of space.

How to
  1. 1Understand the difference: perennials die back in winter but regrow from the same root system each spring, unlike annuals which must be replanted every year.
  2. 2Choose varieties suited to your climate and light — coneflowers (Echinacea), black-eyed Susans, lavender, and salvia are reliable in most zones.
  3. 3Plant in autumn or early spring when the soil is workable — this gives roots time to establish before the heat of summer.
  4. 4Space generously: perennials spread over time. Give each plant room to reach its mature size rather than crowding them.
  5. 5Water well in the first season to establish deep roots; most perennials become drought-tolerant once established.
  6. 6Divide clumps every 3–4 years in early spring or autumn to keep plants vigorous and to multiply your stock for free.
  7. 7Leave seed heads standing through winter — they feed birds and provide shelter for beneficial insects.
Worth knowing
  • Perennials attract bees, butterflies, and beneficial predatory insects that naturally control garden pests — a healthier garden overall.
  • Mix early, mid, and late-season bloomers so something is always flowering from spring through first frost.
  • Many perennials — like coneflower, yarrow, and rudbeckia — make excellent cut flowers too, giving you beauty indoors and out.
  • The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap — be patient, the payoff is worth it.
How to Prune Tomato Plants
VegetablesIntermediate

How to Prune Tomato Plants

Late Spring – Summer

Pruning tomatoes correctly channels the plant's energy into fewer, larger, more flavorful fruits. Learn which shoots to remove, when to do it, and why it makes such a difference.

How to
  1. 1Identify the type you're growing first: only prune indeterminate (vining) tomatoes — determinate (bush) varieties set all their fruit at once and pruning them reduces your harvest.
  2. 2Find the suckers — the small shoots that sprout in the 'V' (axil) between the main stem and a branch. Left alone, each becomes a full stem competing for the plant's energy.
  3. 3Pinch out small suckers with your fingers when they're under 5cm long — this is the cleanest, lowest-stress removal.
  4. 4For larger suckers, use clean, sharp scissors or pruners. Cut close to the main stem without leaving a stub, which can harbour disease.
  5. 5Remove the lowest leaves and suckers below the first flower cluster to improve airflow at the base and reduce soil-splash disease.
  6. 6In late summer (about 4–6 weeks before your first expected frost), pinch out the growing tip of the main stem — this is called 'topping' and redirects energy into ripening existing fruit before the season ends.
  7. 7Always prune in dry weather and in the morning so cut surfaces can dry before nightfall.
Worth knowing
  • Never remove more than one-third of the plant at once — sudden stress can cause blossom drop.
  • Wash your hands or wipe tools with rubbing alcohol between plants to avoid spreading disease.
  • A well-pruned indeterminate tomato trained to one or two main stems is easier to stake, easier to harvest, and produces noticeably better fruit.
  • If a sucker gets away from you and grows large, you can root it in water and plant it as a second tomato — free plants!
How to Prune Pepper Plants
VegetablesIntermediate

How to Prune Pepper Plants

Spring – Summer

Peppers respond beautifully to thoughtful pruning — more branching means more flowers, more flowers means more peppers. Here's the simple method that works.

How to
  1. 1Start at transplant time: when you plant out your pepper seedling, pinch off any flower buds that have already formed. This feels counterintuitive, but it redirects energy into building a stronger root system and bushier plant — you'll get far more peppers later.
  2. 2Once the plant reaches about 20–30cm tall, look for the first 'Y' fork where the main stem splits into two branches. This is called the crown.
  3. 3Pinch or snip any growth below that first Y — these lower shoots rarely produce well and reduce airflow.
  4. 4As the plant grows, it will continue forking into more Y shapes. Allow 2–4 main branches to develop; remove any weak or inward-facing shoots that cross through the center of the plant.
  5. 5Throughout the season, remove any yellowing, damaged, or diseased leaves promptly.
  6. 6About 3–4 weeks before your first frost, remove any new flowers that won't have time to mature into fruit — this tells the plant to focus on ripening what's already there.
Worth knowing
  • Peppers are more forgiving than tomatoes — even light pruning makes a noticeable difference.
  • In warm climates, pepper plants can overwinter indoors. Cut them back by about half before bringing them in, and they'll come back even more productive the following year.
  • Good airflow from pruning is your best defense against fungal disease in humid summers.
  • Sweet peppers and hot peppers respond to pruning the same way — the technique works across all varieties.
Harvesting Cilantro and Parsley the Right Way
HerbsBeginner

Harvesting Cilantro and Parsley the Right Way

Spring – Autumn

Both cilantro and parsley reward frequent, correct harvesting with continuous new growth. Learn the simple techniques that keep these herbs producing all season long.

How to
  1. 1Wait until the plant has at least 6 inches of growth and several sets of leaves before harvesting for the first time — young plants need their leaves to build energy.
  2. 2For parsley: always harvest from the outside of the plant first, cutting stems at the base near the soil. The inner stems are the youngest and will become your next harvest. Never strip the whole plant at once.
  3. 3For cilantro: snip stems from the top, cutting just above a leaf node or side branch. Take no more than one-third of the plant at a time to keep it growing vigorously.
  4. 4Harvest in the morning after any dew has dried but before the heat of the day — this is when the essential oils (and therefore the flavor) are at their peak.
  5. 5For cilantro, watch for the plant beginning to 'bolt' — sending up a tall central flower stalk. Pinch this out as soon as you see it to delay bolting and extend your harvest by several weeks.
  6. 6If cilantro does bolt and flower, let it go to seed. The seeds are the spice coriander and can be harvested, dried, and used in cooking or saved to plant next season.
  7. 7Cut parsley back by half in midsummer if it becomes overgrown — it will flush with fresh new growth within a couple of weeks.
Worth knowing
  • Cilantro bolts quickly in heat — succession sow every 3 weeks from spring through early summer for a continuous supply.
  • Parsley is biennial: it grows leaves in year one and goes to seed in year two. Treat it as an annual and replant each spring for the best harvest.
  • Both herbs store well: wrap freshly cut stems in a damp paper towel, place in a bag, and refrigerate for up to a week. Or stand them in a glass of water like cut flowers.
  • Flat-leaf (Italian) parsley has more flavor than curly parsley — worth growing if you cook with it regularly.
Growing Avocados: Type A, Type B, and Why You Need Both
Fruit TreesIntermediate

Growing Avocados: Type A, Type B, and Why You Need Both

Year-round (warm climates)

Avocados are one of the most rewarding fruit trees you can grow — but there's a secret to getting them to actually produce fruit. It all comes down to flower types and cross-pollination.

How to
  1. 1Understand avocado flower behavior: avocado trees are 'protogynous dichogamous,' which means each flower opens twice — once as female (receptive to pollen) and once as male (releasing pollen) — but never at the same time on the same tree.
  2. 2Type A trees (Hass, Pinkerton, Reed, Gwen) open their flowers as female in the morning of Day 1, close, then reopen as male in the afternoon of Day 2.
  3. 3Type B trees (Fuerte, Bacon, Zutano, Ettinger) do the opposite — they open as male in the afternoon of Day 1 and as female in the morning of Day 2.
  4. 4Plant one Type A and one Type B tree within 30–60 feet of each other. When both are blooming, their male and female cycles overlap perfectly, allowing bees to transfer pollen between them and dramatically increasing fruit set.
  5. 5A single avocado tree can self-pollinate to some degree, but a matched pair will produce 3–5 times more fruit — the difference is remarkable.
  6. 6Choose your varieties based on your climate: Hass (Type A) is the most popular and cold-tolerant of the commercial varieties; Fuerte (Type B) is excellent in coastal climates; Bacon (Type B) handles light frost better than most.
  7. 7Plant in full sun in well-draining soil — avocados are extremely sensitive to waterlogged roots. Raised beds or mounded planting sites work well in heavier soils.
  8. 8Water deeply but infrequently once established. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry between waterings. Overwatering is the number one cause of avocado tree death.
  9. 9Fertilize with a citrus and avocado formula three times a year — spring, summer, and early autumn. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers which promote leafy growth at the expense of fruit.
Worth knowing
  • Hass (Type A) + Fuerte (Type B) is the classic pairing and one of the most productive combinations you can plant.
  • Avocados grown from seed (the pit in a glass of water) are fun but take 7–15 years to fruit and may never produce well — buy a grafted nursery tree for reliable, faster results (usually 3–4 years to first fruit).
  • Mulch heavily around the base but keep mulch away from the trunk — avocados have shallow feeder roots that benefit enormously from a thick organic mulch layer.
  • In cooler climates, grow avocados in large containers and bring them indoors in winter — Dwarf varieties like 'Little Cado' (a Wurtz, Type A) are bred specifically for container growing.
  • Avocado trees drop leaves year-round as part of normal growth — don't panic when you see leaf drop. It's only a problem if accompanied by yellowing, wilting, or branch dieback.
How to Grow Your Own Loofah Sponge
VegetablesIntermediate

How to Grow Your Own Loofah Sponge

Late Spring – Autumn

Yes, loofah comes from a plant — a fast-growing gourd vine that's surprisingly easy to grow at home. Grow your own and you'll never buy a plastic scrubber again.

How to
  1. 1Start seeds indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost date — loofah needs a long, warm growing season (at least 150 frost-free days), so getting a head start is essential in most climates.
  2. 2Soak seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting to soften the seed coat and improve germination. Plant 1cm deep in small pots with moist seed-starting mix.
  3. 3Transplant outdoors once nighttime temperatures stay reliably above 60°F (15°C) and all frost risk has passed. Choose the sunniest spot in your garden — loofah loves heat.
  4. 4Install a sturdy trellis, fence, or arbour before planting. Loofah vines grow aggressively — 10 to 30 feet long — and need strong vertical support. The gourds hang down beautifully and are easier to harvest when grown vertically.
  5. 5Water consistently and deeply, especially during flowering and fruit development. Mulch around the base to retain moisture and keep roots cool.
  6. 6If you CAN remember, fertilize every 3–4 weeks with a balanced fertilizer. Once flowers appear, switch to a low-nitrogen, higher-phosphorus formula to encourage fruit over foliage. Honestly, I have had seasons where I didn't fertilize and it still did well enough, but could have had more sponges had I probably done this during that season.
  7. 7The vine produces separate male and female flowers. Female flowers have a small swelling (the future gourd) at the base. Bees do most of the pollinating, but you can hand-pollinate by transferring pollen from a male flower to a female with a small paintbrush.
  8. 8Allow gourds to stay on the vine as long as possible — ideally until the skin turns brown and papery and the gourd feels light and rattles when shaken. This is when the fibrous interior is fully developed.
  9. 9To harvest: cut from the vine, peel away the dry skin (soaking in water for a few minutes makes this easier), shake out the seeds to save for next year, and rinse the sponge thoroughly under running water.
  10. 10Squeeze out excess water and allow the loofah to dry COMPLETELY in the sun or a well-ventilated spot before using or storing — this prevents mold.
Worth knowing
  • In short-season climates (fewer than 150 frost-free days), choose a shorter-season variety like 'Luffa acutangula' (ridged loofah) which matures faster than the smooth 'Luffa aegyptiaca'.
  • One healthy vine can produce 5–15 loofahs in a season — more than enough for your home and to share as gifts.
  • While I prefer to keep them natural, you can bleach your harvested loofahs for a cleaner, lighter color: soak in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water for 10–15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and dry in the sun.
  • Save seeds from your best, fully mature gourds — they store well in a cool, dry place and will be ready to plant next spring.
  • Loofah flowers are edible and make a beautiful garnish — the young gourds can also be harvested small and eaten like zucchini before the fibers develop.

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