Koren Helbig

In April 2020, I put my first cloves into the ground. Here's what I learnt over the next five years of trying — and often failing — to grow good garlic.  

It was partly an experiment in self-control and habit-breaking, but also a response to the unhappy realisation that watching shows had become my crutch to zone out.  

I've kept low-cost, high-fun habits alive for years, even after returning home to a city where socialising often seems to mean shelling out. 

Leaving my garden in the heat of summer can feel worrying but some simple planning means it misses me less than I miss it.     

Koren Helbig has devised an easy and effective method of turning her food waste and plant trimmings into a nutrient-rich compost for her Adelaide/Tarntanya food gardens.

Winter can feel like a time to avoid the garden, but these simple jobs can help keep things productive through the cooler months and set you up for the warmer ones. 

As a lazy gardener, I like plants that give me the most food for the least effort. These are my top winter picks. 

Getting a handle on how and when to water can make all the difference when it comes to having a successful and fruitful garden.  

A small crew of people can power through jobs that would have taken days or even weeks on your own. Having a plan of attack is key.

Whether you're growing indoors or out, prevention is often better than cure when dealing with pests. Here are my DIY measures.

After much trial and error, I'm finally eating almost daily from my small urban veggie patch. Here are five strategies I follow.

Working long hours had left me feeling exhausted and burnt out. Making an effort to be thrifty has allowed me to work part time.

Physiotherapist and acupuncturist Dr Karen Chan says warming up, taking breaks and learning to be ambidextrous in the garden can help protect your body and manage injuries you may already have. 

The days are cooling, and the nights are turning crisp. Here are five jobs I'm prioritising this season for my backyard permaculture patch.

To reinvigorate myself when it comes to gardening, I'm employing the "one thing" rule: Try to do just one thing each day, whether it's big or small.

After building four raised veggie beds in my backyard, I baulked at buying in loads of costly soil and compost to fill them. Instead, I opted for a thriftier route using free materials.

I'm creating a mini food forest in the small backyard of my urban Adelaide home. 

Green manure is an easy way to build excellent soil for your veggies or fruit trees, at a very low cost. This is how you can make your own. 

When my relationship ended, I knew I wanted to keep the place. But borrowing more money to take over the mortgage was a terrifying prospect.

By creating a moveable, soil-free aquaponics system, you too can grow leafy greens, strawberries, chillies and herbs in your small apartment.

Supplementing your flock's diet with homemade extras is super thrifty, and can also make their eggs more nutritious and delicious.

Straw bales make for versatile and cheap veggie garden beds that can be easily removed. Here's how to best make use of them.

This summer, I tore apart my backyard ahead of a major makeover to create a food-producing permaculture paradise on my small city block.

Already have a veggie patch? Consider planting flowers. Not only are they beautiful, they are edible and nutritious too.

Koren planted native plants in her front yard to create the perfect butterfly garden.