Before my first chemo treatment, I made a concerted effort to make sure my autumn/winter crop was planted. I cleared the remaining straggly tomato plants and topped up the bed with nutrient-rich topsoil, specific for vegetable growing, mushroom compost, sheep manure and for good measure, a good dosing of ‘Blood and Bone’ pellets. That ought to do it. I dug it in, then watered it for a week to let it settle and soak in.

Last year, I had success with growing Brussel sprouts, so with this in mind, I thought I would give other brassicas a go. Especially with their health benefits. I planted broccoli, Tuscan kale and Sugarloaf cabbage. For leafy greens, I planted the old reliable silverbeet. Already the top performer for the first month! For juicing, beetroot, celery and parsley. And to fill in a gap, some leek.

The kale is struggling so far. So much for being super! Everything else is looking really healthy. Every two weeks, I give the patch an application of Seasol and my secret weapon ( maybe not ) is coffee grounds. Before I planted my summer crop, I brought home from work one weekend, two garbage bags of used coffee grounds and dug them through the soil. I had the best crop of tomatoes ever. Was it the coffee grounds? Maybe. I like the ‘rock’n’roll’ idea of it and I know what coffee does for me. So I have been maintaining this, emptying my little stove top percolator coffee grounds around the bed.

Tommy tees