Birds & Fruit Fly Deterrent
Make bags from insect netting or old net curtains this will prevent the adult fruitfly from getting to the fruit to lay her eggs, these bags also prevent sunburn of fruit, and are re-useable. I made some and they work really well. They also stop the pesky birds from taking a bite from the fruit and droping them to the ground. |
Hot, Dry Summer
The most important things that are needed this season are related to preparing for the upcoming hot and dry summer. Growers should start preparing for a dry spring and summer (but rejoice if we get rain) (unfortunately it is not looking promising with all long range forecasts and international models predicting El Nino)......sigh!!!!!! Please read tips for Conserve water this summer.
Here's a link to the weather bureau site that provides regular updates on ENSO status: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/index.shtml
The most important things that are needed this season are related to preparing for the upcoming hot and dry summer. Growers should start preparing for a dry spring and summer (but rejoice if we get rain) (unfortunately it is not looking promising with all long range forecasts and international models predicting El Nino)......sigh!!!!!! Please read tips for Conserve water this summer.
Here's a link to the weather bureau site that provides regular updates on ENSO status: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/index.shtml
Conserve water this summer. How to prepare?
Of course there are many, many ways to conserve water in your garden. Here are just a few that may be useful to you! Feel free to share your favorite tips with us so we can share next time.
• Use diversion drains, swales and terraces to help intercept water flow and spread it out. This will help water seep slowly into the ground where you want it rather than being lost into drains and causing erosion.
• Build mounds around trees and shrubs to reduce runoff and allow moisture to soak slowly into the soil around the canopy drip line and roots.
• Remove unnecessary lower branches and leaves from trees. Not only does this create a more structurally appealing tree by ‘lifting’ the eye up to the canopy, but with fewer leaves there is less moisture loss and this lowers the tree’s water requirements.
• Use a moisture meter - this will help you get a feel for what each of your plants need in terms of moisture. It is easy to use and provides you with an accurate reading of the moisture content in your soil in a few seconds. 10-30% moisture indicates the soil is too DRY and you need to water; 40-70% moisture means the soil is MOIST or ‘just right’ so no action is required; and a reading of 80-100% moisture means your soil is too WET so avoid watering.
• Use a watering can to make sure you only water as much as you need to.
• Mulch, Mulch, Mulch! Up to 70% of water can evaporate from the soil on a hot day if you don’t have mulch as a protective layer on top. Mulch is one of the best moisture holding strategies you can employ. It prevents evaporation from the soil surface, helps suppress water-thieving weeds from growing and many mulches add vital nutrients to the soil at the same time.
Avoid fine mulches that tend to clump and become water-repellent. Instead, use a coarser mulch which allows water/rain to move down through to the soil.
A depth of 3-5cm in a pot (depending on the size) and even deeper (8-10cm) in a garden bed is ideal. Apply mulch onto moist soil and water in well.
Of course there are many, many ways to conserve water in your garden. Here are just a few that may be useful to you! Feel free to share your favorite tips with us so we can share next time.
• Use diversion drains, swales and terraces to help intercept water flow and spread it out. This will help water seep slowly into the ground where you want it rather than being lost into drains and causing erosion.
• Build mounds around trees and shrubs to reduce runoff and allow moisture to soak slowly into the soil around the canopy drip line and roots.
• Remove unnecessary lower branches and leaves from trees. Not only does this create a more structurally appealing tree by ‘lifting’ the eye up to the canopy, but with fewer leaves there is less moisture loss and this lowers the tree’s water requirements.
• Use a moisture meter - this will help you get a feel for what each of your plants need in terms of moisture. It is easy to use and provides you with an accurate reading of the moisture content in your soil in a few seconds. 10-30% moisture indicates the soil is too DRY and you need to water; 40-70% moisture means the soil is MOIST or ‘just right’ so no action is required; and a reading of 80-100% moisture means your soil is too WET so avoid watering.
• Use a watering can to make sure you only water as much as you need to.
• Mulch, Mulch, Mulch! Up to 70% of water can evaporate from the soil on a hot day if you don’t have mulch as a protective layer on top. Mulch is one of the best moisture holding strategies you can employ. It prevents evaporation from the soil surface, helps suppress water-thieving weeds from growing and many mulches add vital nutrients to the soil at the same time.
Avoid fine mulches that tend to clump and become water-repellent. Instead, use a coarser mulch which allows water/rain to move down through to the soil.
A depth of 3-5cm in a pot (depending on the size) and even deeper (8-10cm) in a garden bed is ideal. Apply mulch onto moist soil and water in well.
Tips for the August Gardens, so lets look at what you can do
Now is a good time to trim back your bushy herbs and perennials. At the Tucker Patch we have lots of salvia to attract the bees - they love a good prune at this time of year, and will come back strongly when the frosts are over.
We also have wormwood (artemisia powis castle) which benefits from a haircut at this time of year - and you can use the trimmings to make a tea that you can spray on your plants to control a whole lot of pesky bugs. See the Tips below for details of how to use wormwood.
For your tomatoes when the spring comes (September is a good time to plant them - after the last frost), prepare a bed now. Mix some organic compost, chook poo (we have lots for sale at the Farmgate), a wee bit of water, and dig it into your topsoil. Apply a heavy mulch and your bed will be awesome come September!
What else to plant this month? Well, it's still to early to start planting frost sensitive plants - but you can definitely keep planting your frost-tolerant greens like spinach, silver beet, kale and all kinds of lettuces; and it's not too late for cabbages (especially Chinese cabbage). Also a great time to start your carrots - directly sowing the seeds in your well-prepared beds. And if you're into "crowns", both asparagus and rhubarb crowns can be planted now.
Now is a good time to trim back your bushy herbs and perennials. At the Tucker Patch we have lots of salvia to attract the bees - they love a good prune at this time of year, and will come back strongly when the frosts are over.
We also have wormwood (artemisia powis castle) which benefits from a haircut at this time of year - and you can use the trimmings to make a tea that you can spray on your plants to control a whole lot of pesky bugs. See the Tips below for details of how to use wormwood.
For your tomatoes when the spring comes (September is a good time to plant them - after the last frost), prepare a bed now. Mix some organic compost, chook poo (we have lots for sale at the Farmgate), a wee bit of water, and dig it into your topsoil. Apply a heavy mulch and your bed will be awesome come September!
What else to plant this month? Well, it's still to early to start planting frost sensitive plants - but you can definitely keep planting your frost-tolerant greens like spinach, silver beet, kale and all kinds of lettuces; and it's not too late for cabbages (especially Chinese cabbage). Also a great time to start your carrots - directly sowing the seeds in your well-prepared beds. And if you're into "crowns", both asparagus and rhubarb crowns can be planted now.
Green Manure at the Tucker Patch
At the Tucker Patch we grow lots of green manure in the Food Forest. The term 'green manure' refers to plants that are grown not for food or grazing, but instead to be cut back and used to improve the soil. It can be used between crops to rejuvenate the soil from the last crop and/or prepare it for the next. It improves soil structure and water retention, and draws minerals up through the soil to make them more available to plants, and also helps to control nematodes and other pathogens in the soil. Growing green manure can reduce the loss of the key nutrient nitrogen in the soil by up to 97 percent compared to soil left bare between crops.
What to Plant for a Green Manure Crop
You can use pretty much anything as a green manure. So long as it will grow at the time of year that you're planting it, it will be fine. Include some legumes (like peas and beans) to fix nitrogen. Fava beans, lupins and fenugreek also belong to
this family. They are particularly good at the Tucker Patch as they like heavy soils.
Mustard plants are great - they can help to prevent things like root-knot nematode and fungal pathogens. But you should be aware that they are part of the brassica family when you are planning your crop rotation. We use quite a lot of comfrey at the Tucker Patch. Planted as a green manure, it fixes potassium in the soil. The leaves can also be made into a liquid fertilizer or ‘green tea’ by soaking in a bucket of water for two
days.
We also use our weeds for green manure. Rather than eliminating them from the food forest, we pull and drop them before they flower or seed. So long as they don't multiply to take over the food plants, we let them grow and recycle them back in to the soil. Milk thistle is one of our common 'weeds' that we use for this purpose, producing a lot of bulk for incorporating in the soil.
Planting a Green Manure Crop
Loosen the soil gently with a fork to break up any clods. (We never dig deep into our soil, as the base soil is composed of clay and pebbles which we don't want to bring to the surface. We have built our soils up over the years so that we have a thick layer of productive topsoil, largely by the use of composts and green manures.)
Spread the green manure seed generously to get a thick coverage. Rake in to cover seed or dust over with compost to discourage birds from eating it, and water it in. In around 6 week's time, the crop should be ready to be cut down and dug in.
Other Tips
Cut down green manure crop before it starts flowering otherwise it will start using nutrients from the soil. Dig in legumes before they get a woody stem as they take a long time to break down. About a week after digging in the green manure crop, dig it in a second time and a week or two after that, the ground should be ready to plant your vegie crop. Be careful not to bring up the underlying clay when digging in or you will ruin the beneficial effects of the green manure on the soil.
Wormwood – Artemisia Powis Castle
There are several varieties of wormwood/artemisia – the best known is Artemisia
Absinthium, which is used to make absinthe and has also traditionally been used for both medicinal purposes and as an insect repellent.
Artemisia Powis Castle, which we grow abundantly at the Tucker Patch, is a hybrid of Artemisia
Absinthium and Artemisia Arborescens. It is a perennial aromatic herb that is frost and drought
tolerant and grows abundantly up to a metre wide.
It should be pruned to about 50cm in the spring (but never back to ground level) and during the summer trimmed to keep it compact. Artemisia Powis Castle should not be used for medicinal purposes or to make absinthe, but is effective as a bug repellent.
To make a bug repellent, take a big bunch of leaves and stems and pour boiling water over it to cover it. Leave for at least four hours and preferably overnight. Strain off the liquid and store; the leaves can be composted.
To use, dilute one part of wormwood liquid to four parts water and spray on plants. It is effective for snails, slugs, hard-shelled insects, white butterfly caterpillars, red spider moth and loopers but will not harm bees or other pollinating insects. It needs to be resprayed regularly during the periodwhere the bugs are a problem, and especially after rain or heavy dew.
There are several varieties of wormwood/artemisia – the best known is Artemisia
Absinthium, which is used to make absinthe and has also traditionally been used for both medicinal purposes and as an insect repellent.
Artemisia Powis Castle, which we grow abundantly at the Tucker Patch, is a hybrid of Artemisia
Absinthium and Artemisia Arborescens. It is a perennial aromatic herb that is frost and drought
tolerant and grows abundantly up to a metre wide.
It should be pruned to about 50cm in the spring (but never back to ground level) and during the summer trimmed to keep it compact. Artemisia Powis Castle should not be used for medicinal purposes or to make absinthe, but is effective as a bug repellent.
To make a bug repellent, take a big bunch of leaves and stems and pour boiling water over it to cover it. Leave for at least four hours and preferably overnight. Strain off the liquid and store; the leaves can be composted.
To use, dilute one part of wormwood liquid to four parts water and spray on plants. It is effective for snails, slugs, hard-shelled insects, white butterfly caterpillars, red spider moth and loopers but will not harm bees or other pollinating insects. It needs to be resprayed regularly during the periodwhere the bugs are a problem, and especially after rain or heavy dew.
Here are ten best tip to grow your own healthy and great tasting tomatoes every time
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Don't like wearing garden groves ?Even after scrubbing you end up with dirt stains under your nails. Here is a great tip for you
To help prevent dirt under your fingernails, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then just use a nail brush to remove the soap |