Hi Gardeners,
Welcome to the last news article for 2023.
How quickly the year seems to have flown by. December provides us with demanding conditions, of which we shall experience unrelenting hot, dry weather for the next few months. Those who live in the cities do not understand drought conditions, using water indiscriminately with little understanding of the moisture requirement for summer gardens.
Why do we water so much? Dealing with water repellent sandy soil, where the water is not reaching the root zone either by evaporation or run off, can be improved by using a wetting agent. Surprisingly, organic matter resists moisture absorption. By using a wetting agent on gardens and lawns we will cut watering needs by at least one-third - which is good news for your water bills.
The cool of the day is the best time to apply the wetting agent and water in well.
MANURES
Cow and chook manures are great for enriching your soil, improving nutrients, texture and drainage. Cow manure isn't as rich in nitrogen as chook manure. When establishing a garden, a combination of cow and chook manure and mushroom compost gives you and your garden a great head start.
Mushroom compost is the spent organic material from growing commercial mushrooms. Its pH is alkaline, so DO NOT add it to garden beds containing acid-loving plants.
CROP ROTATION
To keep your soil fertile and stop the build-up of pests and diseases, try crop rotation.
A four-year rotation works best as most plants have special problems that build up during the growing season. Rotation breaks this cycle of harmful pests.
BED 1 - next season use BED 4
Climbing Beans, Dwarf Beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli
BED 2 - next season use BED 1
Carrots, Radish, Beetroot, Onions, Parsnip, Turnip, Potatoes
BED 3 - next season use BED 2
Sweetcorn, Pumpkins, Zucchini, Cucumber, Rockmelon, Watermelon
BED 4 - next season use BED 3
Tomato, Capsicum, Eggplant
SIMPLE PRUNING
We prune to keep our plants in a certain shape and to encourage the production of new green growth. When pruning, we want the plant to experience a minimum of stress.
Pruning begins with young plants cutting back soft growth and avoiding old thick woody stems. Prune after flowering before the new growth becomes advanced. If the plants don't flower, prune in spring. New growth should only be cut back by one-third. Try to maintain the plants natural shape.
Merry Christmas and happy gardening,
Jill
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