To test if you have healthy, live active soil, bury some vegetable scraps into
a shallow trench. Leave them for about three to four weeks and then have a look
in the soil. If the vegetable scraps have decomposed and there is evidence of
worms and micro-organisms, then the soil is alive and well. The more
compost
you can dig into your garden, the healthier the soil and the stronger the
plants will be.
A quicker way to test soil is the
pendulum method
. Almost any object suspended
on a thread of cotton, fishing line or whatever, can be used as a pendulum. A
peg is excellent as you can clip it on to your clothes when not in use. Hold a
small clod of earth in one hand, suspending a pendulum over it. If it hangs
motionless over the clod, then the soil has no life force, no humus – it
is neutral. Negative soil is indicated when the pendulum oscillates from side
to side, telling us that the soil needs to be rested and replenished. If the
pendulum gyrates with a circular motion above the clod of earth being tested,
it is rich in humus and nutriments and ready for immediate use – it is
said to be positive.
Checking Drainage
To check how well your soil drains, fill the holes with water and check how
long it takes for the holes to empty. If it drains away very quickly then you
probably have sandy soil and moisture retention will be an ongoing problem -
mulching, adding organic material and using water-storing crystals or granules
are all strategies to use. If the water is still there after a few hours then
drainage will be a challenge in your garden.
Planting into raised beds, installing drainage, adding organic material to
attract earthworms that help to aerate the soil are all things to consider.
However the best option is to choose plants that do well in your type of soil.
It’s important to be aware of the type of soil you have in your garden. If it
is very sandy or heavy clay, then only certain plants are likely to really
thrive. However, all soil types benefit from the addition of lots of organic
material. The best source is your own
compost
made from a variety of materials
such as leaves, lawn clippings, food scraps and mulched prunings.
For an Instant Garden
Place a collection of potted plants around the garden to give immediate
interest and colour. Commit the plants into the ground when you are sure you
like their composition, colour and texture. Unless you have chosen a very
formal layout, avoid planting in straight lines. Grouping plants in groups of
threes or fives generally looks better than planting in groups of even numbers.
Dig a hole twice the size of the plant ball. Loosen the earth in the hole to
allow for the roots to spread easily when planted. Always water after planting.
Mulch in hot weather, but do not mulch right up to the plant stems – leave
a little space around the stem.
Which Plants Where?
When choosing plants, consider their foliage, colour, life expectancy, demands
for care and suitability for the area in which they will be planted. Check
other gardens in your area to see what seems to grow well.
Annuals will provide you with one season of colour, growth and show.
Perennials, once established in the garden, can make work easy and if planned
for flowering at different times, will provide colour and cut flowers
throughout the year.
Perennials will multiply and in late winter, they can be divided. Carefully dig
up the plant and divide with a sharp knife or spade. Replant, feed and water.
There are few herbs or vegetables that will grow successfully in heavy shade,
but there are quite a number of edibles that will cope very well if they
receive a bit of sun throughout the day - preferably in the morning - and are
in shade for the remainder of the day. Mints, however, do grow well in shade
and like moisture.
Seedlings
For strong, healthy plants, use the pendulum method mentioned above to select
positive seedlings (when the pendulum gyrates or rotates in a circular pattern).
When planting seedlings, water them every day to help them get going. Feed the
seedlings once a fortnight until they look like they are gathering strength.
Pinch off any buds in the first couple of weeks to strengthen the plant so that
when it flowers, it will bear bushier and longer-lasting flowers.
Thorny twigs placed around small seedlings will stop cats from digging them up
when using the newly dug soil as a bathroom Old mesh orange bags can be placed
over the seedlings as can cotton, tied in lines crisscrossing the new seed beds.
Growing from Seed
Although growing from seed requires a lot more effort than planting seedlings,
it can be very rewarding and a money-saver if you are on a budget.
An old suitcase makes a good seed-raising box. Fill it with seed-raising mix
and place the lid down to keep dark and warm inside.
Raise seeds in a good
compost
and keep them in a warm, dark place until they
sprout. Put them in a light, warm spot after the seedlings have broken through.
Keep them in a protected area and then prick them out into pots or boxes about
5 centimetres apart. Harden them off by slowly introducing them to the outside
weather conditions for several weeks, then plant them into the garden keeping
them well watered.
Cardboard egg boxes also make a simple container in which to raise seeds. Mild
cartons can then be used to plant the developed seedlings.
Newspaper seedling pots can be transferred directly into the garden. Roll up
some newspaper around a toilet roll casing and fasten up the side with adhesive
tape. Fold in one end to make a base and seal that with adhesive tape. Remove
the toilet roll casing and there you have a seedling pot. You can form larger
pots by using extra thickness of newspaper formed around an old plastic plant
pot.
Cuttings
Cuttings are easy to propagate and an inexpensive way to add new plants to your
garden. Cuttings taken in late summer from soft stemmed plants can be planted
and raised in a good
compost
potting mix.
Stem cuttings should be cut straight across just below a leaf joint using a
very sharp knife. Take off any leaves about a third the way up the cut stem.
Leaf cuttings should be an adult leaf, the stalk cut straight across. These can
be inserted into a pot with
compost
.
Bulbs
Once bulbs are planted, they can remain there for years and will bloom
throughout the year depending on what you plant. Plant them about twice as deep
as their height. Groups of bulbs look terrific so be generous when buying them
as they are a good investment. Plant small bulbs about 1"- 2" apart, larger
bulbs around 3" apart. If planting a group amongst other plants, place three
bulbs in the shape of a triangle, with the bulb closest to viewing forming the
apex of the triangle and the other two bulbs planted behind it.
Pruning
Pruning will give shape and strengthen new plants. Prune after flowering and
remove all dead wood. Cut up to a plump bud and make the cut at a slant to the
bud. Always have the right pruning tool for the job, making sure they are sharp
and clean.
It is very easy to overlook the
pruning of climbers
, and they can soon become a
tangled mass of dead stems. Some, such as
Clematis
, should be cut almost to the ground each year. Others only need to have the
dead wood removed, while a third group needs to have some of its older wood
pruned off each year so that the complete plant is renovated over three or four
years. A reminder note permanently attached to the plant is a good idea, as is
keeping a Gardening Diary.
Climbers
Climbers sometimes need cutting back if they look like smothering the house or
frame. To keep them bushy at the bottom, prune at the base to get several
shoots climbing up. (See above paragraph re pruning climbers.)
Paving Stones
Paths can be replaced by paving stones with ground cover plants - thyme,
chamomile, pennyroyal - growing between them. As the plants spread, the glare
of the stone is reduced and eventually eliminated. Try different varieties of
thyme - caraway, woolly and Shakespearean - combined with chamomile for a
variety of colour, and wormwood or yew for a tall hedge.
Pot Plants
Make sure there are plenty of drainage holes and mulch around the top of the
pot to retain moisture (leaving a little space around stems of plants).
Clay pots should always be soaked in water for several hours before potting.
Scrub them out if they have been used before and partly fill the pot with
compost. Place the new plant into the pot and then fill around the sides until
about one centimetre from the top of the pot. Tap it in gently and firm down
the compost mix. Water in well and leave in a shady spot for a week before
moving to its permanent position.
Feed plants in pots to help get them settled and growing. Also feed them several
times during the year as this is often the only way the plant can obtain
nutrients to keep it strong and healthy.
Plastic pots can be painted terracotta or white and can be stencilled or
stippled to suit the landscape.
Hanging basked frames can be made from wire coathangers. Use wire cutters to
shape the basket, line it with peat then plastic, making sure you poke some
drainage holes.
Wooden boxes can convert into planters if you line them with plastic and make
sure you punch some holes for drainage.
A trellis for a pot plant can be made from a stick and wire coathangers. Nail
them upside down to the stick with small tacks and paint with some rustproof
paint.
Fertilising
Fresh or dried poultry manure can make a rich liquid garden fertiliser with a
high nitrogen content.
Quarter fill a large plastic garbage bin, or a clean 200 litre drum that has
had one end removed, with manure and water. Cover with a lid to keep the smell
and flies away. After 2 weeks, the liquid will be ready for use.
Dilute with 3 parts fresh water and pour around plants once every 2 weeks.
Leftover sludge can be added to your
compost
heap or used as a mulch.
With seaweed, you can also prepare a spray that will fertilise your plants and
help control fungus. Rinse away all traces of salt first. Use the same quantity
as you did manure, steep for 3 weeks and dilute with 2 parts of fresh water.
Mulching
Make mulch with the lawn mower. Run the mower several times over prunings and
use the chopped up twigs as garden mulch. Mulch will keep the weeds away and
retain moisture in the soil during the warm summer months. Organic mulch is the
best as it will decompose and add nutrients to the garden.
Mulching your garden with organic matter is one of the best and most efficient
ways of keeping soil and plants healthy and happy. It generally improves soil
texture as well as providing a number of other benefits: slows weed growth,
reduces the need for excessive watering by keeping the soil moist, prevents
loss of moisture through evaporation, a steady supply of nutrients are supplied
to the plant roots, decaying mulch builds the soil into rich, friable humus.
It is not a good idea to mulch leaves that are diseased. (Rose leaves often are
suffering from black spot.) Avoid any weed species with seed heads and any
plant that will grow readily from a small piece (ivy for example).
Apply the mulch as previous applications break down, maintaining a good, deep
layer. However, be sure that the mulch is not placed too close to the base of
newly planted seedlings as they may rot from excess moisture trapped near their
young stems.
Suitable materials for mulching include: mushroom compost, homemade
compost
for
all soil types and conditions, manure (cow or horse manure is the best choice
and should be pulverised before applying to the soil. This can be done by
running the lawnmower over it a few times until sufficiently broken down). Well
rotted poultry manure can also be used and should be mixed with some type of
fibrous litter. Its high nitrogen content is excellent for promoting leaf
growth in vegetables such as silverbeet and lettuce.
Also suitable for mulching: grass clippings (use as a top layer mulch only
unless combined with manure or compost); pine bark chips (make an excellent top
layer mulch or can be used in combination with manure or compost); leaf mould
but only use after it has become well rotted - either add in layers to the
compost or rake up leaves into a pile in Autumn, water well and allow to break
down into a friable mulch.
Weed Control
Mulching will help keep the weeds away. Some safe garden sprays are:
Using a blender, mix up fresh mint leaves (a good handful), spring onions, a
garlic bulb, and three whole red chillies. Add some pure soapy water to mix.
Dilute with about three litres of hot water and then cool. Strain into a spray
bottle and use to keep ants, caterpillars and other insects away.
Chamomile tea can be used as a spray to prevent fungus and mildew on seedlings
and plants.
Bicarbonate of soda mixed with a mixture of pure soap and hot water –
ration being 50g bicarbonate, 2 litres of water, 25g soap – makes a good
spray for mildew, fungi and white scale.
Milk can be used as a spray if diluted 1 part to 9 parts water for mildews on
lettuce, squash, strawberries, tomatoes and apples.
Onions chopped up and then soaked in boiling water for 24 hours will make a
good spray for aphids, thrips and sucking type insects. Use 1kg onions soaked
in ½ litre boiling water. Strain and dilute with about 20 litres water.
Another effective spray for controlling aphids, scale and sucking pests
(particularly on citrus trees) can be made from soap and washing soda. Boil a
small amount of water and stir in
260g washing soda
. Stir until it is completely dissolved and add
100g grated soap
. Heat the mixture, at the same time stirring the soap until it has dissolved.
Add 13 litres of water, agitate the mixture and spray as required.
Discouraging Birds
Discourage birds from destroying a vegetable crop by hanging aluminium
reflectors on string above the plants. Or build an old-fashioned bird scare
that looks like a bird of prey indigenous to your area. Attach to a string line
above the garden.
Slugs and Snails
Snails and the slimey slug is attracted to rich soil and
compost
. Safe methods of controlling both slugs and snails include:
Use a strip of sand, crushed eggshells, wood ash or sawdust around the
vegetables. They do not like moving over the gritty surface. Small circular
rounds of mosquito netting placed over young seedlings will keep snails from
them. Remove once plants are grown and established.
Place hollowed out half orange peel under which they will gather during the
night. Check each morning. Sprinkle table salt onto collected slugs to kill
them. Discourage slugs by placing newspaper barriers in their paths. Fold
several sheets of newspaper, slightly dampened, and lay in rows between young
seedlings. Slugs are attracted to the paper and hide between the folded sheets.
Check daily, dispose of slugs and add paper to the
compost.
Both slugs and snails love beer because of the yeast component. Place
containers with left-over beer dregs around your vegetable patch, pushing into
the soil. Check each morning. Sprinkle table salt onto collected slugs to kill
them.
Native "cannibal" snails have a spiral shell and are flatter than the
imported Asian hump-back garden snail. They are very beneficial for the garden
as they eat the imported variety of snail that loves to eat your plants! To
help recognise the native cannibal snails, they are shiny dark brown in colour,
have a thin, flattish shell, the underside of which is lighter in colour. The
body is dark grey and moves along to the side of the shell.
Another wonderful friend to have is the Leopard Slug – they will not eat
healthy plants but scavenge on dead and rotting material. They clean up the
garden of decaying vegetable matter and do a good job of eating left-over pet's
food, bread, etc. They are a valuable helper in the garden and can be
encouraged by putting out one of the favourite foods, stale wheatmeal biscuits.
Earthworms
A friend to all gardens and gardeners who achieve amazing results. They burrow
tirelessly in the soil creating tiny tunnels which carry water down to the
plants' roots and so decrease runoff in heavy rain. He eats fungi and harmful
insect eggs as well as leaving a "cast" from the soil passing through
the digestive system. This is a valuable additional fertiliser. Even when life
is over, the decaying worms yield a source of fertiliser which is very rich in
nitrogen.
Worms are essential in the
compost
heap and if conditions are right, they will
breed there waiting to be "transplanted" into your garden where they
contribute greatly to the health of soil and plants. Using compost reduces the
need to use animal manures, which can often introduce all manner of weeds to
the garden if they are used uncomposted.
Even when a worm dies, the decaying worms yield a source of fertiliser very
rich in nitrogen.
