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Outdoor Gardening Tips

Healthy Soil

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.

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