Saturation! This last month or so will be testing your
garden layout, water management and soil health. Don’t blame the weather; how
your garden reacts is all about plant health, soil health, drainage and the
state of the ecosystem you have had a big part in creating….. or not creating!
Aphid and white fly infestations, rust, rot and root diseases as well as
pollination issues can be sidestepped significantly by having a garden of
biodiverse plants, including lots of Tasmanian natives, predator attracting plants,
bird attracting plants and nesting sites as well as a soil packed with
microbes, who have spent millions of years evolving strategies to keep the soil
where they live healthy.
What to do now
1.If you have garlic rust, like I do in one patch because I
foolishly planted in a low spot, push your fork well down in between the plants
and open the soil up a bit, to help it dry off. I have also removed all leaves
touching the ground. I am going to spray over the leaves a solution of 1 part
full cream milk: 10 parts water. This is a very good fungal suppressant, as
used by thousands of vineyards worldwide, in preference to chemicals because of
its efficacy. Observe and learn from what you see.
2. Trees do not like to be waterlogged. Fork around the
dripline, not digging, but rather pushing the fork in deep then rocking it
forward and back, to let some air in. This will help relieve the compaction
created by so much rain. The same applies to lawns, garden beds and even paths.
3. If your chook yard is boggy, don’t try to fix it by using
something fine like hay because it may become mouldy and make your chooks sick.
Instead, use something inert and coarse, like coarse straw, not too thick. Dig
a few holes so the water can drain into them and fill them with gravel. If the
roost floor is wet from the chooks coming and going with wet feet etc, dust
with a little lime or carb soda, little and often, so as not to irritate their
feet.
Grass
After 12 years of gardening here on my acre I can finally
say that grass is no longer the problem that it was. Sure, nothing is perfect
but I am pretty happy. What did I do? Firstly, I did not expect miracles and I
have used no chemicals. Mostly I have mulched and mulched and fed and mulched
and pulled and mulched and then some!
For example, I try not to let grass grow within the drip
line of trees. As the trees grow, so the dripline expands and more grass is
mulched over. Amongst the mulch I plant all manner of flowers, bulbs and herbs
and native groundcovers too. This is fabulous for fire zones as it keeps dry
mulch to a minimum, using plants as living mulch. At the same time it benefits
soil microbes, little native birds and beneficial insects as well as looking
pretty. Yes, it takes years but eventually you have flowers and herbs and trees
and lovely garden beds with very little grass incursion. Start small, where you
are, use what you have, do what you can….. and keep doing it!
Codling moth
The adult female codling moth lays approximately 60 whitish
grey eggs that are about the size of a pinhead, on the surface of the leaves of
apples, pears and quinces when the average temperature is over 15 degrees in
spring and early summer. To reduce their numbers you must act now.
Codling moth eggs hatch after 10 days and the small
caterpillars emerge to feed on the leaf surface and make their way to the
fruit. They burrow into the fruit and head for the core. They will spend about
three to five weeks inside the fruit feeding and putting on body mass until
they are ready to emerge. This is the stage that we see, when fruit displays
the tell-tale hole which leads to brown insides or early rotting when stored.
My mother’s remedy works well but annually led to her
becoming embarrassed at her frequent visits to the local bottle shop every
spring! She had a stash of tins, such as from tinned tomatoes, through which
she drilled holes and tied string so that the tins can hang in a tree. Into
each tin she put a dash of port and a double dash of water. She hung 2 or 3
tins in every apple, pear and quince tree. The male coddling moths are
attracted to the port and drown in it, reducing the number of fertile eggs laid
by the females. My mother topped up the liquids regularly.
There is more, information and several non-alcoholic
controls outlined on the fantastic Global Net Academy website. Search for
Tasmania.
November is beans time.
Add a handful of potash and a good spadeful of compost per
square metre and fork them in. Sow beans into damp soil and water only once
until the first leaves appear. This year I will wait until things have dried
out somewhat or they may rot.
Climbing beans: Pole beans WILL blow over unless the
structure is secure. I tie one end of my frame to a sturdy fence post. I
especially love flat beans and have found some seeds, at last.
Bush beans: Bush beans are great for Tasmania as they
produce faster than pole beans and aren’t as bothered by spring winds. There
are hundreds of varieties to choose from and saving seed for next year is
simply a matter of letting some of the pods mature fully and dry off before
picking.
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Cygnet
Spring Garden Market: Sunday Nov. 13th, 11 – 3 @ The Cannery.
39+ garden stalls, 5 presentations, Cannery farm plates & bar, food vans
and stalls, coffee, tool sharpening class (BYO tools to sharpen), Seed
Library pack & chat, Children’s activities. Consider parking at Burtons
Reserve, a 2 minute walk away. Details on FB and Instagram. |
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Jobs for November
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Sow
indoors to plant out later: Cucumbers,
zucchinis (Romanesco), tromboncino, corn, pumpkins. Almost anything but it is
too late for tomatoes! Sow in
the garden: Beans (after
frosts), salad leaves (not just lettuce!), brassicas (cover with moth
netting), most herbs, salad and spring onions, beetroot, fennel, carrots,
celery, parsnip, sunflowers and lots of other flowers. |
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