August heralds the coming of the light, where the sun is a
little higher in the sky and daylight hours are lengthening. Lengthening days
and strengthening sun bring energy to life in the southern hemisphere. Along
with climate trends and weather variations, these are what influence the
arrival of spring. Here in Cygnet, cold winds often arrive, just when we start
to enjoy a bit more sun so provide shelter for the edible garden, using hay
bales, for example.
Insects, fungus, birds and other annoyances
We walk in the forests and marvel at the beautiful fungi but
we don’t like curly leaf appearing on our fruit trees, as a result of other
fungi. The difference is that, in the forests, life is in balance. If anyone
starts getting too big for their boots, other creatures will bring things back
into line.
We can toss cold ash from our fires about the place in
autumn under fruit trees and use a woody rather than straw mulch. We can
attract predators, like lacewings, by planting hiding places and breeding
places for them, near or under our fruit trees. We can let the chooks range in
about the fruit trees, to pick off emerging coddling moth larvae. We can net
individual trees to keep the birds and maybe the possums off during fruiting
but we do need the little wrens, silver eyes and others to hop about on the
bare branches all winter, picking off insect larvae, aphids etc and even those
pesky blackbirds, rummaging about in the mulch, are doing more good than harm,
during winter and spring. I do all these things and rarely have insect or
disease problems but there are 3 relatively benign sprays that I use. Nothing
is totally harmless. Do not be fooled by chemical companies that claim
otherwise!
Curly leaf is best avoided by applying a copper spray
several times before bud burst, after which it is too late. I use Burgundy Mix,
as described many years ago by Peter Cundall:
1. Dissolve 50 gram of washing soda (from supermarket) in 2.5 litres of
warm water.
2. Dissolve
50 grams copper sulphate in a separate 2.5 litres of water.
3. Slowly
pour the dissolved washing soda into the dissolved copper sulphate.
4. This is
Burgundy mixture. It is at its most effective strength when freshly mixed so
must be used immediately or within a couple of days.
5. Spray
thoroughly over and under the bare branches of peach, nectarine and
other stone fruit trees to help control leaf curl and brown rot disease. It is
also useful when sprayed over raspberry canes in late July/early August for
control of raspberry rust
and on apple trees that had scab last year.
The mixture
colours the sprayed plants blue. The spray can withstand light rain but should
be re-applied after persistent rain and done at least twice before any buds
open. Do not spray once the leaves and flowers open. Read about copper
accumulation in the soil and about lime sulphur alternative, on the Deep Green
Permaculture website.
White oil
Into an empty jar pour a cup of ordinary cooking oil and ¼
cup of dishwashing liquid. Give it a good shake. It will turn white. That’s
your white oil concentrate. It will last for a year or more. Label the
container with the correct dilution rate – ‘one tablespoon per litre of
water’. I use this for scale on my undercover, potted citrus and on indoor
plants that get scale. It is very effective and simply blocks the pores of
whatever it lands on.
Dipel
Dipel is a biological insecticide containing the naturally
occurring microorganism Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki, that only
effects caterpillars. It is wonderful sprayed on your brassicas to reduce
cabbage moth caterpillars breeding up in spring and summer. It does not harm
any other insects or animals.
Sowing Tomatoes
My favourite tomatoes for growing in chilly Cygnet are Black
from Tula (big, black, solid, luscious, delicious and surprisingly reliable),
Rouge de Marmande (medium, reliable, long season), Jaune Flammé (orange, medium
to smallish, delicious, very prolific, long season). Many others are suitable
too. Check out Dave’s Seeds website and facebook page.
I have written about sowing tomatoes many times. The gist of
it is:
1.
They really do need bottom heat for good
germination. Use a brewer’s mat or terrarium mat or silicone terrarium tube or
lash out on a heated seed raising kit.
2.
Covering the seed tray with a sheet of glass
before germination keeps moisture in and rodents out. This applies to all seed
sowing.
3.
Once germinated, they need LOTS of sun plus the
heat mat. Water sparingly. Use warm water. Water with a weak liquid feed every
couple of weeks.
4.
Pay attention to how they look. Spindly = need
more sun. Yellow = too much water. Not growing = need more warmth or food.
Herbs
“Herbs maketh the meal” Kate, 2022
Parsley and walnut pesto, sage leaf chips, salsa verde,
tarragon and orange salad, rosemary sourdough, pistou soup, dill cucumbers, bay
leaves in vodka etc etc all need to be in your mind when you think about your
edible garden. Herbs are not just extras, they are integral to making food
memorable.
In these days of rising prices, grow what is expensive to
buy. Herbs grow so easily and are so much more tasty picked directly from
outside your kitchen door, rather than from a shop. Don’t just plant one of
each, plant 6! Put aside a whole garden edge for garlic chives, fill spaces
between young brassicas with parsley. Create an area solely for evergreen herbs
like rosemary, sage, marjoram, fennel, sorrel and be adventurous. Lovage is
fantastic!
Plant
and sow in August
Plant
rhubarb, strawberry runners, raspberry canes, asparagus and get all deciduous
trees and shrubs in before they leaf. Start
sowing summer vegetables with bottom heat: ·
Tomatoes ·
Capsicums ·
Chillis ·
Eggplants…. Good luck! And while you are waiting for them to
mature, why not grow some sprouts in the kitchen for a nutritious and
delicious treat for your taste buds and body…. lentils, chickpeas, fenugreek,
buckwheat Sow now in trays to plant out later: ·
Onions including red, salad, spring and most
others ·
Broad beans (it is not too late) ·
Coriander ·
Brassicas ·
Asian greens ·
Lettuces ·
Peas to eat and as pea shoot microgreens |
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