Muddy Boots

This episode, Elisabeth and Keith provide invaluable insights into all things lavender. From understanding the importance of well-drained soil and ample sunlight to identifying the best locations for successful cultivation, we'll unveil the secrets to nurturing thriving lavender plants.

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The benefits of a plant based diet are well known. Today we meet Samantha Gowing from Food, Health, Wealth, renowned chef and nutritionist who is passionate about the health benefits of plants.

A fascinating discussion covering the importance of seasonal produce, the myths of ‘super foods’, the medicinal benefits of many plants and striving for the umami flavour for a satisfying plant based diet.

Sam talks about the benefits of some of our basic herbs including parsley, watercress, turmeric, ginger, how to store them for longevity and tips on using the whole plant to reduce waste.

Check out the following to learn more about Samantha Gowing’s work:

• Food Health Wealth
• Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
• Savour The Tweed

Happy gardening!

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Needing privacy from neighbours, a wind break or visual separation to divide your garden into rooms or hide a shed? Hear Keith’s Top 10 screening plants for the suburban garden.

1. Laurus Nobilis ‘Baby Bay’ - 1.2 wide x 2m tall
2. Olive - Mediterranean Midget - 1.5m - 2.5m tall
3. Syzygium Australe Straight and Narrow - 1.2m wide x 6m tall
4. Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ - 1.2m wide x 2m tall
5. Choisya Ternata (Mexican Orange Blossom) - 1.5m wide x 1.8m tall
6. Syzygium Australe Pinnacle - 1.5m wide x 6m tall
7. Callistemon viminalis ‘Slim’ - 1.5m wide x 3m tall
8. Westringia Naringa - 1.5m wide x 2.2m tall
9. Murraya paniculata ‘Sweet Privacy’ - 1.5m wide x 2m tall
10. Cestrum nocturnum - 1.5m wide x 3m tall

Happy gardening!

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Start of Spring is a great time to get going with planning for your Spring/Summer Veggie garden.

• Check what climate zone you are in. Keith recommends The Seed Collection’s Map
• Cool Climate Area (most of Vic) - Beans (including Lazy House Wife, Scarlet Runner), 
• Keith will be trialling new dwarf varieties of tomatoes - stay tuned for Keith’s observations
• Consider climbing frames for vegetables like cucumbers and pumpkins allowing more space underneath for other planting
• Remove finished Winter vegetables and add compost (Clyde's Compost and Clyde’s lignite), MycoGold and Munash Rock Dust and cover with quality mulch like Who Flung Dung. Rest for approx 3 weeks before planting. Water new seedlings in with Seasol
• Tomatoes seedlings can’t be planted until about the end of October
• Some recommendations for planting now - Carrots, Radishes (try French Breakfast Radish), 
• Sow seeds into paper pots now and keep warm in hothouse or indoors including - eggplant, pumpkin, tomatoes, spring onions, chillis 
• Follow the directions on the packet for seed/seedling spacing
• Marigold, basil, Spring onions, garlic will all help to deter pests
• Pea Straw and lucerne are excellent mulches adding nutrients to the soil but will attract birds so best used in beds that will be netted
• Vegetables need 4mm of water every day. Keith recommends Dan’s Modular Sprinklers
• pH level should be neutral at 7.0

Happy veggie gardening!

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Q&A time again! Who will be this month’s lucky winner of the fabulous prize donated by The Plant Runner?

• Organic Weed Killers - follow the directions precisely! Keith recommends Slasher, Bioweed or Slayer
• Banksia’s not flowering? Banksia’s prefer a sandy soil and may take several years to flower
• Prune lavender after they’ve finished flowering. Lightly trim back to 4-6 leaves of new growth
• Lawn vs gravel between garden beds - Keith explains why he has opted for grass.
• Raised beds - timber or colorbond? Keith recommends ModBOX beds (timber). Corrugated iron or colorbond can be good in cooler months but attracts to much heat in summer and can burn roots. Henley's Rustics have wonderful corrugated iron wicking beds for those who prefer metal look
• Using charcoal from your fire? Breakdown with Gogo Juice to create an activated biochar.
• Potting mix - does it have a shelf life? Store unopened in cool place and it should last approximately 12 months
• Manure best left out on the ground for a month or so before use 
• Hydrangeas - only cut back to the nearest node. If cut back to far, you can risk either killing the plant or no flowers the following summer

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Citrus is one of the most talked about topics on Muddy Boots. Don’t already have a citrus or thinking of adding a new on to your garden? Today we learn Keith’s Top 10 varieties as well as some tips on caring for your citrus.

Citrus like lots of heat, full sun and lots of moisture. In areas prone to frost, look to grow near a ‘heat sink’ (such as a brick wall or a body of water like a pond). Leave frost affected leaves on the plant to protect from further frost until the frost period is finished. Citrus can be planted in pots with regular feeding (worm ‘wee’ is perfect) and plenty of water. Feed all citrus regularly with liquid feed Spring/Summer and slow release feed such as Neutrog Gyganics during Winter months. 

Spray all citrus trees with ECO Neem and Eco Oil to prevent pests like citrus miner. Citrus Gall affected branches either need to be either removed or the area opened with a sharp knife to kill the larvae.

Prune regularly to maintain manageable size and shape.

Keith’s Top Ten

1. Meyer Lemon 
2. ‘Prior Lisbon’ Lemon
3. Tahitian Lime
4. Finger Lime
5. Washington Navel Orange
6. ‘Arnold’ Blood Orange
7. Satsuma Okitsu Mandarin
8. ‘Lemonade’ lemon
9. Tangelo ‘Seminole’
10. Junos Yuzu

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Following on from last week’s Moon Calendar episode, today we hear more about propagating from seed.

Keith suggests finding out your ‘cool zone’ and ‘heat zone’ to assist with understanding when to plant your seeds.

Seeds can be purchased online via Diggers Club, Seeds of Plenty, Seed Freaks, The Seed Collection, 

Before beginning, check the moon calendar to guide when to sow the seeds for best results. 

Seeds can be sown either directly or into punnets (check the packet for recommendations). When sowing into punnets use a seed raising mix and consider sowing into paper pots to avoid root disturbance when transplanting. When sowing directly, the soil should be an open, friable soil with plenty of compost. Hard seeds such as peas, beans, broad beans etc can be soaked for 6-8 hours to speed up germination.

Sow seeds at a depth of twice their width. How far apart to sow your seeds will depend on the seed variety - again check the packet and think about the size of the vegetable you’re growing. To sow in optimum warmth, consider a greenhouse or replicate this effect in a sunny spot inside, next to your hot water service or a mini greenhouse. Ensure watering with a soft spray to avoid disturbing seed/seedling (approx 5 minutes every second day). Once germinated and seedlings have 2-4 true leaves, a tonic such as Seasol can be applied. Once the seedling has 4-6 leaves, take them outside to ‘harden off’ before planting into the garden. Again, transplanting is best done during the high growth period, according to the moon calendar. Protect your young seedlings from pests, potentially covering them with netting. Spray weekly with ECO Neem and Eco Oil.

Good luck and enjoy the satisfaction of growing your vegetables from seed!

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Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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As regular listeners would know, Keith raves about an easy to use Moon calendar.  Today we meet Sheree Scott whose parents developed this handy, easy to use Moon calendar wheel.

This traditional agrarian practice of observing the effect of the gravitational force of the moon has many sceptics in the modern world. This handy, easy to use 1 page moon calendar is a simple way to try this for yourself to observe increased germination rates and plan your gardening guided by the moon phases. The calendar wheel is a perpetual calendar meaning it can be used year on year by simply observing the dates provided on the Moon Gardening Calendar website.

Be sure to check out and order your Moon Gardening Calendar and observe the results for yourself!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/muddybootspodcast/
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Q&A time again! Who will be this month’s lucky winner of the fabulous prize donated by The Plant Runner?

• Camellias can be moved during Winter months by pruning back by around ⅓, carefully digging out and feeding with a specialised, acidic potting mix
• Fig trees can be pruned in Winter to back to your preferred size by cutting back to the nearest node. Feed with Neutrog Gyganics       
• Ash from the fire can be either put into the compost or applied to the garden (best before rain) and can be a pest deterrent for slugs and aphids
• Lemon not fruiting heavily? Could be lack of sun and warmth. 
• Transplanting a lemon tree. Can be cut back by at about ⅓. Dig down 30-45cm under the roots and transplant into a well-composted spot or into a pot with specialised citrus potting mix. Seasol will help stimulate root growth
• Beans not germinating. Try soaking in water with diluted Seasol. Plant at recommended time of year.
• Olive trees are very hardy and a hedge can be maintained by cutting back to your preferred height regularly.
• Transplanting an Acacia could be risky (natives are notoriously difficult to transplant). 

Thank you for your great questions again! 

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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Ornamental grasses are an excellent way to add height, movement, colour and contrast to your year round landscape. This week we hear about some of Keith’s favourite varieties and how to incorporate them into your garden.

Most grasses are easy to grow and require minimal attention provided they have reasonable soil. Preferring full sun but some will tolerate part shade. Once established they are drought tolerant and rarely prone to pests or disease.

Keith recommends cutting grasses back almost to the ground at the end of winter. Can be then easily divided by digging up and dividing with sharp spade.

Some of Keith’s favourites include:

• Miscanthus sinensis ‘Flamingo’ - tall form growing to 1.2-1.5m
• Miscanthus ‘Kleine Fontaine’ - with vertical stripe through the leaf
• Miscanthus ‘Klein Silberspinne’ - compact variety
• Miscanthus ‘Zebrinus’ - with horizontal stripe through the leaf
• Miscanthus ‘Adagio’ - ideal for smaller garden
• Miscanthus ‘Giganteus’ - grows to over 2m
• Calamagrostis -tall vertical accent
• Stipa Gigantea  - tidy clump with 2m flower stems
• Stipa ‘ichu’ - smaller variety
• Poa labillardierei - small tussock clumping grass
• Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’- blue grass 30cm

Why not add some interest to your garden with some of these beautiful grasses!

Where you can find all things Muddy Boots!

Website: https://www.muddyboots.net.au/
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