Real World Gardener-Horticulture, Gardening, Learning to Grow

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID & TIPS TO MAKE IT BETTER part 2

I would imagine, most listeners Real World Gardener radio show would have a vegetable garden, but perhaps there’s also some new listeners new to gardening?

This next interview will take you through some of the most common mistakes that gardeners make when starting out and what to do to avoid them.

Wrong Fertiliser?

Compost is king says Toni. The  compost helps the plants take up any nutrients that are in the soil.

Synthetic fertiliser can 'dump' in one load if temperatures increase above their optimum level.

The right fertiliser is dependant on the plants that you're growing. 

Leafy crops like high nitrogen fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure.

Tomatoes and other fruiting crops, especially beans and peas, won't do so well with producing fruit if you only add nitrogenous fertilisers.

Keep up the liquid feeding of your vegetable garden.

Planting in the Wrong Season?

Bear in mind there are different climatic zones in Australia so you need to look at the right climate for where you're living.

Why is your Basil dying at the end of Autumn? That's what it's meant to do.

Cool season planting: peas, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks lettuce,

Warm season planting: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, okra, pumpkin, beans, lettuce, chillies, basil

Crop Rotation

Failing to observe crop rotation will mean a build up pests and disease that attack that crop.

I am talking with Toni Salter Toni Salter who is The Veggie Lady. She has a passion to see organic principles adopted by everyone, encouraging people everywhere to grow organic produce in their own backyard. As a qualified horticulturist, Toni has been teaching community education classes both privately, at her home, as well as through various community colleges and local councils around Sydney since 2003. Catch her on www.theveggielady.com

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID & TIPS TO MAKE IT BETTER part 2

I would imagine, most listeners Real World Gardener radio show would have a vegetable garden, but perhaps there’s also some new listeners new to gardening?

This next interview will take you through some of the most common mistakes that gardeners make when starting out and what to do to avoid them.

Wrong Fertiliser?

Compost is king says Toni. The  compost helps the plants take up any nutrients that are in the soil.

Synthetic fertiliser can 'dump' in one load if temperatures increase above their optimum level.

The right fertiliser is dependant on the plants that you're growing. 

Leafy crops like high nitrogen fertiliser such as pelleted chicken manure.

Tomatoes and other fruiting crops, especially beans and peas, won't do so well with producing fruit if you only add nitrogenous fertilisers.

Keep up the liquid feeding of your vegetable garden.

Planting in the Wrong Season?

Bear in mind there are different climatic zones in Australia so you need to look at the right climate for where you're living.

Why is your Basil dying at the end of Autumn? That's what it's meant to do.

Cool season planting: peas, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks lettuce,

Warm season planting: tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplants, okra, pumpkin, beans, lettuce, chillies, basil

Crop Rotation

Failing to observe crop rotation will mean a build up pests and disease that attack that crop.

I am talking with Toni Salter Toni Salter who is The Veggie Lady. She has a passion to see organic principles adopted by everyone, encouraging people everywhere to grow organic produce in their own backyard. As a qualified horticulturist, Toni has been teaching community education classes both privately, at her home, as well as through various community colleges and local councils around Sydney since 2003. Catch her on www.theveggielady.com

VEGETABLE GARDENING: Growing Your Own

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID & TIPS TO MAKE IT BETTER

I would imagine, most listeners to this show would have a vegetable garden, but perhaps there’s also some new listeners new to gardening? This next interview will take you through some of the most common mistakes that gardeners make when starting out and what to do to avoid them.

Amount of sun: plants need the sun to photosynthesise in order to grow into healthy plants

Veggies will take 6 hours of sun to grow really well. Whether it's morning or afternoon sun doesn't matter so much.

In cities and built up areas, sun may be insufficient to grow all of the range of vegetables.

Less than 6 hours?

Stick with leafy crops such as celery, cabbage family-broccoli, kale, lettuce.

Inconsistent watering

Vegetables need to consume plenty of water because they're consuming a lot of nutrients as they are expanding lots of energy in growing.

Increase the amount of water holding capacity in your soil by adding compost, heaps and heaps of it.

Adding compost and worm castings will improve the structure of the soil which will also help with drainage.

I am talking with Toni Salter Toni Salter who is The Veggie Lady

VEGETABLE GARDENING: Growing Your Own

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID & TIPS TO MAKE IT BETTER

I would imagine, most listeners to this show would have a vegetable garden, but perhaps there’s also some new listeners new to gardening? This next interview will take you through some of the most common mistakes that gardeners make when starting out and what to do to avoid them.

Amount of sun: plants need the sun to photosynthesise in order to grow into healthy plants

Veggies will take 6 hours of sun to grow really well. Whether it's morning or afternoon sun doesn't matter so much.

In cities and built up areas, sun may be insufficient to grow all of the range of vegetables.

Less than 6 hours?

Stick with leafy crops such as celery, cabbage family-broccoli, kale, lettuce.

Inconsistent watering

Vegetables need to consume plenty of water because they're consuming a lot of nutrients as they are expanding lots of energy in growing.

Increase the amount of water holding capacity in your soil by adding compost, heaps and heaps of it.

Adding compost and worm castings will improve the structure of the soil which will also help with drainage.

I am talking with Toni Salter Toni Salter who is The Veggie Lady

Edible Gardens part 5

Ongoing MaintenanceSo what’s on the list? Mulching, fertilising, pruning, weeding but what else?I'm talking wiht Glenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist. Let’s find out… Top of the list is watering your garden, especially the veggie garden. Glenice recommends hand watering so you can monitor the needs of the veggies. Fertilising is not far behind as well as using seaweed liquid every 10 days to 2 weeks. 

Once the plants are in and growing, you need to be aware of the soil moisture conditions. Autumn showers are always beneficial for the vegetable garden, there is nothing like rain to push along the garden. 

You will need to supplement this rain with hand watering. Whenever possible, I would encourage gardeners to water their vegetable garden by hand as you can assess the water needs of plants individually, however if this is not possible an irrigation system which is monitored regularly is fine but make sure in times of rain it is switched off. 

The biggest destroyer of vegetables through the winter months is over watering, which can cause fungal diseases.

 After the plantings have been in for about a week or so, I would recommend fortnightly applications of seaweed emulsions such as Eco – Seaweed from organic crop protectants. This is not a fertiliser as such, it is a root revitaliser that will help stimulate good plant health and condition along with many other benefits.

 

Applying fertiliser to the vegetable garden is best completed with a liquid fertiliser such as Eco amino– Gro, Yates Nature’s Way or Amgrow’s Harvest. This can be done once a fortnight or as per packet directions. You can also use your home-made compost tea on your veggies whilst they are growing.

 

If you have any questions of course, why not email [email protected] or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

Edible Gardens part 5

Ongoing MaintenanceSo what’s on the list? Mulching, fertilising, pruning, weeding but what else?I'm talking wiht Glenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist. Let’s find out… Top of the list is watering your garden, especially the veggie garden. Glenice recommends hand watering so you can monitor the needs of the veggies. Fertilising is not far behind as well as using seaweed liquid every 10 days to 2 weeks. 

Once the plants are in and growing, you need to be aware of the soil moisture conditions. Autumn showers are always beneficial for the vegetable garden, there is nothing like rain to push along the garden. 

You will need to supplement this rain with hand watering. Whenever possible, I would encourage gardeners to water their vegetable garden by hand as you can assess the water needs of plants individually, however if this is not possible an irrigation system which is monitored regularly is fine but make sure in times of rain it is switched off. 

The biggest destroyer of vegetables through the winter months is over watering, which can cause fungal diseases.

 After the plantings have been in for about a week or so, I would recommend fortnightly applications of seaweed emulsions such as Eco – Seaweed from organic crop protectants. This is not a fertiliser as such, it is a root revitaliser that will help stimulate good plant health and condition along with many other benefits.

 

Applying fertiliser to the vegetable garden is best completed with a liquid fertiliser such as Eco amino– Gro, Yates Nature’s Way or Amgrow’s Harvest. This can be done once a fortnight or as per packet directions. You can also use your home-made compost tea on your veggies whilst they are growing.

 

If you have any questions of course, why not email [email protected] or write in to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675.

Orchid Cut Flowers

Potted plants:

Like other orchid species, humidity is important for the best growth.

 a small tray of rocks or pebbles should be used for potted plants

Water should be added to keep the pebbles covered at all times.

 Damp soil is important during peak growing and blooming seasons.

A good orchid potting bark that retains some moisture should be used. 

Daily misting should be used to increase humidity.

Several hours of indirect light is best for live plants. Direct light can cause leaves and flowers to scorch on the edges. A warm windowsill with lots of indirect light can be the best spot.

 Fertilizers may be used to produce better blooms for many species.Care should be taken to avoid overusing fertilizers for potted plants.Overuse can lead to stunted plant growth or scorching of the leaves.

Cut Flowers

Dunk in a bucket of water for 15 minutes.

Cut the stem straight across

Mist the flowers daily with filtered or "burped water."

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini of www.floralgossip.com.au

Orchid Cut Flowers

Potted plants:

Like other orchid species, humidity is important for the best growth.

 a small tray of rocks or pebbles should be used for potted plants

Water should be added to keep the pebbles covered at all times.

 Damp soil is important during peak growing and blooming seasons.

A good orchid potting bark that retains some moisture should be used. 

Daily misting should be used to increase humidity.

Several hours of indirect light is best for live plants. Direct light can cause leaves and flowers to scorch on the edges. A warm windowsill with lots of indirect light can be the best spot.

 Fertilizers may be used to produce better blooms for many species.Care should be taken to avoid overusing fertilizers for potted plants.Overuse can lead to stunted plant growth or scorching of the leaves.

Cut Flowers

Dunk in a bucket of water for 15 minutes.

Cut the stem straight across

Mist the flowers daily with filtered or "burped water."

I'm talking with Mercedes Sarmini of www.floralgossip.com.au

Edible Gardens part 4 Companikon Planting

This series is about edible gardens from start to finish. So far we’ve covered, site selection, soil preparation and selection of plants or seeds for your garden Part 4 is about companion planting, So what is it? Let’s find out… I'm talking with  Glenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist. If you’re dubious about companion planting at the very least, plant out some flowering annuals close to your veggie garden to attract pollinating insects. Marigolds and alyssum attract not only pollinators but beneficial insects as well. 

 

Some proven successful combinations of plant species are: 

Marigolds (Stinking Rogers) planted out in veggie beds will repel a number of bugs with their somewhat smelly foliage and are proven to kill nematodes in the soil.

Chives, thyme and catnip planted with roses will deter aphids and other typical rose diseases.

Basil works well with tomatoes by repelling flies and mosquitoes.

Dill, chervil and coriander growing in between carrots will help to deter insects.

Alternating leeks and carrots in rows will protect each other from insect attack. 

Beetroot, onions, silverbeet, lettuce, cabbage and dwarf beans all work in combination with each other to create a mini ecosystem and will battle through insect attack well together.

Chervil and coriander are good to plant amongst carrots.

Edible Gardens part 4 Companikon Planting

This series is about edible gardens from start to finish. So far we’ve covered, site selection, soil preparation and selection of plants or seeds for your garden Part 4 is about companion planting, So what is it? Let’s find out… I'm talking with  Glenice Buck, landscape designer and consulting arborist. If you’re dubious about companion planting at the very least, plant out some flowering annuals close to your veggie garden to attract pollinating insects. Marigolds and alyssum attract not only pollinators but beneficial insects as well. 

 

Some proven successful combinations of plant species are: 

Marigolds (Stinking Rogers) planted out in veggie beds will repel a number of bugs with their somewhat smelly foliage and are proven to kill nematodes in the soil.

Chives, thyme and catnip planted with roses will deter aphids and other typical rose diseases.

Basil works well with tomatoes by repelling flies and mosquitoes.

Dill, chervil and coriander growing in between carrots will help to deter insects.

Alternating leeks and carrots in rows will protect each other from insect attack. 

Beetroot, onions, silverbeet, lettuce, cabbage and dwarf beans all work in combination with each other to create a mini ecosystem and will battle through insect attack well together.

Chervil and coriander are good to plant amongst carrots.