Meet the neighbours - Aug 23, 2012


Dear gardening friends

Spring must have started because Simon and I are wearing shorts today. It's very glary down here at the moment so bring your sun glasses.

Poor Russell is back at work after loosing several kilos last week in a hurry. He is so wafer at the moment you could use him as a book mark!

He hasn't lost that great smile so come and see him.

Pig is out the front watching the grass grow and he is finding this much more entertaining than being in The Big Brother House.

Well he did evict himself last week; there were just too many secrets in that house.

Spring is a great time to get to know your neighbours. One of the best ways to meet them all is to fertilise your entire garden with an organic fertiliser.

We have a great new product here at the nursery called Neutrog Rapid Raiser. This pelletised organic fertiliser can be used on every plant in your garden.

It's great for Roses, Fruit trees, Camellias, Azaleas, Natives, Pot plants and Vegetable gardens etc.

Rapid Raiser encourages worms to come and live in your garden. It also helps to break down clay soils.

It's available in 5kg bags for $13.99 but the best value is the 20kg bag that sells for just $20.99. Get a bag of this and fertilise your entire garden.

Water it in well and then stand back and watch your plants grow. It usually only smells for about 24 hours so don't panic.

I fertilised my garden on Sunday and my Daylilies are already responding with fresh green leaves.

I have tried these products on my lawn too but they don't give the same results as Tim's "Rapid Results" lawn food.

As your lawn starts to turn green come and get some of our famous lawn food.

Remember fertiliser makes plants that are already growing, grow faster.

I am often asked which fertilisers are the best; a lot of people buy liquid fertilisers. These are great but most people, who buy them, use them once, then put them in the "The Scary Cupboard" and they never get used again. I think granular fertilisers are the best because you put them on today and they feed your plants for 3 months.

Just a reminder, Seasol is not a fertiliser. It is a plant tonic made from Tasmanian Seaweed. It is a fantastic product for nursing sick plants back to health.

One of the reasons it works so well is you have to mix it with water. If you give plants more water they grow better.

Lisa has cranked up the Tomato plant selection this week. If you are going to plant them this early then you will have to cover them every night in case we get a frost.

Our famous Tim's Taurus tomato is still the best. It's easy to grow with large beefsteak style tomatoes with fewer seeds. One of our Italian gardeners from Kearns ranted about them last year so they really must be good.

If you want to plant a tomato that doesn't get fruit fly go for "Sweet Bite". This cherry sized tomato has a leathery skin which fruit fly don't seem to like.

I am waiting a couple of weeks before I plant my tomatoes but I have prepared the soil with cow manure, a dressing of lime and fresh sugarcane mulch.

Still way too early to plant cucumbers unless you're growing them from seed. Cucumbers hate frosts so don't plant them yet or you will do your doe.

There are some great perfumes here at the nursery, Jasmine, Brown boronia, Osmanthus and Daphne are all coming into flower. Bring your nose down for a treat.

Our Rose bushes are growing like crazy so these will be flowering soon too. We have the best roses in Sydney because Ryan is always spraying the leaves with Seasol.

Come and have a look, you have never seen healthier roses anywhere.

We are very busy today putting spring stock away. Every time I look up another truck is arriving.

Better get back out there.

Happy gardening

Tim