Rain - Nov 07, 2013
Dear gardening friends
I checked on Charlies knee yesterday hoping he would be on crutches I had heard on the radio that heavy rain is forecast for the weekend Charlies knee is fine this week so thaf s bad news for gardeners.
Charlie is mulching his garden this week so that got me excited. His garden has had bare earth showing for 10 years so the mulch will make his garden look better but it will also shield the soil from the hot sun so his plants will grow better. Up to 80% of the water you put on your garden evaporates if you don't have mulch.
If you are buying mulch at the moment you will notice that it's bone dry. This is bad because it will repel the water. If it rains heavily then the mulch will rehydrate and then it will lock in that water so your plants can use it. If we don't get rain then Charlie will need to treat the mulch with Wettasoil to make it accept water.
Under normal conditions mulches are usually quite moist and this is not a problem If you use Sugarcane then this accepts the water readily
I was digging in the veggie patch this morning I had to make room for a couple of those Mortgage Lifter Tomatoes which we are selling to raise money for The African Aids Foundation in Camden There is a great story in this weeks Macarthur Chronicle. We have plenty in stock so please come and get one.
I had to dig out the old broccoli plants first These have been so productive despite the heat I dug in some cow manure then dressed the soil with some Tim's Fast Food I covered the soil with fresh Sugar Cane then watered this in I have planted 2 x Mortgage Lifter tomatoes and an Italian variety called Pomodoro Abruzzeze
I imported the seeds for this tomato from Italy and I am trialling it in my garden This rs the tomato they grow in L'Aquila where my wife's family come from It is one of the best tasting tomatoes I have ever eaten If it is successful we will have it next year It is a good idea to stagger your tomato planting so all your tomatoes don't
come all at once.
I had a fly go up my nose on Melbourne Cup Day It took a while before it found its way out. There is no signage in their and it is quite dark I didn't enjoy the experience and it was very ticklish. We sell those organic fly traps here at the nursery so I have set one up in the shade house They are a simple design The bait attracts
the fly's into the trap and then they drown. They smell a bit so they are not suitable for inside use but they certainly work. Check it out next time you visit If you already have a trap come and see us for a refill bait The fly's are shocking at the moment and they are willing to fly into anything moist.
The Melbourne Cup was a disaster for most of us. Pigs selection stopped to eat the grass. Noreen talked our apprentice Blake into having a mystery bet at the Tab and he won. He then took his winnings to The Catholic Club and lost the lot on the pokies His lucky day didn't last long
Hayden knocked up a veggie patch out of an old timber pallet Simon got this idea out of a gardening magazine a couple of years ago. You simply tip the pallet upside down, line the base with weed control mat then fill it with garden mix Its the 10 minute Vegetable garden Come and check it out near the native plant bench.
While I am talking about Simon he has turned into a nightmare. He has gone on a diet! His friend Greg has lost about 30 kilos using the 5/2 diet. You can eat what you want for 5 days out off 7 then you starve yourself for any 2 days Simon "announced" he was going on the diet 2 weeks prior to actually starting. It has become a religion. We were sick of hearing about it before he even started. Well he lost 4kgs in the first week (actually 3.4kgs that got rounded up!) We liked him better when he was fat. He gets very grumpy on "diet day' so if you want gardening advice come early in the morning before you start to look like food.
While I was in the veggie garden this morning I took a photo of my Blueberry plant It is covered in fruit and everyday a few ripen so I get a sweet treat when I am watering the garden Blueberries are easy to grow in pots and the fruit doesn't get fruit fly! This is great news. I have an irrigation system but this year I have also
hand watered and the blueberry plants have responded with heaps more fruit The Blueberry Burst variety fruited earlier and the fruit size was disappointing. I am hoping that the hot weather caused the fruit to ripen early and that's why they didn't grow as advertised It still has a few fruit and these are growing bigger.
My other plant is a couple of years older so it is producing hundreds of blueberries this year.
You may have noticed lllawarra Flame Trees flowering around the Macarthur District I found a beauty flowering in Elderslie. The red bracts look sensational. This is a fast growing drought hardy tree that is suitable for smaller gardens. We have a few in stock.
We have planted Callibrachoas in the terracotta pots out the front of the nursery Who ever came up with this plant name should be shot! These grow better in pots than in the garden. They will spill over the sides and flower non stop for 6 months or so. We have them in a variety of colours. They make great Christmas colour!
If you are looking for tropical colour then you will be happy to know that our Hibiscus and Frangipanis have arrived These plant love the heat Hibiscus will flower non stop for the next 6 months. They love water so give them heaps. Frangipanis can grow in big pots if you have run out of room. Simon has found a selection of fruit salad style colours. These can have three different colours on each petal You will love the perfumed flowers. These make great potted Christmas Gifts and they are cheap.
Come and see us if you need help adding some Christmas colour to your patios and balconies. You want the place looking nice when the rellies turn up on Christmas Day
Happy Gardening
Tim