Tim turns Italian - Aug 21, 2015
Dear Gardening Friends,
Spring has really kicked off this week and we have been so busy giving gardening advice to all our friends. I am amazed how multicultural Campbelltown has become.
Our customers come from every country on the planet. Had a lovely chat to a boy from Pakistan last week who arrived here on a boat 10 years ago and has now settled in Ambarvale with his family. He now earns over $100,000 a year working in the city with computers. Only the smart ones make it to Australia.
If you have ever been to Italy you will know that their tomatoes just taste better. The warm climate obviously helps but they are also growing varieties that are soft and sweet. Fruit shops could never sell these varieties in Australia because they would be all bruised by the time they made it to Woolies.
Last year we released Tim's Italian Tomato. This is an heirloom variety that comes from the Abruzzo area of Italy. The fruit are pear shaped and huge but unlike fruit shop tomatoes that are rock hard, this variety has soft fruit that taste amazing. When you cut it open it has hardly any seeds. This is what gives it that sweet Italian taste. I grew it last year and it was still producing fruit when all the other varieties had withered and died.
You must find room for one of these in your garden or grow it in a pot. Use Tim's Best Potting Mix.
Rain is expected this weekend so it's a great time to fertilise your garden. Their are so many fertilisers on the market so it gets confusing which product you should use for different plants? We have an organic based pelletised fertiliser that you can use on all your outdoor plants. It's called Rapid Raiser.
You can use it on your Blueberries, Citrus, Azaleas, Camelleas and Grevilleas. You can use it in your vegetable and flower gardens too. The 20kg bag costs just $20.99.
It will feed your plants for the next 3 months.
People often tell me that liquid fertilisers are better but most people use them once then it gets put in the "smelly cupboard". The best fertiliser is the one you use.
If you don't like the organic smell then use our Tim's Fast Food. This contains all the trace elements too. It is especially good for Gardenias which always get yellow leaves at this time of year. It is not too good for native plants. But rainforest natives like Lillypillies love it. Great on indoor plants too.
Now is the best time to treat all your pot plants with Wettasoil. This amazing product makes your potting mix accept more water so your plants will grow better. Modern potting mixes are made from recycled green waste and when this gets dry it becomes hydrophobic and repels water. Treat all your indoor plants too. Simply add 15mls to a 9 litre watering can. We have a hose on bottle so you can treat your lawns and gardens too.
Our Tim's Big Black Passionfruit is proving a real winner. This new release will never sucker and become a weed. It has huge black Passionfruit that are full of sweet tasting pulp. Cover that ugly fence with this fast growing evergreen vine. Plants cost just $9.99. See Lisa for more info.
Karyn's Poppies are looking sensational in our nursery gardens. Unfortunately when you see these plants flowering it is too late to plant them. Now you should be planting Petunias.
The best Petunias to plant are the Spreading Petunias. These can grow up to one metre wide and they stay flat. I have grown them in big pots too and they look sensational. Unfortunately gardeners just don't believe they can grow so wide and they end up planting them too close.
Have faith, give them room and enjoy these amazing Petunias! If you are planting them in your garden improve the soil first by digging in Planting Compost and Fast Food. This is Karyn secret and that's why the Poppies have grown so big!
Happy Spring Gardening
Tim