Grow Broccoli and catch fish - May 21, 2008
A recent scientific report has found you will live longer if you eat Broccoli regularly. Adults don't mind eating Broccoli but kids would rather stick pins in their eyes than eat the stuff.
I have had no trouble getting my boys to eat Broccoli because we pick it fresh from the garden so it tastes much nicer than the stale stuff you buy at the grocers.The secret to growing Broccoli is not to use any chemical fertilisers in the garden. Chemical fertilisers make the leaves grow beautifully but the Broccoli heads are small and very woody.
I have had fantastic results ever since I started digging Cow Manure into the soil. This is the only fertiliser I use in the vegi garden now . Cow manure makes the Broccoli heads grow much bigger and it also attracts huge earth worms into your soil. The more worms you have in the soil the better your plants will grow. The other advantage of having worms in the garden is you can use them as bait to go fishing. The boys and I caught 3 whiting and a bream off the beach the first time we used them.
With the start of Winter approaching It's time to plant Broccoli, Cauliflower,Brussel Sprouts and Cabbage.These are all easy to grow from seedlings but you do have to watch out for caterpillars. If you see holes appearing in the leaves spray with Yates "Success ". This environmentally friendly spray will kill the caterpillars but not you.
Tim Pickles is a Horticulturist and director of Tim's Garden Centre 2 Queen St Campbelltown 46267022.