This doesn't mean how to encourage customers in my case, but the fact that customers are coming in asking about beneficial insects and what sort of plants to grow for them. This makes me feel that people are really starting to learn the benefits of balancing nature in their gardens to reduce pest populations rather than resorting to an insect spray.
Even though least toxic sprays are pretty safe they can still kill non-target species by accident, so it is better to attract insects and provide habitat to have the good bugs in your garden.
Blue or purple flowered plants are especially good at attract insects, as are plants with many flowers. Australian local species are ideally the best, if you can get them.
Having more bugs also means there will be more bird life. The birds will help to feed your garden!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
What is crop rotation?
What is crop rotation?
Crop rotation is an important aspect of organic gardening. It helps to prevent the build-up of soil borne diseases by rotating the families of plants grown in an area over a 3 or 4 year cycle. Some plants are especially prone to soil diseases and these problems will persist in the soil if the same species are grown for 2 or more years in a row.
Certain plant groups will also tend to use up specific nutrients from the soil so you may end up with a soil that is deficient if you don't change their growing position.
The rotation system is best for larger gardens, ideally four beds are needed, however it is important to use in small areas too, especially for tomatoes and potatoes as they are prone to many diseases which can persist in the soil.
There are some advantages in planting one crop after another where one will benefit from the actions of the previous crops, for example a good cover crop turned into the soil will add nutrients for the following season. Legumes add nitrogen to the soil so they should be followed by a nitrogen hungry crop such as silverbeet, leafy brassicas or potatoes.
Four bed crop rotation:
Legumes/other pod crops > Alliums > Solanums/root and tuber crops > Brassicas > back to the beginning.
If you aren't sure what those food family members are:
Legumes - peas and beans: sugarsnap/snowpeas, broad beans, lima beans, French and climbing beans
Other pod crops: okra.
Alliums - the onion family: brown, red or white onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, spring onions.
Solanums - the potato family family: tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, chilies, eggplants.
Other roots/tubers: parsnips, carrots, swedes, turnips, kohl rabi, celery.
Brassicas - the cabbage family: cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbages, radishes, brussels sprouts, kale, most Chinese vegies, etc.
Another important thing to remember with crop rotation is that you need to keep track of what you have grown in the different areas each year so you can have a succesful system. If you have a large garden with four beds it will be much easier to keep track.
Vegetable growing seasonal calendar.
As a general and very rough rule those vegetables that produce a fruit (eg, capsicum, pumpkin, tomato, corn, eggplants) are summer growing, heat-loving varieties, while the more leafy plants (includes most of the cabbage family) will be a cooler season crop.
Year round vegetable varieties.
Some vegetables can be grown year round. Carrots and lettuces have varieties for each season; radishes, spring onions, beetroot and silverbeet can be planted regularly for an ongoing supply. Many of the Chinese leaf vegetables can be grown year round, as they need to be grown quickly and replanted regularly for a good supply. Strawberry varieties seem to be around at most times of year these days, too.
Many of the popular herbs such as parsley, basil, chives, coriander, mizuna can be repeat sown.
Summer crops need to be planted in mid to late spring. Vegetables to sow and grow at this time of year include the pumpkin family, such as watermelons, honeydews, zucchini and cucumbers, tomatoes, capsicums and chillies, eggplant, beans, corn. Leeks need to be sown in late summer to allow a long growing season.
Winter crops: Some plants cannot take the heat and will dry up or go to seed quickly in Perth's high summer temperatures.
English spinach likes the cooler weather, as do peas, broad beans, cabbages, cauliflower and co, kale, brown onions, parsnip, turnips and swede.
reference:
Digger's Club "Grow what when" planting guide. (2007).
Readers Digest Encyclopedia of Gardening. 1995. Reader's Digest, Sydney, Australia.
Planting guide (2002): humusbeings.blogspot.com (Accessed 13/01/2010).
Crop rotation is an important aspect of organic gardening. It helps to prevent the build-up of soil borne diseases by rotating the families of plants grown in an area over a 3 or 4 year cycle. Some plants are especially prone to soil diseases and these problems will persist in the soil if the same species are grown for 2 or more years in a row.
Certain plant groups will also tend to use up specific nutrients from the soil so you may end up with a soil that is deficient if you don't change their growing position.
The rotation system is best for larger gardens, ideally four beds are needed, however it is important to use in small areas too, especially for tomatoes and potatoes as they are prone to many diseases which can persist in the soil.
There are some advantages in planting one crop after another where one will benefit from the actions of the previous crops, for example a good cover crop turned into the soil will add nutrients for the following season. Legumes add nitrogen to the soil so they should be followed by a nitrogen hungry crop such as silverbeet, leafy brassicas or potatoes.
Four bed crop rotation:
Legumes/other pod crops > Alliums > Solanums/root and tuber crops > Brassicas > back to the beginning.
If you aren't sure what those food family members are:
Legumes - peas and beans: sugarsnap/snowpeas, broad beans, lima beans, French and climbing beans
Other pod crops: okra.
Alliums - the onion family: brown, red or white onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, spring onions.
Solanums - the potato family family: tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum, chilies, eggplants.
Other roots/tubers: parsnips, carrots, swedes, turnips, kohl rabi, celery.
Brassicas - the cabbage family: cauliflowers, broccoli, cabbages, radishes, brussels sprouts, kale, most Chinese vegies, etc.
Another important thing to remember with crop rotation is that you need to keep track of what you have grown in the different areas each year so you can have a succesful system. If you have a large garden with four beds it will be much easier to keep track.
Vegetable growing seasonal calendar.
As a general and very rough rule those vegetables that produce a fruit (eg, capsicum, pumpkin, tomato, corn, eggplants) are summer growing, heat-loving varieties, while the more leafy plants (includes most of the cabbage family) will be a cooler season crop.
Year round vegetable varieties.
Some vegetables can be grown year round. Carrots and lettuces have varieties for each season; radishes, spring onions, beetroot and silverbeet can be planted regularly for an ongoing supply. Many of the Chinese leaf vegetables can be grown year round, as they need to be grown quickly and replanted regularly for a good supply. Strawberry varieties seem to be around at most times of year these days, too.
Many of the popular herbs such as parsley, basil, chives, coriander, mizuna can be repeat sown.
Summer crops need to be planted in mid to late spring. Vegetables to sow and grow at this time of year include the pumpkin family, such as watermelons, honeydews, zucchini and cucumbers, tomatoes, capsicums and chillies, eggplant, beans, corn. Leeks need to be sown in late summer to allow a long growing season.
Winter crops: Some plants cannot take the heat and will dry up or go to seed quickly in Perth's high summer temperatures.
English spinach likes the cooler weather, as do peas, broad beans, cabbages, cauliflower and co, kale, brown onions, parsnip, turnips and swede.
reference:
Digger's Club "Grow what when" planting guide. (2007).
Readers Digest Encyclopedia of Gardening. 1995. Reader's Digest, Sydney, Australia.
Planting guide (2002): humusbeings.blogspot.com (Accessed 13/01/2010).
Sunday, January 17, 2010
It's stinkin' hot. It's Perth summer.
In these stupidly hot days of Perth summer, especially days over 35 C, it's really not a great idea to prune plants. If you promote new growth by pruning, the new growth may get burnt off by a hot day or even just singed by the strong hot easterlies we get.
If you have already had parts of plants burnt by the sun I believe its a bad idea to prune off the damaged parts. Leave them there to protect the other foliage below. I don't think its a great idea to fertilise in early summer for similar reasons, to prevent new soft growth that may not cope with the heat.
Some vege gardens can even benefit from having a sheet or piece of shade cloth thrown over it if it's gonna be really hot for a few days.
If you have already had parts of plants burnt by the sun I believe its a bad idea to prune off the damaged parts. Leave them there to protect the other foliage below. I don't think its a great idea to fertilise in early summer for similar reasons, to prevent new soft growth that may not cope with the heat.
Some vege gardens can even benefit from having a sheet or piece of shade cloth thrown over it if it's gonna be really hot for a few days.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Reusable water bottles are go!
A friend gave me this book for Christmas, an excellent choice, about pollutants in our daily lives. One of my main sources of possible pollutants (apart from what I eat and the air I breathe) is from plastic bottles. Occasionally I buy a large plastic bottle to reuse as my water bottle, but I have just bought a 1.2 litre reusable stainless steel bottle.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Here we come 2010.
Another year begins and we look to the future again and wonder what will happen this year. Will the people in charge do anything about fixing the problems of the world? Is it left again to the people to try and do the hard work, without the support of the government's money and infrastructure.
The general public can try and do the right thing, those of us that do, or do a little, but there needs to be a genuine large scale effort to do anything about stopping runaway climate change. It may be too late already. There are long lags in how the atmosphere works.
Industries need to pull their heads in and make further anti-pollution measures, and chemical companies should stop adding poisons to so many everyday items. It's a huge job but I refuse to believe there isn't still al little chance something good will happen.
Because, if I do stop thinking we can do something, then I don't want to have to be around to watch it. I need to believe that there are enough positive actions going on for us to not wipe out the human race with our greed and misguided use of technology. I love technology but its not all working out for the best, really now, is it? If the amount of pollutants created during its production outweighs the lifetime of the item and the humans using it, then its not really making much sense to me.
The general public can try and do the right thing, those of us that do, or do a little, but there needs to be a genuine large scale effort to do anything about stopping runaway climate change. It may be too late already. There are long lags in how the atmosphere works.
Industries need to pull their heads in and make further anti-pollution measures, and chemical companies should stop adding poisons to so many everyday items. It's a huge job but I refuse to believe there isn't still al little chance something good will happen.
Because, if I do stop thinking we can do something, then I don't want to have to be around to watch it. I need to believe that there are enough positive actions going on for us to not wipe out the human race with our greed and misguided use of technology. I love technology but its not all working out for the best, really now, is it? If the amount of pollutants created during its production outweighs the lifetime of the item and the humans using it, then its not really making much sense to me.
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