The Organic Home Garden

We have had the most amazingly warm April this year and the impact has been seen in the garden.
You may recall the planting of my seedlings around the start of April, well these are the same plants after this warm Autumn period. The warm moist soil has nurtured my little babies and they have raced after the sunlight like crazy. The result is far more production in the garden this month than I expected.

Just Add Some GERMS

I also tried a new product this month – I added some germs to the soil. These are bacteria that are normally found in the soil and are concentrated into a granule form to add to composts and garden beds. I added several bags of organic manure and a measure of the germs with seaweed extract. Well stand back and keep your head down! The response in the soil has been amazing.

I dug a bed tonight to plant out my snow peas. Well the soil is so nice you could eat it! I exaggerate, but the structure of the soil and it’s colour are just perfect. I have dug the bed over once more and redressed the hay mulch. I have a new set of seedlings growing in the germination tray and these will go into this bed in a few weeks time.
I have more onions, cauliflower, English spinach and spring onion. These will follow up the first planting and give me a nice steady supply through the winter and into spring.

Organic Vegetables in April

The beans I planted earlier in the month – behind the capsicum – which we are still picking (more green less red, now since the sun is not as strong). These beans are flowering and a few have tiny beans forming already – I love fresh baby beans so I will be picking very soon. Just imagine them lightly steamed and served with a mixture of garlic butter or a light olive oil. …..mmmmmm.

Carrots, spring onions, beetroot, onions.

Silverbeet and lettuce and onions.

Cauliflowers, English spinach, turnips and beetroot.

My dwarf apple tree has held on to two apples – Pinkabelle is the variety – the apples are looking about normal size and one shows a hint of orange so maybe they are starting to ripen. A few leaves are dropping (well it is autumn) and I hope to be eating my own apples next month.

Mint in a pot so that it does not takeover the garden! This is old fashioned mint, I also have a spearmint variety in another pot.

The second bean crop which was planted two weeks after the first ones. Spacing out the plantings gives you a more constant supply instead of a huge bumper crop – not that I have trouble giving them away – neighbours and friends are frequent recipients of my organic surplus.

POTTING MIX

The next issue is one of what to put in your pots. You cannot just go out and grab some dirt from a neighbours yard. Also you should not buy the cheapest potting mix you can find as well – like all things what you pay for you get!

Buy the best organic potting mix you can afford and add some blood and bone or compost to boost the nutrient levels in the mix. However. Don’t get carried away since it is a small space and too much can upset acid/alkaline levels in the mix.

WATERING

Being a small space it is obvious that there is a limit to how much water is stored in your pots. This means that frequent watering is essential if you plants are to thrive. Now there are many solutions to this and I will run thru a few for you.

WATER CRYSTALS
These are readily available from garden centres and are not to be confused with wetting agents. Wetting agents are used to deal with unwettable soils – something we here in Western Australia have to deal with all the time. I treat my lawns twice a year at least – althought the frequency is greatly reduced as the soil structure improves. Organic practices greatly reduce the need for treatment.
Water crystals have the ability to store water. So when you initially water you plants in the crystals will soak up a massive amount of water and then release that water to the plants later when the soil levels drop. This is not a complete solution to pots but gives you more time and flexibility when you have to leave the pots unattended for a few days or have to cope with summer days!

WATER METERS
As for determining the level of water in the pot a number of useful tips there. If you poke your finger (carefully) into the top of the mix if nothing sticks to your finger then you definitely need to water the pot, if the mix sticks to your finger then all is well! It won’t take you long to get a feel for the time the pot can last with it’s water supply but I personally prefer to use an electronic water sensor.
You may have seen some of these – the simplest is just a little piece of plastic that changes colour as the water levels change. I purchased a little meter that measures light intensity, acidity and water.

They last a very long time if you look after them and take away the guess work. We also have the bonus of a pH meter included and that is in another page of the blog!

I even use it in the garden to determine the need for supplemental watering on my non-rostered watering days. Yes, Perth is still under water restrictions and probably will be for the rest of my life.

SAUCERS

Many pots come with a saucer to sit them in. What you must be careful of is allowing too much water sitting in these unless you are growing aquatic plants. Many plants will start to rot or you will be breeding disease which will eventually kill them.
If living in a rental staining the floors or your balcony is a distinct possibility and the saucer will keep fertilisers and organic salts off them.
Some pots have a self-watering feature and these are the equivalent to a pot saucer. I use them for plants that are likely to get carried away if let loose in the garden!