Freshen up the fruit and vegetable garden for spring
Hello garden lovers! In my last column I offered a few tips on preparing your lawn and front garden for spring. Now it’s time to focus out the back, on your fruit and vegetable garden.
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The first job I tackled this season was building a cage around my raised vegetable beds, using recycled materials and a roll of small mesh wire. After moving the veggie patch a few years ago, from an area that had become very shaded to a full sun site, I had never got around to keeping the pests out - wallabies, possums, crows, parrots, bower birds – the list goes on!
Remember, as a general rule, it’s essential for healthy vegetables to have at least six hours of direct sun each day. Other considerations should be access to water, proximity to house (i.e. not too far) and a relatively flat site. Building raised beds helps overcome some issues such as sloping ground, soggy or compacted soil and makes weeding easier and certainly takes a little of the pain and strain out of the back!
I use well composted horse manure, chicken pellets and a scattering of slow release fertiliser to freshen up the soil each spring – most vegetables are big feeders and will need regular attention, much like the grandchildren!
One thing I have learned over the years is to grow only what I like, what I eat and a few giveaways. A smaller plot is easier to manage, weed, water, etc. and less likely to become a burden!
My potatoes and rhubarb are in and I’m preparing to plant tomato, silver beet, dwarf beans, lettuce, capsicum, spring onions and I’m thinking about beetroot, broccoli, eggplant, sweet corn, sweet potato and even strawberries.
Herbs are a must in my garden and I find it convenient to use one end of the raised beds, planting a selection of my favourites and keeping the mint in pots.
Through trial and error, my fruit trees now consist primarily of citrus. They grow and produce well in our region, are largely pest free and are easy to manage. I only lightly prune my trees to keep the shape and reduce the height, as this makes netting easier in my vain efforts to keep the pesky birds and possums away from the fruit!
Citrus are gross feeders, requiring lots of food for a good crop. I fertilize in early spring and again in early autumn using a good application of slow release citrus food, chook pellets and composted horse/cow manure. I also find a few handfuls of ag lime beneficial if you have slightly acidic soils.
Happy gardening,
George Hoad is president of The Garden Clubs of Australia.