tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post6528959363708265386..comments2024-03-27T00:25:28.696+11:00Comments on Garden amateur: Being eco-friendlyJamiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14653345793213312242noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post-19338760133828716232012-04-22T09:38:18.037+10:002012-04-22T09:38:18.037+10:00Thanks for such a quick reply, and helpful advice!...Thanks for such a quick reply, and helpful advice!<br /><br />I'll let you know how it goes =)<br /><br />GeorginaGeorginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06495042584478917294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post-45955837442541099992012-04-22T06:52:36.975+10:002012-04-22T06:52:36.975+10:00Hi Georgina
Here's a few tips...
1. Sunshine...Hi Georgina<br /><br />Here's a few tips...<br /><br />1. Sunshine: whatever you do with growing food, do it in the sunniest spot you have, preferably one that gets at least six hours a day of sunshine bearing down on your plants. If you lack sunshine, your plants will struggle and probably not thrive.<br /><br />2. Garlic is a bit iffy in Sydney and will do better up in the hills, but of course it can be grown here, so give it a go if you want. <br /><br />3. If gardening in pots, the bigger the pot the better, and good quality potting mix really is necessary.<br /><br />4. Good candidates for pots, planted now in autumn and growing into winter in Sydney are<br /><br />Herbs: chives, parsley, oregano, coriander, thyme, rosemary, mint (in semi-shade). Of these, parsley and coriander do best grown from seed, rather than seedlings. It's too cold now for basil, by the way.<br /><br />Vegies: lettuce, rocket, broccoli, carrots, shallots, Asian greens such as bok choy, choy sum, wombok. And it's too cold now for tomatoes.<br /><br />5. If I was starting out as a beginner and looking for sure success, I'd have:<br />• one pot of herbs, say chives (great snipped into scrambled eggs, or over steamed potatoes) and coriander (with Asian dishes of all sorts). Coriander actually grows better in winter here than in summer.<br />• another big pot planted with bok choy or choy sum down one end, plus shallots at the back.<br />• another big pot planted with lettuce (at the garden centre, they sell punnets of 'Combo' lettuce seedlings, a mix of different lettuce colours and types, about six plants, which is plenty.) You could also grow some rocket in that pot – it does best from seed (the seeds come up in just 4-5 days, very excting!) but the rocket grows so fast that it will be ready to use before the lettuce is ready.<br /><br />6. Down at the garden centre, buy some liquid plant food, such as Nitrosol, Powerfeed, Charlie Carp or something like that. These are organic-based and work well. Feed your crops with this stuff once a fortnight and you should be on your way. Don't get Seasol: it's not a fertiliser. It does a great job in helping plants establish, but it's not a fertiliser.<br />Liquid foods are better for gardening in pots than manures etc.<br /><br />Good luck and best wishes Georgina!Jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14653345793213312242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post-13942701808044461852012-04-22T00:18:03.238+10:002012-04-22T00:18:03.238+10:00Hi Jamie,
I know it's a bit weird commenting ...Hi Jamie,<br /><br />I know it's a bit weird commenting on a post which is more than three years old, but you said you liked comments, so "hi!".<br /><br />I stumbled across your blog searching some combination of growing and garden-related search terms and "sydney", since I am currently toying with the idea of growing some things to eat... I think it would be a good hobby and there is a fairly large area of unused land that seems to be attached to the block of apartments that I live in. (I've seen over residents growing chilli plants but mostly there's just long grass and broken bottles and abandoned shopping trolleys).<br /><br />If you ever see this post, I wonder if you might be able to give me some advice about what would be a nice easy starting project. I live in the inner west in Sydney, and I'm a time-poor uni student of somewhat limited means. <br /><br />I guess I should start with some herbs in pots and prove that I can take care of those first, before I am trusted with anything much taller. What do you think?<br /><br />Actually, after reading more of your blog, I'm tempted to try planting some garlic -- both in Sydney and also (as an experiment), in a little patch at my grandparents' place in the Blue Mountains. Sounds like garlic might prefer the cold...<br /><br />GeorginaGeorginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06495042584478917294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post-31255568177690499842009-04-17T17:48:00.000+10:002009-04-17T17:48:00.000+10:00Hi Charlotte
Great to make contact with you, by th...Hi Charlotte<br />Great to make contact with you, by the way, via Fenella. As for pesky snails, a couple of things. The 'organic' snail baits are based on iron, so they're not toxic to lizards, cats, dogs or other innocent bystanders, and they work pretty well on snails and slugs. <br />I'm a great believer in seek and destroy methods, and also entrapment (it's illegal if you're FBI, but OK if you're a gardener). Snails love the undersides of pot rims, and the inside of dense thicket of stalks and leaves (for example, they hide out at the base of my orchids, aspidistras and cardamom plants) and so I patrol this beat regularly, finding and squishing them. Finally, I prop 'open' upturned empty pots to trap snails, leaving these in damp, cool, dark areas in the garden. In the morning, the snails which crashed out there for the night meet a grisly fate. (I'm reminded of that line from 'Blade Runner' – "Wake up, time to die").<br />I find the regular patrolling cuts their numbers to tolerable levels. The odd snail still gets to have a major munch on the odd seedling or shoot here and there, but about 95% of what I plant makes it through to adulthood.Jamiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14653345793213312242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post-34690535318254458962009-04-17T13:29:00.000+10:002009-04-17T13:29:00.000+10:00But what do you do about snails? I leave everythin...But what do you do about snails? I leave everything else alone, but those pesky buggers in my (also inner west) garden are seek-and-destroyers of every new bit of goodness. I am ruthless and have tried all organic methods - beer traps etc - but found the only thing to really work is pellets. I do use the 'organic' ones, but not sure if they really are organic? The ones that reputedly break down and put some mineral or other into the soil ... any better ideas? Is there a way of preventing snail infestation?charlottehttp://www.howtoshuckanoyster.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7797396120087729156.post-87905404080491758492009-04-16T04:22:00.000+10:002009-04-16T04:22:00.000+10:00I agree with you on all points, but I draw the lin...I agree with you on all points, but I draw the line at sharing my vegetables with the wildlife. They can munch on stuff outside the veggie garden, but trespassers in the vegetable patch beware! But, I'm really not that mean, I do plant flowers in the vegetable garden for the bugs. And my primary mode of defense is barriers - fences, netting, fabric...Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07812702328134261533noreply@blogger.com