Gardening guidance and tips from your community green thumbs
Article by Stephan Hortolanyi, Blue Mountains, TAG Member
How many times have you walked down the street and seen a beautiful garden that stopped you in your tracks? For a small amount of money, you can buy soil and a couple of garden tools and start your own affordable garden, whether you have your own little patch or a balcony. You can often pick up free pots, and many people will let you have plant cuttings – especially if you compliment them on their gardens. Never go on a plant-napping spree or take cuttings without asking, you may end up on candid camera!
Gardening books will say that you will need all kinds of sprays and fertilizers to look after plants, and if you don鈥檛 know where to start, you might spend money buying plants, only to find after a few weeks they have given up the ghost. If this happens more than once you may become convinced that you are a serial plant killer – but before you give up, let’s look at ways to set up your garden for success.
First, it is a good idea to get written permission from Link Wentworth to use a patch of the garden, especially if you want to do anything in a common area. In late summer, autumn and winter you will need to prepare your soil for planting in spring. It is ok to start small – make sure the space is only as big as you can manage, because you will be the one that has to look after it. An advantage of balcony gardens is that one can be made at any time of the year. If you buy plants for a pot garden, always re-pot them as soon as possible.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Pots, pot saucers, tools, and soil. A watering can for balcony gardens or a hose for a garden patch.
PREPARING YOUR SOIL FOR PLANTING IN SPRING
1/. Dig out the soil in your patch, take out any rocks, stones, twigs or rubbish
2/.聽Start collecting fruit聽and vegetable scraps to put in the soil, do not use lemon or orange peel
3/.聽Cut scraps up into small pieces or roughly chop them in a blender
4/.聽Make a hole six inches deep and put in your vegetable waste, do this as many times as you need聽聽 to, until your whole garden bed has some.
THRIFTY TIPS AND HINTS
- You can get free and cheap pots from most garden centres; op-shops are also a good source
- You can buy small bags of soil and inexpensive seeds from BIG W and most supermarkets
- BIG W and supermarkets also have the least-expensive new tools and watering cans. Op-shops often have tools so check them out for bargains
- Collect seeds from tomatoes, place them on damp kitchen paper, put this in a recycled plastic bag in a warm place and watch your seeds germinate
- Local markets can be a good place to pick up inexpensive plants. Look at the 鈥榬escue rack鈥� at Bunnings and garden centres OR you can start trying to strike your own cuttings
HOW TO PROPOGATE OR 鈥楽TRIKE鈥� A CUTTING
- The best time of the year to obtain cuttings is at springtime
- Young growth is ideal
- Neatly cut plants to be dipped in a rooting solution at the base. Some gardeners use cinnamon, aloe vera or honey as an alternative
- Make a small hole in the soil and carefully place your cutting
- Gently press soil
- Only lightly water until your cutting takes hold
- Be patient. Do not expect success every time
You can also try to strike a cutting by placing it in a glass of water in a bright spot out of direct sunlight. Top up the water and make sure it remains clear. Once you have some roots, transplant into a small pot and water in well with diluted seaweed solution.
Seeing your seeds and cuttings grow and your plants flourish is a joy that will give you the confidence to believe that you can make your own garden.
