Down to Earth: Garden edging
As the season changes into autumn, the period of cooling and leaf fall, we may be thinking of some changes of our own. If you are creating raised beds to keep soil warmer, then edging is an important consideration. Here are some different styles, each with their advantages and disadvantages.
Tilled edge: Use a rake to create a angled edge that’s regularly tilled. By far the cheapest method, but it does take regular tending to keep the weeds down or mulch replaced.
Perennial border: A box hedge or herbs can be used to define a garden edge. They do compete for water and nutrients and require ongoing maintenance, but improve aesthetics and diversity.
Wooden edging: Best to use untreated timber for food gardens (to avoid leachates). If you do, then line them with plastic to keep the soil off the wood. Macrocarpa, Douglas fir and some eucalyptus are ground-durable and often available locally. Best to use wood that’s 50-100mm thick and anything from 200mm – 500mm high depending on how deep a bed you want. Wood keeps soil and mulches contained, but provides a habitat for snails and slugs.
Rocks: Best cemented into place (when your garden design is certain!) to prevent snails or weeds like couch from becoming a problem. Rocks look good and add thermal mass which aids soil warming. Rock edging is readily available but a mission to create.Use bricks as an alternative, too.
Ferro-cement: As above, a permanent fixture that is both time-consuming and costly to create. It can be shaped as desired, beautified with mosaics etc with the kids, and aids soil warming.
Corrugated iron: Fold iron over two or three times for durability and safety. Recycled iron is a cheap option.
Fruit care:
· Store summer bounty in a cool, dry place.
· Autumn prune trees. Remove diseased wood and fruit and burn to reduce fungus ie brown rot.
· Prune out old berryfruit canes. Select and tie up strongest new canes.
· Harvest grapes and passionfruit.
· Watch out for silverleaf in fruit trees and insert bio-dowels into trunks.
· Remove old strawberry plants after fruiting, leaving young runner plants. Give extra runners away.
Herb Care:
· Clip back perennials for winter use (eg marjoram).
· Plant parsley and transplant perennial herbs.
· Put cuttings of rosemary, lavender and other semi-woody herbs into coarse sand under cover.
Vegetable Care:
· Plant winter crops now, eg broccoli.
· Water well in early morning as required.
· Liquid fertilise weekly with urine or manure on brassicas, and comfrey for fruit crops.
· Sow green crops (eg lupin, mustard, rye, corn) on vacant beds for winter/spring plantings.
· Weed and mulch.
· Stay observant for pests and diseases. Remove green vegetable bugs from fruits.
· For caterpillar pests on brassicas (kale, etc) spray Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) every 2-3 days.
· Prepare asparagus beds by putting compost and manure into trenches for spring planting.
· Thin/harvest carrots. Cover shoulders to avoid carrot rust fly.
· Hothouse: Keep ventilated. Manage pests. Keep crops tidy - remove dead/diseased leaves. Plant salads.
· Harvest maincrop potatoes and onions. Store in cool, dry, shady place.
· Keep harvesting beans, zucchinis and tomatoes.
· Harvest sweetcorn when tassles brown.
· Tip pumpkins and melons.
· Save seed.
Sow for transplanting: All seeds 8th April. Leafy greens (winter spinach, lettuce, endive, cabbages, silverbeet/rainbow chard and Chinese cabbage)(best 17th-18th March). Broccoli and early cauliflowers. Flowers, eg hollyhocks.
Sow direct: All seeds 9th March. Radish, beetroot, turnip and swede (best 12th- 14th March). Spring onions, salads, silverbeet/chard. Peas (best 9th-10th March). Flowers, eg sweet pea.
Plant: Best 19th- 31st March. Salad greens, spinach, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, silverbeet/rainbow chard and beetroot. Annual herbs. Flowers, eg salvias and bulbs.
General Garden Care:
· Sow or re-sow lawns.
· Mow lawns with mulch mower.
· Prune back flowering plants.
· Collect seed from annual flowers.
· Plant bulbs.
· Shred prunings.
· Weed and mulch ornamental areas.
· Create leaf compost ring.
· Make and turn composts.
Sol Morgan, GroWise Consultancy. Ph 525 9110.
