FOUR years ago this column mentioned how I tackled some of the complexities of gardening.
I write these columns in the hope that those who still garden can enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Today, you can take photos of your garden as it grows and, together with a notebook to jot down the final details, have some sort of a plan for your next crop.
Maybe a vegetable or flower did not do well…why? Try and work out if it was climatic conditions, the wrong season, watering, or something completely different.
My early garden experience was with simple vegetable crops. Leafy vegetables like lettuce, beetroot and silver beet.
But it was a bit of a battle to keep those crops growing with the grasshoppers enjoying the leaves more than us.
Growing the coloured or green variety gives you more choice, with children liking the coloured variety best.
Leaves can be picked small as baby beet and used in salads, their colours adding to the texture of a meal.
One only needs half a dozen plants as they grow quite prolifically if conditions are suitable. It’s been proven that by planting in a rich soil it can enhance your planting.
But how to stop the bugs that can destroy a crop?
There is a solution, though not an aesthetic one. Buy a roll of frost prevention material, a bit like a very fine gauze, almost spider web in appearance.
It’s a lot stronger than it looks and can be cut with scissors.
Drape it over your plants making sure it touches the ground, then a mist spray to settle the material over the plants. It will expand as your plant grows.
If you live in a windy area, small canes can be fixed to the outer edges to hold them in place.
You may find other screening methods for this material. It’s remarkably strong and can be used over and over.
Till next time.
