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Growing your own tomatoes

27/9/2018

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If you have not been eating delicious soups and casseroles all winter made with your own preserved tomatoes then now is the time to prepare your garden beds to grow a bumper crop of tomatoes so you have enough for summer and those warming winter meals.

Iris has been putting in seed for many of the lovely heritage tomatoes for weeks and the new 
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seedlings are up and being potted on already. Hard to imagine putting tomatoes in after the hail we had today but the hot weather will come soon enough.

Tomatoes require a full sun position ( meaning 6 - 8 hours a day) in well drained slightly acidic soil (pH of around 6.5 is great). Whatever your soil is like it is really sensible to add plenty of compost and well-rotted animal manure (horse, sheep, or cow manures are best). This helps to condition the soil, helping it to retain moisture so that the garden beds don’t dry out.

Tomatoes like a little fertiliser, but fertiliser that is high in nitrogen produces plenty of lush green leaves and little fruit so go for fertiliser high in potassium, such as sulphate of potash, at planting time and again at flowering. And if you notice during growing that the leaves start to turn yellow this could be a magnesium or iron deficiency easily fixed with a dose of chelated iron or Epsom salts (easily sourced at any garden centre), just read the packet for instructions about how much to use.

When you pick up your precious tomato plants it is best to get them in the ground straight away, though if you cant just remember to water them daily until you do. Transplanting them is simple. Dig a hole deep enough to sink 2/3 of the stem of the tomato plant into (this is one time when it is OK to bury the plant deeper than it was in the pot as tomatoes grow more roots from the stem if it is underground) Put the stem of the plant between your first and second finger, with your hand over the top of the pot. Tip the pot over so that the plant and soil drop out into your hand and put into the hole. Back fill the hole gently and water in well. Once you have done that it is time to source some good strong stakes to stick into the ground to tie the growing tomatoes to and cut up  old stockings or other soft fabric to have ready to gently tie new growth up the support. And…. don’t forget to water regularly so that the plants don’t dry out.

Of course if you don’t have a garden bed suitable for tomatoes you can still grow them in pots. Pick the biggest pot you can find and fill with premium potting mix (there are mixes specially formulated for vegetables) Make sure again that the pot will get at least 6 hours sun and is close to a water source, hose or tap so you are not having to lug heavy water containers around. Plant the tomatoes after the risk of frost is deemed over (Melbourne cup day in Canberra and surrounds) and mulch well with sugar cane mulch. You probably will not have to add fertiliser if you use top quality potting mix as that is all included in the soil.
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You can put your tomato order in now via email to iris@idpnursery.com.au after perusing the list on the website and of course we will be happy to answer any further questions you have about growing your tomatoes. 
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Correa

20/9/2018

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​Although most Correa have finished their main flowering for the year (flowering from Autumn and through Winter) it is worth thinking of putting some in the garden for flowers next winter. They are a  welcome flash of colour in those dreary cold months and they provide nectar for the hungry honey eaters when there is not a lot else. My Correa were covered in flowers all winter and now that summer is coming will provide structure and greenery in the garden through the hottest months.
There are Correa for most positions in the garden, from filling a background position to front of garden bed or to fill a nice large pot on the balcony. There are Correa which prefer more shade and Correa which prefer more sun and most of them perform well in dry conditions and don’t miss a beat in the coldest frost.
Their main requirement is good soil drainage. This can be ascertained by digging a bucket sized hole where you plan to plant your Correa. Pour a bucket of water into the hole and if the water drains away in 10 minutes you have well drained soil.
At IDP Nursery we sell a range of Correa to suit most positions with more varieties in the pipeline. We have two variations of Correa decumbens. One grows to 0.6mH X 3mW, while the other is more ground hugging, to 3m W and with darker leaves and flowers. Another beautiful ground cover Correa we have growing is Correa nummulariifolia at 0.5mH X 1mW, with grey green leaves and prominent greenish flowers. In my garden this is in full flower now. A Correa that grows slightly taller but is also considered a good groundcover or low shrub is Correa ‘Dusky Bells’ at 0.6mH X 2mW. This plant is covered in red bells whether grown in shade or full sun.
Correa ‘Candy pink’ is slightly higher again at around 1mH X 1mW. This plant has performed so well in my garden, growing quickly with little attention other than extra water through its first summer. Now after 1 ½ years it is at full size, never missed a beat. Correa upright pink is another very hardy option. The official plant info says it grows to 1mH X 1mW but we have it growing at the nursery at least twice that size. It is dense, completely occluding weeds and providing great cover for the lizards. If you want a plant with larger flowers then Correa reflexa ‘Clearview Giant’ at approx. 1mH X 1mW might be the plant for you and if you are looking for lush green foliage then Correa glabra, at 1.5mH X 1.5mW, will perform wonders. There are several more in our for sale list currently so have a browse through our plant selections and find the one that suits your needs or come to Murrumbateman Market on Saturday to talk to me or Iris about what might suit your garden.
 
Whilst writing this I received a delivery of Correa which, once up and growing, will provide cuttings for new plants for you to try. So watch out for Correa Shiraz, Correa var. turnbullii ‘Mt Barker Beauty’, and Correa var turnbullii ‘Red Spiders’. 
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Native Birds In The Garden

13/9/2018

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What a joy and privilege it is to have native birds visit my garden. As I write this we are having a rare shower of rain and the cockatoos are squawking wildly, swinging upside down on branches and power lines in joy.

We have a great variety of birds visit here, from the largest Cockatoos, such as the Black Cockatoo, down to the tiniest Superb Fairy-wrens and, in between, birds such as the Wattle birds and Butcher birds. This year for the first time we have had a pair of Gang Gang Cockatoos visit regularly to feed in the Acacia trees.

Encouraging native birds to your patch is not rocket science. The main elements that they require to feel comfortable in the environment are water, food and habitat, or places to feel safe or nest.
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In my garden water is supplied in a bowl perched on a simple tripod made from Eucalypt branches which have fallen from our trees.

​Birds generally feed on plant matter or insects. A good range of different plants in the garden supply a variety of birds with their different requirements and of course it is important not to use insecticides unless absolutely necessary. Cockatoos seem to love the Acacia for the new buds but also for the borer and other bugs hiding under the bark. The Hakea nuts are another favourite. The Wattle birds and other honey eaters can regularly be seen feeding around the Correa and Grevillea plants and the 
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Superb Fairy-wrens, which are predominantly insectivorous,  can be seen flitting around, often close to the ground amongst the plants, eating almost anything that moves.

Habitat requirements also vary from bird to bird. We have a Grey Heron nesting in the top most branches of a large Eucalyptus at the moment whereas the tiny Fairy-wrens and other small birds love prickly or dense bushes to hide and nest in.

Check out this website for more information http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/ and of course have a chat to Iris about the plants she has that will encourage more birds to your garden.
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Composting

7/9/2018

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I have a friend who is an avid and scientific composter. He turns out compost every 6 to 8 weeks. All green waste is mulched with either the lawn mower or a mulcher, and placed in the first of a series of three compost bins. After a few days, and regularly thereafter, depending on the heat of the pile, the compost is turned, sometimes every three days, and moved into the next bin. The bins are more than a meter square, made from fabulously thick railway sleepers and placed on a solid concrete pad. The piles are turned using a tractor.

If, like me, you find the idea of all that energy being used to compost a bit too much, I can assure you that you can compost in a much more sedentary manner, although you will not turn out compost as quickly as my friend. I have 4 compost bins made of wooden pallets which sit on heavy duty plastic sheeting to prevent the Eucalyptus roots from sucking the compost dry. 
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A native grass frog sheltering in the compost bin. 
All green waste up to around a pencil thickness goes into these bins. I only chop branches short enough to fit in flat. An equal amount of horse manure goes on top of that along with any household leftovers. I repeat these layers till the bin is full to bursting, making sure that each layer is moistened well with buckets of water. I put some old carpet on top and leave it till it is ‘cooked’, only removing the cover to check on progress or when it rains. I get four bins of wonderfully wormy compost twice a year in spring and autumn ready for planting, mulching or vegetable beds.
My friend’s method of composting is called hot composting and mine is the cold method. There are many different suggestions for ways to compost to be found on the internet. For the sake of your garden have a read up, see what suits your style best, and give it a go. ​​
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    Author

    Alison
    Horticulturalist,
    ​keen gardener and propagator at IDP Nursery

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