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Category: Soil Health

Patch from Scratch September 09

Patch from Scratch September 09

I can feel spring in the air and the daffodils are a welcome sight!   The dream house is wonderful but the number of slugs and snails in the garden is astounding.  Anyway, I am having to make do with the vege beds that are already here for this season until I have time to really […]

Strike while the iron is hot

Strike while the iron is hot

The met service has reported that we had the warmest August ever since records began with about 1.5 degrees above average, which does not seem a much on those odd cold days, but for a lot of insect pests it means an early arrival. A good hard, cold winter takes its toll on insect populations […]

NEW THREATS TO GARDENERS

NEW THREATS TO GARDENERS

Last season a number of gardeners lost potato and tomato crops to an insect called the potato psyllid which releases a toxin into the plants and causes the young potatoes or tomatoes not to grow much larger than a marble. My suggested treatment is a combination of Neem Tree Granules and sprays of Neem Tree […]

Wally Richards – Checklist for Spring

Wally Richards – Checklist for Spring

The weather may not be the best but each day the daylight hours increase by a few more minutes and our plants and gardens respond to this increasing amount of light. We are only about 6 weeks away from the beginning of spring and there is much to do in this time so that you […]

Wally Richards: Planning Your Fruit Trees

Wally Richards: Planning Your Fruit Trees

Increasing Demand for Fruit Trees Recent reports from nurseries and garden centres indicate that there is a big demand for fruit trees this season. This is not surprising, as many people have returned to growing their own food crops to save money, to become more self-

Landscape Safari Composting 101

Landscape Safari Composting 101

A wet winter – Wally Richards Weekly Column

A wet winter – Wally Richards Weekly Column

This winter has been wetter and colder than any we have had for some time. For us gardeners it is a matter of doing our best to keep plants alive and the gardens in reasonable shape while chaffing at the bit. Wet feet One of the worst problems is saturated soil which is a problem […]

Wally Richards – Condy’s Crystals: A gardening boon

Wally Richards – Condy’s Crystals: A gardening boon

Potassium Permanganate (Condy’s Crystals) has numerous uses in gardening as well as in other areas. I remember as a boy that if one had a sore throat a mild tincture of Condy’s Crystals would be made up to use as a gargle. This would hopefully kill the bacteria which was causing the sore throat. It […]