Garden Club
Our meeting on 11th February was a very special one. We say “we are what we eat”. Food is what keeps us all alive and healthy. Our plants too need excellent food to be excellent plants. For example, many of us learnt through the last heatwave - plants can much better withstand drought conditions when well nourished. In South Australia we have the privilege of being the home state of a very special organization producing top quality, organic, specialized food for our vegetables, roses and fruit and green crops. We were fascinated as we heard from well-known Kanmantoo organic plant food manufacturer, Neutrog’s Paul Dipugli about their founder’s passion for credibility and integrity. How reassuring that the nutrients which go into the locally produced organic fertilisers are also locally sourced. We heard of their origins and location; that more than 50 South Australians are employed in their factory at Kanmantoo. Neutrog products are exported across Asia and also have a manufacturing branch in South Africa. Various Associations, and Organisations such as the Rose Society and Flemington Racecourse endorse products such as Sudden Impact for Roses and Seamungus Lawn Fertiliser.
Research and development are what has ensured us a credible, authentically organic product. Their Dr Uwe Stroeher of the Wood Wide Web is a world-renowned microbiologist. Thermophyllic composting of 600 tonnes in 40 – 60 piles at any one time, takes place.
It is concerning that millions of plants get starved to death. People would never leave their pets to starve the way they often do their plants! Especially so for pot plants which have only their human to notice once the nutrient in the pot is used up. Many of our members belong to the Poo Bah club and receive regular information on optimum feeding of our plant.
TOMATO CHALLENGE
The annual tomato challenge was well and truly won by Ray Wise whose plate full of large, juicy looking, Mighty Red tomatoes with their irresistible eye appeal also won over the judge’s palate.
Several members benefitted from the multi draw Poo Bah prizes.
Surely as we munched through our delicious supper treats we all spared a thought for any of our pot or garden plants that were in need of FOOD.
GEORGE'S GARDENING SUGGESTIONS FOR APRIL 2019
Vegetable seeds for sowing include broad beans, white onions, turnips and swedes.
Divide garlic cloves and plant with a side dressing of superphosphate.
Flower seeds to plant include calendula, cornflower, hollyhock, linaria, pansy, Iceland poppy, and snapdragons. Sweet peas also, if you missed St Patrick's Day!
Spring bulbs - some gardeners may have noticed that some of their bulbs "cooked" in the ground during the heatwaves of Summer - when planting err on the deeper side of recommended planting depths to avoid the extreme surface temperatures of the soil.
Herbs - Easter is the traditional planting time for parsley, also plant borage and lavender to attract pollinators into your garden.
In the orchard it is time to fertilise Citrus trees.
Lawns - aerate and fertilise, raise mower height as the weather cools. Rake leaves from the lawn, if left in place they may encourage fungal problems - compost them.
Meetings are held in the Cherry Gardens Uniting Church meeting room, at 7.30pm usually on the 2nd Monday of the month from February to November.
President: Ray Wise: raywise@hotmail.com.au or 0405 273 003
Secretary: Shirley Callaghan: shirleyc5159@gmail.com or 0403 801 916
NEXT MEETINGS
Monday 8th April
Daniel Holzer from Holman Industries, a WA based irrigation component manufacturer will show their range of products suitable for the home gardener.
Monday 6th May
George Hoad President of Garden Clubs Australia will be our Guest Speaker. We will also have a chance to meet Julie Myer, our zone coordinator.
