Garden Club
Contact Ray Wise – President 0405 273 003 or 8383-6011
Garden Club Meetings 7.30 the 2nd Monday of every month unless it is a public holiday, in which case it will then be on the 3rd Monday of the month.
Meetings will be held at the Cherry Gardens Memorial Hall for the remainder of 2021.
Pre COVID June meetings we usually commenced a Winter Warmer night early with a shared meal. This year we instead had an evening pooling members’ Garden Recycling Tips and Tricks. We hope you will benefit from us sharing them with readers.
Garden Recycling Tips and Tricks
Reuse potting mix by mixing with compost.
Use old cages as protection for plants.
Use disposable cutlery as name tags for plants.
Old plastic sauce bottles, use for dispensing fertilizer.
Use the lids off the plastic sauce bottles and put onto liquid fertilizer containers to stop dripping down the side of containers.
Put a plastic bag over feet before putting on boots, also prevents socks from getting wet.
Half milk carton – put candles in when outside.
Pieces of pipe with holes drilled around sides around garden, put household scraps in. (mini compost bins)
When planting tomato plants – plant deep and angle the root, which allows for a greater root strength.
Dried and crushed eggshells, over garden and in worm farms– calcium.
Soak eggshell in water then use to water garden – the calcium leaches out of the shells.
Plant tags – cut kindling thinly.
Wood ash can be used sparingly through gardens.
Banana tea – chop up the skin and soak in water.
Shell grit dug into soil – over time the calcium leaches intothe soil.
Use upturned cups and glasses as protection for young plants.
Extendable handle sheers makes it easier to chop down weeds.With blades that are angled to the handle.
Milk cartons laid on side and a cut out for storage in shed.
Horse manure – good for worm farms in winter.
Put the legs of worm farms in a container of water – stops ants getting in.
Cut the top and bottom off milk cartons, a stick or stake in – plant protection.
Light lace curtains over plants for protection from moths.
A piece of pipe with holes inside pushed down into a compost, let air down deep.
Use the wire coat hangers, bend to suit and use as hooks.
Move pots regularly if roots from other plants are getting in and using the nutrients.
The monthly plant auction and cuppa ended a most enlightening evening.
NEXT MEETINGS
Monday August 9th
Annual General Meeting and Quiz night.
Monday Sept 13th
Three speakers from within our Club ---Pauline, Raelene and Kath.
GEORGE'S GARDENING SUGGESTIONS FOR August 2021
National Tree Day is on 1st August – a good time to plant a tree or two or even more if you have space.
Winter greens can be grown in largish pots so they can be shifted to maximise sunlight or shelter from hail or frost.
Continue to make as much compost as you can – it is most beneficial in spring and summer.
Pick broad beans when young for a delicious & tender addition to your meals.
Remove mandarins and limes from trees now before they become woody or even mouldy.
Complete your rose pruning this month.
Salvias are a great plant to have in your garden and come in a variety of sizes and colours. They can be cut back quite hard at this time of the year and will grow back quickly to give a good show in spring. Some of the larger varieties can become quite leggy – they can be cut back to ground level now.
On a fine, calm day spray your deciduous fruit trees with a Sulphur or copper spray to keep fungal disease away – spray again at budburst.
Aged manure and compost should be dug in now ready for summer vegetables with big appetites e.g. pumpkins and tomatoes.
