Growing Great Vegetables and Herbs

Why grow your Own?

Let thy Food be thy medicine ! Hippocrates

Nutritional benefits

Gardening is a healthy green pill which is very beneficial for our mind, body, mental health

and the soul.

Science is starting to back up what gardeners have known for a long time;

Gardening is Good for you!

Lets start with the Soil!

Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants

More Nutrient Dense= Better Human Health

In Perth our soils need some Improvement

Perth soils tend to be •  Deep sands •  Lack structure •  Often alkaline (limey) •  Low organic content •  Low natural clay/silt content •  Water repellent •  Low ability to hold nutrients and

water in the profile

Inspiring & Empowering Sustainable Communities

So just what are we changing?

Without soil improvement, water &

nutrients go straight past the feeder roots

and into the groundwater system

This wastes lots of water & fertiliser, Increasing pollution & unhealthy plant growth

How can we improve our sandy soils?

ADD: Organic matter, compost, animal manures,

worm castings, clays, biochar, zeolite, spongelite

Revamping a garden on gutless sands

Wow!, You’ve got soil structure!

Inspiring & Empowering Sustainable Communities

So just what have we changed?

With soil improvement, water & nutrients are held in the root zone, where they can be used by the feeder

roots

This reduces water & fertiliser use and pollution And leads to healthy plant growth

Soil Recipe For one square metre;

•  30 litres of soil Improver •  2-7 kgs of clay •  Handful of organic pellets or rock mineral fertiliser

Incorporate into top 10-30cm of soil. Add wetting agents as required.

Soil Life is The main driver of soil productivity

and plant health.

Feed The Soil Stimulate Soil Life!

So many fertilisers, what do we really need?

The Magic of Mulch! Feeding Mulches have their place but can wick moisture from the soil in Summer. Cover with a layer of waterwise mulch for the benefits of both!

Dealing with Pests & Diseases

“Plants have this amazing ability to look after themselves when the conditions are right for them” Matthew Evans

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

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Go for diversity

Avoid Mono-Cultures

Allow some vegies and herbs to flower to bring in pollinators and predators

Insect Pests: Many organic compliant products no available for try your own home made spray

Snails and Slugs: safer Iron based pellets available or try beer traps, coffee grounds or spray.

Diseases Powdery mildew! One of the most common, particularly on cucurbits. Try home made milk spray or Eco Fungicide

“Slip, slop, slap!”

Shade for Summer

Survival 30 -60%

shade

MICRO GREENS Mini Vegetable Gardening

Benefits of Micro Greens

´ Small but tasty and nutrient dense (often 4-6 times more than mature plants)

´ Easy and cheap to grow at home taking little space

´ Can be harvested after 1 -3 weeks

´ Require light and potting mix or soils media to grow

´ Health risks are minimized

Greenlifesoil.com.au

•  Greenlifesoil.com.au - when-to-plant-guide

•  Department of Agriculture of Food WA Bulletin No. 4629

•  Organicgardener.com.au – Planting guides

•  Edenseeds.com.au – Planting guide for Vegetables

•  Localharvest.com.au

Websites to visit for seasonal vegetable growing lists: