Josy The Garden Gnome

19/01/2022

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05/09/2021

05/09/2021

So we never stop learning, I often collect my own seeds especially since some commercial seeds are “roundup ready!”
And so many generically altered
I purchased some lettuce seedlings called Lollo Rosso the dark red colour appealed to me and they were amazing both to eat in a salad looked great in a salad but also as a garnish for other dishes
So I waited for then to go to seed and collected them Strangely I was expecting the seeds to be dark but no they were white seeds Si now ready to plant my next crop some yummy salads coming up I’m sure

28/05/2021

Planting by the Moon Phases

There’s are lots of complicated answers I found this easier to follow
The moon has a magnetic pull as we see in the tides both high and low
The same magnetic pull works on seeds some seeds need to grow up ( top crops)some need to grow down (root crops)
The WANING MOON
is from a full moon 🌕 to shrinking light till it disappears
With the WANING MOON the sap of plants is pulled DOWN so it’s best for planting Root crops
The WAXING MOON 🌚 New moon to increasing light has the sap of plants drawn UP
So this is the best time to plant top crops

25/10/2020

Such a beautiful plant for any garden but often they just get bigger and bigger and as they do they get so crowded with their roots entwined
The competition for fertiliser and water often means they’ll have a reduced amount of flowers
Or lots of spent flowers and damaged leaves that may be difficult to reach to remove.
Maybe you would like to divide it to have more plants around the garden or some to share with friends
I found that this method worked really well with no lost or broken plants though it was a bit or a task

I recently did mine I dug a trench around the whole plant and filled it with water every evening I did this deeper and deeper filled with water each time after a week or so I was able to lift the whole plant out then it popped into 5 seperate plants I didn’t need to manually seperate them the plant seemed happy to oblige and I replanted them around the garden they didn’t stress or go backwards but we’re very happy to settle into their own new space
I found this is the only way if you try to just get some out they snap and break because the roots are all entwined

20/08/2020

I’ve done / fixed heaps and I’d never install any on or in the ground sooner or later you have problems especially in a vegetable garden where you’re constantly planting w**ding harvesting.
But set above the garden and run along the top of star pickets works great as you can instantly see if one of the heads is blocked or leaking and you can add taps to direct where to go or close off an unused area
If you want to water down close to the plants just add a long spaghetti hose just make sure that the length is long enough to be able to move it along or lift it up completely for digging work
You can always remove this spaghetti line and pop in a b**g or another sprinkler head
No one puts a spade or fork through them when they’re high and you can still get the mower between the beds and not cut trough the line.
The biggest advantage of this high system is that you can see what’s happening to avoid problems
Also suggest that you’re dilligent to put the B**g in the end when not in use to stop lizards and ants getting in the line

20/08/2020

Setting up Automatic Sprinkler System

I’ve done / fixed heaps and I’d never install any on or in the ground sooner or later you will have problems
But a set up above the garden works.
I’d run the line along the top of star pickets it works great and you can instantly see if one of the heads is blocked or leaking you can add taps to direct where to go or to close off an area not currently in use
No one puts a spade or fork through them when they’re high and you can still get the mower between the beds and not cut through the line
If you want to water down low you just add a thin spaghetti line to direct the water where you want it just make sure that the length is longer than you think you’ll need so that it can easily be lifted up out of the way of planting and w**ding if it’s not needed later on you can pop a bing in the whole or change it to another sprinkler head
The advantage is really being able to see what’s happening and fix problems early
Also suggest that you’re dilligent to put the b**g in the end when not in use to stop lizards and ants getting in the line.

18/07/2020

Unhappy unfruitful citrus trees
Often folks will tell me how wonderful their citrus trees were then all of a sudden things changed.So what’s going on?
Most likely it’s not happy underneath, its roots may have come into contact with the clay table below it’s easy to fix
Firstly prune the tree as the taller it gets the further the roots go down trimming will stop this next and keep doing this each year while working of fixing the problem
Remove all grass and w**ds from under the tree right out to the trees canopy.
Next you’ll need to sprinkle gypsum at the base of the tree ( be generous with a good thick layer)
do not dig the gypsum in, next on top of gypsum spread a bag of potting mix ( cheap one is fine)
The reason for this is the gypsum alters the structure of clay particles it causes the clay particles to repel each other but only for a few weeks so the potting mix serves to get in between the clay particles to stop them from restructuring and this needs to be done 2-3 times per year but every season is best
Next add a whole bag of pure organic cow manure bunnings sell it for $6.90 bag ( don’t buy the cheaper one it’s not pure)
The reason for the cow manure is firstly to feed the tree with real fertiliser but also cow manure attracts worms who will dig down into the sub soil and help open aerate the soil and get the nutrients to where it’s needed
Citrus fertiliser ( white pellets ) burn worms and destroy microorganisms
You’ll soon have a happy tree and healthy soil but don’t be tempted to plant plants under the tree they’re not happy to share the water and nutrients instead a good layer of wood chips will help suppress w**ds and any that do pop up will be easy to pull since the soil is now more open
Keep stating cow manure each year it can just go on top of the wood chop mulch it’ll find its own way down

17/07/2020

Raised Gardens
All gardens should be no dig as digging brings the subsoil to the top and top soil to the bottom it’s how farmland has been destroyed.
Look at how Mother Nature does it in the forest she keeps spreading leaves grasses and bird droppings on top of the forest floor over and over each season, everything grows effortlessly with no mans interference
If we copy Mother Nature by continually adding organic matter AND animal manure the soils begin to heal and everything grows. Forget the fancy labels on commercially produced fertilisers and chemical these have only become the normal in the last 50-60 yrs and have resulted in poor soils produce that doesn’t taste like it should and bugs that devastate your efforts.
For generations before whole family’s of often 10-15 kids were fed from home gardens using the old methods Those who have gone back to this way of growing are not only harvesting but often find that some vegetables pop up on their own either from seeds of off cuts
How high you want to build your raised garden bed
This is a personal decision often depending on your personal mobility and preferences
If you wish you can just raise only a few cm and not even use any sort of surround to hold the organic matter in place this works well as organic matter will continually break down and shrink away. This is a good thing really as it means that the worms and microorganisms are busy munching away and as they do they’ll aerate the soil and open up the ground below to give you more growing depth. Of course this also means that you’ll need to add lots more to keep it up to the height of your chosen construction
This worm and microorganisms activity only happens with organic matter not with soil or sand, if you decide to fill your raised garden bed with soil that has very little or no organic matter it often just sits there on top of your soil and doesn’t get moved around by the worms and often results in disappointment
I feel it’s a good idea to start without the construction of any frame till you get things going using the budget to buy organic matter like straw hay potting mixes bagged manure and add your own lawn clippings and vegetable peelings and scraps
You can always add the raised garden bed frames over the prepared soil/area later on
By this time you’ll have noticed the best position in regards to the direction of the sun and shade from buildings also tree roots perhaps from neighbours and most importantly is access to be able to mow around the garden beds to make keeping it tidy easier

04/07/2020

Growing vegetables without the bugs

Do you think it’s possible to grow healthy organic vegetables without spraying pesticides ??
Well it certainly is just like they did in the days of our grandparents but we need to cultivate some of the old ways
It’s all about the health of the soil.
Years ago there were no such thing as pesticides but gardens were annually filled with cow or sheep manure to grow big strong healthy vegetables enough to feed a big family plus.
Manures as provided by Mother Nature adds all the needed nutrients in the correct npk nothing else is needed if we all begin to replenish our soils this way bugs will be minimal and no problem except in times when bugs reach plague proportions.
Most folks do not realise how much manure to use or is needed to replenish the soil,
so here’s my suggestion, a whole bag of pure organic cow manure available from bunnings and nurseries for $6-$7 make sure it’s pure not composted a whole bag to a square meter before planting and every year keep adding more.
If you’re growing hungry plants like sweet corn you’ll need to add more by sprinkling in between the plants during their growth
If you have access to the cow pads from the paddock cover the whole garden in winter stacked high like a pyramid the winter rains will break it down ready for spring planting
If you do this vegetables will grow so fast that the bugs don’t get a chance to eat them and they’ll taste so awesome
So sometimes people ask “ will it burn ?”
Well look into the fields where cattle are grazing you’ll notice that the best lush green grass grows right through the cow pads yet no one watered them in
We’ve been trained by commercial companies that manure burns but their chemical fertiliser are ok if we water those little white or blue pellets in, they’ve taught us to only sprinkle a handful and it’ll feed the plants for UP TO a few months and also suggested that we don’t like the smell of manure !! Well ok maybe they’re sort of on something for the last one but the smell usually disappears in a day or two but the bennifits are so worth while
So if you need to buy manure what’s what.
Firstly read the print on the pack if it says composted manure it’s mostly compost not manure or it may say approved organic input so it’s not pure
Cow manure is the best because the cow has several stomachs and everything it eats is completely broken down with the active enzymes of their digestive system
Sheep manure is pretty good too as is aged chicken manure the bagged varieties are usually aged
You’ll never see horse manure bagged commercially because it often carries w**d seeds that have not broken down properly but it still has some value if you’re confident that it doesn’t contain serious w**ds I’ve seen bags sold on the side of the road but weighing up the volume to cost it’s really not a bargain and the bags are often small
Most other animal manure like alpaca are also good. a good rule I find is if the animal eats meat we don’t use that manure for food crops

31/05/2020

Pesticides are poison
So how can we grow plants without sprays and poisons ?? and are any safe ??
I believe a poison is a poison no such thing as kill one harmless to others
We live in a time of artificial everything and that is the problem
Our soils are deficient in nutrients and so consequently are our plants and especially food plants
Stressed plants give off vibrations to say they’re sick this makes Bugs come in to take them out ( kill) this must happen otherwise these sick inferior plants bear seeds that are even more inferior and so a downward spiral begins Only the stronger are supposed to survive to produce seeds for the next generation
Its simply really and so is the answer
Return to natural fertiliser like cow chicken or sheep manure these contain the correct NPK nutrients as designed by Mother Nature these manures help to hold water in sandy soil they help to break down and open heavy and clay soils they encourage and support worm activity and micrograms that makes soil healthy
try it for yourself even if it’s just on one sq meter of your garden
Add lots of manure add it regularly like monthly no need to dig it in just sprinkle and leave it.
In the fields cows n sheep do not bury their poo no need as they don’t eat meat.
By doing this your plants grow faster taste better and overtime the bugs will be minimal You soil will be alive and healthy and you’ll no longer need to buy pesticides

28/05/2020

Dealing with clay soil

Clay is an amazing substance with out we wouldn’t have plates and cups etc but it’s not good for growing as it’s too sticky when wet and too hard when dry so the plants roots struggle in it
The good part is that it is easily changed Gypsum clay breaker alters the structure of the clay particles but only TEMPORARILY so when applying gypsum you need to also add organic material that has small enough particles to lodge in between the clay like a potting mix
These particles will help to stop the clay particles from restructuring and provide food for worms who like to tunnel through.
Adding these needs to be continually repeated by the repeating process of gypsum and potting mix the depth of the new (soil ) gets deeper so even at this point it’s best to only grow low growing plants
Once you have plants growing add both the gypsum and potting mix only at the surface do not dig it in or you’ll most likely damage the roots of your plants
As well as potting mix you can add other organic matter as well like lawn clipping leaves wood chips and most importantly MANURES as these provides nutrients for the plants they may still be having a difficult time pushing their roots through the clay in search of food
When your soil is looking great and you have a depth to work with you can begin to grow slightly taller plants remember that the height that is above the ground will generally represent a third of what is below the ground in roots so if for instance you were to plant a dwarf citrus tree and all is going well then suddenly the tree starts to stress it probably means that the trees roots have gone down and come into contact with the clay again what has happened is that as the tree has put on some growth the roots have responded by going deeper
If this happens just trim off the new growth and again apply a layer of gypsum AND potting mix and some manure do not dig it in. So the reason I’m suggesting manure and not chemical fertiliser is because we want to encourage worm activity worms are a gardeners helpers they eat the organic matter at they same time they tunnel deep through the clay and soil, again helping to break down the clay structure as the tunnel through they are opening pathways and are shedding skin and pooping the organic matter they eat
Artificial fertiliser in the form of white pellets burn worms and microorganisms in soil it’s best avoided when trying to improve soil