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The Good News Gardener, Perth (2026)

15/02/2024

Good Morning and God bless gardeners❤️

I just want to send you all a message of Love and well wishes and a special thanks to you all for your patience and understanding. I can greatfully tell you that I am very well, both in spirit and health and that although I have not been active, The Good News Gardener still stands patently waiting as a vehicle for love, sharing and togetherness.

The Lord has been busy in me, cutting away unnecessary pride, selfishness, ego and vanity. People wonder why "That Citrus Guy" had to change? It was popular, successful and well on the way to mainstream coverage. The reason why is because "That Citrus Guy" was getting all the praise. I used the blessings God had bestowed on me for my own vain glory. Now this may be hard to understand, but the truth is that it is easy for people to look good to other people. A good deed here, a kind word there and bam....a good person.

Jesus says that there is no one good but God and I believe him. When we let the righteousness of Jesus into our hearts, our own self-righteousness pales into insignificance and our vain and empty need to look good to others falls away. A good deed done with no reward is more righteous than a good done for all to see. The way we love those that treat us poorly, says more about us than the way we treat those who love us back.

Gardeners I love you all. I am so grateful to know you and to have shared time with you. God willing we will see each other again in days to come and perhaps the Good News Gardener will become a collective and not an individual 🙏 God Bless

10/06/2023

Good Morning Gardeners... Yes I am still alive and well and oh so very grateful for all that I have....Woohoo!!!😀

Thought for the day.....infact you may really want to think about this on the regular.

Just take a minute to think how truly wonderous it is to be able to grow your own food and ask yourself...Do I honestly believe that the occurrence of such a diverse range of amazing fruiting plants and vegetation is just a result of some cosmic role of the dice? Sure we can alter them and selectively breed them, but they had to come from somewhere.

How much faith do I need to believe that everything in the known universe came from nothing. Did our earth, all the plants, the animals, the soil, the minerals, our water, the stars, the sun, the moon, the seasons, the air that I breathe and my beautiful family come from space dust 🤔....ummmm....What?

Yeah Yeah, I know what we're told about the space dust coming from the big bang and the billions of years and the single cell lifeform and the fish turning into monkeys....jokes... the fish turned into fish with legs. Gardeners I think it would be fair to say that simply believing in what you are told without question would appear (at least at a glance) to have all the hallmarks of a pretty solid religion. I was a believer for years.

Gardeners I hope this post isn't to difficult for you. I know it goes against the status quo, but at the very least I hope it got you thinking about what you believe. ❤ Big Love to you all, be you created or just a cosmic coincidence X

08/02/2023

Good Morning and God bless gardeners. My apologies to anyone who has been waiting for replys to questions, I understand how valuable your time is and your patience is very much appreciated.

Soooo...Gardeners for the first post of the New Year I am going straight to the core of The Good News Gardener. I know the transition was not easy for some and I know That Citrus Guy was far more comfortable, however it would be disingenuous to portray anything else but this.

Facebook is full of comfortable pages that will happily endulge peoples desires, but this page is not one of them. The internet is full of good garden advice, both from experts and "experts" and if this page is not for you I totally understand and so with that said....The Good News.

Gardeners the Good News is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His name was Yeshua Hamashiach and he was a Jewish man, born to a Jewish woman in a Jewish town called Galilee. He came to fulfil the promise of his Father and he defeated death on the cross for all of mankind, so that anyone who will turn from sin and trust in him should have everlasting life.

Did Christ speak the truth?
Yeshua Hamashiach (Joshua) Is the Truth and he is the only way to God. Now that is a statement that has become shocking to many people today, even to the point of complete hatred and this should be no surprise to anyone, especially Christians.

For anyone with eyes to see, simply look around at the state of the world. It has become a cesspool of lies and self adoration, where nothing is to shameful to become trendy. People have sold their souls for a dollar and completely blacked out their own moral compass in the name of a good time.

As I said earlier, this page will not be for everyone, but I have no need for false adoration and I have no interest in the pleasure of this world. With that said Gardeners I really do send all my Love to you all and I mean all. This page will be a safe place for anyone interested in their gardens or their eternal salvation. Haters are welcomed with open arms, but unnecessary hot air will be vented appropriately.

Ask yourself the question....why does everyone at a funeral hope that the deceased is in Heaven, or a better place? It is to late to worry about eternity when you are dead, why not give it some thought whilst you are still alive?

22/12/2022

You say Tomatoe, I say Tomato.....🤔
Gardeners Tomato's are supposed to be a simple crop to grow, but that most certainly does not always seem to be the case. I have decided to grow some tomato's this year to see just how simple...or difficult it can be.

Good Morning Gardeners and the Most Highs blessings upon you all ❤️

OK, so what I have looked at is how and where to grow Tomato's as successfully as possible. I have decided to look at out of the bag potting mix as my medium this time as it is cost effective (mostly) and does not require any over thinking, special blends or towballs. Potting mix can be found at most garden centres and is suitable for both containers and garden beds.

The potting mix I decided to go with is a bulk premium potting mix from Bunnings, with a top dress of whoflungdung mulch from Neutrog. The 50L Scott's premium potting mix is what I have used and for me it is probably the best value bag available... best value does not mean the best quality, but the quality is there along with good price point. Of course I understand that everyone will have their preferred brand and I welcome your feedback in the comments, but for the sake of the experiment this is the brand I am using.

It is my experience that tomato's have a few must haves and if you chose to over look them you may well find yourself sorely disappointed. I have learned the hard way and most certainly have experienced crop failure in the past.

Fungal issues seem to be the biggest problem for most growers, so to try and eliminate that there is a few crucial tips. Always try and purchase clean plants as fungus will enter your garden this way and if possible purchase disease resistant varieties, especially if you have had fungal issues in garden beds previously. Do not plant Tomato's in the same bed yearly and always rest beds for at least 12 months or longer if possible. Do not over head water and avoid watering that splashes soil onto the plants, as most soil borne pathogens will transfer onto the plant from infected soil via this method.

Tomato's love full sun, plenty of free draining water and accessible nutrients throughout the development and fruiting stages. Addition of Potassium during the fruiting stages will aid in fruit development and be aware not to overdo fertilisers that can damage the root system. Tomato's are susceptible to extreme heat, so having the ability to cover or protect them on the hottest days will most certainly help, but a good strong bush will always hold up much better than an unhappy one and I find that the shade created by a vigorous bush protects both the fruit and root mass well.

Pruning tomato's is a topic that many will debate and how to train and stake them up also comes into play in this conversation. Single rod tomato's with side shoots removed create beautiful quality fruit on uniform branches, however this method does reduce crop load and creates a canopy that does not provide good protection for root mass or fruit.

Espaliation of tomato's is a very effective method and one that I have decided to do in this situation. This allows me to keep multiple branches that not only cover a larger area, but help to attain a much larger crop of fruit. I strongly suggest trying different methods in your own garden to see the effects that each one allows you to obtain and keep in mind that certain varieties prefer different methods of training.

Tomato's are most certainly susceptible to pests, with a whole host of different things wanting to have a peice of the action. These will need to be addressed as they occur as no two gardens will present with the same problems. Unmanaged tomato's especially in the suburbs will almost certainly have issues, so regular maintenance and management is a must.

Gardeners I will post an update on this patch in the next month to see where we are at with it and if you have any questions or pictures of your own tomato success please do share them to the page 🙂 Nutrients used in this bed are Rooster Booster, Seamungus, Troforte for Citrus and fruiting plants and Sulphate of potash. So far no fungicides have been required, but the use of "Success" on fortnightly intervals has been required for the control of grubs in fruit.

15/12/2022

I just love when a good plan comes together 😍

Good Afternoon and God bless gardeners.

Just a quick update on the African Pride Custard Apple. I have been hand pollinating everyday now for about 3 weeks and so far it looks like we have around 30 small fruit developing. I am going to continue pollinating for another week and then thin out fruit to an appropriate quantity.

This Custard Apple is in a 200L pot and is around 5 years old. Gardeners hand pollination of Custard apples really does work and I highly recommend it to anyone having trouble setting fruit on their tree.

08/12/2022

There's no time like the present gardeners and the present time is a gift that we can all take for granted. Being that Christmas is on the way I thought it only right to talk about the greatest gift of all......The Present.

Good Morning and God bless gardeners ❤️

Gardeners this weekend past saw a medical emergency close to home (all is well).. But in that moment of strife, I was astonished at how quickly every little problem I had just faded to nothing. I have given it some thought this week and I was actually a little disappointed in myself at how quickly I had let the day to day experience of life take precedence over what really matters.

This got me thinking....again....about how is it that we can be so hung up on the past and the future, without just being grateful for the present. It is the only thing we can bank on, yet we all seem to constantly look backwards or forwards without taking in even a little breath of the moment.

Just because a day may be different or difficult doesn't mean we should avoid it. People go to work in the morning looking forward to the end of the day. People start a work week looking forward to the weekend. People work for a year looking forward to a holiday. Gardeners people work their whole life looking forward to retirement. The future is not yours or mine, yet we all look into it like it is a given.

Gardeners please, please, please do something today....Hug your children tight and embrace the moment. Tell them how much you love them, you will not regret it. Put aside some time to call a loved one, or perhaps drop in on an old friend. Give your pets some extra love and maybe even take the dog for a walk.

There is no time like the present gardeners and your time is the greatest gift that you can give....Oh and one more thing gardeners, stop for a second or even a minute and just enjoy the moment......The wonderful thing about the garden, it is often the best place to enjoy that personal moment for yourself.

03/12/2022

Ohhh yes....It's the most wonderful time of the year...Tis the season gardeners.

Good Morning and God bless gardeners 🙂

The first Figs are just beginning to fill out, so I thought it timely to remind you all of just how simple Figs can be and some basics to have success.

I grow all of my Figs in pots and I highly recommend this practice for novice gardeners, those with small spaces and those who love there homes pipes and plumbing. Figs are notoriously vigorous if unmanaged so control of size is really a must in most instances.

I have been growing these varieties in 60L bins for around 5 years now and the crops have been very consistent. Figs in pots will want water everyday, but at a minimum every second. They love a good feed of Dynamic Lifter, Seamungus and Sulphate of potash and definitely use Troforte for Citrus and fruiting plants every 6 months to boost soil health.

Figs love the sun, so give them as much as possible to eliminate long leggy growth and to promote good quality fruit. Creating good structure is quite important in the first years as this will become permanent material in the following years. If you are able to create a small number of heavy limbs that can sustain fresh yearly fruiting limbs you should have good success.

Fruits come in two crops. The first is the small fruit from the previous season, this produces a very large fruit and will be the first harvest. The second crop develops on the new growing shoot, this will be a later crop but is usually very consistent and the one I tend to bank on.

A small to medium Fig should sustain at least 50 good Figs, this can vary but if you have enough space for a few plants you should have plenty of Figs for the family. I hope this has given you some fresh idea's and if you would love a Fig of your own....What are you waiting for? Figs can be purchased at most good edible garden centres, so this could be the perfect weekend for a trip out and about.

26/11/2022

"Honey,.....He's at it again....What could he possibly be doing in that garden....and why does he have a paint brush?"

Good Morning and God bless gardeners 🙂

Yes Gardeners... it's true, I am definitely that weirdo in the street that spends countless hours staring at my plants. A peculiar behaviour to some no doubt, but I guess it is no stranger than any other hobby one may indulge in.....right...🤔

With Spring in full swing and the weather warming, I now find myself paying a great deal of attention to my African Pride Custard Apple and in particular the hand pollination of the flowers. Custard apples are notoriously poor at self pollinating especially in our dry climate, so sometimes we need a little intervention in the form of pollen collection and hand fertilisation.

Custard apples produce a flower with both Female and Male parts that occur on separate days. The Female occurs first and in the afternoon of the second day the Male flower presents where pollen can now be collected. Using a dark container one can simply tap the Male flowers to release the pollen sacks and then separate the stamens from the pollen.

Using a soft paint brush pollen can be applied that same afternoon or next morning to any presenting Female flowers. Pinch one petal to show that the flower is pollinated and repeat the process as much as you need. Remember that custard apples are a large fruit and over fertilisation of flowers can lead to over cropping, so be sure to thin out fruit to select branches as they develop.

Gardeners this is one of the best part of gardening for me and to be honest I get more satisfaction from watching fruit set and develop, than from actually eating it. Try not to fall into the trap of being driven by the final product and enjoy every aspect of the plants yearly cycle. When you treat the final fruit crop as nothing more than icing on the cake you can not fail.

For anyone interested in hand pollination of custard apples I highly recommend YouTube. There is a good number of well made videos that will clearly walk you through the process.

13/11/2022

Orange you glad I didn't say Banana........Apples Gardeners....Apples is where it's at right now and these Apples are going Bananas 🤔....Anyhow.

Good Afternoon and God bless gardeners 🙂

Gardeners, I know it seems to be a feast or famine with my posts recently, but the garden is performing beautifully and I want to share relevant information as it happens. I currently have a number of different Apples growing, but I really wanted to share these two varieties in particular that I believe should be better known.

The "Anna" and "Golden Dorsett" are two fabulous early Apples that are not only perfectly suited to the Perth metro area, but are what I believe are ideally suited for the novice or beginner gardener who just wants a little bit of easy success.

These Apples have a mostly columnar habit, flower very early, require no chill hours and even better can often be found as a multi grafted pair. They are sweet, crispy and as far as I am concerned, about as easy as any fruit tree I have grown. They produce an abundance of fruit, even on a young tree and best of all gardeners, they will grow perfectly in large pots just as these ones are doing.

If you are looking for something different for the collection, or you really want to grow apples but only know the more traditional varieties, the "Anna" and "Golden Dorsett" are well worth looking at. I believe that these Apple trees are grown by a supplier in WA and often come into most good quality retail outlets right out of Winter, so get out to your local nursery and see what they can do to help you source your very own.

11/11/2022

The Feijoa makes a fabulous potted plant and will not only flower and crop well, but make a spectacular addition to any garden. Duffy and Nazemetz are the two specimens in 100L bags.

11/11/2022

Holy Feijoa, What's going on here?....Feijoas are looking absolutely spectacular this time of year and if you aren't familiar with this easy to grow wonder, I think it's time to take a closer look.

Good Morning and God bless gardeners 🙂

What a fabulous time of the year Spring is to be in the garden. There is never a lack of interesting things happening and not least of all in the Spring bloom of the Feijoa.

The Feijoa is actually native to South America, but has been well and truly adopted not only by our Kiwi friends and many other countries around the word. Named after a Brazilian botanist by the name of Joam Da Silva Feijo, the Feijoa has travelled abroad since 1890.....Thanks Google.

Feijoas are super easy to grow both in open plan gardens, courtyards or good sized containers and take very well to heavy pruning. Feijoas love full sun with free draining soil and will flower and fruit from seed or as a grafted specimen. Protection from fruitfly will need to be considered in prone areas and be sure to clean up fallen fruit where applicable.

Now what is very important is understanding that the Feijoa most definitely benefits from having a pollinating partner and I personally recommend obtaining two well know grafted cultivars to ensure not only good pollination and crop set, but quality of fruit. These two specimens are growing in 100L bags and are the varieties Duffy and Nazemetz.

Feijoas have a sweet edible flower petal to encourage birds and have a flavour that is all of its own....many will try to describe it, but only once you have smelt and tasted it will you know.

So there you go...The Feijoa, a spectacular small tree or hedge, perfect for pots and easy to grow...What more could you want🤔

Gardeners have a great day and if you have any questions about Feijoa or anything else edible in the garden please don't hesitate to ask.

09/11/2022

If you haven't already given your garden a feed, this weekend is the perfect time to get to it.

Good Morning and God bless gardeners 🙂

Gardeners, many of you already know the benefits of using troforte and I am yet to meet a person that didn't see an improvement in the overall health of the garden....(enter the one person who saw no improvement).

After years in the nursery industry I have seen many products come and go. Everyone says that their product is the best, but nothing beats actual results. Troforte for Citrus and fruiting plants not only does exactly what it says it can, but it keeps on doing what it says it can. It is a stable, reef safe product that will not burn, but most importantly it boosts microbial activities in the soil, with the introduction of Australian cultured beneficial soil microbes.

If you are not a confident gardener or just want something simple, I highly recommend giving this product a try. I am not payed to promote this product and make absolutely no gains from advertising it....I pay for it just like you. But the people who make the product are genuinely proud of what they have created and the results of it speak for themselves.

As many of you know I like to use many nutrients in the garden and I will put up a post soon with a comprehensive list and schedule to keep everyone on track. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

The Good News Gardener

15/02/2024

10/06/2023

08/02/2023

22/12/2022

15/12/2022

08/12/2022

03/12/2022

26/11/2022

13/11/2022

11/11/2022

11/11/2022

09/11/2022

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