| I hope you are now back in good shape after
your Millennium festivities or waiting until the Millennium really ticks over next year in
2001? Annie and I decided we wanted to plant a nature
strip last year, so got Unley Council permission, paid the $93 for their works team to
remove 15cm of clay and replace it with sandy loam, that only took 30 minutes with a
backhoe. We covered the strip with mushroom compost and planted it in an hour. Now if that
isn't easy what is? Worth trying an enquiry to your local council.
Watering over the Christmas break I noticed water running
off my compost and to my horror discovered some really dry patches underneath, caused by
fungal activity, so I sprayed it with Clay buster that is mostly just liquid gypsum, but
it worked a treat and next watering soaked in like a sponge.
I decided on trying a few different pumpkins back in
December and being short of rambling space in the vegetable garden planted them on
westerly facing fence. Now they have thrived but I've got a few pumpkins and the neighbour
has dozens, since they've gone over the top and down the other side. He's so thrilled he's
trading me lemons!
The summer salad days have decimated the lettuce patch,
even picking a few leaves at a time, so if you've had the same run on lettuce... plant
some more. The 'Combo' pack is still good value, since the varieties are changed with the
season so they generally don't bolt to seed.
If however you are a self determined lettuce aficionado,
plant 'Great Lakes' and 'Green Ice' rather than 'Cos' or 'Oakleaf' varieties, since they
are sure to bolt to seed and taste bitter. |
