MULCH, THEN MULCH AGAIN

I was mistaken if I thought I had a couple of weeks up my sleeve before I needed to start thinking about mulch, because just one week after filling our raised beds, our precious and pricey organic vege mix already has a thin and crispy layer on top. Mulching is crucial for vege gardens in spring and summer because it slows down water loss through evaporation and suppresses weeds (so they don’t hog all the resources your precious plants need). Plants that are stressed by a lack of water are less productive and more likely to be mauled by sucking bugs like aphids and green shield beetles. Because mulch breaks down over time, it adds organic matter to the soil too. We’re mulching with old feijoa leaves that we put though a mulcher, but you can use with whatever you can lay your hands on – lawn clippings (but not too much at once), shredded cardboard, sheep dags, bark and compost.

SET UP A REGULAR DATE WITH YOUR HOSE

I got the botanical guilts yesterday when I saw some new punnets of seedlings and a lovely red geum that is waiting to be planted keeling over in a wilted pile. I’d only watered them two days before, so it’s clear that daily watering is now on the schedule. Water seed trays, pots and hanging baskets in the morning and check them again at night. All berry and vege crops that have been planted out need plenty of water to get fruiting and while they are swelling, so give them a thorough soak once or twice a week. Lettuces and other salad greens, which are full of water, should be grown in soil that is constantly moist to avoid them drying out and becoming bitter. Check how effective your watering is by putting your thumb or a trowel into the dirt after watering to make sure you’ve penetrated the soil deeply enough.

Water in the morning or evening when it is cool to avoid water loss through evaporation and remember to water around the root zone and not the leaves to