We hope you’ve been finding our grow your own vegetable garden series helpful! Team members Emelia, Mike and Aron are back with more recommendations on how to set up your space for success.
Read on for part three of our three part series.
Irrigation and watering – how much is too much?
Emelia:
“When working with vegetables, I highly recommend the installation of dripline irrigation. A lot of tender annuals can rot and get fungal diseases/infections and do not like the use of overhead irrigation. When watering, set your programme to water in the early morning.”
Mike:
“Every plant will have different water needs. The best practice is to group plants with similar watering requirements together, allowing you to maintain the desired soil moisture level more effectively. Always check your plants watering needs before purchasing to ensure that you are able to fulfill the requirements, either through adequate rainfall, hand watering or irrigation.”
Fertilising
Mike:
“Keep in mind fruits and vegetable plants are high feeders. This means you will need to source specific fertiliser for your chosen plantings and feed/water them regularly. Additional organic material will help speed up the growth rates and improve general health.”
Aron:
“Once every two weeks, in addition to your normal watering, give a light water of Seasol or some other seaweed fertilisers.”
Pests, diseases and other tips
Mike:
“It’s important to monitor each plant variety for pest attack because most of our veggies are prone to being invaded by undesirable pests. Check your local hardware store for preferably a natural based pesticide to apply regularly.”
Emelia:
“When you build your garden, look at installing worm tunnels. These are fantastic for your plants and a great project you can complete at home with materials you have lying around. Bury them in the garden and put a lid on it to keep the vermin out. You now have an inbuilt compost worm buffet ready for all your organic kitchen scraps.”
Most importantly, have fun!
Mike, Team Leader
“Enjoying the ride is the key to a long-lasting gardening endeavour. Be prepared to have some failures as well as successes as you learn what works for you. Happy Gardening!”
Aron
Talk to your plants. People may think you’re crazy, but if you’re self isolating you may have already been doing that! Most importantly, enjoy.
