The green garden

It wasnt long ago that the back garden held an important role in feeding the family, providing fruit and vegetables for the dinner table. This practise is making a comeback and there are some basic steps to help you keep your garden in great condition.

The control of disease and pests along with crop rotation and green composting can help transform your garden into a bountiful supply of fresh produce.

These days there are more man - made products available to help with pest protection and disease control, but producing great results still has some fundamental basics.

 Green garden in their area.

First steps

It is important to keep your garden weed free, as weeds use up valuable nutrients, which could be used by your plants. The same applies for weak or sickly plants; remove these from the vegetable garden. Unproductive fruit trees have the same effect on an orchard and need to be removed as well.

Check your garden over regularly and look out for insects and diseases, so you can treat them before your plants become badly affected.

Crop rotation

Compost

Growing the same crops in the same place year after year will deplete the soil of the nutrients that that particular crop needs. As each plant has different requirements, changing what you plant in an area each year will avoid draining the soil of minerals and nutrients.

An additional benefit of crop rotation is that pests and diseases will not have the opportunity to invade, as the changing crops will be unfamiliar territory.

Just like the gardeners of days gone by, making compost is an important part of keeping your garden fresh. We do produce a fair amount of waste from the kitchen and the garden, which can be used to make compost.

Composting is not difficult, it just needs a little time and patience. Compost is simply rotten organic waste that breaks down naturally over time. Using a compost bin, you can speed up natures process by controlling the temperature and moisture.

Position your compost bin in a sheltered part of the garden directly on soil - avoid concrete or hard surfaces.

Composting is like making a sandwich, start with a layer with small broken sticks about 20cm deep, this allows air to circulate and help with drainage. Put down a layer of mixed organic kitchen waste then green waste such as lawn clippings or leaves.

Add a sprinkling of Blood and Bone every few layers. This is an activator, which accelerates decomposition. Adding lime every few layers will improve the quality of the finished product.

Compost is ready when it has the consistency of lumpy potting mix and can be broken easily with a fork. Spread the compost over the ground and then dig it in to the soil a few weeks prior to planting.

Compost bins come in all shapes and sizes. For the inner city or suburban garden, the most popular is the square or round plastic one usually between 240 to 350 litres, both available at your local Mitre 10 store.

Composting leaves in a bag is a quick way to make use of autumn garden waste. Large paper bags are the best, as you can compost them as well. Fill the bags, tie up the end and punch some holes in the sides.

Tricks of the trade

Resist the urge to compress the contents.

It is normal to have bugs, slugs and other insects around the compost bin; they are helping to break down the material, so be kind to them.

Cold weather will slow the process; when the weather warms up, the process will start again.

If the heap is getting too hot then turn it over with a fork to aerate.

Worm farms

Worm farms have become another popular and economical method of recycling kitchen waste. They are very easy to use and are a great way to get kids involved in the garden.

Worms feed on rotting plant matter and the waste they produce is full of minerals. A worm farm will produce castings and liquid fertiliser. The castings can be worked into your soil, while the liquid fertiliser is drained off the farm, diluted with water and applied to the garden with a watering can.

Visit the team at your local Mitre 10 for more information on available models.

DIY worm farms

You can use any waterproof container with a lid; polystyrene boxes from a fruit shop are good. Dont use cardboard, as the worms will eat that.

How To:

1. Fill the first container to at least half way with shredded newspaper, compost or grass clippings.

2. Put your worms on top then add final layer of food scraps and put the lid on.

3. Feed your worms weekly, but do not overfeed. Even though they can eat their own weight in food, they are still just worms. Only feed your worms when the previous scraps have been eaten; unwanted food will just sit there and lead to odour problems.

4. As the worms outgrow the container, remove the lid and put on a second container on top of the first bin with holes drilled through the bottom; these holes ensure that the worms will climb up to the next layer.

5. Once all the worms have left the first container and are in the second, remove the bottom container and use the castings on the garden. Put the container back on the bottom to collect all the liquid fertiliser.

6. Have a third container on stand - by, which you alternate with the second layer by following Step 4 to keep the farm continuously producing.

Your garden can be a provider for your family and these traditional methods of supplying nutrients will help you - we know this because over the years countless gardeners have proved these methods. The team at Mitre 10 has all the experience and knowledge to help you get your garden set up for success.