Waterwise Information
Episode: # 28 08/12/07
Presenter: Neville Passmore
What are the basic principles of sustainable gardening in the21st Century? Strange as it may sound many of the concepts can be traced back to gardening practises of the 19th century.
Improving soil structure with organics was central to farming and agriculture when Neville’s great grandparents were building their strawberry growing business on the banks of the Canning River. Animal manure was central to the process and he can still recall tales of fermenting the contents of the bed pan with water in a big drum and applying this liquid fertiliser at the consistency of weak tea over the crops.
Our sandy WA soils are amongst the world most infertile soils. For the average gardener the easiest way to build up the organics in sand is to buy a truckload of compost and mix this into the sand before planting anything. This is just what Neville has done at home in preparation for his vegetable patch for example.
Adding Biowise compost to the soil you encourage earth worms and a host of soil borne micro-organisms to come to your assistance. We are not talking hundreds, rather billions per cubic metre and more than fertilisers they build true fertility in your soil.
Now if you have started your garden without these additions all is not lost. You can top dress your lawn with finely sieved compost and add the organics from above. Neville recommends massaging the material into the lawn using the back of a rake. Water this in and any coarse material that remains can be brushed off into garden beds. This treatment boosts lawn growth like you won’t believe.
Mulching garden beds can have the same effect of boosting fertility in existing plantings. I recommend adding a 10 to 15cm layer every 6 months as wind and earthworms can take it away.
Securing you garden water supply is a smart way to go. Bores are a real solution for keeping your gardens alive and kicking in most suburbs. In the Perth to Mandurah region new regulations allow you to water 3 times a week, still giving you an advantage for your investment but bringing usage into realistic and sustainable levels.
Scheme water is a finite resource right across WA and this has now been acknowledged through regulations that include all Western Australians in long term water conservation measures. Gardeners living above the line connecting Kalgoorlie and Kalbarri are able to water their gardens every second day. Below this line gardens need to be watered only twice a week on a set daily roster determined by street numbers.
6 years of water restrictions in Perth have shown that we can still have a beautiful and productive garden on such a watering roster. Congratulations to the gardeners of WA who have achieved the greatest per capita savings of water consumption in the nation. Please don’t let recent good fortune as far as winter and spring rain go to allow you to slacken off; we all need to work hard at reducing demand, recycling where possible and cutting waste to make a serious difference in the new millennia.
For more details on ways to save water in the garden visit www.waterwisewaysforwa.com.au.
For a chance to win two cubic metres of Biowise Mulch, just in time for summer, answer a simple question when you visit www.thegardengurus.tv.
Presenter: Neville Passmore
What are the basic principles of sustainable gardening in the21st Century? Strange as it may sound many of the concepts can be traced back to gardening practises of the 19th century.
Improving soil structure with organics was central to farming and agriculture when Neville’s great grandparents were building their strawberry growing business on the banks of the Canning River. Animal manure was central to the process and he can still recall tales of fermenting the contents of the bed pan with water in a big drum and applying this liquid fertiliser at the consistency of weak tea over the crops.
Our sandy WA soils are amongst the world most infertile soils. For the average gardener the easiest way to build up the organics in sand is to buy a truckload of compost and mix this into the sand before planting anything. This is just what Neville has done at home in preparation for his vegetable patch for example.
Adding Biowise compost to the soil you encourage earth worms and a host of soil borne micro-organisms to come to your assistance. We are not talking hundreds, rather billions per cubic metre and more than fertilisers they build true fertility in your soil.
Now if you have started your garden without these additions all is not lost. You can top dress your lawn with finely sieved compost and add the organics from above. Neville recommends massaging the material into the lawn using the back of a rake. Water this in and any coarse material that remains can be brushed off into garden beds. This treatment boosts lawn growth like you won’t believe.
Mulching garden beds can have the same effect of boosting fertility in existing plantings. I recommend adding a 10 to 15cm layer every 6 months as wind and earthworms can take it away.
Securing you garden water supply is a smart way to go. Bores are a real solution for keeping your gardens alive and kicking in most suburbs. In the Perth to Mandurah region new regulations allow you to water 3 times a week, still giving you an advantage for your investment but bringing usage into realistic and sustainable levels.
Scheme water is a finite resource right across WA and this has now been acknowledged through regulations that include all Western Australians in long term water conservation measures. Gardeners living above the line connecting Kalgoorlie and Kalbarri are able to water their gardens every second day. Below this line gardens need to be watered only twice a week on a set daily roster determined by street numbers.
6 years of water restrictions in Perth have shown that we can still have a beautiful and productive garden on such a watering roster. Congratulations to the gardeners of WA who have achieved the greatest per capita savings of water consumption in the nation. Please don’t let recent good fortune as far as winter and spring rain go to allow you to slacken off; we all need to work hard at reducing demand, recycling where possible and cutting waste to make a serious difference in the new millennia.
For more details on ways to save water in the garden visit www.waterwisewaysforwa.com.au.
For a chance to win two cubic metres of Biowise Mulch, just in time for summer, answer a simple question when you visit www.thegardengurus.tv.
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