We can all have a green thumb; it just takes some dirt, plenty of water and a little time to grow. Growing your own food gets you outdoors, eating your own healthy produce, and is rewarding for you and your family. By using our compost guide and a few good gardening tips you could be on your way to eating great tasting fruit and vegetables year-round.
Click Next to see the Basics of a good garden.
Very rarely do you luck upon great garden soil without first having to put a little work into it. Any soil can be turned into great soil over time by finding a healthy mix of both living and non-living matter. Soil can be grown and improved over growing seasons by ‘feeding’ it organic matter which improves the microbial activity and helps store oxygen, nutrients and water for your plants.
Organic matter can come from either from your compost bin or from the garden supply store. When adding the organic feed to your garden soil, fold it thoroughly to aerate the mix. Once it is laid in your new garden bed you can keep your soil aerated by poking holes in the surface or adding a top mulch. The new microbial mix will help attract ground borrowing bugs and worms which will help the soil to turn naturally.
Plants feed off sunlight, so for direct sun species make sure your plants are in a position where they get at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. For lower light species of plants, make sure they have access to shade where they get partial light to protect their leaves from burning. Clever ideas for lower light crops are to put them in a raised moveable garden bed under large canopy tree or patio.
Within the Central Highlands we are in a unique position where we have warmer winter days and cool winter nights, however we are still at risk of frost. If you can’t protect your plants from frost, there are a wide variety of winter crops that can be grown that are frost tolerant.
One of the biggest mistakes that first time gardeners make is killing your plants with kindness. Watering your plants once in the morning or evening in summer is generally the maximum that you want to water, and this can be dropped back to twice a week in winter if you have sufficient soil moisture. A good rule of thumb to check your soil moisture is to stick your finger in the dirt about 2 inches. If the soil does not stick and is dry than it is probably time to feed your plants. Constant watering will promote a healthy deep root system where your plants have access to more nutrients and improve to growth cycle of your fruit and vegetables.
Nature runs on its own schedule, so practice a little patience. Your seeds need time to germinate so your plants can flower, and your fruits ripen. Occasionally it might not go to plan but enjoy the journey and the lessons that you’ve learnt so that you can do better next time. Every mistake you make in your first harvest will teach you something for your next.
Raised garden beds can be a great idea if you are renting, have stubborn garden soil or if you want to put plants on paved or concrete surfaces. Raised beds can be moveable which can make choosing the right amount of sunlight a little easier. Also, garden beds let you section off certain herbs, fruits and vegetables that grow well together or in certain soil types. For example, tomatoes grow well in loamy soils rich in humus (organic matter in the soil). When planting in your raised garden bed use the guides on your seeds or seedlings to give them enough space to grow. Over crowding can lead to stunted growth in plants and can stop plants reaching maturity.