Hello Green Lifers - August already? Next month we'll be celebrating the start of Spring, so now's the time to be getting your garden sorted, and we hope this newsletter will get you inspired.  It's a fantastic time to be getting garden beds ready and seedlings started.  The days are getting longer and our plants are slowly responding to increased sunlight hours.

Conditions are still mild enough for things not to stress - and growing conditions are pretty much ideal (apart from the cold nights), so enjoy it while it lasts!

The Harvest Club has been taking up lots of our focus, and it is going to be a FANTASTIC program; check out some of the awesome photos we received as part of the process below.  (And this ultra-cute one here!)

We're always happy for your suggestions on what to feature in our newsletter; so please feel free to drop us a line with your ideas. On social media recently, I asked people to let me know some issues they were having with their garden, and learnt that some of you have been struggling with too much shade & not enough light in your winter garden.  In this newsletter we've got some ideas to help address that.   Hopefully we're not too late to help (and maybe file it away for use next winter)!

When you're looking to get your gardens cranking for Spring, do give us a call - remember our new discounted delivery policy is in place, so your garden goodies will be even more great value.

We look forward to seeing you soon & happy gardening!
Linda, Paul & The Team @ The Green Life Soil Co

In this newsletter:

What to Plant Now
Jobs to do in the garden
Harvest Club Update
Workshops - Calling All New Gardeners!
Mirror, Mirror on The Wall (who's got the shadiest garden of all?)
VIP special offer

What to Plant Now

Soooo many things you can plant now!  We have a good range of summer planting seeds now available; so do come in and see us!  

Suggestions are Artichokes (globe), Asparagus, Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli*, Cabbage*, Carrots, Celery, Kale*, Kohl Rabi*, Lettuce, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Silverbeet, Spring Onions, Turnip.  Also herbs like coriander, chives, mint, parsley.

*Brassicas - really your last chance for a late crop; and best if you can plant them somewhere you can net them; as cabbage moth are going to be an issue once the weather warms up.

For summer vegies (tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, eggplant, beans, etc) - time to start seeds in trays; providing you nurture them and keep them warm.

For the full list of what to plant, see our website:  http://www.greenlifesoil.com.au/free-garden-guides  There are guides for vegies AND herbs, as well as downloadable guides for spring/summer and autumn/winter - available FREE (pictured above).

Jobs to do in the Garden

• Have some fun!  Enjoy some winter sun.  Often, in winter we hibernate indoors, which is sad, and not great for us.  Get some Vitamin D on your skin, see what's happening around you in your garden, and make a list of things you want to get done for spring.
• If you haven't pruned your roses, do so very soon, and give them a feed of aged manure and rock dust.
• Feed your fruit trees with some compost and a handful of rock dust.  Organic fertilisers like these are slow release, and will be starting to break down as the plants emerge from winter dormancy.  
• Watch for pests & disease.  Snails & slugs will still be around in damp conditions.  Cabbage moth & Cabbage butterfly will be starting to emerge soon.  Black fuzzy-wuzzy caterpillars are appearing now.  These are the harmless larvae of the native tiger moth (and NOT spitfires, which you may find on eucalyptus trees - see link here for more info).  Unless they are in plague proportions and really hammering your plants, leave them alone.  They are very seasonal and will be gone soon.  Also natural predators will increase in time.  Dipel is the solution if the problem is major and needs to be addressed.
• Watch too for aphids, thrip & white fly.  These sap-sucking insects will also build up numbers.  Use neem oil and/or garlic sprays, making sure you get the underside of leaves & stems.  Also see our fact sheet/s on natural insect control here.  Jackie French writes that white fly seem to be more of an issue in soils lacking potassium - so give them a dose and see if that helps.  Potassium has an essential role in strengthening plant cell walls; so perhaps this is why.  Yellow sticky traps also work, but can catch your beneficials too.  If anyone has other great ideas for white fly control; we'd love to share them.
• Empty out your compost & worm farms.  Use the sieved compost and worm castings when transplanting seedlings, or mix with vermiculite to use for seed raising.  (Not got enough of your own to use?  We make a quality certified organic seed raising mix @ GLSC.)

• Be on the alert for Citrus Gall Wasp.  At this time of year you may see swollen lumps on the stems like you see here, if they are around.  This Eastern States pest has only emerged in the West in a few isolated areas, and if you find evidence you MUST report it to the Ag Department. It can have serious consequences for our citrus growers, so help stamp it out while we still have a chance.  They will help you control it on your property at no charge and will check around your neighbourhood too.

Harvest Club Update

Thanks to all of you who sent in applications for our Harvest Club initiative.  We're starting to go through them all and work out where you all are around Perth.  We'll be in touch soon, once we have put together a shortlist.

Even if you're not chosen (or haven't applied) you'll have the opportunity to keep up to date with what our participants are doing, and how their gardens are progressing.  Someone will have the same soil conditions as you; so what they're going through may be particularly relevant and you can learn from them.

We are setting up a brand new blog on the website which will be updated regularly with progress reports from all the participants' gardens.

Remember the 3rd September is our official launch day @ GLSC. Sabrina Hahn (ABC radio gardening presenter) will be there & we'll have some great ideas for your spring garden on display.  Mark it in your diary now!

Below are just some of the photos we've received - as you can see there's a wide variety of property types, and we've been blown away by the work and detail involved in some of the applications.  It's not going to be an easy task to choose between them. 

Some great workshops are coming up in Spring, including:

Soil Essentials - How to Get the Balance Right  13-Aug-2016
Propagation  20-Aug-2016 
Permaculture Garden & Yard Design  27-Aug-2016 
Grow Your Own Food & Medicine  10-Sep-2016 
Grafting Techniques  24-Sep-2016 
Basics of Garden Design  01-Oct-2016 

Full details can be found by clicking on each topic.

If you are building a new home (or know someone who is), or starting from scratch with a garden design; you may wish to consider the 'Basics of Garden Design' workshop on 1st October, presented by Lisa Passmore.  This is a very intensive, 3 hour workshop with a small group; where you will be working on YOUR OWN design plan, under the guidance of an experienced landscape designer.

Part of the process is you'll receive an A3 aerial colour photograph of your yard; necessary in working on designs reasonably to scale and with correct orientation.   (Make sure you book early enough for us to organise these!)

Lisa teaches landscape design regularly through Homebase; and we are lucky to have her present an intensive workshop out at Green Life. We hope you'll spread the word among your friends & family and we can get this fully booked - we're only offering 15 places!

Workshop attendees receive a discount @ GLSC on the day; so once you have planned your garden at the workshop, book a delivery and SAVE on turning your dream garden into reality this Spring.

Woes of Winter

Winter brings some challenges for gardening.  Where we live in the hills, we've had some heavy frosts this year (pictured here - although this isn't our property - we wish!!).  And on Facebook recently, gardeners were discussing challenges they were facing in other areas of Perth; and for many this winter, lack of light has been an issue.  Of course if the shade is coming from your OWN garden, you will just need to bite the bullet and prune - or pay the money and have a professional come in and do it for you.  Unfortunately, if the trees belong to a neighbour you may need to start a longer-term diplomacy program, and if they are reasonable people, they may see your perspective and be willing to take responsibility.  Maybe you can get them onside with some excess home grown produce?  Just an idea...  good luck!

I don't want to get into the legalities of overhanging branches - it has caused many a neighbourhood rift - but if you do your research (a call to your Shire is a good place to start) you should be able to find out where you stand.  At least you should have control over SOMETHING here, and improve the amount of light you receive in your garden.

There are some ornamental plants that can tolerate shade - things like Clivia, Aspidistra, and some natives too.  Ask at your local nursery for ideas, and choose something that suits your garden style, soil type and available space.  Be aware some plants will grow OK in shade, but may not flower so well.  You can also try growing things in pots, and move them around every month or two.  (Buy some plant stands with castors if you have paved areas, or invest in a trolley.)  Hydrangeas are pictured here.

Choosing the right plant for your situation is half the battle; but if it is your vegie growing area it is more difficult.  Make sure you stack your plants, placing taller ones to the south side, and shorter ones to the north side to maximise available sun light, and keep weeds down to minimise competition and shadows.  Things like large leafy greens (lettuce/silverbeet) grow fairly well in lower light conditions.  Often fruiting crops do poorly without as much sun, and will be more susceptible to pests (often aphids) and disease (often fungal problems).   Maybe limit what you CAN grow in the winter months to this area; and either rest the beds, try a green manure crop, and use pots and grow bags for crops that need more sunlight, and take advantage of a sunny spot elsewhere.

Sometimes sheds, buildings and fences are the problem, casting shadows on your prime growing areas.  Remember white and light coloured surfaces reflect light, so if they are a dark colour maybe you can try painting them a lighter colour.  If you're renting, be creative - can you hang something up or temporarily line the wall with something white?   I have seen old lino, 'wrong side up' with a light coloured backing used to line a shed wall. 

And something else you may wish to try is using MIRRORS in your garden.

Using mirrors can't make MORE light - but it CAN bounce light around, reflecting light into dark corners and behind other plants, extending the useful growing space for winter conditions.  There are some pro's and con's to using mirrors to consider:

Pro's:

• They look pretty!  Mirrors can make an area look larger, and aesthetically, can be lovely accents hanging in your garden.  You can be creative, painting frames, or adding mosaic touches, etc. - make it a family project.  
• You can make use of broken pieces of mirror - but watch sharp edges.
• Inexpensive - if you go to salvage yards or op-shops, look for mirrors on old wardrobe doors, etc.  A great recycling option!  They can be old and with spots in the backing; for your garden it doesn't matter.

Con's:

• The path of the sun is constantly changing, so you will need to keep an eye on how shadows move around your space, and move the mirrors from time to time.  If they are fixed on a wall or shed, you may not get the most benefit.  Also (depending on your situation) you may wish to remove them in the summer if they're not required.  The glare may drive you crazy and the summer sun will be enough for your plants.
• Glass mirrors are sharp - watch any broken pieces, especially if you have young children.  Shards of glass in the soil can be equally dangerous to pets or yourself when gardening.
• Mirrors can be deadly to birds; just as they can fly into your windows, a large mirror may confuse them and cause them to fly straight into one.  Please be mindful of our wildlife.

As an aside, we had a mirror in our garden that we had to remove in summer, due to a young male wren fighting his own reflection for HOURS.  It was a very hot summers day and I swear this little bird would have continued until he died of exhaustion - poor thing!

Some research I have found states that white surfaces surrounding plants actually work better than mirrors at reflecting light for plant growth.  A low cost way to trial this for lower growing plants is white polystyrene broccoli boxes or box lids from your supermarket.  Low cost; and the boxes can be utilised for growing space too!

Another growing tip for low light conditions is ALFOIL!  Lay alfoil on the ground around your plants; shiny side up; and keep it as smooth as possible on the ground.  The foil will reflect light upwards on the underside of leaves. This also helps with pest control - aphids in particular will attack weaker plants in low light conditions, so by reflecting light upwards, it helps discourage them.  It works particularly well if you have nice straight rows!  Weigh the corners down with stones, or a small handful of soil.  You can even lay down the foil first, and punch holes through for planting seedlings.  Just make sure there is enough space around plants or between sections of foil to allow water to get to your plants.

Sure - foil and mirrors might look a little ODD In your garden.  You'll get neighbours talking and visitors asking what you're up to.  I'd suggest wearing a tin-foil hat on such occasions; then they'll stop asking, and leave you well alone.  :-D

Lastly, the seasons are turning, so you won't have the problem for long - pretty soon we'll all be seeking the shade and looking for options to save our gardens from cooking in the heat.  But that's the joy of gardening - or so I'm told!

VIP Special Offer

This month - it's time to get your seeds started; so we have a little something to help.

Buy any 5 packets of seeds, and get a bag of our Certified Organic Seed Raising Mix for $6.50 per bag; which is basically HALF PRICE!!

People have told us that it's the best seed raising mix they've ever used; so why not take advantage of this offer and give it a try.  

Placing an online order?  Please contact us and we can work out what seeds you'd like from our available selection and send them out at the same time with your other products. 

Valid until COB 31st August.  

So what are you waiting for?  Go outside and garden!  :-)