Call: (08) 9250 4575
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8.30am - 4pm
Closed Sundays
until further notice
166 Wilson Road, Middle Swan
Perth, Western Australia
08 9250 4575
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Hello Fellow Gardeners! Aaaand a quick note from Linda: Remember our workshops - check out the events page for full details. THIS SATURDAY (5th October) - FREE Turf Talk with Nick Bell. Come along and hear his wisdom on having a great lawn using environmentally friendly practices.
In this newsletter: Jobs for the October garden Jobs to do in the October garden
What to plant now At this time of year, there is so many choices when it comes to planting! But of course, it’s time to start planting everyone’s "must have" in the garden - Tomatoes! Cherry tomatoes are always high yielding and keep the kids involved picking tomatoes all season. Cherry types such as Tommy Toes, Yellow Pear, Grape, Red Russian Cherry, Black Cherry and Thai Pink Egg can have intense flavours and add a beautiful pop of colour to salads! Tomatoes absolutely love the heat, so plant somewhere sunny and warm. If you're planting tomatoes you may as well plant their favourite herb buddy along with them - Basil. And no vegetable patch is complete without Marigolds, which add colour, are a good companion plant for most vegies, and help bring in pollinators.
Over the coming weeks, more and more seedling tomato varieties are coming into store; plus we have a great range of varieties available in seed. You can see from the picture to the right the diverse range of colours, shapes & sizes tomatoes come in. Why not try something different?
Check out our free 'When to Plant' guide on our website; but as a quick reference, it's time to plant:
Artichoke (globe), Basil, Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Capsicum, Chilli, Carrot, Celery, Celeriac, Choko, Cucumber, Eggplant, Ginger, Kale*, Kohl rabi*, Leek, Lettuce, Melons, Okra, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radish, Rocket, Rosella, Silverbeet, Spinach*, Spring onion, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet corn, Sweet potato, Tomato, Turnip, Zucchini,
* these vegies are often better grown in cooler weather; if planting now, make sure you have a protected spot (they'll bolt to seed if too hot), and watch Kale/Kohl rabi in particular for caterpillars which are more active in the warmer months.
We've got heaps of fact sheets on specific vegies & growing guides freely available - check out our 'Growing Vegies & Herbs' tab under 'Learning Centre' on our website.
 Sometimes finding enough space for your vegies, ornamental or indoor plants can be hard! Why not utilise your space better? Vertical gardening can be a great way to save space in the vegie patch. We all know peas, beans love to climb, tomatoes love a trellis or two but what about pushing the boundaries and try to grow cucumbers over an archway? Vertical gardening can minimise pests and disease by having less contact with the ground. Keeping those vegies up higher will make it harder for crawlers to eat them before you do. Building a green wall with an old pallet or re-using some old wood for shelving could be a great way to display those ornamental plants under your patio and save space. Hanging baskets are always a space saver and if you have the right conditions you can even plant strawberries or even lettuce in them. Do make sure anything in hanging baskets is checked regularly & watered when needed - they will dry out faster.
Recycling an old clothes hanger or shoe rack is a great way to re-use old furniture and give a new life displaying your indoor beauties with a rustic look or if repainted can add a pop of colour to a plain wall or corner.
At this time of year when we often plant out a huge range of vegie crops for summer it can be difficult to find the space. Pots and planter bags make a great extension to your growing areas. I particularly like planter bags as they can be emptied out & stored away year after year - so they're very practical.
Almost anything can be turned into planting space - if you have a creative eye! Just make sure plants have the right conditions; the 'planter' needs to be big enough, have good/adequate drainage, and if it's in full sun - watch the planter itself doesn't conduct too much heat.
 If you have really poor soil, sometimes container gardening is a very good way to get results, as you can provide a better quality growing medium instantly, rather than going to the expense and effort to replace all your garden soil, or improving what you have on site. Particularly if you have large trees (or your neighbors do!); as it can be a constant battle keeping tree roots out of garden beds. (Or roots of some shrubs/grasses for that matter!) Root invasion is a common problem & often overlooked (after all - it happens underground and out of sight). We've got a fact sheet here for further reading.Wicking beds are also a fabulous idea for Perth. You can grow anything in a wicking bed, but they're particularly suitable for vegetables and herbs, as most have a higher requirement for regular/constant moisture and can struggle in our summer heat. You can make a wicking bed very cheaply or buy ready made kits - whatever option suits you. If you're making your own, GLSC stocks 7mm bluemetal - the perfect size chip for the reservoir, and geotextile, which is used as a layer to separate the soil from the reservoir material. (Check out our free wicking bed guide - here) Plus of course see us for our Certified Organic Vegetable Mix - the perfect growing medium to get your edible garden producing nutrient dense produce.
We're excited to announce we've got our first delivery of Foodcube wicking bed kits on the way. These are a NEW product - a wicking bed unit providing a square metre of growing space (they're modular - you can join them up). Manufactured in Australia from UV stabilised food grade, 80% recycled plastic. (I know, right???) We're excited to be the first WA outlet & will soon have one set up as a display, so come on in and check them out! More info can be found on the manufacturer's website. Please note - pricing is still TBC and will be higher than shown on their Melbourne website due to freight costs to WA.
If space is a real limitation - check out Square Foot Gardening (square metre gardening). This methodology is perfect for maximum yield from small spaces. @ GLSC we sell the comprehensive & original 'Square Metre Gardening' guide book ($29.95) and we also have a free downloadable guide which explains the basics - click here. Plus we make our own version of the Square Foot Mix soil - formulated for great results with a shallow growing depth. (Check out the photo competition winner below & his experience of using our Square Foot Mix.)
VIP Special Offer for October This month, we're offering you a very special deal on GROWSAFE fertiliser. Normal RRP is $34.95 - this month, with any purchase over $50, you can pick up a 10kg bag of Growsafe fertiliser for just $20.Growsafe is a WA made granular fertiliser, suitable for your whole garden - from your fruit trees, roses, lawn & vegies, and even native plants. Coated with a wide range of microbes, it will provide a wide range of nutrients & trace elements. Economical & easy to use.
This offer is valid until COB 31st October; one per customer.
Online customers - you'll need to log in to the Members Only VIP section to be able to select your Growsafe for $20.00.
Please call us if you have any dramas.
Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in photos! We've received LOTS more lately - maybe because it's Spring... Unfortunately there can only be one winner, but please keep those pics coming! You can enter each & every month if you like - after all, there's always something happening in the garden, and you've got to be in it to win it!
This month's winner is Jonathan B. from Maylands.
Hello Green Life,
I have attached a couple photos of my new 'square metre garden' consisting of four 2x1m raised beds. The first photo was taken on the 22nd July after filling the beds with your 'square metre mix'. You told me it was black gold and only two months later you can see the results. The four beds are incredibly productive, feeding our family of four each day, plus extra to give away to family and friends. It is a great delight being able to go out before each meal and pick something fresh and nutritious to eat. I'm not quite sure what is in the mix, but it is certainly working! Regards Jonathan
Retail Stockist Update Please support the local independent retailers who support us. They've got great local knowledge and are happy to help.All stockists carry different items (so give them a call and check!). If there's an item of ours they don't usually carry, in most cases they'd be very happy to add it to their next order for you. Beaufort Garden World - Inglewood 9271 0585 Dunn + Walton - Doubleview 92427711 Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197 Guildford Town Garden Centre - Guildford 9279 8645 Nibali Stockfeed - Hamilton Hill 9433 2211 Stanbee Stockfeeds - Barragup 9581 2390 Thrive Sustainability - Lower Chittering 0408 157 301 Waldecks Bentley - Bentley 9458 5944 (pictured right) Waldecks Melville - Melville 9330 6970 Waldecks Kingsley - 9309 5088 Waldecks Stirling - 9254 6730 Zanthorrea Nursery - Maida Vale 9454 6260 Australind Landscaping Supplies 9796 1720 Busselton - U scape Garden Centre 9751 3995 Leschenault & Bunbury Markets - Fancy Plants Nursery 0428 844 597 Margaret River - Landmark 9758 7677 THANK YOU for being part of the Green Life family - we hope to see you soon in store (and here next month for the next newsletter!) In the meantime - stay up to date with all the Green Life happenings by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
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Howdy Green Lifers! Much of this newsletter is brought to you today by Jess, She's been off work with an injury, so to keep busy has been putting this together for us - but I'll let her tell the story... Jess is pictured to the right with her experiment - we went and bought a range of potting mixes and have planted them out with lettuce seedlings. We've also done up a bag with our own Certified Organic Potting Mix - the results are interesting... if you follow us on social media you may have seen some initial pictures. We'll do a follow up story in a future newsletter. 
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And a quick bit of trumpet blowing!! We are THRILLED to be finalists in this year's Belmont & WA Small Business Awards. We'll find out at the awards evening later this month how we fared - so wish us luck!!!
Weeds- Most would be about to go to seed at this time. Time to rip these babies out or even slash them, whatever action you choose will help to minimise spreading them instead..JPG)
Fruit Trees- At this time of year it is important to keep an eye on flowering and fruiting trees. If disease has been spotted and treated early, you can still get a great harvest. Keeping a clean environment around fruit trees is a must; rotting fruit on the ground attracts fruit fly. If you already have fruit fly in your area, start netting those trees now! (We sell insect netting packs @ GLSC). 
