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Spring is our busy time @ GLSC - so if you're coming to visit us, particularly on a Saturday, we appreciate your patience! If you're planning to collect a specialty mix, it would pay to call ahead to make sure we can organise it for you. With the long weekend coming up at the end of the month, we'll be busy - so if you're wanting a delivery to get your garden projects underway, please plan ahead to avoid missing out! We will be open over the long weekend as follows: Saturday 24th September- 8.30am - 4.00pm Spring is the perfect time to get planting. We've got loads of heritage seeds for your summer crops, still some rhubarb & asparagus crowns (be quick!), and there's more seedlings starting to trickle through. They take a while to get going in early spring because the weather (especially nights) are cool - so please be a little patient. None of our vegies are forced on heat beds; so it means they're grown with the seasons and hardened off - which means you're starting with a stronger seedling than those forced and grown in hothouse conditions, which sometimes struggle in the 'real world' of your garden bed. If you're looking for advice on building garden beds or improving what you've got - please come in and see us! Bring in a small soil sample (about half a cup will do) taken from the soil profile of your garden and we can do a pH test and check out the soil texture - useful to work out what soil improvement will help your garden thrive. Check out our articles below on soil building & using mulch - they will be useful for you, too. We hope to see you soon @ The Green Life Soil Co. Until then - happy gardening! In this newsletter:
Jobs to do in the September Garden
WHAT TO PLANT NOW
Each week now we'll have more varieties becoming available in our seedling range - so if you're time poor, this may be the best option for you. Here's some ideas as to what you can plant now (remember to see our FREE downloadable guides on our website - click here!) Asparagus, Artichokes Jerusalem and Globe, Asian greens, Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli*, Capsicum, Chilli, Carrots, Celery, Chives, Corn, Cucumber, Dill, Eggplant, Fennel, Kale*, Lettuce, Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rhubarb, Rocket, Silverbeet, Snow pea, Spring onion, Strawberries, Sweet corn, Tomato, Turnip, Zucchini. (Check out our extensive info on growing various vegies and herbs in Perth here.) * Brassicas will grow in Perth into Spring/Summer, provided conditions are suitable. Be aware increased pest pressure over the warmer months is likely; are you prepared to net your vegies or deal with cabbage butterflies, for example? Start spring seeds off in a good quality seed raising mix (like our Certified Organic one!). It's fine to re-use recycled pots and punnets. Ideally, soak them in warm water with a dash of household bleach, give them a good scrub to remove any dirt, and allow them to dry in the sun. Keep your sown seeds in a warm spot, making sure the soil's surface doesn't dry out completely. We've got a free fact sheet on growing from seed - so check it out for more tips & tricks for success. Like it? Share it! Humus Beings - Building Soil Health for You & Your PlantsHealthy soil = healthy plants = healthy food = healthy you. Spring is the time of year when we tend to focus on topping up soil - feeding & fertilising and rejuvenating vegetable beds - getting rid of spent crops and planting out for the next season of productive vegies & herbs. But as responsible gardeners - what do we need to do to feed the soil? It's not just as simple as throwing around fertiliser. While that will provide short term boosts to plants - it's really equivalent to junk food for plants. They are given nutrients in an easy to digest form but most commercial fertilisers are highly soluble - so nutrients are simply washed away through the soil before they can be taken up. The trick is to build soil health. Over time, healthy soils become almost self-sustaining; think of natural systems where plants thrive without human intervention. By emulating natural systems we can hope to get close to this equilibrium. It gets tricky when we intervene and choose to grow plant species that aren't endemic to local conditions and need extra fussing - but it can be done. Structure
Chemistry
Biology
Hopefully that helps you understand the importance of building soil health! It's what we're all about at Green Life Soil Co - we're here to help you have a healthier garden - for your plants, for you and for the wider environment! So please do come in and see us soon - we're happy to provide you advice on your gardening journey. The Importance of Mulch
Once your soil dries out, heats up and becomes water repellent, living creatures in the soil either die, go dormant, or move lower into the soil profile (which is less beneficial to plants). So there's huge value in keeping your soil mulched just about year-round. Perhaps in the middle of winter there's less requirements for mulch - particularly in vegie patches; but elsewhere winter mulching assists with suppressing weeds and building soil. What type of Mulch to use?There are a number of mulches available - so how do you know what to choose? There's no right or wrong here - we all have different gardening styles, methods and aesthetic tastes! We recommend a few options: Vegie Gardens
There is nothing wrong with using heavier/woodchip mulches in your vegie patch - it just means that the particles are going to be there for longer; you may need to rake off/remove the mulch when replanting. Although if you're establishing a true no-dig garden, you can find ways to work around this by planting out carefully as required. Fruit Trees, Native Gardens, Roses & other ornamental plantings
At GLSC we carry a number of heavier mulches - some basic & sourced straight from reputable arborist companies. Others are ground tree waste and composted naturally to achieve a dark brown colour. These will fade to silver over time like all wood. We can (and do) mix quantities of manure and compost into woody mulches which makes a great feeding & mulching combo - ask about our 3-way mulch if this sounds like an easy option for your garden! Please avoid the commercially available 'Karri & Peat' mulches. Peat was used as it is a dark colour and the consistency of the mulch is lovely. However - Peat is (a) unsustainably sourced and (b) water retaining - it acts like a sponge. So adding it ON TOP of soil in mulch works the opposite way you want it to! You want water to pass between the larger mulch particles on the soil surface, so it can make its way into the soil profile. You certainly don't want the mulch holding onto water and depriving the soil below! Early Spring is the perfect time to apply mulch - the soil profile is still holding onto moisture from winter rains; so get the protective mulch down now to keep the moisture in the soil. If your soil is still water repellent (please talk to us about how to fix this!) using a soil wetter before putting down your mulch will be very useful to do now, also. The most economical way to buy mulch is to get it in bulk (either delivered or pick up in a ute/trailer) - and you save all the plastic packaging. We do bag mulch too - if you're after a quantity of bags I'd suggest calling ahead to pre-order; we do get busy in Spring and struggle to keep up sometimes! You're welcome to come in and check out our mulches, and we're happy to give you advice. But please do get your mulching done soon - your soil & plants will thank you! VIP Special Offer
Spend $100 and receive a half price 14kg (25L) Multigrow bag. Mention the offer when shopping instore to receive the discount. If shopping online, you must be logged in as as Member in order to access the special pricing. Photo Competition WinnerEach month we draw somebody to win a $50 store credit to spend with us. Simply send in a photo (or photos) of your garden. Ideally let us know about what you're growing, or explain your garden project. People love to get inspiration from other gardeners! You can enter every month - send your photos with the subject line 'photo competition' to us via email or you can send via our Facebook page. You've got to be in it to win it - so keep those entries coming in! This month I've selected Pamela from Bayswater who has a rather unusual garden bed - it's thriving; as you can see. I also love the pineapple she's successfully growing - did you know you can re-grow these from the tops of pineapples you buy? In Perth they will take a few years to produce, and they're often smaller - but still amazing to see! She has this to say about her garden: "We were gifted this old fibreglass boat from our local Buy Nothing page, gave it a lick of paint and turned it into a semi-wicking bed in a spot at the front of our house where nothing would grow because of the roots of the giant gum tree next door. We filled it with a delivery of your vege mix - and planted capers in there… but I just couldn’t resist some spring bulbs and annuals that are just starting to flower. When they finish, I’m thinking the caper plant and a zucchini or two over summer! It’s worked beautifully and gets lots of comments in the neighbourhood! Also attached is a photo of a pineapple we’ve been growing!" Thank you Pamela for sending in your photos. Keep them coming in everyone - it might be YOUR turn next month.
Retailer UpdatePlease support your local independent retailer who supports us! The specialist retailers listed here will be happy to give you gardening advice and help you with our products - please call to check what lines they carry as they can't stock all of our products (but may be willing to get stock in for a custom order - if you ask nicely!). Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197 Ardess Nursery (Albany) 9842 9952 THANK YOU for being part of our Green Life family! We hope to see you in store soon. Check out our newsletter next month & stay up to date with our Facebook and Instagram pages for announcements, stock arrivals and general good gardening vibes!We're nominated in the 2022 Organic Consumer Choice Awards! Voting doesn't open until mid September - so watch this space & PLEASE vote for us when it's up & running! We'll remind you next newsletter. :-D . |