Hi There and welcome to our December 2013 e-newsletter!

Wow - here we are again - it's Christmas!

We will be closing for our Christmas break 5pm Monday, 23rd December and re-opening 8.30am Saturday, 4th January. 

I hope YOU get some time off over the Christmas break to relax with your family and friends, too.

There's still time for some last minute gift shopping for your gardening friends - we've got some ideas and special deals below for you.

Summer in the garden is a time of maintenance and providing care to your plants so they survive our harsh, hot weather.  We've got some tips below that may provide some winning strategies for you.

Thank you all for your support in 2013.  We look forward to helping YOU grow a better garden in 2014.

Merry Christmas!

In this newsletter:

Jobs for the garden over summer
What to Plant Now
Christmas gift ideas & special offers
Tomato Competition
eWood - a recycling revolution for garden beds
Garden Goodies - exclusive offer for our VIP newsletter readers

Summer jobs in the Garden

Over the next couple of months the preparation you've done in Spring should be paying off. This is the time of year where you need to keep an eye on things to maintain the health of your plants.  Here are some ideas and strategies to help, and highlighted text below will take you to fact sheets for further reading.

• Fruit crops that are bearing now should be protected from birds and fruit fly.  Netting or exclusion bags is the most effective method.  Traps, baits and organic sprays (like Eco-naturalure) are helpful also.  Good hygiene is essential - never leave fallen fruit lying around under trees.  If it is struck by fruit fly, don't compost it (unless you soak the fruit or solarise it inside sealed plastic bags for a few days to 'cook' larvae) but dispose of it in your bin.  We now have paper and mesh fruit fly exclusion bags in stock as a trial.
• Protect vegetable crops with shadecloth over the hottest part of the day. If you are wanting to grow lettuce and salad greens over summer, without shadecloth they will bolt to seed and taste bitter.  We stock white horticultural 50% shadecloth, perfect for plants.
• Check your retic is effective and hand water any spots that may need additional moisture.  Watering in the morning is the best idea, before the heat of the day.  If you don't have time then evenings are the next best option.  Just try to find a time of the day that suits and stick to it - regular intervals between waterings are important to avoid plant stress and some diseases like 'blossom end rot'.
• Use a soil wetter if areas of your garden are water repellent.  We recommend our Certified Organic Sand Remedy.  We also stock Eco-Wet, a natural product that is applied as a liquid.  Use these products in your garden bed before mulching.
• Mulch.  Of course - you should already have mulch on your garden.  But check - and if your soil is still not cool and damp below the mulch layer - you possibly need to add more.  We have two fact sheets on mulch and vegie garden mulch.
• Check your compost bin and worm farms aren't getting too hot, and add moisture regularly if necessary. Your compost will simply stop breaking down if it dries out.  Worms will suffer if their bedding gets too hot, or is too dry.  It is fine to put at least one bucket of water through your worm farm every week.  Collect the liquid that drains out and use it in your garden.  Dilute to the colour of weak tea.
• Record results and plan.  How have things worked this year?  Use a diary or notebook to jot down where you had what plants growing, and your observations.  Next spring it will a handy resource to check what worked, what you were wishing you did (but didn't), and what pests have been an issue.  You will be a little more prepared next year with this information.
• Prepare to save seeds.  What vegies are you loving this summer?  The strongest, healthiest plants are worthy of seed saving, so decide which ones you want to keep the seed from.  Make sure the plants are watered and cared for until they start to really die off.  then harvest the fruit or seed heads as appropriate.  Remember to label and store seeds well for safe keeping until next spring.  See our previous article on Seed Saving.
• Plan your autumn garden.  It might seem like summer has barely started, but now is the time to think about next season's crops.  Source your seeds, plan your crop rotation, and think about what you may need to do by the way of soil improvement.  
• Want more?  We have TWO other fact sheets you may find helpful:  'Summer Garden Survival' and '10 Top Watering Tips' on our website.

What to plant now

We have recently received another Eden Seed order with over 300 packets, and will continue to carry seedling stock over summer.

You can still plant summer crops now like sweetcorn, pumpkin, squash, melons, eggplant, beetroot and some beans - but make sure you protect the crops and provide their ideal growing conditions.  You can lose healthy plants in just one day, so if you want to garden through summer, you must be prepared to provide your plants with TLC.  See our 'When to Sow Guide' for ideas on what you can try.

Hopefully you will be harvesting some summer crops already - or at least be happily watching them develop.  If you don't intend on planting more now until Autumn, start doing some thinking and planning.  By noting where your summer crops are growing now, you can make some decisions about what to plant next, and where they can go in your garden.  See our  Crop Rotation guide to help you decide.

Once summer crops have finished, consider a green manure crop to add organic matter to the soil.  Or if you've had problems with nematodes (summer is the 'peak' time for this problem in our sandy soils - see our previously published article on nematode control here) consider a thick crop of brassicas like mustard or rocket to 'clean up' the soil.

Autumn is a fantastic time to garden in Perth - so if you can do some planning NOW, you can be off to a flying start once the hottest months are behind us.

Christmas Gift Ideas

If you have friends or family who love to garden, here are some last minute gift ideas that will be well received:

Moon Planting Calendars

These make a great gift, with a whole year laid out showing the best times for planting particular crops (like leafy annuals, fruiting crops or root crops) and times for maintenance jobs like composting and pruning.  Full of interesting astrological stuff - as my best friend says "every dunny door should have one".  RRP $11.00.  VIP customers buy one, get 2nd HALF PRICE until 5pm Monday, 23rd December.

Gardening Magazines and Growing Guides

Great stocking fillers!  We have the ABC's Organic Gardener Magazine, and Homegrown Magazines available in stock.  Also a range of Aracauria growing guides - these laminated, fold out guides are available for:  Vegetables, Vegetables - Month by Month, Herbs & Medicinal Plants, Biodynamic Growing, Plant Propagating, Seed Collecting, Garden Nutrition, Fruit & Berry Growing, and How Plants Grow.
Magazines are $7.95, Growing Guides $12.00 each
.

Gift Vouchers
We have real, printed ones (on card) in store AND real, virtual ones (on pixel dust) available on-line.  You choose the dollar amount, and your grateful recipient can select what they like. 

Tomato Contest

For the last two years we have fun a Tomato Taste Contest - just for a bit of fun and as an encouragement to home food growers.

Now we know last year wasn't a great one for tomatoes - but this year the word is people are having so much more success, so it's time to get those "love apples" out in public!

Anyone can enter (for a gold coin donation which goes to charity) and there are some great prizes of garden goodies to be won.  The winner/s will also be awarded Certificates, so don't understimate the bragging rights around the water cooler!

Damo Mansfield has won the competition both times - so are you up for the challenge?  Will this King of Solanums reign supreme?  Or can he be knocked off his trellis?

Start talking to your plants and make sure they're producing in fine form - you will need to have your tomatoes in by 4.00pm on Sunday, 26th January (Australia Day) to be in the running.

For full details and terms and conditions, follow our Tomato Contest link right here.

eWood - a Recycling Revolution!

We are really pleased to announce we have been appointed as distributors in WA for eWood.  This is a 95% recycled product made from printer cartridges from the Planet Ark collection project.  eWood is plastic - but don't think flimsy, lightweight rubbish. 

eWood is tough, and comes with a 20 year warranty.  It is UV stablised, rot and termite proof, and makes the perfect replacement for timber in raised beds and retaining walls.  Tests have been conducted over 5 years and show no contamination or leaching from the plastics into garden beds* - so it's fine for food gardens.

It comes in half packs, pre-drilled ready to assemble kits in the following sizes:

1.2m length x 200mm x 25mm
1m length x 200mm x 25mm
600mm length x 200mm x 25mm
300mm length x 200mm x 25mm

(So to make a rectangle garden bed 1.2m x 0.3m - you would need one half pack of each size, then fit them together using the supplied screws and joiners.)  Two 1.2m half packs are the perfect size for a 4 foot x 4 foot square foot garden bed.

eWood is also available in planks (2.4m x 200mm x 25mm) and sleepers (2.4m x 200mm x 50mm) for larger landscaping projects.

eWood is an Australian award winning product. Come out and see us soon and check it out for yourself - I'm sure you'll be impressed.  More information and *technical specifications are available on the eWood website.

Online Shop News

GARDEN GOODIES - EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR OUR NEWSLETTER VIP's!

We have a super special deal on our Pea Straw mulch for YOU - our newsletter customers.

Spend $50 or more on any of our other garden products and be eligible for Pea Straw bales at $15 each (regular price $21 per bale).  Limit of 10 per customer, one offer per household only.  Offer expires 5pm Sunday 19th January.

So come on in and top up your vegie garden mulch for a bargain price! 

While we normally have pea straw in stock, it turns over quickly so it may be advisable to ring first - particularly if you have a long drive out to see us.

So until next time – have a great time this Summer in the garden!  Have fun, and Let’s get dirty!

(Don't forget - we'd love your feedback on this newsletter!  Please contact us with your comments!) 

Thanks,
Linda

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