Gardening with Gael - Feed the garden in March and September

 

Some things stick inside my head never to be dislodged.  Now, almost 50 years since my Grandfather Gardner died I still hear him say “Feed the garden in March and September”. Those words ding in my head at the beginning of March and September and stay there till I have accomplished it. I make mental lists as I scramble around the garden.

Autumn seems late this year and I am still to do my autumn feed and mulch. The food and mulch that are fed to the plants at this time of the year will decay and be released to the plants come spring. As they wake, nutrients that have spent the winter slowly releasing into the soil become available.

The citrus will be my first job. I’ll weed a circle around them, careful not to disturb their roots which hover near the surface. These weeds I’ll spread around the trees. Why take them away? During the winter they will rot down into the soil and provide excellent organic matter. To aid this I will sprinkle some lime around the drip line. A little lime unlocks the nutrients and makes them available to the plants. Yellowing leaves indicate that your citrus trees may need some. Lime and gypsum help aerate heavy clay soils and also boost the decay of organic matter. If there are no yellow tips there is no need to apply more lime. 

Over the weeds apply some organic fertiliser. I have a wonderful relationship with Polly and her horse and all my citrus this year will get a generous application. To provide a tidy appearance, shovel a mulch over the top. Just imagine the joy this lovely mixture will bring the plants.

Rhododendrons, vireyas, azaleas, gardenias and camellias are next on my list. Unlike citrus these are acid loving plants. When their leaves go yellow they need more acid, not lime. Pine needles are a favourite. Mixed with grass clippings and spread around the plant they create the acid environment these plants love. If no pine needles are available, a product called ‘flowers of sulphur’ aids acidity. It is available from any garden supplier. 

Yellowing of the leaves of these plants can also mean an absence of magnesium. Magnesium sulphate, also known as Epsom salts is an essential element. Magnesium is a building block for chlorophyll and increases chlorophyll production, which in turn makes plants grow greener and bushier. Flower and seed production is increased and a healthy plant has a greater ability to deter pests. So… the Epsom salts that you may toss into your bath water can also be distributed around your garden. The citrus will benefit from a sprinkling of Epsom salts as well.

Some vegetables thrive in an acid soil. Before planting, or when you are preparing the vegetable beds, Google the requirements of the vegetable you have chosen. I have just discovered that my asparagus bed prefers a slightly acid soil.

The rest of the garden will get the rotting weed, organic compost, manure and the mulch treatment as well. My pineapples are flourishing and I have promised them some of Polly’s horse manure. The roses can wait till August. There is enough food from this summer to keep them going. I had a good supply of coffee grounds which mixed with some mulch I liberally spread around them. It is almost the school holidays again. These are jobs my grandchildren can help with. Granddad would be pleased.


A well-fed garden – nutrients, mulch and fertiliser – will flourish.