KITCHEN GARDENS With Norina Jane From Whitpro A LIFE LESSON IN MY GARDEN

Feeling lower than low, after discovering that someone I knew and trusted had been stealing from us for some time, I went to my vegie patch with a very heavy heart.

I discovered three things:

Firstly, Bandicoots had returned. They had destroyed two of my newly planted garden beds.
Totally unsavable. Secondly, when picking what I thought were beautiful red ripe heritage tomatoes, on closer inspection, they turned out to be eaten by caterpillars. I had not recovered the crop after the wind had blown the netting off.
Third and not really vegetable related, my pet turtle of seven years who I had let out of his tank to bask in the morning sun, had escaped from his outdoor enclosure and had run away.

CRAP! (Not a negative word in the plant growing world!)

So, what do you do to keep bandicoots and insects out of your vegie patch? It’s really simple. Net your crop with 25% shade cloth. Weight the edges down with anything you have – rocks, tent pegs or even branches that have fallen from trees.

It’s a win, win:
Firstly, you have given your crop shade from the harsh midday Whitsundays sun
Secondly, you have reduced loss of soil moisture in our (so called) dry season
Thirdly, you keep out bandicoots and insects!

There are MANY and I mean MANY options for holding your shade cloth in place.  From irrigation pipe (cut into lengths, bent into semicircles and pushed into the soil), to 25mm hardwood stakes, to bamboo bent over like you would irrigation pipe or simply use branches from trees.

A very simple but effective way to hold your shade cloth to the structure is to use clothes pegs. They work a treat.

I had let my guard down and I was paying the price.
I had let creatures into my crops by not being vigilant.
And in not being vigilant in life, I had also let someone take what was important to me.

In the garden I see the problem and I solve it! I found a way to protect what is precious to me. I don’t get angry with the insects – pointless they wouldn’t really care if I yell at them.  I just keep them at bay.

So, I stopped sulking and got into action in my garden and in my life.
Re-seeded, secured shade cloth and removed insect effected veggies and added them to the compost bin.

And guess what, three days after my turtle escaped, I stepped out of my front door to be greeted by a very hungry and dehydrated turtle. True story! Who said reptiles don’t love their owners?!

Protect your patch and reap the rewards!

IT’S THE LAST MONTH OF WINTER
While you may be sowing seeds in preparation for your spring crops, it’s also a time when you are reaping the rewards of seeds sown in the beginning of the season. So, with lots of growth it is an important time to be liquid fertilising your crops. Grab your seasol today and give your vegie patch an all important boost

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