Gardening for amateurs
Gardening helps relaxation
Throughout my time working and since retiring in 2014 after having spent 36 years in education as a teacher (12 yrs.) and Primary School Principal (24 yrs.), one of my main ways to relax and unwind has been to work in my garden. Whether it be digging, planting or growing vegetables, there’s nothing like getting out in the garden to forget about your troubles, stay in shape or even just to pass the time of day.
That’s why it’s my go to place, I simply love it!
Despite my lack of knowledge most plants survive.
I’ve not done it alone and I don’t have green fingers either. I’ve had help from my neighbour Jack who was a former green keeper. Jack’s backyard resembled a botanical garden. I’m always in awe of what he’s done to his small space.
Jack’s helped me prune the lemon tree every year, pointing out that it’s always a good idea to prune it from the centre, which allows the air flow within the plant, thus encouraging growth.
I’ve learnt a lot from Jack over the years, as you’ll soon see… read on!
Jack’s lemon tree tips
On my own lemon tree, I have removed all the ripe lemons with others still ripening. It doesn’t look too healthy but it produces the loveliest of lemons.
Here’s some top tips,
● Use Thrive Liquid Citrus food regularly
● Add coffee grounds. Ask your coffee shop for used coffee grounds. It’s usually free and great for the garden.
● Prune from the centre
That’s it, it’s pretty simple! Don’t forget to give them lots of love and encouragement too!
Succulents are great for the lazy gardener
I don’t think any garden should be without succulents. They’re great in drought conditions and really don’t need much maintenance at all. Here’s the front part of my garden, note all the succulents! I planted them during a drought a few years ago knowing they didn’t need much water and just look at them now, they’re still flourishing today. Looks like I’ve done something right.
Compost is key!
I learnt about improving soil a while back, as I really wanted to improve the soil in my garden, so I created my first compost heap. It’s pretty easy to do, just save all your fruit and vegetable scraps, plus food wastes such as coffee grounds, tea bags, and eggs shells. Don’t add meat, bones, fatty food wastes (such as cheese, grease and oils), dog and cat litter or diseased plants, Don’t forget to keep your composting bin in a sunny location in the garden, as for composting to work, it’s got to be at the right temperature. I was very proud achieving something that would help my garden, I remember spreading my first batch of compost knowing that this was a good thing.
Learning online
There are so many sources you can go to answer your questions, in fact you’re reading one now! My go to place after asking my neighbor Jack is Youtube. It’s sensational for all gardening questions because the thing that I love most about it is that you can see how they do things (which is great for a visual learner like me!).
Another great place to head online is Yates. They have a gardening club you can join for free, plus they have a section of the site where you can “Ask an Expert”. You can type in a question and get an instant response or send them a picture of a plant and they will identify the plant on the spot. You’ll have to download the “My Garden” app from your favorite app store if you want to start asking questions. Occasionally I’ll ring a radio gardening program to have a question answered, which is very helpful. So remember, there’s lots of help out there for us amateur gardeners!.
Potted plants are easier to maintain
After listening to lots of advice, I like to use pots for many of my plants as then I can control what I feed them and know when to water them. I’ve also learnt that they can beautify an otherwise ugly part of your yard. Once again succulents are my go to and are great for guaranteed success!
I am still very much the amateur gardener. I still have more questions about the garden than I have answers. But I will continue to plug away and make my compost better, my worm farm more productive and will try to propagate plants and grow home grown veggies and fruit trees. I love it and it makes me happy, seeing something grow and mature in my garden. For me I can look at it and say, “despite what I don’t know, I still helped it to grow”. Long live amateur gardeners!
Author: Phil O'Gorman
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the view of the ESSSuper.