Gazza's gardening tips
Top tips from gardening guru Gary Richards.
Gary Richards is a certified apiarist (beekeeper) and treasurer at the Byford Glades Community Garden, where he works to develop the urban agricultural education program.
He has lived in Cardup with his wife, Julie, since 2016, where they run Down2Earth Gardening - a seed and seedling business using organic, Australian seeds.
Getting the most out of your tomatoes
Spring is a lovely time of the year with all the new growth seen in our gardens - a couple of my favourites are Western Australia’s Everlasting and the lovely blue Scaevola, a splendid fan flower. It is also planting time for summer veggies and fruits, including zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers, capsicums, and a favourite: the tomato.
Tomato plants - on the vine or bush - are happy with temperatures in the mid 20’s Celsius. In soil temperatures below 15 degrees the plant does struggle, and above in air temperatures of 32C they suffer from the heat. Peak production after planting seedlings in October usually corresponds with summer heat, and both the fruit and plant can suffer a lot if we have a hot spell.
Here are a few tips for helping the plant to produce lots of fruit:
- Make sure you protect the plants with shade cloth and mulch the soil well.
- Tomatoes are demanding feeders and need lots of water, so feed once a fortnight during the growth period with a good quality organic fertiliser, and give them at least 4.5 litres of water a day, per plant.
- Select mature seedling with foliage that is twice the depth of the pot. The overall height should be 2/3rds plant, with the pot making up the remainder (soil and roots).
- Bury the plant twice the depth of the pot (having removed the side shoots and leaves with scissors) in rich, organic soil.
- Hand water daily with a can to ensure you give them plenty to drink.
- Support the plant using stakes or, as I do, grow them up strings.
For more garden-related information and tips, check out @down2earthlife on Instagram.
The Jarrahdale Log Chop and Country Fair first started in which year?