One thing that we love about gardening is that you’re constantly learning new tips and tricks. We asked you for your top gardening tips, a selection of our favourites are below:
Garden’s Little Helpers
Kristin – I always plant marigolds in my glasshouse to try and eliminate aphids
Jane – involve your children…. amazing learning opportunities and keeps the gardening bug alive
Vicki – If your broccoli etc has gone to seed… let the flowers grow. The bees love it and in turn they help your garden
Lesley – Use worm wee every second day…Amazing
Dana – I cut leaves back on my cucumbers to help bees pollinate all flowers, the more produce the more I can gift
Nalda – Plant basil around your tomatoes, helps to prevent whitefly and great to use in a salsa or a salad
Carol – Use plenty of sheep pellets
Using Food and Beverages
Sha – an egg in before the tomato plant and aloe vera makes great plant feed
Samantha – If you have just boiled some eggs pour the water into the soil of your plants. The goodness goes back into your plants to make them happy and grow strong
Diane – My garden seems to thrive on coffee grounds that I save from my plunger and mix with water
Karen – I crush up shells from boiled eggs and put them around vege plants and herbs instead of slug repellent. Works very well
Lorraine – water tomatoes with the rinse water from your milk bottles
Jenny – Put used banana skins under Daphne plants
Rachel – Boil your veges, drain the water into a jug, let it cool. Water any plants that need reviving with you vege water
Nikkie – Use a small amount of milk powder and Epson salts in the hole before you plant your tomatoes. It prevents blossom end rot
Garden Maintenance
Cindy – My tip would be grass clippings are a great mulch and help to keep my population of oxalis under control
Matt – Regularly trim your herbs to promote new growth
Sarah – Always cut the dead flower heads off rose plants. That will help to produce more flowers
Correna – Weed when there’s just a few of them, they soon multiply
Heather – Do a little bit in the garden every day to stay on top of maintenance
Handy Hints
Margaret – When cutting hydrangeas, pop the whole head under water for up to an hour, then lift out, gently shake off excess water and arrange in a vase
Haylee – If your cucumbers aren’t growing, use a tiny paintbrush to pollinate from centre of the male flower to the centre female flower
Kirsten – Buy the plants, worry about where they’ll go later
Rachel – Plant fruit and vegetables that you like to eat