May Edible Garden Update

May Edible Garden Update

May 12, 2015 | Edible Gardens

May is a great time to get out in the sunshine, warm up and plant some fantastic fruits, vegetables and herbs. They will add variety and flavour to your cooking, are good for you, and will save you money in the long run. 

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Step-by-Step Guide to Transplanting Trees

Step-by-Step Guide to Transplanting Trees

May 9, 2015 | Gardening Tips

This is a great time of year for planting or transplanting trees (in-particular bare-rooted trees) in your yard.

Tree Transplanting Guide

Here’s the Perth Gardening step-by-step guide to transplanting trees to ensure they have a great start and the best possible chance to thrive.

Tree Planting Season in Perth
  1. Soak the tree roots in a bucket of water with about ½ cup of seaweed concentrate while you are preparing the planting hole.
  2. Dig a hole approximately 1m across and 50-60cm deep the so roots can spread out as widely as possible. Try to keep the sides of the hole reasonably vertical. Put the removed topsoil in a pile next to the hole and mix through some compost or aged manure.
  3. Push a wooden stake into the bottom of hole, slightly off-centre. For a large tree use two wooden stakes – one on either side of the hole. Partially backfill the hole with the topsoil mix making a small mound in the centre of the hole.
  4. Cleanly prune off any damaged ends of the roots and shorten any extra-long roots to fit the hole.
  5. Place the tree onto the mound of soil in the bottom of the hole. Spread the roots as widely as possible but avoid bending or curving any long roots as this can cause stunted growth. The roots should be just below soil level.
  6. Backfill with the rest of the topsoil mix until the hole is fullshaking the tree as you go to ensure the soil filters down tree blue sky perth gardeningthrough the gaps between the roots. If you have used two wooden stakes, stretch a tree tie, rope or length of pantyhose between them in a figure 8 for a loose but firm fit.
  7. Water deeply and add more topsoil mix if required. If attaching a label – attach it to the stake rather than the tree to avoid strangulation.
  8. Prune the branches, removing any broken or weak branches and shorten the remainder by half. While this may seem severe it will help to achieve a healthier tree.

May Gardening Tips

May Gardening Tips

May 2, 2015 | Monthly Gardening Tips

The month of May means a cooling of temperatures and shorter days. It’s a great time to get out in the garden and prepare your yard for the cooler days ahead with our May gardening tips. 

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April Edible Garden Tips

April Edible Garden Tips

Apr 20, 2015 | Edible Gardens

There’s not much more satisfying than eating food you have grown, harvested and prepared with your own hands.

So, we’re kicking off a new, monthly blog post series to guide you through what to plant and where, what to transplant and harvest, and other tips and tricks. And all appropriate for the local climate here in Perth.

There’s plenty to keep you busy in your edible garden in April including planting, transplanting and harvesting.

What Veggies to Plant in April

Let’s start off with what veggies to plant in April, and there are ALOT!

Broad Beans

Carrots

Garlic

Lettuce

Parsley

Rocket/Arugala

Silverbeet

Turnips

Beetroot

Chives

Japanese Greens/Mizuna

Oregano

Peas

Rutabage/Swedes

Snow Peas

Burdock

Corn Salad/Lamb’s Lettuce

Kohlrabi

Pak Choy

Radish

Shallots/Eschalots

Spinach

Starting Kale in Seed Trays

This month is the time to start Kale – undercover in seed trays ready to plant out in 4-6 weeks.

kale in bowl grown in garden Perth

What Veggies to Transplant in April

If you’re a step ahead and have previously planted in seed trays, the following should now be ready to have the seedlings transplanted into the garden.

Broccoli

Cabbage

Collard Greens

Onions

Brussel Sprouts

Cauliflower

Leeks

What Veggies to Harvest in April

If you’ve been super organised and already planted some crops in your veggie garden, these are those vegetables and herbs that should be ready for harvesting during April.

Amaranth

Chives

Eggplant

Mustard Greens

Parsley

Silverbeet

Asparagus Peas

Cucumber

Kohlrabi

Okra

Radish

Sunflower

Beetroot

Dwarf Beans

Lettuce

Oregano

Runner Beans

Turnips

Garden Tips for April

Get the kids involved in growing your own veggies! Have your children take part in creating the food they eat. This will help them understand where there food comes from, how it grows and you may even find that some fussy eaters are more likely to try plants and herbs they have tended. There are lots of jobs they can help with from watering, to sowing seeds. Just keep a watchful eye on them weeding in case they pull up the beautiful seedlings.

We will also be highlighting each of these plants throughout the month over on our Facebook page – offering information about planting, harvesting and more – so don’t forget to jump over and ‘like’ the Perth Landscaping & Gardening page.

This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. For specific advice, please contact us at Perth Gardening.