Gardening in October

If you took to growing veggies in the coronavirus pandemic, then keep it up even when lockdown ends.

Given the many benefits of productive gardening, this interest in increased self-sufficiency was an intelligent response to the pandemic situation. Productive gardening improves health by providing contact with nature, physical activity and a healthier diet. Contact with good soil bacteria also has positive health effects.

Time to plant summer vegetable seedlings. With so many varieties to choose. Good practice to follow is to plant what you eat. Our range of organic herb and vegetable seedlings now available to plant for summer are beans, tomatoes, chillies, green pepper, cucumber, lettuce, gem squash, pumpkin, kohlrabi, rhubarb, coriander, sweet basil, butternut, brinjal and an assortment of lettuce varieties. Inspect and manage your garden daily to make sure that no unwanted pests settle in.  

With spring and summer often comes the desire to plant. If you enjoy growing and preserving your own food, but do not have the outdoor garden space you need, we have a great selection of fruit and vegetables suitable for planting in containers. Consider planting lemons, blueberries, apples, pears, oranges, nectarines, granadillas, pomegranates or figs.

Protect new leaves on roses from thrips, aphids and other insects that enjoy the sap of the lush new growth. Drench the bushes with a systemic insecticide like Koinor.

Add Palm Peat when you are potting and re-potting your indoor and outdoor plants. Starke Ayres Palm Peat provides excellent water retention properties to your soil and enhances the aeration of the soil. It is a natural product produced from coconut fiber promoting seed germination and root growth.

Never stop fertilising. Bio Ocean from Atlantic Fertilisers is a soil and plant conditioner, manufactured from seaweed, fishmeal, humic acid and poultry manure. It is also known for its ability to retain moisture and increase the moisture level of the plant’s cell sap – in turn increasing the plant’s ability to tolerate heat stress. Bio Ocean will retain up to 120% of its own weight in moisture – significantly increasing the soil’s ability to hold onto water. It is a premium non-chemical fertiliser, organic and environmentally friendly and will not burn your seedlings or plants.

Have you ever heard of diatomaceous earth, also known as DE? Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic way to control pests in the garden. It is effective against all insect pests that crawl on plants, because contact with the powder is extremely dehydrating. After watering the plants, dust them. This will help the powder stick to plant surfaces. 

Starke Ayres, West Coast Village

Tel: 021 554 8450