A midsummer tour of Keith's Garden

Muddy Boots

What’s growing in Keith’s garden?
Flowers, trees and of course lots of edibles. This week we take a closer look at what’s happening in his beloved garden.

The trial garden - what’s living up to expectation and what’s not! Some disappointing new varieties of Rudbeckia. Agastache and salvias are always winners and eryngium (Sea Holly) also performing well.

Keith’s edible garden - late tomatoes due to cooler summer, more zucchini and cucumbers than he knows what to do with and avocados are fruiting! Issues with brown rot has seen Keith drying stone fruit using his Ezidri dehydrator.

Late summer planting - Keith suggests lettuce, carrots, beetroot seeds or seedlings, Brussel sprout seedlings (Keith recommends Quality Plants & Seedlings but may have sold out).

Other jobs - Summer pruning of fruit trees after the fruit, deadheading of spent flowers and light cutback to encourage late flowering, aerating soil (use a broadfork - check out F.D Ryan's) and mulching.

Pests and diseases - Black spot on roses can be treated with 50/50 milk/water applied on a sunny day or copper spray like Kocide. Blossom end rot can occur due to high acidity - prevent/treat by adding Dolomite lime to soil before planting to stabilise pH. Powdery mildew - avoid by cutting out competing plants and ensuring soil is well fertilised and mulched. Rust - burn out by encouraging new growth (speed up with high nitrogen fertiliser). Passionfruit leaf-hopper, Springtail and other “critters” can be avoided and treated with ECO Neem and Eco Oil

Happy Summer gardening!

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