> Time to plant a few rows of beetroot. Grow them in sweet well drained soil and full sun. Sow in early March for a mid May crop. > If you’ve always wanted to grow your own veggies, lettuce is a good one to start with as it is easy to grow and you can usually start harvesting within a few weeks of planting. Keep it well mulched to protect its shallow roots. For a sweet and juicy crop, keep it well watered and don’t let the soil dry out, which will help prevent the leaves becoming bitter.
Growing fruit trees in pots allows you to have them in paved areas and unlikely garden spaces. To grow a decent, fruit bearing tree, it is recommended that you use a pot at least 40cm in size, depending on the size the tree is likely to be when it reaches maturity. A pot this size can be difficult to move once it contains potting mix, so it’s best to carefully consider the position of your tree before potting it up. Fruit trees need good levels of sunlight to perform well and bear fruit, so position your tree where it will receive at least 6 hours of sunlight every day.
> Your summer crop of tomatoes may be finished, but it’s not too late to plant more! Give tomatoes a well-drained, compost rich soil, full sun and feed fortnightly with SeaMax Fish & Kelp Organic Fertiliser.
Any plants grown in pots will be more vulnerable to dry-out than plants grown in the ground. They will also be more susceptible to extremes of temperature. Large pots can also have problems with drainage and waterlogging if the wrong type of potting mix is used. Unlike plants grown in the ground which can access water and nutrients from over considerable distances, plants grown in pots will be completely dependent on the potting mix for all their nutritional needs. This means a quality potting mix is vital, and is a wise investment in insuring the success of your tree. High quality potting mixes like Searles Platinum Potting Mix and Searles Fruit, Citrus & Rose Specialty Mix are highly recommended.
While established fruit trees in the ground should only need watering once a week during very hot, dry weather, the same trees grown in pots will need to be watered at least a couple of times a week in similar circumstances. While they’re still establishing, potted fruit trees will need watering at least once a day in hot, dry conditions. Even at cooler times of year, potted trees will need more watering than those in the ground. This extra watering can cause leaching of nutrients from the potting mix, which means it is also necessary to feed plants more regularly. Apply 5 IN 1 Organic Fertiliser Fruit & Flower, an excellent organic fertiliser, at the beginning of spring through to autumn, every 8-12 weeks. Fruit trees that don’t grow too big or too fast are the best candidates for growing in pots. Some good choices are the dwarf lemon tree, ‘Lots a Lemons’, grafted dwarf oranges, Kaffir lime, table grapes, dwarf pomegranate, dwarf peaches, blueberries, sweet Jiro dwarf persimmon, feijoa, Brazilian cherry and strawberry guava. Potted fruit trees can benefit from an annual pruning to make sure they stay compact.
About the garden magazine | page 21
