116
B RILLIA NT- ON LIN E AUGUS T 2021
GETTING YOUR GARDEN SOIL READY WITH GREENBOURNE NURSERY ✦ As the day lengths increase and the temperatures begin to rise, the eagerly awaited season of Spring is right around the corner. We all now begin to plan and contemplate all our warm season nursery purchases, getting ready to fill our garden beds with a plethora of exciting arrivals.
✦
T
he key is preparation and August is the perfect month for this, especially to get the soil ready.
August is a gift to us Over the years it is surprising how my acquired knowledge has enlightened me to the real important issues that now give me extra excitement. As a rookie I put a lot of my excitable energy into the Spring season, it was as if my whole life was dominated by those precious three months. I have absorbed knowledge from great horticulturalists who have set me on the path of understanding the joys of the science of gardening. Which brings me to the humble month of August. A month which has lived in the shadow of September its whole existence down here in the southern hemisphere… well it did for my early years. I now know better. August provides us with increasing light levels and rising, yet comfortable temperatures. It is THE perfect time to exert ourselves and physically put time into our soil.
A very quick science lesson about billions of eager helpers Firstly, never call your garden soil dirt. If you do, you should have to stand in the corner with one of those
Check out Greenbourne Nursery for all your gardening needs:
dunce hats on! Dirt is what you tread through the house and get yelled at for. As soon as you respect and love the soil as much as you respect and love the plants you put into the soil you will be on the path to gardening enlightenment! A great soil comprises billions and billions of important organisms. Generally, these organisms can be categorised into two groups: the macro and the micro. The macroorganisms are the larger ones like your earthworms, beetles, centipedes and other larger bodied types, roughly categorised by anything over 2mm in size. The micro-organisms are the very tiny, often microscopic single cell organisms that inhabit the soil. These include examples like bacteria, fungi and nematodes, just to name a few. Both macro and micro-organisms are fantastic at transforming organic matter into nutrients that are able to be taken up by the plants that coexist in the soil. A good combination of macro and micro-organisms is essential as they work together to break down the organic matter. Micro-organisms thrive in situations that are free of toxic chemicals, have plenty of organic material to feed on and have a consistently warm environment with a steady supply of adequate moisture. If you can provide these conditions to your soil you will then be providing regular nutrition to your plants, hence the brilliant phrase “FEED THE SOIL, SO THE SOIL CAN FEED YOUR PLANTS”.
+61 2 6585 2117 greenbourne.nursery@midcoast.com.au www.greenbournenurserywauchope.com.au 239 High St, Wauchope NSW 2446
