A Tuscan pot filled with budding strawberries
HANDY TIPS:
- Strawberries prefer a very sunny position
- Dis-budding (removing flowers) for the first month is essential to ensure the growth of strong root systems and lots of leaves
- Allow fruit to ripen on the vine and remove all over-ripened or bug eaten fruit to avoid attracting insects.
A lone blueberry… We ate it's sweet, ripe buddies
HANDY TIPS:
- When growing blueberries in pots, ensure the pot is large. Blueberries are shallow-rooted and prefer damp soil
- Blueberries prefer acidic soil. I mixed spent coffee grounds and tea leaves into my soil to achieve this naturally
- Birds love ripe blueberries, cover your shrub with nets if the birds become a problem.
Sweet, sweet basil, baby!
HANDY TIPS:
- *Listen to your wife, Byron*
- Sweet/Italian basil loves a sunny, warm position
- Prune leaves when the stems become woody to prolong the life of the plant
* I handed Byron a new packet of basil seeds last year. He dumped half the packet (approximately 50 seeds) into the one tiny hole made by his index finger. Thankfully, I have been able to separate some of the seedlings.
So I robbed a few hundred worms of these delicious plants, at least I saved them the half-nibbled stalks.
Bella xx
Thanks for the tips! I am a struggling gardener and often it's these useful titbits that make everything fall into place. Although my strawberry plants are still woefully crispy - perhaps the WA summer sun is a bit too much...
ReplyDeleteTry not to water them in the middle of the day. Try watering in the evening. Also, feed well with liquid fertiliser and see if a ground cover, such as mulch helps to retain moisture. I'd also consider planting them in a terracotta pot as they help to retain water.
DeleteGood luck and let me know how it goes. Fertilise! Go the diluted worm juice :)
Bella xx
Any hints for coriander? I cannot grow it? The one herb that dies over and over again. Which is really annoying as I love to cook with it
ReplyDeleteOh Julie! I can relate! Summer is not corianders best season. It thrives in cooler months, prefers well watered, well fertilised and well drained soil. If you plant it in pots, make sure the water can drain away. Unfortunately at this time of year, your plants may die due to the unforgiving summer heat. Be sure to keep the water up to your coriander. Again, I use diluted worm juice but the problem is coriander loses it leafy quality and races to seed. I'd love to know how your herbs fare this season.
DeleteBella xx
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ReplyDelete