Growing Gardens

with Anita Morton

Poultry on patrol

I like to garden as organically as possible - meaning that I have to put up with a good many grubs and grasshoppers! My garden is surrounded by rainforest, which has proven to be an endless source of insects, all of which just love my vegie patch.

A partial solution happened as a side effect of keeping hens for their eggs. We keep our chooks in a small, enclosed run, because they are so vulnerable to the local feral cats, foxes, goannas etc., but we let them out for a few hours every day to stretch their legs. All hens need green feed, and a run outside in the garden gives them the chance to pick up whatever they need, plus access to grit for their digestion, and dust baths for their pleasure.

Our girls are fierce hunters and after anything that hops or scuttles - they will pursue a fleeing grasshopper right across the garden, and usually get it in the end. I hand pick the caterpillars off my grapevines and broccoli, and the girls are also eager recipients for these. It's much more aesthetically pleasing to feed grubs to the girls than to squash them.

Hens turn every insect they eat into eggs, and they really do reduce the populations of things like Christmas beetles (by scratching up curl grubs), grasshoppers, crickets and the like. They don't have much effect on the snail and slug population - if this is your problem, ducks might be a better choice. Don't consider keeping ducks if you can't provide permanent water for swimming, plus fox-proof housing. Hens also need to be protected, as do any areas of the garden that you don't want dug up, but they will reward you with their eggs, their diligent pest control, and also their amusing antics.

Lismore Garden Club News

The Lismore Garden Club holds its monthly meeting on the first Thursday of every month at 1.30pm. Venue for May meeting to be advised.

Tibouchinas have been spectacular around our streets and gardens for some weeks now. The royal purple of T. "Alstonville" has become synonymous with tibouchinas everywhere. However, there are some nice pink varieties, such as T. Granulosa "Rosea" and "Kathleen." Also T "Noelene", which has three colours on the one tree. All of the above grow into small trees. If you don't have the space and wish to grow something compact, there are at least two dwarf tibouchinas, both purple and both no more than one metre high. T "Jules" has small petite flowers. In contrast, T "Grandiflora" has flowers up to four inches across. You may have to search to find the latter, but it is well worth the perseverance.

Most tibouchinas are easy to grow and flower well when planted in a sunny position. They need well-drained soil with adequate water in summer. Fertilise in spring.

Jobs to do in the garden now: If you haven't done so, prepare vegie garden and plant it with cool loving vegies. Prepare flower garden and plant with winter and spring flowers and bulbs. Plant ornamental trees. Lift gladiolus and dahlias, and store bulbs and tubers in a dry airy place. Airate, renovate and fertilise lawns with chicken manure pellets after mowing (be sure to lift the mower to allow the grass to make better coverage). Water citrus trees deeply and mulch out to the dripline.

Gardening tip: Try to procure a dark colour mulch, such as tea tree or macadamia husk, for the cooler months. The dark colours draw the heat and keep your garden soil warmer.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns