Handy Information, Guides & Fact Sheets for Gardeners
On this page you will find great gardening tips:
Golden Rules For Watering
Always water plants well before planting. If the soil is dry, water the planting hole or seed drill before planting or sowing.
The best time of the day to water plants is early morning or in the evening. This reduces the amount of water evaporation and is a more efficient use of this resource (especially if you are using mains water).
Always direct water at the bottom of the plant's stem rather than its leaves. This means the water will go direct to where the plant needs it most.
When watering potted or containerised plants and hanging baskets keep watering until the water flows through the bottom of the pot - this means you have watered enough.
The best time of the day to water plants is early morning or in the evening. This reduces the amount of water evaporation and is a more efficient use of this resource (especially if you are using mains water).
Always direct water at the bottom of the plant's stem rather than its leaves. This means the water will go direct to where the plant needs it most.
When watering potted or containerised plants and hanging baskets keep watering until the water flows through the bottom of the pot - this means you have watered enough.
Slater Trap - Put Your Orange Peels To Good UseA Slater trap in action. Orange peel halves attract slaters away from your new seedlings without using chemicals. Be sure to check and remove the slaters regularly before they have eaten all they can and move on to tastier morsels.
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A little tip from Cheryl:
I use a very old but clever Tupperware tool to remove the orange peel half at a time. |
Bottom line is: Eat More Oranges!
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Go to the page Insects to learn more about garden pests.
Companion Planting In An Urban GardenCompanion planting is one of the secrets behind the success of organic gardening. There are some plants that offer others different forms of protection when they are planted together. By using natural solutions like this, it helps to eliminate the need to use pesticide chemicals simply by using the protective characteristics of plants.
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Watch this video from Sustainable Gardening Australia to see how well it works in one gardener's backyard.
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Prepping The SoilThe land around the Mandurah area is known for its sandy composition. Lacking organic material and being mostly sand, it is very water repellent. This makes it very difficult for veggies to establish and thrive.
Planting veggies and other plants in our local soil requires a bit of work to prepare it for growing. Adding organic matter and mulch, allows a biome of helpful organisms, the inclusion of nutrients, and the provision of water retention that will help turn the barren sand into good growing soil. |
Watch this video guide with Josh Byrne showing How to garden on sandy soil from Gardening Australia.
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WA Department of Agriculture fact sheet on Coastal Brown AntsInformation sheet provided from the Western Australia Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development for controlling Coastal Brown Ant infestation.
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Instructions for the Maze bokashi compost systemThe bokashi compost system is used in conjunction with worm farms at Mandurah Community Gardens. Containing a probiotic called EM-1 and other supporting ingredients, Bokashi composts a large range of organic matter quickly and without odour, that can be done indoors. It produces a concentrated liquid full of nutrient-rich goodness that helps to feed the garden and produce healthy plants, especially vegetables.
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The Bokashi compost system and Bokashi supplies are available from Bunnings.
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Frog-friendly Gardens
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Butterfly-friendly GardensPerth Zoo - This flyer provides essential guidance on how to create a butterfly-friendly garden to help conserve native species found in the South-west of Western Australia. The guide emphasizes planting native species and supporting the butterfly lifecycle by providing food and shelter for caterpillars and not using chemicals or non-organic fertilisers, which can harm beneficial insects and upset the natural balance of your garden.
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Recycling Information ToolkitThis flyer, provided by the Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC), is an essential guide to the new recycling rules for all Perth metropolitan area residents. It clearly outlines what can and cannot go into your yellow-topped bin and provides information on special drop-off facilities.
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Pest & Disease Control GuideThis guide is for application of used to control of destructive pests at Mandurah Community Gardens.
As we are an organic garden, we avoid the use of pesticides. Synthetic chemicals poison the soil, the food, and the ground water, destroying the ecosystem we have established and can be impossible to remove. There are many natural and non-toxic methods that can be used to solve most pestilence issues. If you have any tips you would like to share, please send us an email to [email protected] and we will try them out. |
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Worms & BokashiThis wonderful guide is great for managing worm compost farms and how to use the Bokashi system.
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Coffee Grounds For Compost
The "golden grounds" are ground coffee beans that can be repurposed for composting - we use them at Mandurah Community Gardens!
Coffee grounds are generously donated to the gardens by local businesses in Mandurah. If you have coffee grounds you can donate to the gardens for our compost, please let us know by getting in contact with us through the form on our website or come down and visit the garden when we are open.
The info sheet below is from Community Gardens Australia — a great resource for anything to do with community gardening.
Coffee grounds are generously donated to the gardens by local businesses in Mandurah. If you have coffee grounds you can donate to the gardens for our compost, please let us know by getting in contact with us through the form on our website or come down and visit the garden when we are open.
The info sheet below is from Community Gardens Australia — a great resource for anything to do with community gardening.
| composting_coffee_grounds.pdf |