5. Good Organic Gardening - September-October 2016 AvxHome.in

SHORT SHOOTS | Earthy ideas
10
Top Tips
Clever ideas for your garden
Words Erina Starkey
1
Have an avo
Planting an avocado tree now can
afford you a lifetime’s worth of
delicious breakfasts down the track. Did you
know that a seven-year-old tree can produce
around 200–300 avocados a year? Imagine
that! To grow your own, take an avocado
seed, clean it thoroughly and pierce it firmly
with three toothpicks, spaced equidistantly.
Use the toothpicks to suspend the avocado
broad end down over a glass of water so the
seed is half submerged. Change the water
every few days, ensuring the water level
remains constant. After two to three weeks
you should start to see roots and a stem
sprouting. When the roots are thick and the
stem has started producing leaves, plant it in
the garden.
1
2
Planting pots
By planting pots directly into your
garden bed you can easily change
plantings over when flowers fade or seasons
change. Sunken pots also create a barrier
between the plants and the garden so they
won’t overgrow or spread to nearby areas.
This is particularly handy for difficult-tocontrol
plants like blackberry and mint. This
system also allows you to grow plants
in perfect soil, regardless of your actual
soil conditions.
3
Turf that lawn
Isn’t it time you converted your
energy-wasting lawn into a thriving
vegetable garden? To smother the grass, lay
sheets of cardboard over the area, making
sure the cardboard overlaps — grass can
prove very persistent. Cover with a thick layer
of compost or mulch and water heavily until
it compacts. Over the next few weeks, the
cardboard will break down and disintegrate
while the grass beneath turns into plant food
for your new garden.
4
Bucket list
If you have limited space, try
growing potatoes in a large barrel
or bin. Then, when it comes time to harvest,
all you need to do is tip the bin over and
collect your bounty. No need to do the hard
work digging, which would probably see you
miss a few potatoes, anyway. Don’t forget
to reserve a few knobbly potatoes to start a
fresh crop next season.
5
Paint pots
If your garden could do with a
splash of colour this winter, dress
up your pots with a fresh lick of paint. Start
with a clean, dry pot and apply two coats
of paint. You will get a better finish if the
brushstrokes follow the circumference of
the pot rather than brushing up and down.
When the pot is completely dry, use masking
tape to make a pattern. It can be as simple
as horizontal or vertical lines or a series of
irregular geometric shapes. Apply another
two coats of paint in a contrasting colour and
leave to dry before removing the tape.
6
6
Make a splash
A pond is a beautiful garden
feature and a great way to attract
wildlife. If you don’t have the budget for an
elaborate fountain you can always create
your own pond from a simple garden pot. A
shallow ceramic pot glazed inside and out is
the perfect choice; all you need to do is plug
up the drainage holes with a silicon sealant. In
the case of a terracotta or unglazed pot you’ll
need to coat the inside with a waterproof
pond sealer, which can be purchased from
your local garden centre. Make sure you fill
your pot with rainwater so it’s safe for fish to
swim in and top with waterlilies and aquatic
plants. A border of rocks will provide easy
access for lizards that may come to drink.
7 Hanging
gardens
This winter, bring the outside in
with a hanging moss ball garden. To make
your own moss ball, or kokedama as the
Japanese call it, choose a miniature, shadeloving
plant with a small root system such as
a succulent, herb or fern. Carefully dislodge
the soil from around its roots. Now bind the
roots together with wet sphagnum moss
CanStockPhoto, Gergelyhideg CC
82 | Good Organic Gardening