{"id":6220,"date":"2023-11-01T06:34:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T19:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=6220"},"modified":"2023-09-19T23:37:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:37:28","slug":"spring-gardening-tips-cultivating-success-in-your-edible-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/spring-gardening-tips-cultivating-success-in-your-edible-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Gardening Tips: Cultivating Success in Your Edible Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Beth Field<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there\u2019s always beauty to be found in the garden no matter the season, Spring would have to be the gardener\u2019s favourite time of year. Some of our most beloved flowering plants begin to bloom, like roses, daisies, daffodils, petunias and magnolias, just to name a few. The edible garden also ramps up a gear in Spring, in response to the warmer temperatures and longer days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here in the nursery, we have the privilege of hearing from lots of different customers about their experiences in the garden. One of the areas we\u2019ve noticed where people find the most satisfaction and the most frustration is in the humble veggie patch. Experienced gardeners and novices alike, we\u2019ve all been on the rollercoaster of failure and success that is the edible garden; launching ourselves enthusiastically into the Spring veggie patch, warm sun on our back, visions of mountains of home\u2013grown shiny red tomatoes in our head, only to have a pesky snail or caterpillar thwart all our efforts. Grrr!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh but there are many more moments of sweet success! As the calendar page flips over to September, we hope the following tips will encourage you to get your hands dirty and try \u2013 or try again\u2013 for that home\u2013grown harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soils ain\u2019t soils
<\/strong>Preparing your soil is hands\u2013down the most important step when starting or renewing a veggie patch. Edible plants use lots of energy while they\u2019re growing, and they get this energy from the sun and the nutrients in the soil. Herbs and veggies growing in soil with added organic matter are stronger and better able to fight off those pesky pests and diseases when they strike. Preparing your soil also helps it to hold the right amount of water. Soil preparation can be as simple as adding a few bags of compost and cow manure to the soil each season before you plant, and mulching with sugarcane or lucerne afterwards. Searles 5\u2013in\u20131 is an easy\u2013to\u2013use fertiliser that also improves the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay attention
<\/strong>Paying attention to our plants is how we learn what\u2019s healthy and what\u2019s not. Plants have ways of telling us what they need. After a season or two of spending just a few minutes a day with your edibles, you\u2019ll have trained your eye to the difference between a thriving strawberry plant and one that\u2019s in need of fertiliser. You\u2019ll know what rich, healthy, moist soil looks like, as opposed to dry and depleted soil. You\u2019ll even learn the difference between beneficial bugs and ones that will damage your precious plants. Lots of garden pests or diseases can be dealt with very quickly and easily if you \u2018nip them in the bud\u2019 (pun intended!). Catching pest or diseases when they\u2019re just beginning in most cases makes them much easier to deal with, rather than when they\u2019ve taken hold. Enjoy that quiet moment just looking at your plants and soaking up the beauty \u2013 and the message \u2013 in their detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t give up
<\/strong>If your first (or second, or third\u2026) attempt at growing edibles wasn\u2019t as successful as you\u2019d hoped, don\u2019t give up! Even seasoned veggie gardeners lose a plant or two to rabbits or snails, or find some plants do well one year and not so well the next \u2013 just ask your friend or neighbour and you might find it\u2019s been a \u2018bad year for cucumbers\u2019 for them too. Sometimes a new edible garden doesn\u2019t yield well in its first season, but once the added organics have worked into the soil the next season is a bumper crop! Don\u2019t over think it, just prep your soil and have a go. To hear the \u2018snap\u2019 of crispy lettuce leaves picked fresh or see juicy strawberries ripening in the sun is to make the dance with nature worthwhile. We\u2019re always here and happy to help with questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy gardening from the team at Burbank!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Beth Field While there\u2019s always beauty to be found in the garden no matter the season, Spring would have to be the gardener\u2019s favourite time of year. Some of…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[75,99],"series":[115],"class_list":["post-6220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-article","tag-beth-field","series-coffee-with-a-coastie"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/09\/Cultivating-Success-in-Your-Edible-Garden.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"

Spring Gardening Tips: Cultivating Success in Your Edible Garden<\/a><\/blockquote>