IT'S the last month of what has been a very wet and fairly cool Spring so far, but that hasn’t deterred the community from getting back into step with outdoor festivities.
What a wonderful show we had and the Remembrance service at Bahgallah Hall was also well organised and a very fitting occasion.
Organisers of both largely outdoor events deserve great credit and thanks for their work.
The flower and produce exhibit at the show didn’t disappoint and after three years without the event, it was good to see that local home gardeners certainly haven’t lost their touch.
Next year should see more entries as we reacquaint ourselves with community life after the pandemic.
In the garden, Hydrangeas are at their best this month and roses are also flowering well now so this is the perfect time to choose and plant a rose.
There’s nothing like being able to see the colour and smell the perfume.
You'll know exactly what to expect each year.
This is the ideal time to plant chillies, basil and cucumbers as well as many other veggies.
Get your tomatoes in this month if you haven’t already.
There is finally enough warmth for Gardenias to really start to grow and flower.
Now is the time to plant flower seedlings to have a colourful display for Christmas and new year.
Determinate and indeterminate tomatoes
A LOT of people have been asking us about which tomato is the ‘best’ tomato to grow and in order to answer that question we like to know how you want to eat them.
If you like to preserve your tomatoes then we suggest choosing a determinate tomato.
That is, a tomato that will give you a load of tomatoes over a few weeks.
Examples of determinate tomatoes are Romas and KY1 Bush Tomatoes.
One way of ensuring a constant supply of your determinate tomatoes is to stagger your planting throughout the season.
If you like to pick fresh tomatoes all summer long, we suggest an indeterminate type of tomato, such as your Truss tomato like Sweet Bite, or big fruited varieties like Beefsteak and Grosse Lisse.
Whichever tomato you choose, know that both types are delicious whether you eat them fresh or preserve them and growing your own is a rewarding thing to do.
A bag of food
GROW Bags are excellent options for growing fruit and vegetables like strawberries, potatoes and tomatoes.
With summer approaching, grow bags provide the option of moving plants around to provide relief from the heat and are a much lighter, cheaper and roomier option than large pots.
Grow bags also help you control the feed and water requirements direct to the root zone and are excellent barrier for pests.
Build it and they will come
IT IS amazing how native and introduced wildlife soon hone-in on new food sources and establish seasonal routines around those areas and plants.
Planting with the aim of attracting and nurturing certain species of birds and insects in mind may take more than a season or two to bring to fruition, but it is a very rewarding and worthwhile endeavour.
It’s not unusual for locals and travellers to town to be drawn to the cacophony coming from the Sideroxylon (iron bark) at the garden centre.
The magnificent red flowers last for weeks and are a source to many species of birds such as the Musk Parrot, Lorikeets, Magpies and various Honeyeaters.
Earlier in the season there was a flock of Gang Gang cockatoos resting higher in the tree before a journey south.
Of course, bees are so plentiful in the tree they can be heard before being sighted and to our delight, last week we had a mother and baby koala using the tree as a rest stop on their way back towards the river.
Like many plantings around our beautiful district, we can be grateful to those that came before us for planting the things that bring so much life and joy.
