Kanga's virtual garden.

[kanga_brumby]

Well this is a place to give each other gardening tips. Or plant your own virtual garden. Put what ever plants you wont in here, keeping it legal please. Lets get a nice one to wonder through.

[Guest_128]

Hey ,just saying hi,

One of my argaves (maybe spelt wrong) has a massive flower,at least 8ft,it is flowering from the bottom upwards,bees are loven it.

Later

[CMF]

Kanga,

thanks for the tip re the newspaper under the mulch and Paul thanks for the tip re using the finer mulch. I have tidied up my front garden, cut the grass, weeded, put down the newspaper and fresh mulch. I think it is looking really good. My daughter commented this morning how nice it looks. I need to clean up one more section in the front and then get onto the back.

[kanga_brumby]

For thoes who like there tommatoes get yourself a small greenhouse from a hardwear stoor erect in a nice sunny place. Getting some medemum size pots. The cheep way of doing this if planting in an outside garden save the pots from what your all ready planting.

Refill the pots with a small amount of stones for drainage the rest of the pot with soil. Go off to the green grocer buy some tomatoes not to meny. Cut across a tomatoe till you see where the seeds are. place a couploe of rings on the soil with some fertilizer warter reguler not to much to drown them watch them grow then you get your tomatoes. Its a good little prodject for children to learn on self sufficency you dont need a huge area

Kanga this is the offer you cannot refuse

[blondguy]

Hey everybody

Great job with what you have done in your yard CMF. The weeds may germinate in mulch but they can be easily pulled out when they appear.

I landscaped this place in 1990 and did mega research on mulching. Like you have done...a fine grade...is excellent as the sun wont get to soil after Kanga's newspaper disintegrates. If possible 5 inches of much is ideal....if not 4 inches will be close.

I still use fine grade pine bark as it gives a long lasting color as well as light reduction to the soil.

If you want a non aggressive decorative tree....Google 'Mop Top Robinia' for the pics...drop dead gorgeous tree. They are deciduous and dont grow tall....just a beautiful circular foliage that does grow quick....Just not near pavers as I have done ....Doh!

and thankyou to Captain Kanga for his knowledge on growing a yummy fruit too...tomatoes 🙂 It sounds like a great project for that blond dude too!

Mr Woof!

Boing!

[Wilma1]

Cardboard boxes are good for covering the ground as well as the newspaper, put some soil or mulch on top and it lasts for ages.

[Quercus]

I'm with Wilma. We did an experiment in the blasting heat of summer. Put cardboard covered by pea straw (thin layer) and then enough soil to keep it all down and tidy. Not near the stems but out to about a meter around the plants.

The plants that had this did beautifully over summer and needed less water. The cardboard kept the water from evaporating and kept the roots cool. And bonus side no weeds.

Considering the exposed parts of our garden get up to 45 degrees most days in summer it works very well. The other thing we tried were these Eco Bags designed in Australia by a farmer to slowly water the plants.

[CMF]

Well i have done the paper/cardboard/mulch thing and put salt on the weeds growing between the pavers. I've cleaned up the edges of the grass, just need to rid the blind side of the house of weeds. It looks so nice, hope ot does last. Thank you for the suggestions everyone.

My hands are so dry and sore now, even though i wore gloves!. I have just soaked them in a mixture of water with a dash of mild and oil warmed in the microwave for a minute. My nails look better, i think the hands with need a little more tlc.

[Doolhof]

Hi Everyone,

Later Hi, I did not know that agaves had flowers. One of my friends calls the new plants that grow off the main stem "pups", have you heard of that? Our agaves get frizzled by the frost we have here.

Kanga Thanks for the tips about the tomatoes, I had never heard of that before! If I do the same with carrot tops, will it grow a carrot?

I'm enjoying reading all the tips. We borrow some sheep to help keep our weeds down! I would love to have a smaller garden instead of the 5 acres we have here when it comes to maintenance!

Cheers all from Mrs. D.​

[kanga_brumby]

Mrs D welcome to the gardening hot spot. If you do the old carrot trick we did at primery school the folage on top will grow. Keep it growing it will then seed at the top. Cutting the seed pod area off. Then Place in an envelope alow to dry shaking the daylights out of it. You get seeds for your own crop. All wast gets composted to improve your soil.

Kanga (with gardening hat on not his piriate or umpire hat on)

[Doolhof]

Hi Kanga,

Thanks for that tip! I remember trying to grow carrots in clay soil. The carrots were very short stubby things.

Here I have a couple of planter boxes, I am still waiting for my husband to help me pick up a trailer load of suitable soil. We have clay here as well.

I had planned to use the old chook run for a garden as it is all fenced off to keep the rabbits out, but there is little sun there as the trees have grown.

I will figure something out!

Cheers all from Mrs. D. with the almost green thumbs!