C&G Spring Gardening Special
It’s unmistakable: that sweet crispness in the air, the soft sun on your back, the lengthening days and buds on the trees. Pat yourselves on the back, Baysiders – Winter is over and Spring is sprung! In today’s cheery blog, C&G look at some seasonal gardening basics. Whether you’re a gardening novice, have nought but a balcony to pop plants on, or you’re planning a little decorative landscaping to improve your home’s value before selling – our green thumbs will point you in the right direction.
Garden Overhaul
Front yard looking lacklustre? Rear garden needs a sweep? Pop on your overalls and get all that foliage into a pile so you can see what you’ve got to work with! After winter, you’ll need to hand weed, fertilise and mulch garden beds to ready them for your plants. If you’re prettying up a garden for sale and don’t have mature plants to show off, cover patchy area with appropriate woodchips which come in an array of colors. Don’t have time to do this before selling? Contact your Chisholm & Gamon agent who’ll point you in the direction of a quality local gardener.
What To Plant
Once your garden beds are fertilised, aerated and looking happy – get planting! Flowers are an easy way to make your garden looked loved – try delicate pansies (above) for color or lilacs and jasmine for fragrance. Thinking of growing veg? Great ‘starter’ veggies to try your hand at include silverbeet and leafy greens – neither need much sunlight, grow swiftly and are ideal for urban gardening. Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, spring onions and squash are all pretty easy to cultivate as well. Refer to this hand ABC of starter veggie gardening here.
Balcony and Courtyard Greenthumb
No patch of soil? No worries! As our population becomes increasingly urban, balcony and courtyard gardens have become a ‘thing’. TV personality Indira Naidoo’s popular book The Edible Balcony is an ideal starter resource for those greenthumbs who live in apartment buildings. Follow along as Indira creates a full kitchen garden from her thirteenth floor apartment balcony, providing her with fresh fruits, veggies and herbs. Want to plant something RIGHT NOW? Embrace the cuteness of vintage tomato tins by planting them with herb seedlings, and feel virtuous as you pick your own basil, coriander and parsley from the kitchen window (inset, above). If you feel like growing more than green garnishes, try your hand at a raised garden bed AKA Little Veggie Patch Co crate. Simply fill with straw, compost and soil and you’re good to plant an array of hardy veggies! Based at 2A Brighton Rd St Kilda East, pop by the Little Veggie Patch Co. nursery and browse for your perfect crate (which come in full or half sizes) and plants – or have their professional team of urban gardeners install one at your place.
