October 17, 2024

OUT IN THE GARDEN

Tomatoes are our biggest vegetable (actually they’re a fruit of course) category through spring (50+ varieties at the moment) and here’s a recipe from a long-time commercial grower for the best tomato food to mix into the soil before planting:

150g dolomite

150g sulphate of potash

100g sulphate of magnesium (Epsom salts)

100g super phosphate

150g blood & bone

During the growing season use a side dressing of equal parts blood & bone, sulphate of potash, and sulphate of magnesium.

It pays to put in a stake with tomatoes at planting time rather than later which can damage the roots, and use the soft cloth ties to prevent rubbing/damaging the stems.

Top range of tomatoes at the moment with 50+ varieties on offer, including single hybrids, punnets, Berrytoms, GrowGrafts, and a good range of the Heirlooms.

And all the supporting products – tomato mix, tomato food, stakes, cloth ties etc. Plus of course a wide range of vegetables in single pots and punnets. A bit of Free Flow Copper now and again will help prevent any problems with tomato blight etc.

Taking the laterals out of tomatoes – these are the new shoots that come out at 45 degrees between the main trunk and the horizontal branches; they aren’t productive and they overcrowd the plant and shade fruit so just pinch them out with your fingers. If you’re unsure what the laterals are then just ask one of the staff to show you next time you’re in here.

Camellias

Camellias have pretty much finished flowering so if you want/need to trim them back then this is the time to do so, before the next season’s flower buds have formed.

Feed now with acid plant food and put some peat around them which maintains the acidity and improves soil texture. Rhododendrons are coming into flower and will send out new growth soon so feed now.

Watering pots and tubs – don’t be fooled by the rain.

The warmer windier weather certainly sucks more moisture out of containers than Winter conditions.

It takes an awful lot of rain to actually do much good when watering containers (a lot of the water runs off the leaves).

A good deep watering twice a week is fine, no need to water any more than that unless it’s exceptionally hot, and of course larger pots are easier to manage than smaller pots.

Saturaid is a great additive to the soil if you have problems with over-dry soil in summer – the granules ensure the water goes straight down to the roots evenly without beading off the surface.

ROSES

The first colour is showing on the roses here at Terra Viva so it’s time to think about rose care – have you got a good plant health regime established yet? One of the keys with roses is good deep watering – if the conditions get too dry then the plants are much more prone to disease.

Regular spraying is important and we have a good range of products so just talk to us when you come in – Yates Mavrik Insecticide combined with Yates Fungus Fighter for roses will systemically take care of all fungal problems and all the common insects like mites, aphids, thrips etc.

Combat 3-in-1 is a good combo as an alternative (using an alternative regularly stops a resistance to the sprays building up).

Assuming that you fed the Roses in September then the next feed should be in November and we recommend a mix of sheep pellets and the high-potash content Nitrophoska - roses love the sheep pellets which also attract earthworms and improve the soil texture.

Alternate with iCan Rose Food. OceanFert Seaweed is a great additive to any of the above as it not only works as a fertiliser but also as a tonic to improve plant health.