Sunday 27 July 2014

July 2014 (2).

Hi everyone, its the end of July, and my garden is starting to behave as if its spring.  I hope we don't get a sudden icy blast from Antarctica before the end of winter.  We could lose some of those delicate flowering buds on my fruit trees.


The climbing peas under the protective wire mesh tunnel (photo) are growing quickly and will soon be reaching for the supporting frame above.  I always put a wire tunnel over freshly sown seeds to stop the birds feeding on them and digging up worms.  When the peas can touch the netting it gets taken away and replaced by fresh straw mulch.

The plants in this bed are growing well, but the Garlic was attacked by Aphids (blackfly) about 3 weeks ago.  I sprayed them with emulsified Eco-oil which is certified for organic gardens and is a blend of canola, eucalyptus and melaleuca oils.  Its very effective and removed the pests with a single application.

This photo shows how the pest exclusion frame is fixed to the sides of the Ecobed.  The frame's horizontal bottom rail has small bullet head nails protruding downwards from the underside.  They are hooking points used when exclusion netting gets fitted in spring to keep flying insects out.  

Just below this rail is the slug and snail barrier.  This self adhesive copper tape is glued in place and runs right around the bed about 300mm off the ground.  Its a very effective deterrent and well worth the money.