EON EDIBLE GARDEN MANUAL. Garden manual for EON Foundation s Edible Garden Program in remote Aboriginal communities of Australia.

Transcription

1 EON EDIBLE GARDEN MANUAL Garden manual for EON Foundation s Edible Garden Program in remote Aboriginal communities of Australia.

2 This material was prepared with funding from Lotterywest Facebook: Acknowledgements Website: admin@eon.org.au Phone: +61 (0) ABN: EON Foundation Inc 2 Measure how far apart you need to plant your seedlings Contact Us and Ageing, WA Regional Development Council and Royalties for Regions, Indigenous 11 3 EON is also supported by BHP Billiton, Woodside, the Federal Department of Health 0 CM 1 * This publication may contain images of Aboriginal people who are deceased EON Foundation Inc CM 1 CM 2 CM Telethon Kids Institute, corporate sponsors and private donors Land Corporation, WA Department of Health, WA Department of Aboriginal Affairs,

3 Table of Contents Contact Us... 1 Acknowledgements... 1 About EON... 3 Setting Up Your Garden... 4 Tools Checklist... 5 The Best Place For a Veggie Garden... 6 Soil... 7 Recipe For Layered Beds... 8 Layered Bed Construction... 9 Filling Up The Beds Watering Plants Shadehouse Keeping The Shadehouse Clean How To Keep Your Garden Growing Crop Rotation Crop Rotation Plan Fertilising When To Pick And Eat Pruning Compost How To Use Compost Pest Control Disease Control Seed Saving Garden Maintenance Plan Inland And Coastal Climates Month By Month Guide For Coastal Kimberley Month By Month Guide For Inland Kimberley

4 About EON EON Foundation Inc. was created in 2005 to provide practical support to improve the health and well-being of Aboriginal people in remote Indigenous communities. The not-forprofit organisation delivers the EON Thriving Communities Program with the main focus being chronic disease prevention by providing access to fresh food and knowledge of its link to better health and disease prevention. Australian children in remote Indigenous communities are more susceptible to life threatening diseases due to poor health and diet. In fact, 19% of the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous health is due to poor nutrition. The Program started in one location in the Kimberley in 2008 and is now a flourishing and nationally recognised success story that operates in over 14 communities and counting! The model for the EON Thriving Communities Program is multi-faceted, dynamic, grass roots and innovative. EON Thriving Communities program consists of: EON Healthy Homes Hands-on workshops to extend food hygiene message to the home to prevent infectious diseases. Our vision is to make a lasting contribution in remote Aboriginal Communities to the reduction of preventable disease caused by poor nutrition. Our mission is to grow, in partnership with remote Aboriginal communities, edible gardens and practical healthy eating programs that sow the seeds of changing attitudes to nutrition for generations to come. EON commits for five years to communities and develops its program together with the community and its school. We help build the capacity and capabilities of the community, offering training and employment to local people, to ensure the gardens and healthy eating programs are sustainable. Many of the gardens are school-based and are used as an outdoor classroom for the kids they have fun, get dirty and learn about healthy food. They also get to eat the tucker! EON Edible Gardens (EEG) Growing fresh fruit, vegetables and bush tucker in large edible gardens located in or adjacent to remote community schools. EON Healthy Eating Using the produce from the gardens to teach children and adults the nutritional benefits of fruit and vegetables and how to cook simple and delicious meals. EON Education and Training Formal TAFE and informal horticultural, nutrition, cooking, hygiene skills and training. ** EON Foundation Inc. is an independent organisation which is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient under the income Tax Assessment Act 3 (1997) and is registered as a Certified Charitable Organisation in accordance with the provisions of the Charitable Collections Act (1946).

5 SETTING UP YOUR GARDEN 4

6 TOOLS CHECKLIST TO MAKE THE JOB OF GARDENING EASIER & ENJOYABLE HERE IS A LIST OF ESSENTIAL TOOLS TO GET STARTED. 1 x Long Handled Shovel 5 x Hand trowels 2 x Short Handled Spades 1 x Hoe 1 x Short Handled Shovel 1 x Garden Fork 2 x Steel Rakes 1 x Secateurs 1 x Leaf Rake 1 x Shears 2 x Wheel Barrows with wide wheel 1 x Curved Pruning Saw 5

7 THE BEST PLACE FOR A VEGGIE GARDEN Vegetable gardens need to be in an open sunny spot away from large trees. Raised beds are good as they allow wet season rain to fall away and it s easier to control weeds. The best size beds are 3 metres long, 2 metres wide and about 40cm high. Do not use cardboard or newspaper as the bottom layer as it will attract termites. If raised beds are too expensive use soil raised up in a long mound 15cm high and 30cm wide. Space rows 60cm apart. This will help with drainage and make it easier to control weeds. Plants can be placed in a hole on top of the mound. To control weeds, cover the ground between beds with old carpet or shade cloth covered with beach sand, shell or gravel. Use a combination of small trees and shrubs to protect your vegetable garden. If the garden is fenced grow climbers such as passion fruit, bush banana, choko, petrea, pyrostegia or jasmine. In windy areas, plant a wind break around 3 sides with local plants. 6

8 SOIL Soil in the Kimberley region varies from red pindan to heavy black clay. Coastal areas are predominantly pindan, river sand or loam, but inland it can be yellow loam, black or brown loam/clay and river sand. When very wet, pindan is soft and mushy, when dry it cracks and goes hard. Black and brown clay is very hard and cracks when dry and goes like cement in the wet season. The best soil for veggies is one that drains well, keeps some moisture during the hot months and does not crack. To make veggies grow strong you will need to mix up a combination of pindan, course river sand and manure. If you have heavy clay soil you will need to add gypsum, coarse river sand, manure, straw or hay. Veggies grow fast so you will need to fertilise them as they grow. You can use different fertilisers, either pellets, slow release or liquid fertiliser. 7

9 RECIPE FOR LAYERED BEDS FILL YOUR VEGETABLE BEDS WITH THESE LAYERS: Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Step 6: Step 7: Step 8: Step 9: Step 10: Step 11: Lay old carpet at the bottom of the raised bed. This will keep out weed sand termites. Water thoroughly. Add a 5cm layer of well-rotted manure. Create a 10cm layer of straw. At the same time sprinkle 1 handful of blood and bone per square metre over the straw. Water this layer really well. Lay about 10cm of good quality soil such as pindan or top soil. Add a 5cm layer of manure. Add another 10cm layer of straw, sprinkle with blood and bone and water thoroughly. Add another 10cm layer of pindan or good soil. Add a final 10cm layer of straw. Water thoroughly so that the bed is wet all the way through. Let the bed settle for one week before planting. When it is time to plant your seedlings, dig a small hole in the last layer and place 2 cups full of potting mix in the bottom of each hole. Plant the seedlings direct into the potting mix. 8

10 9 LAYERED BED CONSTRUCTION

11 FILLING UP THE BEDS USING THE BOBCAT TO PREMIX SOIL FOR RAISED BEDS If you have a bobcat, you can mix together the pindan, river sand, manure and gypsum with the bobcat bucket and fill the beds. You will need to make the mix up in these amounts: If you have pindan soil If you have black clay soil 4x bobcat buckets pindan 1x bobcat bucket manure ½x bucket river sand 2x kitchen bucket blood & bone 2x bobcat buckets clay soil 1x bobcat bucket pindan soil 2x bobcat buckets course river sand 2x kitchen buckets gypsum 2x kitchen buckets blood & bone Then mix it up well and tip into raised beds, top with straw or hay 15cm thick. Water really well. Leave to settle for a week and plant out with seeds or seedlings. 10

12 WATERING PLANTS WAYS TO WATER YOUR PLANTS Watering your plants is simple and there are many ways to do it! Some of the watering systems are called water irrigation or reticulation. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO WATER YOUR PLANTS, INCLUDING: Fill a bucket and tip the water into the garden or watering can. Use a hose. Run some drippers from a pipe to each plant and then turn on the tap. Have the drippers running for 40 minutes with a tap timer. You can also use sprays instead of drippers. Use lawn sprinklers. If you go away for some time you can use a simple timer that will turn on and off valves. 11

13 TIPS FOR WATERING YOUR PLANTS Always make sure the water is getting to where it is needed - the base and root system of the plant, otherwise it is wasted. Water early in the morning. Veggies need watering every day, especially in the hotter months if it doesn t rain. If the plants have drooping leaves it means they are thirsty. Fruit trees will only need watering every second or third day. This helps good deep root growth. If you have an automatic watering system check it at least twice a week to make sure it is working properly. Plants should not be too wet and not too dry. To make sure the soil is wet, stick your finger into the soil and it should feel damp all the way through. 12

14 SHADEHOUSE A small shadehouse is essential to sow seeds and raise seedlings. It should be completely enclosed by wire and covered in 50% shadecloth. Leave a small area in the shade house with no shadecloth on the roof to harden up seedlings 1 week before seedlings are planted out in the garden beds. The benches for seedling trays should be metal and let the water drain through. Keeping the shadehouse clean (good hygiene) is very important to stop the spread of diseases. The floor should be made of grit, cement, beach sand or pavers so water doesn t lay on the ground and drains away. Keep the area weed free. Bags of soil should never be left on the ground. Roof mounted sprayers can be attached to the roof to water seedlings from above twice a day in the summer months and once a day during the dry season. 13

15 KEEPING THE SHADEHOUSE CLEAN Every plant you grow will be in the shadehouse at some point. It may be a seed that grows into a seedling, or a cutting that grows into a tree or bush tucker plants waiting to go into the ground. It is very important to keep the shadehouse clean so that disease doesn t grow and get into the plants. HERE ARE SOME SIMPLE THINGS TO KEEP YOUR PLANTS HEALTHY IN THE SHADEHOUSE Never leave containers of water inside the shadehouse it breeds mosquitoes and bacteria. Have buckets and watering cans turned upside-down so they don t fill with water when the sprayers come on to water seedlings. Never leave open bags of potting mix or compost in the shadehouse. It grows disease inside the bags. Always keep the benches and tables clean. Wipe off any soil left on top, and make sure the floor doesn t have any soil that gets wet all the time. Keep all plants off the ground so that they don t contact the floor. If you are reusing pots or seedling trays dip them all in a big plastic garbage bin filled with water and add 1 cup of bleach. Use plastic gloves when washing the trays and pots. The bleach kills any disease that might be in the soil. Store your potting mix or seed raising mix in the shed, not the shadehouse. Every 6 weeks take all the plants out of the shadehouse and wash all the benches and floor with bleach and water. Make sure the benches that hold the seed trays drain all the water away. Water should drain onto the floor and evaporate. 14

16 HOW TO KEEP YOUR GARDEN GROWING SEASON TO SEASON 15

17 CROP ROTATION CHANGING OR ROTATING WHAT YOU PUT IN THE GROUND It is important to rotate your crops to a different bed each year. Crop rotation is a really good way of controlling pest and disease problems. If you keep planting the same crop in a bed your veggies will develop fungal diseases and the pests will continue to breed. By moving crops around and planting them among other veggies it lessens the chance of disease and confuses pests. If you plant marigolds, zinnias and herbs you will get good insects visiting the garden to eat the bad insects that chew your plants. Crop 1: Brassicas Crop 2: Root Vegetables Crop 3: Legumes Crop 4: Fruiting Vegetables Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, khol rabi mustard, radish and Carrots, onions, beetroot, potatoes, parsnip, sweet potato etc Peas and beans Tomatoes, corn, eggplant, pumpkin, capsicum, rockmelon, watermelon etc all the Asian greens 16

18 CROP ROTATION PLAN BELOW IS A BASIC CROP ROTATION PLAN 1 2 After harvesting beans and peas plant out with purple cabbage, broccoli and silver beet Tomatoes, chilli, eggplant, capsicum, basil, parsley 5 Sweet potatoes - keep in beds for 1 year and rotate with top bed of peas and beans again. Carrots, Japanese turnip, beetroot, onions, garlic, spring onions Sweet corn, pumpkin, zucchini, watermelon, rock melon

19 FERTILISING FEEDING YOUR PLANTS SO THEY ARE HEALTHY AND STRONG All vegetables need to be fertilised to grow fast. They will need to be liquid fertilised every 3 weeks and given granular fertiliser after every change of seedling. All fruit trees and bush tucker plants also need fertilising. Liquid fertiliser can be given to seedlings when they are first planted out into beds and then on a monthly basis. Seasol and Powerfeed are good liquid fertilisers for everything. Fruit trees need a slow release fertiliser to be added every 3 months. Bush tucker plants should only be given native slow release fertiliser like Osmocote for Native Plants. 18

20 WHEN TO PICK AND EAT Harvesting depends on the weather, soil and timing of crops. Fruit must always be ripe before picking. All seed packets have a time for harvest on each vegetable, but this is only a guide. Keep fruit in air conditioning, if possible. Peas, beans, zucchini, tomato, eggplant, chilli and capsicum will grow more the more you pick. Once the harvesting is over, plant out a different crop in that area. Harvest in the morning and store veggies in the fridge. 19

21 PRUNING PRUNING IS CUTTING BACK PLANTS SO THEY MAKE HEALTHY NEW GROWTH AND PRODUCE MORE FRUIT. Pruning should be done with secateurs, long handled pruners or a curved pruning saw. Make sure all your equipment is sharp and clean. Fruit trees must be pruned every year to take out old wood and get bigger fruit. Passionfruit and choko vines also need pruning. The best time to prune anything is after fruiting finishes. Do not prune from December - March as this is the hottest time of the year and leaves and bark of trees may get sunburnt. You can safely prune off 1/3rd of all plants. Pruning will encourage new growth and most fruit grows on the new branches. After pruning always fertilise and water in well. 20

22 COMPOST HOW TO MAKE GOOD SOIL FROM SCRAP FOOD Composting is turning the food scraps, weeds and the veggie garden left overs you throw away into great soil. Making your own compost builds up the beds and makes the plants grow strong. It recycles all your veggie scraps, lawn clippings, old straw and leaf litter and turns it into beautiful soil. Bins that are enclosed keep out rats, mice, cockroaches and snakes. It is important to keep the lids tightly closed and turn it every day. If you don t have a bin you can compost using bays. The easiest way to compost is to make 2 boxes made out of tin so that one compost heap is being filled while the other is ready to use. The ideal size for quick compost is 1 cubic metre. Any big leaves that come out of the garden need to be broken up into smaller pieces. The smaller they are the faster they will compost. Make sure you add a little bit of water to the compost bin once a week. 21

23 HOW TO USE COMPOST When the compost is dark, crumbly and looks a bit like soil it is ready to use in the garden. This takes 6-8 weeks. You can use compost on everything. You can dig it into existing garden beds or put it on top and around fruit trees. Compost can also be used around existing plants. Established shrubs and fruit trees will benefit from a ring of compost. Fork it in around where water drips from the outermost leaves. Always cover it up with mulch so it doesn t dry out. The plant roots will search for the good soil which helps them they grow outward and the retain moisture in hot or windy weather. Wear gardening gloves when handling compost and wash your hands afterwards. USE A LOT OF: Newspaper Straw Sorghum Hay USE A LITTLE OF: Manure Fresh grass clippings Blood and bones Kitchen scraps Fresh leaf litter Eggshells 22

24 PEST CONTROL The wet season is the time for pests to attack just about everything. It is important to identify the pest or disease before spraying anything. For pest and disease identification go to the website which has photos of the most common pests and diseases in WA. MEALY BUG TERMITES CATERPILLARS GRASSHOPPERS CONTROLLING YOUR PESTS USING THE GUIDE BELOW NAME OF PEST NAME OF SOLUTION Aphids Caterpillars Termites- Mastermes darwiniensis White fly Fruit Fly Citrus Leaf Miner Tomato Fruit Worm Mites Grasshoppers Thrip Scale Mealy Bug Pyrethrum or Natrasoap or Eco oil or Derris Dust Success or Dipel No control for edible crops Natrasoap Eco-Naturalure Pest oil or Eco Success or Dipel Natrasoap or Eco Oil Econeem or Eco Oil Natrasoap or Natures Bug Gun or Pyrethrum Pest Oil or Eco Oil Eco Oil or Pyrethrum HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPRAY? 23 Follow the instructions on the bottle of the spray you choose, as it depends on the pest. You should only have to spray one. Remember, only choose one spray; don t mix them!

25 DISEASE CONTROL BLOSSOM END ROT POWDERY MILDEW RUST SOOTY MOULD CONTROLLING YOUR PESTS USING THE GUIDE BELOW NAME OF DISEASE NAME OF SOLUTION Blossom End Rot Rust Powdery Mildew Sooty Mould Apply Dolomite lime to beds before planting out tomatoes and capsicums Copper Oxychloride Eco-Carb This is due to scale, white fly or aphids secreting honeydew. Control the insects (see above table) and the sooty mould HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPRAY? Follow the instructions on the bottle of the spray you choose, as it depends on the pest. You should only have to spray one. Remember, only choose one spray; don t mix them! 24

26 SEED SAVING Seeds can be expensive, but many vegetables make their own seeds that can be harvested and saved. Always select the strongest plant to harvest seed from. Lettuce, broccoli and carrot seeds may need to be bagged as the seed is very fine and will be lost. Pumpkin, tomato, watermelon, rockmelon, paw paw, chilli and eggplant can all be grown from their own seed. Never store seed in plastic, always use either glass jars or paper bags. Mark the container with the name of the plant, date when collected and when to plant out. Seed should be stored in the fridge or an air- conditioned room. Most seed will store for 4 years. 25

27 GARDEN MAINTENANCE PLAN EVERY WEEK Hand water all vegetables beds with hose Hand water all fruit and bush tucker trees with hose Check watering system to shadehouse, trees and veggie beds - fix leaks and replace missing dripper head Weed between veggie beds, along fence lines and around trees Check for pests on all veggies and fruit trees and spray if necessary: Aphids: use Pyrethrum Caterpillars: use Success Grasshoppers: use Eco Neem Check if seedlings in shadehouse are ready for planting EVERY TWO WEEKS Liquid fertilise all veggie beds with: Seasol mixed in watering cans 1 capful per 9 litre can Transplant seedlings when 4cm high from shadehouse to veggie beds EVERY MONTH Sow new seeds in seed trays in shadehouse in seed-raising mix Sow seeds directly into empty veggie beds (peas, beans, corn, carrot, zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon, rockmelon, onion) Liquid fertilise fruit trees with Powerfeed mixed in watering cans. 1 capful per 9 litre can When there is no wind, spray Roundup on weeds between veggie beds, along fence line DO NOT USE ROUND - UP NEAR FRUIT TREES AND BUSH TUCKER TREES EVERY THREE MONTHS Fertilise all fruit trees and bush tucker plants with slow release fertiliser - 1 handful per tree and water in well with hose Fertilise all veggie beds with granular fertiliser - 1 handful per square metre and water in well with hose When veggie crop is finished, rotate a new crop in the same bed. Top up veggie beds with cow manure and hay and water well before replanting Apply dolomite lime to beds every 6 months, 1 handful per square metre 26

28 INLAND AND COASTAL CLIMATES Geographically and climatically the EON Edible Gardens are in two very different regions and would be classified as coastal and semi to arid inland. They have to be treated differently in terms of plant selection, soil types and timing of plantings. Refer to plant guides for each area. COASTAL KIMBERLEY INLAND KIMBERLEY Coastal Climate Communities: For example, One Arm Point, Djarindjin/ Lombadina, Beagle Bay, Kalamburu and Milliya Rumurra. In the wet season the coastal climate is very humid and temperatures very rarely go beyond 40 degrees with very high humidity. In the dry season the ocean has a moderating effect of the night time temperatures which are around degrees and degrees during the day. Humidity is much higher in coastal regions than desert regions. Inland Climate Communities: For example, Looma, Yungngora (Noonkanbah), Kadjina, Wangkatjunka, Warmun, Woolah (Doon Doon) and Ngalapita (Koorabye). In the inland regions temperatures can reach 45 degrees or more, and it is very dry with the wind coming straight off the desert. Inland regions in the dry can be very cold at night. Dry easterly winds during the day may give rise to a temperature maximum of perhaps only degrees even though it is sunny all day. At night the temperature can drop to 10 degrees and below 27

29 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE 28

30 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE PLANT HARVEST JANUARY Basil Chives Rosella Lemon grass Snake beans Sweet potatoes Basil Chives Lemon grass FEBRUARY PLANT Basil Chives Rosella Sunflower Lemon grass Eggplant Snake beans Sweet potato HARVEST Basil Chives Lemon grass Snake beans Peanuts PLANT HARVEST MARCH Basil Beans Chives Rosella Sunflower Pumpkin Rockmelon Shallots Silverbeet Sweet corn Tomato Basil Snake beans Eggplant Tomato Sweet corn Silver beet Parsley Peanuts Soya beans 29

31 FOR COASTAL KIMBERLEY PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars Locusts Grasshoppers Powdery mildew TO DO Fertilise all bush tucker plants. Cover tomato bushes with shade cloth to prevent sunburn. Keep some fruits of bush tucker plants for new plants. Take cuttings of strawberry guava bushes. Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers, locusts. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds and around fruit trees. PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars Locusts Grasshoppers Powdery mildew TO DO Prune back mango, star fruit and sapote fruit trees. Fertilise all fruit trees. Liquid fertilise vegetable beds. Cover tomato bushes with shade cloth to prevent sunburn. Keep some fruits of bush tucker plants for new plants. Take cuttings of strawberry guava bushes. Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers, locusts. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds and around fruit trees. Cover rockmelon & watermelon fruits with straw to stop sunburn. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars TO DO Top up vegetable beds with manure and straw. Fertilise all vegie beds. Fertilise lawns. Take cuttings from flowering shrubs and plant in small bags in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Remove shade cloth on vegetable beds. Keep some fruits of bush tucker plants for new plants. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds and around fruit trees. 30

32 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE PLANT HARVEST APRIL Basil Broccoli Beans Beetroot Carrot Chives Lettuce Rosella Sunflower Onion Pumpkin Purple cabbage Rockmelon Squash Shallots Silver beet Sweet corn Tomato Basil Snake beans Eggplant Tomato Sweet corn Silver beet Parsley Beans Lettuce Shallots Sunflower Rosella PLANT HARVEST MAY Beetroot Broad beans Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Capsicum Chives Cucumber Eggplant Lettuce Peas Potato Pumpkin Radish Rockmelon Squash Shallots Silver beet Sweet corn Tomato Broccoli Eggplant Radish Rosella Sunflower Sweet Corn Tomato Capsicum Chives Beans Broad beans Pumpkin PLANT HARVEST JUNE Beetroot Broad beans Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Capsicum Chives Cucumber Eggplant Garlic Pea Potato Pumpkin Purple cabbage Rockmelon Spring onions Squash Shallots Silver beet Broccoli Eggplant Radish Rosella Sunflower Spring onions Sweet corn Tomato Capsicum Chives Beans Broad beans Pumpkin 31 Japanese turnip Sweet corn Lettuce Tomato

33 FOR COASTAL KIMBERLEY PESTS Aphids Caterpillars TO DO Feed mango trees with a complete fertiliser and water in well. Rotate all vegetable crops to avoid diseases. Clean up the beds and re-mulch with straw. Sow dry season vegetables from seed and put in shadehouse. Check reticulation to make sure there are no blockages and water is getting to trees and vegetables. Pot up cuttings that have developed a root system into larger pots to plant out before the wet season. Liquid fertilise all trees, shrubs and vegetable beds. Put up old CD s around tomato crops to keep birds away. Cover rockmelon and watermelon with straw to hide the fruit from the birds. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. PESTS Caterpillars TO DO Plant out citrus trees. Prune back bush tucker plants and fertilise. Fertilise all fruit trees. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Add dolomite lime to all vegetable beds. Apply potash to paw paw trees. Lightly prune citrus trees. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Caterpillars TO DO Liquid fertilise all vegetable beds. Sow more vegetable seeds and put in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all cuttings. Spray with Success for caterpillars. 32

34 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE JULY PLANT Basil Beetroot Cabbage Capsicum Carrot Cucumber Beans Eggplant Garlic Lettuce Parsley Peas Pumpkin Purple cabbage Rockmelon Sweet corn Tomato HARVEST Beetroot Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Capsicum Cucumber Japanese turnip Lettuce Peas Pumpkin Rockmelon AUGUST PLANT Basil Beetroot Capsicum Carrot Cucumber Eggplant Lettuce Parsley Pumpkin Radish Rockmelon Squash Sweet corn Tomato HARVEST Beetroot Cabbage Carrot Capsicum Chives Cucumber Eggplant Lettuce Peas Pumpkin Radish Rockmelon Squash Shallots Silver beet Sweet corn Tomato PLANT HARVEST SEPTEMBER Cucumber Snake beans Eggplant Lettuce Parsley Pumpkin Radish Rockmelon Rosella Squash Sweet corn Sweet potato Spring onion Carrot Chives Cucumber Lettuce Onion Parsley Pumpkin Rockmelon Squash 33

35 FOR COASTAL KIMBERLEY PESTS Aphids Caterpillars TO DO Rotate crops in vegetable garden. Put more manure on beds and around fruit trees. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Liquid fertilise all bush tucker plants. Fertilise all fruit trees. Top up vegetable beds with fresh straw. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Caterpillars TO DO Liquid fertilise all seedlings and vegetable crops. Sow more vegetable seeds in shadehouse. Plant potted up cuttings and water well. Take cuttings from bush tucker plants and put in shadehouse. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Mites Fruit fly TO DO Sow bush tucker seeds in seed raising trays in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all vegetable crops and fruit trees. Give bush tucker trees a light prune. Apply dolomite lime to all vegetable beds. Spray with Natrasoap for mites. Spray soft fruit with Naturalure for fruit fly. 34

36 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE OCTOBER PLANT Basil Beetroot Cabbage Capsicum Carrot Cucumber Beans Eggplant Garlic Lettuce Parsley Peas Pumpkin Purple cabbage Rockmelon Sweet corn Tomato HARVEST Beetroot Rockmelon Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Capsicum Cucumber Japanese turnip Lettuce Peas Pumpkin PLANT HARVEST NOVEMBER Beetroot Capsicum Chives Rosella Sunflower Sweet potato Tomato Beetroot Capsicum Eggplant Rockmelon Rosella Squash Sweet corn Spring onion DECEMBER PLANT Cucumber Pumpkin Snake beans Sunflower Sweet corn Soya beans Sweet potato Peanuts HARVEST Capsicum Eggplant Rockmelon Rosella Squash Sweet corn Spring onion 35

37 FOR COASTAL KIMBERLEY PESTS Aphids Caterpillars TO DO Rotate crops in vegetable garden. Put more manure on beds and around fruit trees. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Liquid fertilise all bush tucker plants. Fertilise all fruit trees. Top up vegetable beds with fresh straw. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars Mites TO DO Prune back shrubs that flowered during the dry and fertilise. Fertilise all fruit and bush tucker trees. Liquid fertilise all vegetable beds. Prune back passionfruit vines and fertilise. Give extra water to all plants as it heats up. Top up mulch around fruit trees and bush tucker plants. Spread dolomite lime on the beds being used for peanut planting next month. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Spray with Natrasoap for mites. PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars Locusts Grasshoppers Powdery mildew TO DO Check shadecloth is secure and tied firmly in shadehouses and around fence lines. Apply a 10cm thick mulch to areas that may become weed infested during the wet. Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers, locusts and scale. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds and around fruit trees. Plant out all bush tucker trees and tropical fruit trees to make the most of the wet season. 36

38 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE JANUARY PLANT Basil Chives Rosella Sweet potato Peanuts HARVEST Chives Lemon Grass PLANT HARVEST FEBRUARY Chives Lemon grass Sweet potato Snake beans Sweet corn Chives Basil Lemon grass Peanuts PLANT HARVEST MARCH Basil Chives Rosella Sunflower Pumpkin Shallots Silverbeet Sweet Tomato Snake beans Silver beet Parsley Peanuts 37

39 FOR INLAND KIMBERLEY PESTS Caterpillars Locusts Grasshoppers TO DO Set up shade cloth over tomatoes, chillies and silver beet to prevent sunburn. Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers and locusts. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds and around fruit trees. Sow seeds of tomato, eggplant, parsley, chilli and eggplant and put in shadehouse. PESTS Locusts Grasshoppers TO DO Liquid fertilise vegetable beds. Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers and locusts. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. PESTS Aphids Caterpillars Grasshoppers TO DO Top up vegetable beds with manure and straw. Fertilise all vegetable beds. Fertilise lawns. Take cuttings from flowering shrubs and plant in small bags in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Remove shade cloth on vegetable beds. Keep some fruits of bush tucker plants for new plants. Spray with Success for caterpillars Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers, locusts 38

40 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE PLANT HARVEST APRIL Basil Broccoli Beetroot Carrot Chives Rosella Sunflower Parsley Pumpkin Rockmelon Squash Shallots Silver beet Sweet corn Tomato Basil Broccoli Tomato Silverbeet Parsley Shallots PLANT HARVEST MAY Beetroot Broad beans Broccoli Purple cabbage Carrot Peas Sweet potato Shallots Silver beet Broccoli Eggplant Sunflower Sweet corn Tomato Chives Beans Broad beans Onions Pumpkin PLANT HARVEST JUNE Beetroot Broad beans Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Cauliflower Garlic Onions Peas Potato Shallots Silverbeet Spring onions Sweet corn Broccoli Sweet corn Chives Beans Broad beans Pumpkin 39

41 FOR INLAND KIMBERLEY PESTS Aphids Caterpillars TO DO Clean up the beds and re-mulch with straw. Sow vegetables from seed and put in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all trees, shrubs and vegetable beds. Using fishing line hang old CD s around tomato crops to keep birds away. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. PESTS Caterpillars TO DO Prune back bush tucker plants and fertilise. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Add dolomite lime to all vegetable beds. Apply potash to paw paw trees. Lightly prune citrus trees. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Caterpillars TO DO Liquid fertilise all vegetable beds. Sow more vegetable seeds and put in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all cuttings. Spray with Success for caterpillars. 40

42 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE JULY PLANT Broccoli Cabbage Beans Garlic Parsley Peas Onions Spring onions Peas Potatoes HARVEST Beetroot Broccoli Cabbage Carrot Peas AUGUST PLANT Basil Beetroot Broccoli Capsicum Carrot Cucumber Beans Eggplant Lettuce Parsley Pumpkin Radish Rockmelon Squash Sweet corn Tomato HARVEST Beetroot Cabbage Peas Potato Onion Silver beet Spring onions Sweet corn PLANT HARVEST SEPTEMBER Beetroot Capsicum Cucumber Beans Eggplant Lettuce Parsley Pumpkin Radish Rockmelon Rosella Squash Sweet Corn Sweet potato Spring onion Tomato Beetroot Broad Beans Carrot Cabbage Cauliflower Chives Cucumber Lettuce Onion Parsley Pumpkin Squash Tomato 41

43 FOR INLAND KIMBERLEY PESTS Aphids Caterpillars TO DO Rotate crops in vegetable garden. Put more manure on beds and around fruit trees. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Liquid fertilise all bush tucker plants. Top up vegetable beds with fresh straw. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Caterpillars TO DO Liquid fertilized all seedlings and vegetable crops. Sow more vegetable seeds in shadehouse. Plant out potted up cuttings and water well. Take cuttings from bush tucker plants and put in shadehouse. Spray with Success for caterpillars. PESTS Mites Fruit fly TO DO Sow bush tucker seeds in seed raising trays and out in shadehouse. Liquid fertilise all vegetable crops and fruit trees. Give bush tucker trees a light prune. Apply dolomite lime to all vegetable beds. Spray with Natrasoap for mites. Spray soft fruit with Naturalure for fruit fly. 42

44 MONTH BY MONTH GARDEN GUIDE OCTOBER PLANT Beetroot Cucumber Parsley Pumpkin Sweet corn Sweet potato Spring onion HARVEST Beetroot Broad beans Carrot Cabbage Cauliflower Chives Cucumber Lettuce Onion Parsley Pumpkin Tomato PLANT HARVEST NOVEMBER Chives Rosella Sunflowers Sweet potato Tomato Eggplant Rockmelon Rosella Sweet corn Spring onion Squash DECEMBER PLANT Eggplant Snake beans Sweet potato Peanuts HARVEST Rockmelon Rosella Spring Onion 43

45 FOR INLAND KIMBERLEY PESTS Fruit Fly TO DO Take cuttings from frangipani trees. Fruit fly, mites. Germinate seeds from Tamarind and Poinciana trees. Rotate all vegetable crops and top up with manure and straw. Liquid fertilise all vegetables. Fertilise all fruit trees. Spray with Natrasoap for mites. Spray soft fruit with Naturalure for fruit fly. PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars Mites TO DO Prune back shrubs that flowered during the dry and fertilise. Fertilise all fruit and bush tucker trees. Liquid fertilise all vegetable beds. Give extra water to all plants as it heats up. Top up mulch around fruit trees and bush tucker plants. Spread dolomite lime on the beds being used for peanut planting next month. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Spray with Natrasoap for mites. PESTS Citrus scale Aphids Caterpillars Locusts Grasshoppers Powdery mildew TO DO Let vegetable beds rest over December and January. Stake all trees in preparation for the wet season. Control weed growth in dormant beds and around trees. Check shadecloth is secure and tied firmly in shadehouses and around fence lines. Apply a 10cm thick mulch to areas to protect against the summer heat. Spray with Eco Neem for grasshoppers, locusts and scale. Spray with Success for caterpillars. Spray with Pyrethrum for aphids. Remove all weeds in vegetable beds and around fruit trees. 44

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48 CONTACT US PO Box 677 Subiaco WA 6904 Phone: +61 (0)