Recently I wrote about having gardens like our grandparents had…
If they were like most people back in their days, they were keen gardeners not only for pleasure but for necessity.
There were times that they went through which were tough, depressions, out of work, struggling to make ends meet, so they buckled in and made the most of what they had.
Growing their own vegetables and fruit, preserving and bottling surplus and spending what money they had wisely.
Eighty to a 100 years later we are in the same boat these days with countries like France, UK, Germany and USA and many more in deep financial trouble.
Here in NZ also Govt is broke and our young people leaving in their hundreds to Australia and other countries.
With inflation along with Rates increasing for home owners and exorbitant rents for those without their own home not a good time.
Thus we ideally need the wisdom of our grandparents to keep our expenses down and grow as much healthy food as able.
Not only is this a big saving on your finances to feed yourself and family it means also very big savings on health bills as the food you can grow naturally and cheaply, and will keep money in your wallet and you will be fitter and healthier as well.
Our grandparents only spent minimal money to grow vegetables as they used the materials that were and are available.
Animal manures including chicken manure went into the gardens to feed the soil life and the plants growing there.
If you are fortunate like myself to have chickens which I am able to muck out their hen house and put that into my gardens.
If not there are ways and means…Start by reaching out to local farms and stables.
Many livestock owners have excess manure and are happy to give it away.
They usually pile manure mixed with bedding materials like straw and hay, allowing it to decompose and become more valuable for gardening.
Ask on your local Internet Neighborly and likely you will find some farmers near you happy to help.
TradeMe has listings in some areas and there maybe one close to you.
There is Zoo Doo for some people in some areas more handy to likes on Wellington zoo with home deliveries.
But your best source are farms in your surrounding rural areas.
What to do with the poo? The best way is to have a good size plastic rubbish tin with a lid, place about a third full of manure in the container and then two thirds full with non chlorinated water.
Make a paddle so you can stir it ever day or two making it into liquid manure.
Often from all animal manure except chicken manure, there can be weed seeds and as a result of the stirring most of the seeds will float to the top where you can scoop them off with a kitchen sieve.
Now when you come to planting seedlings simply put about 250 mils of your freshly stirred liquid manure into the planting hole and plant your plant.
Side dress existing plants by pouring some onto the soil in the root zone of plants.
Caution if you have a dog then keep him /her off the treated area of manure as I have found that many dogs think other animals manures are perfume for them and they will roll in it if able.
It is always best to lock your dogs indoors with curtains drawn so they can’t see what you are doing in the garden and mimic your gardening when you are not around.
Now to increase the microbes in the soil use products that have live microbes in them which in my case we have Wallys Super Fish Fertiliser: this is manufactured by the enzymatic hydrolysis of fish offal, blended with humate, seaweed and biology including Bacillus subtilis, Trichoderma, mycorrhizae fungi etc, together with gibberellic acid which promotes growth.
Designed to provide a high quality, cost effective fertiliser.
Used at 30ml per litre of non chlorinated water as a soil drench, or 15ml per litre of non chlorinated water for foliage spray.
Biologically active soils have the ability to retain moisture and release nutrients ensuring greater production, faster rotation and more rapid recovery from stress.
To build a healthy biological soil we need products that can feed living organisms.
Increasing public awareness of the environmental impact of using chemical-based fertiliser has created a demand for a safe, natural and environmentally friendly fertiliser.
Biological fertilisers increase nutrient availability and feed important soil organisms, such as earthworms and microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) – all essential for plant and soil health.
Soil health and soil fertility requires much more than NPK fertiliser.
Without the right biology, plants and animals cannot reach their full potential.
Biology is essential for the recycling of nutrients and the fixing of atmospheric nitrogen.
Wallys Super Fish Fertiliser is one of the most complex and complete biological fertilisers produced in New Zealand.
This is all designed to provide a high quality, cost effective biological fertiliser for use in your garden.
The one litre container it is great value making 33 litres of plant food for your gardens or 66 litres of foliage spray on food for plants.
One interesting thing also when sprayed every week or so over plants a lot of pest insects don’t like it and tend to have less disease and pest problems.
Plus if you take say 100 mils of Wally Super Fish Fertiliser and put it into a bucket with about 2-3 litres of non chlorinated water and then add about two tablespoons of molasses dissolved in hot water, stir and leave in a warm place, the microbes will quickly reproduce and expand the mix till it would likely flow over the top of the bucket.
If you also sat the bucket onto a heat pad and put a air stone and air pump into the solution the growth of the populations would be far quicker.
Now this super charged food can be watered over plants and gardens after adding it to equal part of non chlorinated water.
You will have Bacillus subtilis, Trichoderma, mycorrhizae fungi going into your gardens building up the soil and humus making for gardens like your grandparents had.
Great to spray over your compost heap to speed up composting.
Most important afterwards not to use chlorinated water into the gardens and kill the goodness you have created.
See this link for the quick and easy way to remove chlorine from tap water on your outside tap.
Image credit: Glenn Carrie
Products mentioned are from Wallys Range of products and can be found in some garden shops or by Mail Order on www.0800466464.co.nz
Problems ring me at: Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at www.sharpei.co.nz
Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz
