Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

God's garden needs YOUR help

You shared a great message… Gardening always fascinates me. I am working in my small home garden. I’ve been unsuccessful maintaining a garden or even a few pots of herbs in my yard due to various and sundry pests, so right now my garden setup is a solitary olive tree, the book “Edible Wild Plants” by Thomas Elias, and a self-made PowerPoint of edible plants that grow naturally in my yard and how to identify them. I call this the “yard salad” plan. These articles helped me and suggest me a lot of gardening tips.I also planted some giant sunflower seeds in a few of the flowerbeds on impulse recently

Hi Jasmine the key to gardening is manure, mulch & leaf mold. Getting worms to condition the soil and attracting wildlife. Nature has it’s own way of dealing with pests. Don’t use chemicals, Birds will do most of the work, so make sure you have a water feature, A sandy - grit area where the birds collect grit for their gizzards.

Nematodes will keep the slug population in check but you may still need to go out on wet days with a bucket of salt and pick up any slugs you see lurking. Ladybirds and their young will banquet on greenfly & blackfly. Also when out and about look for signs of infestation on the fresh tips of plants. Snap off the young infested shoots and burn them. Aphids breed faster than rabbits. Some plants are also helpful in warding off insects. These should be planted close to plants that are vulnerable to pests.

Growing plants in containers successfully is always a challenge even for me. I feel shop bought compost on it’s own isn’t the best medium for pots. So I mix in some soil and well rotted compost and manure. Getting the water balance right, overwatering can kill a plant just as easy as underwatering. Some plants like dry conditions whilst others like it wet. Just like kids they each have their likes and dislikes.

Check out the link below I am sure you will find these video most helpful with growing your garden.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeMD7jb__OOca2SUPgPOEFQ/videos