Hello and welcome to February!

We've enjoyed a milder summer to date - but historically February tends to bring some VERY hot weather (seems to always be the week when school goes back - am I right?) But as summer is technically 2/3rds through - we gardeners start to get excited about the change of season in the next month or so.  We've entered the Noongyar season of Bunuru - 'second summer'; the hottest part of the year with little or no rain, and hot easterly winds - and a cooling sea breeze (if we're lucky!).  It was the time of year the first Australians lived near the water, and fish/aquatic foods (marron, gilgies, tortoise, crabs) made up a lot of their diet.  It's also the time of the Marri flowers; those and other blossoms were used to make sweet drinks by soaking them to remove nectar.

For gardeners, it's a season of 'hanging in there!' - keeping gardens alive, and planning for Autumn, which officially is only a month away.  We know weather can be hot right up into April, but day length is shortening, nights are generally cooler, and there'll be a change in the air before much longer.  With hot days still here, keep up water for wildlife in your garden - birdbaths and dishes on the ground for lizards, etc. will be welcomed.  Keep a few rocks or sticks in the water bowls so that insects and small creatures can find their way out without drowning.

The calendar is filling up for 2023 with lots of good things!  There are 4 - FOUR - Kalamunda Garden Festivals planned for this year; with lots of fabulous special guests scheduled, plus loads of workshops & inspiring talks!  We're speaking on one of the three stages on the 5th March.  Check out their webpage for more information and the full schedule.  Also the Perth Garden Festival is coming back to Autumn - 11-14th May; so put it in your diary now!

Hopefully we can inspire YOU to get outside when you can find a cool moment in the day to keep your garden looking good & get a jump start on your Autumn garden with this newsletter!  We're here to help - you can bring in a sample of your garden soil and we'll do a free pH test, and give you some tips to build your soil health and achieve a greener garden!

Happy gardening,
Linda & the Green Life team

Happy Valentines!

Roses are red, violets are blue, Mushrooms are pink - and they're good for you, too!

If you're looking for something different for your special person...  Why not a PINK Oyster Mushroom kit?  It'll last longer than a bunch of roses, and it's tastier too! While we haven't been stocking Mushroom Kits since Christmas due to the heat - Diego (The FunGuy) is producing a special order of Pink Oysters that will do well at this time of year...  (towards Autumn more varieties will become available, and we'll have kits as a stock item once more).

Mushroom kits give you multiple harvests over many weeks - harvest as you need them, and they're as fresh as can be.  Easy to grow indoors, healthy and delicious.

But for now, the kits are available by pre-order only!  Please send a contact us form or call us to pre-pay your $30 and add your name to the list and we'll make sure that you can get all "mushy" in time for Valentine's Day... be quick!

In This Newsletter

Jobs for the February garden
What to Plant NOW
Top tips to keep your garden healthy NOW
Passionfruit 
Starting your winter crops from seed
VIP Special
Photo competition winner
Retailer update

Jobs for the February Garden 

• Plan & prepare! Consider what your priorities will be for Autumn planting, and start gathering what you need to improve the soil. Do your research on crop rotation & companion planting now, so you can work to a plan as the season rolls on. (Click on the highlighted links to take you to our free fact sheets.)
• Check your compost. Is it cooking nicely, and is it/will it be ready for Autumn planting? If it's dry - turn it & wet it through ~ and keep it up over the next few weeks to make sure it's good to go. With moisture and attention, it will break down quickly.  New to compost? Check out our fact sheet here. 
• Looking for a new way to grow your winter vegies?  Consider a Foodcube (or the new Foodcube Slim).  They have proved to be popular - wicking beds take out some of the stress of growing in summer.  Obviously, you can DIY a wicking bed and there's other systems for growing too!  Check out our fact sheet on planning a new garden.
• Get your winter vegies growing from seed. See 'What to plant now' below for ideas of what you can start off. We recommend our Certified Organic Seed Raising Mix and our range of heritage, organically grown seeds to get you started!  We have a large range of non-hybrid heirloom seeds available - with more stock coming in regularly.  Go through what seeds you have, and make a list of what you'd like to try this season.  See our free fact sheet on growing from seed here.  
• Get ready to fertilise your fruit trees late summer/early autumn. Stone fruits have nearly finished for the season, but are still actively growing; so before they go dormant for Winter, feed them up soon with a good organic fertiliser to encourage healthy growth & crops for next year. Fertilise citrus too - make sure you water well before & after fertilising, and top up mulch if necessary. They're shallow rooted and will appreciate mulching and regular watering. Grow Safe is a WA made slow release fertiliser with trace elements that we recommend - pictured right.
• Propagate! The warmer months of the year (while plants are actively growing) is a good time to try your hand at tip cuttings for many shrubs; including natives. Cuttings don't need to be fertilised until they've grown roots, but they do need regular moisture in the soil. It's a balance between keeping soil too wet (as rot & fungus can be an issue) and too dry ~ but it's worth having a go. See our fact sheet here.
• Protect & persevere. The hot weather isn't over yet, so do keep an eye on the forecast and on really hot days provide some temporary shade (if you haven't got anything more permanent sorted for your garden). Your finger is the best moisture meter - use it! Check the soil moisture below the surface from time to time and treat any particularly water repellent areas if plants are suffering.
• Green manure. If you've got a summer crop that's spent; whack in some green manure; just make sure you water it well so it can germinate & grow quickly... then chop it back into the soil just before you do your Autumn/Winter planting. The sooner you can get it in, the more 'green' organic matter it can produce for you.  We sell 1kg packs - enough to treat about 20m2.  (Pictured right.) Check out our fact sheet here.
• Worry about your worms!  Hot weather can overheat the bedding material in your worm farm and stress your worms.  The optimum temperature for worms is around 24°c - so make sure your worms are in a protected spot!  Adding water may not help (although obviously your worm farm shouldn't dry out) - prepare for really hot days & heat wave conditions by putting an old milk or juice bottle in the freezer overnight.  In the morning, just pop it into the top layer of your worm farm, and replace the lid.  The cooling effect as the water thaws will create a cool spot that the worms will gravitate to.  Have a couple of them in rotation - swap them out each day.  Don't over feed your worms - they slow down feeding in hot conditions, so excess scraps will go rancid quickly.  See our fact sheet on keeping worms & worm farms here.

What to Plant Now

There's still time to try for a crop of quick-growing summer vegies if you're keen, plant now & plant from seedlings!  It does depend on whether Summer warmth continues into April - but it often does. Choose smaller cropping varieties towards the end of the season (eg. Sugarbaby Watermelon, Golden Nugget Pumpkin) - the theory being the smaller fruits mature faster. Things to still plant now include: Beans, Beetroot, Capsicum, Carrot, Celery, Chilli, Cucumber, Eggplant, Leeks, Lettuce, Pumpkin, Rockmelon, Silverbeet, Sweetcorn, Sweet Potato, Tomato, Watermelon, Zucchini (pictured right).

If you're not ready for autumn planting but not wanting to nurture another summer crop - consider a green manure crop to grow quickly and turn into the soil before your winter seedlings go into the ground. 

Lots of people are asking for Garlic & Seed Potatoes already.  It's a little early to be planting them just now - but we'll keep you posted & may have more news next month, so check back in with us around mid March.

Your slow growing Brassica crops need to be planted (from seed) as soon as possible. Brussel Spouts can struggle in our warmer climate; but if you're in the hills or have the perfect spot - if you're wanting to give them a try - now's the time to start them. Cauliflower and Cabbage also do well if you get them off to an early start. See our article below on getting your seeds started early!

If you're yearning for fresh greens but sick of trying to keep leafy things like lettuce alive, consider a batch or two of nutritious microgreens.  You can grow them in a sunny spot indoors or on a patio - and they're quick.  We have a range of microgreens seed available.  Check out our free fact sheet on Microgreens here.

For more 'when to sow' info for vegies & herbs - plus lots of other gardening info check out our FREE downloadable growing guides.

Top Tips to Keep Your Garden Healthy in February

• Top up mulch.  Check the condition & depth of your mulch.  Has it broken down?  Blown away?  Been dug up by your dog?  Exposed areas of soil need protection.  Check that the mulch you applied in Spring is still doing its job.  Top it up if necessary to help your plants get through the last of summer!  (Bonus - if you still have an effective layer of mulch, once the winter rains start, it will help slow down weed germination.)  Mulch can reduce soil moisture evaporation by around 80% - so it's vital!
• Use a soil wetter.  If you have areas of your garden that are water repellent (it's quite normal to have a few spots around the garden that seem to be stubborn!); a soil wetter applied with a hose on pack or watering can will help.  We recommend the eco-wetter products, which contain humic acids; a building block of soil health to promote microbial activity. Most of the cheaper products on the market are detergent based.  They work by stripping off the waxy coating on sand particles, but otherwise do nothing to build your soil.  If you're wanting to make your own natural version - track down some agar-agar powder.  This is a type of gelatin product that is made from seaweed.  It's available from Asian supermarkets in a sachet. To make a solution to use in your garden, dissolve two tablespoons of agar agar in two cups of hot water, and stir to dissolve.  Gradually pour into 10 litres of tepid water, stirring continually.  Apply to soil immediately.  Agar agar will break down in 3-4 weeks, but is completely natural, cheap to make, and is perfect to use when establishing seedlings so they'll get off to a flying start!
• Soak pots.  If water is flooding out of a pot as soon as you're watering it, there's obviously issues with water absorption.  Take the pot, and plunge it in a bucket of water - maybe with a weak seaweed/kelp fertiliser added - and submerge the pot until air bubbles stop coming out of the soil.  You can leave the pot in the water for an hour or so - just don't forget completely about it for days or your plant will drown!  If your pot is too large to completely submerge, stand it in a tub to act as a large saucer to catch the water flooding out.  Spend some time watering it little and often over the course of a day and you should find the soil will begin to soak up the water from the bottom up from the water caught in the saucer.  Continue watering a little at a time and check by inserting a finger or trowel into the soil and see that the soil is damp throughout the profile.  (Again - using a soil wetter will help speed this up.)
• Water slowly, and to the base of the plant.  Use a gentle setting on your hose when hand watering to allow water to penetrate.  Drip irrigation and watering tubes around the base of your plants has the same effect; but make sure that (a) drippers are not blocked; and (b) there's adequate moisture getting to the roots.  A good soil should wick the water rather than allowing it to just drain away.  Biochar and clay will be hugely beneficial to hold water in the root zone.  (Check out this month's VIP special if you're curious about biochar!)
• Hot winds can cause extra transpiration of your plants - putting them under more stress.  On windy days, your plants may need hand watering, and consider a windbreak if your garden is regularly exposed to windy conditions.  Rather than a solid fence, consider a decorative screen, slatted fence, or layered gardens/shrubs to slow the wind and reduce its damaging effects.  As a short term solution, rig up a piece of shadecloth as wind protection (as well as sun!) 

Passionfruit

Passionfruit is such a useful plant - the fruit is beloved by most, they're always expensive to buy in the shops, and they're a vine that can be used around your garden or house to add shelter and shade - what's not to love about them?

The can be a bit tricky to get established; but once they're off and racing, they can quickly grow to cover a large area, and will give you two crops a year for around 8 years!  If you're wanting to give Passionfruit a go, I'd highly recommend a NON-GRAFTED variety - these days, they're not hard to track down in nurseries.  My favourite is Sunshine Special - although there are others (Panama Red or Panama Gold are two that come to mind).  Gold has a yellow skin which gives you something a little different in the garden!  Grafted varieties (like the old fashioned version of Nellie Kelly) bear great fruit - but the suckers from the root stock are a nightmare - we have some coming up in a garden still - where no passion vine has ever been in our 14 years of being at the house!!  You have been warned.  If you plant one, keep an eye on growth that may emerge from below the graft (look for a bump) on the lower stem.  Remove any growth with a knife, rather than tearing it - which only seems to encourage more suckers.

Passionfruit are native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America.  Technically, the fruit is a berry.  But let's leave that there otherwise we'll all be confused.  Called 'Passionfruit', due to the distinctive and attractive flower - used by missionaries to describe the five piercing wounds inflicted on Jesus during the crucifiction, thus a useful tool in teaching about Christianity to the locals. Passionfruit is now grown in many countries around the world, and used as a fresh fruit, or to make a flavoured syrup or drink.  Apparently in Mexico it's not uncommon to eat the fruit with chilli powder and lime.  Something to try if you're game?!

Passionfruit grow on a vigorous vine - sending out multiple stems and tendrils - they need a strong frame to climb up and spread across.  They make great shade plants over a pergola. They may get a bit messy if you're a neat freak - but in my opinion the trade-off is worth it for the fruit.  They can be trimmed and shaped if they get out of control.

Passionfruit are shallow rooted vines, and don't like root competition.  Don't let grass grow up and around the base, and don't squeeze them into tiny gaps in paving next to a fence - they simply won't thrive.  Allow around a metre at least clear space - mulch this whole area deeply (10cm) but leave a gap around the stem to avoid collar rot.  Their root run can be as large as four metres, so keep this in mind when it comes to your neighbouring plantings, and water & fertiliser regimes.  Snails can do damage and ringbark young plants - so keep that in mind too.  Use pet-safe baits or a barrier of some kind.  Passionfruit can grow in a pot but it does need to be large - at least wine barrel size - but generally they're much better off in the ground.  Small pots lead to smaller vines and less productive crops.  You'll need to keep up the water and fertiliser to ensure they achieve their potential.  It's usual to get two crops a year from mature vines - one in winter which tends to be less sweet, and one in summer - hopefully in time for the Christmas pavlova, but ours are running a little late this year!  (To quote Phil Dudman - "a pavlova without passionfruit is just a meringue".) 

Young vines can be killed off by frost, too much reflected heat from a wall or fence, and inadequate watering.  Before planting, prepare the soil REALLY well with aged manures, composts (or our General Soil Builder Concentrate), and make sure the soil profile is moist and holding water.  Folklore says to bury something like a liver or dead fish under the planting - a few handfuls of blood and bone wouldn't hurt if you don't want to be as extreme.  Passionfruit need good drainage and don't like wet feet - but it's unlikely to be a problem for most Perth gardeners.  Do make sure pots are draining if you choose to plant in a container.  Protect young vines from heat & drying winds, but once they're established they are quite hardy.  They do like sun, but need the right conditions in order to thrive. They can take several years to fruit - as they will set up a good root system before putting energy into leaf growth and fruiting - so keep up the care, talk nicely to the plant, and be patient!  Sometimes you'll get fruit in 12-18 months; keep your fingers crossed.

Flowers are stunning - most modern varieties are more or less self fertile, but pollinating insects are beneficial.  If you're not seeing any fruit set, you can also hand pollinate flowers with a soft artist's paint brush.  Ants, wasps, bees - any insect - can act as a pollinator.  Optimum pollination/fruit set range is 20-35°c; so in extremes of temperature, you may not get fruit to form.  Passionfruit like sun - extended periods of cloudy weather will reduce flowering and cause premature flower drop.  Once fruit have set, they can take weeks and weeks to mature and colour up.  Don't worry - once they're ripe, they'll drop to the ground; you don't need to think about when to pick the fruit!  They ripen a little bit off the vine; but if they're green, forget it.  Once picked, the fruit will wrinkle as it ages (don't we all...) - depending on how you like the fruit, a slightly wrinkled skin means concentrated sugars and maximum sweetness.

If immature fruit are wrinkling and/or dropping off the vine - the plant is stressed.  Most likely it needs more water - they are hungry and thirsty plants, and they'll sacrifice fruit if the vine isn't getting what it needs to support the crop.

Passion vines can live for 5-8 years, and in my experience can drop dead quite suddenly.  It's a good idea to plant a 2nd vine about 3-4 years in to make sure you have a continuous crop.  Sunshine Special are grown from seed - I've had a number self seed in the garden over the years; so it's likely you can grow your own succession plan.  Passionfruit tend to be fairly disease free - although if there's wounds to the bark caused by snails, slaters or rats - you can have issues.  Fruit are thick skinned, and fruit fly strike can't get through to the pulp - another win!  As far as pests go, I've lost crops due to possums eating the flowers (a motion sensor light solved the problem), and rats eat the fruit.  I wish I had an easy answer for rats - but unfortunately trapping or baits (as has been discussed here before - go for the ones with less secondary poison potential) and thinning out the population is the only way. Aphids, snails and grasshoppers can attack new leaf growth - be aware and treat if necessary. Vines can be pruned around September - after the winter crop, and before the vine begins to set flowers in spring.  Trim any dead bits off, and remove up to a third of growth - they will quickly regrow.

Starting Winter Crops from Seed

It seems a little early to be thinking about WINTER - (although the winter clothes are showing up in the boutiques, aren't they?) but if you're keen on getting early harvests of your winter vegies as soon as the chilly season starts, it's time to get growing!

Slow growing crops like brassicas - particularly brussel sprouts and cauliflower - can take 90 - 140 days to reach harvest; so the sooner you get them started, the better!  Seeds will germinate quickly in warm conditions, but you'll need to keep an eye on young seedlings while the heat pervades.  It's a good idea to raise seeds in trays or pots, so you can nurture them as necessary and transplant when you have the ground prepared, and are confident the plant is likely to survive.  Carrots would be an exception - they will do better directly sown in the garden; and personally I'd wait a few more weeks yet before planting - unless you're confident you can keep them moist enough in their early growth stage.

Recycling seedling trays, punnets or pots is fine - just make sure they're thoroughly cleaned in hot, soapy water (scrub off any dirt) and allow to dry in the sun.  Use a good quality seed raising mix (ours is Certified Organic!) and water/moisten the soil.  Plant your seeds carefully - not too deep; and sprinkle/cover with a little more mix, and water in.  The process of germination begins as soon as moisture penetrates the seed coating.  So once this occurs, you can't let the seeds dry out, or the process will stop and you'll effectively kill the seed. Often this happens underground - so you'll never know; you'll just think that the seed didn't grow.  Seeds also need oxygen - so don't keep the seeds waterlogged!  It's the balance of keeping them moist but not too wet that is the key.  A very light spray with a trigger sprayer or mister several times a day is a good way to go.  Keeping the seedling trays or pots covered with glass or plastic also helps prevent evaporation and maintain moisture - but airflow is also important to reduce fungal issues.  Lift the cover from time to time, make sure the soil surface isn't getting too hot, and remove the cover once you see the seeds are germinating.

The first leaves you see are cotyledons - usually two thick 'seed leaves' - their primary purpose is to feed the roots until the plant can grow, and manufacture its own food from photosynthesis.  (Pictured right.) As soon as these leaves are out, move the seedling to a place where it receives lots of light (not necessarily direct sunlight).  Plants that don't see adequate light will grow leggy and stretched - which tends to give you a weaker plant.  The cotyledons will wither once the plant begins to produce proper leaves.  It's usually at the stage of one or two sets of proper leaves that the seedling is strong enough to be transplanted.  Depending on your timing, this could be straight out into the garden, or potted up to continue to grow in a larger container for a few more weeks.  Seed raising mix is designed for optimal germination, and not sustained growth - so you're better to transplant seedlings into a good quality potting mix at this stage.  Seedlings need space to grow - so as you carefully 'prick out' (remove the young seedlings - a pointy pencil makes a good helping tool for this) - remove weaker seedlings if you've sown multiple seeds together.  It feels harsh but ultimately the single healthier plant will be your strongest producer.  Gently place the seedlings into holes prepared in the new pot (again - your trusty pencil comes in handy) and carefully lower in the roots.  Press soil gently around the plant, and water in well - a dose of kelp/seaweed can help with transplant shock.  Transplanted seedlings will be vulnerable for at least a few days, so keep them protected as they'll stress easily with too much heat, wind or sun.

Once you're ready to transplant seedlings to their garden bed (which you've already prepped with compost, manure, rock dust - etc. OR GLSC's Vegie Concentrate!), pick a mild day, and water the ground and the seedlings in pots well.  Carefully transplant, and water in again.  Cut off any damaged leaves, and if necessary, add a cloche or collar around each plant to prevent snails or slaters, or set up a couple of beer traps as lures for these pests.  Keep an eye on your young plants, and they should take off quickly!  Don't forget to mulch once they're large enough not to be buried by it - and feed maybe once a month with fish or kelp or similar during their active growth period.  Watch against overfeeding which can result in fleshy growth - a magnet for insects like aphids.  (A well balanced soil shouldn't need too much additional fertilising; but there are a number of factors dictating this.)  Your plants will tell you what they need, if you listen! 

VIP Special

This month, we've got a great special for you - perfect for helping your garden hold water in these hot weeks AND to help build your soil structure and long term health for Autumn gardening and beyond!  Biochar (which is what Charlie Charcoal is) is a highly stable form of carbon; it will last virtually forever in your garden - making fertilisers more efficient, and building habitat for microbes that convert those fertilisers to a plant available form.  As an added bonus, it helps buffer high pH; important for many people in Perth who struggle with alkaline soil conditions. People who've tried Charlie Charcoal LOVE it - so if you haven't tried it yet, here's your chance!

Charlie Charcoal is our February offer - normally a 25L bag is $28.00.  For our VIP's, spend over $60 and you can grab a bag for $20!  (Max of 2 bags per customer at this deal.)  Offer is valid until close of business Friday, 3rd March 2023.

Offer is valid in store and online (you must be signed in as a VIP in order to find the member's product pricing) - if shopping in store or over the phone, please mention the offer to our team member who serves you to receive the discount.

Photo Competition Winner!

Keep your photo entries coming in, Green Lifers!  Either via our Facebook page, or by email (with photo competition as the subject line) - and you'll be in the draw to win a $50 store credit to spend with us.

This month, I've selected George - he's sent me in several beautiful photos of his lilies - obviously a passion for him, and don't they look spectacular?  Thank you George for sending your entry in!  He said:

Hi to all at Green Life Soil Co.,

I thought I would share a selection of my colourful lilies that I have been growing this season in my Swan Valley garden.

By staggering the planting of the bulbs, I have had blooms from the end of October to the end of January.

This year, I have experimented with growing them in pots rather than just in the garden.

By doing this, they are portable around the garden and in the house, I have also been able to give flowering pots as gifts to friends.

Lilies are quite easy to grow and produce an amazing display of flowers.

I would recommend for anyone to give them a go.

Very best wishes
George

Retailer Update

Please support your local independent retailer who supports us! The specialist retailers listed here will be happy to give you gardening advice and help you with our products - please call to check what lines they carry as they can't stock all of our products (but may be willing to get stock in for a custom order - if you ask nicely!). Some of these fabulous retailers also offer a home delivery service (marked with *)  - so why not go local?  (Please contact the store directly for details.) 

Daisy Field Organics - Fremantle 
Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197
Guildford Town Garden Centre* - Guildford 9279 8645
Harbour Plants*- South Fremantle 0439 967 034 [Pictured right]
Hydroponics Guru (Living Soil only) - Wangara 0430527575
Kambarang Garden Centre* (formerly Waldecks Bentley) - Bentley 9458 5944
Lighthouse Fruit Tree Nursery - Parkwood 0411 166 034
Miaflora - Inglewood 9343 6334
Newstead Outdoors* - Greenwood 9334 6334
Nibali Stockfeed* - Hamilton Hill 9433 2211
Richo's 4 Hydro - Joondalup 9301 4462
Stackwood - Fremantle 9335 9835 (Square Foot Mix only)
Stanbee Stockfeeds* - Barragup 9581 2390
Swan Valley Station - Swan Valley 0427 371 001
Tass1 Trees - Middle Swan 0419 988 344
Urban Revolution* - Victoria Park 6102 1068
Utopia Nursery - Bullsbrook 0455 659 622
Waldecks Kingsley* - 9309 5088
Waldecks Melville* - 6317 0939
Waldecks Stirling* - 9254 6730
Zanthorrea Nursery - Maida Vale 9454 6260

Ardess Nursery (Albany) 9842 9952
Australind Landscaping Supplies 9796 1720
Blossoms Nursery (Denmark) 9848 2014
Boyup Brook Co-op (Boyup Brook) 9765 1001
Great Northern Rural Services (Geraldton) 9964 1274
Hillview Garden Centre (Bridgetown) 9761 1672
Margaret River - Nutrient Ag Solutions 9758 7677
Soils Ain't Soils (Busselton) 97515 322

THANK YOU for being part of our Green Life family!  We hope to see you in store soon.  Check out our newsletter next month & stay up to date with our Facebook and Instagram pages for announcements, stock arrivals and general good gardening vibes!