Hello and welcome to OCTOBER!

We're now in Kambarang - the Noongar season of flowering and birth.  The bush is full of wildflowers at the moment, and its the time of year that birds are nesting, reptiles are on the move and the weather is warming up.  There's less cold and rainy fronts moving across from the ocean as weather patterns shift with the seasons.

Spring is well and truly here and September was our busiest month EVER - and of course, as Murphy's Law predicts, we had some machinery breakdowns that affected our production capacity for a big chunk of it...  We're still trying to catch up, so we sincerely apologise if orders have been delayed during this busy time.  If you're coming any distance to pick up soil or bags, it may be an idea to call in advance just to check we've got stock available in the next little while!

But some good things have happened too - we're excited to share that The Greenhouse Organic is back!  Leesa has started doing her lovely organically grown seedlings again, and we're currently well stocked with seasonal vegetables ready to grow.  Leesa delivers to us on Wednesdays, so if you want best pick, there's your hot tip!! 

Remember that if you've got kids, bring them in soon to get their FREE packet of Luffa seeds.  We'd love your kids to get growing this spring and send us in photos of their progress.  We're going to have some little prizes along the way and we're all excited to see who can grow the BIGGEST luffa (and the weirdest luffa!).

October is our "birthday month" - it's 23 years since Paul & started out in the business.  Without the support of family & friends and our wonderful customers (ie. YOU!) - we wouldn't be where we are today - so thank you!!

See you soon @ The Green Life Soil Co

Linda & the Team

We're Hiring!

Green Life are looking for experienced retail assistants; ideally with horticultural and/or permacultural experience.  We're looking to fill out our roster so there's some flexibility of hours; but rostered Saturdays would be part of the scope.  If you're interested to learn more, the job is posted on seek.  Click here for the details.  Sadly, Samara, who's been with us for over three years, is moving on.  Additionally, we need to add to the team to cover Saturdays and rostered days off - especially during our busy/peak season. 

Mulch & PSHB

Hopefully - you're aware of the devastating impact that Polyphageous Shot Hole Borer is having across Perth.  There are restrictions in place for moving plants and mulch - with trunk or particle sizes larger than 2.5cms in diameter.  Nurseries are undergoing training to be able to check stock for the pest and certify that trees sold are not infected.

When it comes to mulch, we are very careful where mulches are sourced, and need to make sure that the particle sizes are small enough to not be a concern. This means that the appropriate mulch is in high demand at the moment; and supplies are under pressure.  At the moment we're still getting supplies in - but as summer gets closer this may become something of an issue.  So if you're shopping around for mulch, please check what your supplier has, and make sure they're confident it is pest free.

In this newsletter:

What to plant NOW
Jobs for the September garden
Prep your soil NOW for Summer
Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus - and how it is affecting WA growers
Tomato Seed Saving Guide
VIP Special Offer
Photo Competition
Retailer Update

Jobs to do in the October garden

• Weeds- Many are going to seed at this time. Time to rip these babies out or even slash them, whatever action you choose will help to minimise spread.  See our fact sheet on organic weed control here.
• Seed Raising- It's time to start your summer vegie seeds.  Keep an eye on your seedlings at this time of year when temperatures are fluctuating; keep seedling trays/pots warm & watered.  If planting out directly in garden beds, patience is important.  Things can take a while until conditions are ideal for germination.  See our fact sheet here for tips & tricks for sowing from seed.
• Fertilising- If you haven’t already fed your fruit trees, this is a great time to do so! Adding some organic matter like compost or manures or our General Concentrate will help improve the soil and give it new life.  See our fact sheet on soil improvement here. 
• Mulching- Mulching the entire the garden can be a big job, start now while the weather isn’t steaming hot and while the ground still has moisture. Two of our popular mulches are our Recycled Tree Prunings or our Econo mulch (darker, partially composted).  Also consider our 3-way mulch if you're looking for mulch to feed and protect perennial plants in one fell swoop!  For vegie gardens, we have pea straw, wheat straw, and bagged mulches like lupin mulch, sugar cane mulch and shredded pea straw.  Need advice?  Call us!  
• Fruit Trees- At this time of year it is important to keep an eye on flowering and fruiting trees. If you have fruit fly in your area, start netting those trees now - as soon as fruit has set! (We sell insect netting packs @ GLSC).  See our fact sheet here. It's almost your last chance to deal with citrus gall wasp - adults will be emerging & breeding and laying eggs again.  Sticky traps in your trees may help with control.  Make sure you use a protective sleeve around the traps to stop small birds getting stuck on the traps, and remember to remove them in a few weeks once the CGW season moves on.  Traps will also catch pollinators and beneficial insects, so don't leave them in your trees longer than necessary.  Another thing to try is our Clay Spray - superfine kaolin clay you mix with water to spray a coating on your citrus tree branches and stems.  This makes it much less attractive/easy for insects to penetrate the outer bark layer - acting like a protective barrier.
• Improve your soil.  Now's the time to be adding clay & biochar (Charlie Charcoal) to help with water retention over the coming hot months.  Talk to us and we can assist you in making long term improvements to your soil's health.  Bring in a soil sample and we can check the pH, and make some recommendations on soil improvement to help your plants flourish. With summer just around the corner - and water usage restrictions coming into play - it's never been so critical to build your soil health and have a waterwise garden.  See the article below for more information.

What to Plant NOW

Check out our free 'When to Plant' guide on our website; but as a quick reference, it's time to plant:

Asian greens (Bok Choi/Tatsoi etc.), Asparagus, Artichoke (globe), Basil, Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Capsicum, Chilli, Carrot, Celery, Celeriac, Choko, Cucumber, Eggplant, Ginger, Kale*, Kohl rabi*, Leek, Lettuce, Melons, Okra, Parsnip, Pumpkin, Radish, Rocket, Rosella, Silverbeet, Spring onion, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet corn, Sweet potato, Tomato, Turnip, Zucchini. 

* these vegies are often better grown in cooler weather; if planting now, make sure you have a protected spot (they'll bolt to seed if too hot), and watch Kale/Kohl rabi in particular for caterpillars which are more active in the warmer months - insect netting is highly recommended.

If you haven't planted your Asparagus yet, hurry in!  We have limited stock available and we've reduced the price because these babies need to go in the ground.  Each crown is now $8.50 each (or 5 for $40) - while stocks last!

There's also HEAPS of herbs that will flourish at this time of year - Basil, Chives, Oregano, Mint, Parsley, Thyme, Sage, Comfrey, Borage - just to name a few! Within each of these, there's multiple varieties available - so get creative and get a herb garden growing for your summer entertaining garnishes and tasty treats. You don't need a lot of space (a pot on your verandah will do!) to reap the rewards.

If you have room around your garden, add in some flowering annuals.  They'll help bring in pollinating and other beneficial/predatory insects, as well as providing colour and decoration.  At this time of year consider Alyssum, Calendula, Cosmos, Lobelia, Petunias (and as an added benefit - if you plant the white variety, their fluttering petals help confuse the cabbage butterfly!), Portulaca, Sunflowers - there's heaps more; just ask us - we've got some lovely flower seedlings and seeds in stock at the moment (or ask at your local independent nursery).

We've got heaps of fact sheets on specific vegies & growing information for Perth and WA freely available - check out our 'Learn' tab above! (in our website banner).

Prep your soil NOW for Summer Heatwaves

While the weather is mild, NOW is the time to give some attention to your garden to make sure it is resilient and ready for the hottest weather only a few months away.  Don't leave it until your plants are stressed and dying - you can set your garden up for success with a little bit of effort.  By building the soil health now, you won't need to keep drenching your soil with soil wetter to get water to the plant roots and stop it running off.

Did you know that clay and biochar are natural 'moisture banks' to keep in the soil?  Acting like sponges, they are easier to re-wet, and help hold moisture around plant roots - where its needed.  The best time to incorporate clay or biochar is while you're planting new plants.  You can get it into the soil profile - to around 30cms deep is ideal - and mix it thoroughly around the root zone.  You can add compost or aged manures at the same time to feed your plants; and the clay and biochar help retain the nutrients in the soil too - meaning the benefits will stay around for a lot longer (rather than leach away) and you will need less fertiliser.  It means the plants have access to moisture and food when they need it - so they don't go through boom & bust cycles which stresses them and leads to weaker growth.

If you have existing plants in the garden, adding minerals can be a bit trickier, but it can be done.  I usually advise customers with trees & shrubs to dig holes on one side only of the plant, and work in the soil amendments there to a decent depth.  Leave it for a couple of months then repeat in a different location/side - so that ultimately you can get the amendments in over a period of time.  Each time you do this, the plants will reach out and send roots to the improved soil, but you're not stressing them out with damage to the entire root system in the short term.

If you have an existing lawn that is struggling, the best way to try to get water holding minerals into the root zone is to aerate the lawn.  There are special tools available for this, or you can go over areas with a pitchfork, loosening the soil as you go.  When it's dry, add the minerals and rake over to try to get as much as possible into the small holes in the lawn, and water in well.  For best results, you may need to do this process as few times - because every time you'll get more into the soil and reap the benefits.

Some areas of the lawn or garden may need more attention than others - it's quite normal for pockets of soil to vary in a garden.

We highly recommend our 'Charlie Charcoal'  biochar and 'Cassies Clay' kaolin clay.  Both are high quality ingredients that are PERMANENT - so you'll reap the benefits for years to come.

Both Charlie Charcoal and Cassies Clay are acidic - (Charlie around 5; Cassies around 5.5) - which is especially ideal if you're struggling with highly alkaline or coastal soils.

How much do I need?

The volume we'd recommend does depend a bit on what your soil is like to begin with.  You're welcome to bring in a small sample (or samples) from your garden and we can do a free pH test and look at the soil structure to make a recommendation.  In most cases, using about 2-5L per m2 of Charlie Charcoal and 5-10kg of Cassies Clay per m2 is about right...  If you use a lesser quantity, you can always add more if you feel it's required.  You may find it enough in some areas and yet need to add more in others.

And we always recommend MULCHING your garden - that's the key to keep moisture in the soil as much as possible.  And part of this is to keep the top layer of soil cooler, so the microbes can survive and thrive and in turn feed and help your plants deal with the stresses of summer.

Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus

Unfortunately, another new disease of tomatoes, chilies and capsicums has been found in Australia.  The Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus has been detected for the first time in South Australia - causing a quick response from quarantine, banning movement of all tomato, capsicum and chilli plant material (including seeds) around the country.

So far only two commercial growers have been impacted, but they estimate the losses are in the millions for the season.  While not harmful to humans, the disease causes yellowing and deformity on the leaves of the host tomato, capsicum and chilli plants and can also affect their fruit, causing wrinkled spots and show uneven ripening.  It has a serious impact on crop yield and appearance (particularly important for commercial growers).  Virus affected tomatoes are shown here (photo courtesy of the DPIRD website)

The disease spreads easily via plant-to-plant contact or through people and tools touching infected plants.  Some weeds (those in the nightshade family) can host the virus, and it can remain viable in soil and plant material for months.

First detected in the Middle East in 2015, it has now spread to other countries - mostly through infected seed material.

The quarantine regulations now in place mean that we can no longer bring in tomato seeds from interstate.  PLEASE DO NOT ask friends or relatives to post seeds to you; we really don't want this disease in our State which will affect home growers and the livelihoods of commercial growers.

Thankfully, we do have local, West Australian seed companies who do have stock to supply us this spring/summer.  Thrive Sustainability is asking for anyone interested in becoming a seed saver for the future to reach out and contact them - (info@thrivesustainability.com.au).  Laura is happy to give you information and support.  See below for more information.

I have (with Laura's permission) reproduced her tomato seed saving guide here for your reference: 

Tomato Seed Saving Guide

Tomato seeds are easy to save and can be used to grow your own tomatoes year after year. Placing the seeds in a jar and fermenting them helps break down the gelatinous substance that surrounds the seed and prevents germination. During the fermentation process, yeast and beneficial bacteria destroy any diseases that might be lurking on the outside of the seedcoat. Choose ripe and healthy tomatoes from open-pollinated or heirloom varieties. Avoid hybrid/ F1 tomatoes, as they will not produce true to type offspring (All the varieties Thrive sustainability sell are open pollinated) Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon into a glass jar. If there is not too much gel/liquid, you can add some water to cover the seeds and label the jar with the variety name and date. Cover the jar with a muslin cloth or like prevent flies entering.

Let the jar sit for two to three days at room temperature, the time is very dependent on the temperature, the warmer it is the quicker the process. This will allow the seeds to ferment, which helps remove the gel-like coating that prevents germination and kills any pathogens. You will notice some white mould or bubbles forming on the surface, this is a sign that fermentation is under way, and you can progress to the next step.

Pour the contents of the jar into a fine-mesh sieve and rinse the seeds well under running water. Discard any floating seeds, as they are not viable. Spread the seeds on to grease proof paper or paper towel and let them dry completely for several days. You can gently rub the seeds to separate them if they stick together.

Store the seeds in a paper envelope, a plastic bag, or a small jar with a tight lid. Label the container with the variety name and date and keep it in a cool, dry, and dark place until you are ready to plant them. Tomato seeds can last for several years if stored properly.

Seed savers needed!

Would you like to help us preserve open pollinated varieties of seed, build local resilience and food security? 

It is more important than ever that individuals and small businesses take steps to ensure that we will all be able to access and grow open pollinated varieties of food crops in the future. 

For us to purchase or trade seed with an individual you will need to meet some important requirements. Growers need to ensure seed is open pollinated and will grow true to type, depending on the variety this may mean isolation by distance or other means, correct methods for harvesting, drying and storage would also need to be followed. 

This can all sound daunting and a bit complicated, but you can get started with some simple varieties such as beans and peas, see our seed saving guide for more information. We are very keen to help and educate anyone who would like to learn more about this valuable life skill.

We would like to connect with you if you are based in WA, and able to grow and supply untreated, open pollinated seed.

If you are interested, please email info@thrivesustainability.com.au and title your email Seed saving.  

VIP Special Offer

This month, we're giving you the opportunity to grab some of our Rocky Rock Dust at a special price.

Members can buy Rocky Rock Dust at a reduced price anytime - simply log into the Members Section of the website to see the special prices on offer.

The regular retail price for a 5kg tub are $19.50 (regular members price is $17.00)  This month members can buy a 5kg tub for $15.00
The regular retail price for a 15kg bag is $38.00 (regular members price is $32.00)  This month members can buy a 15kg bag for $30.00

Now's the time to lightly sprinkle rock dust around your garden - especially fruit trees and your roses!

If you're topping up your garden with any of our soils or soil improvers - you're already getting some rock dust in them; it's one of the special ingredients we use in our mixes which sets them apart.

The special Rock Dust prices are valid until COB Thursday, 31st October 2024.

Photo Competition Winner

Congratulations to Esther R. - she's sent us in a couple of pictures of one of her roses in bloom.  She's given them a feed of Rocky Rock Dust and 3 way mulch - and this is what she had to say:

Hi guys. 
Just wanted to share a couple of pics with you. This is the same Rose before and after adding Rocky Rock dust and 3way mix. The photos were taken a few weeks apart. 

I think you'll agree the depth of colour is noticeable in the 2nd rose - it's certainly looking healthy! 
Rocky Rock Dust provides trace elements in a slow release form - the micro nutrients assist with overall plant health and vigour.  It's great for fruit trees and roses - perennial plants that benefit from 'little & often' of continual nutrient availability.  The 3 way mulch is our feeder mulch - woody mulch mixed with horticultural compost and sheep manure in equal thirds; so it's a great way to mulch and feed at the same time if your soil needs a boost.

Thank you again Esther for sending in your rose photos.  Remember we draw a winner at random every month; if you'd like to be in the running (and who doesn't like $50 to spend on gardening goodies?) simply email in your photos with a few lines about what you're growing, or your garden philosophy - and it could be YOU next time!

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.)

Bar Botanik - North Perth 9227 6758 (Indoor Potting Mix & Aroid Mix only)
Daisy Field Organics - Fremantle 0450 793 720
Garden Elegance - Subiaco 9381 2197
Guildford Town Garden Centre* - Guildford 9279 8645
Harbour Plants*- South Fremantle 0439 967 034 
Hydroponics Guru (Living Soil only) - Wangara 0430527575
Kambarang Garden Centre* - 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
Stanbee Stockfeeds* - Barragup 9581 2390 
Supreme Plants - West Swan 0499 887 275
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

All Things Stock (Muchea) 0480 740 638 
Ardess Nursery (Albany) 9842 9952
Australind Landscaping Supplies 9796 1720
Boyup Brook Co-op (Boyup Brook) 9765 1001
Extracts Landscaping Supplies (Toodyay) 0417 202 718
Great Northern Rural Services (Geraldton) 9964 1274
Handy Hands Nursery (Karratha) 9413 1801
Hillview Garden Centre (Bridgetown) 9761 1672
Margaret River - Nutrient Ag Solutions 9758 7677 (Premium Potting Mix & Compost) - Pictured above
Mitre 10 Margaret River 9757 2455 (Square Foot Mix & Veg Concentrate)
Naturaliste Landscape Supplies (Busselton) 9754 8081
Soils Ain't Soils (Busselton & Dunsborough) 9751 5322 

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!