LET’S be honest, I never was that good at pampering plants.
In not so distant days when a chewed cabbage or spotty rose leaf was a major gardening crime, I sometimes felt guilty about my plant ‘abuse’ but simply hated using sprays.
Now I can argue that was forward thinking!
Feed ‘em and leave ‘em is Georgina Campbell’s new tough love way to grow roses (see page 12) – and the results show it’s working. Tough love is surely the best way to grow veggies too. After all, half the appeal of growing your own is having produce never sprayed with the synthetic chemicals that market gardeners resort to using.
Plant pests, however, seem to have an unfair advantage sometimes so Andrew Maloy looks at what organic remedies are available when you want to give the beggars a blast (page 16) and if you want to brew your own, Marilyn Wightman has some options (page 18).
In this holiday issue, we show how to grow avocados in small spaces, how to build your own stone garden wall, and other DIY projects. When it’s time to put your feet up, try our giant Christmas garden crossword.
Seasons greetings from the Weekend Gardener team. Catch you on January 11.
Susie Longdell,
Editor.
