Replenishing rains

At last the drought is broken, and things are looking fresh and green again. It doesn’t take long for the effects of a little moisture in the soil to start helping the plants. Now is a great time to be getting into the vegetable garden and preparing for the winter garden. Compost and organic matter can be added, including the likes of blood and bone. If you are adding lime to your soil, it is best to do this first and then a week or so later add the blood and bone.
If you are keen you can start seedlings off of the likes of cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli. But for the not so keen seedlings can always be bought for not much cost. Other seeds to be sown include the salads, spring onions, leeks and spinach.
Adjacent to my vegetable I have a Pittosporum Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Mountain Green’ hedge. Growing rampantly through this hedge is the nasty weed, Moth plant or vine, Araujia sericofera. This plant produces large pods filled with masses of downy seeds which naturally sail off and germinate everywhere. Recently I was chatting with a friend who is a member of Weed Busters. This is an organisation of volunteers who promote the identification of and elimination of weeds from our environment. This month’s target is the moth plant. People can register to join this group and gain any extra information on weeds in their area. Registration is free and the website has lots of useful information, so to register, go to here. I will write more of this weed next time including pictures.