ABC_Organic_Gardener_-_November_2019

ORGANIC ACTION

organicgardener.com.au^57

I

t’s becoming more important to prepare your garden

carefully to survive summer. With extremes of heat

and severe winds becoming more normal, barriers,

shade structures, drip watering systems, mulches and

careful plant selection all come into play. For more

detailed information, see page 45.

But there are also new opportunities. In my cooler

climate, I’m now able to plant summer vegies a bit

earlier (with a careful eye open for unexpectedly late

frosts) and grow some warmer climate vegetables such

as melons and okra, which I haven’t bothered with

before. And remember that in dry seasons, one of the

best places to store water is in the soil. You do this by

constantly adding organic matter, and to stop nutrients

leaching from your soil, add biochar. Recent research

has shown again that biochar added to waste materials

being used to construct new soil, improves the level of

nutrients held in that soil. Penny Woodward

Above: Plant heat loving herbs like sage, thyme and rosemary now.

Summer can be hard work in the garden, But if you prepare in

spring it will be easier to care for your patch.

the

heat is on

PHOTO: ALAMY