HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I trust you had a lovely Christmas and some time to yourself to enjoy some quiet time outdoors!  Now that the new year is here; it's a time of celebration and reflection - in our gardens, too!  Hopefully you're celebrating with harvests of homegrown goodness; and reflection on what's worked well, what you'd like to remember for next spring, and what your intentions are for the autumn season - when it eventually rolls around.

Paul & I came down with Covid just before Christmas - it threw our end of year plans a little (and meant we missed GLSC's Christmas Party!) - but at least the timing meant that we were recovered by Christmas and able to spend time with friends and family.  Whilst it's never pleasant feeling unwell, I'm grateful that the ever-capable GLSC team kept everything going in our absence and we were able to simply rest and recuperate.  It has given me personally the longest break away from work since we've owned the business (21 years) so in a way I have enjoyed the down time and utter relaxation...  once I was over the worst of the illness!  I tried to have a 'digital detox' as much as possible which has been refreshing too!  I can't say I've achieved a great deal around the home or garden - but you know what?  Sometimes that's perfectly ok!

The weather over this Christmas break has been a little kinder than it was last year...  I know some of you may have been disappointed we were closed over the period as you wanted to take the opportunity to get into the garden.  As a small business we have to take a punt on whether it's worth opening (because it certainly isn't if the weather is in the high 30's) - and our team do value a good break after Spring busy-ness...  So I apologise if you attempted to shop with us.  We try to publicise our closing dates as much as possible.

Which leads me to mention that we will be CLOSED FOR THE AUSTRALIA DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY, JANUARY 26TH - for just the one day.

Anyway - the new year is here so it's time to get back in the saddle and back to work!  Hopefully we've got some interesting tips & advice for you in this newsletter.  Feel free to let us know if you have suggestions for future topics.  Remember that we have all previous newsletters available on line (see the 'newsletter' tab) for you to read through; plus lots of other fact sheets available (pages & pages worth) under the 'learn' tab.  If you're stuck indoors grab a cool beverage and take some time to have a look through. It's all free!

Remember we're open & able to help with your summer garden essentials - mulch, shade cloth, soil wetter and much more in stock now.  We hope to see you soon!

Linda & the Team @ The Green Life Soil Co

In this newsletter

Jobs to do in the January garden
What to Plant Now
Powdery Mildew - how to avoid it
Top Tasty Tomato Tips!
Photo competition winner
VIP Special offer
Retailer Update

Jobs for the January Garden

• Make sure YOU take care in the heat - slip, slop slap, and work in the cool of the morning or evening to avoid over-doing it in the heat of the day. Stay hydrated and take regular breaks.
• Don't over feed your plants with too much nitrogen (which will give you weaker, leggy green growth that will just wilt!) - use a balanced fertliser (a low-dose is best). Seaweed/kelp fertlisers are great to help plants cope with heat stress.  Water the roots, not the leaves - any water droplets can act like a magnifying glass and cause localised burn spots on the leaf surface.  Any fertiliser that's slightly oily will be worse.  (If plants have suffered from the heat, avoid the temptation to fertilise.  Trying to force feed the plant at this time is like if you're recovering from a tummy bug and a well meaning friend puts a rich, 3 course meal in front of you.  It just isn't helpful!  Plants need to recover before they can put out new growth.)
• Check your pot plants from time to time. Some that are more exposed than others will tend to dry out more - you may need to provide them with extra water or dunk the whole pot into a tub of water to allow soil to re-wet.  You'll see bubbles of air escaping initially which is perfectly normal.  Once this has stopped, the soil is full to capacity of water.  It's fine to leave them there for a few hours, but don't leave them sitting permanently in water (unless it's something that can cope with wet feet - like mint).  Plants need air in the soil, too!
• Mulch, Mulch, Mulch. Of course, you applied mulch in Spring, right? But it pays to check - particularly if you use straw mulches in your vegie garden - have they broken down and are they still being effective? Sometimes you may need to apply a little bit more for best results. If you have areas of the garden where no plants are growing, it is still wise to mulch the bare soil. This will help protect soil biology and aid with water repellency problems.
• Use a soil wetter.  These are a temporary fix - it's better to incorporate clay and/or biochar or Mineral Magic into the soil for a permanent solution.  But in the height of summer, particularly in existing garden beds where you don't want to disturb roots, a soil wetter will help in the short term and be a lifeline for your plants.  Use a good quality soil wetter (we like Eco-Wet - pictured right) that isn't just detergent based; it will help build the soil structure.  In autumn, think about building soil health so that next summer it's easier for you (and your plants).
• Preserve the harvest. If you're overwhelmed with zucchini, tomato, squash, corn, cucumbers - experiment with drying, pickling, freezing or preserving them! There are so many excellent tutorials online to look at. Harvest your cucumbers and zucchinis when they are small. This will make sure they're sweet and tender. If lettuce and cucumber are bitter tasting - they need MORE WATER.
• Overhead watering and humid conditions can lead to increased fungal problems; watch out for powdery mildew in particular. It can be treated very early on (or even prevented) by a foliar spray of 1 part milk to 10 parts water. Spray all over the leaves (underside too) and repeat maybe twice a week and definitely after rain - and if possible, avoid overhead watering which can exacerbate the problem. You'll need to act early - once the disease has really taken hold it is hard to eradicate.  See article below for more!
• Check out your seed stock of autumn/winter growing vegies. Make a list of what is still viable, and what you will need to buy in fresh. Make a note of what crops you are growing now and read up on Crop Rotation - where are you going to plant your next round of vegies?
• Grab your 2023 Moon Planting Calendar - now in stock @ $12.00 each or 2 for $20.00; so why not grab one for a friend? Pictured above (limited stock available).

What to Plant NOW

It's the hottest time of the year in Perth making gardening extra challenging. Remember we've got 50% and 70% white horticultural shadecloth in stock (see below for our VIP special offer!) - so get some protection up for your vegie patch and with a daily hand water you'll still be able to have a productive garden. Now's the time of year for some succession planting, time to think about starting winter brassicas from seed* (well, almost!), and time to think about your Autumn/Winter garden and what is going to follow on from your summer crops when they run out of steam.

Plants to consider growing now include: Basil, Beans (snake beans highly recommended for summer), Beetroot, Capsicum (pictured right), Chilli, Carrots, Chokos, Cucumber, Eggplant, Ginger, Leeks, Lettuce, Malabar Spinach, Okra, Parsnips, Pumpkin, Radish, Rockmelon, Rosella, Silverbeet, Spring Onions, Squash, Strawberries, Sweet corn, Sweet potato, Tomatoes, Watermelon, Zucchini.

* Remember that Brassica vegetables (Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, kohl rabi) are best grown as Winter crops here in Perth. While they will grow in Summer, they are more susceptible to pests like Cabbage Moth & Cabbage Butterfly, so it's best to keep them under insect netting at this time of year. Keep up the water as stressed plants will bolt to seed, and ensure seeds & seedlings aren't allowed to dry out.  Brussel Sprouts are borderline in Perth - they thrive in cold weather; and usually our Perth Winters are too mild for them. Brussel Sprouts and Cauliflower are slow to produce - so for your best chance of success, start off seeds early so that once conditions cool down in Autumn you have advanced seedlings ready to go in the ground... I think it's a little too early YET - but check on your seed stocks so you're ready in a few weeks, if you want to try.  Of course - here's where it get's really tricky - you need to predict WHEN it's going to get cool enough; so starting a few seeds off every couple of weeks will be helpful.  

Check out our FREE downloadable 'When to Plant Guide' here - we've got one for vegies and another for herbs, in a handy month-by-month list.  (You'll need to sign in as a member to access our FREE downloads.)

Powdery Mildew

Powdery Mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants.  The spores are spread on the air, so it can be difficult to avoid it completely.  It thrives under warm and humid conditions.  Infected plants show a dusting of grey-white 'powder' on the leaves.  Stems and new leaves can look distorted and crinkled.  Sometimes, spore spots start on the underside of leaves; often in the lower portion of the plant.  If left untreated, the spots spread and join up, and the entire plant can be affected.

Like with most diseases, plants that are under stress or undernourished can suffer the most.

Prevention
If you see leaves affected, remove them and put them in the bin.  Don't add them to compost in case you spread the spores that way.  Add more mulch, as it can be a barrier between spores on the soil and the plant.  Ensure plants are watered adequately - but avoid overhead watering.  Watering in the early part of the day is helpful too - water that does sit on the leaf can evaporate off in the warmer part of the day.  Moist conditions overnight (brought on by evening watering) can cause a problem.

Make sure there's good airflow around your plants - either thin out plantings or do some judicious pruning of leaves/sections of plants.

Seaweed/kelp extracts can be a useful plant tonic - not only do they help stimulate beneficial soil biology, seaweed is often high in potassium and trace elements - so spraying foliage with a diluted mix and treating the plants can be beneficial in providing elements needed for healthy growth and disease resistance.

Treatment
You can buy a number of plant fungicides that can help - but there are also some DIY treatments you can make at home:

Bicarb soda
Add a drop of vegetable oil, one drop of dish washing liquid, and four level teaspoons of bicarb to 4L of water.  Mix thoroughly and apply with a sprayer over the entire plant including the underside of leaves.  Bicarb changes the pH of the leaf surface, making it less ideal for the fungal spores to germinate.

Chamomile tea
Steep a chamomile teabag in a cup of boiling water for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool, and add another 500mL of water.  Use mixture to spray the entire plant; in the morning is preferable.

Milk
One cup of full cream milk to 9 cups of water - mix, and apply with a sprayer to the entire plant.

Note - these treatments are effective by coating the plant surface; making it less likely the fungal spores can thrive.  To be effective, treatments may need to be repeated every few days while you're fighting the problem.  You'll also need to reapply after rain, or if you do have an overhead watering system.

Be aware many zucchini plants have a natural mottled pattern on their leaves which some people think may be powdery mildew - but in fact, it's a perfectly natural variegation.  If it's "just" the plant - the pattern will be symmetrical and uniform - if it's random (and you can wipe it off to a degree) - it's powdery mildew.

Tomatoes - Top Tips!

Home grown tomatoes are the holy grail of most vegetable gardeners...  They are the most popular home grown veg (ok, fruit) by a mile.  They can be tricky - being one of the most susceptible crops to a number of diseases (many having similar symptoms making it harder to diagnose).  But take heart - even plants that look like they're on death's door can bear fruit - so it's worth aiming for the healthiest plants you can grow but accepting that things may be a drama.  If you planted your tomatoes in September or October, you're likely to be harvesting crops already.  But if you missed that window - don't despair!  Last year, because life got in the way, we didn't plant any until the week between Christmas and New Year. We enjoyed great crops through Autumn and while they slowed down in the cooler months, we picked fruit all the way through until August - so it's definitely not too late to get plants in your garden this summer.

• Tomatoes will take about 17 weeks if grown from seed to fruit; if you're transplanting advanced seedlings, you can expect they'll be producing within 60-90 days depending on the variety.
• Bush types generally mature faster - they don't grow as tall (around 1m usually) so reach full size and begin fruiting sooner.
  Vine types take longer and will definitely need a trellis or some kind of frame/stake system - they will reach up to 2m so do need support.
• How many plants?  Depending on how much you love tomatoes - 3 to 10 plants should be enough to keep a small family picking fruit regularly.  Yield can vary greatly - from a few kg per plant to 20kg - with the average yield sitting around 10kg per plant.  The good news is that it's easy to keep up with lots of tomatoes; you can dry them, freeze them or give them away!  There are heaps of fabulous summer recipes to use them up and enjoy their health benefits and deliciousness.
• When planting out seedlings, use secateurs or kitchen snips wiped over with metho, and remove the leaves from the lower half/two thirds of the plant.  Leave two or four leaves at the top, and plant the entire seedling up to this depth!  Deep planting will ensure the tomato will send out many more lateral roots.  This gives quicker growth and a more robust plant.
• Avoid planting where you've grown potatoes or tomatoes previously - if you can.  Many of the diseases that affect tomatoes come from the soil - so crop rotation will help you keep plants healthy.  Add a good quality compost (at least 10L per m2) and a handful of blood and bone.
• Add your stake or trellis when planting or just as soon as possible thereafter - leaving it too long will mean you'll damage roots as they form.  Use soft strips of t-shirt or pantyhose in a figure 8 configuration to gently encourage the plant to reach upwards rather than sprawl.  Ideally, allow about 1m between plants for optimal airflow/sunlight.
• As the plant grows, carefully and hygienically remove leaves closer than 20cms to the ground - this helps prevent fungal spores from the soil splashing onto lower leaves, and encourages good airflow.  Mulch well almost up to the stem.  A straw mulch is ideal - and top up several times during the growing season.
• Once the plant is established a month or so, incorporate a handful of sulphate of potash around the base of the plant.  This will encourage strong and healthy plant cells, and can aid with flowering.
• Tomatoes set fruit dependent on temperature.  If nights are below about 15°c, they won't develop fruit.  If daytime temperatures are regularly over 35°c, flower production will slow down as the plant attempts some self preservation! (Don't we all!)
• Tomato flowers are self fertile - insects visiting flowers assist with vibrating the flowers to dislodge pollen; wind also pollinates. Good news is that if you're growing your tomatoes under insect netting, you don't need to worry too much about pollination. You can assist your tomatoes to set fruit by giving them a little shake!  
• Tomatoes can develop quite deep root systems (up to 2m deep has been recorded) - and less water actually encourages more root growth as plants need to forage deeper for water and nutrients in the soil.  Over watering creates lazy plants that are less able to cope with stress - so if in doubt, water less.  On hot days, young growth tips should wilt a little, but the remainder of the plant should be OK.  This is a sign your tomatoes are getting enough but not too much water.  Shadecloth in our extreme heat can be of assistance; preventing heat stress and sunburn of the fruit - another common problem.
• Water at regular intervals.  Whether you water every second day by hand, or twice a week by retic - make sure you keep the watering at regular intervals.  Plants get used to routine, and irregular watering cycles can mean weaker plants and definitely brings on blossom end rot in fruit.  Deep watering less frequently is better than regular, quick applications of water.  And did we mention mulch?  It's important to keep moisture in the soil profile.  Top it up throughout summer.
• Hygiene is important.  If trimming plants, use sterilised secateurs, wash your hands between handling plants, and keep any tools wiped down with metho too.  Disease spores are easily transported on our shoes, skin and gardening tools.  Weeds can harbour pests - so keep surrounding areas weed free and try to keep on top of sap sucking insects like aphid, shield bugs and whitefly who can transmit disease in their mouthparts.
• Top pests for tomatoes are rats (grrrrr) - wire cages and other trapping/baiting* systems to keep numbers down are about all that can be done to reduce these menaces.  Other bugs are the tomato grub/caterpillar - where an egg is laid usually right at the top of the developing fruit.  The caterpillar hatches and burrows into the fruit - often you don't realise until you go to pick or cut open fruit and there's the culprit.  Netting is probably the most effective way of keeping out most pests, or using appropriate treatments like Dipel for caterpillars - but you may need to do repeat applications throughout the growing season.  Unfortunately everything likes tomatoes.  Hopefully you have a big enough yield to cope with some damage.
  * using baits for rats is controversial, as secondary poisoning of native animals is a big problem.  If you must bait, use only baits containing the active ingredients Coumatetralyl or Warfarin (Racumin is one such brand - and is available from stock feed stores) - these compounds break down quickly and are less likely to cause secondary poisoning.  Avoid those with active ingredients Brodifacoum, Bromodialone and Difenacoum which are considered more likely to be a problem for any creature that finds and eats the dead or dying rat. Please read the labels before purchase! 

Photo Competition Winner

Congratulations to Simon from Dianella who sent in these great photos of his passionfruit vine & had this to say:

Summer Means Passionfruit!
It is such an exciting time in the garden at the moment, watching the passionfruit growing on my vine in Dianella. I have sent a collage of the fruit development, starting from the tiny bud, the bees pollinating the flowers and the growth of the fruit. Every day I go out there, more are appearing. It won’t be long before the first one is ready. I think it will be a bumper season for my Sunshine Special passionfruit vine.

Best wishes
Simon

We agree Simon - Passionfruit are totally rewarding plants to grow!  I'm watching mine develop at a similar rate and very much looking forward to the harvest.

If  YOU'D like to be our winner next time - send in your garden photo/s with a little bit of info about what you're growing.  They can be emailed or sent via Facebook with the heading "photo competition".  Each month we pick someone at random who receives a $50 store credit to spend with us - so what are you waiting for?

VIP Special Offer

Summer is here!  It's always something of a shock to see our gardens in the heat; and we need to make sure we help them through the next month or two until we're over the height of summer temperatures.  So this month, VIP's can get discounted shadecloth!

Normally $18 per metre, spend $60 with us this month and the price reduces to $12  per metre (save 33%)

We have white 70% in stock and White 50% in stock. The grade of shadecloth you need will depend on the exposure and situation of your garden.  Our vegie patch is exposed to full sun, and in the hills it gets baking hot.  We originally trialled 50% and then increased it to 70% and the plants fared much better.  If your garden is a little more protected and perhaps gets part day shade from other structures, 50% may well be adequate for you.

White is regarded as being the better colour to use for plants, as it doesn't alter the colour spectrum of light passing through.  Darker colours are more comfortable for humans; but can lead to straggly growth of plants.  Generally - lighter colours are better to choose for dedicated garden shade.

Please ask in store or over the phone for the VIP pricing. Online customers will need to log in to receive the members special price in the members only section of the website. Special available until COB Tuesday 31st January 2023 & while stock lasts.

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
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!