Jodi didn’t disappoint this week, in fact, Jodi has never
disappointed us with her light hearted, energetic, information packed shows.
This week we discussed green manure, planting in punnets vs planting direct
into ground and Brussels sprouts, yep that’s right, the good old Brussels
sprout. If you missed the show then you must have a listen to the podcast…MUST.
If you have a highly clayey or a highly sandy soil then
you’ll be a big winner from using green manure. Green manure is the planting of
a fast growing species such as wheat, rye, barley, corn etc. that you use to
generate large amounts of biomass in a short period of time before turning into
the soil to add some new rich organic matter ready for the planting of your
actual vegie crop. The green manure crop should be left to grow to about knee
height before turning into the soil. What a great little tip for those of us in
sand or clay rich soils!
 |
| A green manure crop |
Nematodes, anyone for nematodes? Well before I knew what one
was I had a feeling it wasn’t a good thing to have and turns out I was right. A
parasitic roundworm living in the soil that can significantly reduce or destroy
your crop is not something you want in your garden. Jodi has the tre
atment…
Fumigate them with a totally natural, organic method using mustard plants. All
you need to do is spread mustard plant (from the Brassica family) seeds when
sowing your green manure crop such that you have some mustard amongst your fast
growing grass species. When the mustard plant is turned in with the rest of
your green manure, the leaves will break down in the soil releasing a chemical
that acts as a fumigant for nematodes, EASY! |
| Plant mustard among your green manure crop |
Sowing in a punnet vs sowing direct in the soil? Well, one
thing is for sure, the answer to this is not black and white and you could
spend hours reading about which species do better in one or the other. Jodi took us through some the type of seeds
that prefer punnets and some that prefer direct into the ground and why! For
all the details you’ll have to listen to the show ;)
Brussels sprouts have copped a bad rap in the past for being
unappetising but I think we managed to identify the main culprits for this
false charge this week. I remember as a kid that despite having never tried
brussel sprouts, I thought that they were yuk! I must have picked up this
impression from someone and I bet that someone had only ever had OVERCOOKED
Brussels sprouts. Jodi believes it is time that our listeners know the truth
and that is ‘Brussels sprouts are delicious AND a great
source of minerals and nutrients’. There you go, you’ve heard it now so go
out and give them another go but this time without overcooking them. Yum!
Listen to the show to hear tips on how to train your Brussels sprouts to grow
taller and with more sprouts.
To see and hear more of Jodi’s work, head to her website everydayinthegarden.com and you
may as well sign up for Jodi’s newsletter while you’re there.
This week is the last show for at least the next 4 weeks so
make sure you follow us on twitter @enviro_pod and keep checking this blog to
keep updated on what is happening with the show and when we are returning.
Music from
this week:
Messages by
Xavier Rudd
Island of
Oceans by John Williamson
Wild Animals
by The Cat Empire
Wonder by
Emeli Sande
No comments:
Post a Comment