From Grass to Greens
Episode: # 28 08/12/07
Presenter: Kim Syrus
Nothing seems to taste as good as home grown veggies and with increased prices hurting our hip pockets, it is a great time to get back into the garden and grow our own.
Finding enough space to plant up a patch can often be a problem, but one solution is to look for a piece of lawn that’s not doing so well and turn it into something far more productive. It’s not as easy as just digging up the grass and planting your new seedlings. There are a few things you need to do to make sure your new veggie garden delivers the goods.
Kim finds an area of couch lawn that has never done very well, it has always looked dry and patchy and has been an eye-saw. Because it’s a running lawn, making sure it is completely killed off is really important. A couple of sprays with a weedicide like Yates Zero will do the job. Once it is dead, chop up the dead grass with a rotary hoe, or dig over with a spade, and rake up any excess turf.
The most important thing about getting rid of a running lawn is to be patient. Spray the area out once then wait a couple of weeks and do it again. Grasses like couch, buffalo and kikuyu can be a challenge to kill off, but it is best that they are totally dead otherwise you’ll find them growing up through your new veggie garden.
Most lawns are grown on a sandy base, which has very little body and even fewer nutrients. This needs improving if it is to grow anything successfully. The best thing to add is plenty of organic material.
There are plenty of other organic choices like manures, worm castings, mushroom compost and a range of waterwise products that will soon turn sterile soil into a veggie smorgasbord. Spread across the ground and turn in. Digging is good exercise and really gets the heart pumping but, if you don’t have the time and don’t mind loud machines then a rotary hoe will get the task done quickly.
Once the ground is ready it is time to plant. Take the family and head on down to your local Mitre 10 or other good garden centres and choose what type of veggies you all want to eat this summer. Check out The Garden Gurus range of seedlings and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the latest Garden Guru newspaper.
Presenter: Kim Syrus
Nothing seems to taste as good as home grown veggies and with increased prices hurting our hip pockets, it is a great time to get back into the garden and grow our own.
Finding enough space to plant up a patch can often be a problem, but one solution is to look for a piece of lawn that’s not doing so well and turn it into something far more productive. It’s not as easy as just digging up the grass and planting your new seedlings. There are a few things you need to do to make sure your new veggie garden delivers the goods.
Kim finds an area of couch lawn that has never done very well, it has always looked dry and patchy and has been an eye-saw. Because it’s a running lawn, making sure it is completely killed off is really important. A couple of sprays with a weedicide like Yates Zero will do the job. Once it is dead, chop up the dead grass with a rotary hoe, or dig over with a spade, and rake up any excess turf.
The most important thing about getting rid of a running lawn is to be patient. Spray the area out once then wait a couple of weeks and do it again. Grasses like couch, buffalo and kikuyu can be a challenge to kill off, but it is best that they are totally dead otherwise you’ll find them growing up through your new veggie garden.
Most lawns are grown on a sandy base, which has very little body and even fewer nutrients. This needs improving if it is to grow anything successfully. The best thing to add is plenty of organic material.
There are plenty of other organic choices like manures, worm castings, mushroom compost and a range of waterwise products that will soon turn sterile soil into a veggie smorgasbord. Spread across the ground and turn in. Digging is good exercise and really gets the heart pumping but, if you don’t have the time and don’t mind loud machines then a rotary hoe will get the task done quickly.
Once the ground is ready it is time to plant. Take the family and head on down to your local Mitre 10 or other good garden centres and choose what type of veggies you all want to eat this summer. Check out The Garden Gurus range of seedlings and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the latest Garden Guru newspaper.
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