On Wednesday, 5 November, we hosted an Accessible Gardening webinar with gardening enthusiast, universal access specialist and columnist, Mandy Latimore. She was joined by Jodi Bieber and Wendy Wright.
Jodi is the founder of The Veg Auntie. The company assists with establishing Urban Edible Gardens. Her husband also assists with building compost bins and raised planters. Wendy is a qualified horticulturalist with years spend growing plants commercially. She is also the owner of The Garden Gallery Café.
The panellists discussed a range of topics from whether seed or seedlings are better to soil health. Here are some of the top tips:
Soil health is your best friend
It is important to ensure that you soil is in good condition and has all the necessary nutrients for your plants to grow healthy. Working some compost and bone meal into the ground before planting your flowers or vegetables can be very helpful.
You can also give your plants some liquid feed every eight weeks (or more if your plant is struggling). This is particularly important if your plants are in pots as they lose important nutrients every time they are watered.
Beat pest with healthy, mixed plants
There are many natural ways of getting rid of pests in your garden. Tea tree oil can be used like neem oil to suffocate insects. Consider planting something that will deter the insects, like Marigold or basil. For vegetable gardens, it is important to ensure your vegetables get at least six hours of sunlight and good airflow or there will be pests.
The best thing you can do for your plant is ensure that it is healthy. A healthy plant, according to the panellists, will outgrow the pests.
Avoid root plants in trays
While trays are wonderful to germinate seeds and could be reused, not all plants do well in trays. Root vegetables like carrots are better planted directly into the ground as the trays can hinder the carrot’s growth. Other vegetables like tomatoes and peas could also easily be grown from a seedling directly in the ground.
Accessibility requires only some innovation
Gardening can be very accessible. Plants can be grown in pots of bags, in windowsills or patios. Plastic bottles with holes in can be used for watering cans. The solutions are endless and only require a bit of innovation.
For more tips, watch the full webinar here:
