Q: Because of the water restrictions and the drought I don't want to plant anything new in my garden at the moment but I'd like any advice you can give me on what I can do to prepare my soil for when I can plant again.
Is it worthwhile fertilising etc now or should I leave it alone until we start getting rain again? Marg – Runcorn
A: The best thing you can do to prepare your garden soil for the future is to enrich it with organic matter.
The easiest way to do this is to spread copious amounts of mulch on your soil. You could also spread quantities of sheep, cow or horse manure on the surface of your soil.
NOW…a point to remember…there are mulches and mulches! Some mulching material breaks down very quickly, and does not really ‘last’ very long as a mulch. These readily form a layer of organic matter, which enriches the soil. These are the ‘soft’ mulches (for want of a better word), such as sugar cane mulch, composted saw dust, straw, Lucerne hay and the like.
The ‘hard’ mulches such as pine bark, woodchip and so on last for a much greater period of time as a mulch. They take longer to break down, though they eventually will.
Which mulch to use depends on what one is trying to achieve in terms of appearance, cultural results and also on one’s pocket as some are more expensive than others.
In your case, since it is soil improvement that you are looking to, I would suggest the use of copious quantities of sugarcane mulch or Lucerne hay if you can get your hands on it. These will still require moisture to help them break down, but the odd shower of rain that we still do receive now and again, will suffice for the purpose.
No, it is not a good idea to be fertilizing your garden now…UNLESS you have the means to water your fertilizer in, AND keep the soil moist thereafter. Fertilizers need to be diluted in water for them to be absorbed by the plant, AND the plant needs to be in an active stage of growth. I would wait for the rain.
