There's no doubt about it, our gardens (and pets) have certainly been feeling the love during the weeks of lockdown.
With more Australians venturing out into their backyards and tending to their plants, we've seen a resurgence of green thumbs keen to get stuck into gardening again.
Social and therapeutic horticulturalist Dean Gaston works in-house with South Australian retirement living and aged care provider ECH, helping thousands of residents with their gardening and outdoor needs.
He said ECH has seen a large increase in the number of older residents taking up gardening and outdoor hobbies during COVID-19 and that he's been flat-out tending to the many requests for help.
Now as we start to emerge from this COVID-19 lockdown, and restrictions are eased across the country, Dean said it is still important to maintain your gardening and carry on tending to your plants and vegie patches - not only for your garden's sake but for your health too.
"Plants and gardens have a restorative effect, helping to boost your mood and relieve stress," Dean said. "Spending time actively or passively in the garden releases feel-good chemicals from the brain, which brings joy and happiness."
Here Dean shares his top five tips for happy winter gardening:
1. Happy soil equals happy plants
Adding compost and organic matter to your soil helps give it good structure, water retention and adds valuable nutrients. There are more living organisms in a handful of soil than there are people on earth, which all help to balance out the soil and keep it healthy.
2. Make it easy and enjoyable
There are some great ways to make your time in the garden simpler and more enjoyable. The addition of raised plant beds, or using tools that are extendable, can make it easier to reach your plants. Consider adapting your gardening tools to make the handles wider using some foam and tape if hand strength is compromised.
Small spouts that can be screwed on to a plastic drinking bottle are available from some local hardware stores, providing an easier way to water by squeezing the bottle. You can also make your own by drilling a hole into an existing bottle top. A range of secateurs come with a ratchet mechanism which can make that pruning job much easier.
3. Biodiversity equals balance
When a garden has lots of different species of plants, the good bugs help to control the bad bugs, by acting as predators. A balanced garden provides a good habitat. Why not build an insect hotel for the workforce of good bugs. Not only is it a fun exercise, but they look great in your garden!
4. Get planting
Garlic, silverbeet, radishes, salad plants and chard can all be planted this time of year. Your garden is a living thing and sometimes parts of it need a rest, so always look to the next season and plan your future crop or plant.
Consider adding in a cover crop. They can put valuable nutrients into your soil and even help inoculate it against disease for future plantings, while feeding the organisms under the ground.
5. Be happy
Our gardens crave positive care - just like us. Remember, the more you give your garden, the more you'll get out of it.
Community gardens
ECH resident Von recently started up a community garden. She loves making bokashi - a form of composting that you can keep on your kitchen bench. Her neighbours are getting involved by supplying their leftover vegetable scraps for compost.
Von is also enjoying creating her own worm farms, which she's made from storm PVC pipe (800mm long and 100mm wide) with holes drilled in one end, which is placed into the soil. A cap is put on the top after a handful of worms are put in with some shredded newspaper.
She then feeds the worms with kitchen scraps, which they eventually decompose, turning the scraps into valuable nutrients for her plants and soil.
While in South-East Queensland, Elmore and Rae Lloyd, together with friends Dennis and Deslyn Law, have been getting stuck in to the community garden at Bolton Clarke's Westhaven retirement village.
For them it's not just a chance to grow not just food and flowers, but friends too.
"It's nice to have our surrounds looking bright and fresh and that's what the garden does. It's calming. Good for the soul and for the spirit," said Elmore.
Rae said they get to grow lots of vegetables and share them around with others.
"Gardening is so relaxing - you lose yourself when you get in there. It's great therapy," she said.
To help pollinate their gardens, Elmore and Rae have two native stingless beehives in their backyard, and another up in the shared veggie patch.
"We haven't had any honey yet," says Rae. "Native bees don't produce much, and they've been keeping it to themselves, but we don't mind."
It's a sentiment and second passion shared with Dennis and Deslyn, who brought their beehive with them down from Maryborough when they made a 'tree change' to Westhaven.
"The garden is an ongoing blessing," says Deslyn. "You can go up there and you know you are part of a great community."
They are planning to add a worm farm next.
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