Smarty Plants - Plants for Kids
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What is controlled release fertiliser?

Controlled release fertiliser are tiny granules called prills that are packed with food for plants which they release gradually over a long length of time.  They are really useful when gardening because they can be applied to a pot or a garden and feed the plants for between 3 and 6 months. A prill of […]

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What is liquid fertiliser?

Vegetables, herbs and flowers are almost all annuals which means that they grow very fast but for just one season.  But, the faster they grow the more they need to be fed! In gardening, feeding plants is called fertilising.  To fertilise plants we use fertiliser which has lots of nutrients in them. Liquid fertiliser is […]

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What is seaweed extract?

Seaweed extract is not a fertiliser for plants but a tonic – a bit like a multivitamin.  It is actually made from seaweed that is harvested from areas of the ocean where the seaweed is overgrown. Products with seaweed in them are almost magical for a vegie and flower garden.  Even though they aren’t a […]

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How to Make Compost

Compost is a mixture of decaying organic matter such as leaves, manure and kitchen scraps which, once it has broken down, is used to improve the soil in the garden.  It is rich in nutrients and when it is mixed through the garden bed it provides food for the plants, encourages worms into the garden […]

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Composts and Manure

Compost is gold for the garden! It does wonderful things to the soil such as helps it hold water better, encourages worms and other good bugs to live in the soil and it has lots of nutrients in it which the roots suck up like a sponge.  The best thing about compost is that you […]

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Problems with the Compost

Making compost is just like baking a cake but sometimes you get the ingredients wrong and it just doesn’t work out.  Luckily, it can be fixed! Question: Why is the compost so slow to break down? Compost needs to be warm for the microbes inside to start breaking everything down so if it’s winter or […]

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The Blog!

  • Gardening’s not rocket science!

    Years ago, when our parents planted out their vegie patches, they turned over the soil, mixed some sheep manure through,...

    08 Dec,13
  • Have fun with your food!

    Just because I’m a grown up doesn’t mean that I can’t play with my food! The other day, I became...

    05 Dec,13
  • Little Halloween Pumpkin Heads

    Did you manage to grow some pumpkins for Halloween this year?  Don’t worry if you didn’t as they’re still available...

    28 Oct,13
  • Crazy Capsicums

    Capsicums are a confusing vegetable; not least because they are actually a fruit!  But also because they are related to...

    20 Oct,13
  • Take broccoli off the table!

    Since the beginning of time parents have been asking the age old question, ‘How do I get my kids to...

    06 Oct,13
  • Garden Gnomes are Back

    Yay! Garden Gnomes are back! Where have they been all these years?  I imagine that, having been discarded by gardeners...

    18 Sep,13
  • Planting a Bare-rooted Fruit Tree

    It’s winter! It’s time to plant an orchard!  You can do this at any time of the year but in...

    06 Jun,13
  • Warheads v. Radishes!

    Why will kids turn up their noses at radishes but they’ll eat Warhead candies?  Or they refuse to eat Brussels...

    03 May,13
  • Room to Move

    I get a bit peeved when I watch some gardening shows or read gardening books that tell people that they...

    26 Apr,13
  • Veg Out!

    Veg out!  Don’t you just love vegging out?  Sitting on the sofa doing absolutely nothing except watching a bit of...

    08 Feb,13
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