Essential Oils in the Garden

Tags

companion plants, Essential oil, health, insect repellant, Pest control

Essential oils play several roles in the garden. They are a natural pest deterrent and as pests carry disease in the form of bacteria and viruses, the oil’s antibacterial and antiviral properties act as a form of preventative medicine for your garden. Fungi and mould are other problems essential oils can deal with quickly and effectively.
Strong healthy plants resist disease, and essential oils build up the health of plants, an example being that roses love to be in the company of garlic, basil or thyme and you can either plant them around the bush or use their essential oil when watering them. Add 2 drops of each essential oil to your watering can, mix well and water.
Essential oils not only control pests and make your crop stronger, they improve the taste and fragrance of the plant. Ants can be deterred by peppermint. To clear a nest just put 2 neat drops of peppermint oil directly onto the nest. If ants are coming into your house put 1 or 2 drops of oil where they enter. Thyme and lavender oils protect all vegetables and can be used in your watering can.
Of course, certain insects are essential for pollination, including bees, wasps and butterflies, and using essential oils in your garden will attract these useful insects. Bees especially like coriander.
Sprays can be used as insect deterrents, to banish fungi and mildew, or to encourage growth. Use 4 – 6 drops of essential oil in 4 litres of water for spraying onto flowers, fruit and vegetables. Treated with the antifungal essential oils the mould and fungi do not survive very long and simply disappear. Patchouli, Tea Tree and Cinnamon are recommended.
Slugs can be easily deterred using essential oils. They have an acute sense of smell and hate the smell of garlic. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to your watering can, mix well and water the area where the slugs and snails are causing damage.

NATURAL PEST REPELLANTS
Insect Essential Oil
Ants – peppermint, garlic, citronella
Aphids – peppermint, cedarwood, hyssop
Black Fly – lavender, tagetes
Caterpillars – peppermint
Fleas – lemongrass, citronella, lavender
Flies – lavender, citronella, peppermint, basil
Gnats – citronella, patchouli
Lice – peppermint, cedarwood
Mosquitoes – lavender, citronella, lemongrass
Slugs – garlic, cedar wood, pine
Snails – cedarwood, pine, garlic, hyssop
Ticks – thyme, citronella, sage
Weevils – sandalwood, citronella, sage

GOOD COMPANIONS
Vegetable Essential Oil
Asparagus basil
Green beans lavender, basil
Beetroot marjoram
Broccoli basil, thyme
Cabbage peppermint, sage, thyme
Cauliflower thyme
Celery geranium
Cucumber sage
Leeks hyssop
Lettuce tagetes
Onions chamomile
Peas geranium
Potatoes basil, sage
Tomatoes basil

The Blue Marguerite

Tags

Africa, blue marguerite, Cape Town, companion plants, Felicia amelliodes, flower spider, flying insects, Marguerite, Pollen, pollen grains, Provinces, sandy soils, South Africa, Western Cape

The Blue Marguerite (Felicia Ameliodes) is an eye catching indigenous edition to any garden here in the Western Cape. It flowers most of the year, and reseeds itself all over the garden. The seedlings are easily harvested and transplanted to where they are needed.

It is extremely water-wise and tolerates the Western Cape winds. It is hardy, long flowering, and even frost resistant and needs only moderate care, thriving in sandy soils.

• Good companion plants include Scabiosa africana , S. “Blue Butterfly” S. “Pink Mist”, variousHelichrysium species, Agapanthus species and cultivars, and Bulbine frutescense.

Ecology
Felicias are visited by bees and small flying insects, such as wasps and butterflies. They also have tiny thrips running around the florets, usually carrying pollen grains on their bodies. Sometimes a bright yellow ‘flower’ spider lurks in the daisy’s center, matching the disc florets perfectly. Whatever animal achieves pollination, it is generally very successful as full heads of seed are the norm.

 Felicia amelloides can be seen on one of our South African stamps.

May Elemental Organic growing workshop – The Winter Garden

Tags

Beetroot, Bright light Spinach, coke bottles, companion plants, course participants, food gardening, home grown, nasturtium, potatoes, tires, worm

 

Meet Dominique and Nuri the participants on last Saturday’s workshop.

We covered subject from a huge spectrum of gardening advice and teachings.

Both ladies were very enthusiastic and eager for more knowledge.

 

When we finally got down to creating the veggie garden, we opted to plant a “Winter Garden”.

The pot was divided into 4 and four tires were placed in each quarter. The soil was enriched with compost, 4 x  2l coke bottles were planted for watering. (The bottles will have pipe added to the top when the next tires are added) Sprouting potatoes were chosen and 4 planted in each tire. In the remaining space the ground was prepared and beetroot and Spinach Bright lights were sown. On the 4 corners, Nasturtium seedlings were transplanted to four companion plants.

We even had Tim from last month’s course arrive to check on the  Worm garden.

To avoid disappointment, as space is limited, book now for the next course which will be held 8th June.

email : aristonorganic@gmail.com