This Easter long weekend was a great time to get out in the garden, and I tackled a bank that I've been meaning to plant out for some time. I was delighted to turn the soil and find it full of nice fat earthworms doing their job.
It's a far cry from when I first started four years ago, digging into shale or clay, with not a worm in sight. Back then I had quite a ritual for planting. I'd dig a good size hole with the crowbar and post-hole digger, add some water crystals, fertiliser, gypsum (to break up the clay), then pop in the plant and fill the hole with a quality garden soil from the local landscape supplier.
Rather than all this trouble, I've found it far more effective to prepare the soil beforehand. I usually cover the ground with manure, sprinkle with gypsum, cover with mulch and then leave for at least 3 - 6 months to compost. When it comes to planting, I pretty much just dig a hole and put in the plant.
I planted Grevillea Forest Rambler this weekend, a low wide-spreading cover which is easy to grow and excellent for those sloping banks. The earthworms are happy and the plants are happier.
