Tea Tree or not to Tea Tree

Real World Gardener 2RRR 88.5 fm Wed. 5pm, Sat. 12noon
Feature Interview: Talking to Peter Kinnard from Northern rivers tea tree plantation. Peter talks about the benefits of using tea tree mulch-moisture retention, adding nutrients to the soil, and enables rain penetration around the roots of the plant. Mulch thickness recommended 2-3 inches or 5-7 cm.
Tea tree Oil placed on ant trail deters ant: on end of broom deters spiders.
Vegetable Hero: Beans-Phaseolus vulgaris.To grow beans you  need up to four months of warm weather. Beans, either climbing or Dwarf Beans, sometimes called French Beans, don’t like the cold at all Beans are best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 30°C. so planting them from now on is good.. Easy to grow. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. About 2.5cm or  1-inch or depending on the size of the bean I guess.Go easy on the fertiliser or you’ll get lots of leaves and no beans. the most important nutritional fact for beans is that they provide a major source of soluble fibre, which, when passing through the digestive tract grabs and traps bile that contains cholesterol, removing it from the body before it's absorbed
Design Elements. Introduction to "Structure in the Garden."
Listen to the podcast: http://realworldgardener.podbean.com
Plant of the Week:Babiana anbd Bluebells.Bluebells Botanical name: Scilla hispanica Spanish Bluebell, and Hycinthoides Hispanic for English Bluebell.  Family: Liliaceae. Plant/bulb type: True bulb Planting time: Late Summer to Autumn. Height: 20cm tall.      Depth & spacing: 6cm deep & 5-10cm apart. Aspect: Full sun to half shade. Filtered light is well tolerated. Soil: Well drained. Rich soil is ideal if you are going to allow the bulbs to naturalise.Flowering time: Early Spring.After flowering care: These bulbs can be left undisturbed for years. Comments: Also known as the “wood hyacinth” this bulb is wonderful when planted in drifts, large clumps, pockets or pots.The English Bluebell is usually found in woods. It is unusual to find it on open ground. When the flowers are fully formed, the stalk of English Bluebells curves downwards to give its characteristic look. One why to help identify an English Bluebell is to see if all the flowers are in the same side of the stalk. As all the flowers on an English Bluebell are on the same side of the stalk, the effect of gravity pulls the stalk over into a beautiful curve.    The Spanish Bluebell is usually found open ground. It is unusual to find it in woods. When the flowers are fully formed, the stalk of Spanish Bluebells is straight. One why to help identify an Spanish Bluebell is to see if the flowers are all around the stalk. As all the flowers on an Spanish Bluebell are on the same side of the stalk and the stalk is thicker than the English Bluebell, the effect of gravity does not operate in the same way on the Spanish Bluebell so that it keeps its characteristic straight stalk.
ALL BULBS CULTIVATION NOTES:
Spring flower bulbs are very simple to grow & most have similar requirements so that once you understand the basics you can grow almost any bulbs with ease.Planting time: For best results, plant Spring flower bulbs April to May (Australia). This allows both the weather and the soil to cool.
What's On:Granny Smith festival, Saturday 16th October, Easwood Plaza.
2RRR will be broadcasting "live," from Eastwood Mall.
Real World Gardener will be going "live" at 12 noon!