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The perils of pH: watch out for alkaline commercial soil mixes

21/4/2017

The pH of your soil is critical for good plant growth. When we buy in soil we expect it's suitable for growing plants in - but amazingly, this isn't always true. In fact, the issue of alkalinity of bought soil here in Canberra doesn't seem that uncommon - I've heard from several people of similar issues, so this post is relevant for anyone who's thinking of buying in some soil!

Growing perennial leeks in Canberra

7/4/2017

The leek we're all familiar with that you can readily buy in the shops is an annual plant, meaning that new seeds need to be grown every year to grow new leeks.

But did you know that leeks have a perennial cousin?

The perennial leek is a variant of allium ampeloprasum - the other being elephant garlic. I didn't know about it either, until I happened upon a market stall on the south coast, about 2 years ago, where someone was selling a few tiny leeks in a pot. So I bought the pot and took them back, and now, a few seasons on, it's taking off! From that tiny punnet, we now have a whole bed of them! What's more - they're delicious!

The perils of pH: watch out for alkaline commercial soil mixes

Growing perennial leeks in Canberra

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