Aug 25 2011
Hunter valley wine tours; much more than wine tasting
Being an avid lover of wine, on planning my vacation, I decided to look into the hunter valley accommodation. Here, I was sure that would not only get a well deserved vacation but would also learn more about wines. All this I had at the end of my 3 weeks there but I was also a better gardener at the end of the day because of the tours I had with the staff at the vine yard gardens. So I thought that it would only be great that I shared it with you.
If you spend some time in preparation, planting a backyard garden can be a fun and rewarding experience. Alternatively, insufficient planning can twist your hard work into a bad experience with poor results. So that you can have a productive garden, you have to do some careful preparation and a lot of hard work.
You do not need to have a sizable plot of land to have a great garden, and you could find that you may neglect some plants if you do have one. To be successful, you simply must be able to manage what you have instead of overdoing it. The spot you end up picking for your garden needs to be sunny, and have a source of water nearby. At least six hours of sunshine is needed, because most vegetables like full sun. Good, rich garden soil will make your gardening much easier, so look for a spot with the soil neutral in pH, with lots of organic material, well-drained, and fertile soil. Whenever you can find the ideal soil, it’ll have 45% mineral matter, 25% water, 25% air, and 5% organic matter.
When your soil does not meet the standard, then you may have to work on the soil a bit. Even though organic material only constitute a small percentage, having the right organic material can have an impact on your garden. Whether you are utilizing sandy, humus or clay type of soil, adding organic matter will help it tremendously. Two to three inches of the organic matter must be spread over the soils surface, and it will break up clay, and help hold water in sandy soil. Well-rotted manure, grass clippings, sawdust, peat moss, and leaves tend to be some of the good sources of organic matter.
The addition of nitrogen fertilizer helps with the decomposition process of the organic materials, and so you will want to use it along with the organic mulch. Next thing to do before planting your garden will be to completely till the soil. By doing this, you will be able to have air circulate within the soil and keep it from hardening so the roots can grow. Be sure not to till the soil in early spring when the soil may be muddy because it will cause mud clods. Once the soil is ready, you will plant vegetables or fruits that are proper for the time of year. Make sure to read the seed package to find out if the item you want to plant is in season or not.
Growing your garden can be a fun time, and also a profitable one when your fruits and vegetables grow to the stage you can pick them and feed them to your family. So long as you prepare your garden in the proper way, you are almost assured of a good harvest when the time comes.
So, to all those that thought that hunter valley wine tours was all about tasting wine, so sorry. I learnt more about gardening than I had ever learned from an agricultural tour.
