Planting in coastal areas

Soils in coastal areas are variable. They are more likely to be sandy light soils, but can also be clay. An advantage of being near the coast is the abundance of seaweed to help improve poor soils.

The best time to plant is in autumn to capture as much of the winter rain as possible so plants are established before summer.

We recommend that you soak the plant in a bucket of water before planting. Make sure the root ball is loose. Planting into a hole twice as wide and deep as the root ball is ideal if possible. Add sheep pellets to the base of the planting hole. Compost added to the soil mix will also help improve its structure and moisture-retaining properties. Water well.

Mulching around coastal plants is ideal. Best times of the year to add mulch around your plants is in late winter or early spring and again in mid-summer. Mulching keeps weeds down, retains soil moisture and improves the soil structure.

For plants that need regular watering over summer, this is best done as deep watering once a week as it is more effective than light watering every day.