It’s finally spring planting time, and I can't wait to get going!  Now that the first frosts  have passed, we can plant all those tender vegetables from now on.  Those seedlings we’ve been nurturing on our sunny windowsills can be set free and planted in our gardens.

 

October Planting & Sowing

I’m getting set to plant my beans.  I love that they are an easy vegetable to grow, and there’s such a huge variety to choose from.

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To save on space in my garden, I use a trellis for beans and train cucumbers up as a vine.  I find they form long uniform shaped crops this way.

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Seeds you can sow

Beetroot, beans, carrots, coriander, kohlrabi, lettuce, mesclun, parsley, pumpkin, radish, spring onions and squash.  In a warm space in trays sow corn, chilli, cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum and zucchini. (As a general rule, allow eight weeks to seedling stage).

​Seedlings you can plant

Asian spinach, beans, bok choy, broccoli, capsicum, cauliflower, chilli, coriander, cucumber, eggplant, kohlrabi, lettuce, mesclun, parsley, peas, potato tubers, spring onions, tomatoes, radish, and zucchini.  (A good handful of blood and bone on planting will benefit your leafy seedlings).

 

​​Tomato Growing Tips!

We all love the joy of beautiful fresh tomatoes as part of our summer and autumn harvests.  Here's a few tips I've found that help my plants along the way.

• I plant seedlings once frosts are gone and spring winds have died down, as tomatoes really need three months of warm weather to produce well.

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• Soil and Position: Tomatoes love a sunny position. Free draining soil rich in organic matter is best. Tall varieties need protection from strong winds. Growing them against a wall, fence or trellis works well. Prepare your soil by adding blood and bone or sheep pellets.

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• Planting: Plant seedlings around 40cm apart. Plant in the soil about 2cm further up the stem than it was in the pot, (so up to the first leaves) without disturbing the roots.

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• Staking: Put in your supporting stakes at the time you plant your tomatoes.  This way you won't damage their roots as the seedlings grow.

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• Removing laterals: So your plants can focus on developing their main leaf structure and fruit, remove laterals as soon as they appear.  These appear between each leaf and the main stem.  Do this by pinching them off when they are small.  If you can, do this on a dry day so water won’t cause disease in the small stem wound. – Don’t panic if you miss these, you can trim them later successfully.  Some tomatoes seem to almost double overnight when our backs are turned!

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• Watering: Tomatoes are thirsty and hungry as they really get going and grow fast. It’s important to water often in dry weather. Water the soil at the bottom of the plant, and not the leaves and stems, as water on the plants can encourage powdery mildew or early blight.  Mulching is a great way to conserve moisture in summer too. You don’t want the soil to become too dry, and compost is ideal for this. As plants grow and become loaded with fruit their requirement for water will increase.

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• Feeding: When it comes to feeding, little and often is what works for me.  While my plants are growing I top feed with blood and bone about once a week.  Once the small fruit appears I add a weekly feed of a liquid fertilizer high in potassium for this stage of growth as this encourages more flowers (and more flowers equals more tomatoes!).  If you use a dry potassium fertilizer water thoroughly after feeding.

 

October Harvest

We're really enjoying the fresh peas, florence fennel and carrots from our garden.  Also ready to harvest in October are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, bok choy, lettuce, mizuna, mesculn,   radish, rocket, silverbeet, spinach and turnips.