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In the Vegetable Patch: It’s time to plant summer vegetables.

Are you a new gardener and inspired to start a vegetable patch, but don’t know where to start?

There are five steps to consider when starting a patch from scratch. Position, garden bed construction, crop rotation, soil preparation, and feeding. Get this combination right and you'll be harvesting a bumper crop in no time

 


For more information on starting a vegie patch from scratch read the article here.

Our list of jobs to keep your vegetable garden pumping!

  • Pick garlic when leaves start to die off at the base. Don’t wait for all leaves to die as they will store better. Hang the bulbs in a warm, airy and shaded spot for 3 weeks to cure. Garlic takes 5 to 8 months from planting to harvest.

  • If your garden is in pots, plant an eggplant seedling in a large pot and check daily for moisture. Compact varieties are best for pots. A tomato cage can be installed at the time of planting to support the plant as it produces fruit. Don’t let you pot dry out. Glazed and plastic pots don’t dry out as quickly as terracotta.

  • Feed passionfruit and citrus with a pelleted organic fertiliser like Gyganic (Neutrog).

  • Plant clumps of strongly scented herbs such as thyme, chives, winter savory, marjoram to discourage pests from invading your vegetable patch. These herbs will attract beneficial insects like native bees, once they come into flower.

  • Plant comfrey near your compost heap so it can absorb leached nutrients. Comfrey leaves contain high levels of potassium and phosphorus, good for encouraging summer vegetables: tomato, zucchini, eggplant and capsicum. Make a tea with the leaves, dilute 1:8 and water your plants. Remember that comfrey leaves are poisonous. Click here for our comfrey tea recipe.