There’s much to be done in the garden in between beach days, Christmas lunches and cocktail parties.
Summer is here — or is it? Whichever way the weather turns, Tasmanians have a knack for embracing the season, with or without any real evidence of sunshine. Summer is the season of flowers: tomatoes are budding, zucchinis are blooming, and unfortunately, so are your spinach, coriander, and kale. It’s time to pull out the spring veggies and replenish the patch with summer goodness.
Veggie patch
It’s been a slow start to the growing season, with spring plantings of beans, tomatoes and cucumbers looking rather worse for wear. Supplement your plantings with applications of seaweed tonic to help thicken plant cell walls and encourage strong root growth, and give plants a dose of quick-acting liquid fertiliser to spur fresh growth. If your seedlings aren’t getting a wiggle on, it’s not too late to plant more tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and zucchinis.
Is it too early to pull out your garlic? The only way to know is to gently remove the soil around a bulb and feel for the cloves. If they’re well defined and the plant looks a good size, it’s ready! If your garlic isn’t quite there yet, reduce watering and allow the plants to finish forming cloves in a dry environment. Once you’ve harvested your crop, place the bulbs in a cool, dry place in a single layer and allow them to cure and dry thoroughly before storing them for the year ahead.
If you’re the type of gardener who finds themselves strapped for something to do on Boxing Day, head out into the patch and sow Brussels sprouts seeds. The end of December is the perfect time to direct-sow for a winter harvest. Be sure to support your sprouts with plenty of fertiliser and water to help them through the harsh summer weather. If you’ve got a glasshouse, plant heat-loving favourites such as sweet potato slips and okra now.
General maintenance
A little tidy-up is in order before you invite the in-laws over. Deadhead flowers, snip off wayward growth, and pull out tired annuals. Add sulphate of potash to flower beds to encourage more blooms, and fertilise plants such as daphnes, camellias, citrus, hellebores and anything else that’s looking yellow or hungry.
Take a walk around the garden and look for empty spaces that could use a pop of colour. Perennials such as dahlias, salvias, penstemons, delphiniums and agastache are all great additions to the summer garden. Spruce up outdoor social areas with mixed plantings in pots, or opt for hanging baskets of Rozanne geraniums, lobelias or fuchsias. Check out our article on hanging baskets for inspiration.
Saving water in summer
Tassie’s harsh summer sun and sea breezes make for an unforgiving combination when it comes to protecting the garden. The best way to conserve water over the next three months is to mulch thoroughly to reduce evaporation and keep plant roots moist. A 3–5 cm layer is ideal, taking care to keep mulch away from plant stems. Targeted watering with drip irrigation will also help, as will watering either first thing in the morning or in the early evening. And while a lush green lawn is perfect for summer cricket and picnics, overwatering it isn’t. Keep your lawn slightly longer than usual to reduce evaporation and minimise the need to water.
Take note of the ways you use water in the home and how you can redirect it to the garden. Leftover water from the kids’ drink bottles, the water you use to rinse rice, and even placing a bucket in the shower to catch water while it warms up are simple but effective ways to save water for your plants.
Deterring grazing wildlife
There’s nothing worse than going away for a few days to come back to a crop decimated by the local wildlife. The grass is still green as we head into early summer, however, it won’t be long until the bush begins to dry out and our wildlife pals start to venture into your garden.
Installing exclusion fencing or netting now will save you from heartache later on in the season. Using rabbit wire, with the addition of rabbit netting buried up to 150mm into the ground, has been shown to be an effective control against rabbits, wallabies and possums.
Pests
Cabbage moth, cabbage white butterflies, whitefly, pear and cherry slugs, aphids, and scale are some of the cheeky pests that are rampant this time of year. For more strategies, check out our article on integrated pest management.
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What to plant now |
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Sow direct |
Angelica, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, burdock, carrot, climbing beans, dwarf beans, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, oca, potato, pumpkin, radish, silverbeet, squash, sunflower, wombok cabbage |
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Plant |
Angelica, basil, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, celeriac, celery, chilli, chives, climbing beans, cucumber, dwarf beans, eggplant, fennel, garlic chives, Jerusalem artichoke, leek, lettuce, mint, mustard greens, parsley, pumpkin, rock melon, rosella, rosemary, sage, salsify, silverbeet, squash, sunflower, thyme, tomatillo, tomato, watermelon, warrigal greens, wombok cabbage, zucchini |
