Late spring brings with it a taste of revelries to come: zucchinis burst rebelliously out of their beds, sweet-scented roses hint at midsummer, and the season of the veggie patch glut awaits.
And just like that, summer is almost upon us. There’s an inkling of festive silliness in the air. We’re itching for picnics in the park and to carouse by the firepot on a balmy night. We can almost taste the tomatoes, basil, and potatoes, and our thoughts are interrupted by sudden bursts of kitchen inspiration.
Veggie patch
At the end of spring, we’re in green leafy vegetable heaven. Lettuce, kale, spinach, silverbeet, and rocket are in their prime, fines herbes are at their finest and your summer crops are starting to settle in. As the veggie patch gives us an abundance of food, it’s important to consider the nutrients we’re returning to the soil. Top-dressing at this time of year is a good idea for gross feeders such as cabbages, as is providing trace minerals and probiotics to feed all the wonderful microorganisms in the soil that will eventually nourish our gut biomes.
Tomato patches should get a good dose of lime, such as garden lime or gypsum, to protect forming fruit from blossom-end rot. Indeterminate tomatoes (tomatoes that continue to grow and produce fruit through the season) will require staking to keep them strong and to support heavy fruit. Be sure to read labels and use stakes of an adequate height, as different tomatoes grow to varying heights. Dave’s Seed has an awesome technique of planting tomatoes in cages, which keeps plants supported and provides some protection from grazing visitors.
Most flowering plants, such as zucchinis, cucumbers, and peas, would also benefit from a dose of sulphate of potash to really get those blooms cranking. Don’t forget to check that your potatoes aren’t poking out of the soil. Earth them up every few weeks so they can keep forming in all that good dirt.
Mulching
If October taught us anything, it’s that strong winds can dry out a garden bed faster than you can blink. The warmth of summer brings with it powerful sea breezes that, when coupled with heat, will leave plants begging for a drink. Water early in the day or later in the afternoon when the sun is less intense, and mulch garden beds thoroughly to preserve as much moisture as possible.
General maintenance
Trim hedges now and give them a feed, allowing time for fresh growth before summer, when they’ll face water loss and heat stress. It’s also a great time to resow your lawn and top-dress with compost or chook poo to keep it looking lush. Deadhead your spring flowers and introduce summer-flowering perennials such as delphiniums, verbena, and salvias. Plants, such as buddlejas, lavender, and penstemons, flourish in summer and have the added benefit of being mostly ignored by local wildlife.
Give your pond a refresh by removing algae and checking on existing plants. If your fish need more protection, consider adding plants they can hide under, such as waterlilies. Browse our latest range of water plants in-store.
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. Keep potted hostas in saucers and top them up with water overnight to protect leaves from snails. Plant decoys such as nasturtiums to divert cabbage moths away from brassicas, and dill to lure aphids away from roses and ranunculi. For more strategies, check out our article on integrated pest management.
Kitchen experiments
Sweet peas are coming into abundance now, which makes it the perfect time to experiment with springtime recipes. Try Raymond Blanc’s sweet pea risotto, a no-waste recipe which uses every part of pea, or if you’re more of a pasta person, give Chuck Cruz’s sweet pea and miso-filled pasta a go.
Sow carrots for a harvest of rainbow carrots and give Yotam Ottolenghi’s Grilled Carrots with Labneh and Dukkah a try. As the weather warms up, it makes it a bit harder to keep the surface moist enough for small seeds to germinate. Place a plank on your carrot patch to keep the moisture in the soil and lift it up in 7-10 days to welcome your new baby carrot seedlings to the fold.
The end of spring also heralds the arrival of garlic scapes, which should be snapped off the stalk to prevent all of the plant’s energy going into flower production. Don’t throw the scapes in the compost, though. Add them to stir fries, make an extra garlicky pesto, pickle them to add to your summer charcuterie board or make garlic scape fries.
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What to plant now |
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Sow direct |
Artichoke, asparagus, beetroot, burdock, carrot, chicory, climbing beans, coriander, daikon, dill, dwarf beans, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard greens, parsnip, potato, radish, rocket, salsify, silverbeet, sunflower, sweet corn, wombok cabbage |
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Sow in trays |
Celeriac, celery, cucumber, parsley, pumpkin, rosella, warrigal greens, zucchini |
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Plant |
Angelica, artichoke, asparagus seedlings, basil, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, chicory, chilli, chives, climbing beans, cucumber, dwarf beans, leek, luffa, mint, parsley, pumpkin, rhubarb, rockmelon, rosemary, silverbeet, strawberry, sunflower, sweet corn, thyme |
