The Summer Productive Garden can be challenging with higher water demands and fruit burn an issue in some regions.  The soil in your vegetable garden should be your priority all year round, with regular additions of compost (homemade or bought products such as mushroom compost) essential to maintain soil health and its ability to hold moisture.  Along with an organic mulch, such as sugar cane mulch, the organic matter within the soil layer aids in retaining all the precious water you add to your productive garden.  Constant moisture ensures healthy plants that are more resistant to heat stress and disease, therefore are more productive.

Consider Irrigation

When you water your vegetable garden it is important to conserve supplies.  Utilize the cooler mornings and evenings to ensure less evaporation.  If you don’t already have one, plan to install a water tank off the house or nearby structure like the cook pen to collect fresh rain water for your patch.  Fitted with an irrigation system, this makes for easy watering ensuring success in this busy world.

Composting

One of the wonderful benefits of the warmer weather is your ability to make more compost for the garden.  Gather all the green waste you can get your hands on (even friend’s & family’s) and secure your soils future health.  Learn more about composting here.

Summer Plantings

Your Summer Productive Garden brings many opportunities for a wide range of plantings.  The warmer weather sees tomato, capsicum, eggplant and cucumbers thriving.  Pumpkins should be sown now for a bumper crop next year.  Salad greens will do well under a shade structure.  Herbs like parsley, dill, chives & thyme will all be thriving now but remember to isolate them a little as they won’t want as much water as other things.  If you have room, Lemon grass makes a wonderful addition to the veggie patch with stems used for cooking and steeped leaves refreshing cups of tea with their subtle flavour.  Consider erecting some shade cloth over your veggie bed to provide some relief from the burning heat.

Don’t Forget The Worms

Your worm farm should not be forgotten at this time of year.  It may need to be relocated to ensure they have a cool spot out of the heat of the sun.  Utilize their castings & juice all year round (as it becomes available) to ensure your soil’s buzzing with vitality.

Though the heat can cause issues with plantings, once we head into late Summer, make the most of what productivity we have until then and take time early in the new year to start planning your Autumn plantings and preparing empty beds for new plantings.

Getting Thought The Festive Season

Life can get really busy this time of year so take some time now to safeguard your garden for the coming weeks/months.  Getting few necessary jobs done now along with implementing a few of our little tricks will ensure your garden will look wonderful after the Xmas Tinsel comes down.

 

 

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