Anyone who has an edible garden knows it's important to stay on top of things at this time of year, especially in the vegie patch. Get any weeds under control now, before they explode into growth. Chip weed seedlings with a hoe and then mulch.
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Plant successive crops of staple summer vegies such as lettuce, radish and cress so you have a continuous supply over the next few months. Plant salad greens in a cooler part of the garden; somewhere that gets 3-4 hours of the earliest morning sun followed by shade for the rest of the day. Full sun on hot days stresses these tender plants, causing them to taste bitter.
Plant or sow cucumber, melon, pumpkin, watermelon, squash, zucchini and gourd. Choose a sunny, sheltered position, and plant into 15cm high, well-manured mounds of soil. Apply a handful of lime or dolomite per square metre before planting cucumber, chilli, capsicum, tomato, pumpkin, watermelon or zucchini. The extra calcium helps prevent blossom end rot and increases disease resistance. Surround them with mulch 5-10cm deep, but keep it away from the base of the plant.
Plant tomatoes into compost-rich soil. Sow seedlings deeply so the lowest leaves are below ground level. They will form extra roots along the stem giving plants more access to water and nutrients and a stronger hold in the soil. Mulch with straw or lucerne.
Plant eggplant seedlings in a sunny spot in soil enriched with compost and blood and bone. Don't plant them where tomatoes, capsicum or potatoes have been grown in the past two years as they suffer from many of the same diseases.
Divide clumps of potted garlic, chives, lemongrass and mint. Repot into fresh potting mix. Saucers help to retain the moisture and prevent water draining onto the balcony but only let plants stand in the excess water for a few hours before draining.
Reactivate compost piles. Turn, add some blood and bone and grass clippings. Water so it's moist.
If you garden in pots or on a balcony, plant now for summer crops. Capsicum, eggplant, tomato, herbs and salad greens do well in pots.
The next meeting of the Armidale Garden Club is on Thursday November 26, commencing at 6:30pm with an end of year BBQ. All Covid requirements will be adhered to.