August is the time of year to start planning for the spring, summer and autumn seasons in the vege garden. Throughout July I was busy weeding and turning over the soil in my patch and digging in compost and sheep pellets. Now it is finally time to begin some plantings.
August and September are surprising months in that they can be lovely and warm and sometimes windy, frosty and wet so you have to be careful when planting out because some vulnerable seeds and seedlings might just keel over. I plan to sow pumpkin but this will have to wait until October when all risk of frost has gone. August permits planting of some of the more hardier vegetables like brocolli and cauliflower. By raising seeds first in trays under shelter and then planting out in five to six weeks they will be nice and strong for the September weather. Cauli and Brocolli grown at this time in the year are also fruiting well before the white butterfly is around so these will most likely be the plamts you get your best crops from.
I have also purchased my early crop seed potatoes and yams which I have put in a warm spot in my laundry to sprout and I will plant these out in October. Carrots are a hardy vegetable and I plan to make succesive sowings of these each month up until April so we have carrots almost year round, I am going to take the effort to plant each seed nicely spaced this time because it is fiddly work to thin them out later.
I am also going to try my hands at some companion planting. I have heard that by planting flowers in your vege garden it attracts good insect predators that will get rid of nasty bugs and will pollinate your vegetable flowers if you would like seed. Fennel and Marigolds in particular are said to emit a smell that deters the bugs that can make a mess of our veges.
Because I don't have a lot of space in my vege garden I have opted for tyre planters (as a cheap option and free from your local beaurepaires, although I am a little worried about leaching chemicals) for planting my smaller crops such as lettuces, aparagus, onions, courgette and garlic. Some of the early crop peas have already been planted straight into the garden bed and will climb a trellis I purchased from Bunnings along with beans that I will sow when it gets warmer. The cauliflower I planted in autumn are ready for picking I just have to think of a nice meal to put them in.
The Vege Plot Plan - Although I am certain it will change
Almost blank canvas.
The strawberrys will be moved to a wall basket and mulched with pine needles (last year I had a lot of trouble with unripe fruit rotting)
Asparagus crowns have been planted and should be ready to harvest in summer
My challenge this year is to grow eggplant. I love this vegetable in vegetarian lasagne and it would be awesome if I could get it to grow in Dunedin. But I have been told it doesn't fair well in our cooler climate, so Thomas might have to build me a mini greenhouse!
Eggplant can take up to 4 months to begin bearing fruit and therefore needs a long season so sow eggplant seed indoors at least 8 to 10 weeks before the last expected frost. Harden off seedlings, then transplant them to the sunniest part of your garden when all danger of frost has passed. Stake tall varieties to keep the fruits off the ground.
Pinch back new blossoms about three weeks before the first expected frost. This will channel the plants' energy into maturing existing fruits rather than producing new ones that won't survive the frost.Start picking eggplants as soon as they're big enough to use, and keep picking them till the fruits lose their gloss. If they're brown and hard, you've waited too long.
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