Tick off tasks for tip top fruit

was in a corrugated iron ‘tree’ and didn’t need netting as the berries hung down away from any perch – but it was hard to feed and replant them, and they only produced enough for a tasty treat. My new strawberries were some plants my aunty had left over that I popped in under the banana trees. They went wild and multiplied a thousand-fold last year, but produced disappointingly few fruit. As it is a new bed with lots of nitrogenous compost, I’ve spent the winter feeding them ash from the fire to boost potassium levels and have been rewarded with a profusion of blossom. I have poked half hoops of alkathene pipe in the ground around them and thrown bird netting over the lot. Hopefully we will have strawberry jam this year. Now the nights are getting warmer it is finally time to get the summer veges in. A local school sold seedlings as a fundraiser this year – what a great idea! Much better than the usual offering of chocolates or pies. I have some very healthy looking zucchinis, capsicums and eggplants (the veges I don’t bother growing from seed). I’ve planted these under 2-litre plastic-bottle cloches for an extra snug start.

6. SALAD TO LAST THE ENTIRE SUMMER

I sow mesclun and rocket about every eight weeks from now until the end of summer. They are the cut-and- come-again base for daily salads.

I prepare a bed in my raised garden by sifting the top soil through an old car grille, then I sprinkle the seeds over with an old kitchen sieve, pat them down firmly (don’t cover) and water regularly.

The joy of these is that they are almost instant, popping up and ready to harvest within a month

GET GROWING

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at this time of year. Cut the leaves straight into your salad bowl once they are about 5cm high, them continue cutting them to keep them young and fresh.

Let a patch go to flower and set seed (which usually happens while you away on holiday anyway) so you have an ample supply of free seeds. Just make sure you label the plants so you know which seed is what as they all look rather similar when ready to harvest.