Vege patch to-do list
This month’s moon calendar, and edible crops to sow and tend now.
• Autumn is nature’s planting time.
There’s (hopefully) some rain but it’s cool enough that the moisture isn’t whipped right out of the soil. It’s warm enough that plants can establish well, but not so hot that they are immediately under heat stress. Plus anything planted now can gently settle in before the cold winter weather arrives, so it’s all set up to rocket away when it warms up in spring. It’s a great time to plant trees and shrubs, or take semi-hardwood cuttings (from the likes of camellias, rhodos, hebes, daphnes and herbs such as bay, lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme). Autumn is also when you can start a new lawn (or thicken up an existing one). And, of course, early autumn is when you want to plant all your edible crops for late autumn and winter. So harden your heart and rip out any exhausted tomatoes and powdery mildew-affected zucchinis to make space and direct sow broad beans, peas, coriander, lettuce, parsnips, radishes, rocket, spinach, pak choy, carrots, beetroot and silverbeet. You can sow cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and parsley in trays now too and transplant into the garden as seedlings. If there is any bare soil left, cover it with thickly sown broad beans, blue lupin, bee-friendly phacelia, mustard or whatever cover crop seed you happen to have handy.
• Apples, pears and figs should be ripe.
It’s a faff but covering individual fruit with the little organza gift bags you can buy from $2 shops is totally worth it – it prevents birds getting to the fruit, plus covering as soon as possible after fruit set can stop guava and codling moth laying eggs on the fruit and the larva burrowing their way inside. I also use the Protect Your Crop drawstring organza mesh bags (look at your garden centre or box store). They come in a variety of sizes including bigger bags you can use to cover a whole branch or even a whole tree (I think the biggest size is 3m x 3m). The big bags are an investment, yes, but you could use them over your trees for years and years, and throw them over your vege beds in spring to keep out slugs, snails, aphids, whitefly and caterpillars and more too.
• Still got toms? Try this salsa recipe!
This recipe came from a reader ages ago and every year I make heaps – it’s miles better than the bought stuff. Chop 1.5kg tomatoes, 3 onions, 7 cloves of garlic and add it all to a pot with 3-6 teaspoons of minced chilli (or more… I add loads), 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until reduced (45 minutes or so), then add 3 chopped capsicums, cook until they’re soft, pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.