The Summer Planting Guide

Summer opens up new opportunities in the veggie patch that didn't exist while the erratic spring weather was doing its thing. Here are some of our favourite heat loving varieties that are primed to plant now;

1. Chillies: Heat is key for growing chilies and they require a hot, sun drenched space, preferably up against a heat reflecting wall that helps to collect extra rays of warmth. Those in cooler climates often produce the best chillies in hoop houses or any other insulated environment. However, do not let its infatuation with heat throw the basic demands of the plant. Even the toughest dudes need food and water to survive and the chilli is no exception. Chilli is known to be an aphrodisiac but to arrive there you have to be persistent. For a long time you may just burn your mouth and ruin your meals, but there will be a turning point when you begin to understand just how sexy a chilli can be.

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Chilli plants by nature aren't geared up for hiberation, but that's not to say they can't. Surely if a living, breathing creature the size of a bear can sleep in a hole for 6 months and come out the other side alive, so can a plant.

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You see you can get everything right - you can choose the right space, have the best quality potting mix, and what's more, a plant in the peak of its season - but time and time again it is water that derails the entire operation; more specifically, people not able to find the time to water their plants.

Wicking beds use the age old idea of capillary action to draw moisture through the soil from a reservoir below. That way plants then decide when to use water and how much to use. After initial surface watering to get them set up, the gardeners' ongoing challenge (and a much more manageable one) is to keep the reservoir topped up. This becomes a fortnightly job, rather than a daily job where the process normally falls over. 

A few years ago we teamed up with Glowpear and our friends at Taxi Dining Room to embark on a 3-month self-watering challenge where we tested just what can be grown in a single unit, over the peak of summer. Most people assume that come summer, starting a veggie patch is gardening insanity. This challenge was designed to prove otherwise.

Self-Watering Systems in our shop.

Learn more about self-watering beds in another post Wicking Beds 101

Related videos:

Self-Watering Challenge: Finale

Self-Watering Challenge: Month 3

Self-Watering Challenge: Month 2

Music:
"La Fata Morgana (con Lucrecia Dalt)
Los Amparito
losamparito.bandcamp.com

With more than 3000 varieties, there is one for everyone and the tomato you fall in love with could as easily be red and round, as it could be purple and brain-shaped.

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Christmas comes early for the edible gardener and it arrives at the break of spring. Just like the build up to Saint Nick’s big day, it is prolonged; drawn out by a calendar of events that keep reminding us that it’s just around the corner.

Each falls with the inevitability of a domino upon the next. It gathers momentum with the break of magnolias and fragrance hit of jasmine, and then approaches path’s end with the arrival of the blossoms. It begins with the almonds, closely followed by cherries and then plums. Then comes the rest, although by that stage everyone is too preoccupied to notice. September 1 - the calendar beginning to the silly season has no doubt sprung - and we’re all too busy emptying our stockings of goodies into the edible garden.

The way you approach spring is typically reflected by your maturity as a gardener, however just like Christmas, it has a habit of regressing us back to a childlike state. With eyes too big for our future stomachs it’s easy to get distracted by the lights that shine brightly now. So as the dominos continue to fall towards its break this year, we present our spring strategy to help you get the most out of the season.

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