October signals mid-spring and there is plenty to do in the garden!
Spring crops and flowers will be starting to appear so it’s time to plant more to ensure a continuous supply of delicious veges, juicy fruit and fragrant floral displays that will last you into the summer months!
Tomatoes are one of the most popular crops in this group and Labour weekend is traditional planting time for these. This crop is certainly most worthwhile planting considering the huge cost of buying any at present. Plant these and other tall crops (eg sweetcorn) at the southern end of your vege patch so they don’t shade smaller crops. Space seedlings of staking tomatoes 50-60cm apart.
Use our organic humate when planting your veges – the results will astound you! Just a handful in each pot or hole in the soil is all you need. Another great option to consider that will maximise the humate in the soil is to make up a solution in a bucket of Daves Liquid humate (available in 1L and 250ml bottles). Dip the roots of the young plants into the mix (100mls per 10 litres water) just prior to planting. This sets the young plant off to a great start. Once you have finished the planting pour the remainder of the solution into a watering can and pour gently over the foliage of all your new plantings.
Planting vibrant blooms in the vege patch always brightens things up. Flowers in the vege garden also encourage bees, helping pollinate vegetables like tomatoes and beans!
Continue planting a variety of berries for summer snacking and desserts. Plant up pots with citrus to enjoy trees laden with juicy lemons, oranges, limes and mandarins ready to be plucked from the branch.
In warmer areas you can sow cucumber seed into the garden from the end of this month to early summer. In colder areas you may need to protect seedlings with a cloche at first. Soil quality is vital for carrots. They do best in light, well-drained, fertile soil. If you find sowing fine carrot seed tricky, mix it with radish seed to help thin it out. The radishes mature faster, leaving space for the carrots to develop. Lettuce does better in cooler temperatures, so you’ll need to sow seed now if you want a crop before summer in warmer areas. (Cos is one of the most heat-tolerant lettuce types.)
Happy gardening folks😊