August – action time

Chris says: August is action time for veggies in your garden. I’m reading an article by Phil Dudman in the latest Gardening Australia magazine. Phil shares a rundown of the most important tasks.

Start sowing. Select your seeds or seedlings. Seeds are cheaper but not always viable. Seedlings are alive so you know what you’re getting. If you have seeds, check the instructions on the back of the packet, make a little furrow in the soil (you can put sand on top for some varieties, sprinkle and push down gently with a rake). Water them in, using a watering can with a rose.
Make some room. When choosing what to plant where, remember to plant something that’s unrelated to the last crop you grew in a given spot.
Prepare your soil. Fertilise, ideally with chook poo (highest in nitrogen). Rake it in. Sometimes use a fork to aerate the soil, or add lime or dolomite to sweeten the soil. All this rain we’ve had in Sydney leaches the soil.
Position. Veggies need at least six hours of sun a day.
Sow and plant now: beans (french, climbing), broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, spinach, lettuce, onion, pumpkin, and tomato.