Many gardeners spend a whole lot of the year pointing every effort, every consideration towards summer. That's fair enough, because although the other seasons have their charms, no time is more productive and therefore more satisfying than summer. It's basic physics. In summer, there is more sun, more sun equals more energy, more energy equals more plant growth and more plant growth equals a more spectacular garden.
In saying all this, I usually find at this time of the year there is something of a lull in the garden. A lot of the flowers have finished or are on their way out, and plants such as tomatoes are still coming to bear. Yes, there are many different varieties you can grow and some that will produce well before Christmas, but if you have limited space it can become problematic to plant for succession in every category of summer crop. Unless you've got unlimited space or time, you need to make compromises to get meaningful yields.
In saying that, a little bit of planning goes a long way. The first place to start is not with your veges, but with your fruit tree selection. Fruit trees are the least transient of all your food production systems, so getting it right first time is important. Some well-placed research can see you eating fresh fruit year-round. Once your trees have finished their fruiting, it's time to prune, mulch and feed.
In the vegetable garden, I usually find that there is loads on the grow, but most of it is a work in progress. Keep the succession going, especially with leafy greens and bolting herbs such as basil, and particularly coriander. Making sure your leafy greens have a good nitrogen supply and some shade will help prevent them from bolting. Also water well and get them growing as fast as possible, which will keep them tasty and fresh, and delay them from going to seed.
