Lettuce is a summer garden favourite. Photo / 123rf
Summer is the time of year when it can be relatively easy to live off your own grown vegetables.
The warm temperatures combined with regular attention make for great conditions for growing. I always recommend that, where possible, a quick daily visit to your vege patch is the best way to ensure you get a good quality harvest. A five-minute visit every day means produce can be harvested at its optimum stage, bugs can be treated before a major infestation occurs and the odd tomato lateral can be removed as it appears.
Checking soil moisture and turning the sprinkler on as necessary in the early morning is also highly beneficial at this time.
One of the summer vegetable garden favourites is lettuce, and growing it is so easy. They can be picked up from the garden centre in punnets of six plants and will be ready for harvesting in 3-4 weeks. There are many varieties whose outer leaves can be harvested while the plant continues to grow. Some prefer the traditional iceberg type varieties where you harvest a tight ball-shaped head.
Lettuce is well-suited to growing in pots if you lack room in the garden and these offer a quite decorative effect as well.
Tomatoes, beans, zucchini and cucumbers are becoming prolific for many during this midsummer period. Carrots and parsnips sown in November and December are growing rapidly now. Finger-size thinned-out carrots can be pulled out and eaten to leave more growing space for the others.
Onions should now be drying off before harvesting and storing away for the winter. Once the stems of onions have bent over they need to be pulled and left to lie in the sun for a few days to dry and cure.
There are various ways of storing them, including stringing (hang in the kitchen by the stems), on wire netting (strung between garage or shed rafters) or in onion bags that can be hung where air can circulate freely.
During this summer harvest, it is time to think ahead to autumn and winter harvest.
Now is the time to plant leeks and start the first consecutive plantings of brassicas. Planting leeks now will allow some fantastic growth and they will be ready to start harvesting in May and June. By planting brassicas now, they will be ready in April and May. Keep in mind that if you plant too late into the autumn they will not be ready until spring as the growth stops when temperatures get cold in winter.
When planting, be vigilant in the battle against the white butterfly caterpillars. White butterflies have not been noticeable yet this year. The caterpillars will eat brassicas like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale. If something is not done to avoid or control the attack, your crops can be destroyed.
Another pest that will damage brassicas, which is often blamed on the white butterfly, is the diamondback moth. The caterpillars of the diamondback moth are similar to the white butterfly caterpillar but are a lot smaller and capable of more damage as they can drill deep holes into the host plant such as cabbages. The adult moths are very small but can be seen flying off the crop when disturbed.
Establishing a cloche and covering with bug net (available in the garden centre where it is sold by the metre off a roll) at the time of planting will prevent many insects gaining access to the plants and thus prevent damage. This is a great method to use to avoid spraying your vegetables.
However, some good sprays are available if necessary for these pests. Derris dust has some control but must be applied frequently for effectiveness, especially after rain or irrigation. Yates Mavrik is also very effective and is bee friendly.
An excellent control product is Yates Success Ultra, which is derived from naturally occurring bacteria. Yates Success Ultra is very effective when applied about every 14 days over the white butterfly breeding season and is also effective against aphids, whitefly, codlin moth, psyllid and more.
It is time to sow carrots and beetroot for a tasty autumn/winter crop. I highly recommend the Ican Chefs Best Seed Range. This is 15 of the best vegetable seed categories. Most of these varieties are hybrids where there has been a focus on breeding for superior taste, improved pest and disease resistance, increased vigour and yield.
In addition, hybrids have the benefit of being consistent and reliable. A number of the varieties are also more compact and faster maturing, which results in a larger range from less space, and the ability to produce more crops through the season. Many are ideal for raised planter beds and container gardening.
The following carrot and beetroot varieties are in the range:
Beetroot Red Lightning: sweet and tender. Strong and vigorous early maturing, upright grower, producing uniform size deep red, globe-shaped roots. The best variety available.
Carrot Europa: strong, vigorous germination and rapid growth. Long straight carrot with good disease resistance and tolerance to "bolting". This is best home garden carrot yet developed.
When sowing seeds direct into the garden ensure the ground is well dug over and broken down to a fine soil. Once germinated, thin out plants for a better crop and keep moist and weed free. Protect seedlings with slug bait and feed regularly with liquid fertiliser Ican Fast Food.
Very few pest and disease problems are encountered when growing beetroot. Carrots grow best in soil that is low in nitrogen. A soil too high in nitrogen may result in the carrot roots forking – a very common problem for home gardeners. Carrot seed is very fine and difficult to handle. To get an even distribution, mix the seed with sand or similar fine organic matter to increase the bulk. Sprinkle this mixture along your marked rows 1-2cm deep with rows 15cm apart. Keep moist until the ferny foliage appears. Thin 4-7cm apart, depending on how large you want your carrots to grow.
Some common problems with growing carrots are splitting, forking and a number of rots.
Carrot splitting is caused through irregular water supply and with soil being over-fertilised or manured with excess nitrogen. The general rule is higher nitrogen fertilisers for leaf crops such as silverbeet and lettuce; use Tui Potato Food for root crops such as potatoes and carrots; and potash for fruit and flower crops such as tomatoes and broccoli. Of course, plants require some of each element and many other trace elements as well. A good general all-encompassing fertiliser is the Ican Organic Vegetable Food.
Carrots are ready for harvest when they are around 2cm across at the top of the carrot. You may need to carefully remove some soil from around the carrot to see this, or sometimes you will be able to see the carrot slightly above the ground. Carrots are generally sweetest when they are slightly on the small side and will lose flavour if they get too large.
Don't store damaged carrots. Soft rot can be caused by growing in a heavily manured garden, particularly if there is poor drainage. Carrots prefer a deeply cultivated soil and can be sown any time from spring to autumn.
• Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre
