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Late Summer
Kitchen Garden
To-Do List
(February in low frost, summer rainfall areas)
Print This Page and Use as Your Actual To-Do List
Planning and Recordkeeping
□ Start thinking of winter crops.
□ Keep weekly gardening diary and records up to date.
□ Compare actual results and actions with plans and make
notes for next year where necessary.
Herb Propagation
Maintain the succession of seed sowing of:
□ Basil - last month to sow basil to
ensure a harvest before the first frost
□ Nasturtiums
□ Flat-leaf parsley
Veggie
Propagation
Maintain the succession of seed sowing of:
□ Spinach
□ Lettuce
□ Rocket
□ Carrots
□ Beetroot Start sowing:
□ Cabbage
□ Swiss
chard
□ Radishes
□ Peas
See our recommended varieties.
Planting and Thinning Out
Tip:
If you don't like propagating your own herbs you can buy all herbs
on our recommended varieties list
and transplant into permanent beds or bigger containers. The same
goes for veggies. Buy seedlings from your local nurseries.
□
Thin out beetroots, carrots, lettuces to the desired distances.
Watering
□ Check garden and containers daily during hot spells, especially salad crops
and chili bushes. □
Supplement rainfall (in summer rainfall areas) with thorough
waterings.
Tip: Try
watering early mornings, or late in the afternoon. But not so late
that the plants don't get a chance to dry before nightfall. This
helps combat diseases. A
thick mulch (at least 5cm) will conserve water and protect your
plants roots. Ask your nursery to recommend a suitable, locally
available, material.
Fertilizing
□ Fertilize once with a liquid fertilizer, or every fortnight with a
liquid fertilizer at half strength.
□
Containers will love a diluted feeding once a week.
Pruning
□ Watch all herbs, and don't hesitate to prune them back hard (1/2
to 1/3 of the bushes) if they grow too big or leggy.
□
Pinch out growing tips of herbs to
encourage bushy growth.
Tip: Remove flowers from
annuals, especially basil and parsley to prolong their lifespan.
But spare the nasturtiums. Use them in salads, as cut flowers, and
let some go to seed. They will self-sow for a winter crop or harvest the seed to sow in early spring.
□
Prune all herbs to keep them in shape.
Weeding
□ Remove weeds regularly as they appear. Don’t give them a chance to
flower and seed.
Pests and Disease
□ Highlight the occurrence of pest and
disease, measures taken (if any), and results
□
Be on the lookout for aphids, caterpillars and red spider mite.
Tip: In this heat, and without rain,
the conditions are especially conducive for red spider. Deal with
it as soon as you see it, because red spider multiplies and spread like
wildfire. You can cut the herbs right down, or try spraying with
milk and use a red spider spray – but this is always a last resort
for herbs.
□
Tomatoes will need regular spraying
with a fungicide in summer rainfall areas.
Harvesting
□ Harvest herbs and veggies as required for daily use.
□
Harvest annuals as soon as they
come into full flower by cutting back by about two thirds. Dry,
freeze or preserve in oil or vinegar for winter use.
Clean-up
□ Coriander will tend to send up mature leaves. Discard the bushes
and rather replace with new ones.
□
Remove debris to the compost heap, or use as a mulch elsewhere in
the garden. □
Dispose of any
insect or disease infested plant material. |
