Summer is such a perfect time to get out into the garden and also involve the kids in learning what to plant. Maintaining a garden is a great stress reliever and there is nothing nicer than being able to enjoy the flavours of growing your own foods.
Are you wondering what to plant in your summer garden? Here is a list of herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers plus some tips for maintenance too.
HERBS – plant basil, chives, coriander, fennel, gotu kola, heliotrope, lovage, mint, parsley and tarragon. FRUIT & VEGETABLES – plant beans (dwarf and climbing), beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chicory, chilli, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, endive, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, okra, parsnip, potato (tubers), radish, rhubarb (crowns), shallots, silver beet, spring onion, sweet corn, sweet potato and zucchini.
FLOWERS – plant ageratum, alyssum, boronia, calceolaria, cleome, cyclamen, Iceland poppy, linaria, malope, marigold, pansy, schizanthus, stock, verbena, vinca, viola and wallflower.
WATER - Yes, particularly in summer your plants need water. Just like we need the beach or pool our plants need extra water. In summer it is almost impossible to overwater.
NETTING - if there’s one way to spoil the aesthetic of a beautifully presented veggie patch its netting. But… it’s also the one way to guarantee the protection of your summer Herbs, fruit and vegetables from the multitude of others who want at your garden. Birds, possums, white cabbage moth, will all be deterred by a netting system.
MULCH - mulch with either pea straw, lucerne hay or sugar cane. Not only does it help hold the moisture in the soil for longer - giving the plants an extended period to draw from it - but will help suppress competing weeds, regulate soil temperature and feed those hungry summer crops.