THIS SEASON IN THE GARDEN.
Edible Garden Prep — Heavy Failures to Heavy Yields
As the warm summer growing season wraps up, your garden switches gears into recovery and preparation. What you put into your soil right now directly dictates the abundance of your future harvests. From rehabilitating disease-prone soil to setting up your ultimate strawberry bed, here is your seasonal guide to the edible garden.
In the Vegetable Garden
The Power of Winter Composting
The intense growth of summer leaves garden beds completely depleted. Prioritising composting over the cooler months is essential to replenish the vital nutrients lost during the heavy summer growing season, building a fertile foundation for spring.
A Breakthrough for Garlic, Brassicas, and Silverbeet
If you have ever suffered a total crop failure due to disease, you know how discouraging it can be. A couple of seasons ago, a devastating bout of rust and root rot rendered my entire garlic crop completely unusable, forcing me to destroy the lot. Traditional commercial advice dictates leaving the infected area unplanted for at least two years—a luxury many backyard home gardeners simply do not have.
To test a solution, a trial was conducted last season using BioGro certified organic Lost Coast Plant Therapy (LCPT) as a soil drench on exactly half of the plantings of garlic, brassicas, and silver beet.
The results were undeniable:
- Twice the Size: Where LCPT was used as a plant drench, the garlic bulbs grew twice as big compared to the untreated crop.
- Total Disease Elimination: By maintaining a regular preventative spray regimen of 12.5 ml per litre, there was zero evidence of Thrips, Botrytis, or Root Rot as the plants approached the longest day.
LEAFY GREENS
- Abundant Leafy Greens: While previous leafy green crops were mediocre, the LCPT soil drench delivered an exceptional abundance of foliage. Because unseasonably warm weather caused pesky insects to persist much later into the season than usual, a preventative spray schedule was critical to keeping the pests completely in check.
Garden-to-Table Tip:
Creamed Homegrown Greens Turn your abundant kale, spinach, or silver beet into a family favourite by creaming it! Simply blanch your greens, chop finely, and sauté gently in butter with a touch of garlic before stirring through a splash of heavy cream or cream cheese. Season generously with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
What to Plant Right Now
The next two months provide the ideal planting window for a wide variety of cool-weather crops. Ensure you check your local planting calendar, as tender young plants may require frost protection covers during cold snaps:
- Greens & Salads: Bok choy, kale, mesclun, rocket, silverbeet, spinach.
- Roots & Bulbs: Beetroot, garlic, onion, radish, and early crop potatoes (where the climate allows).
- Legumes & Brassicas: Broad beans, peas, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.
- Herbs & Stems: Celery, parsley, rhubarb, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
Note: Aphids and whiteflies remain highly active during this transition period. Manage them effectively using a regular application of Lost Coast Plant Therapy.