Grant Douglas's Garden Diary

Week 30: Fifth week of July

The first Wattles are in flower and I am hanging on every word that comes from the weather forecasters. My habit has increased from the 4 day to the 10 day outlook - hoping for a seven day break in the rain.

Today is spud Monday - the first Monday in August. Time for those of you in the warmer areas to get the first spuds that you have been sprouting, into the ground. Forget about the books that tell you you should be pleased to have some home-grown potatoes for Xmas day. If you get them in now, you can have them by Labour Weekend.

A lot of people are put off the idea of growing potatoes because they think they will take up a lot of room. This is not true if you keep planting small amounts in a succession. For a small family, 12 potatoes planted every three to four weeks would give you a reasonable supply, and if you choose a fast-maturing variety like Swift (60 - 70 days), Jersey Bennes (80 - 90 days), then ground that has grown potatoes can be used for other summer crops.

Main crops certainly do take up more room for a longer time as you need to allow the skins to harden off, and may be in the ground for anything from 90 to 120 days. These should be planted a bit later than the early varieties. Remember, early simply means potatoes that are dug before they have fully matured. If has nothing to do with the season in which you plant them, but some varieties are far more suitable for this than others. For example, you would not grow Rua as an early spud, but as a main crop one.

There are plenty of variety lists on the internet and at the local garden centres, so check these out and also confer with your neighbours as to which varieties have worked well for them in your location. Should you buy Certified Seed Potatoes? The advantage of buying them is that they are guaranteed free of diseases, especially virus's which potatoes are prone to, and can greatly reduce your crops, but if you are sure that seed you have saved yourself came from good, strong, healthy plants, then there is no reason why you can't use your own.

Some new things on the list this week. Time to get things going directly in the garden for Spring and sowing in trays for planting out in a few weeks.

Sowing or Planting this week:
Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillie's - - see earlier Diary
Beetroot - possibly too early for direct sowing but can be sown in containers for planting out shortly.
Broad Beans (I am trying a new variety for me this year called Imperial Green, where the beans stay green, even after cooking) Standard Variety - Exhibition Longpod
Brocolli Spouting (Marathon Variety - sow now in punnets)
Cabbage (Spring or Summer varieties - sow now in punnets)
Cauliflower (Frieda - Summer variety - sow now in punnets)
Garlic
Lettuce (Loose-leaf Fancy and Triumph Hearting - outside now, or in containers. Protect when very young.)
Peas (I choose Easy-peasy variety)
Potatoes (Plant a few sprouted ones in warmer areas or in cooler areas put them in trays for sprouting)
Red Onions - protect soil surface from heavy rains (Heard the other day about the use of carpet underfelt - sounds like good idea. Just get it off as soon as germination takes place)
Shallots
Silverbeet and Perpetual Spinach - these may go to seed in late Spring but will give you a small harvest if you are low on these veges in your garden
Snow Peas (Snap Peas)
Spinach (winter varieties eg. Hybrid No.7) - not outside now, but in containers as above

Sow Direct: (in containers, protected as above)
Corn Salad
Mescalin Mix
Rocket
Radish

Preparation of beds for Strawberries and Asparagus.

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