Grant Douglas's Garden Diary

Week 33: Third week of August

Those weather fronts that keep crossing over us have not been dropping so much rain lately, which means that the ground is getting closer and closer to being ready to be sown or planted into, for those of you with heavier soil. Those of you with lighter soil may be already hard at it.

The warm days that we've been getting, with the continuing cold nights, can cause a problem for those people trying to grow early seedlings or crops in cloches or green-houses. The condensation build up over night can cause diseases such as mildew and damping off of seedlings (the shriveling of the stem at ground level).

The problem is greater in smaller green-houses and cloches and I find that the way to reduce the problem is to not close up the green-house or cloche too early in the evening, but allow the air inside to cool off a little bit (this usually means after the sun has gone down or at least off the cloche or green-house).

The other important thing to note is that the smaller the enclosed volumn of green-house or cloche, then the faster it warms up in the morning and the temperature can get quite high quickly, so remember on sunny days to ventilate fairly soon after the sun is on them.

This time of year some of the early plants you may be planting out, may be prone to going off to seed before you get to harvest them. This is mainly the plants which are in the bi-ennial category, ie those plants which grown for a full year and then go off to flower and seed, such as Silverbeet, Beetroot, Celery, Parsley, Leeks, Carrots, Parsnips and others.

If you sow these varieties now, they can end up 'thinking' that because they have gone through a cold time and then a warm time, they have done their full years cycle and it is time for them to flower. The important thing if you are sowing these vegetables early is to choose, if possible, those varieties which are listed as slow-bolting. Check on the seed packet or on the catalogues.

Sowing or Planting this week:
Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillie's, Egg Plant (for Greenhouse or early sheltered Outside)
Basil (for Greenhouse or Windowsill)
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 Hearting (Webbs or Greatlakes) - outside now, or in containers.)
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:
Carrots (In warmer areas only - I find Topweight a good early variety)
Chinese Greens (Warmer areas)
Corn Salad
Corriander/Dill (Marginal)
Mescalin Mix
Rocket
Radish

Preparation of beds for Strawberries and Asparagus - better hurry, especially for Asparagus.

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