What to plant now before it’s too late

Did you have holiday aspirations to start growing your own fruit or vegetables? To crunch on your own sugar snap peas or pick your own ruby red tomatoes from the vine?

Summer may be well upon us but you’ll be pleased to know not all hope is lost for starting your own home garden. We caught up with some of the horticulturalists at Rodney’s Plants Plus in Pialligo to find out what to plant now before its too late.

Fruit

What to plant

Strawberries! They crop throughout summer, right up until the frost starts creeping in.

Don’t waste your time on…

Planting tomatoes or blueberries. They might be fruiting now, but its unlikely you’ll get many more crops out of them before the frost comes!

Vegetables

What to plant

Zucchinis and chillies still have of a number of crops in them before summer ends.

You can get a head start on crops that don’t mind the autumn weather, such as carrots and rhubarb. Start now and prolong your harvest period.

Tips

Fertilise your newly planted seedlings or bushes every week to give them a nutrient boost. This will maximise the potential for a high yield lasting the remainder of the season.

It goes without saying that watering is vital in such hot weather. Water your plants religiously, and water them in the morning so the moisture has all day to dry. If they’re watered at night, there is a higher potential of fungal growth that occurs in moist environments!