How to ex-seed your garden expectations this summer

As social plans grow and the weather heats up, it’s important to take care of the garden you spent time nurturing during winter. 

From perfectly timed vegetables to beautiful blooms, find out how to get the most out of your garden this summer from Swinburne Horticulture teacher Kate O’Grady.

Get your summer veggies in now

Because the weather hasn’t warmed up as quickly this year, it’s not too late to plant vegetables (particularly tomatoes and basil) in the garden if you want them in time for your summer salads and BBQs. 

‘We have a general rule in the Horticulture department: when the water running out of your tap becomes tepid (lukewarm), this indicates it’s the right time to plant vegetables for the summer.’

Ms O’Grady recommends planting seedlings at this stage of the season as it’s a bit late to propagate your veggies from seed. Some spring and summer veggies are particularly sensitive to temperature though, such as basil.

‘Basil is very sensitive to temperature. If you got your basil in at the start of spring and it has died or turned yellow, it’s not you, it’s the weather!’

Keep hydrated

Ensuring your garden is regularly and thoroughly watered is more important than ever as the weather heats up. Remember to give you garden a deep water at the root zone (soil) of the plants rather than watering the foliage and do so during the morning if you can. 

‘Watering later in the day can create humidity around the plants overnight as the water may not have evaporated. This can become the perfect environment for fungal diseases like powdery mildew and black spot.’