In the Kitchen Garden Temperate Zone

The temperate kitchen garden in summer is all about growth, pollination and controlling pests.

Linda Ross has plenty of tips on what you can do in your patch right now.

 

Photo - leo-shoot/shutterstock

 

Boost the harvest

1. Plant alyssum, calendula, borage, nasturtium, garlic, lavender, comfrey and daisies around summer vegetables to attract good bugs such as hoverflies, ladybirds and native bees.

2. Reduce the impact of pests by intermixing vegetables rather than planting a whole garden bed with the one type.

3. Stagger seed-sowing, rather than sowing all at once, to give a succession of crops, extending the harvest and shrinking the workload into more manageable waves.

 

Borage flowers are perfect for pollination. Photo - Evannovostro/shutterstock

 

Be responsible

Monitor populations of fruit fly by hanging the male fruit fly lure and spray early to prevent numbers escalating later in the season.

 

Watch out for fruit fly. Photo - Robin Powell

 

Bee friendly

A leaf cutter bee moved straight into our new bee hotel and laid her eggs into six of the bamboo holes. We’re looking forward to the little ones hatching out - even if do they cut circles out of the nearby roses!

 

A bee-friendly home for your pollinator pals. Photo - Olivier le Queinec/shutterstock

 

Do now

Splash aphids off the tips of plants, spray with Natrasoap, or lure ladybird larvae, which eat up to 700 aphids a day, into the garden by allowing some fennel, coriander or carrots to flower.

Droppings on lower leaves are signs of caterpillar attack. Spray the tops and undersides of leaves with Success Ultra.

Whitefly populations can explode in the vegie patch causing plants to lose vigour, drop leaves and even drop fruit. Control burgeoning populations by spraying with Eco oil and Eco Neem every 3-5 days.

Drape mosquito netting or insect netting over frameworks of timber stakes or arches of poly pipe to protect fruit susceptible to fruit fly.

 

Watch out for caterpillar droppings on lower leaves. Photo - Petrov-anton/shutterstock

 

Pick now

Protect tomatoes from birds by picking them just before they ripen and allow them to ripen on the windowsill or kitchen bench.

Dig up chat-sized potatoes for a perfect potato salad, or wait until the leaves start to yellow and the plant bursts into flower to harvest bigger spuds.

‘Long Purple’ eggplant ramp up production in the warm months: an eggplant shrub may produce 50-70 long thin eggplant fruit. These only need to be cut in half lengthwise and grilled or barbecued for a delicious vegetable side dish. And it’s not too late to join the eggplant party - you could still plant a seedling now.

 

Eggplant 'long Purple' crank up the growth in the summer months. Photo - Robin Powell

 

Preserve now

Freeze whole blueberries to preserve the nutrient content and flavour. Use in smoothies, pancakes and muffins.

Peaches can be sliced and preserved in sugar syrup; jammed with lime and ginger; or frozen for use in smoothies. To freeze, first blanch, peel and slice peaches, then toss in lemon juice, freeze on parchment in a single layer and store in ziplock bags in the freezer.

Slice corn kernels off fresh cobs and freeze them in ziplock bags.

Freeze basil bombs to toss into soups as last-minute aromatic punch: chop basil and add enough oil to make a thick paste. Spoon into ice cube trays, freeze, and then transfer to well-sealed freezer bags.

 

Freeze whole blueberries now and preserve your summer harvest. Photo - Kazoka/shutterstock