What to plant now

Plant broccoli, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, Brussels sprouts, endive, kale, leeks, lettuce, silverbeet, spinach and radish.

Sow broad beans directly into well-limed soil. Peas can also be sown straight into the ground.

Now’s the time to plant onions, including shallots and spring onions. They like a sunny, sheltered spot in limed soil. Shallots and spring onions can easily be grown in containers.

Container Grown Garlic

Time To Plant Garlic

Plant garlic cloves in a light, well-drained soil in full sun. Dig in plenty of compost and well-rotted manure before planting, or a general fertiliser high in potash.

Garlic from the supermarket is often sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical, so buy cloves from a garden centre or mail-order nursery. Plant cloves just below the soil surface, 10cm apart.

Plant strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants.

Plant citrus trees in a sunny, well-drained position. In cold areas, wait until after the risk of severe frost has passed.

Feeding and Maintenance

Feed leafy vegetables, including lettuce, silverbeet, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, with a high nitrogen fertiliser. Leeks will also benefit from a regular feed.

Cut back and divide globe artichokes.

Divide rhubarb and replant into well-manured soil.

Mulch fruit trees and berry fruit plants to prevent weeds, which compete for nutrients.

Sprinkle a generous handful of Dolomite lime to each square metre around deciduous fruit trees.

In warmer regions, prepare a bed in advance for early potatoes. Dig soil over to aerate it, and add compost. If you have a green crop, dig it in and add some blood and bone. Potatoes like a rich, well-drained soil. Your bed should be ready for planting in a few weeks. Meanwhile, leave seed potatoes in open trays in good light to sprout. Potatoes can be planted out when shoots are 2.5-3cm long.

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