Grow delicious summer veggies

The attractive large grey-green leaves and pretty mauve flowers of the eggplant look good in containers. Check out Johnsons Seeds who offer purple, striped, green and orange eggplant varieties.

SOW seed in punnets and transplant to the garden when plants reach a height of 75mm, or plant seedlings.

FEED with a complete soluble plant food when the flowers appear.

HARVEST fruit when the skin is taught and smooth by cutting off the stalks with secateurs.

Lettuce is essential for summer salads and you can harvest the pick-and-come-again varieties for many weeks.

SOW seed directly where it is to grow. During summer, sow in a spot that receives shade from the hot afternoon sun.

FEED fortnightly with a soluble plant food.

HARVEST leaves as required.

Here’s more on growing lettuce and salad greens.

Many pumpkins grow on large running vines and can take up a lot of space. Butternut is smaller growing and can be trained to grow on a trellis to save space. Golden Nugget is a non-running bush variety that’s suitable for large pots.

SOW seed directly where it is to grow on mounded soil in saucer-shaped troughs so that water is directed to the roots.

FEED monthly with a soluble plant food.

HARVEST e with some of the stalk attached. Whole pumpkins will store for up to two months if kept in a cool, well-ventilated spot.

Keep the soil moist until the seedlings emerge. Pull off a few of the outside leaves regularly to encourage new leaf growth.

SOW seed directly where it is to grow.

FEED fortnightly with a soluble plant food.

HARVEST the outside stalks and leaves when large enough by breaking them off at the base with a downward and sideways action. Blanch or freeze any excess.

Homegrown sweet corn cobs are so much sweeter than the ones you buy. Grow in large tubs if space is limited.

SOW in a block rather than rows to ensure pollination. Sweet corn grows quicker from seed rather than seedlings.

FEED every three weeks with a fertiliser for flowers and fruit.

HARVEST when the silks have turned brown, using a downward and twisting motion. Freeze or pickle any excess.

These crop quickly – you will be picking fruit about 8-10 weeks from sowing seed. Male flowers may be picked and eaten.

SOW seed directly into a slight depression on top of a raised mound.  Allow 1m between plants.

FEED every 3 weeks with a soluble fertiliser for flowers and fruit.

HARVEST when they are about 100-150mm long to encourage further crops.

SYMPTOM Seedlings disappear overnight and young leaves look chewed. Shiny streaks on foliage and slime trails.

CAUSE Snails and slugs.

FIX IT Sprinkle used coffee grounds or broken eggshells around the plants. Or make beer traps: place beer in a small container and sink it into the ground. Otherwise, Multicrop Multiguard Snail and Slug Killer pellets are environmentally friendly.

SYMPTOM New growth is distorted and older leaves have a silvery grey appearance.

CAUSE Aphids and thrips.

FIX IT Yates Nature’s Way Vegie & Herb Spray is an organic soap-based spray.

SYMPTOM There are chewed leaves on young and old growth.

CAUSE Caterpillars, especially the larvae of the cabbage white butterfly.

FIX IT Yates Nature’s Way Caterpillar Killer controls most caterpillars as it contains a natural bacteria that kill the larvae once ingested.

Here are more easy ways to control snails.

SYMPTOM Yellow spots appear on the upper surfaces of the leaves of zucchini, cucumbers and pumpkins with furry growth beneath.

CAUSE Downy mildew.

FIX IT Use Eco Organic Eco-fungicide or make your own spray with 1 part milk to 9 parts water. TIP Spray vulnerable plants with a seaweed solution as a preventative.

SYMPTOM The bottom of tomatoes and capsicum becomes sunken and blackened.

CAUSE Blossom End Rot caused by lack of calcium in the soil and irregular watering.

FIX IT Add liquid lime to the soil and water regularly and deeply.

Learn more about getting rid of aphids.

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