Its hot, the winds are drying and we all can't be bothered after the excess of Christmas, (or ConsumerMass as I heard it put recently) Unfortunately January is an important planting time, time for things to get going to make the most of the Autumn flush. Things you plant now will feed you from autumn to spring, I always seem to forget this and by the time I plant later in Autumn they don't have enough time to mature.
Sow some winter crops like cauliflowers, cabbage, broccoli etc keeping them moist and shaded at all times and pot them on in containers such as this htpp://scarecrowsgarden.blogspot.com/2007/11/growing-on-pots.html and tuck them up safely in a shade house, they should be planted out in garden mid Feb.
Rocket or Arugula: This is my favorite salad green, and my favorite weed. It loves our conditions here and naturalizes happily around my patch. Throw some seeds in and let them self seed.
Plant some more beans as soon as each new lot start flowering. Plant another 6-10 plants, after pre-sprouting them and a little deeper than usual to promote deeper roots,
Corn when last lot about ankle high, mix a good amount of potash into the soil when sowing to encourage good flowering. Keep the water up to the plants because they will quickly grow.
Zucchini and cucumbers, take the older ones out when mildew starts showing. Water new ones with milk solution to discourage mildew spreading using a mix of one part full cream milk to five parts rainwater. Repeat after heavy rain or irrigation or every 10 days.Some more capsicums and chili they will fruit right up until May- June or longer if protected from frost.
Continue sowing regular crops of beetroot, coriander, carrot, parsnips, radishes, silverbeet, kale, mustard greens.
Sunflower use established seedlings - Sun King Helianthus annuus this will provide some welcome shade and bee fodder.
Colin Campbell said a good tip for propagating hard to germinate seeds during hotter months or in general is; “If a small amount of Epsom salts is added to water, when applied to the soil the magnesium in it will help the plant to activate the enzymes that breaks down the food supply in the seed. A light misting is adequate. Too much water will rot the seeds." Found in the Gardening Australia Fact sheet here:
Plant some lettuce greens or asian greens, but make sure they are well shaded otherwise they are tough bitter and will bolt to seed. For lettuces that are a bit tricky to germinate if soil temperatures are over 25 c“ Jackie French suggests to try putting the seed between two damp paper towels in the fridge for three days before sowing. (from Earth Garden summer # 146)
Other Garden chores include;
Continue foliar feeding crops once a fortnight with seaweed and or compost teas to help developing fruit/veg and strengthening plant cell walls.
Don't prune off any dead or burnt growth leave it as it provides valuable shade for both the roots and bark of trees and shrubs and vegetables. I left my spent peas and corn in place to shade more tender crops such as lettuce and spinach. If you absolutely need to prune mulch and water well immediately after pruning.
Clean up any diseased or spoiled fruit which may be a source of re-infection fruits and place in well sealed plastic bag in hot sun for a couple of days or bury at least half a metre deep, and this breaks the cycle. We have a responsibility to be vigilant in our region, for pest and diseases, if in doubt call the Dept of Primary Industries they are more than happy to have a chat and will even come and collect suspect samples from your house for identification. Enquires should be directed to the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186.
Happy Gardening - and wear sunscreen!
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