Good news! You don’t need a
vast field to grow sweet corn- a veggie patch or raised
garden bed will do the trick.
The key is to choose a spot
that gets plenty of direct sun,
then arrange the plants in a
block formation, like little rows
of succulent soldiers. Rather
than flying insects, sweet corn
is pollinated by the wind, so
keeping the cobs quite close
makes it easier for pollen to
spread from plant to plant. The
cereal tends to shoot up fast - once it’s got a bit of height,
pile some compost, manure
and straw around the base of
the stem (a process known as
‘hilling’) to boost the corn’s
flavour, ward off nasty pests
and prevent it from drying out.
When you poke a kernel and
milky sap oozes out, your sweet
corn is ready for harvest.
You’ve probably seen
capsicums in a rainbow of
different colours, but did
you know they’re all the very
same plant? The vegetable –
a member of the nightshade
family, which also includes
tomatoes, chillis and taters –
changes colour as it ripens.
That’s why a green capsicum
can be a little tart (it’s actually
under-ripe!), while the red
variety is bursting with
sugary yumminess. When
you pick your peppers is up
to you, but there are a few
things to keep in mind for a
healthy capsicum crop: place
the small, bushy plants in a
warm-but-sheltered position;
give them regular soakings
of H 2 0; and, if you’re short
on space, don’t be afraid
to make their home in a
container or pot.A friend to novice gardeners
the world over, this magenta-
coloured root vegetable is not
just ace on a burger with the
lot, but also makes a top-notch
addition to your home veggie
patch. It’s not too fussy (full
sun, part shade, dappled
light in a container under a
tree – beetroot is happy with
whatever you’ve got), and will
even let you know when it’s
ready for harvest by poking its
purple crown above the soil a
bit (make sure you keep an eye
out for this not-so-subtle hint,
because young beets are the
sweetest to eat). All beetroot
asks for in return is soil filled
with nutrient-rich tidbits like
compost and manure, and
plenty to drink – especially
around the time you first sow
its seeds. Seems like a good
deal, really.
Add zucchini to your garden for
a botanical double-whammy:
fruit and flowers in one
delicious hit. The golden,
star-shaped blossom that
springs from a zucchini vine
can be gobbled in its own
right, in salads, lightly fried,
or used as a garnish. What’s
important, though, is pollination
of the flower – without bees
and butterflies nearby, the
blossoms will drop before an
adult zucchini has the chance
to sprout and grow. Edible
blooms like nasturtiums make
good planting companions,
attracting pollen-carrying
insects to your zucchini crop.
In the right conditions, zucchinis
will multiply fast; be sure to pick
them regularly to encourage
more growth and prevent them
from getting too big, lest they
wind up watery and bland.try this at home