TIP
HARVEST
>If you’re lucky enough to have an avocado tree
in your garden you’ll most likely be picking its
fruit by now. Remember you can leave them on
the tree for several months after they mature
and their taste will become creamier the longer
you leave them. Hass avocados turn black as
they ripen but other varieties stay green.
>When harvesting lemons and other citrus take
the time to do some careful pruning at the same
time, removing crossing or diseased branches
and keeping the tree to the desired size. Don’t
prune in late spring or summer as this is when
the borer moths are more likely to be on the
wing. They love to lay their eggs on fresh
pruning cuts, damaged areas or cracks in the
bark. Borer not only attacks citrus, it will also
damage or kill many other fruiting trees.SOW
>September is a good time to ramp up your
seed sowing either directly into the garden or in
seed trays. Check directions on seed packets
carefully so you’ll have plenty of seedlings to
start off your spring and summer crops as soon
as the weather warms up a little more.
>Broccoli seed can be sown from late winter to
mid summer (depending on the region), ideally
in trays or punnets. Keep in a sheltered, light
area until seedlings have a few leaves, then
plant out in the garden. Alternatively keep
seedlings in pots (it’s called ‘growing on’) for a
few more weeks until they’re good strong plants
about 10-15cm high, that can cope better with
the cold as well as slugs and snails. For
continual cropping keep sowing a few seeds
(or planting seedlings) every 3 weeks.
>Sow beetroot seed in containers if soil is still wet
and cold. Remember to keep thinning plants to
get reasonable-sized roots.
>Chervil is a great herb for the winter garden,
fast-growing and tolerant of cold temperatures,
with a light aniseed flavour. Seed can be sown
into pots or the garden as long as it’s not a
very hot position.
>In cooler areas sow Brussels sprout seed in trays
in greenhouses, cold frames or in small pots on
the window sill for planting out in spring.PLANT
>Yams are a staple food of the Andean peoples and
an easily digestible carbohydrate containing
calcium and iron. If you’re a fan, give them a go
as they are easier to grow than potatoes. Give
your yams a head start by sprouting tubers
inside (as you would spuds). Place on a tray or
egg carton in a dry place for a few weeks before
planting outside in a sunny spot once frosts are
over. Yams are happy in most soil types as long
as it’s not boggy. Tubers normally take around
6-8 months to form.
>Keep those vitamin C levels up by planting
cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, purple sprouting
broccoli and other brassica seedlings.
>Onions like cooler temperatures when plants are
young so now is a good time to plant seedlings.
Growing onions from seedlings (as opposed to
seed) shortens the rather lengthy cropping
period from around 9 months to only 5, freeing
up valuable space in the garden. Even early-
maturing types need about 12 hours of daylight
so it pays to wait a bit longer if you live in the
south. Plant at spacings of 3-10cm,
remembering that the wider the spacing the
greater the bulb size.
>Plant hyssop, an ancient herb also used as a
cough remedy, as a deterrent to white butterfly
attacking your brassicas.CAROL BUCKNELL
Garden editorK
To make it easier to sow fine seeds, such as carrot, mix with larger seeds
such as radish. Radishes mature more quickly, leaving space for carrots
to develop their roots. Another option is to mix carrot and leek seed
together. Leeks deter carrot fly and can be harvested after the carrots.yhg | 171G