Gardening news and handy tips from Scotts

Gardening calendar

 

Grow your own vegies & herbs

 

Growing your own fresh produce can be challenging. Follow the simple tips in our guide, and you should have no problems!

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Ideas for winter crops

 

Hearty winter vegetables are not only nutritious but when they are home-grown, you know they're fresh and picked at their peak.

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Harvesting pumpkins

 

How do you know when your pumpkins are ready for harvesting? Follow a few basic tips and you can have fresh pumpkin for months.

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Create a vegetable & herb garden

No matter where you live in Australia or what type of soil or climate you have, it's possible to grow at least some of your own fresh vegetables and most of your herb requirements.

From the tropics to southernmost Tasmania, there are varieties of vegetables that will thrive and be very productive. Most of the more common crops, like beans or lettuce for example, have varieties bred for specific climatic conditions. It's simply a case of choosing those clearly identified as being suitable for your conditions.

Herbs can be grown either in the garden or in pots close to the kitchen, on an outdoor balcony, veranda or deck. Some may also be grown in windowsill boxes indoors where they receive good light but not direct sun through the glass.

Once the seeds or seedlings have been selected and the vegetable garden prepared, it's time to think about fertilisers, planting or sowing, pest control, watering and keeping the snails and slugs at bay. Unlike other parts of the garden, the vegie patch is not 'set and forget'! However, neither is growing vegetables onerous - an hour or two a week and you will be well rewarded.

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Watch our gardening videos

  • Easy Gardening
  • Planting & Fertilising
  • Lawn Care
  • Weed Control
  • Pest Control
  • Gardening in a Drought

No garden?  No problem!

If your outdoor space is limited, try growing vegetables in pots or other containers. Most will grow equally as well in pots as they do in the garden, with the added advantage that often they are closer to the kitchen, on a balcony or veranda.

Pots

Organics and vegetables

One of the benefits of growing your own produce is knowing exactly how it has been grown, what fertilisers or manures have been used and how pests have been controlled. Many gardeners prefer vegetables grown as naturally as possible, using organic principles.

Vegetables

Blossom End Rot in tomatoes, peppers

One of the major problems affecting home-grown tomatoes and capsicums is Blossom End Rot, a disease that develops at the base of the fruit where the flower was attached. One of the simplest ways to prevent this ailment is to use a specially formulated vegetable fertiliser that includes calcium.

Tomatoes-rot

The vegie plot and water use

Vegetables require regular watering for the plants to grow, flower and fruit. Two or three deep soakings a week should be enough to keep plants healthy and vigorous. Save water around the house to use on the vegetable garden over summer or when rainfall is scarce.

Watering-can