Growing organic vegetables isn’t hard, nor does it need to be time-consuming. Further more, you get to choose what sort of vegetables you’ll be eating. Here are a few tips and tricks to get you going and growing the best tasting vegies for your summer table.
WATCH: Graham visits WormTicklers, in Sydney, where you can find everything from chemical-free seedlings to seasonal herbs, vegies and companion plants
Sowing your seeds
- For a large crop, start with good quality seed-raising mix in a seed tray, make dip in mix and sow seeds to depth indicated on seed packet. Cover with vermiculate to ensure good draining and aeration. Spray with water from a trigger bottle. Keep tray moist but not soaking. Too much water can down the seeds. Keep warm and humid, covering trays with a clear plastic lid or cling wrap. Once seeds have germinated, move them out of the protected area into the outdoors
- For small crops, and to reduce trauma of potting up seedlings, plant seeds directly into little biodegradable peat or coir pellets. When seedlings are big enough, transfer the pellet into a bigger pot or your garden bed. The peat soon breaks down.
Companion planting
The list of companion plants in vegie gardens is endless, but the two mostly commonly used are:
- Marigold: repels whitefly from tomatoes and lures aphids away from beans. Attracts beneficial insects, including ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies that prey on aphids.
- Nasturtium (above): lures aphids away from French and runner beans, and attracts beneficial insects that prey on aphids.
How to grow an organic vegie garden in a pot
You can grow vegies in a large pot in a sunny spot by your kitchen door or on your balcony. First, fill it with quality potting mix. Next, sow seeds of choice in peat or coir pots filled with seed-raising mix and place these in the pot. Then, plant seedlings of your fave leafy veg, such as lettuce or spinach. Mix flowers with salad vegetables and they all become ornamental. Here, spinach, silverbeet and borage are prettied up with pansies, nigella and nasturtiums. Pick leaves for salads as needed and they’ll regrow.
Pretty and healthy!
For more information, head to Worm Ticklers.
For more great gardening stories, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in selected newsagents and supermarkets or buy online today!
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