Planning a Spring Veggie Patch

While you may be able to sense spring round the corner, it’s still a bit too cold to plant anything much in Canberra – sorry! Instead, why not direct your springtime gardening inspiration towards these four jobs to get ready for spring. (We bet that once you’re out in the garden you’ll see 10 more.)

A winter garden bed waiting to be transformed into a spring garden bed

1.     Mulch is your friend.

Mulching deeply is the best thing you can do for your plants, your soil and your future sanity! It keeps your soil nice and moist so you don’t have to water as often, it adds precious organic matter to the soil as it breaks down and it supresses weeds. On a veggie garden use straw, autumn leaves, sheets of newspaper or cardboard or any combination of these.

2.     How’s your compost?

If you’re anything like me, your compost bin tends to get a bit neglected from time to time. Now is a great opportunity to turn it over and empty out any fully composted material to spread on the garden under your mulch. Here’s our guide to composting and worm farming.

3.     Sort out your watering

It may have turned out to be quite the wet winter, but you can bet that by January you’ll be watering those cucumbers and tomatoes you’re about to plant at least once a day. Do yourself a favour a look at options to save time and water – either a drip irrigation on a timer or building a wicking bed.

4.     Outsmart your pests

If you’ve had a garden in this location before, think back to what kind of challenges you had from pests. Do you need to net to prevent possums, rabbits or birds? Do you need to mount a campaign against the local snail population? If there is a particular insect or creepy crawly that caused you grief in previous years, see if you can hunt it down and break its life cycle early – many pests make their home in your garden year round, and they’re at their most vulnerable in early spring when there isn’t much food around. For some information on specific pests start here. And here’s some further information on natural pest management.