October garden to kitchen

This is a month of rapid new growth for the whole garden, so there is plenty of work to do. Spring is well underway, keep an eye on the weather, pay attention to weeding and feeding. A well-fed plant will better survive diseases, pests and drought.

October is tomato and vegetable planting time, plant seedlings and seeds of salad crops. Finish planting the herb garden, small fruits and berries should also be planted now and time to feed all fruiting crops.

Protect cabbages and cauliflowers with Derris Dust to prevent white butterfly caterpillar and diamond back moth. Make sure you get to the undersides where they like to lay their eggs.

Time to sow seeds: Beetroot, beans, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplants, kohl Rabi, lettuce, cucumber, melons. Transplant to the garden as the weather warms and when they are showing at least two sets of true leaves.

Tomatoes can be planted now the weather is warmer. Dig compost into the soil before planting. Put the stake in at the same time to save root damage later on and it serves as a reminder to regularly tie them up.

Plant seedlings: Eggplant, capsicum, cucumber, melons, lettuce, capsicums, leeks, cabbage, corn, pumpkin, celery, onions, silverbeet, courgettes, beans, peas, cauliflower, carrots, radish, beetroot, pumpkin, spinach, corn, lettuce and tomatoes.

Plant passionfruit, if have an existing vine remember they need replacing after approx five years, plant its replacement now.

Plant tamarillos, red or yellow, they like a free draining soil, add compost to the soil and stake well.

Blueberries can be planted now, easy to grow and a great source of antioxidants.

Basil and coriander can be planted now as the weather is more consistent, pinch out the centres to encourage the plant to bush out. Use the pinched tips in the kitchen.

Feed all vegetable plants fortnightly with a liquid fertiliser, water and fertiliser at the same time!

Feed strawberries plants with strawberry food every two weeks, water in the fertiliser.

Feed your potatoes with blood and bone every two weeks and remember to mound up the soil around as the foliage as it grows.

Citrus needs protection now from verrucosis, spray with Copper Oxychloride. Protect fruit trees with codlin moth traps and protect seedlings with slugs and snails with bait, scatter around each plant.

Mitre 10 MEGA Westgate & Henderson.