Summer in Australia is crazy hot in some areas and with this heatwave, a nice afternoon activity with the kids is to do some gardening at home. It's best to know what type of vegetables and herbs you can plant this summer season. After the distraction of the festivities of December, you might have been a bit busy to do your regular gardening, perfect timing to get out and start cultivating your patch.
Let us bask in the sunshine of summer in the garden where we can spend time teaching our kids about vegetation and gardening.
For the warmer areas, frost free or occasional light frosts, it should be pretty hot out there at the moment! You can try planting some eggplants, cucumber, chillies, tomotoes towards the latter part of the month. For herbs, it's best to let the summer heat cool down before planting anything other than lemongrass. If you have a shaded or a cool spot at the garden, you can try some asparagus as well.
In the afternoons, you and kids can add in some fertilizers as during this time of the year, plants feel the need to feed. It doesn't need to be all vegetables, you can pretty up your patch with some sunflowers, it will not only be pretty on the eyes, but these can also attract beneficial insects to your garden.
Just a hot summer tip, mulch after watering your patch, choose sustainable impact mulch, so that you soil with be enriched as it breaks down.
For the cool to cold areas, low temperatures for extended periods of time, it's still a bit cool inside, and just about pretty warm outside. There are a variety of tasty herbs that you can add in your patch such as basil., watercress, parsely, sage, dill and even mint. The mint, make sure you contain it in a pot as it can go everywhere and take over the whole patch. It will also be good to plant some spring onions, leeks, lettuces and zucchinis. And of course, dolly up the place with some sunflower seeds, you know why! Do the same mulching as with the warm areas.
Ask your kids to join in an afternoon weeding activity as the family tidies up the patch, you can prepare a simple afternoon picnic for the family, some refreshing fruit shakes and fresh fruits after tiring afternoon.
Start out the year as you mean to go. Be smart about the time you spend in your garden, especially when the kids are around, remember to avoid the heat and remember to hydrate!
