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Helpful hints for organic vegetable gardening and growing vegetables

This page brings together a series of helpful hints from ourselves, our regional advisors and you! Email us if you'd like to suggest a helpful organic vegetable gardening tip. A new hint is added to our site every few days.

March

Early autumn gardening - 19 March
Getting out in the garden early morning or late evening is still pleasant and is the best time to do things outside. There is a lot that can be done in preparing the beds for autumn sowings.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Seed germination - 16 March
My lettuce seed didn't germinate and as it turned out is a couple of years old and has been subjected to high heat. This is a great lesson to be learned time and again. Always start with fresh seed. The cost of a package of seeds is relatively cheap compared to all the time you spend hoeing, planting and watering.
Hint from Dan Owen

Caterpillars and citrus - 14 March
In the southern hemisphere you might see some big fleshy grubs on your citrus trees. Resist temptation and let them keep eating your citrus leaves. You'll be thankful when those caterpillars turn into beautiful butterflies that enchant your garden.
Hint from Gavin Atkinson

Mini greenhouses - 12 March
After trying many methods of seed starting, I find I have the best luck with "mini greenhouses" that use capillary matting for consistent water distribution. In the past I have had problems with "damping off" so this year I will be paying close attention to sterilization and air circulation.
Hint from Debby Williams

Pumpkins - 9 March
To procure more fruit just pinch the growing tip of the runners when these are about 3 metres long. Make sure that each runner has set 3 or 4 pumpkins on each runner that you cut back. This will encourage more side shoots and that will produce more flowers and fruit. Keep the water up well while the pumpkin is growing then back off when they get closer to maturity, leaving them to suck up all the moisture from the vines before the vines eventually finish. Having a frost on matured fruit is not detrimental to the fruit but the vines themselves are frost sensitive and it will burn the vines if they are still green.
Hint from Betty Fowler

More autumm planting - 7 March
Now that the summer heat is going in Australia, it's time to get serious about raising seedlings. I reckon it's a good time of the year to get them started, provided they're in the shade during the heat of the day, otherwise they'll cook so quickly. I've sowed some drills of Cos lettuce, mustard, pak choy, tat soi, bok choy, mini cauliflower and mini cabbage. While it hasn't been hot, I've been watering them each morning to make sure the seeds don't dry out during germination.
Hint from Gavin Atkinson

Getting potatoes ready for planting - 2 March
In the northern hemisphere, potato tubers can be placed on the window ledge of a cool spare bedroom to help chitting.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Autumn planting in Australia - 1 March
In the southern hemisphere, it's a great time to plant potatoes, beans, peas and carrots. Getting the caulies and cabbages an early start before the cool weather sets in is recommended; yet with the smaller growing varieties this is not quite so imperative.
Hint from Betty Fowler

February

Growing organically - 26 February
More an observation than a hint. Just the other day I was out in the vegetable patch and I watched as two butterflys danced around the garden before settling on our flowering garlic chives for a snack. It just reinforced to me how important it is to avoid pesticides in your garden. Going organic has its positives not just for you eating your produce, but also the environment.
Hint from Gavin Atkinson

Corn oversupply - 23 February
Got an oversupply of harvested corn? Why not freeze a few packets for winter. Just par boil it and then put it in iced water to cool quickly. Cut the kernels off the cobs and pack in plastic bags. Flatten out well and label. Keeps well in the freezer. To use I find the kernels are great in corn fritters or to cook plain just place in microwave in a dish with a little butter and cook for 2 minutes. The corn can be frozen on the cob but I find it takes up too much room in my freezer.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Winter garden jobs - 20 February
In the northern hemisphere winter it's an excellent time to check your garden tools, clean off the soil, lightly oil any metal (with mineral oil) and wood (with linseed oil, olive oil is a good but expensive alternative if you only have the odd tools and the cook is not watching) and look to the state of any petrol driven tools - if you're not up to servicing them yourself, there are plenty of local firms looking for work at this time of year.
Hint from Phil Cooper

In the heat of summer - 16 February
When summer gets real bad and nothing is standing up to the heat, give your beds a new lease of life. I let the chickens loose and stopped watering. They scratch up the overgrown grass and leftover veggies. It has also meant that the garden will be well and truly fertilised by autumn, the next season for planting.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

Summer & citrus - 13 February
Keep the water up citrus trees if it is dry (good deep water once a week is fine). This will help fruit to stay on the trees. They will often shed the flowers if there is insufficient water available.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Starting seeds - 9 February
Most seed starter trays have small conical wells into which are put specially shaped growing 'sponges'. Plant a seed in a small slit at the top, then throw on a humidity dome (if one is available) and you're done. These growing devices all have water reservoirs to maintain moisture on an even basis. For the few trays that do not have a dome, place some cling wrap plastic loosely over the entire tray.
Hint from Dan Owen

Growing cucumbers - 6 February
Start picking cucumbers early so as to keep the supply going longer. Plus the younger the fruit often the nicer it is.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Summer heat and wilting plants - 2 February
In the heat of the summer, try hosing diluted seaweed extract mixed with nettle and comfrey tea into the soil. I don't know the scientific reasons and perhaps I'm wrong but wilted plants seemed to perk up right before my eyes.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

January

Home propagating - 15 January
In the northern hemisphere, why not try setting up a home made propagator this month. Use a wooden frame lined with 2 inch thick expanded polystyrene; this is covered in polythene and filled to within 2 inches of the top with a 4-inch layer of damp sand. Buried halfway in the sand is soil warming cable and a rod thermostat. The top is a wire frame which supports more polythene as a cover. I have had it for many a long year but it would cost around 50 pounds to make and is 2ft x 4ft (that makes it slightly cheaper than commercial versions!). I can supply plans if anyone is interested.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Greenhouses - 3 January
In the northern hemisphere, keep checking overwintering plants and harvested fruit and veg. My greenhouse has a small thermostatically controlled electric heater to keep the temperature just above freezing at this time of year, so a check on the max/min thermometer is all that is necessary to check that all is well temperaturewise.
Hint from Phil Cooper

December

For Christmas why not give your own homemade garden gift?

• Potpourri bath salts ­ dried flowers, Epsom salts, food colouring, essential oil ­ mix, bottle, give. (5 December)

• Dried herbs ­ grow, dry, crumple with your fingers, bottle, label, give. (People who receive homegrown dried herbs are usually amazed at the intensity of flavour compared to what's sold at supermarkets.) Last year we dried basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary and bay leaves. (7 December)

• Seeds ­ grow in the garden, collect seeds, pack in groovy envelopes, label and give. (13 December)

• Pot plants ­ grow from seed or cuttings, pot up, protect from horrible marauding slugs through any organic means possible, water, label, give. (14 December)

• Herbal tea ­ chamomile flowers, peppermint, lemon balm, spearmint are all great for tea. Grow, dry, crumple with your fingers, bottle, label, give. (18 December)

• Worm farm wee ­ bottle, label (with directions), give. (This may seem a very strange gift but it is actually fairly expensive in the shops and is great for those who can't have compost heaps or worm farms or for those who have potted plants and the like. Liquid fertiliser is also a decent gift to other gardeners so long as it's labeled with appropriate cautions and directions.) (20 December)
  Hints from Fabienne & Simon

Growing watermelons - 22 December
In the southern hemisphere, watermelons can be planted this month. They need plenty of manure and water to keep them going. Once the fruit has filled out fully, back the water off and let the fruit suck the goodness from the vines till they are fully ripe.
Hint from Betty Fowler

November

Seed saving - 30 November
Let good Chinese greens go to seed and save a few pods of matured seeds and plant them a little later on in the season.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Protecting winter seedlings - 28 November
In areas not too badly effected by winter, seedlings that are raised indoors and are approximately 2 inches high, can be transplanted out to a protected area of the garden.
Hint from Dan Owen

Sowing carrot seed - 24 November
A good way to plant carrot seeds is to put some dry sand in a container and mix some seed in it. Gently sprinkle this along the marked rows, this helps spread the seeds more evenly than by hand. Lightly cover with soil or compost and water gently.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Winter seedlings indoors - 22 November
In the northern hemisphere, try starting seedlings indoors under a high intensity sodium discharge lamp. If they put out about 500 watts of light it's very similar to natural sunlight. Though relatively expensive to buy and operate, I have found there is no substitute when it comes to getting a quick healthy start to seedlings during the Winter months.
Hint from Dan Owen

White cabbage butterfly - 20 November
Growing brassicas at this time of year can be difficult thanks to the white butterfly. Their grubs have started again. They just love chewing on caulies and cabbage plants.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Mummified strawberries - 17 November
We've been getting a few mummified strawberries of late. This tends to happen to some berries forming on "children" plants which grew as runners from "parent" plants. If you see any of these furry disgusting berries make sure you pull them off and put them in the bin. Otherwise the disease spreads to other fruit.
Hint from Gavin & Paula

Winter planting - 15 November
In some parts of the northern hemisphere there's still time to plant garlic, over wintering onions and those who want the earliest of the peas can sow round seeded varieties such as Feltham First, Meteor and Pilot.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Tomato seedlings - 13 November
Plant tomato seedlings quite deeply - depending on the size of seedling of course. I plant them usually up to an inch (2 1/2 cm) from the leaves. The plant will grow roots all along the stem of the plant and therefore make for a better stronger plant.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Mulching - 10 November
Mulch has become the by-word of successful summer gardening and everybody has their favourite garden topping. Some people swear by pea-straw, others love newspaper, some can't get enough council clippings, and succulent lovers get off on gravel or colourful rocks.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

Extend the season - 9 November
In the northern hemisphere, with proper protection, it's still possible to grow. Using raised beds you can take advantage of the sun's ability to warm the soil through clear plastic row covers. This allows plantings of leaf lettuce, chard and other Cole crops.
Hint from Dan Owen

Composting tips - 6 November
When composting incorporate a handful of blood and bone and other manures and lime in between the layers and kept the heap moist. Turning the heap a couple of times during the process is the secret to good compost. Use the compost when it has broken down well. Once the heap is turned, start another heap with fresh material and repeat the process.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Root crops and frost - 3 November
In the northern hemisphere, carrots should be lifted. With other root crops it's a question of taste, the theory that parsnips taste better after a frost should be weighed against the losses from the slugs and other pests (rabbits, pheasants and partridge for example).
Hint from Phil Cooper

Encouraging tomato flowering - 1 November
Do not add extra fertilizer to tomatoes until the first hand of flowers appears and then fertilize at regular intervals as the tomatoes develop.
Hint from Betty Fowler

October

Plantings - 26 October
In the southern hemisphere cabbage, beetroot and carrots can be planted around now, but as we come into warmer weather watch out for the white cabbage moth.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Seed sowing - 24 October
Sow seeds into compost filled cardboard egg cartons. Cut it into sections and plant it straight into the ground.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

Fertilising tomatoes - 19 October
Tomato beds need to be manured well with compost and old manure and need to be watered regularly and deeply.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Seeds vs seedlings - 17 October
Save money and try raising your plants from seed - only buy punnets from nurseries if your seeds don't work out.
Hint from Fabienne and Simon

Growing seedlings - 10 October
Plastic milk bottles can be used as seedling punnets for larger plants like zucchini and pumpkin. Just cut the top off about ten centimetres from the base and stab a few small holes in the bottom. Fill with sifted compost to about seven centimetres (3 inches) and plant two seeds, cutting out the weaker if both germinate. The container's size lets the plant grow larger and stronger before being transplanted into the warm garden soil.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Potato problems - 7 October
The trouble with potatoes they restrict the ground as to where tomatoes can be planted. One crop cannot follow the other.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Green manures - 6 October
In the northern hemisphere, use green manures as soon as your crops are cleared. Try sowing mustard, phacelia, winter tares, field beans and grazing rye (but only sow grazing rye if you're prepared for the hard work involved in digging it in).
Hint from Phil Cooper

Young citrus and fruit - 4 October
In the southern hemisphere, pull off little baby mandarins, oranges, lemons etc to put your citrus' energies into growing bigger in its early years.
Hint from Gavin

Growing melons - 3 October
In the southern hemisphere, watermelon and rock melon need to be planted as early as possible as they have to grow into a hot summer. Plant October for February-March picking to be at their best.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Citrus trees - 2 October
In Australia it's a good time to fertilize the citrus trees. Mine have been loaded with fruit and are in need of a good manuring and watering for the coming fruit year.
Hint from Betty Fowler

September

Greenhouse heaters - 29 September
In colder parts of the northern hemisphere, keep your greenhouse heater on or raised beds covered, otherwise frost will make a lot of veggies 'kaput' around this time of year.
Hint from Virgina Badger

Transplanting lettuce seedlings - 27 September
When transplanting small lettuces make sure to keep them out of direct sunlight as this makes them wilt very quickly. You have to be very careful of the root area as they seem to react very very quickly to movement from pot to pot.
Hint from Steve Pannan, a Vegetable Patch visitor

Beans for spring - 25 September
Coming into spring it is getting time to plant beans again. Dwarf beans are great as they, like peas, add nitrogen to the soil.
Hint from Betty Fowler

UK autumn sowings - 22 September
In the UK you can still sow late salad crops such as rocket, lettuce and chicory (an exception are overwintering onions) and planting out spring cabbage.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Avoiding seed rot - 20 September
Sowing bean seeds? It's not uncommon for the seeds to rot in the ground. Don't plant the first ones too deep and do not water after moistening the soil after sowing the seeds.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Spring mulching - 18 September
As Australia starts heading into spring, ensure all your gardens are well mulched, as in some states water restrictions exist.
Hint from Marion Macgregor

Build a mini greenhouse - 15 September
Build a 'high tech' greenhouse with three pieces of thick wire arched over an old wooden tank stand with clear plastic sheeting pegged on top. Balance seed trays and punnets on some strategically placed bricks, which retain heat and improve drainage, and make sure you water every couple of days.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

Carrot thinning - 13 September
Thinning out carrots is a good idea. I always manage to plant mine too thickly and when thinned out they allow room for the others to grow bigger. As these continue to grow thin out the alternate ones.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Harvesting onions - 11 September
When onions are ready for harvesting lift them as soon as possible or they'll start to grow again.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Japenese beetles - 10 September
Got these pesky guys in your yard? The only way to eliminate it is to hand pick them and drown them into a bucket of soapy water.
Hint from Debby Williams

Speedy compost - 8 September
Get a hold of a mulcher one weekend to speed up the compost making process - mulch up manure for your compost pile.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

Adding lime - 6 September
Over time put a little lime in every time you plant. Lime is an element that is needed to release other nutrients and minerals from the soil. By also adding compost you can really build up your soil.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Green manure - 4 September
Did you grow any green manure over winter? Now's the time to turn it in. This will take a couple of weeks to break down before we doing the final turn over. It's a great way to enrich the soil.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Seed raising - 2 September
You can make seed punnets from recycled milk cartons. Fill them with a combination of processed compost and washed sand.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

August

Sweet potato - 16 August
If you all your frosts have passed, sweet potato is a great vegie that can be planted, although they need a good 4 to 5 months to grow. If you plant them make sure the tops are chopped back quite hard so that the plant can fruit and not go to runners. To start the plants off pick a tuber with some shoots on it and put it in some soil. Keep covered in case of frost and when the runners grow these can be again planted out in smaller pieces as every section will make roots and thus make a plant.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Fertilising - 8 August
With spring just around the corner in Australia, it's time to give everything a bit of a boost with some organic fertilisers. Take your pick - manures, blood and bone, potash, seaweed extract - the list is endless!
Hint from Marion Macgregor

Potted seedlings - 3 August
I find cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin and melons can all be potted individually and then planted straight into the soil. This saves a bit on the weed problem. These can be started this month to be planted out when the weather stays warmer and the soil warms up a bit.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Herb harvests- 1 August
In summer you can have all sorts of harvest fun with herbs.I use a dehydrator, which is one of the best investments I have ever made. It sure beats hanging bunches of herbs from the basement rafters! It also seems to keep the color and flavor of the leaves better.
Hint from Debby Williams

July

Scale - 30 July
My Bay tree has a small problem with a few scale insects so I'm using a soap based on fatty acids this wont harm us and works by dehydrating the pests so they die.
Hint from Jenny Gilleland

Fruit trees - 26 July
Mulch under fruit tree with goodies like oak leaves, dolomite, blood and bone so by spring this will have broken down for the roots to absorb, ready for a side dressing of horse manure and straw.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon.

Planned autumn crops - 23 July
In the UK, a sowing of early peas will produce a crop in the autumn. Other crops that could be sown now include Chinese cabbage and other oriental greens, kale, spring cabbage, endive, Florence fennel, kohl rabi and Swiss chard.
Hint from Phil Cooper.

Sowing seeds - 17 July
When will I learn that every seed is a potential plant instead of planting so many seeds? Not much harm done except that I will have to thin the seedlings out very hard as they grow. My philosophy is that maybe they will not germinate and if I put more in I am sure to get some up. Great if the seeds are old and the packet already opened. New packets of seeds have a greater germination rate.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Tomato blight - 13 July
This disease first affects the lower leaves with small brown spots. Over time the spots grow larger eventually killing the leaf while, at the same time, spreading up the plant. This is a fungal problem caused by spores splashing up from the soil during a rain event. I have tried to prevent it by using a wood mulch around the stems and making sure to prune off any low lying leaf branches. This year it has paid off. There is no evidence of any problems at all. Happy days are here again! Can hardly wait for that first BLT sandwich.
Hint from Dan Owen

Harvesting - 11 July
As courgettes, French and runner beans start to crop they will need regular harvesting to keep them cropping.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Mulching fruit trees - 9 July
To kill off grass around the drip line of fruit trees, cover the area with thick layers of newspaper or cardboard.Then pile on mulch (straw or sugar can trash) and organic goodies (manures, blood and bone, and potash) to feeed your hungry fruit trees organically.
Hint from Gavin Atkinson

Slugs - 6 July
To keep slugs at bay, give them beer to drink in a trap (old jam lids work well), or place salt or egg shells around vulnerable plants.
Hint from Jenny Gilleland

Peas - 4 July
When it comes to peas, I plant Massy Gem and Green Feast peas at the same time. The Massy Gem produces peas much earlier than the Green Feast, which is a larger pod and therefore takes longer to mature. The Climbing varieties I plant are Snow peas and Sugar snap and sometimes Telephone Peas. If you have too many peas, freeze the shelled peas for later use.
Hint from Betty Fowler

June

Removing weeds - 27 June
The summer weed problem has begun, but a good friend told me of a way to remove dandelion's.Here goes: cut off leaves to ground level, then get table salt and pour into centre of plant , wait a few days and they dry up and go.
Hint from Jenny Gilleland

Getting into Asian greens - 20 June
It's a good time to sow Wong Bok and Pak Choy now. It's funny how tastes change, I seem to prefer these greens now instead of silver beet or spinach. Grows quicker too which is a plus.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Parsley and chives - 18 June
Provided your parsley and chives are showing no sign of slowing down there really is no need to replace them.Just give them a haircut every so often when harvesting and they'll taste as good today as they did when they were younger.
Hint from Marion Macgregor

Strawberries - 15 June
It's a good time of the year to plant some strawberry crowns. They like a mix of organic goodies in their planting whole. Be careful though to buffer them from any fresh manures. Once the crowns are established, cover the strawberry patch with a light scattering of leaves as mulch.
Hint from Fabienne & Simon

Peas as a green crop - 14 June
If you have a bed that you do not want to use for a while, just plant a crop of peas for a green crop and dig in when flowering. This is a good way to enrich the soil with nitrogen for later plantings. Adding other compost and manure and lime if necessary will help build up the soil for the next growing season. Leaving the beds to fallow for a time gives the soil time to re-cooperate.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Tomatoes - 7 June
Keep tomato leaves off the ground to help stops soil born disease.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Broad beans - 5 June
Try using broad beans as a green crop. They, like most legumes, produce nitrogen and also being a succulent plant add lots of fibre back into the soil. The beans themselves are a bonus. Picked young instead of leaving them until the pods and beans are well formed makes a nice change. I like them when they have large full pods - the beans themselves are quite floury when cooked. Like any vegetable use it at whatever stage you like.
Hint from Betty Fowler

May

Asian greens - 31 May
These are great vegetables and are so quick to grow. Keeping up the water and the extra feeding helps them grow quicker. These along with the silver beet and spinach are a great standby for greens for the coming months.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Powdery mildew - 18 May
Having powdery mildew problems with zuchinni? Try removing the affected leaves and raising the plants off the ground by means of several bricks and some stakes.
Hint from Marion Macgregor

Green manures - 14 May
Heading into winter, plan leaving a couple of beds unplanted or try a green manure crop to help add fibre back to the soil. This gets it ready for spring planting.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Spring gardening - 11 May
Row covers are great for giving the tender plants a little wind protection at this time as spring blooms.
Hint from Lisa Pearson

Compost - 2 May
Remember to keep the compost heap going. Using grass clippings, add blood & bone and a little lime and any manure that is available. This should be ready for the spring garden.
Hint from Betty Fowler

April

Spinach - 24 April
English Spinach has a short growing time so a row of these would be a good addition to the garden. They like the cooler months to grow and drop off very quickly as it warms up.
Hint from Betty Fowler

Borage - 19 April
Just a small word of advice for the unwary stay away from borage unless you intend pulling up millions of babies - looks lovely in flower, but is really just a nuisance.
Hint from Marion Macgregor

Better draining soil - 10 April
Need to make heavy soil drain better? Start working compost in every year to lighten the soil. You cannot change soil structure overnight, it has to be a gradual process. Also, mix in shreded leaves in the fall as another way to add organic matter. They will break down over the winter.
Hint from Debby Williams

April gardening - 4 April
In the UK, it's time to dig in green manures especially winter rye, which if left, will become a major task. I find it helps to cut the taller crops down with a strimmer or (better) a rotary mover before digging in.
Hint from Phil Cooper

March

Chinese radish - 30 March
This is a quick vegetable to grow. Typical of most vegetables they have special best periods to grow in. Growing in the cooler months seems to be better than the warmer times.
Hint from Betty Fowler

UK gardening - 26 March
Outdoor early potatoes and broad beans should be planted now in UK's south. Why not also try growing Jerusalem artichokes.
Hint from Phil Cooper

Last Updated 22 March, 2009

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