Spring is a lovely time of year for us, but it does get hot very quickly! I would liken our Spring to more like a Mediterranean summer, it's hot and dry. In this post I thought I'd share some of the things we're doing this Spring to make sure we get through summer reasonably unscathed.
What to plant in a Subtropical Spring Garden
This year I am upping my lettuce succession as well as risking an early crop of corn as there is predicted higher than average rainfall expected for October.
We're planting:
- Zucchini
- Corn
- Eggplant
- Capsicum
- Butternut pumpkins
- Cucumbers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Spring Onions
- Loads of lettuce
If you're looking for some inspiration on what grows this time of year you can find out what to plant here.
Jobs for Spring in the Garden
Establish Living Mulches
My main priority is getting living mulch underway. I found an area that I let go wild last year was the most resilient, so I am being intentional about letting things take up all the spaces. This means densely planting and filling spaces.
Green up the Hot Spots
Things like fences, bare ground, brick walls, concrete and pavers are what I would consider hot spots in our garden. Anything that sucks in the heat and radiates it around. My goal is to defuse as many of these hotspots by getting things growing over them. Creepers and climbers come into play here. I have fences that I really want covered in foliage before summer hits so It's about getting organised with that.
Drought proofing
One of the best things you can do to prepare your gardens for the heat is to ease up on the watering frequency.
Instead, water deeply, less often. As much as I love meandering the garden giving everything a sprinkling of water every day, now is the time to push your plants to really dig deep for water. This will help them survive those days when moisture evaporates really quickly from the surface levels. So more water, less often. Ease into it and just make sure you're consistent about it to avoid issues like blossom end rot.
Hola Ollas
Time to dig out (or dig in) the Ollas again. If you don't know what Ollas are, they are essentially ancient forms of irrigation, usually terracotta vessels that are buried in the ground and slowly let water seep into the ground around them. We DIY'd ours with some old terracotta Pots and a bit of putty. I'll be checking in on them making sure they are free of leaks and strategically placing them around the garden for areas that are notoriously bad for drying out quickly or near plants that hate to dry out completely. Dirt Lovers can find a video on them here.
Check out our video with a tour of what's growing this Spring in our patch.
What are you doing this Spring to prepare for the warmer months ahead?
