When to plant: Plant seedlings in January to avoid fruit fly, if earlier use hormone traps

How to plant:
Start the seedlings<insert link to seed raising mix>

Plant seeds which are designated as disease free. Choose seeds of plants of best disease resistant plants to build disease resistance over time.
- Sow 1/4” deep
- Germinate 5-7 days
- Feed with fish emulsion after 3 weeks
After 6 weeks
To prepare soil grow use the ‘Daniel’s Run method’ which is a green manure crop over winter, crimp then mulch with lucerne left for six weeks.
- Manure in winter
- Then green manure
- Spray with ferment - Crimp green manure
- Mulch with lucerne hay- Meanwhile sow single seeds in larger coir pots
- Transplant into well prepared soil. Plant deeply, pot and all in compost in lucerne mulch

Care: Spray fortnightly with trio of silica, potash& seaweed liquid
Prune lower leaves
Grow climbing tomato varieties e.g. cherries in sun cages
Water in well a pinch of blood and bone when plants begin flowering **Q Jude Shouldn’t need much fertilising
Don’t overwater to give a sweet flavour
Spray with ferment when tomatoes are maturing
Use lures and sticky traps for fruit fly Surround plants with diversity of plantings

Sturdy tomato supports
• For one cage 2x2m tomato stakes1.4m of 1.8m wide 100mm weld mesh
• Cut mesh to size with one side flush, wires protruding on the otherMake a cylinder
• Hammer stakes into ground 45cm apart
• Lower wire cylinder catching onto stakes
• Suspend cylinder 30cm above ground until seedling is planted then lower fully
• Weave growth through cylinder then tip prune plants when they reach the top

Harvest when fruit show first blush of colour and ripen indoors

Troubleshooting:
• For fungal infections spray copper oxychloride every two weeks taking care to spray top snd bottom of leaves and not onto the soil as it will kill soil organisms. 

Varieties
Yellow Pear
Cherry
Moldovan Green indeterminate all rounder
Barry’s Crazy Cherry

When to plant: In temperate areas of Australia, sow capsicum seeds from August to December. In colder climates sow capsicum seeds in September, October, or November. 

How to plant:
Choose a spot garden with full sun, protected from strong winds. Capsicums prefer well-drained soil, but they will need regular watering during the growing season. You can sow seeds directly in the garden bed however because of the short growing season in many parts of Australia, it is best to raise seedlings, before then transplanting them to the veggie patch when the soil is warm enough. 

Start the seedlings
Depth & space:
Sow 50mm deep in seed tray or punnet, cover with sand soil temp 15’C Mist until germination E 12-14 days, C 16-21 days
After 4-5 weeks keep drier to foster root development
After 6 weeks fertilise with fish emulsion
Transplant into garden after 7-8 weeks. They will then be ready to transplant to the garden when daytime temperatures regularly exceed 20C. 

Planting in the garden
Depth & space: Plant capsicum seedlings into prepared soil, in a spot with full sun. Space plants 40-60cm apart, depending on the variety. Capsicum needs a well-drained soil, but with regular irrigation throughout the fruiting season. Mulch around plants with an open organic mulch to suppress weeds and retain moisture. 

Care: Capsicum plants need regular watering. After transplanting and as the plant matures you should water 2-3 times a week. After the capsicum is established, which is usually about a month, you can cut back to watering about once a week. This will encourage stronger root development.

Don’t overfeed the capsicum plants, especially with a high-nitrogen fertiliser, in the early stages of their development as you’ll get a lot of soft foliage growth, at the expense of fruit.

When the plants do begin to flower, you can add some liquid fertiliser every couple of weeks while the plants are bearing fruit. Anything designed for tomatoes will work well for growing capsicum too. It can also be beneficial to also add more organic material occasionally to the soil to help with soil-borne disease resistance.

Capsicums are frost-sensitive plants, grow them during your warmest months. 

On days over 38 degrees C protect capsicums from sunburn with a shade cloth. 

If the capsicum plants become top-heavy when laden with fruit use bamboo or timber garden stakes to support the plants. 

Harvest in 3-4 months

Troubleshooting:
• Capsicums are relatively untroubled by pests and disease. However, when growing capsicums there can be occasional issues with fruit flies, blossom end rot and root-knot nematodes.
• Blossom end rot typically occurs due to inconsistent watering, resulting in a sunken and discoloured spot on the capsicum fruit’s end. This can lead to premature rotting. Just make sure to water regularly and consistently, adapting to weather conditions. Mulching your veggie patch will also help.
• Fruit flies can also impact capsicum. They burrow through the fruit and lay eggs in the skin, causing them to rot. The chance of fruit flies can be mitigated by not letting the capsicum over ripen or leaving them on the plant to rot. Another option is to cover the plant in a fruit bag.
• Capsicum can be susceptible to root-knot nematodes. Also known as eelworms, these tiny soil-based pests breed in and damage the feeder roots. Root-knot nematode will impact the capsicum plants growth and reduce the quality and quantity of fruit. Reduce the risk of root-knot nematodes in your garden soil via good crop rotation, making sure not to leave mature plants in your veggie patch too long. It also helps to keep the garden weed-free as they can also host eelworm. Maintaining lots of organic matter in the soil will help encourage microorganisms that eat the nematode lava and make your capsicum less susceptible to infestation. 

Varieties
Giant Bell (California Wonder)
Colour Salad Collection
Sweet Banana
Yolo Wonder Capsicum (Sweet Chocolate)

When to plant: Late winter is ideal in most temperate regions of Australia. Potatoes prefer mild conditions and between 16C and 22C.

How to plant:
Start the seedlings
Plant seed potatoes which are grown with the specific purpose of being replanted to produce a crop of potatoes.  They won’t have been sprayed with sprout inhibitors and they will also be disease-free. Spuds are prone to soil-born pests and diseases so buying certified seed potatoes  is a must. 

It is a good idea to let  seed potatoes sprout first before planting. Allowing  seed potatoes to grow shoots before  planting them is called ‘chitting’. Plant the seed potatoes with the eyes facing up. 

Potatoes require plenty of water, potassium & blood & bone at the time  flowers appear as tubers form then. 

Planting using potato grow/ cage
A potato ‘grow bag’ is a breathable bag/ cage that allows air to circulate throughout the root system. They provide a fantastic space-saving option to grow seed potatoes or other deep-rooted vegetables.

Potatoes do well in containers and don’t need a large veggie patch to grow them, making them suitable to thrive in potato grow bags. Traditionally, when growing potatoes in a veggie patch, gardeners ‘hill’  plants. This involves periodically covering their potato plants with additional fresh soil as they grow. Forming a hill protects the tubers from light and supports the plant. 

By following a similar process in the potato grow bag by adding layers of soil as the plant grows, the more the tubers are covered, the more roots are sent out through the soil mix and the larger the harvest. 

Depending on the size of the container and the size of the seed potatoes, a potato grow bag will normally hold about 3-5 seed potatoes. Don’t be tempted to add more because they will be competing for nutrients, creating a poor harvest.  Expect about 2-3kgs of spuds per seed potato planted.

Planting
Potato plants like plenty of sun, although they will tolerate partial shade, find a sunny spot in the garden.Plant in the ‘grow bag’ with the eye facing up. Cover with 10cm of soil and periodically top up with straw, with leaves exposed.

Care: While potatoes will adapt to light or heavy soils, good drainage is essential. The soil should be well-draining to prevent the tubers from rotting. Adding the straw will help to ensure you have the necessary water drainage. It is important to ensure that new tubers are kept covered by soil. Reducing light exposure will encourage more tubers to grow. This also protects the new potatoes from being attacked by potato moth caterpillars.

Don’t overwater to avoid the tubers rotting. Watering regularly about once or twice a week, over the lifetime of the plants is best practice and will make sure you grow smooth, well-developed potatoes. 

Assuming you have been using rich, organic matter filled soil, there isn’t much need to add additional fertilizer as you go. If needing to feed the potatoes, use some Blood and Bone, Dynamic Lifter or liquid seaweed fertiliser.

Harvest Start harvesting a couple of weeks after the potato plant flowers. Begin to harvest tubers when they are small, a couple of weeks after the plants begin to flower and the lower leaves are beginning to yellow. These new potatoes should be ready about 2- 3 months after planting. Note that these new potatoes don’t have thick skins and don’t store well. They are delicious to eat though if you cook them straightaway. 

If there is access towards the bottom of the grow bag, you’ll be able to stagger the potato harvest, without exposing the entire crop, and enjoy them fresh over a longer period. 

The alternative approach is to wait until the plant has died back. This is normally around 4 months after planting. Unlike the small, sweet new potatoes which are harvested earlier, this will allow your potatoes to mature and the skin to thicken. These potatoes will be larger and can be stored longer. Store then in a cool, well ventilated, dark place and not in the fridge.

One of the advantages of using a potato grow bag is controlling the area the tubers are planted in, making it easy and simple to harvest.  

Troubleshooting:
• Some of the most common problems include aphids, cutworms, and Colorado potato beetles.
• Aphids  feed on plant sap and can cause stunted growth and distorted leaves. One common method to get rid of aphids is to blast them with water from a hose. Another option is to spray a homemade insecticide using dish soap and water.
• Colorado potato beetles are black and yellow beetles feed on potato leaves, causing extensive damage, and their larvae can also bore into potato tubers. To get rid of them use insecticidal soap or organic neem oil which will kill the beetles on contact. Or release beneficial predators, such as ladybugs, into your garden.
• Early blight is a fungal infection that spreads via wind and water, and it thrives in warm, humid conditions. To get rid of early blight, it is important to remove any infected leaves or stems from the plant. The affected area should then be treated with a fungicide. After treating the plant, continue to monitor it for signs of early blight.
• Late blight is a serious disease that can devastate potato crops. The symptoms are easy to spot: dark brown or black spots on the leaves, stems, and fruit of the plant. To help prevent late blight, avoid planting potatoes in areas that have had previous outbreaks of the disease.  Water the plants carefully to avoid getting the leaves wet, as this can allow the fungus to spread. Remove any affected leaves or plants immediately to keep the disease from spreading further.
• Fusarium wilt is a destructive disease that can affect potatoes, tomatoes, and other plants in the nightshade family. The fungus enters the plant through the roots and then spreads through the vascular system, causing the leaves to wilt and turn brown. There are several ways to deal with fusarium wilt, but the simplest is to remove affected plants and burn them.
• Potato psyllid is a small, winged insect that feeds on potato plants. While most potato psyllids are harmless, some can carry a disease called “zebra chip”, which can cause potatoes to develop dark stripes. Psyllids also produce a sticky substance called honeydew, which can encourage the growth of sooty mould on the leaves. One of the most effective methods is to remove infested leaves from the plant. Another method is to spray the plants with an insecticide.

Varieties
1 Pontiac potato - The bright red skinned and white fleshed Pontiac is a popular waxy potato. It can be difficult to peel because of its relatively deep eyes. It is excellent for boiling and salads.
2 Kipfler potato - German in origin, the Kipfler is a long, oval potato with yellow skin and flesh. Its flavour is described as nutty. Particularly good when steamed, braised, boiled or microwaved. Great for salads and pizzas.
3 Desiree potato - An oval shaped potato with pink skin and a creamy-yellow coloured flesh. A great creamy all-rounder that is neither waxy or floury, they can be boiled, mashed, baked, roasted, microwaved and used in salads. Not recommended for deep frying, but works well if grated and shallow fried for potato rosti.
4 Nadine Potato - This short, oval shaped potato with a smooth creamy white skin and flesh is ideal for boiling and salads. Its buttery flesh makes it ideal for gnocchi.
5 Nicola Potato - Oblong in shape with a rich yellow skin and yellow buttery flesh, this spud is ideal for salads, baking, boiling and gnocchi.
6 Kestral Potato- Ideal for boiling, mashing, roasting and frying, Kestrels are a very versatile variety with a delicious slightly-sweet flavour.

When to plant: Late September – December (after frost risk has passed)

How to plant:
Start the seedlings
Sow 50mm deep, cover with sand soil temp 15’C
Mist until germination E 12-14 days, C 16-21 days
After 4-5 weeks keep drier to foster root development
After 6 weeks fertilise with fish emulsion
Transplant into garden after 7-8 weeks

Planting
Plant in a sunny spot in the garden and leave about 50cm between them, as they can get pretty big.
Like tomatoes, top eggplants thrive in a fertile soil, rich with compost, pelletized poo and topped with a layer of straw. Eggplants will do even better if the bed is prepared for them a month before planting out and ensure the soil drains freely.

Care: Staking eggplants, especially the bigger fruiting varieties supports top heavy eggplants.  Solid tomato stakes, driven into the ground about 10 centimeters away from the stem of the plant are adequate

Harvest Depending on variety, between 10 – 14 weeks

Troubleshooting:
• Eggplants don’t seem to suffer from an enormous amount of pest and disease issues, but, being related to tomatoes, they are susceptible to the same suite of pests and problems. Don’t plant them in a patch where tomatoes, chillis, eggplants or potatoes have been in the last two years to lessen the possibility of disease. Common problems are:
- Flowers fall off before the fruit forms – Could be caused by too much or not enough water, not enough light, over fertilising, possums or thrips.
• White powdery patches on upper surfaces of leaves – Often caused by water hanging around on the leaves of plants. Try to water the soil, rather than the foliage. Remove affected leaves and put them in the bin, not the compost.
• Holes in your leaves – caterpillars
• Wet looking patches on the eggplant – Likely blossom end rot

Varieties
1 Common eggplant - Large and pendulum shaped, the colour of the common eggplant can vary from deep purple, to almost black, to pale purple streaked with white.

2 Finger or Japanese/Asian eggplant - This long, finger-shaped variety can range in colour from dark purple to striated shades. They have a tender and sweet taste.

3 Baby or Italian eggplant - Similar in colour and shape to the common eggplant, the baby eggplant is much smaller – almost a miniature version. It has a more delicate skin than the larger variety.

4 Thai eggplant - Also known as Kermit eggplant, this variety is the size of a golf ball and features white mauve skin with some green mottling. It is often used in red curries.

5 Pea eggplant- Used in Thai and Indonesian cooking, these tiny, pea-shaped eggplants come in clusters. Light green in colour, they have a bitter taste and many seeds. Available from Asian greengrocers.

When to plant: Early spring

How to plant:
Start the seedlings
Heat is required to successfully grow chillies from seed. Needing at least 20C to germinate, the best time to sow seeds, in most parts of Australia, is early spring.

Start growing your chilli seeds off indoors by propagating in seed trays. Sow seeds in individual cells no more than 1cm deep, cover with a good seed raising soil mix and then add some moisture.

Be careful to not let the soil mix dry out. Try and keep it moist to the touch but not wet. Using a small water mister is a good idea rather than drowning the seeds by pouring water directly onto them. 

Keep them warm. If you have them outside during the day, make sure to bring the seed tray in at night. 

Germination takes just over 1 week. Leave them in the seed tray until they have sprouted their first set of leaves.

Aim to transplant your chillies to the garden when daytime temperatures are around 20C or warmer. Water the chilli plant before transplanting so that the soil doesn’t fall apart and disturb the roots too much.

Planting
Chili plants love heat and should be positioned in a warm, sunny part of the garden. Put them in a somewhat sheltered spot, that gets full sun, and the chili plants will do well. Given their shallow root structure, try and protect them from the wind. 

Chilies will grow in part sun, but this isn’t ideal, and they’ll end up  a leggy plant. 

Care: Chilies love heat and should be in the hottest part of the garden. As a result, they will need to be watered regularly and consistently. Make sure they chillies never dry out, but also avoid overwatering. They don’t like to sit in swamping soil so make sure it is free draining. For established chilli plants, given them at least one good soaking per week to encourage stronger root development. Adding some mulch, such as pea straw or lucerne hay, will also help. 

Another factor to consider is that chilli plants have shallow, weak roots. Given this, it is a good idea to provide support to the younger chilli plants, by adding a stake that should prevent the plant from toppling over in a strong wind or when it becomes top-heavy.

Chili plants also have weak branches, and when they grow lots of fruit, these branches can easily snap. Either give them some support or cut off the broken branches and new ones will grow. 

If the chilies have been planted in good soil, they shouldn’t need much fertilizer to thrive. In fact, over-fertilizing the chili plants will lead to more foliage, but less fruit. Make sure to fertilize when the fruit first begins to appear. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen. 

Chili plants generally don’t require pruning. 

Harvest in 3-4 months

Troubleshooting:
• Generally, chillies don’t have many issues with disease or pests and are a fairly low maintenance plant. Some chilli plants are impacted by root-knot nematode, where microscopic ringworms attack the roots and can cause the plant to welt and die. The best way to combat this is to add compost to the soil and for potted chilli, make sure you use a new potting mix every time you replant. 

Varieties
1 Cayenne – Long, glossy, sharply pointed, red or green chillies. Very versatile and often used in stir-fries and on pizzas
2 Jalapeno – Chunky, green chilli, commonly used in Mexican dishes. Generally medium heat.
3 Habanero – A very hot, bell-shaped fruit, which ranges in colour from light green to orange pink at maturity.
4 Bird’s Eye or Thai – A small, spicy, chilli that ripens from green to red. Regularly used in Asian cuisine, stir fries and curries.