Gardening calendar - April 2023

April signals the end of the summer bounty and presents opportunities to make the most of the produce left on your plants. Before you pull them out, seize the moment to make preserves with anything left behind from summer. A chutney or pickle maybe? Going forward, the shorter days and cooler temperatures will favour the establishment of winter vegetables like broad beans, broccoli, greens, peas and carrots. Keep your garden cycle turning!

Peas

Peas straight from the pod are a taste sensation not available from the freezers at the supermarket. If you have children, a row of peas will entice them into the garden for a delicious snack. A freshly-podded pea is equally at home in a salad bowl as it is in a pot.

Peas are a legume and will add nitrogen to the soil. They prefer a free-draining soil that is not too acidic. They are a good crop to grow in the crop rotation after nitrogen-hungry crops like potatoes. Peas are best grown in autumn, late winter and early spring. You can get dwarf varieties but most peas will need support to grow on either a trellis or stakes. Mix and match between the traditional shelling varieties, sugar snap peas, and snow peas.

Plant seed direct to soil at around 2-3cm deep and 10cm apart. If the soil is cold or wet, germinate them in a potting mix and transplant in 4-6 weeks as seedlings. Buying a punnet of seedlings is another good option. Work on 6-10 plants per person. Stagger plantings to give a consistent supply. Peas will be ready to pick 9-11 weeks from planting

Soil Structure

Soil, its structure, and the organisms that live in it are the hidden powerhouse of your garden. Strong productive plants need good soil as a partner. To check the physical composition of your garden soil, moisten a small amount of soil in your hands. A clay soil will ball up when you moisten it, a loamy soil will ball up but break apart easily, and a sandy soil feels gritty and will fall apart. A loamy soil is an ideal garden soil, but all soils can be improved to make a good growing environment. To improve a sandy soil, add organic matter like rotted sawdust, compost, animal manure, blood and bone. Keep it covered with mulch where possible. To improve a clay soil, add coarse sand in addition to the organic matter. Gypsum is a mineral product you can use to improve clay soils. It helps to clump clay particles together and improve soil structure.

Plant
• Beetroot
• Brassicas (broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower)
• Broad beans
• Celery
• Garlic
• Greens (spinach, silverbeet, rocket, kale)
• Herbs (basil (indoor), parsley, coriander, dill, chives)
• Leeks, onions and spring onions
• Lettuces
• Peas and snow peas

Sow
• Beetroot
• Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower)
• Broad beans
• Carrots
• Florence fennel
• Greens (Asian greens, perpetual beet and silverbeet, spinach, rocket)
• Herbs (parsley, chives, dill)
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes
• Spring onions
• Turnips

Harvest

• Aubergines
• Beans
• Beetroot
• Capsicums and chillies
• Carrots
• Courgettes and cucumbers
• Herbs (basil, coriander, chives, dill, parsley, sage and thyme)
• Lettuce and leafy greens
• Sweetcorn
• Squash and pumpkins
• Tomatoes

Harvest

Cucumbers, courgettes, beans, aubergines, capsicums, pumpkins and tomatoes will still be producing in warm gardens. Brassicas, carrots, greens, lettuce, beetroot, Florence fennel and radishes will be growing well after the summer heat and rain. Keep picking the flower heads off basil to extend its productive life a bit further.

Fruit/vege of the month: Feijoas

Feijoas are an easy-to-grow fruit tree with a compact footprint well suited to the home garden. Plant 2-3 trees in a sunny position. They will thrive on most soils with moderate fertility and reasonable drainage. Best planting times are autumn and spring. Plant several varieties close to each other to ensure good pollination. Feijoas will produce from late summer to late autumn depending on variety. Ripe fruit will fall onto the ground under the tree. You can also touch-pick to find almost ripe fruit. Giving the tree a bit of a shake also works well too! Feijoas are susceptible to guava moth, the best control is good hygiene; pick up all fruit from under the tree. Feed any infested fruit to chickens or put them in a sealed container to break down.

Feijoa Chutney

INGREDIENTS

• 1.25kg feijoa pulp
• 500g onions chopped
• 600ml vinegar
• 1kg brown sugar
• 1½ T mixed spice
• 600g apples peeled and sliced
• 1T salt
• ½t cayenne pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put all the ingredients together in a large saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for one hour.
2. Pour into sterilised jars, seal and store in your pantry.
3. Spread it on crackers with cheese, make sandwiches delicious, use a little as sauce.

*You can use frozen feijoas to make chutney later.