August Edible Garden by the Seasol Garden Doctor

Some of the late fruiting mandarins and oranges are still bearing. The best fruiting trees to grow, they require little care and reward you with vitamin enriched juicy fruit. The season can be extended from May with Mandarin Imperial to October with Mandarin Kara and many fruiting in between. Their foliage is dark glossy green and the perfume in late spring is superb.

Longing for fresh Basil for pasta dishes and salads? Get a head start on the cold and germinate some seeds now. They will be ready to plant out as soon as the weather warms up. Sow in a seed raising tray and cover with glass or sow in a mini greenhouse to keep the warmth in.

Prune the citrus, if needed, but only to shape after they have finished fruiting. Do this before they start flowering again and feed with a complete Citrus fertiliser.

Spray the grapevines with Lime sulfur to clean up any Leaf Blister Mites. Do not spray in temperatures above 22 degrees as it can burn soft new foliage.

If the potato crop is coming to the end, it’s time to plant some more. If you live in a frost prone area some of those late frosts can kill the plants overnight. Keep the growing foliage covered in straw or soil until the danger of frost is gone.

It’s time to plant chilli seeds as well. A fantastic range of seeds available at the garden centre means there is a chilli to suit every taste, from sweet to the very hottest!

Rosemary is coming into flower and is one of the most versatile herbs. It is so drought tolerant and hardy it can be used for many situations in the garden as well as being used to flavour many dishes. A perfect hedging plant or if you have limited space Rosemary Mozart is a trailing variety with dark blue flowers that grows happily in pots or hanging baskets.

Tomatoes. Doesn’t time fly?! It doesn’t seem that long ago we were just pulling the old bushes out. It is time to plant seeds. There are so many varieties available, but the cherry ones are still my favourite, they fruit so well, seem to be resistant to any disease that comes by their way and children love them!

For something a little different try growing a blueberry in a pot. They grow to over 1m high and fruit very well. Imagine, fresh blueberry muffins flavoured with home grown fruit…delicious! Put in a pot at least 40cm wide and plant in Premium potting mix.

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