August in your gorgeous edible garden
August in your edible garden
In this issue:
- Chitting the spuds
- Overzealous desire to plant
- What to plant / grow this Spring ? Let Hiatt & Co make it easy and do it for you.
Chit the Spuds : Chitting your potatoes simply means giving them a head start by encouraging them to sprout before you plant them. This usually takes 3-4 weeks and ideally you want around 5mm growth as a guide
If you want new potatoes for Christmas, now is a good time to start thinking about buying a bag of seed potatoes. To chit them I simply spread my seed potatoes in a shallow cardboard box and pop it inside the woodshed. Anywhere dry will be great and they also need light although avoid direct sunlight.
Hiatt & Co Top Tip- Another way to store them while they sprout is to place the blunt end (more rounded end) of the seed potato bottom first into an egg carton. I will touch more around planting them next month but if you need inspiration on early varieties to grow I like Jersey Benne, Cliff Kidney and Rocket.
Overzealous desire to plant
I wonder if you feel like I do? The current weather is giving me a strong urge to get planting. Your climate type really is key to understanding what you can plant at this time of year. We can almost smell and hear Spring with the birds but it is still winter. In my cold mountainous climate we still have cold nights and frosty morning weather. If you want to get some seedlings in the ground and can’t resist the urge any longer- I suggest leafy greens such as spinach and silverbeet. You could also try Asian greens, although my gut says to wait a little longer. If you are in more temperate areas, you have a climate that gives you more options and a longer growing season.
Having a constant supply of microgreens on my kitchen window sill is helping to keep my spring planting desire reined in for a little longer, and they are so easy. Have you tried our Mighty Minis Microgreens Starter kit?
Ideas for Spring: it’s a perfect time to start to think about what you would like to grow in your own gorgeous edible garden this spring.
Spend this time looking for and saving pictures of things you like for inspiration. Or if it all feels a little too hard, or you don't have time book a Hiatt & Co Edible Consult . Let us do the thinking and planning for you. It’s the perfect time to set yourself up for success come spring time
Until next month
Anna xxx
