Spring into Action & grow veges like Anya

Nothing beats the satisfaction of ‘growing your own’ food. Spring is an ideal time to plant your patch for the warmer months.

The soil is warming and there's plenty of options to choose from to reap benefits of fresh homegrown food. Follow our guide, get the kids involved and spring into action to sort your vege patch for summer.

Choose your veges

Choose crops that suit the time of year, amount of garden space you have, and those your family enjoy eating and cooking with. Our Planting Calendar has a handy list detailing what to plant each month, based on your region.

Anya and Talia have planted their very own vege patch and are excited to give planting a go and snack on the harvests once ready!

They chose quick win crops including basil, beetroot, parsley, kale, lettuce, rocket, spinach and spring onions. These are great beginner crops if you are starting out in the garden. Anya has also chose peas for her patch and Tahlia chose radish as she loves their bright red colour.

Leafy crops like spinach, rocket and lettuce can be harvested a leaf at a time and the plant will regrow for a continued supply.

Add flowers like marigolds and calendula between your veges for a pop of colour and to bring in the bees!

PREPARE & PLANT YOUR VEGES

Next it's time to get the soil prepared for planting! Anya and Talia planted early in the morning before the sun got too hot. Starting with an existing garden bed, they dug in Tui Organic Sheep Pellets and compost to replenish the soil.

They then added a layer of Tui Performance Organics Vegetable Mix, containing all the goodies their veges need for the best start and sustained growth throughout the season. Below are the simple steps to planting they followed:

• Soak seedlings in a bucket of Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic and allow to drain. This helps prevent transplant shock.
• Dig a hole, approximately twice the depth and width of the root ball of your plant.
• Gently loosen the root ball of your plant and position the plant in the centre of the hole.
• Press soil gently around the base of the plant.
• Water your vege plants well.

Sprinkle Tui Quash around seedlings to prevent slugs and snails beating you to your veges. 

Top vege care

The girls will be feeding their veges every 6-8 weeks with Tui Performance Organics Tomato & Vegetable Fertiliser Pellets over the growing season for a bumper crop! The pellets are simple to measure and mess-free for easy application. They're also suitable for use in pots and containers.  

As their veges grow the girls will make sure they are regularly watered - a great evening task! A well watered, well nourished vegetable garden will have a better chance of keeping insect pests and diseases at bay.

Discover more top beginner crops here >