How to Grow a Vegie Patch

The mornings are brighter and there’s a vague optimism in the air. Yes, it’s spring. That time of year when everything in your garden is calling out to you. The time to grow the vegie patch you’ve always talked about, thought about, but never really got going.

In August we were lucky enough to have Ken from Attunga Garden Products teach us all about vegie gardens at our Diaco’s Garden Nursery workshops. In case you missed it, we’ve replanted some of his vegie garden wisdom below.

Building a raised vegie garden

Not only do raised vegie gardens look neat in your garden, they provide easier access and can protect plant groups. We recommend using virgin materials to avoid weeds and diseases in the soil.

You’ll need

• Attunga Vegetable and Herb Potting Mix
  Contains Attunga Premium Organic Garden Fertilizer and Vita Rich Liquid Pant Food for slow release and quick acting fertilisation.
• Attunga Mixed Animal Manure
• Attunga Humus Plus™ Organic Compost
• Attunga Dolomite Lime
• Attunga Premium Organic Garden Fertiliser
• Layer of newspaper
• Attunga Topsoil™

Layer with

• Attunga Vegetable and Herb Potting Mix approximately 5cm
• Attunga Mixed Animal Manure
• Mix together Attunga Vegetable and Herb Potting Mix with 1/3 Attunga Humus Plus™ Organic Compost 5cm
• Attunga Mixed Animal Manure 5cm
• Top up with Attunga Topsoil™

Find a spot with plenty of sun that’s sheltered too. Spring’s a great time for vegetables such as broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, peas, spinach and turnips.

Preparation

• Line the bottom of the box with newspaper

Watering

After your raised bed is set up, let the soil settle for a few days. Then plant your seedlings directly into the bed and water well without flooding. Under no circumstances, let your seedlings dry out. Early on, we recommend watering seedlings with Vitarich liquid fertiliser to let them settle in and reduce shock.

Soil

Vegetables, more so than other plants, need nutrient rich soil to grow well. To improve your soil, side dress your seedlings with Attunga Premium Organic Garden Fertiliser. To increase the yield of green crops such as lettuce and beans, we recommend dressing them with Attunga Sulphate of Ammonia.

Turn over your soil regularly with a hoe to aerate your crop but be careful not to disturb the roots. Follow this system and your vegies will grow up in a great environment!

You can learn even more about gardening at a Diaco’s Garden Workshop too. If you regularly visit Diaco’s Garden Nursery, why not save on your purchases with a Diaco’s Loyalty Card? Click here to become a loyalty card member.