GrowSmart Calendar - July

Usually the coldest and rainiest weather of the year. Garden growth slows right down...it's a 'rest' period. In warmer areas, sowing of many crops can begin - if the soil is too heavy and wet, sow in seed trays for planting out later. Keep building up vege beds with compost. Fruit trees can continue to be planted. Prune all pip fruit trees by the end of the month.

Plant artichokes, asparagus crowns, garlic and early potatoes.
Sow broad beans, cabbage, carrot, onion, parship, peas and silverbeet.

Plant of the month - Asparagus
Asparagus is a fantastic crop to grow and is relatively low maintenence as long as the ground is prepared properly before planting. The plants that are planted now will often continue cropping for at least 20 years.

Asparagus are well suited to a raised bed system. The soil needs lots of compost and should be very well draining (incorporating sand is a good idea). They are supplied in winter as a bunch of roots which are planted in trenches 15cm deep. Spread the roots over 10cm ridges and just cover with soil. As the crowns begin to grow, keep covering with the soil previously dug from the trench.

Do not pick any asparagus in the first year to allow the plants to get strong. Allow the asparagus ferns to grow, then cut back in late autumn once they start to brown off. In the second year, pick 30 - 50% of the crop, and after that, 80% each year.

Asparagus grows especially well near the coast because of the sandy soil, and they like seaweed mulch or seaweed liquid feed plus a little compost every year.