 October is an important month for veggie growers as it is the beginning of Summer and when we – in Gauteng, get the first rains. The wait before the first rains can be long and dry, and you have to water your young veggie garden almost every day, but this time before the rains come is also a grace period before the pests come.
Snails, slugs, aphids, grass hoppers cut worms and other critters will usually only appear after the rains come so now is the time to get your young plants as big as possible before they have to fend off these pests.
So what do you need to do in October?
Continue planting seeds into seed trays or directly into your prepared beds
You can continue to plant your vegetable seeds either in seed trays or directly into the ground. The night time temperatures are now warm enough that seeds can go directly into the ground. Start by planting veggies such as pumpkins, tomatoes, chillies, peppers, cucumbers, lettice, peas, beans, spinach and marrows, as well as all kinds of herbs. Plant them in shallow rows in well prepared beds where they will get full sun all day and water them each morning. Carrots can also be planted directly into the soil as they do not like to be transplanted from seed trays, but plant them into a bed that has not been filled with manure or strong compost as this will make your carrots split.
Water and protect the young plants
It is important to water your young plants daily. In the October heat it is best to water plants in the early mornings or evenings, but not in the heat of the day. Make sure you have enriched your soil with enough compost or manure and mulch around the young plants with dead leaves or shredded plant material to preserve water and prevent lots of weeds coming up around the plants. Weed out the few weeds that do come through. My veggie garden is also enclosed with shade net to help protect the plants from hail, harsh winds and birds or rabbits in the area. This is not always necessary but is a nice addition if you can do it.
Weed, Weed, Weed
As you start to water your prepared beds daily you will see all kinds of weeds spring up too. Weed your beds weekly to ensure that they don’t overtake your little seedlings. A good idea is to just turn the soil around your plants in the morning and then leave the weeds to die during the day – this saves you bending down and pulling out each weed one-by-one.
Give support to climbing plants
Climbing plants such as peas, climbing beans and cucumbers need supports to climb on. As they grow provide a tall stick/pole stakes into the ground next to them for them to grow up. It is nice to secure a few of these sticks in a T-pee shape to keep them secure and for the plants to grow up.
Know how much space they need
It is important to know how much space each vegetable needs to grow so you know where and how close to plant them. Pumpkins, melons and cucumbers are creeping plants and need lots of space to creep along the ground. Peas and beans, wheat and maize grow high so don’t plant them where they will shade other plants behind them as they grow. Marrows also need lots of space between them, as do broccoli.
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