THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER

COOL & TEMPERATE

VEGIES

• New shoots will be appearing on bare branches and poking through soil. The sight of the first asparagus shoots is an exciting moment each spring. Harvest daily as the spears quickly become tall, woody and inedible. Use a sharp knife to cut below soil level.• Not so welcome are weed seedlings; these need regular hoeing. Use mulch to deter weeds around vegies.• Sow summer crops such as chilli, capsicum, tomato, eggplant, beans, cucumber, pumpkin, squash and zucchini. Also plant lettuce and herbs.• Potatoes, beetroot and carrot can be planted in all areas. Use certified disease-free seed potatoes (tubers).• In areas that are still cold and frost is likely, hold off on warm-season crops. Instead sow broad beans, broccoli, English spinach and rocket.• Where space is tight, place a raised bed in a sunny, open part of the garden. Grow compact varieties of tomatoes, dwarf beans, soft-hearted lettuce and herbs. Train tall plants such as cucumber up a tripod or along a fence.