Mid-September and a First Moon phase and it’s time to prick out those tomato seedlings and any other solanums that are ready.
Ours are all just the right size, so we gather together everything we need…
good-sized pots which we wash out in water and a splash of white vinegar to sterilise them
potting mix and fertiliser
labels and a pen
knife and dibber

and away we go. Filling the pots to the brim with potting mix and a sprinkle of fertiliser, making a hole in each pot with the dibber, inserting the label, then using our knife we carefully cut out the seedlings and holding them by the leaf, we drop them carefully into the pot, firm around the plant with the dibber and ultimately gently water in.


I let the new seedlings settle inside for a few days, then outside they go to grow on. They may need protection from birds and cats if they’re at floor level, but if you have a spot that’s up high, they should be fine. Make sure they don’t dry out or get too wet. (These guys are currently enjoying some rain.)

We do the same with the eggplant and capsicum seedlings.
And I have some leafy greens to prick out too – cool-weather Cos lettuce, rocket and just a few brassicas to see us through. Notice how I use the paper pots for the leafy greens, and that’s because I really like planting them directly, paper pot and all, because the plants do so much better without the root disturbance.


Now where to put our summer crops? Because we’re ready to get the slightly-longer-growing early potatoes in – Jersey Bennes and Cliffs Kidney. (Rocket and Swift only take a couple of months.) For me, opening this box from Newton Seeds is as exciting as getting a new dress!!

This is where a crop rotation plan comes in handy. With crop rotation, at the least you’re changing one type of crop in a bed to another which is really all anyone can achieve practically, but if you’re amazing, then try rotating as follows:
nitrogen-fixing to root crops to fruiting crops to leafy greens.
Right now, in the interests of time, I’m just going to put my spuds in where there’s space. Full Moon is the best moon phase to do this. Ideally soak your seed potatoes for 2-3 sessions of around 20-30 minutes a time in liquid seaweed and rest them in egg cartons on a windowsill to encourage the growth of chits. These potatoes have chits so it’s a good soak in the liquid seaweed, then into the ground.

Our soil is nice as it’s had brassicas in this bed and we’ve had worm vermicast and fertilisers in here for them. Potatoes don’t need anything added at the first stage as long as your soil has a good structure. Start by creating mounds and troughs.

Apply Neem Tree granules to the troughs as this keeps any potential psyllid infection at bay. Then lay in the seed potatoes.

Cover lightly, then apply some of our organic fertiliser Morganics, gently water in and net.

In the Full Moon of this month when there’s a focus on root crops, apart from getting in some early potatoes, we also sow our parsnips and the first of the new season carrots. Once cleared, dig through the bed well, as root crops need deep friable soil to grow well.

Then I work in some of our Morganics fertiliser and really not much else here. I side-dress the beetroot growing beside this space while I’m at it, as they like a bit of a topup during the growing period.

I make sure the ground is fine by working through it with a rake – important when direct sowing seed. Then I make shallow rows with the handle of the rake, and finely sow seeds. Cover over gently and lightly tamp down with the head of the rake. Remember that parsnip seed germinates best when fresh.

Carrots and spring onions go in further down the bed. Sown the same way.


We’re also popping some bean seeds into our paper pots too, as bean plants really don’t like their roots disturbed on planting. I’m sowing a few more than I probably need as I find beans can be a bit temperamental getting them to grow up our screens and I want a good crop this year.

Time to put our moth traps up in the fruit trees. Bud burst is when the moths start flying.
Make a mixture of
5 cups water
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup cider vinegar
a few drops of dishwashing liquid
a few drops of ammonia (which helps to release the smell)
and fill empty 2L bottles which have had holes cut out on either side (so the moths can fly in) – apologies for the dirtiness of the bottles but I use the same ones every year.

Tie into the tree on two branches to disperse the weight.

It’s also a good time of the year to get a flower bed going to attract bees and beneficial insects to the garden. This was just a packet of wildflower seed scattered over the bed and lightly covered with soil. It’s taken a while to come away but is making a great show now.

That’s enough to be getting on with!
Enjoy the start to the warmer months!
From Jan and Rob
6 Responses
Thanks so much for your practical advise . I always enjoy reading your blog with detailed photos when it pops up in my emails. So many of your tips I have followed with success – 😀🌸🪴 – here’s to a bumper summer crop ☀️
Absolutely! Thanks Lisa 😊
Thank you so much for the moth trap, ingenious and great way to further use my milk bottles 🙂
I will definitely be decorating my trees this week end!
Great! The good thing about them is they attract both male and female moths. Some of the commercial ones only attract males.
Hi to the moth trappers, I have used this OEG method for the past 2 years with great success! Not one coddling moth hole in sight!! Thanks again Jan, fabulous blog. Cheers.
Thanks for the feedback Kate. Appreciated 😊