Spring is the busiest time of year in a Melbourne veggie garden. The soil is warming up, the days are getting longer and almost everything you plant now will grow fast. Here's what to put in your raised bed in October and November.
Why raised beds get a head start
Soil in a raised bed warms up sooner than the ground around it, especially in a steel bed sitting in the sun. That means seedlings settle in faster and you can start a little earlier than you could in a cold, heavy clay garden bed.
Plant now: the summer favourites
- Tomatoes. The old Melbourne rule is to plant them around Cup Day in early November, once the nights stay mild. In a sunny raised bed you can often go a couple of weeks earlier.
- Zucchini and cucumber. Both grow quickly and crop all summer. One zucchini plant is usually plenty for a household.
- Capsicum, chilli and eggplant. They love heat, so give them the sunniest spot you have.
- Beans. Climbing beans need a trellis. Bush beans suit a smaller bed.
- Sweet corn. Plant it in a block rather than a single row so it pollinates well. A larger bed works best.
- Pumpkin. It spreads a long way, so plant it at one end of a long bed and let it trail out over the edge.
Quick crops for the edges
Fill the gaps with things you can pick in a few weeks: lettuce, rocket, radish, spring onions and silverbeet. Sow a short row every couple of weeks so you're never without salad.
Herbs
Basil, parsley, coriander, chives and thyme all go in now. Basil grows beautifully next to tomatoes. Coriander bolts to seed in hot weather, so plant a little at a time.
A simple plan for one bed
For a 2000 x 900mm bed, try two tomatoes at the back with stakes, a zucchini at one end, a row of bush beans, and lettuce, basil and spring onions along the front edge. That's enough to keep a small family in salad and veggies through summer.
Get the soil right first
Good soil matters more than anything else. Top up your bed with compost before planting, and if you're starting fresh, our soil filling guide and soil calculator work out how much you need.
Need another bed?
If spring has you wanting more space, Find My Bed shows every bed that fits your spot. Slimline beds start from $190, delivered fully assembled, and you can check delivery to your suburb on our delivery map.