What can we grow this time of the year in the veggie garden? Corn, Carrots. Cucumber, Lettuce, Snake Beans, Squash, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, Zucchini, before sowing corn seed it's a good idea to soak the seeds over night, this will help ensure that you get a good strike, also the seed that float on top of the water will not shoot.

The main trick in having a good healthy veggie garden is by planting the right vegetable in the right season.
So I would suggest that you don't plant any of the Brassica family, such as Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, this time of the years as it is definately too hot for them, they will be under constant attack from insects, bugs and grubs, you would have to stand guard over them twenty four hours a day.
If you plant Potatoes they will just cook in the ground, Peas will stress out in the summer heat ending up covered in powdery mildew.

Be aware this time of the year the dreaded fruit fly is at it's best this time of the year, zooming around looking for our best tomatoes to sting to lay their eggs in. To help avoid your tomatoes being stung cover the top of the fruit with a hanky size rag, the fruit fly flies down to sting fruit not upwards.

Mulching up your garden means less stress for your plants, keeps the heat out, the moisture in, smothers the weeds and saves money by watering less.

Watering I find it best to hand water around the roots this time of the year. Overhead watering will cause powdery mildew and wash the pollen off the flowers that have been pollinated by the local bees and insects. If there are no bees around you may need to hand pollinate your pumpkin and zucchinis female flowers with pollen from a male flower.

Making lots of compost: Compost is the main fertiliser for an organic garden and is just like making a cake.
The size of your cake (heap) will depend on what material you have access to and your fitness, the ideal size is a 1 metre square (or round) and 1 metre high (the higher the better  as the height will help to retain the heat. The first layer should be approx. 150mm of coarse material - small sticks, corn stalks, vines, plant cuttings etc.
Tread down, then add 150 mm layer of weeds, grass clippings, kitchen scraps, strips of newspaper, seaweed and leaves. Next add a 50 mm layer of a compost activator such as animal or bird manure, or the herb plants comfrey and yarrow, which are also good compost activators. Continue to make these layers until the heap is around a metre high, at the same time give each layer a good soaking of water.
By turning the heap over very couple of days you will have compost within six weeks, at the same time keep the heap moist but not soaking wet.
In a compost heap, any material that once lived can be recycled. Anything that will break down into good organic matter may be used.

People keep asking me how do you get rid of weeds organically?

Well it's not that easy, but you try one these

1. Best way and the organic way is pull or dig the weeds up, once you have done this either put the weeds in the middle of a compost heap so the heat will kill the seeds. Or place them in a plastic bag let them dry out in the sun, then into the wheelie bin for the next collection.
2. You can also pull the weeds up providing they have not started to seed. Leave the weeds in between the rows, facing the roots towards the sun so they will dry out and decompose, this is another way you can mulch/compost your garden for the next crop.
3. Don't let the weeds go to seed as this will be next years weed crops.
4. Having lots of mulch on top of your garden will deter weeds from growing
5. Weeds in the lawn, by mowing your lawn higher will deter weeds.
6. Cover the weeds with either black plastic, thick layer of newspaper, old carpet don't forget a couple of bricks to weigh them down (carpet is known to leach chemicals into the soil)

1. By pouring hot salty water over the weeds, use a watering can, (pool salt is the cheapest)

Hygiene plays a big roll in an organic veggie garden

Diseased plants and rotting fruits will spread diseases through out your garden, get rid of them, pull them up, place them into a plastic bag, leave them in the sun for a couple of days then into the wheelie bin (not on the compost heap), one diseased fruit or even a leaf left laying around can spread diseases on to healthy plants.

Insects and pests will attack the weaker plants before a healthy plant, if this happens leave a plant for them and they might leave the other plants alone, some for you, one for the bugs and grubs.
A good organic spray and the one I use is, poor into your spray bottle 25% vinegar a teaspoon of molasses (melt down in a cup of hot water) top up with tap water leaving enough space for a teaspoon of liquid soap.

Look after yourself: When working in the garden you should also look after yourself, by wearing protect clothing, slapping on a hat and suncream.
I have known and seen people mowing their lawn barefooted, at the same time they have gone to the trouble of wearing a hat slapping on suncream to protect themselves from the sun but no footwear? I suppose it is a toss up whether it is best to loose a toe or two compared to getting sun cancer.
When collecting dry grass wear a mask to protect yourself from the dust mould. Or make sure you are upwind of the heap.
Always wear footwear when working in the garden, especially if you are using animal manures.

Happy gardening
David