5 Steps to Spring Vegies

Step 1: Clear the Area

Clear the decks to get rid of weeds.

Before you plant, you'll need to make space for your seedlings to thrive. Weeds won't play nicely with your baby vegies - weeds will stand over them and steal their lunch! Plants naturally compete for nutrients and water - which means weeds can dominate a vegie patch surprisingly quickly.

A fast and easy way to control weeds in garden beds is to spray them with Yates Zero Triple Strike Weedkiller. Yates Zero Triple Strike is a unique new product; it's a high-performance systemic weedkiller that doesn't contain glyphosate. Just spray the area, let it sit for a few weeks to do its job, then dig everything into the soil with a garden fork, in the next step.

Step 2: Prepare the Soil

Nourish your soil, so the soil feeds your plants.

To ensure stellar results from your new seedlings, prepping the soil is an absolute must. Enrich soil before sowing or planting by digging in compost and some Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food. It’s packed with organic matter to encourage earthworms and beneficial soil micro-organisms. It also contains wonderful slow-release nutrients derived from manure, fish meal, blood & bone and seaweed to gently feed your plants as they grow. Just dig in the pellets and compost to mix it all through the soil. 

If your soil is difficult to work with, or you don’t have any garden space, you can consider a raised garden bed. You can fill it with garden soil and mix in Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food before planting. 

Step 3: Sow & Plant

Use the Yates Seed Finder to identify the vegies you can sow, right now. 

Vegies with large seeds, like peas, beans and sweet corn, are best sown directly where the plants are to grow. Plants with small seeds, like broccoli and cabbage, should be sown into containers first, then transplanted into their final position when the seedlings are bigger. The back of the seed packet will tell you which option, direct sowing or transplanting, is best.

Seed packets will also give you directions about how far to space out your seedlings from one another.

Step 4: Feed

Feed your new plants with Yates Thrive Fish Blood & Bone Plant Food

To encourage lots of leafy vegies & herbs, feed your plants regularly with Yates Thrive Fish Blood Bone Plant Food. It's specially formulated with fish blood & bone, a natural source of organic nutrients. It also contains additional humates and added NPK to give your plants a boost. Simply add two capfuls to your 9-litre watering can, and you're feeding and watering at the same time.

Step 5: Protect

Protect your garden from hungry insects with Yates Natures Way Vegie Insect Spray Natrasoap

Your new vegie & herb garden will be a buffet feast for unwanted pests including aphids. Aphids are small green, brown or black coloured insects that hide under foliage and deplete your new plants by sucking the sap from leaves and stems. Aphids can be controlled by spraying with Yates Natures Way Vegie Insect Spray Natrasoap. Certified organic by BioGro NZ, it’s a natural soap-based spray that smothers and suffocates aphids on contact. Spray every 5-7 days and be sure to spray underneath leaves as this is where aphids can hide.