Springing into the garden

Our gardening expert Alison Hearfield advise just what you should be planting right now.

September is a very busy and exciting time in the vegetable garden. If you're starting new patches for the first time think about what you love to eat and plan your patch from there.

Direct planting in the ground should be done in shallow drills. Don't be too enthusiastic with watering during the germination period because larger seeds like squash or pumpkins can rot before they sprout. Sow tomato crops thinly in full sun.

Plant your veggies garden with fresh seeds for best results. Sow summer annual green, red, and chilli pepper seeds in trays and keep in a warm sheltered spot, because they need a hotter soil temperature to germinate. Then plant out in full sun in a well-composed bed when plants reach a height of 6-8cm.

I like to sow different types of brinjals and tomatoes in seed trays as well as in the ground, for succession planting every 3 to 4 weeks in October and November. Perennial vegetables and herbs will benefit from careful loosening of the surrounding soil, and a dressing of good compost.

What to plant right now

These can be planted directly into the ground.

Veggies: tomatoes; cucumbers; pumpkins; squash; marrows; radishes; lettuce; beetroot; swiss chard; green beans; lima beans; brinjals; carrots; celery; spring onions; leeks; onions; sweet potatoes; potatoes.

Herbs: sweet basil; purple basil; cinnamon basil; lemon basil; sage; French tarragon; coriander; marjoram; origanum; thyme; fennel; chives; parsley; rosemary; borage; lovage.