The warmer months are an exciting time in the garden as your spring planting efforts come to life, There is also plenty of summer sun loving crops to plant and it's the perfect time to get your garden into shape for summer BBQs and backyard entertaining. 



By now your spring planting should be coming to fruition and you can enjoy bountiful harvests of homegrown vegetables. Harvesting your vegetables regularly helps promote more growth throughout the season. Crops that flower and then fruit will continuously fruit throughout the summer season if you keep up with harvesting and watering.



There is still plenty to plant at this time of year, so you can continue harvesting delicious homegrown ingredients for your favourite summer meals. Pizzas are a great option for feeding family and friends over the summer entertaining months. Plant tomatoes and a variety of herbs and you'll have tasty, fresh pizza toppings. Top tomato varieties for pizza include Money Maker (reliable and flavoursome), Beefsteak (large and tasty), Grosse Lisse (full of flavour) and Sweet 100 (small and sweet). 

Flavoursome herbs include parsley, thyme, oregano and basil. Rosemary can also be chopped finely and added into pizza dough for extra flavour. Herbs will provide the perfect finishing touch to your homemade pizzas. If you're planting your tomatoes in the garden or in pots and containers, add a layer of Tui Tomato Mix, which is specifically formulated with extra potassium to encourage a bumper crop of big juicy fruit. Plant your herbs in a spot close to your kitchen so they are easily accessible, and add a layer of Tui Herb Mix, rich in nitrogen to promote green, leafy growth and continuous harvesting.

If summer BBQs are your go-to, plant salad greens such as mesclun, spinach, lettuce, rocket and spring onions for fresh ingredients at your fingertips. Other vegetables and herbs you might want to add to your summer dishes include radish, cucumber, tomatoes, sweetcorn, basil, coriander, parsley, radish and mint. Before planting dig in organic matter to your soil such as Tui Compost to replenish nutrients used by previous crops. Compost is also an excellent water saver, it improves the soil by increasing moisture holding capacity, particularly in sandy soils. You can then add a layer of Tui Vegetable Mix, formulated with the right blend of nutrients to provide your vegetables with the best possible start and sustained growth throughout the season.



Add some vibrancy to your backyard space with some luscious green foliage and pops of colour. For greenery plant Chatham Island Nikau Palms, New Zealand's only native palm tree. They are fast growing, tolerate the wind, dry summers and poor soils. Gardenia and Hibiscus will bring a relaxed tropical feel to your garden. They both make excellent container plants, choose a large container and plant with Tui All Purpose Potting Mix, specially formulated to give the best start to your indoor and outdoor plants in pots, containers and hanging baskets.



Plants use nutrients from the soil as they grow, so replenishing the nutrients used by your plants ensures they will grow to their full potential. Feed your plants with a suitable fertiliser during key growth periods and remember to water your plants in the morning or evening to avoid water evaporation. A good deep soak every few days is better than shallow watering every day as it helps plants to better survive short term drought.

For more information, pop into your local PGG Wrightson store.