MEDITERRANEAN

Sophie Thomson

Gardeners in South Australia and other regions with a Mediterranean climate have to cope with extremes – baking summers with no humidity, evaporation rates of more than 2m per year, and freezing winters with hard frosts.

Conditions are good for stone fruits, pomes, citrus and all the Mediterranean fruit trees, such as fig, olive and pomegranate. Grapes are brilliant – they need watering regularly from late spring to autumn, but in many areas, once established they crop anyway. Subtropical fruits can be grown in frost-free areas, but need just the right spot.

Vegies are softer and need more TLC. The easiest time to grow vegies is from autumn to spring. Ideally, start your planting in March when the ground is warm, and be prepared to water a bit until the season breaks and the autumn rains arrive. You need to cover brassicas with insect exclusion net to keep the white butterflies off them, or more specifically, to keep their caterpillars from sharing your feed.

In our summer-dry climate, wicking beds are a no brainer. You only have to check the water weekly, or maybe twice a week in a 40°C week! For in-ground vegies, you need to water once or even twice a day in the summer heat.

Create fabulous soil, and understand that this is an ongoing process. Add compost or aged animal manures to the soil every time you plant. Our natural soils here are very old and poor, with incredibly low levels of organic matter – Adelaide can have under 1.5 per cent, and yet a good vegie garden soil wants more than 20 per cent.

Shade soft vegies when it gets above 35°C, and beware of radiant heat off hard surfaces as it can increase temperatures by another 20°C. Shade is particularly effective for crops such as lettuce, basil, asian greens, tomato and capsicum.