Get ready for an abundant summer!
The sun’s out and the evenings are warmer, with summer just around the corner. Before long, my vegie beds will be bursting with tomatoes, chillies, zucchini and cucumbers. We’ll be eating blueberries straight from the bush, spitting cherry pips out as we feast on freshly picked fruit and netting our grapevine to keep the fruit safe from birds.
Summer is certainly a season of abundance and that means harvesting garlic, the deliciousness of fresh fruit and tasty times with a garden filled with zucchinis and cucumbers. And that’s just the beginning of all that you can do in your garden with the tips and ideas in our early summer issue.
We are all looking forward to a bountiful summer ahead!
Happy gardening🌱
Chloe
Summer means zucs and cucs, and with these tips from Phil Dudman you’ll have plenty to share with family and friends.
Get ready for summer heat in your garden with Karen Sutherland’s feature on planting a fire smart garden.
Want to grow something a little bit different in your patch? Clare Bickle writes about growing pandan.
Plus, Steve Falcioni explains how organic sprays work and what to avoid so you don’t harm wildlife.
Dig deep into all these stories and more, starting with:
Jennifer Stackhouse shares the secret to fruiting vines & climbers so that you can grow these productive plants vertically for maximum yield and summer shade.
Basics & beyond: Steve Falcioni gives an update on controlling pest animals with rodenticides and how we can avoid harming wildlife.
The growing trio for this season from Jian Liu’s garden: Lebanese watercress, pepino and marigold.
Learn how to grow peanuts in your garden with the ideas in this story by Kat Pearson.
Steve Faclioni takes the guesswork out of organic sprays with this guide to ingredients.
Georgia Angus explains how to make your patch a safer place for our remarkable night hunters: the many and varied owl species.
Rewilding Suburbia’s Mel Logozzo shares with Chloe Thomson how to create the food, water, shelter and habitat creatures need.
Jessamy Millers tips on avoiding chicken scams so you will know what to look for before buying your next flock online.
Plus our regular articles:
- Harvest: Alice Zaslavsky puts vegetables front and centre with clever, flavour-packed recipes for easy weeknight dinners.
- Pick, preserve, bake: When the garden is overflowing, turn fresh-picked cucumbers and zucchini into something special with these seasonal recipes from Dan Pasquali.
- Action: Get your garden ready for the months ahead with timely planting tips, seasonal advice and practical jobs for every climate.
- Matters: News and events
- Book reviews: Chloe’s favourite new books.
- The best of your ABC
- That’s a good idea: To give wool a second life in the garden.
Subscribe today!
It’s easy to get a copy of the Early Summer 2026 issue! You’ll find it in newsagents and selected supermarkets, or you can subscribe here to get an issue delivered to your door!
