Eva Luigas urges gardeners to keep expectations realistic

Gardening expert Eva Luigas told ERR’s Vikerraadio programme Huvitaja that her courgettes failed this year and her outdoor cucumbers struggled, while her tomatoes produced an especially good crop. She said gardeners should avoid putting too much pressure on themselves and approach the work with enjoyment and curiosity.

“This year, I failed to grow courgettes,” said Luigas, managing editor of Maakodu. Three of her plant varieties produced only female flowers, meaning she will have to buy courgettes to make soup. Her outdoor cucumbers have also struggled.

Luigas said she had taken particularly good care of her tomatoes. She praised the Estonian variety Siive, which she sowed on April 11, planted outdoors in June and harvested for the first time on August 5 without any covering.

“The most important thing in gardening is not to put too much pressure on yourself,” Luigas said. “You cannot get everything done anyway. There is no point in setting yourself excessive demands. Everything should be done with enjoyment and curiosity.”

In August, gardeners should collect their own seeds and look at plants grown by others to identify good varieties of peas, cucumbers and tomatoes, she said. Perennial beds should be tidied, and garlic should be lifted from the ground before its cloves separate.

Luigas also plans to prune some apple trees, noting that summer pruning can be done even after severe pruning in spring.

She recommends tidying bed edges in August and applying autumn fertiliser from the beginning of the month. August is also a good time for planting and propagation, as well as sowing edible crops such as lettuce, dill and radishes. If there is no free space in the garden, seeds can be sown in pots for later planting.

Knowing a plant’s variety provides information about its characteristics, including its growth, height, fruit and flower colour, and flowering and germination times, Luigas said. Gardeners should keep seed packets and write down relevant details, or take photographs of the packets with their phones.

“A gardener’s life is full of excitement,” she said.