October GrowBox Instructions

Plants for October

• Lebanese Cucumber

• Tomato Gold Nugget

• Cos Lettuce

• Coriander

• Lettuce Drunken Woman

Basic Planting Instructions

• GrowBox includes live seedlings, mulch, and Soil Food compost

• Tools needed: a trowel or stick for making holes

• Time estimate: ~20–30 minutes

1. Mulch: Spread a thin layer of mulch on your planting area. If this is a repeat box, top up your existing mulch.

2. Lay out seedlings and count them.

3. Using a trowel or stick, make holes ~twice as deep and wide as each root ball.

4. Add a small amount of Soil Food compost into each hole, mixing gently with your finger.

5. Place each seedling into its hole, backfill with soil, and pat down gently around the base.

6. Push surrounding mulch under the leaves to tidy and stabilize.

7. Water deeply so soil and mulch are thoroughly soaked. This helps settle roots and activate compost.

Weekly Tasks

Week 2

Goal: Encourage root establishment and reduce stress.

• Check soil moisture regularly — don’t let tomatoes, cucumbers, or coriander dry out.

• Ensure mulch hasn’t shifted — tuck it back under leaves to retain moisture and suppress weeds.

• Monitor coriander: if it starts sending up tall stems (bolting), pinch them back to maintain a bushy shape.

• Protect lettuce from slugs — watch for damage. Use non-toxic slug traps or pick slugs off after dark. 

Week 4

Goal: Growth boost & early harvests.

• Optional feeding for heavy feeders: tomatoes and cucumbers will benefit from extra nutrients. Use Soil Food or Tomato Magic around the base.

• First lettuce harvest: check baby leaves, and pick outer leaves to encourage regrowth.

• Stake cucumbers early — give them support before they sprawl out.

• Harvest coriander: snip outer stems, leave the centre to continue growing, and watch for bolting.

Week 6

Goal: Strong plant growth and ongoing harvest.

• Tomatoes should be flowering now — as a bush variety, avoid removing side shoots (let it grow naturally).

• Support cucumbers: tie stems to stakes as they climb.

• Continue harvesting: outer leaves of Drunken Woman lettuce, full heads of Cos (if ready), and coriander.

Week 8

Goal: First fruits & continued harvest.

• Tomato Gold Nugget: look for first golden cherry clusters. You can pick while slightly green — they’ll finish ripening in the kitchen.

• Cucumber: harvest when fruits reach 7–10 cm in length. Frequent picking leads to more production.

• Lettuce: if heads are ready, harvest them full. Otherwise, continue picking outer leaves.

• Soil care: add fresh mulch or compost to maintain soil health.

Pro Tip: Continuous Harvest

The more you pick, the more your plants produce.
For tomatoes and cucumbers, regular harvesting signals the plant to keep setting fruit.
With lettuce, picking outer leaves encourages central growth.
Use young coriander and lettuce in salads; older leaves are great for cooked dishes.

Weekly Harvest Tips

• Snip plants at the base so roots stay in soil — they feed beneficial microbes.

• Harvest frequently to sustain production.

• Mix leftover coriander and lettuce leaves into salads or cooking.