In The Garden
With Brownie
- WAIT until the rain eases a bit before giving you gardens a fertiliser boost coming into autumn, or else it’ll just wash away and be wasted.
• At the start of the month, put spring flowering bulbs in the fridge veggie crisper and plant out at the end of the month.
• Try not to plan any work in the backyard which needs heavy machinery or vehicles, until the soil dries and firms up. Otherwise you risk compacting the ground and churning up soggy soil – not a good practice.
• White cedar caterpillars are on the move. Wrap a Hessian bag around the trunk and check underneath for the damaging insects as they’ll congregate there during the day. Squash or spray them with a pyrethrum spray.
• Prepare the soil for winter veggies (such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower) by digging in loads of compost and manures early in the month.
• Start planting broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower seedlings from mid to late March. Watch out for little green caterpillars, as they can destroy your seedlings overnight. - Gypsum should be applied to the lawns and gardens now, followed up a couple of weeks later with an application of a soil wetting agent, such as Wettasoil to make sure that the last summer rains soak in deep and keep the lawn going through winter.
- Plant strawberry runners towards the end of the month into well-mulched beds with lots of compost and manure.
• Order your roses and fruit trees for winter planting – talk to a local nursery about the best options for your location.
• Watch the new growth of azaleas and if the veins stand out dark green with pale green or yellow tissue between, apply iron chelate right away.
• Potatoes can be planted into well-mulched beds, only use certified seed potatoes to avoid introducing damaging virus diseases to your garden.