- If you have had spring flowering seedlings which haven’t survived the flooding rains, it’s not too late to plant Iceland poppies, pansies or snapdragons to fill in the gaps.
- Grass growth will be starting to slow down now but weeds still grow. Keep on top of weeds, especially bindi-eye, clover and tropical chickweed.
- Bare rooted roses will be in stores now but don’t rush in and buy, as the optimum time is the end of next month.
- Gingers and heliconias that have finished flowering – such as parrots beak heliconia – can be cut back now, leaving the new growth for next seasons flowering display.
- Apply a light dusting of lime to bare veggie beds. Don’t apply fertliser at the same time as the lime reacts with the nitrogen creating ammonia gas.
- Plant leafy coriander plants now. The cooler temperatures will stop them bolting to seed.
- Your strawberry plants should be coming on well now. Apply a little pelletised manure and use fish and seaweed solutions regularly over the plants to keep them in good health. It’s not too late to put some in if you haven’t yet.
- It’s an ideal time to work in the garden because the temperature has dropped and so has the humidity. If you’ve got a major building or landscaping project, start it this month.
- Dahlias that are dying back should be trimmed off and those that have not yet started to die back can be trimmed to half their height. They’ll need to be lifted out of the ground next month.
- Some fruit fly will still be active, so maintain fruit fly traps and destroy fallen or spoilt fruit.
- Plant new citrus trees this month and next. Always remove any fruit before planting, or better still select trees without fruit for more vigour. Do not fertilise young trees until 3-4 months after planting.
- If you have not applied boron to your pawpaw trees, do it this month. Use one teaspoon per tree.
Vegetables
Plant beetroot, silver beet, broad beans, onions, spring onions, peas, carrot, kohl rabi, lettuce, radish, turnip, capsicum, celery, beans, garlic, leeks, parsnip, peas, potatoes, sweet potato, tomato, broccoli, parsley, cabbage, cauliflower and coriander.
Flowers
Plant alyssum, marigold, petunia, calendula, cineraria, cornflower, dianthus, hollyhock, kale, lobelia, pansy, phlox, Iceland poppy, primula, snapdragon, statice, stock, sweet pea (seedling), viola, carnation, cyclamen, foxglove, gaillardia, salvia, sunflower and verbena.
