Gardeners get into full swing but be mindful of cooler nights, spring winds and even maybe frost in some regions.
Complete preparing the vegetable plot for planting by digging in plenty of quality compost.
Protect vege seedlings from slugs and snails with slug and snail bait.
Sow seed or plant seedlings of beetroot, carrots, capsicum, chillies, eggplant, kumara, radish, silver beet, spinach, spring onions, cabbage,broccoli and lettuce. Plant with blood and bone or vegetable fertiliser.
Sow small batches of rocket and other easy salad leaves every three weeks for a quick and continuous supply of salad greens.
Shade newly planted seedlings and young plants with newspaper or netting placed over a bamboo frame on hot days to stop them losing too much moisture.
Protect young vegetable and flower seedlings from downy mildew with FreeFlo Copper.
Sweet corn, beans, pumpkins/buttercups, courgettes and cucumbers require minimum germination temperatures of 15C. For an early start sow in pots before planting out.
If you’re planting out seedlings in cooler temperatures you can protect them from frost and slugs & snails, by using 2-litre soft drink bottles. Take off the lid, cut off the bottom and push the bottle down over the seedling, into the soil. When the seedling is ready to face the elements, remove the bottle during the day and pop it back on overnight, until the seedling is mature enough to grow on its own.
Cultivate (hoe) between rows of vege seedlings regularly as weeds grow rapidly at this time of year.
Replenish the herb garden with fresh seedlings – parsley, basil, coriander, dill, thyme,chives, sage, mint, oregano – to name a few. Or divide existing clumps and replant in pots or the herb garden. Replenish the soil with compost and blood and bone. Cut back mint to encourage fresh new growth for summer.
Plant main crop potato varieties now for harvesting January or February to store.
Feed growing crops of potatoes with potato fertiliser, and mound the rows as the shoots emerge. Mounding supports the plants, protects the new potatoes from exposure to light (which makes them go green), and prevents them being attacked by caterpillars of potato tuber moth. Protect early potato shoots from blight, aphids and tuber moth with FreeFlo Copper and Enspray 99.
Plant new rhubarb plants and lift and divide any established rhubarb clumps. Rhubarb plants are heavy feeders so dig in plenty of compost at planting time and follow up with general garden fertiliser at regular intervals through the year.
Continue to plant new citrus trees and small fruits including tamarillos, raspberries and blueberries, into free- draining soil enriched with compost. Plant with a slow release fertiliser.
Plant passionfruit in a warm sheltered spot with ample support for the growing vine. Plant into free-draining soil enriched with sheep pellets, slow release fertiliser and compost.
Protect citrus trees from aphids, scale and sooty mould with Enspray 99 which will smother the pests and their eggs.
Liquid feed strawberries. A layer of straw around strawberry plants will help keep developing fruit clean and free of disease.
Feed newly planted and established fruit trees, small fruits, and citrus with a citrus and fruit tree fertiliser.
Feed all fruit trees in containers with a slow release fertiliser for fruit to support and enhance new spring growth and flowering.
Protect apple and pear trees from codling moth attack using Yates Success Ultra every 14 days from petal fall. Install Codling Moth traps to indicate the presence of the moth and capture the male moths which disrupts breeding and reduces infestation.
Sow seed and plant seedlings of your favourite spring and summer flowers in the garden enriched with compost. Water in and feed with a liquid fertiliser to give the plants a boost and keep them healthy.
For tall summer colour, sow sunflowers and hollyhocks in a sunny open site, then water regularly and protect emerging seedlings from slugs and snails with Quash or Blitzem.
Plant up containers and hanging baskets with seedlings of your favourite spring and summer flowers such as lobelia, alyssum, pansies, violas, petunias and cornflower. Use a premium potting mix and liquid feed with food for flowers for quick results and plenty of blooms.
Increase watering of all plants in containers and pots, including indoor plants, as the weather warms. Add a liquid food to support new healthy growth.
Apply potash or bulb fertiliser to spring bulbs as they finish flowering to enhance flowering for next year.
Protect the new shoots of hostas, delphiniums, lupins and other vulnerable plants from slugs and snails with slug and snail bait.
Roses will be showing their first shoots. Look out for clusters of aphids on shoots tips and young leaves and wipe off before they multiply or protect them from early pest and disease attack with Combat 3 in 1 for Roses, a bee-friendly ‘3 in 1’ rose and ornamental spray and fertiliser.
Feed roses with rose fertiliser, and mulch to conserve precious moisture as summer draws nearer.
Prune back and shape the winter and spring flowering shrubs as they finish flowering to encourage new growth eg azaleas, camellias, magnolias, luculia, leucadendron, viburnum.
Bolster new growth of ornamental trees and shrubs with a slow release fertiliser. Add a layer of mulch around the drip line and up to but not against the trunk of the tree, to help retain moisture over the summer months.
Swan plants are available. Get them established quickly before the new monarch butterflies arrive. Plant in a sunny free-draining location, enriching the soil with compost and a handful of slow release fertiliser.
Rejuvenate the lawn. Spray with Yates Turfix to eradicate broadleaf weeds. Sow grass seed to create a new lawn or repair bare patches and feed the lawn with a proprietary lawn fertiliser for a lush deep green lawn
Apply Yates Lawn Grub & Porina on the lawn and around ornamental plants to control grass grub and porina caterpillars.
Re-pot indoor plants that are root bound. Go one pot size larger. Replant into premium potting mix and start regular liquid feeding with an indoor plant food.
