Growing a summer garden
Summer is so close you can taste it. The festive season is almost upon us with holidays and of course Christmas. As holiday mode takes hold, enjoy relaxing evenings in the garden with a hose in one hand and a drink in the other!
KITCHEN GARDEN
- This is a time of rapid growth so ensure you pay attention to watering, weeding, feeding and spraying.
- You can still sow seeds such as beans, beetroot, parsnip, radish, lettuce, spinach, and sweetcorn directly into the soil. Sow seeds every two weeks to ensure you have a continuous harvest.
- Plant seedlings of lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, tomato, pumpkin, courgette, capsicum, and cucumber.
- Protect plants from caterpillars with Derris Dust or an organic caterpillar control.
- Be aware of slugs and snails in both the kitchen and flower gardens and keep an eye on any nasty insects on plants as they will multiply in warm weather.
- Be vigilant in removing the laterals off your tomatoes once a week or you will end up with out of control plants. Ensure the plants are firmly staked and water regularly.
FLOWER GARDEN
- Plant seedlings such as chrysanthemum, dianthus, portulaca and salvia.
- Roses and perennials can still be planted. Just ensure the new plantings are well watered. Remove dead flowers from roses to encourage new blooms.
- Lift spring flowering bulbs once the leaves have died down completely and store in a cool dry place.
- A layer of mulch around the base of garden shrubs will conserve moisture and protect from the sun.
CONTAINER GARDENING
- Fill pots with flowering annuals such as petunias, marigolds, or impatiens for a bright Christmas and summer display.
- Keep up watering in warm weather.
LAWNS
- Don’t forget the lawn. Raise the lawn mower up a level for the summer season. If cut too short lawns will dry out more quickly.
- Water the lawn early in the morning so it can absorb the water during the day.
- Apply fast acting lawn food to keep lawns fresh and green.
