January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

This month is the start of the gardener's year as the preparation put in now will bring rewards in the months to come. The weather is temperamental but days are lengthening and the new activity is seen in the garden.

KITCHEN GARDEN

Vegetables

• Lift any remaining winter carrots, leeks and parsnips to clear ground for the coming season.
• Add compost to ensure better crops in the spring and early summer garden.
• Fork over ground in preparation for September sowings.
• Dig in green cover crops (mustard, blue lupin) sown in autumn. Young and green plants will convert to compost quickly if dug in now. Older, tall and stalky plants will take longer to break down.
• Do not work the soil when it is waterlogged, as this will compact the soil structure.
• Work in a side dressing of General Purpose fertiliser to existing crops.
• Work in a base dressing of General Purpose fertiliser and lime to prepare for later planting.
• Look out for signs of fungus (ring spot, downy mildew and chocolate spot) on cabbages, cauliflowers and broad beans and combat with a Champion Copper spray.
• Divide and plant out rhubarb and globe artichoke crowns.
• Congested plants of mint can be divided and replanted in fresh soil or potted up for planting out when the soil warms.
• Sow beetroot, carrots, onions, peas, silverbeet and spinach as the soil warms up, and becomes well drained and friable.
• Plant asparagus.
• Plant out seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, silverbeet and spinach.
• Plant another batch of garlic – you can never have too much.
• Sow under glass courgettes, egg plants, peppers and tomatoes.
• Set out potatoes in trays to encourage sprouting.
• Plant early potatoes at the end of the month in sheltered frost-free positions (eg Jersey Bennies, Cliffs Kidney).
• Plant up new season’s spring vegetables in containers. The advantage of portable gardens is that they can be placed under shelter for warmth and protection. The vegetables will mature earlier.

Fruit

• Plant new season’s deciduous fruit trees and berry fruit, now in stock.
• Spray stonefruit: at bud movement, spray with Champion Copper to control leaf curl and bladder plum funguses.
• Spray pip fruit and berry fruit: while still dormant, sprays of Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil to control all fungus diseases, insects and their over-wintering eggs.
• Spray grapes: Champion Copper and Conqueror Oil to control scales, mites, mildew and black spot.
  Prune out overgrown passionfruit vines to stimulate new growth on which the new season’s fruit will be produced.
• Fertilise fruit trees and bushes for good spring growth. Spread fertiliser evenly over the root area extending about 45cm beyond the drip-line (the tips of the outermost leaves).
• Ensure trees are well staked for support.
  Add blood and bone to strawberry beds. For small seedlings a dressing of dried blood will bring quick results without burning the plants.
• Citrus trees may be showing signs of stress from waterlogged soil. A dressing of Gypsum Soil Life will help address the problem.
  

ORNAMENTAL GARDEN

Planting

• Select and plant new seasons roses.
• Plant out new hedging ready to establish well as the soil warms. Consider the beauty of deciduous hedges, hornbeam, lime or beech. These carry their brown foliage over the winter then burst into fresh green in spring. Both pleach well, that is, a narrow screen or ‘hedge on stilts’ created by tying in or inter-weaving the branches.
• Plant daphne bushes in a cool situation out of harsh afternoon sun.
  

General

• The first magnolias are coming into bloom. These early flowering varieties are too large for today’s smaller gardens so take the time to enjoy their beauty in large or public gardens, like the Botanic Gardens.
• Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’ is in bloom. Perhaps not the most spectacular rhododendron but well worth having in the garden if only because it is the first to flower.
• Daffodils, jonquils, and hyacinths are in bloom. Carefully cultivate to remove weeds and aerate the surrounding soil. Side dress with bulb food as the flower stems emerge.

LAWNS

• Mow only if the ground is firm and dry.
• Top dress after mowing with Lawn Fertiliser, being careful to apply evenly as per directions on the package. Water in well.
• Damp, mossy areas can be raked and treated with Sulphate of Iron. Do not let this contact hard or non-lawn areas, as staining will occur.
• If paths and other hard surfaces are also mossy, both these and the lawn can be sprayed with Yates Surrender.
• Improve drainage with a good dressing of Gypsum Soil Life. This improves both soil structure and aeration, allowing roots to penetrate further.

Read more about ROSES - planting and care - click here >>