OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Prepare vegetable garden with lots of compost and general fertiliser and dig in well. Plant warm season veges and fruit such as tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers, courgette, pumpkins, kumara (NI), melons, eggplant and passionfruit. Beware of late frosts and don't forget your herbs!! Feed lawns with Oderings Lawn Replenish. After flowering, prune spring flowering shrubs. Prepare for the summer months by mulching all shrubs, trees and fruit trees to lock in essential moisture. For dry sites and pots, consider applying a wetting agent to fully utilise the available water. As pear and apple trees reach full bloom, spray with a fungicide to prevent early build-up of summer diseases.

Lift your spring bulbs (once the foliage has died down). Divide if necessary and dust with flower of sulphur, to prevent mites or mildew. Store in a dry dark place until early autumn. Strawberries are starting to fruit, so a side dressing of strawberry fertiliser is beneficial. Invest in some bird netting, so you too will get to enjoy them! Apply another dressing of fertiliser to citrus plants once fruit has set. Keep well watered. Constantly turn compost heaps, as the warm temperature is going to make compost breakdown rather quickly. Best time to water in the warmer season is either first thing in the mornng or late at night. This will help in the fight against fungal related problems and less stress on the plants. It will also help minimise wastage through evaporation, as will mulching around trees and shrubs. Remove spent flowers on roses, cutting to three or four buds below old flowers.

As the weather starts warming up, it's now a good time to apply mulch to the garden, fruit and citrus trees etc. This will help keep the soil from drying, saving a lot of watering. Continue fortnightly spraying of roses. Apply a side dressing of rose fertiliser to encourage summer growth and flowering. Water lawns as needed. Raising the height of your mower will help stop the lawn from drying out as quickly. Keep an eye out for aphids, white fly, blight and mildew. Apply Derris Dust or Success on Brassicas as white butterfly and caterpillars become more prevalent. Continue sowing summer vegetables including beans, carrots, celery, melons etc. Time to harvest asparagus, beetroot, beans, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes and silverbeet. Harvest garlic on the longest day (22 December). Good time to re-pot orchids and any other winter/spring flowering houseplants.