Vegetable Garden

By now harvest in your garden is well under way.

	Sweet corn is picked when the tassels start to dry.
	Keep picking the courgettes as they can quickly turn to marrows.
	Picking cucumbers, as they are ready will encourage new growth.
	Remove any plants that have finished producing or have become diseased.
	Plant lettuce to keep the summer salad crops going.
	Keep your garden well watered in these dry months – it will maximize your harvesting.
	If growing from seed now is the time to plant your winter vegetable seeds – cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, silverbeet, spinach and leeks. These are best planted in tray for transplanting in to the garden later.
	As your vegetables plants come to the end of their production – remove from the garden and compost.

Flower Garden

	Start planting spring bulbs – daffodils, freesias, anemones, sparaxis, ranunculus and ixias. Your Mitre 10 store will have the full range available at the correct this time.  Your bulbs will benefit from working through the soil some Results Blood and Bone before you plant.
	If the tops have died away on your Gladioli it is time to lift them and clean off the soil. To keep them in good order for the following season – put them in a dry place and dust with Flowers of Sulphur to control mildew and mites.
	As perennial finish flowering dead head (remove spent flowers) this can extend the flowering.
	Dead Head roses – keep them well watered in preparation for the winter pruning.

Fruit Garden

	Keep citrus trees well watered.
	Trim away leaves covering grapes to expose fruit to ripen with the sun, use bird netting to protect them from the birds.
	Remove any fruit that has fallen to the ground, this will help keep bugs at bay.

Lawns

Autumn is the time for lawn maintenance but during this very hot time you can:

	Keep the lawn well watered.
	Use Butlers Feed and Weed to control weeds, in preparation for autumn re-sowing.