- August is a great month to prepare your garden for the spring months. Remember to add compost and lime - this will help to improve your soil structure.
- Use trays of seed raising mix to sow seeds such as tomatoes, cabbage, silverbeet, spring onion, celery, spinach, cucumbers, capsicum, melons and lettuce. This will prepare your plants for transplanting when needed.
- Carrots, parsnips, beetroot, peas, and radish can be sown directly into the soil if you live in warmer districts! If you live in a cooler district, parsnips, turnips, swedes. Peas and broad beans can be sowed.
- Now is a great time to purchase seed potatoes, as they should be placed in a tray in the sun for at least a month prior to planting! When the sprouts on the seed potatoes are between 2 to 4 cm long, they are ready for planting. Remember to plant in a large plastic pot or planter which should be in a warm and sheltered position.
- Asparagus crowns can now be planted too! Remember to plant these in well-draining soil which is rich in compost for best results.
- Strawberries can now be planted! If you plant them early, you can get more fruit at an earlier stage of the year. In order to deter pests and dirt, add a clean layer of pea straw mulch around the strawberry plants. A hot tip when planting strawberries is to plant at least five plants per person to ensure there is enough!
- Now is a great time to lift and divide established rhubarb plant clumps while also planting new ones.
- Be sure to protect your winter crops such as cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and broad beans by spraying them with Copper Oxychloride. This should be done every 14 days to prevent fungal diseases and bacterial blight spots. It is important to maintain and protect these plants!
- August is also a great time for planting cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli, silverbeet and spinach seedlings.
- It is a common issue that summer fruit trees have brown rot and/or fungus. Now is a great time to spray the trees with Copper Oxychloride. This will get bacterial diseases under control. When spraying the trees, remember to spray at leaf fall, at budburst, and green tip stage.
- Another common issue at this time of year is sooty mould, mites, aphids and whitefly on citrus trees. In order to control pests and their eggs, spray the trees with a bug spray oil. This is a low toxic option which will protect your plants.
- Citrus, blueberries, bramble berries and deciduous fruit trees can now be planted.
- Herb plants can now be planted directly into your garden or garden pots.
- Lastly, be sure to fertilise all fruit trees. Keep the fertiliser away from the tree trunks to avoid damaging the stem. Spread the fertiliser evenly over the root zone and be sure to water in well.
- To see what to plant and when in your area, you can download this handy planting calendar. Download this handy planting calendar to see what to plant in your area, and when.
- For an instant burst of colour, you can plant seedlings such as Viola, Polyanthus, Cineraria, Alyssum, Poppy, Cornflower, Gypsophila, Hollyhock and Carnations.
- As soon as the weather starts warming up, you can sow seeds such as Alyssum, Californian Poppy, Chrysanthemum, Gypsophila, Marigold, Phlox, Sunflower, Zinnia and more!
- Now is also the time to prepare your summer flower garden. Sow seeds such as Gladioli, Dahlia and Begonia tubers.
- Flowering annuals can now be planted in containers! These include Marigolds, Snapdragons, Lobelia and Dianthus. If you are living in a cooler district, Rhododendrons, Camellias, Hellebores, Azaleas and Daphne can still be planted.
- Remember fertilising, weed and dig in compost to your spring garden beds in order to prepare!
- Be sure to shape and trim early-blooming Camellias once finished flowering.
- You can now plant new roses. Be sure your soil is well-drained and enriched with compost.
- Rose pruning can also be completed in time for spring growth.
- Remember to protect your new roses from pests and diseases by spraying super shield!
August can be a busy month for getting your garden prepared for spring planting! Do not forget to tidy up, feed and repot indoor plants, hanging baskets and patio pots. Be sure to maintain your lawns by applying fertiliser and apply a solution of Sulphate of Iron (10g per square metre) to kill moss.
Want to know more about getting more value out of your home renovation? Check out our free guide here!
