February garden guide: Tips to help keep your garden in sharp shape

Residential


This is the month where maintenance is high on the list. You will first, however, need to prepare your garden for Winter. Follow our guide below on what to harvest now and what to plant next.


With plenty to harvest from your kitchen garden, now is the time to freeze and preserve all the fruits of your labour, ready for the cooler months.


What are the most important jobs to accomplish this month?

  • Weeding, watering, mulching and feeding should be at the top of your list. Download this handy planting calendar to see what to plant in your area, and when.

Edible Garden

  • Pick fruits every day; this will encourage late fruiting, especially in beans, eggplant, cucumbers, courgettes and peas as well as fruit trees and water veges if the conditions remain dry.
  • Continue to plant crops of new herbs and lettuce. Unless you own a greenhouse, it may be too late to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplant.
  • If you live in a colder climate, consider planting some of your favourite vegetable seedlings to get a start on early Winter crops.
  • Berries, mid-season pip and stone fruit tree crops, as well as, citrus need to continue to be harvested.
  • Late ripening orchard tree crops need to be protected from disease and pets with spray and nets.

Flower Garden

  • Continue to dead-head older flowers and be sure to pick your flowering roses, also spray to combat diseases and pests.
  • Controlling pests and diseases on shrubs and flowers should continue.
  • Bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, anemone and ranunculus can now be planted in flower beds and pots. These can be planted from the end of January, through to Autumn. If you continuously plant through this period, you will continue to be rewarded with a floral display.
  • If you live in warmer areas, be sure to place your bulbs in the fridge for 4-6 weeks before planting.

Watering

  • To keep your garden vibrant and healthy, be sure to water deeply.
  • You are able to reduce the need to water and can cool the roots by mulching around your plants. Mulching conserves 70% of available water.
  • To take the hassle out of watering your garden, consider installing timers, soaker hoses and soil moisture gauges.

Sowing Seeds

  • Sow Winter vegetable seeds such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, beetroot, brussel sprouts, winter lettuce, spinach, leeks, carrots and silverbeet.
  • Now is also the time to sow Winter flower seeds, these include viola, pansy, primula, calendula, polyanthus, cineraria, lobelia, poppies, snapdragon and alyssum.

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