February is one of the hottest driest months of the year not that you would know that from the recent weather we have been having, so it is important to keep the watering up.  A great way to retain moisture in your garden is to mulch.  South-Hort Super Scree Mulching Bark helps to conserve moisture, reducing the need for frequent watering as well as maintaining a more even soil temperature.

January gardening is about reaping the benefits of all your hard work.  By now you should have lifted your Shallots and Garlic as well as your first onions and these will now be hanging in the shed drying for use through the winter.  Your tomatoes will be bearing fruit and it is important to keep the water and food up.  When watering your tomatoes try to water from the base and water early morning rather than at night.  This will help prevent fungal disease as well as stopping any fruit from rotting.  You should also be pinching out any laterals that start.  By doing this you will concentrate more of the plants energy into the fruit rather than sideways growth.  If the lateral is big enough you can replant it and it will keep growing producing more fruit for you.

As we look forward to the long hot days of summer consider what needs to be done in the garden.  Now is a good time to be Mulching this will help retain that much needed moisture for your plants.  South-Hort Super Scree is designed to conserve moisture, reducing the need for frequent watering.  It will also improve your soils fertility encouraging earthworm and beneficial soil organisms as well as maintaining a more even soil temperature for your plants.   South-Hort Super Scree should be laid at a depth of 100mm to suppress weed germination.  It is also beneficial to raise your lawn mower for the summer to aid moisture retention through the hotter days.  If you have any bare patches in your lawn top-dress with South-Hort Lawn Mix. This mix is free draining and open with high organic content.  Feeding your lawn is also very beneficial this time of the year.  South-Hort Lawn Fertiliser has been specifically formulated to promote the establishment and maintenance of a lush, green lawn. South-Hort Lawn Fertiliser contains nitrogen for dense leaf growth, phosphorous for strong root development, potassium for strength and disease resistance, iron for colour and moss control plus trace elements. Apply on overcast days or early evening at a rate of 50grams per square metre.  Always remember to water in after application.

Normally by November the frosts have passed and you can look at planting your Tomatoes and other frost tender plants.  Nothing tastes better than a fresh vine ripened tomato.

Try planting basil with your tomatoes to improve the flavor.   Tomatoes like a sunny location protected from the wind.  If planting into open ground make sure you add plenty rich organic matter. South-Hort Compost is the ideal product for this purpose.  Set your stakes into the ground prior to planting, this will prevent any damage from occurring to the roots.  If you are short on space tomatoes can be grown in pots or try growing them directly into a bag of potting mix.  South-Hort Patio Plus is our premium bagged potting mix; it has been formulated from our commercial grade potting mixes and contains extra Osmocote controlled fertilisers as well as water holding crystals and wetting agents.  South-Hort Patio Plus also contains Tricho protection to help prevent damping off as well as Coir a fully sustainable product that adds porosity to the mix which is beneficial in root development.   If you are growing in pots or bags choose a dwarf variety of tomato, Sweet 100’s and Russian Reds are also good.

October has arrived and this is one of the best months to be planting out into the garden.  If you haven’t already planted your early potatoes plant them out now.  If room is a problem try growing them in containers.  Place a good potting mix at the base of your container.  South-Hort Pot & Tub is great for this as it contains an Osmocote 8-9mth controlled release fertiliser as well as wetting agents and water holding crystals.  Once this has been done place your potatoes on top then cover with a further 30-40cm of potting mix.

Spring has arrived and it’s time to turn our attention to the garden.   Growing your own vegetables has become very popular over the past few years with raised garden beds being built in many back yards.  The question is what you fill them with?  South-Hort Vege mix is designed to be used in raised beds and planter boxes.  It contains an Osmocote controlled release fertiliser supplying all your plants nutritional requirements for the season.  South-Hort Vege Mix is weed free and free draining creating the perfect growing environment for your plants.

I can feel the sun on my back that’s telling me springs not that far away.   Your garden should be ready for planting now but if you haven’t done this you still have time to prepare it. Dig in plenty of South-Hort Compost this will add much needed nutrient and organic material.  Don’t forget to add some Blood and Bone to the Compost.  South –Hort Blood and Bone is a natural source of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Calcium.  Apply at about 300grams or six handfuls per square metre and dig into the top 10 centimeters of soil.  Remember if your soil is heavy adding Gypsum will help break down that clay base.  Plant out those Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower plants.

You may think that there is not much to do in the garden in July but you would be wrong. Even though it’s still cold outside there is plenty of things to get on with.

This will be a walk through my garden.  Together we will look at what to do and when to do it. There will be information that hopefully will help you with your garden along the way. This will be a month by month account of what to plant and when to plant it. We will look at pests and diseases in the garden and what products to use to counter them. We will also look at lawn care, container growing, vegetable gardens and much much more.