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.

As your potato tops start to show place more potting mix around them until you have reached the top of the pot then just let them grow as normal.  This should give you a great early crop for your Christmas table. You can also use this method for growing Yams.  Yams are part of the oxalis family and can be difficult to control once you have them in your garden.  Once the last of the frosts have passed you can then plant out your curcbis plants such as Zucchinis, Pumpkins, Melons and Cucumbers.  Plant your seeds into free draining mounds of soil.  If your soil is heavy add plenty of South-Hort Compost before planting.  This will help to open the soil as well as adding much needed nutrient.  Slugs and Snails are active at this time and do like young seedlings so remember to apply some snail bait around your plants.

The following can be sown now.  Beetroot, Carrots, Spring Onions, Lettuce, Spinach, Silverbeet, Peas, Beans, Celery, Radish

Your spring bulbs will be finishing their display.  Don’t cut off the foliage leave it to die away as this will feed the bulbs for the next season.  You can add a liquid fertiliser to them now to feed the bulb for next spring.  It’s still a good time to be feeding your lawns.  South-Hort Lawn fertiliser has been specifically formulated to promote the establishment and maintenance of a lush green lawn.

With the hot summer not that far away it’s time to be thinking about mulching your garden.  Mulch will retain moisture as well as suppressing weeds and improve the overall soil structure of the garden.  South-Hort Super Scree is a superb mulching bark which will become quite resistant to wind disturbance but this will only occur if it remains in place past the first six weeks.  Remember good gardening starts with the soil