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.

This month is also the time to watch for pests and insects that have built up due to the warm conditions.  Keep picking Courgettes as they will quickly turn into Marrows.  The same goes for cucumbers frequent picking will encourage new growth.  Remove any fallen fruit from around the base of trees this will help prevent any insects from establishing themselves. Once you have picked your fruit spray with copper to stop fungal disease.  Watch out for birds who will take every opportunity to eat all your ripening fruit.  Plant out Cabbage, Broccoli, and Cauliflower for winter.  Also keep an eye out for white butterfly use Derris Dust.   Before planting dig in plenty of South-Hort Compost.   This is natural compost that contains no green waste or bio-soils.  The entire process is independently certified by Bio-Grow NZ resulting in premium certified compost. When restocking your raised beds use South-Hort Vege Mix.  This mix contains an Osmocote 3-4mth release fertiliser supplying all your plants nutritional requirements throughout the season.  If space is a problem there are plenty of hybrid plants on the market like these Derby Day cabbages pictured.  This is a smaller growing cabbage and is ideal for raised beds or smaller gardens.  You can still sow root crops such as Beetroot, Radish, Parsnip, and Carrot.  One of the most frequently asked questions about carrots are why do they split?  This can be put down to inconsistent moisture in the soil and is normally caused by heavy watering after a dry period.  To help prevent this dig in plenty of South-Hort Compost before sowing this will maintain even soil moisture throughout the growing season.  Carrots will tend to split when they reach maturity.

Now is also a good time to feed your Lemons.  Lemons need to build up their reserves to get them through the winter so a good feed now will be beneficial.  Spray for Aphids, Scale and mealy bugs as well. Remember good gardening starts with the soil.