SPRING INTO LIFE in the garden
Spring is the time of renewal and Jennifer Stackhouse has come up with a must-do list to get you started.
Print it out and stick it on the fridge, write it in your diary or simply view the 10 must-do gardening tasks for Spring.
The 10 must-do tasks for Spring
Print it out and stick it on the fridge, write it in your diary or simply view the 10 must-do gardening tasks for Spring.
The 10 must-do tasks for Spring
- Plant seeds for flowers and veges for summer.
- Fertilise all plants and lawns as growth resumes.
- Prune hibiscus and also prune plants that flowered in winter and early spring.
- Plant herbs.
- Weed and renew mulches on garden beds.
- Divide and repot cymbidium orchids after flowering.
- Watch for pests on new growth such as aphids and snails. Aphids can be squashed or treated. Snails and slugs can be trapped or deterred.
- Repot potted plants that are root bound.
- Divide herbaceous clumping plants as new growth resumes.
- Dead head spring annuals and bulbs.
how to grow blueberries
Jerry Coleby-Williams tells you all your need to know to grow these luscious, healthy berries.
Blueberries are beautiful to look at, taste amazing and are packed with anti-oxidants, so they’re well worth growing in your garden.
These gorgeous berries grow best in cooler climates, favouring Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, southern SA and southern WA within Australia. There are also some growing regions in cool spots in southern Queensland.
Fresh blueberries are a recent addition to Australian fruit bowls and are rarely grown in home gardens. However, as the succulent fruit becomes increasingly popular, blueberries are finding their way into more and more gardens. If you are wondering whether they’ll grow in your area ask yourself if azaleas grow well in your district. If they do, then blueberries will succeed too.
Blueberries are beautiful to look at, taste amazing and are packed with anti-oxidants, so they’re well worth growing in your garden.
These gorgeous berries grow best in cooler climates, favouring Victoria, Tasmania, southern NSW, southern SA and southern WA within Australia. There are also some growing regions in cool spots in southern Queensland.
Fresh blueberries are a recent addition to Australian fruit bowls and are rarely grown in home gardens. However, as the succulent fruit becomes increasingly popular, blueberries are finding their way into more and more gardens. If you are wondering whether they’ll grow in your area ask yourself if azaleas grow well in your district. If they do, then blueberries will succeed too.
Like the azalea, blueberries are members of the Ericaceae family. Most productive cultivars originate from North American stock, where they grow naturally from Canada to southern USA. With their attractive spring flowers and bright autumn foliage, blueberries don’t need to be relegated to the vegetable patch, they can also be used as decorative garden plants. If you are planning to introduce blueberries into your garden remember that some species are evergreen and some are deciduous. All blueberries grow to around 2m or less, so they’re also absolutely ideal for small gardens.
Where and how to plant
Blueberries need a freely draining, acidic and preferably sandy soil where the topsoil is enriched with organic matter, such as cocopeat. Like azaleas, they are shallow-rooted shrubs with fine, fibrous, surface-feeding roots. Blueberries love the consistent moisture that drip irrigation provides, but perfect drainage is equally important.
Rainwater is ideal for irrigation because it contains few dissolved salts, something blueberries are sensitive to. Bore, grey or recycled water is therefore unsuitable. Blueberries grow best in full sun all year round but will grow in partial shade. Spacing varies between cultivars, with the larger-growing varieties reaching up to 2m high and growing to about 1.5m wide.
Growing tips
As blueberries are sensitive to herbicides it’s important to clear the area of perennial weeds before planting. Hand weed for at least the first year after planting, as hoeing or digging around the bases of plants damages their surface-feeding roots. Three weeks before planting, work iron chelates (available from garden centres) into the soil at the recommended rate. Also check the soil pH, using a pH test kit. A reading of between pH 5 and pH 6 is ideal. To maintain soil acidity, add powdered sulfur. This helps to liberate minerals such as zinc and iron that are beneficial to blueberries. Sprinkle one handful of powdered sulfur per square metre and lightly rake it into the surface.
The best time for planting is between late autumn and spring, when plants are sold bare-rooted and are less likely to suffer from transplant shock than at other times of the year. However containerised blueberry plants can be purchased year-round. Soak the bare-rooted bushes in water for half an hour before planting. Plant containerised stock as soon as they’re removed from pots – the roots dry quickly and recover slowly. Create a planting hole about 15cm wider and deeper than the root system. Water well after planting and connect a dripper to the base of each plant to ensure thorough watering, resulting in plentiful fruit.
Where and how to plant
Blueberries need a freely draining, acidic and preferably sandy soil where the topsoil is enriched with organic matter, such as cocopeat. Like azaleas, they are shallow-rooted shrubs with fine, fibrous, surface-feeding roots. Blueberries love the consistent moisture that drip irrigation provides, but perfect drainage is equally important.
Rainwater is ideal for irrigation because it contains few dissolved salts, something blueberries are sensitive to. Bore, grey or recycled water is therefore unsuitable. Blueberries grow best in full sun all year round but will grow in partial shade. Spacing varies between cultivars, with the larger-growing varieties reaching up to 2m high and growing to about 1.5m wide.
Growing tips
As blueberries are sensitive to herbicides it’s important to clear the area of perennial weeds before planting. Hand weed for at least the first year after planting, as hoeing or digging around the bases of plants damages their surface-feeding roots. Three weeks before planting, work iron chelates (available from garden centres) into the soil at the recommended rate. Also check the soil pH, using a pH test kit. A reading of between pH 5 and pH 6 is ideal. To maintain soil acidity, add powdered sulfur. This helps to liberate minerals such as zinc and iron that are beneficial to blueberries. Sprinkle one handful of powdered sulfur per square metre and lightly rake it into the surface.
The best time for planting is between late autumn and spring, when plants are sold bare-rooted and are less likely to suffer from transplant shock than at other times of the year. However containerised blueberry plants can be purchased year-round. Soak the bare-rooted bushes in water for half an hour before planting. Plant containerised stock as soon as they’re removed from pots – the roots dry quickly and recover slowly. Create a planting hole about 15cm wider and deeper than the root system. Water well after planting and connect a dripper to the base of each plant to ensure thorough watering, resulting in plentiful fruit.
Pruning and harvesting
Blueberries begin cropping at two years. Once the bush is four to eight years old it will produce 2–7kg of fruit.
Pruning helps productivity and, while the aim is to create a vase-shaped bush with an open centre, blueberries also make great hedges. Remove any weak, dead or crossed branches at any time of the year. Tip-prune shoots back by one-third during early spring, and remove unproductive shoots close to the base that are two or more years old. This encourages suckering and the formation of more shoots. Individual fruit will most likely ripen at different stages from December to mid-January, although some varieties can crop as late as March. Fruit starts hard and green, softening as it ripens, attaining its distinctive blue-black colour with a coating of white bloom.
Once fruits are fully darkened, taste a few before harvesting. Blueberries do not get any sweeter after picking so it would be a shame to pick them too early. Full sweetness takes a week or so beyond full colour to develop and timing varies between cultivars. Pick the fruit by hand, but be sure not to rub off any of next year’s berries that are already forming on the branches
Did you know?It is said that deep-frozen blueberries won’t lose their vitamin content for two years. It’s rarely tested: few can resist eating them for that long!
Blueberries begin cropping at two years. Once the bush is four to eight years old it will produce 2–7kg of fruit.
Pruning helps productivity and, while the aim is to create a vase-shaped bush with an open centre, blueberries also make great hedges. Remove any weak, dead or crossed branches at any time of the year. Tip-prune shoots back by one-third during early spring, and remove unproductive shoots close to the base that are two or more years old. This encourages suckering and the formation of more shoots. Individual fruit will most likely ripen at different stages from December to mid-January, although some varieties can crop as late as March. Fruit starts hard and green, softening as it ripens, attaining its distinctive blue-black colour with a coating of white bloom.
Once fruits are fully darkened, taste a few before harvesting. Blueberries do not get any sweeter after picking so it would be a shame to pick them too early. Full sweetness takes a week or so beyond full colour to develop and timing varies between cultivars. Pick the fruit by hand, but be sure not to rub off any of next year’s berries that are already forming on the branches
Did you know?It is said that deep-frozen blueberries won’t lose their vitamin content for two years. It’s rarely tested: few can resist eating them for that long!
A vege garden for spring
Vegetable gardens require nice sunny positioning with plenty of heat.
One of the first and most important considerations is choosing a nice sunny place to start your vegetable patch in your garden as all of these vegetables require plenty of heat. If you are limited by space and are planting in pots, make sure you choose the sunniest part of your balcony or courtyard.
Begin by digging over the soil, adding two kilograms of compost or cow manure per square metre and then mix in well. By adding two handfuls of dolomite limestone every square metre it will prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes and will also add essential calcium to the soil. I like to dig compost into the garden beds four weeks before planting seedlings. It’s important you don’t use too much manure, though, as the nitrogen it contains will encourage leaf growth rather than fruit.
Hot-weather vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, capsicum and zucchini are grown through spring and summer and love warm soil, so don’t plant them before the last frost. In order for the seeds to germinate, they need a soil temperature between 15-24˚C and air temperature between 15-30˚C.
1. How to grow capsicum
Capsicum is high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Growing the same way as eggplant, they love the heat, so plant them in the hottest part of the vegie patch. Germinate the seeds in soil between 23-28˚C. You may need to keep them indoors at this stage to give them a head start. Space seedlings well and allow good air circulation. Pick fruit with secateurs.
Regular harvesting will increase the fruit yield. Capsicum takes 100-120 days to fruit and yield between one and two kilograms per plant. If planted where temperatures exceed 38 degrees, they will need sun protection to protect the flowers and fruits.
2. How to grow eggplant
Eggplants come from tropical parts of Asia. Once all chance of frost is over, I plant seedlings in the hottest spot in my vegetable plot (they need more heat than tomatoes!).
Eggplants need a long growing season, so get them in quickly. Guard against cutworms that chew through the stem at ground level by wrapping strips of foil around the base of each plant.Plants grow bushy and flowers appear through summer, while the fruit grows through summer and autumn.
You’ll know they are ripe when an imprint remains on the skin when squeezed. Eggplant is prone to aphids, whitefly and leaf-eating ladybirds.
3. How to grow zucchini
Zucchini plants grow to 40 centimetres tall. Plant them 40 centimetres apart and spray with an organic fungicide, such as Eco-rose to prevent powdery mildew growing on leaves. Zucchini ‘Gold Bullion’ is one of the best compact varieties available, reaching only 50 centimetres high and with a modest spread. It is ideal for growing in pots, producing an abundance of yellow cylindrical-shaped fruit.
Zucchini can be sown from seed in winter and planted in areas protected from strong winds once the weather warms to 15˚C. Plant seeds in soil that has been improved with plenty of manure and after 11 weeks, the plants will fl ower then fruit. Expect to harvest approximately 12-14 weeks later.
Zucchini are best harvested when about 15-18 centimetres long; pick regularly to prolong cropping. The flowers are edible, too, and are especially good stuffed with tasty fetta and fried in a good oil. But remember, you won’t get fruit if you pick the flowers! ‘Black Beauty’ has a high yield and an earlier harvest and grows well in pots if you are short of space.
4. How to grow garlic
Garlic is the ultimate health food, high in antioxidants, and excellent for relieving cold symptoms. By all accounts, garlic repels insects (and vampires).
Purchase Australian garlic with white skin and pink cloves and plant the individual cloves around your other vegetables with the pointy end facing up.
Garlic needs weed-free soil, regular feed and water. Plant in autumn and harvest in summer, around 240-270 days after planting.
5. Pest control
Arm yourself with some techniques to control fruit fly, caterpillars, aphids and other insects and you will be well on your way to optimum fruit yield.
Click here for a complete garden planting diary courtesy of Gardenate.
One of the first and most important considerations is choosing a nice sunny place to start your vegetable patch in your garden as all of these vegetables require plenty of heat. If you are limited by space and are planting in pots, make sure you choose the sunniest part of your balcony or courtyard.
Begin by digging over the soil, adding two kilograms of compost or cow manure per square metre and then mix in well. By adding two handfuls of dolomite limestone every square metre it will prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes and will also add essential calcium to the soil. I like to dig compost into the garden beds four weeks before planting seedlings. It’s important you don’t use too much manure, though, as the nitrogen it contains will encourage leaf growth rather than fruit.
Hot-weather vegetables such as tomato, eggplant, capsicum and zucchini are grown through spring and summer and love warm soil, so don’t plant them before the last frost. In order for the seeds to germinate, they need a soil temperature between 15-24˚C and air temperature between 15-30˚C.
1. How to grow capsicum
Capsicum is high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Growing the same way as eggplant, they love the heat, so plant them in the hottest part of the vegie patch. Germinate the seeds in soil between 23-28˚C. You may need to keep them indoors at this stage to give them a head start. Space seedlings well and allow good air circulation. Pick fruit with secateurs.
Regular harvesting will increase the fruit yield. Capsicum takes 100-120 days to fruit and yield between one and two kilograms per plant. If planted where temperatures exceed 38 degrees, they will need sun protection to protect the flowers and fruits.
2. How to grow eggplant
Eggplants come from tropical parts of Asia. Once all chance of frost is over, I plant seedlings in the hottest spot in my vegetable plot (they need more heat than tomatoes!).
Eggplants need a long growing season, so get them in quickly. Guard against cutworms that chew through the stem at ground level by wrapping strips of foil around the base of each plant.Plants grow bushy and flowers appear through summer, while the fruit grows through summer and autumn.
You’ll know they are ripe when an imprint remains on the skin when squeezed. Eggplant is prone to aphids, whitefly and leaf-eating ladybirds.
3. How to grow zucchini
Zucchini plants grow to 40 centimetres tall. Plant them 40 centimetres apart and spray with an organic fungicide, such as Eco-rose to prevent powdery mildew growing on leaves. Zucchini ‘Gold Bullion’ is one of the best compact varieties available, reaching only 50 centimetres high and with a modest spread. It is ideal for growing in pots, producing an abundance of yellow cylindrical-shaped fruit.
Zucchini can be sown from seed in winter and planted in areas protected from strong winds once the weather warms to 15˚C. Plant seeds in soil that has been improved with plenty of manure and after 11 weeks, the plants will fl ower then fruit. Expect to harvest approximately 12-14 weeks later.
Zucchini are best harvested when about 15-18 centimetres long; pick regularly to prolong cropping. The flowers are edible, too, and are especially good stuffed with tasty fetta and fried in a good oil. But remember, you won’t get fruit if you pick the flowers! ‘Black Beauty’ has a high yield and an earlier harvest and grows well in pots if you are short of space.
4. How to grow garlic
Garlic is the ultimate health food, high in antioxidants, and excellent for relieving cold symptoms. By all accounts, garlic repels insects (and vampires).
Purchase Australian garlic with white skin and pink cloves and plant the individual cloves around your other vegetables with the pointy end facing up.
Garlic needs weed-free soil, regular feed and water. Plant in autumn and harvest in summer, around 240-270 days after planting.
5. Pest control
Arm yourself with some techniques to control fruit fly, caterpillars, aphids and other insects and you will be well on your way to optimum fruit yield.
- Aphids can be controlled with pyrethrum, while sticky yellow traps hung throughout the vegetable patch attract and trap flying insects such as the ubiquitous fruit fly and thrips.
- Placing pantyhose over the developing tomatoes will also prevent fruit fly from ruining the fruit. Serious diseases such as tomato spotted virus wilt, caused by nematodes, can rarely be cured and affected plants should be pulled out.
- Tomato treatments are safer than ever before. Sprinkling tomato dust over growing plants is one way to prevent insects such as thrips before they take hold. Yates Dipel and Yates Success Naturalyte Insect Control are organic and will prevent caterpillars.
- Watering the soil, rather than watering the foliage, can prevent leaf fungal diseases.
- If pests are under control, yet your fruit is still suffering, a lacklustre crop can also be attributed to rain during flowering, a lack of bees, possums, thrips, and dry or waterlogged soil.
Click here for a complete garden planting diary courtesy of Gardenate.
