HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR GARDEN SEASONALLY
HOW DO I SAVE WATER AND KEEP MY LAWN GREEN?
If you’ve ever compared your garden’s look from one season to the next, you might have found it shines in one season but doesn’t look great in another. Here are some tips and ideas that will help you make your garden outstanding in all growing seasons.
CHAMBERLAINS GARDEN CARE
Garden care is hard work, so be prepared to put some effort into it. Start by preparing the soil you wish to plant your plants into. If you are not making your own compost, Chamberlains sells bags to suit your garden. We stock compost, cow manure (moo poo), potting soil, lawn dressing and tree bark for mulching. Ask any of our garden experts for advice.
VEGETABLE GARDENS
Above ground
Plant spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, chillies and cabbage (in summer). Prepare soil well by adding plenty of well rotted manure (or compost) to the soil. Plant when seedlings are large enough to handle or buy them in trays. Feed with a liquid fertiliser every two weeks.
Below ground
Plant radishes, beetroot, carrots, onions, leeks and spring onions (in summer). Sow them directly into the soil - some may be in trays. Prepare the soil one month in advance by adding well rotted compost (not manure) to soil. Once plants are growing, feed with a liquid fertiliser every two weeks.
Flowering plants
Plant flowering plants in the summer. Prepare the soil with liquid fertilisers.
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
Create your own compost heap
Keep your compost heap healthy by turning it regularly until no more rotting smells are detected, then it should be ready to use. It should be moist, dark and crumbly in your hands with no smelly odours. A compost heap decomposes down to half its original size, so make sure you start a second heap with new material. Birds love compost heaps because this is where they find insects, seeds, worms and discarded fruit and veggie peels.
Keep your compost pest-free
Do not keep adding new material to the old decomposing material. Check for undesirable worms, ants, rats or mice that may use your heap as their home. Never throw any cooked food into your compost heap - not even egg shells from hard boiled eggs - as it attracts undesirable pests and diseases. Another item to avoid putting in your compost heap is potatoes, not even peels, as they can transfer root-rot nematodes to the soil and once they are in there, they are difficult to get rid of.
MARCH AND APRIL
Plant winter bulbs
Plant your winter bulbs as soon as the weather turns cool. You may have to wait until early April, so keep them handy so that you do not forget. You can plant winter bulbs in containers or directly into prepared soil in your garden. I find that bulbs from the big winter bulb company, Hadeco. Produce the best results. You will find these at leading nurseries in neat plastic bags and each bulb has instructions on how to plant and care for it.
Plant winter vegetables
Winter vegetables are now in stock in handy trays. Plant spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, onions and broccoli – they all transplant well. Sow pea, radish and carrot seeds at the end of March directly into well prepared soil beds because they do not transplant well.
MAY AND JUNE
Protect plants against the cold
It starts getting really cold at this time of year, so covering sensitive trees and plants is essential. Chamberlains sells frost covering material that protects plants very well.
Protect sensitive plants
Sensitive trees and plants include guavas, mangoes, paw paws, poinsettias, frangipanis and bananas. These plants are frost sensitive and exposure to the cold may stunt their growth or even kill them. Place a thick layer of mulch around their root systems. Use grass cuttings, chopped tree bark, rough compost or even dry leaves for mulch.
JULY AND AUGUST
Don’t prune too soon
Do not be tempted to cut leaves affected by frost, as they protect the smaller leaves inside the dormant plant. Wait until the frost is over - usually by the end of August - before you cut them. You can prune vines, rose bushes and other fruit trees in July, do this the last week of July.
Sow seeds, and spread the love
In August, start sowing seeds in trays. Find someone to share these seedlings with, as you may have too many to cope with.
Spray for pests
Spray for aphids and ants as they are the only visible insects active in winter.
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER
Here comes the summer
Unfortunately, with it come pests and diseases. Suddenly mosquitoes, fruit flies, codling moths, aphids, beetles, worms, crickets and ants appear out of nowhere, and powdery mildew, scale, blight and leaf-curl all seem to attack the hard work you have put into your garden!
Water well
Spring and summer can get very hot so keep watering your lawn well – ideally 20 to 30 minutes at a time, and preferably at night.
Guard against pests and diseases
Always check for aphids, ants and snails. White flies and red spider mites also become active and must be sprayed with the correct insecticide - a variety are available at the Chamberlains garden centres. White rust or powdery mildew is a fungus that destroys flowers and small fruit. Watch out for it on mango trees, roses or vines, especially chrysanthemums. Spray with Virikop as soon as this appears. Destroy or throw away any contaminated leaves or branches, do not add to your compost.
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER
Watch out for crickets
If you notice patches in your lawn, watch out for crickets! They eat at night and destroy your lawn. Spray the whole lawn with Karbaspray or Karbasol. Another thing to watch out for are caterpillar worms, which you can also spray with Karbaspray/sol.
Get rid of termites
Termites can be controlled with termite bait which looks like pieces of grass. The termites take it to their nests underground where it kills the queen.