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Planting Calendar

Friday, May 22, 2009

December in your garden

December is a month of rapid growth. Pay particular attention to watering, feeding and spraying, and keep the weeds in check. Sow seeds directly into the soil, sowing every few weeks. Maintain mulch for moisture conservation.

Keep sowing salad plants every few weeks. In hot weather salads do better in semi-shaded areas. Becareful with these as hot, dry weather can make the leaves taste bitter.

Feed tomoatoes well, at least once a week with a liquid, fast-acting feed and keep training tomatoes up their canes. Remove any lateral shoots from your tomatoes as these sap the energy of the plant and will reduce the quality of the crop. Rather root the shoots for more plants.

Fruit trees need long, deep waterings. Keep all your trees and shrubs well mulched and liquid feed with an organic fertiliser for strong, healthy growth. Prune blooms on roses and spring flowering shrubs once they have finished. This will encourage more blooms.

In warmer climates, start planting annuals and perennial flowers. In both warmer and cooler climates, lifting, dividing and replanting of perennials which are overgrown or lacking in vitality. Mulch garden shrubs with compost or peat to conserve moisture and protect roots from hot sun, especially azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. Cut lawns more often but not as short.

Avoid cutting your lawns too short during the warm weather to prevent moisture loss.

VEGE PATCH
Harvesting Berries

Planting
Warmer areas: Sow or plant seedlings of basil, beetroot, bok choy, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, dwarf and climbing beans, beetroot, sprouting broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, capsicum, florence fennel, leeks, lettuce, zucchini, melons, parsley, shallots, silverbeet, spinach, parsnip, peas.

Cooler areas: Plant basil, beans, beetroot, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, parsnip, pumpkin, squash, silver beet, sweet corn, turnip, tomato and zucchini.

FLOWER GARDEN
Sow and plant: Alyssum, Arctotis, Asters, Begonia, Candytuft, Carnation, Celosia, Cosmos, Cornflower, Dianthus, Delphinium, Forget-me-not, Gazania, Impatiens, Larkspur, Linaria, Linum, Lobelia, Lupin, Marigold, Nemesia, Pansy, Petunia, Phlox,Poppies, Portulaca, Salvia, Snapdragon, Statice, Stock, Strawflower, Sunflower,Sweetpeas, Sweet william Violas and Zinnias. Also Cannas, Dahlias, Hippeastrum, Poppies, Cineraria chrysanthemums and Water Lilies.

For more of what to plant in your climatic zone, click here

Your comments:

by doris 11 Aug 11, 5 replies : Last Post

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doris 1 posts	carrots and beetroot Posted 11 Aug 11 2:38 PM every year I plant y seeds for carrots and beetroot, I have very poor crops. every thing else I grow is good but not these. Can anyone help me with this.

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Orchidmaniac 66 posts	Re: carrots and beetroot Posted 27 Oct 11 8:11 PM How do you prepare the soil for them? They like to have fairly free draining soil, so maybe next year, dig a bit of sand into it. Also, try digging down about 20/30cm, and make it nice and friable. Good luck!

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sustainablebackyard 1 posts	Re: carrots and beetroot Posted 13 Jan 12 4:09 PM I sow carrots into a depressed rows, but as they need light to germinate, I dont cover them with soil, rather lightly water them.

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Jane 10 posts	Re: carrots and beetroot Posted 14 Jan 12 10:37 AM Hi Doris, When you say poor crop......do you mean poor in terms of germination rate or size of roots?

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Anonymous 216 posts	Re: carrots and beetroot Posted 22 Jan 12 2:41 PM I didn't know they need light to germinate?? I sow carrots and radish together in the same row and get good results from both. The radish mature earlier and by harvesting them, they leave plenty of room for the carrots. I still have to thin the carrots.

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Orchidmaniac 66 posts	Re: carrots and beetroot Posted 23 Jan 12 4:06 PM I havnt had any trouble either. I have never heard of carrots needing light to germinate in all the years i have been gardening. Although, most packs recommend a sowing depth of around 6-7mm

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