Vegetables
Seed sowing does not really get under way until next month, but a start can be made if protection is available.
A glasshouse, whether the full-sized version or a mini type, is the place to sow trays of seeds now for planting out later.
For those with limited space, small upright greenhouses with lightweight framing and plastic covers are an inexpensive option but these structures are often not strong and need to be put in a sheltered spot.
When sowing under cover, warmth and moisture are essential. Be cautious at this time of the year, as too much moisture without sufficient warmth will cause many seeds to rot, so if in doubt, wait until conditions are warmer.
If they are overcrowded, young seedlings will be weak and can die in the seed tray, so thin sowing is advisable.
Lift out young seedlings as soon as possible, usually once the first pair of true leaves have formed, and place in bigger containers of good soil or potting mix to grow until big enough to put in the garden. This is fiddly but worth the effort, not only to get around overcrowding but because many commercial seed-raising mixes have no nutrients.
Early varieties of peas can be sown as soon as the soil surface is dry enough.
Rich soil that was well dug in autumn can be used for peas. Add some lime and general fertiliser before seed-sowing. With a hoe, make a channel (drill) about 30cm wide. If the soil is likely to dry out from late spring, make the drill about 8cm deep so moisture will be held in hot weather because the plants are below the surface of surrounding soil. Sow seeds 5cm apart and cover with about 1cm of soil.
Broad beans may be sown from now until the end of September. Choose a variety that is recommended for spring sowing. Because broad beans are intolerant of hot, dry weather, crops will be poor if seed is sown too late.
Lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage and silverbeet can also be sown this month, ideally in boxes of sandy soil or seed-raising mix covered with a sheet of glass or plastic. Putting them under cloches or somewhere indoors is recommended when conditions are cold. They should be ready for planting out in early October.
Potatoes for a December harvest should be in early next month. Plant them closer than main-crop varieties, 30cm between tubers and 50cm between rows is enough. Place them 20cm or deeper in sandy soils, but if the ground has a heavy, clay-like consistency, 10cm deep is sufficient. Some superphosphate can be added at planting time if it was not well manured in autumn.
Flowers
Rose planting should be completed soon as bushes will be making new season’s growth. Established roses can be pruned this month, generally a better practice in colder districts than June pruning.
Annuals and biennials sown in the open in March and April should be encouraged to start the new season’s growth by having the soil around them stirred with a hoe. Thin any that have become overcrowded and work in a light dressing of blood and bone. Varieties that wintered over in boxes will be ready to plant out as soon as the soil can be worked.
