3. Plant seeds
By this time of year it’s hard not to get fixated on tomatoes, basil, capsicums, cucumbers and all the other summer produce to come. While it’s still too cold to attempt any of this fare outside, you can start propagating these crops in warm, sunny spots indoors with a view to transplanting them into your garden once soils are warmer. Just getting started will make summer seem one step closer.
Plant cucumber seeds in a protected spot in organic containers for easy transplanting when temperatures begin to rise in spring. Credit: Getty Images
4. Edit prolific self-seeders
Hard as it is to pull plants just as they are beginning to flower, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Euphorbias, echiums and borage are just some of the prolific self-seeders starting to bloom now. Dig surplus plants out to avoid the risk of forgetting them later and then having them go from flower to seed and spreading even further. If you have gaps elsewhere you can transplant any plants you remove, but make sure to keep the water up until they are established.
5. Keep your eye out for aphids
Pests can upend even the best-laid plans, and aphids can be especially problematic as the weather warms in late winter and spring. These sap-sucking insects like to gather in clusters along the stems on the underside of leaves and will distort foliage and prompt outbreaks of sooty mould.
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Depending on the size of the infestation, you can scratch them off with your fingers, wipe them off with water and dishwashing liquid or spray them with horticultural oil. Avoid future outbreaks by luring ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies and other aphid predators to your patch by planting alyssum, parsley, dill and Queen Anne’s lace.
6. Indoor plants
While you can be less hands-on with your house plants through the coldest months, by this time of year you should be showering them with attention. Fertilise them as they return to active growth and, as the days get longer and warmer, increase your watering. These plants might be inside but they are not immune to the seasons.
Just because they are in a warmer microclimate does not mean indoor plants can manage without some TLC.Credit: Getty Images
7. Use your compost
Rich, ripe compost can seem so precious that it’s hard to actually tip it into the garden. But there is no gain in saving the stuff and, if you let compost get too old, it can start to lose some of its most nutritious effects. Best to get all the lively goodness pepping up your soil now. By emptying your bins or bays you will also make room for all the weeds you are currently pulling and the stems you are cutting, which means you will have a new round of compost to apply later.
8. Seek inspiration
Check out what other people have done. Open Gardens Victoria turns 10 this year and its next season of openings starts in early September. My Open Garden features gardens from other states too, including NSW. Those new to gardening might also glean inspiration from The Rookie Gardener. This guide discusses all the fundamentals, including how to keep tending your patch once the novelty has worn off.
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