DECEMBER in the garden

Courtesy of Kathy Finigan and The Secret Garden

If any of you are taking a break over the Christmas /January period and are worried about how the

garden will survive any hot, dry weather, here is a link to some ideas about preparing your garden so

it survives whilst you are away.

In The Vegetable Garden

Continue to plant all your summer vegetables such as tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant, zucchini,

cucumber, sweetcorn, cabbage, carrots, celery, broccoli, silver beet, lettuce, leek, Asian brassicas

and beans and beetroot. Remember to leave space so you can start preparing for late summer, autumn, and winter crops.

In The Orchard

Protect any fruiting trees and shrubs with either netting or a fruit enclosure/cage to prevent birds

destroying your crop.

Strawberry and Blueberry harvest should be in full swing. Harvest every day to make sure the fruit is

at peak ripeness. Any excess can be frozen and/or made into jams.

Monitor and stone fruit crops for brown rot, apples for woolly aphid and pears, cherries and nashis

pears for pear and cherry slug. Treat as necessary.

... and in JANUARY

Continue to plant root vegetables such as parsnip, carrot, and beetroot along with celery, salad

greens and Asian greens. Start seedlings of Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower. These

vegetables need to be planted out and fully grown before any frosts occur. The colder weather

initiates flower bud production which is what we are eating with most of these vegetables. In the orchard, a repeat of December.

Image: Late November garden in bloom, wild and weedy at member Ash's garden "Wyldleigh"