AUTUMN GREEN NOTES

GARDEN CALENDAR
This information is based on the southern hemisphere and mainly applies to subtropical and tropical areas such as northern NSW and Queensland.

FEBRUARY

Citrus Leaf Miner causes ugly distorted leaves with silvery trails in the leaf tissue. Meyer lemons are particularly susceptible. Pest Oil is a non-toxic control, spray when new growth is about 1 cm long, reapply every 2-3 weeks. February is a crucial time to spray.
Maintain fruit fly traps, destroy spoiled fruit.
Lightly prune deciduous fruit trees and remove dead wood when the fruit is finished. Prune all summer flowering shrubs that have finished blooming.
Water deeply if the weather is dry, keep mulch topped up.
Protect bunches of grapes with exclusion bags. Pinch out all the shoots that grow beyond the grape bunches. This prevent excessive shading and encourages air movement, keeping the vines healthy.
Fertilise autumn flowering shrubs and bulbs with a side dressing of blood and bone or a complete organic fertiliser. Prepare bulb beds and beds for spring-flowering annuals with deep digging, addition of organic matter and mulching.
Order new bulbs. Plant early-spring flower seedlings of torenia, salvia and petunia. Leave the main planting of spring annuals until March/April.
Prepare soil for an early April sowing of sweet peas and garden peas by liming the area now, so there will be time for the pH to rise to the desired level.
Lift irises and divide if necessary, discarding older rhizomes. Apply lime to iris beds.
Save seed from annual herbs for planting next spring. Harvest fresh herbs to dry or for herb vinegar.
Watch out for the hawk moth caterpillar, they can quickly defoliate sweet potato and taro. Handpick or spray with Dipel or Success.
Propagate cuttings of evergreen shrubs. Take softwood cuttings of lavenders, thyme, pelargonium and scented geraniums.

MARCH

Citrus trees are very hungry feeders with high requirements for trace elements; a regular spray with a seaweed fertiliser such as Natrakelp will supply trace elements.
Fertilise mango, avocado, custard apple, pawpaw, carambola and macadamia.
Band trees, such as citrus and custard apple, with sticky barriers, use Tanglefoot or Trappit Barrier Glue, to keep ants and other crawling pests out of trees. Sticky barriers are very effective at reducing scale attacks. To control White Louse Scale on citrus, spray with Lime-sulphur in winter, other scale outbreaks can be controlled with Eco Oil or Pest Oil. More information on scale control......
De-sucker bananas and fertilise.
For Queensland strawberry runners should be planted now into well-mulched beds with added organic fertiliser. Try to find suitable varieties for warmer areas. More information on growing strawberries ....
Caterpillar activity increases in March, check plants early that have had problems in previous years. Procession or White Cedar caterpillars will be on the move, protect young trees from defoliation by wrapping hessian around the trunk for the caterpillars to congregate in during the day. Check regularly and destroy. More information on caterpillar control......
Spray Dipel to control white cabbage butterfly, which can seriously damage young broccoli and cabbage plants or protect with the Pest-Guard Cover.
Plant a green manure crop in any unoccupied beds to improve the soil for spring planting. First check the pH, as too acid or alkaline a soil may be preventing nutrient uptake by your plants. Legumes, used in green manures, generally prefer a neutral soil and dislike acidity.
Continue to check for Citrus Leaf Miner and if necessary, spray Pest Oil when new growth is about 1 cm long and reapply every 2-3 weeks.
Cut back perennial flowers and herbs to ground level that have finished flowering. It is a good time to dig them and divide if needed.
Put snail pellets out in containers close to young seedlings
Whitefly, a small sap sucking insect, may be attacking your tomatoes. Give the leaves a shake and if a cloud of whiteflies is disturbed, it is time for a spray with Pest Oil or Natrasoap. More information on whitefly control......
Fertilise winter flowerers like sasanqua camellias now for a good winter display.
Cut back globe artichokes; every 4-5 years these should be lifted and divided. Dig and eat Jerusalem artichokes.
In subtropical and tropical areas prepare the soil well with homemade compost, mushroom compost, worm castings or organic fertiliser before planting vegetables, as the soil will be depleted by wet-season rain. Applying fertiliser earlier than this is often wasteful due to leaching by heavy rain.

APRIL



	AUTUMN GREEN NOTES INDEX Improve the Pest Balance in Your Garden Using the Rosella Harvest Garden Calendar What to Sow Now Herbs in Permaculture IMPROVE PEST BALANCE Autumn is a great time to work on improving the balance between predators and pests. Plant flowers such as sweet alice (alyssum)to attract beneficial insects for biological control, try our Good Bug Mix or simply allow coriander and dill (pictured) to go to flower. Build a pond to encourage frogs, dragonflies and birds. Plant native shrubs in groups to create habitat for ground-dwelling predators and nesting sites for small, insect-eating birds. Keep a few chooks in the orchard to clean up over-wintering fruit fly and codling moth. More information on design for pest balance .... USING THE ROSELLA HARVEST If you found space to plant rosellas, now is the time to process them. Rosellas are a joy to grow, no pest problems, hardy and productive, we use them mainly as a tea, jam or cordial. The tea is very similar in flavour to rosehips and high in Vitamin C. To make it, strip off the red calyx (fleshy cover surrounding the seedpod) and dry it in the solar dryer or a slow oven until leathery. Only two small pieces are needed per cup, try mixing it with dried lemongrass or lemon verbena and dried organic orange peel, for a wonderful herb tea, it is also good as an iced tea. Rosella jam is a good jam to start on if you are new to jam making as it sets easily, stores well and is delicious! AVAILABLE FOR PLANTING Golden Shallots; Elephant Garlic M ore information .....
	GARDEN CALENDAR This information is based on the southern hemisphere and mainly applies to subtropical and tropical areas such as northern NSW and Queensland. FEBRUARY Citrus Leaf Miner causes ugly distorted leaves with silvery trails in the leaf tissue. Meyer lemons are particularly susceptible. Pest Oil is a non-toxic control, spray when new growth is about 1 cm long, reapply every 2-3 weeks. February is a crucial time to spray. Maintain fruit fly traps, destroy spoiled fruit. Lightly prune deciduous fruit trees and remove dead wood when the fruit is finished. Prune all summer flowering shrubs that have finished blooming. Water deeply if the weather is dry, keep mulch topped up. Protect bunches of grapes with exclusion bags. Pinch out all the shoots that grow beyond the grape bunches. This prevent excessive shading and encourages air movement, keeping the vines healthy. Fertilise autumn flowering shrubs and bulbs with a side dressing of blood and bone or a complete organic fertiliser. Prepare bulb beds and beds for spring-flowering annuals with deep digging, addition of organic matter and mulching. Order new bulbs. Plant early-spring flower seedlings of torenia, salvia and petunia. Leave the main planting of spring annuals until March/April. Prepare soil for an early April sowing of sweet peas and garden peas by liming the area now, so there will be time for the pH to rise to the desired level. Lift irises and divide if necessary, discarding older rhizomes. Apply lime to iris beds. Save seed from annual herbs for planting next spring. Harvest fresh herbs to dry or for herb vinegar. Watch out for the hawk moth caterpillar, they can quickly defoliate sweet potato and taro. Handpick or spray with Dipel or Success. Propagate cuttings of evergreen shrubs. Take softwood cuttings of lavenders, thyme, pelargonium and scented geraniums. MARCH Citrus trees are very hungry feeders with high requirements for trace elements; a regular spray with a seaweed fertiliser such as Natrakelp will supply trace elements. Fertilise mango, avocado, custard apple, pawpaw, carambola and macadamia. Band trees, such as citrus and custard apple, with sticky barriers, use Tanglefoot or Trappit Barrier Glue, to keep ants and other crawling pests out of trees. Sticky barriers are very effective at reducing scale attacks. To control White Louse Scale on citrus, spray with Lime-sulphur in winter, other scale outbreaks can be controlled with Eco Oil or Pest Oil. More information on scale control...... De-sucker bananas and fertilise. For Queensland strawberry runners should be planted now into well-mulched beds with added organic fertiliser. Try to find suitable varieties for warmer areas. More information on growing strawberries .... Caterpillar activity increases in March, check plants early that have had problems in previous years. Procession or White Cedar caterpillars will be on the move, protect young trees from defoliation by wrapping hessian around the trunk for the caterpillars to congregate in during the day. Check regularly and destroy. More information on caterpillar control...... Spray Dipel to control white cabbage butterfly, which can seriously damage young broccoli and cabbage plants or protect with the Pest-Guard Cover. Plant a green manure crop in any unoccupied beds to improve the soil for spring planting. First check the pH, as too acid or alkaline a soil may be preventing nutrient uptake by your plants. Legumes, used in green manures, generally prefer a neutral soil and dislike acidity. Continue to check for Citrus Leaf Miner and if necessary, spray Pest Oil when new growth is about 1 cm long and reapply every 2-3 weeks. Cut back perennial flowers and herbs to ground level that have finished flowering. It is a good time to dig them and divide if needed. Put snail pellets out in containers close to young seedlings Whitefly, a small sap sucking insect, may be attacking your tomatoes. Give the leaves a shake and if a cloud of whiteflies is disturbed, it is time for a spray with Pest Oil or Natrasoap. More information on whitefly control...... Fertilise winter flowerers like sasanqua camellias now for a good winter display. Cut back globe artichokes; every 4-5 years these should be lifted and divided. Dig and eat Jerusalem artichokes. In subtropical and tropical areas prepare the soil well with homemade compost, mushroom compost, worm castings or organic fertiliser before planting vegetables, as the soil will be depleted by wet-season rain. Applying fertiliser earlier than this is often wasteful due to leaching by heavy rain. APRIL This is a great time to be planting vegetables in subtropical and tropical areas. Harvest pumpkins leaving 4-6 cm of stalk at the top, to improve storage qualities. March to April are often the worst months for caterpillars such White Cabbage butterfly, spray with organically acceptable *Dipel* or use a *PestGuard Cover. In warmer areas keep an eye out for Hawk Moth* caterpillars; they can decimate taro and sweet potato plants. Bananas should all have been de-suckered by now. Keep an eye on citrus for signs of scale, if present spray with Pest Oil or Eco Oil. Do not spray if a frost is likely to occur. Plant evergreen fruit trees, defer planting deciduous fruit trees until July-August. Remove runners forming on young strawberry plants. More information on growing strawberries .... Remove any mummified fruit from trees and pick up fallen fruit from the ground and dispose of appropriately. Remove codling moth bands from apple trees and destroy. Give the bark a cleanup with a wire brush to remove pupating caterpillars. More information on codling moth control...... Prune the passionfruit vines, cut the laterals back to 2 buds. Prune stone fruit which have finished fruiting and are still actively growing. Wounds will heal faster, reducing the risk of disease. Remove suckers from all fruit trees as close to the bark as possible. This is a good time to weed and mulch under fruit trees and spread lime. Prunings can be added to the mulch. Woody additions to mulch build organic matter levels in the soil. In cooler areas raspberry and currant bushes can be pruned. A good time to re-pot potted plants and hanging baskets. Add Organic Link slow-release fertiliser to the potting mix. Humid weather will encourage fungal problems on roses, keep dead-heading. If herbaceous perennials have finished flowering, cut off the old foliage to ground level. This is also a good time to divide clumps, if they are overgrown and congested. This is the last chance to use herbs such as basil before they die back. Herb vinegars are a delightful addition to salads and pesto freezes well. Plant a winter green manure in any empty beds. Choose rapeseed or BQ Mulch™ for any garden beds that had problems over summer with either nematodes or soil-borne fungal diseases. In subtropical and tropical areas weeds are setting seed. Try to at least cut the seed heads off even if you don’t have time to do all the weeding. Remember to organise a mulch delivery beforehand so that your effort weeding is rewarded by months of weed-free garden beds. Clean up the last of the summer vegetable crops. Don’t leave old stalks in the ground, as this just spreads disease. This is one of the best times of the year to make a big compost heap with all the prunings and remains of summer vegetable crops that have finished.
	PLANTING GUIDE FOR AUTUMN Autumn is a very different planting time depending on whether you live in the subtropics, tropics or cooler temperate areas. In cooler areas winter vegetables are planted earlier in January and February so they grow through the autumn months and mature in the cold winter months. In the subtropics it is unwise to plant winter vegetables such as brassicas (cabbage, broccoli etc) too early as before mid March it is generally too hot and humid with major caterpillar problems. Browse the Organic Seed Shop SUBTROPICAL and TROPICAL AREAS FEBRUARY Lettuce can be planted from now until June; choose non-hearting types (Danyelle, Saladbowl, Brown Romaine) until the weather cools down; Iceberg types (Ice King) do best through winter. Continue successive sowings of snake beans, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, Ceylon spinach, parsley (the flat leaf types e.g. ‘Giant of Italy’ are hardier in humid areas and less prone to crown rot) and sweet corn. Tamarillo and pawpaw can be planted now. Seedlings of cabbage and broccoli can be raised in a shadehouse for planting in March/April when conditions will be more favourable. MARCH In frost-free areas beans, capsicum, cape gooseberries, cucumbers, eggplant, melon, pumpkin, okra, zucchini and tomatoes can be planted until the end of April. Brussels sprouts take at least 4 months to mature so have to be planted now. After mid-March plant seed or seedlings of broccoli, kale and collards, mustard, cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, rocket, spinach, silverbeet, beetroot, Florence fennel, the onion family (early and mid-season onions, shallots, spring onions, leek, garlic), celery, coriander, mizuna, tatsoi. Plant carrots, radish, parsnips, kohl rabi and turnips from seed only, root vegetables should not be transplanted. Potatoes can be planted into well-mulched beds, only use certified seed potatoes to avoid introducing damaging virus diseases to your garden. Strawberries can be planted from March to the end of April. Late March to mid-April is the best time in warmer areas to plant spring flower seedlings of lobelia, dianthus, stock, viola, cornflower, alyssum, pansy, clarkia, nemesia, phlox, lupin, alyssum, primula, dianthus, statice, verbena, poppy, nigella, snapdragon and calendula. Sweet peas are a delightful, easy to grow, fragrant flower that can be planted until the end of April. Soak the seeds in hot water and leave them overnight to improve germination. Check the soil pH and lime if necessary, as they dislike acid soil. Try our colourful Good Bug Mix, a cottage garden mix with 12 types of seed in 1 packet and attract beneficial insects to your garden. APRIL This is the best time to sow peas, if you haven’t tried Sugar Snap peas, now is your chance! Most of the brassica family can be planted now (Asian greens, broccoli, kale and collards, mustard, cabbage). Continue sowing root vegetables (beetroot, carrots, radish, parsnips, kohl rabi and turnips). Japanese turnips are sweeter than common turnips and very hardy. Continue sowing the onion family and greens including silverbeet, celery, rocket and spinach. Broad beans can be sown until May. Garlic can be planted until the end of April, planting after this date reduces the size of the bulbs. Best month to plant cool season green manures. Wait until April to plant heat tolerant bulbs such as babiana, ixia, freesia, autumn crocus, and sparaxis. Try not to be tempted by displays in supermarkets of tulips and hyacinths, as they are very unlikely to do well. TEMPERATE and MEDITERRANEAN AREAS FEBRUARY Last sowing for the year of bush beans and sweet corn in warmer areas. Most of the brassica family can be planted now (Asian greens, broccoli, kale and collards, mustard, cabbage, cauliflower). In cooler areas plant brassica seedlings. Plant carrots, beetroot, radish, parsnips, salisfy, kohl rabi and turnips from seed only, root vegetables should not be transplanted. Sow greens including silverbeet, chicory, endive, rocket, spinach, celery. Try a few less common vegetables such as celeriac or fennel. The onion family (early and mid-season onions, shallots, spring onions, leek - as seedlings only) can be planted through March. Potatoes and peas in warmer areas only. MARCH In cooler areas the slower growing brassica (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower) should only be planted as seedlings. Other brassica can still be planted now (Asian greens, mizuna, tatsoi, kale and collards, mustard). It is the last month to sow Brussels sprouts. Sow greens including radicchio, endive, rocket, coriander, silverbeet, parsley, spinach. Plant root vegetables (carrots, radish, parsnips kohl rabi and turnips). First sowing of broad beans (cooler areas only). Sow seeds of spring flowers of pansy, viola, hollyhocks, delphinium, lobelia, stock, dianthus, cornflower, alyssum, clarkia, nemesia, phlox, lupin, alyssum, primula, poppy, dianthus, statice, verbena, nigella, snapdragon and calendula. Sweet peas are a delightful, easy to grow, fragrant flower that can be planted now, check the pH as they dislike acid soil. In March and April plant spring bulbs anemones, freesias, dutch iris, daffodils, jonquils. APRIL Best months to plant cool season green manures, carrots, garlic, broad beans, beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, spinach, silverbeet, parsnip, carrots, peas (frost-free districts). SEED STORAGE: The best place to store seed is in a sealed container in your fridge. Seed stored in a hot garden shed or garage that can reach temperatures greater than 40° in summer will simply die. Seed stored open to the air where it can take up moisture will lose viability. The book Seed Production for the Australian Home Vegetable Garden explains the botanical basis and methods of saving seed in the home garden. HERBS IN PERMACULTURE Herbs are very useful in an organic garden and permaculture design, as they have many multi-functional aspects. They are generally resistant to pests, need little watering and may have attractive flowers. Where you place the herbs depends on how often you use them. Herbs used in cooking, such as thyme, basil, oregano, coriander (pictured), chives and parsley are placed close to the kitchen door, often as an edging to vegetable beds. These herbs should reflect your cooking style and be in constant use. If you love to cook in a wok then include ginger, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, curry leaf and chilli in your herb garden. Herbs such as ginger and turmeric require partial shade and can be grown as an understorey below pawpaws and bananas. If your garden is frost-free, climbing pepper vines and vanilla orchids can also be grown Herbs used for tea making, such as lemon verbena, lemon grass and peppermint need to be close to the kitchen for easy harvest. Mints are best contained in large containers such as recycled laundry tubs or terracotta tubs. Pest repellent herbs include wormwood, rue, pyrethrum, garlic chives, lavender, rosemary and garlic. Scatter these throughout the garden and plant in clumps amongst your fruit trees. You can dig marigolds into the soil to suppress a nematode problem but they are also beneficial planted at random throughout the garden. Browse the Organic Seed Shop