At great expense to the team at Over the Fence, we have teamed up with one of the Mid North’s most knowledgeable gardeners to bring you an occasional update as to what you should be doing in your garden.
I did investigate getting Costa, but he was too expensive, so it’s a warm welcome to Composter!
The recent dry spell may not have inspired you to plant a great deal, but it should have given you a chance to deal with summer weeds, like caltrop.
Now that we have finally had some moisture from above, what should we be planting? If you have not received enough rainfall, never fear. Unlike our farmers, you have access to a hose.
According to Composter, now is the time for planting peas, beans, lettuces, radish, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, spinach, rhubarb, onions, spring onions and leeks.
Do not forget garlic to keep the vampires away. (Composter has not seen a single vampire since his garlic went in so it must work.)
Flower wise, it is time to get the tulips and daffodils out of the fridge and into the garden. Pansies, daisies and bare-rooted roses are also good to go now.
It is a good time to prune and spray your roses for black spot, fertilise your lawns before they go into dormancy, and lift your dahlias and store them till September.
Get your tomato and strawberry patch ready for runners and plants. Sheep manure is gold for this job, mushroom compost is also good.
Once you have strawberry runners you should plant them straight away – unwrap them, wash the roots, remove any discoloured leaves, and trim roots to 10cm. Plant them the same day you have them ready – throughout June, July and August is ideal.
You can get them from nurseries, online or a green fingered neighbour.
Fruit trees can now be planted too, as they enter dormancy, but not citrus – you need to plant them in September.
Break 2.0
The rains have arrived. Although widespread, they were not what most farmers were hoping for, with falls ranging from 6mm to 23.5mm. Considering there is only a couple of pessimists left in the competition, I am going to call it. Richard Fabry has called it a break from the dust, whilst Bute agronomist Darren Schilling has called it the New Style break.
I am calling it break 2.0 as it has a lot of glitches and we are hoping for an updated version soon, so save up your data as there could be a major upgrade in a couple of weeks!
The winners of the season break tipping for 2024, thanks to Vater Machinery, are Jake Harkness of Owen and Centre States Paul Lange, with May 30 and 31.
There were some good rainfall tallies, along with some that were not quite what were hoped for.
Pat Redden (Clare) – 19mm
Andrew Parker (Hoskin Corner) – 8mm
Andrew Manuel (Skilly Hills) – 18mm
Mark Parish (Auburn) – 16mm
Andrew Plueckhahn (Manoora) – 10-15mm
Jake Harkness (Owen) – 8mm
Steve Schiller (Tanunda) – 8.5mm
Brett Freebairn (Owen) – 11mm
Gaye Kuerschner (Black Rock) – 11mm
Justin Zweck (Blyth) – 10mm
Glen Bubner (Alma) – 13mm
Mat Vogt (Hamilton) – 23.5mm
Darren Lowe (Pinkerton) – 8.5mm
Roseworthy – 6mm
Andrew Parkinson (Riverton) – 19.5mm
Jim Franks (Mallala) – 11.5mm
Andy Michael (Upper Wakefield) – 9.5mm
Joel Kedar (Harrogate) – 20mm
Wayne Davis (Jamestown) – 10-15mm
Trevor Cliff (Kimba) – 10.5mm
Darren Schilling (Bute) – 14mm
Northern (Yorke Peninsula) – 8-18mm
Richard Konzag (Mallala) – 9mm
Wayne Molineux (Tarlee) – 15-22mm
Ben Mudge (Inkermann ) – 10.5mm
Brian Parker (Owen) – 9.5mm
Corey Blacksell (Pinnaroo) – 10-13mm
Richard Fabry (Long Plains) – 7mm
Brodie Pearson (Darke Peak) – 5.5mm
Trevor Day (Kapunda) – 8mm
David Long (Leasingham) – 17mm
Kelvin Tiller (Grace Palins) – 10mm
Chris Chapman (Hoyleton) – 18mm
Corbin Schuster (Freeling) – 9.5mm
