Autumn gardening is about preparation and nourishing soil for winter crops. Here’s some gardening tips for April.
As you harvest the final summer produce it’s time to prepare your garden for winter staples including kale, spring onion, spinach, blueberry, citrus, cauliflower, parsley, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, celery and silverbeet.
Turn the soil
It’s time to turn the soil and prepare for the cooler months. Dig in compost and sheep pellets before planting to replenish nutrients used by previous crops. Compost is also excellent at drawing and retaining moisture.
Plant support
If your beans are floppy, tie them and keep them well watered, and they should keep producing for another month or so. Stake taller Brussels sprouts plants to prevent them from falling over.
A second life for sweetcorn
Once sweetcorn has finished pull them out and add stems to the compost heap.
In cooler climates pull out tomato plants and leave any green fruits on a windowsill to ripen in the sun (this may take a few weeks).
Feed and nourish
Feed established plants with nutrients to keep them going as the seasonal weather changes.
Pest control
Control slugs and snails with products or cracked eggshells or beer traps. If you can give up a small amount of your favourite ale, leave a wide jar in the garden that will attract slugs and snails that will crawl in and drown.
Add mulch
Add a layer of mulch around the base of fruit trees to keep the soil warmer over the winter months and keep the area weed-free.
