August is an exciting time in the garden as it springs into life after a refreshing cool spell. August brings the end of the cooler nights and although the warmer days are approaching, we are still enjoying mild sunny days in our gardens.

Roses

August is rose season here in the tropics, when established potted varieties are readily available for planting.

Roses will enjoy a sunny position in a garden bed or pot.

Neil has some great tips for growing Roses in pots –  check out his helpful video on How to Grow Roses in Pots

For best growing in a garden bed:

• Prepare your garden soil by digging ActivGrow into the top 20cm. 1 bag per 2-3m2 will help boost your soil and get your roses off to a great start.
• Ensure there is plenty of air flow around your roses to allow them to thrive and minimise fungal problems.
• Water regularly to keep your roses healthy and maintain continual growth. An irrigation system is an effective way of keeping your watering consistent. Check the effectiveness of your irrigation by digging into the soil (careful not to disturb roots) to check how far the water in penetrating into the soil. If its not reaching far enough to water plant roots, you’ll need to adjust your watering time.
• Fertilise monthly with Organic Xtra or Nitrophoska, and prune after flowering to keep your rose looking it’s best. Keep on top of pests and fungal problems with Trifend.

Harvesting in your Kitchen Garden

Winter loving veg are in full harvest and leafy greens are at their best, so enjoy fresh meals made from your proudly grown produce!

Sow crops of fresh lettuce each month so you have successive crops and can keep enjoying fresh lettuce for the months to come. Water regularly and feed with Triple boost fruit & veg each fortnight to keep fresh new leaves coming through and avoid bitter flavours. Once your older lettuce have become a little bitter tasting and are starting to go to seed, your new crop should be ready to start harvesting. Be sure to save some seed from the older plants to keep your lettuce crops coming through.

Often when we are harvesting, we get more than we can eat. Consider sharing or swapping produce with friends and neighbours!

Pickling and preserving is a great way to give your fresh food a longer shelf life. Fresh, home grown cucumbers are perfect for making pickles, are easy to make and taste so much better than store bought! Try Bec’s Best Dill Pickles recipe!

Fruit trees

With the warmer days arriving, your fruit trees will be showing signs of fresh new growth and many are beginning to flower. Now is the time to resume your monthly fertiliser regime and top up mulch to give your plants the nutrients they need for the fruiting months ahead. Fruit trees such as Citrus, Lychees, Bananas and Avocadoes prefer a consistent regime or water and fertiliser to promote plenty of flowers and fruit set.

Mangoes are one of the few exceptions, hold off on watering and fertilising until they have finished flowering and have begun to set fruit.

Annuals and Colour 

Create a sensory garden with bright coloured annuals, fragrant plants and herbs for flavour.

Annuals are perfect for creating colourful borders, and are helpful in bringing bees and other beneficial insects to your garden.