Weeding, feeding & protecting
Late autumn gardening tasks for the general, edible and picking garden.
Balmy days have well and truly passed us by. It’s ideal weather for planting and harvesting end of season crops like feijoas, pumpkins and tamarillos.
As we watch the last of the autumn leaves fall, many of us (farmers and horticulturists included) have our fingers crossed for the autumn rains to arrive.
May is a last chance to give the garden a good tidy up before temperatures plummet — lots of weeding, feeding and protecting.
It’s also the last chance to get your spring bulbs in, and a great time to plant veggies for spring harvest in the veggie patch.
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General Gardening
Weeding
Balmy days have well and truly passed us by. It’s ideal weather for planting and harvesting end of season crops like feijoas, pumpkins and tamarillos.
As we watch the last of the autumn leaves fall, many of us (farmers and horticulturists included) have our fingers crossed for the autumn rains to arrive.
May is a last chance to give the garden a good tidy up before temperatures plummet — lots of weeding, feeding and protecting. It’s also the last chance to get your spring bulbs in, and a great time to plant veggies for spring harvest in the veggie patch.
Prune
Start pruning your trees, including deciduous fruit trees (though it’s a task you don’t need complete until the end of June).
At least once a year you should prune all trees and shrubs for health — starting with removing dead or diseased parts, and then prune for shape and form, and let more light through in winter if necessary. Deadhead flowering shrubs and plants.
Plant & transplant
Autumn is the best time to plant new trees and shrubs so their roots can get established over the winter months.
And if you need to move plants, now’s a good time to do it. Take as much of the root ball as possible, and have a new hole dug and prepared for the plant being transplanted. Water well, mulch and trim back up to a third of the plant to increase its chance of survival.
Mulch
So important! Weed first, then spread soil nourishers like pea straw, chopped autumn leaves, manure, compost, wood chips or shredded bark on the surface of your garden.
It’s the best way to feed your garden, keep weeds down and it adds a warm blanket for the plant’s roots through winter.
It also prevents winter rain causing soil to turn to mud, compact and harden, which prevents much needed moisture and air from getting into the soil when warmer months return.
(Make sure there is some space between the mulch and the trunks.)
Save seeds
Flowers, herbs and lots of vegetables have seeds that are easy to collect, store and re-sow. Collect into envelopes or paper bags and store in a cool dry place (and don’t forget to label them!)
Related reading: How to save seeds | Autumn seed saving tips
The Edible Garden
— In the vegetable garden
Harvest
For some it’s still harvest time for capsicum, chillies, squash and pumpkins. And there’s plenty of rhubarb to use for baking and condiments.
Pick nasturtium leaves for making pesto or in pastas and salads while their leaves are at their best before the cold weather gets to them.
Winter greens
It’s so lovely to have fresh greens for meals, even through winter.
Coriander, mizuna, silverbeet, rocket and pak choi don’t mind cooler temperatures, but if it gets particularly cold or wet where you live then plant these guys in sunny spots, containers or a greenhouse (if possible).
For spring harvest
Ready for next spring’s harvest, plant: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, broad beans and spinach now.
Green crops
If your veggie patch (or parts of it) isn’t being used over winter, consider sowing lupin or mustard seed as a winter ‘green crop’.
This is an easy, natural way to add nutrients and improve soil structure for spring. You’ll allow these to grow a green manure crop, then cut them down and allow them to dry out and be dug into the soil later.
What to plant in the vegetable garden in May
Roots —
- Beetroot
- Carrots
Brassicas —
- Broccoli
- Brussel sprouts
- Cabbages
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Pak choi
Herbs —
- Coriander
- Parsley
- Mint
Salad greens —
- Lettuces
- Silverbeet
- Spinach
Other —
- Broad beans
- Celery
- Leeks
- Onions
Fruit —
- Citrus
- Feijoa
- Strawberries
Photo by Mel Adams (Pollination Garden)
— In the orchard
Harvest
Apples, feijoas, tamarillos, passionfruit, quince and walnuts. It’s a great time for preserving some of these fruits for winter when fresh fruit isn’t so abundant.
Plant
Feijoa and citrus trees. Remember that fruit thrives in a full sun position, sheltered from wind and frosts. You can start to plant deciduous fruit trees too.
Debug
Aphids, whitefly and scale insects may be around — blast off with a hose or squish with your fingers and remove from plant leaves.
Photo by Mel Adams (Pollination Garden)
The Picking Garden
Bulbs
Now’s the last chance to plant spring bulbs before the soils get too cold.
Related reading: Spring bulbs & how to create a tulip pot display for spring
Annuals
Sow or plant winter flowering seedlings like calendula, delphinium, stock, sweet peas and alyssum.
Tidy up
Pull out any summer and spring annuals that have finished flowering for composting (don’t forget to save their seeds first).
Deadhead spent flowering perennials, but consider leaving some seed heads to provide seeds for birds through the winter (and some, like phlomis, can provide an attractive silhouette in winter days too).
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