Now’s The Time To Get Busy In The Garden

Autumn is a great time to be working in and enjoying the garden, says Dave Rogers, gardening centre team member at Chermside Mitre 10.

“It’s a good time to prune and tidy up any shrubs to remove diseased or dead branches, “Mr. Rogers said.

“This also helps to keep the size of the plant under control and stimulates new growth, flowers and fruit in preparation for spring.

“You should avoid using rusty or blunt tools as they will make the job harder; sharp tools will ensure nice clean cuts.

“We have a full range of secateurs through to garden saws and even chainsaws if you need them.”

Mr. Rogers said once pruning had been completed, it was time to mulch plants.

For small to medium areas he recommended Mitre 10’s Rocky Point Cane Mulch.

“If you have a large garden, we can deliver large quantities of mulch from our landscape yard, “he said.

In addition to this, Mr. Rogers said a great way to establish a vegetable patch or flower garden for spring was to get a raised garden bed, assemble it and fill with new garden soil.

“Now is the time to plant vegetables such as broad beans, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips,”he said.

“Every family should have a vegetable garden to help kids understand where our food comes from.”

As a strawberry lover, he also pointed to terracotta strawberry pots that were a feature on their own, and nothing beat fresh home-grown strawberrys.

Mr. Rogers also reminded people that autumn was not a time to neglect the lawn, despite the drop in temperature meaning it didn’t grow as fast.

“The roots are still active, so with a little attention, it is possible to develop strong root systems and thicker grass to help keep out winter weeds, “he said.

“Try an application of a slow release fertiliser such as the Scott Lawn Builder range.

“It is important you get the right products, or if you have a mix of lawn around the house, choose one that will suit all types.”

Mr. Rogers reminded customers that house plants required less water through winter, but also benefited from the application of slow release fertiliser.

“Talk to us about products such as Osmocote or Ferticote,” he said.

“Then when you’ve completed your gardening, the perfect end to the day might be one of our fire pits.

“We also have ecologs that work well in the pits as they are non-sparking just the thing to keep you warm enough and compete the ambience so you can sit back and enjoy your garden.

Source: http://quest.smedia.com.au/north-west-news/