Autumn is a fantastic time to get into the garden. The soil still contains warmth from summer before the winter rain hits, so it’s a great time to get planting. It's also lovely weather to get outside and get your hands dirty.
Here's seven autumn gardening tips courtesy of Bunnings. Hope you find the advice helpful. Feel free to add your own tips in the discussion below.
Plant Fruit Trees
Australia’s climate and conditions are ideal for growing fruit trees. All they need is full sun, good drainage, room to grow and they’ll be thriving in no time. A good tip is to avoid overcrowding your trees with other plants or structures like fences as this will curb their growth.
Make Your Own Compost
Compost is a natural fertiliser that is great for your garden. It can help you save money and it’s good for the environment. Autumn is a great time to start making compost because many trees are dropping their leaves, which you’ll need to use. Make sure you get the balance right between garden waste and kitchen scraps in the compost mix for the best results.
Mulch For Your Garden
Mulch is your garden’s best friend. It helps the soil hold in moisture so you don’t have to water it as often and it also keeps down weeds. Over time, mulch will break down into your soil and improve it by adding nutrients. There are a few different types of mulch, including organic and inorganic varieties.
Fertilise Your Lawn
Fertilising your lawn will ensure that it stays green and healthy throughout the year. Autumn is a great time to fertilise because it protects your lawn through the winter months. You should aim to fertilise twice a year for the best results.
Prune Trees
There are many reasons why you should prune your trees. It helps improve the health and appearance of your trees, removes dead or dying branches and it can even promote crop growth in fruit trees. We’ll show you how to prune trees correctly, how to avoid damaging the tree and which tools you should be using.
Plant Bulbs
Planting bulbs is a great way to add a splash of colour to your garden. You’d be surprised how many different colours, sizes and types of bulbs that you can choose from. Autumn is the perfect time of year to plant them as they’ll have enough time to grow before they are ready to flourish in spring. Bulbs are really easy to grow although make sure that you choose a spot with plenty of sunlight.
Build a Garden Bed
A garden bed can be a great feature to have in your garden. It’s the perfect place to grow vegies or act as a focal point in your backyard. For the best results, use a good quality top soil so your plants get enough of the good nutrients they need to start growing. Also make sure before you build your garden bed to consider the location because the levels of sun and shade will determine which type of plants will grow.
Plant garlic*
This is the PERFECT time of year to plant garlic, and having your own garlic is WAY better than having to buy it. Garlic is easy to grow provided you have some good soil (that hasn't grown peas recently - peas and garlic don't get on), gets regular water, and the pests are kept away. A good drink of seasol twice a month also helps.
Garlic does grow slowly, so make sure that you don't need that bit of garden bed until sometime in November.
*this advice applies to areas in which you can grow garlic in Australia
For those who have planted bulbs, as soon as any foliage pops up out of the soil, start feeding them with a soluble plant food. It will encourage foliage growth and lovely flowers and also strengthen the bulbs for flowering again next year.
Hope you all find these tips useful as we start a new season.
Feel free to add your own autumn advice by replying below.
And do let us know what you will be planting this autumn.
Jason
I took the chance over the long weekend to feed the front lawn and do some weeding.
The seedlings we planted in the Vegiepod a few weeks ago are doing well. We planted spinach, baby spinach, lettuce, coriander and parsley. I also also planted some more basil and parsley in the garden, but they have been eaten by something.
Let us know how your autumn gardening is going by replying below.
Jason
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