As the weather starts to change, plan for the season ahead!
Shorter days may hint at the change of season, but the hot weather may continue throughout the month. March brings the first hints of autumn colour as deciduous plants start to show leaf colour. Autumn shrubs such as sasanqua camellias and banksias add colour as they begin to flower.
Make the most of the month to enjoy the garden and plan for the months ahead. Take a stroll around your green space and make notes of future gardening tasks. Look for plants that may have not survived summer stresses or those with scorched foliage that may need pruning.
Vegetables for autumn planting
Although there’s still lots to harvest as summer vegetables keep on producing well into autumn, March is the ideal time to start off vegetables to harvest in winter. Look for seeds to sow or seedlings to plant to fill spaces as crops are removed.
Before putting in a new crop, remove old roots and weeds, then refresh the soil with homemade compost, well-rotted manure and/or Seasol Super Compost. If possible, let the soil rest for a week or so to let all the good things go to work.
Avoid planting members of the same plant family in the same bed to reduce the likelihood of spreading pests and diseases. Vegetables to plant now include brassicas (a huge group that covers broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower), peas including snow peas, beetroot, onions, shallots and turnips.
Powdery mildew on zucchini
Although many summer vegetables are still pumping out good crops, some are starting to slow down. Members of the cucurbit family, particularly zucchini and squash, may be attacked by the fungal disease powdery mildew attacking summer vegies that are coming to the end of their life.
Powdery mildew appears as a white powdery covering on the leaves, which then brown and die. Don’t reach for the spray, as the plant is on its way out. Instead, remove the affected leaves and deposit them in the rubbish bin, not the compost bin. When pruning, ensure to sterilise secateurs and pruning tools between plants to prevent the disease from spreading. As the harvest finishes, remove the plants.
Prevention is the key, so avoid watering the foliage of the plant (water to the soil only). Powdery mildew has its own specialist predator, the yellow and black spotted ladybird, which feeds on mildew. For more tips, check out the powdery mildew guide.
Deciduous vines let the sun shine through
Fast-growing climbers are an excellent way to create privacy or to hide an ugly fence. They can also be trained to grow over a pergola for shade.
While evergreen climbers such as star jasmine or native climbers such as hardenbergia and pandorea, are the best choice where year-round privacy or screening is needed, deciduous vines such as ornamental grapevine, roses, wisteria and clematis, allow sunlight to shine through in winter and early spring. As a bonus ornamental grapevines contribute brilliant autumn leaf tones to the garden.
Climbing plants can be planted year-round but look out for deciduous climbers for sale in autumn. Visit your local hardware and garden centre for varieties to suit your climatic conditions.
Water new plants in with Seasol to aid plant establishment and regularly apply throughout the year for healthy growth and strong root development.
Natives to plant for autumn and winter flowering
Autumn into winter is a peak flowering time for many Australian native plants, particularly banksias, grevilleas, hakeas and boronias. As winter morphs into spring, wattles also join in the show with their golden flowers.
As well as adding beautiful flowers to bring colour to the garden these cool-season flowering plants are an important source of nectar and pollen for insects, birds and tiny marsupials.
Autumn is a great time to plant natives such as crowea, brachyscomes, epacris, correas alba or reflexa, or a dwarf flowering eucalyptus (Corymbia ficifolia). Select one plant to add to an existing garden bed or single pot or select a few to make a new garden bed or pot display.
To keep plants flowering, deadhead spent blooms and apply a native plant fertiliser regularly such as PowerFeed All Purpose including Natives. Water well if the weather is dry or windy or plants are in a pot.
Five important jobs for early autumn
- Check pumpkins to make sure fruit isn’t damaged, which can lead to rot. Place organic mulch, such as sugarcane mulch, underneath the pumpkins to protect them from bare soil.
- To keep the lawn healthy, lush green and growing well, feed regularly with Seasol for Lush Green Lawns.
- Regularly apply Seasol Pots & Plants trigger spray every week to prepare them for the change of season. As the weather cools, move them closer to a window for more light.
- Keep deadheading flowering plants and lightly prune those that are coming to the end of their show, such as geraniums and pelargoniums.
- Water and regularly feed apple trees with PowerFeed PRO SERIES for Fruit & Citrus to ensure the fruit continues to develop a good size.
Get started with sweet peas
One annual to sow from seed in March is the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus). Autumn-sown sweet peas produce masses of scented blooms that are ideal to pick through winter. A trellis of sweet peas can be used as a colourful living screen.
Plants are very fast-growing and highly rewarding for children to grow and they love to reap their rewards by picking beautiful blooms to share with family and friends.
Sweet peas come in many colours including pink, tones of purple, red, white, and bicolours and all are fragrant. They are easy to grow from seed or seedling but need a warm, sunny spot in well-drained, enriched soil for best flowering. In areas with poor drainage, grow sweet peas in raised garden beds (raised at least 30cm) or in large containers using a premium potting mix such as Seasol Advanced Potting Mix. Remember to keep them well-watered, as sweet peas need moisture to flower.
Growing sweet peas
Sweet peas grow up to 1.8m and need a tall, sturdy support like a trellis or tripod. They climb with tendrils, so place twigs at the base of the climbing frame for seedlings to encourage them to start climbing. Smaller non-climbing varieties such as ‘Cupid’ can be grown in containers or as a garden edging.
The traditional planting time for sweet peas seeds in Australia is St Patrick’s Day (March 17), but where conditions are still too warm for a successful sowing use the traditional date as a reminder to buy seeds and then begin to prepare the trellis and soil for planting as the weather cools.
In cool zones, sweet peas can also be sown in late winter or early spring for summer flowers. Keep plants regularly fertilised with PowerFeed PRO SERIES for Roses & Flowers for strong growth and lots of flowers. Pick flowers or regularly deadhead to stop the plants from seeding.
Check out the sweet pea guide for more growing information.
