May Jobfile from the April 2001 Newsletter
If the rain has been good, plant seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, kohl rabi, lettuce, radish and silverbeet.
Many types of herbs can be divided up and propagated now.
Finish autumn pruning of shrubs and trees and incorporate fresh clippings in with your compost as you turn it.
Have a look under mature shrubs of Gardenia radicons and Tibouchina ‘Jules’ to see if any of the branches have layer-rooted. If they have, snip them off and pot them up.
Despite what Don Burke said on Burke’s Backyard (4/5/01) citrus gall wasp is a serious pest and has been known to cause the demise of young trees. Affected wood should be cut off and burnt before August.
Although strawberries perform best as an annual crop in this region, it is possible to obtain another season from last year’s plants if they are tidied up now. Thin out overcrowded beds, snipping off excessive runners and remove all old and damaged foliage. Water well with a weak solution of seaweed fertiliser. Consign the old mulch to the compost heap and replace it with fresh straw.
If you mulched your spring bulbs heavily last summer, you may need to remove some of it as their new foliage starts to poke through. Fertilise with Thrive, Maxicrop or Aquasol once they get going.
Enjoy the darling buds!