By Kevin Redd
Hello Queensland gardeners- here we are in the beginning of what promises to be another hot and steamy summer. It’s off to a great start with temperatures not too hot yet and there is plenty of rainfall and soil moisture just about everywhere!
So now is the time in the garden when we can make sure that our plants are ready for the warm season ahead.
So what should we be doing in the garden now?
First and foremost- now is a great time to get out to apply an application of MULCH to both the ornamental garden as well as the food producing patch. This will keep those pesky weeds from taking over and so far it’s not yet too hot to get out and do this job.
What sort of MULCH is best? This is a great question and it depends upon what you are growing and how easy it is to access your garden.
At our site on the Sunshine Coast with lots of edibles and lush tropical foliage plants, we are big fans of SUGAR CANE mulch which we can get locally in big ‘wheels’. As you might know, lots of cane farms are struggling with mill closures and large distances to take their cane, so buying MULCH directly from the farmers is a wonderful way to support agribusiness in your local area.
Secondly, we can start putting in ‘warm weather’ plants that love our summer season- things like DRAGONFRUIT and all the beautiful HELICONIAS, GINGERS and TURMERIC are all starting their vigorous GROWTH PHASES now and are very easy to propagate. Go check out your local nursery or even get on the internet to some of the wonderful ‘online nurseries’ that have a fantastic range of beautiful tropical plants.
Make the most of the warm days at this time of year and get out into the garden!
