Garden diary

June

Raise vegetable beds as the weather cools and the rain arrives, so you can plant a wider variety of veges.
Plant seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, winter lettuce, spinach and silverbeet.
Sow seeds of peas, onions and lettuce.
Start collecting autumn leaves for composting.
Plant pots with pansies, polyanthus and primulas for winter colour, and bulbs for spring.
Slow down watering of houseplants and move them away from draughts.

July

In warmer areas, sowing of many vege crops can begin in July. If the soil is too heavy and wet, sow in seed trays for planting out later. Keep building up vege beds with compost.
Plant seedlings of artichoke, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, potatoes, rhubarb, silverbeet and cabbage. To allow earlier plantings to germinate in cooler districts, protect seedlings with an empty 2-litre soft drink bottle with the neck cut off.
In the flower garden, prune or plant roses, and prune hydrangeas and fuchsias.
Sow seeds of broccoli, cabbage, broad beans, cauliflower, peas, lettuce, onions, radish, spinach, silverbeet, swede and turnips. In warmer districts, sow carrots, parsnips and beetroot.

August

Prepare the garden for spring planting, digging in generous amounts of compost.
Plant seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, broccoli, silverbeet and spinach. Lay seed potatoes in a tray in a sunny place for 7-10 days until the 'eyes' sprout, then plant.
Cabbage, celery, spring onion, onions, silverbeet, spinach and lettuce seeds can be sown in trays for transplanting later.
Divide up the perennial herbs and plant out as the soil warms. Lift and divide clumps of rhubarb.
Plant new season flowering annuals in containers.