Garden guide: December - Hot Region

SUMMER

Your Gardening Guide for December

HOT REGION

Summer

Your Gardening Guide for December

HOT REGION

FLOWER SEEDS TO SOW IN December

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VEGIE SEEDS TO SOW IN December

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Welcome to December!

December is here which marks the start of summer. It’s a time of festivities, summer BBQ’s and spending more time outdoors. Follow these summer gardening tips if you wish to have more time for your loved ones while keeping your garden resilient against the intense summer heat.

December Top Tips

#1 Basil

Basil loves the heat. To encourage new leafy growth, continually prune off flowerheads and apply a regular organic liquid feed.

#2 Cantaloupe

If you have the room and additional water, plant some watermelons and cantaloupe. They grow quickly in the heat and will reward you with sweet, delicious fruit.

#3 Plant sunflowers

Sunflowers are a bright addition to your garden, attract beneficial insects and birds love them. There are different sizes from dwarf to tall and different shades of yellow, red, orange and even lilac. Have fun trying different varieties.

#4 Lemongrass

Plant some lemongrass – this is decorative and delicious and is great used in soups and curries as well as in teas.

December Essentials

It's time to get planting your last remaining crops in preparation for your summer harvest. We look at the benefits of living mulch and we get our hands dirty planting some strawberries!

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Diggers top pest tip

Watch for caterpillars, and spray with Dipel on veggies to protect them. Read our article on controlling and treating caterpillar damage

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Fruit trees should be netted against fruit flies by now or as fruit is beginning to form.

Check aphids on roses, hose off with jet spray or spray with Eco-oil. Read our article on control aphids

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Diggers recommends

Diggers top garden idea

Now is a great time to plant basil, parsley, pyrethrum and lemongrass.

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Basil

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Parsley

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Pyrethrum

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Diggers top garden ideas

Mulch

Mulch helps reduce weeds as well as keeping valuable water in your soils.

Mulch with pea straw, lucerne or sugar cane mulch. You can add dolomite lime, rock dust and potash if you wish to boost nutrient levels into the soil for vegetable production.

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Fertilise

Feed your entire garden with all purpose organic fertiliser. Fertilise citrus and fruit trees and passionfruit vines and organic- Fruit & citrus food.

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