tips to revive your garden for spring and How to start rewilding your garden this autumn

 

The chilliness of winter might be lingering in the air, but as we turn a new leaf with the beginning of spring, now is the best time to cultivate your garden.

Gardening Australia host Tino Carnevale lives on Muwinina Country (Hobart, Tasmania) and says, while it might feel chilly in many parts of Australia, "the winter patch is still productive".

"The days are getting longer and the jobs you do now, will pay dividends later on," he says. 

Whether you live in a cool or warm climate, Tino shares his top four tips to get your garden ready for spring.

Start with a general clean up by removing weeds

The first place to start is by tidying up using a rake to remove any dead leaves and branches as well as any build up of dirt and debris, in and around your patch.

"This will help to discourage pest and diseases as well as making a nice tidy space for you to look forward to working in," Tino says.

The first job on the list, is to rake up old leaves and any build up of dirt around the yard.(Supplied: Gardening Australia)

Many plants are dormant in winter but that isn't the case for weeds.

Surprisingly, they can be helpful during winter, acting as a "crop cover" to protect your soil.

But if you're an avid gardener, you will be familiar with how fast they can grow (and spread).

"It's really important to take care of your weeds, especially for the crops that are dormant in winter, like asparagus [and rhubarb]," Tino says.

"This will help to minimise root competition and disturbance to your crown."

Before you decide to plant any new crops, Tino recommends removing all your weeds first.

Check the pH levels of your soil before planting Testing the pH levels of your soil -  especially if you've used the same bed across seasons - will help get the foundation right for new crops to grow.(Supplied: Gardening Australia)

Once you've removed old leaves and weeds from your garden, it's time to check the condition of your soil with a test kit (available at most nurseries or gardening stores).

"If you've been using the same bed for a couple of crops, it's a good idea to check the soil pH," Tino says.

Follow these steps to test your soil:

1.Grab a handful of soil making sure it doesn't contain any grass or other organic materials.

2.Place it on a clean surface, and add a couple of drops of dye, along with white barium powder and wait for the colour of the soil to change.

3.The perfect soil pH for veggies is around 7, but if your results are more acidic, Tino recommends adding some lime to your garden, approximately two weeks before planting anything new and making sure it's mixed into the soil well.

"The calcium in the lime, will help soften up the ground," he says.

Keep your soil healthy by adding in some compost

Loosening up the soil and turning over your mulch helps remove any hidden weeds but is particularly important if you're planning to grow root vegetables like carrots or beetroots.

The other important step to reviving your soil is adding in some compost.

"Compost is an all-round soil conditioner, full of good stuff to keep your [plants] alive," Tino says.

To complement your compost, mixing in aged manure or blood and bone is another great way to restore nutrients in your soil, along with a layer of straw mulch on top to stop your soil from drying out.

If you've used straw mulch before and hate when the wind blows it all over your yard, Tino says by adding some compost or wood chips on top will help keep it in place.

Transitioning from winter to spring also means it's also the perfect time to feed your perennials or veggies like rhubarbs or asparagus too.

A quick and easy way to do this is by putting a heap of powdered blood and bone around your plant, followed by a layer of compost on top.

Veggies to plant in spring If you've planted 'heavy feeders' like Brassicas, Tino suggests pulling them out before putting new crops in.(Supplied: Gardening Australia)

So, now your garden is prepped and ready for some crops — the big question is: what should you plant?

If you're eager to get in the garden and grow something fast, Tino suggests opting for seeds over seedlings.

"Get in a quick maturing crop, like leafy lettuce, radish or even parsley," he says.

"[They're] in and out within six weeks."

Before you pick which crops to plant, it's a good idea to rotate your crops by pulling out any winter veggies and replacing them with spring veggies instead.

"[They] deplete the soil of nutrients and continual planting can create a build up of pathogens that love that particular family of veg," he says.

When it comes to sowing your seeds, the rule of thumb is planting your seeds around every four centimetres — or you can try Tino's approach and sprinkle your seeds in a line instead.

While some crops like lettuce can be quick to grow and harvest, a lot of it comes down to timing.

"Don't plant too much too early," Tino says.

"You don't want your young seedlings to get blasted by early chilly spring weather."

Planning out your patch will leave space to grow next seasons crops like tomatoes and chillies.

"Leave a bit of room… you don't want to get to November and suddenly realise you've got no space for those glorious summer crops."

Watch this episode and find more helpful tips on the Gardening Australila website.

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Autumn is almost upon us – and a good time to plan some rewilding schemes.

If you’re emptying summer containers, considering what to do with your lawn which looks like straw and want to encourage wildlife to your beds and borders, there are some simple changes you can implement which will benefit biodiversity and be a magnet for insects.

“Autumn is a good planning time to make your garden more wildlife-friendly,” says Richard Bunting, spokesperson for the charity Rewilding Britain (rewildingbritain.org.uk) and director of Little Green Space (littlegreenspace.org.uk), an award-winning environmental project.

“Rewilding offers hope and is a powerful solution for tackling nature and climate crises. An estimated 22 million people have access to a garden in Britain. If people start gardening in a way that helps nature bounce back that will have a really big impact.”

You may think that your garden is too small to make any huge changes to the environment, but even the smallest spaces can undergo a rewilding make-over. Rewilding Britain offers the following tips:

1. Plant pollinator-friendly species

“Even if you’ve only got a window box you can make a difference by planting some nectar-rich flowers in it. Bumblebees can only fly for about 40 minutes between feeds so every nectar-rich flower you plant could be the pit stop which saves a bee,” says Bunting.

During autumn and winter, when most nectar rich plants are starting to die off, ivy’s flowers are now beginning to blossom, providing a vital late source of food for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

More bee-friendly plants and advice on gardening for bees can be found at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (bumblebeeconservation.org).

2. Welcome weeds

(Alamy/PA)

Weeds are simply plants which are maybe in the wrong places, but are hugely beneficial to insects, and other wildlife so leave dandelions – which flower quite early – in your lawn, allow a patch of nettles to grow which will give butterflies places to lay their eggs and leave brambles and wild roses to do their thing, as they offer dense shelter for creatures. “Allowing dandelions to grow can give biodiversity a real boost, because dandelions can support over 50 species of insect,” he says.

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3. Leave your grass long

With the summer drought, many lawns have ended up like hay but they are likely to recover with autumn rains. So, consider leaving at least some areas of your grass long, just cutting it occasionally. Flowers will spring up to provide blooms and seedheads which will attract insects and birds.

4. Avoid too much pruning before spring

He advises gardeners to avoid cutting back perennials and other plants which may have seedheads for birds and insect habitats over the autumn and winter. “If plants have seeded, leave them for the birds. We’ve a patch of teasels which have come up this year and it’s been covered in bumblebees.

5. Plant native trees

“Even in urban areas, if you can plant a native tree which has a massive cooling effect on our living environments,” he says,” recommending plum, crab apple, elderberry, hawthorn, holly and silver birch, all varieties that have evolved alongside wildlife and planting a mixture of them will encourage different species.

“Consider small trees – rowan is fairly small and produces berries for wildlife, while fruit trees can be kept small and will produce fruit for you and for wildlife.”

6. Avoid too much hard landscaping

7. Leave things messy

“Dead branches, logs and piles of leaves provide a habitat for insects and hedgehogs, whose populations are crashing. A messy corner will also provide nutrients to the ground.”

8. Don’t over-dig

Your soil needs to be healthy – and preferably peat-free – so let worms do the work instead of you endlessly digging. Create bare patches by rucking up the soil in a few places, which will encourage microhabitats for seeds to germinate, he advises.

9. Include water

Water is so beneficial to wildlife, so even a pond in a container can do wonders, he says. Try to incorporate some stones or gravel to create an entry and exit pond for wildlife visitors.