• This is a month of rapid growth. Pay particular attention to watering, weeding, feeding and spraying.
   
• Sow seeds directly into the soil, beans, beetroot, carrots, parsnip, swedes, turnips, radish, lettuce, spinach, silverbeet and sweetcorn. Make successive sowings every two weeks.
  
• Plant seedlings of lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, tomato, sweetcorn, beetroot, pumpkin, courgette, capsicum, eggplant, melon, cucumber and gherkin.
  
• Protect plants from caterpillars with Derris Dust.
  
• If whitefly is a problem spray with Confidor.
  
• Courgettes and cucumbers can be protected from powdery mildew with Champ DP
  
• Feed tomatoes at least once a week with a fast acting liquid feed such as Phostrogen. Remove laterals (side growths) on tall tomato varieties as they grow and ensure they are firmly staked. Water regularly.
  
• Feed fruit trees for bumper crops later. Water well to prevent fruit drop.
  
• Protect pip and stone fruit with Champ DP or Fungus Fighter to prevent fungus diseases.
  
• Protect citrus with Champ DP to prevent verrucosis and leaf curl.
  
• Apply a mulch of compost around vegetable
  plants to conserve soil moisture.

LAWNS

• Raise the lawn mower up a level for summer season. If cut too short, lawns will
  dry out more quickly.
  
• Water in dry weather and apply fast acting
  lawn food such as Palmers Lawn Fertiliser or
  Scotts Lawn Builder to keep lawns fresh and
  green. Water in well after application.