• A big month for reaping the rewards of earlier efforts.  Sweetcorn, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, garlic,  onions, new potatoes, peas, beans and lettuces all  come ready for harvest.
  
• Pick sweetcorn when the tassels have begun to dry.
  
• Pick cucumbers and courgettes as they come ready (every day) to encourage continuous fruiting.
  
• Thin carrots. Use the finger sized thinnings in salads.
  
• Plant more lettuce seedlings as you harvest to keep  the Summer salad supply going.
  
• As you harvest tomatoes, keep removing laterals and tying up tall varieties. Remove bottom leaves to help air circulation.
  
• Spray tomatoes, potatoes and courgettes with Champ DP to prevent fungus diseases.
  
• Sow seeds of beans, beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cress, courgette, lettuce, leeks, radish, silverbeet, spring onion and swedes.
  
• Plant seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, leeks, silverbeet and spinach.
  
• Use Derris Dust to control caterpillars on cabbages and cauliflowers.
  
• Spray at 2 - 3 weekly intervals with Fungus Fighter to control brownrot of peaches and
  blackspot on apples and pears. Mavrik is best for insect pests on fruit trees at this time.

• Spray roses with Super Shield at 10-14 day intervals. Alternate with Shield.
  
• Dead head roses, perennials and flowering annuals as flowers finish. Stake tall perennials.
  
• Water roses (also trees and shrubs) by thoroughly soaking once a week. Shallow watering only encourages shallow root growth.
  
• Sow seeds of ageratum, alyssum, polyanthus, cineraria, cyclamen, forget-me-not, marigold, poppies, sunflowers, primula, stock, sweet pea, pansy, viola and verbena.
  
• Plant out Summer annuals in the garden and
  containers: petunia, phlox, cosmos, marigolds,
  begonias, nasturtium, lobelia, portulaca, godetia, hollyhock, chrysanthemums, snapdragons and verbena. Water well.
  
• Rust on hollyhocks, lavateras and chrysanthemums can be controlled with Fungus Fighter spray. Thrips on gladioli can be controlled with Confidor.
  
• Plan and prepare the garden for spring flowering bulbs. The first of the anemone and ranunculus bulbs become available later this month.

GENERAL

• WATER regularly vegetable and ornamental
  gardens, pots, lawns, fruit trees and houseplants, including cacti.
  
• WEEDING, weeding, weeding!
  
• MULCH to conserve moisture and reduce weed
  growth.
  
• WEAR A HAT, slap on the sunblock.