July in The Garden
First I have to say it‟s great to have that rain through June. Our winter veges are happy about it. It would be a good idea to make sure your mulch is sufficient to keep the moisture in the soil as long as possible. July is the time to plant your seed potatoes – make sure the garden has plenty of organic matter turned through it.
There is still time to plant winter veges such as broccoli, although you may need to use seedlings rather than starting from seed. I have noticed some of our broccoli being tenanted by cabbage moth. An effective and simple deterrent against caterpillar type pests is to mix a tblsp of molasses in a litre of warm water and spray the affected plants.
Gal Wasps also need attention this time of the year. They attack citrus trees and can be recognized by the swelling on branches that appear as the larvae develop (eggs are deposited in soft tissue during late Spring). I am sure I have read that it is a legal requirement in Qld to remove and destroy affected branches by the end of August. This prevents the adult wasp emerging in September starting the life cycle again.
One more task that will benefit the garden is to give your citrus trees a good feed with the compost you may have been working on, or alternatively a good organic fertilizer, distributed around the root zone.
For any enquiries about the Dayboro Organic Gardening Club please phone Shane Fuller on 3425 1553.
