5 essential Autumn garden jobs
As the relief from those long, hot summer days approaches, Autumn brings a great opportunity to get out and do all those little jobs that you’ve had on the ‘to-do’ list. We often think of the changing colours in the landscape through this season, and what better way to enjoy it than getting out among it all.
Feed your lawn.
After a long hot summer your lawn will need some TLC. It might also need an over-sow if there are patches of grass that just aren’t growing. If you don’t know what type of lawn you have, try and use a seed that most closely resembles your existing lawn. I’d over-sow the whole lawn at the same time so it doesn’t look as obvious that you’ve just filled one or two spots – it’ll be a better overall look when it grows.
Keep watering.
Just because Summer is over, don’t be fooled into thinking rain is around the corner. Keep the watering up to get your garden through those warmer few weeks until Autumn really kicks in. I mentioned last season in my Summer newsletter that it’s worth checking your irrigation to make sure it’s in good working order – same goes for every season really. Having working irrigation is amazing, it’s worth every dollar and you actually use less water than a hose.
Get planting.
In the later months of Autumn, after the heat as really gone, it’s a great opportunity to get out and plant almost anything! Consider replacing plants that might not have made it through the hotter months or just plant something entirely new!
Australian native plants look amazing in Autumn, there are a lot that are in flower during this season so you’re sure to get an ‘instant garden’ if you plant en masse. Head out to your local nursery to see what they have in stock, and even do an internet search for Indigenous nurseries as they will have plants that are suited specifically to your local environment. Your local Council might also have some info on their website about native and indigenous plants for your area.
Check out: Edendale Farm Native Nursery, Victorian Indigenous Nursery Cooperative (VINC), Westgate Biodiversity Bili Nursery & Landcare (formally SKINC).
Fill empty spaces.
It’s a particularly great time of year to fill in those empty spots in your garden, as Spring brings the perfect combination of sunny days and the highest average rainfall for the year!
Natives are a great choice.
There are hundreds for you to choose from and range from lilies to grasses to shrubs and everything in-between.
Native nurseries like Edendale Farm in Eltham and La Trobe Native Nursery in Bundoora have a huge range and expert advice to help you choose the right plants for your garden.
Prune fruit trees.
Autumn is a great time to prune your fruit trees and other deciduous trees, but wait until the cooler months of the season when the fruit and leaves have dropped. This will set your trees up well to get through the upcoming winter months.
It’s worth doing some research on how and when to prune specific trees, as they all have different requirements. Fleming’s Nurseries has a great reference guide for pruning fruit, ornamental and flowering trees, it’s definitely worth a look.
Set up a compost bin.
Have you been thinking about it? Or is this a good reminder to get out and turn the compost over? Either way, a compost bin is an excellent way to reduce what we send to landfill and create organic material for our own gardens! I have two bins on rotation, alongside my chickens who get first dibs at all the goodies that come out of our kitchen. Anything the chooks won’t eat goes into the compost, along with chicken bedding (and poo), spent plants from the veggie garden, leaves and other garden materials and all the eggshells from our girls. I’ve had great success with Gedye bins, but there are lots of options out there for large- and small-scale composting.
