Time to spring clean the garden

Now is the time for a good winter clean up as spring approaches. This includes tidying up all those dead leaves and stray weeds that can harbour fungal spores and other nasties that will quickly overtake plants if left unchecked now.
Prune fruit trees and shrubs including roses now with organic copper with Sprayfix, and also with Mavrik or conqueror oil to not only prevent fungal diseases but to also deal with overwintering aphid colonies and other pests lurking under lower buds and branches. Repeat these sprays again in several weeks.
Keep planting cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower plants as well as silver beet and spinach to ensure a ready supply into spring and summer. It is not too late to plant pea and broad bean seeds also.
Spuds in buckets or bags – now is the time to buy and sprout early potatoes like Ilam Hardy to ensure a ready supply of delicious new potatoes over the festive season. Place each sprouted potato in a PB28 bag or bucket with drain holes and containing a couple of handfuls of soil or potting mix and some potato fertilizer. Keep adding enough soil and fertilizer and water to cover the emerging leaves perhaps weekly. The end result is a bucket of bag full of new potatoes at Christmas…this is also a good competition for the whole family, or the children, each with their own prize bucket of goodies!
Good Gardening from Basil