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Still time to plant a peach tree

Peach blossoms… still time to plant a peach or nectarine tree before the weather gets too hot. Photo: Jackie Warburton

Problems with peach leaf curl? It could be too late to fix it, says gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON

PEACH and nectarine trees are coming into full bloom, but once they’re in flower it’s too late to spray for peach leaf curl. 

Jackie Warburton.

If there already is a problem, remove leaves that are more than 50 per cent damaged by peach leaf curl and dispose of them in the green bin. 

The new leaves that follow will not be damaged, but don’t take them off as they grow to shade the fruit in summer. 

Use an organic fertiliser with lots of potash and phosphorus to fertilise the tree and water it well. 

Planting flowers under fruit trees to attract bees helps with flowers forming fruit on the trees. Flowers in the orchard are beneficial for attracting insects and encouraging biodiversity in the garden. 

There’s still time to plant a peach or nectarine tree before the weather gets too hot. There are many compact, small-size trees that can also suit a pot or a small courtyard. 

They like a lot of compost, a rich soil, mulch and full sun. They are vigorous growers and can start fruiting after three years of being planted. 

Forsythia… grows to at least two metres tall, but can be kept as little as 30 centimetres as a small bonsai. Photo: Jackie Warburton

IF space is limited for growing plants in a courtyard or small garden, then bonsai can be a good plant for indoors or outdoors. 

A common shrub, Forsythia, grows to at least two metres tall, but can be kept as little as 30 centimetres as a small bonsai. 

Most bonsai plants need special, small pots, a free-draining potting mix and some gravel. The selection of the bonsai trees is endless. Some Australian natives look spectacular when trained as bonsai trees. 

THE vegetable garden is getting busy and direct sowing of seeds of carrots, parsley, and silverbeet can be done now. 

If sowing carrots, dig over the area so the soil is light and weed free and in full sun. Make a 10-centimetre, small trench and mix small carrot seed with a little sand to help with drainage and even distribution of the seed. Lightly cover the soil and keep weed free. 

Carrots will take some time to germinate but will get going once the soil warms next month. Most root vegetables don’t like too much manure in the soil and, with carrots, they grow hairy and not straight if the soil is too rich. Keep the fertiliser away until there is green growth above the soil. 

Plant radishes with carrots if room is limited as they grow well together.

Onions and leeks can still be planted in the ground while the soil is still cool. Mulch with pea straw or organic mulch and don’t overwater. 

It is the last time for potatoes, asparagus and other winter vegetables such as rhubarb to be in the ground ready for spring growth. Feed the soil with organic fertilisers as it begins to warm up and the nutrients will be ready for the plants when they need it. 

Summer herbs and plants that can be planted now are lemon grass, Vietnamese mint and tarragon.

SUMMER bulbs, such as liliums and gladioli, need to be planted and get some good growth before summer. Dig over the area and try to plant summer bulbs as quickly as you get them home as they don’t like to dry out. 

WINTER-flowering shrubs, such as honeysuckle bush, camellia sasanqua, and some viburnums, will need a little prune this time of year. Prune no more than a third of the shrub at one time. Mulch and fertilise with a pelleted organic fertiliser around the drip line of the tree and water it well. 

jackwar@home.netspeed.com.au

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Jackie Warburton

Jackie Warburton

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