The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 15 Summer 2015/2016 Low res | Page 26

Monthly garden routine The Summer Guide By Gill Olivey and Sally Meikle A weekly and monthly guide to help beginner gardeners or those who like a routine to see what gardening chores should be done this summer. The weekly routine Use this as a guideline to see what you should be doing on a weekly basis. You can change the days to suit you or add other tasks. Where it says ‘monthly task’, do a task on the opposite page according to the month. Everyday MORNING Feed animals and fill water bowls, put away bedding. Water and deadhead pot plants, hanging baskets and clean up lawn. Water the garden early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid evaporation. Remove garbage from house and recycle cans, bottles, plastic and paper. Clean swimming pool. EVENING Switch off pool pumps. Roll up hosepipes, clean garden tools and lock away. Monday Weed and mulch veggie garden, water if necessary. Feed annuals, pot plants and veggies where necessary. Collect vegetables. Backwash pool, weekly dose of alginate late afternoon. MONTHLY TASK Tuesday Clean outside verge and start planning a water wise one. Sweep driveway. Weed front lawn and garden beds. Deadhead roses before spraying on Wednesday. Tidy shrubs and hedges. Wednesday Thursday Friday Tips 26 Spray roses, annuals, veggies or any plants where necessary before it gets too hot. Spray impatiens for downy mildew: one week with Phosguard, the next week with Metalaxyl. Mulch beds to retain moisture. Weed back lawn and garden beds. Rake up the fallen leaves and use as a mulch or add to compost. Do not burn them. Mow the lawn, trim edges, rake up grass and add to compost pile. Water veggie garden if necessary and collect vegetables. Remove faded flowers and add to compost. Turn compost. Wash cars. Pick up fallen fruit and bury it to keep fruit flies away. Pick flowers for the house such as roses, alstroemeria and hydrangea. A deep watering is more beneficial than small, frequent waterings. A small rose on your hosepipe needs to be changed more frequently than a sprinkler. If you wash your car frequently, use a bucket to conserve water and wash it on the lawn.