October 2010 Notes

Ah, Spring and the delights of gardening at all hours of the day. What a luxury. Especially knowing that the furnace heat of Summer will arrive and temper activities This season the weeds are leaping ahead, but I think there’s a joy in seeing anything growing well, edible or not!

Seeds should be underway by now, but it’s still not too late to sow right through October. If you are planting frost tender seedlings like capsicum, eggplant, tomato or squash, take care because there’s still the chance of a late frost. Spuds can still go in, and think about a quick crop of lettuce or salad greens – they’ll germinate and grow rapidly at this time of the year. Feeding and mulching the soil should be on your agenda as things are starting to dry out…and take time to just sit and enjoy spring in the garden.

Note that these dates are generally for planting SEEDS – wait til the last frost has passed before you plant these summer veges as seedlings.

OCTOBER 2010
What to Plant, When:Guide for temperate areas in SE Australia	Leaf Days: 2-4, 10-13, 20-23, 30-31 amaranth, basil, bok choi, cabbage, chinese cabbage, chives, celery, celeriac, mibuna, mizuna, orach, dill, kale, celery, coriander, endive, kale, rocket, tat soi, lettuce, mustard, silverbeet, chard, salad greens, spinach, chives, garlic chives, coriander, dill, parsley, radicchio   Fruit Days: 4-6, 13-15, 23-25 Broad beans, bush and climbing beans, capsicum, chilli, corn, cucumber, eggplant, mustard, okra, peas, pumpkin, rockmelon, snopeas, squash, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini  Root Days: 6-8, 15-18, 25-27 Asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, beetroot, carrots, bunching onion, fennel, kohlrabi, leek, radish, spring onion, shallot, potatoes, parsnip, turnip  Flower Days: 1-2, 8-10, 18-21, 27-30 Broccoli, borage, globe artichoke, sunflower, marigold, nasturtium, all flowers
Other Dates to note: Moon Descending  Moon Ascending Full Moon/New Moon Nodes*: Perigee***: Apogee***:	12-27  1 – 12, 27-31 23/8 1, 14, 28 6 19
Garden Tasks:Apply soil food  Apply foliar food Mulch Transplant plants, cuttings and prune Graft	15-18, 25-27, 12-13, 20-231 – 4, 8-12, 27-31   Anytime, but straw mulch can accentuate frosts 15 – 18, 25 – 27 8-10, 27 – 30