Gardening calendar December 2021

December already, can you believe it! Summer is officially here and there's plenty to do in preparation for Christmas and our WA heat. This is the month to sow a new patch of herbs and fast-growing greens for summer salads, brighten up garden beds & pots with flowering annuals and perennials, take care of summer essentials like mulch and wetting agent application and green up the lawn in time for Christmas. Checkout our Gardening Calendar specific to WA for our full list of December to-dos.

• Planting
• Feeding
• Pruning and Maintenance
• Lawn Care
• Pest Control

Planting

Flowers

• A quick and easy way to brighten up a dull garden is to add some potted colour, and now's the perfect time to do so with plenty of summer flowering annuals to choose from. Petunias, marigolds, geranium, zinnia, vincas, sunflowers, snapdragon, cosmos, gerbera, daisies are a great-choices for sunny spots. 
  
• Try impatiens or begonias in the shade. Look for lots of buds rather than fully opened flowers, as they'll open over the next couple of weeks. 
• Pot in Baileys Premium Potting Mix or enrich garden beds and plant by the tray full with Baileys Soil Improver Plus for instant wow factor.
  
  

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Vegetables & Herbs

• Vegetables to sow or transplant as seedlings include: sweet corn, rockmelon, watermelon, cucumber, squash, eggplant, asparagus pea, rosella, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, leeks, radicchio, carrots, fennel, tomatoes, English spinach, capsicum, chilli, celeriac, choko (plant the fruit), okra, rocket, kohlrabi, swiss chard, beetroot, spring onions, lettuce and radish.
  
• Sow a brand new herb patch to add flavour to summer salads and drinks with basil, dill, borage, chamomile, chervil, coriander, tarragon, parsley, chives, rue, lavender, sage, fennel, sweet marjoram, lemon balm, oregano, summer savoury, thyme and lovage.
• If growing in pots or tubs, choose Baileys Veg & Herb Premium Planting mix. If you are planting in the garden then amend the soil with generous quantities of Baileys Clay & Compost (for sandy soils) or Soil Improver Plus. 
  
  

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Fruits

• Tropical trees including fruiting exotics can be planted now that the weather is warm. A few examples: avocado, mango, lychee, guava, banana, Aztec fruit (casimiroa), papaya, passionfruit, acerola, tamarillo, custard apple, black Zapotec, longan, babaco, soursop, Java plum, dragon fruit, pineapple, water apple or wax jambu, sugar cane, monstera, loquat, feijoa, Natal plum, five corner fruit, surinam cherry, sapodilla, brazilian tree grape and ice cream bean. You may not recognise all of these but everyone has been grown in Perth.
• For tips on growing your own avocados read our blog - How To Grow Avocados in WA.

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Suggested Products

SOIL MATTERS® CLAY & COMPOST

PREMIUM POTTING MIX

SOIL IMPROVER PLUS

VEG & HERB PREMIUM PLANTING MIX

Feeding

Edibles 

• All citrus trees are surface feeders and do not like root competition from trees or shrubs. They need to be fed little and often every three months. Use a quality all-purpose granular fertiliser like Baileys Soil Matters Garden or Fruit & Citrus. 
• Baileys organic-based Soil Matters Garden is specifically designed for WA conditions and the ideal plant food for vegetable and herb growing.  Use regularly for these hungry feeders, roughly a good handful per square metre once a month.

  
  

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Pot Plants & Garden Beds 

• Feed potted plants to keep them growing actively during the warm season. 
• Now's a great time to give garden beds a refresh and all over feed with new compost and a broad spectrum fertiliser. A layer of Soil Improver Plus lightly turned into beds will boost microbial activity, improve water and nutrient holding and add vital soil carbon. Then apply Baileys Blood and Bone and rock minerals, or and organic based all-in-one product like Baileys Soil Matters Garden.
  
  

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Suggested Products

BLOOD & BONE MIX

FRUIT & CITRUS

SOIL IMPROVER PLUS

SOIL MATTERS® GARDEN

VITAPLANT

Pruning and Maintenance

Soil

• Water repellent soil is a real issue in early summer and can be fought with a quality wetting agent such as Baileys Grosorb Wetting Agent, in either granular or liquid form. This also works brilliantly for potted plants and lawns too.    
• Top up mulch levels to a depth of 75 to 100mm. If there is no bare soil in your garden you are well on the way to conserving water like a pro. Use Baileys Moisture Mulch.
• A hoe can be a great tool to control weeds popping up in your garden. On hot days weeds die fast after having their root system cut off from the stems and leaves.
  

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