Frost cloth is easy to use when the night temperatures fall. Have lengths ready cut to cover sensitive plants. Expect frost if the overnight temperature will be below 4 degrees and there is no wind. 

Here's some top tips to help you protect your tender plants. Mild autumn weather encourages lots of fresh growth which can be damaged by frost. Protection is cheap and effective but needs to be planned for:

1. Completely drape the plant from the top all the way to the ground.
2. Apply the cloth just before sunset to make sure the heat produced in the ground during the day is captured.
3. Don’t leave any openings in the cloth for the warm air to escape or cold air to enter at night.
4. It is crucial that the frost cloth touches the ground, to the drip line of the plant.
5. Placing a heavy object like bricks or securing the fabric into the ground with weed mat staples will ensure that the cloth forms a seal with the ground and works well. The bricks or staples will also secure the cloth reducing the chances of it damaging the plant and blowing away should a wind arise.

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Edible Garden

Sow seeds of cold hardy veges in seed trays in a warm light location. Seeds sown now will develop into seedlings ready to plant into the ground in early spring. - beetroot, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, silver beet. 

Prepare the vege garden for spring. Turning the soil and leaving it to weather improves soil structure. Dig in green crops, adding sulphate of ammonia and lime which will aid breakdown. Use gypsum if the soil is heavy clay. Add organic matter by way of leaf mould or compost. 

Feed winter brassica crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts) which are heavy feeders, with ican Organic Vege Food. 

Protect winter brassica crops from caterpillars, aphids and fungal disease with SuccessUltra + Enspray 99 + Free Flo Copper. 

Protect vege seedlings from slugs and snails with Quash or Blitzem. 

Plant garlic and shallots. Use the cloves of garlic corms from a certified supply, not from shop-purchased garlic which has been treated to prevent sprouting. 

Plant seedlings of silver beet, onions and winter lettuce.  

Potatoes will always be one of the best value vege crops. From a 1kg bag of seed, expect to harvest up to 20kg of delicious potatoes. Early seed potatoes can be sprouted in trays (chitting) in a light (not direct sun) cool place, allowing the sprouts to form. Remove all but 3 or 4 of the strongest sprouts when planting. Egg cartons make great chitting trays.  

Crowns of asparagus and strawberry plants are available to plant. Plant into free draining garden beds prepared with ican Premium Compost and ican Real Blood & Bone; feed with ican Fast Food. Watering with Root Gro after planting will stimulate the plant’s root development and help it to establish quickly. 

Plant new fruit trees such as apples, pears, plums and peaches. Also berry fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and boysenberries. Plant in soil well-prepared with ican Premium Compost and add ican Slow Food. Watering with Root Gro after planting will stimulate the plant’s root development and help it to establish quickly. 

Prune deciduous fruit trees, berries and grapes on a dry day to reduce the spread of fungal and bacterial spores. Protect large cuts with pruning paste.Follow up with a clean-up spray of Free FloCopper + Enspray 99 for control of fungal disease and insects.

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Ornamental Garden

Plant seedlings of alyssum, calendula, lobelia, stock, pansies, violas, wallflowers, primulas, and polyanthus. Liquid feed with ican Fast Food for quick results and plenty of blooms.  

Sow of Delphinium, Forget-Me-Not, Larkspur, Salvia, Snapdragon and Wallflower in seed trays with Black Magic Seed Raising Mix.  

Plant lilies from now to September in free draining soil enriched with ican Premium Compost and ican Real Blood & Bone or ican Bulb food. 

Gladioli, dahlia and calla bulbs will be in store this month. Prepare the planting site with ican Premium Compost and ican Real Blood & Bone. Gladioli will flower approximately 90 to 100 days after planting.  

Plant new roses and deciduous trees and shrubs such as flowering cherries, crabapples, maples and magnolias. Plant using ican Premium Planting Mix, sheep pellets and ican Slow Food. Watering with Root Gro after planting will stimulate the plant’s root development and help it to establish quickly. 

Plant daphne and boronia for fragrance, azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons for winter and spring colour. When planting, use ican Premium Compost or Planting Mix and ican Slow Food for the best start.  

Selectively prune back and thin out branches on trees and shrubs to allow more light and air to reach through. Pay particular attention to trees that overshadow the lawn where the winter shade may enhance the growth of moss. Where moss occurs, treat with sulphate of iron.  

Trim sasanqua camellias after flowering to keep tidy and bushy.  

This is a good month to choose and plant camellias - they will be in flower making it easier to pick the colours and flower shapes you like.  

Prune mop head and lace cap hydrangeas. Cut out any thin and spindly growth. Cut back shoots that have flowered to the fattest, biggest buds that are next to each other. These buds hold next seasons flowers. If they are too high, prune down to the next two fat buds. Strong shoots that haven’t flowered can be retained or pruned back to strong buds at the desired height.  

Daphne leaves often turn yellow just before flowering. The plant is putting energy into flower production and it may be short of nutrients. Feed with ican Acid Food (for azaleas & rhododendrons) and water with a solution of magnesium chelate or Sequestron. 

From now and through August, prune your roses. Remove all diseased wood, excessive growth and any shoots thinner than a pencil. On old bushes, prune away very old stems and scrub the crown with a wire brush. This removes any flaky bark where insect eggs and fungal spores can hide, and will stimulate fresh new shoots. On the same day as pruning, spray with a mixture of Free Flo Copper + Enspray 99 mineral oil for control of fungal disease and insects. 

If you need to move a deciduous tree or shrub, now is the best time to do it.  

If older shrubs of Viburnum, Rhododendron and Azaleas have been devastated by thrips, consider sacrificing a season of flowers and cut the shrubs hard back into mature wood.Spray the remaining stems and branches with Enspray 99 and FreeFlo Copper to kill off overwintering adults, eggs, and diseases. Remove as many fallen leaves as possible and spray the ground as well.  In spring, when a flush of new healthy growth starts, feed with ican Blood & Bone. 

Move your indoor plants to warmer, lighter areas of the house and hold back on the water. Let the soil dry out (the pot will be light to lift) before giving alight watering. Drain away any excess water in the tray.