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

Feed winter brassica crops (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts) which are heavy feeders, with ican 100% Organic Vegetable Food. 

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

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

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

Plant seedlings of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, silverbeet, 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.  

In warmer regions, 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 100% Organic Vegetable Food.  

Plant new fruit trees such as apples, pears, plums and peaches. Also berry fruits such as raspberries and boysenberries. Plant in soil well-prepared with ican Premium Compost and add ican Slow Food.  

Prune fruit and ornamental trees 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 Flo Copper + Enspray 99 for control of fungal disease and insects.

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.  

Pansies, primulas and polyanthus seedlings thrive when planted with a teaspoon of dried blood sprinkled into the planting hole.   

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

Lift and divide large clumps of summer flowering perennials such as cannas, asters, phlox. Plant smaller fresh new pieces—these will quickly grow into large plants in spring and summer. 

Dig lime into vacant garden beds to build up soil structure. Use gypsum if the soil is heavy clay. Add organic matter by way of leaf mould or compost. 

Plant new roses, and deciduous trees and shrubs, with 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 for fragrance, azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons for winter and spring colour. When planting, use compost or planting mix and ican Slow Food for the best start. Watering with Root Gro after planting will stimulate the plant’s root development and help it to establish quickly. 

If you haven't done so already, cut off the old leaves of hellebores to ground level. Apply a sprinkling of lime and a handful of sheep pellets around the crown to feed the new leaves and flower buds. 

Trim back the untidy growth of lavender, canna lilies, fuchsias and geraniums.  

Agapanthus and Arthropodiums (Reinga Lilies) develop a skirt of old leaves around the base of the plant. Pull these off to tidy the look of the plant and remove sites for snails, slugs and earwigs to hide.  

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 early sasanqua camellias after flowering to keep tidy and bushy.  

Mop head and lace cap Hydrangeas can be pruned now. Prune 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. 

Mature rose bushes may be covered with lichen or scale. Spray with lime sulphur to defoliate the bush and kill off both lichen and the scale insects. 

Prune roses 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 Flo Copper + Enspray 99 for control of fungal disease and insects.