Care guides › Brisbane › October

October in the Brisbane garden

Mid spring in Brisbane. Subtropical: no frost, a dry spring, then a wet summer. Here is what needs doing this month, with the essentials first.

What to plant 7
What to harvest 28
Feeding 5
Pruning and deadheading 16
Watering 11
Seasol and tonics 1
Mulching 3
Pests and diseases to watch for 11
Frost and weather 2
Tidying up 2

What to plant in October

Cucumber and Zucchini

Sow or plant once the soil is warm
Sunflower and Cosmos

Sow seed direct once the soil is warm
Carrot

Sow seed direct every few weeks
Runner Bean

Sow at the base of a tall support
Leek

Plant seedlings deep to blanch the stems
Sweetcorn

Sow in blocks, not rows, so it pollinates
Marigold

Plant seedlings once the soil is warm

What to harvest in October

Tomato

Pick as fruit colours; it finishes ripening indoors
Lettuce

Pick outer leaves or whole heads
Carrot

Pull from about 12 weeks after sowing
Cucumber

Pick young and often
Zucchini

Pick at 15-20 cm, every few days
Runner Bean

Pick pods young and often
Broad Bean

Pick pods while the beans are bright green
Pea

Pick pods as they fill
Spinach

Pick outer leaves
Kale

Pick lower leaves; cool weather sweetens them
Cabbage

Cut when the head feels firm
Potato

Dig once the tops die back
Basil

Pick often; take the lot before winter
Strawberry

Pick fully red fruit every day or two
Asparagus

Cut spears at ground level (from the third year)
Artichoke

Cut buds while the scales are tight
Silverbeet

Pick outer leaves as needed
Warrigal Greens

Pick the soft tips often; blanch before eating
Lemon Myrtle

Pick leaves as you need them; they dry well
Sweet Pea If you have time

Pick flowers often: the more you pick, the more you get
Rosemary If you have time

Snip sprigs as needed; it keeps it bushy
Thyme If you have time

Snip sprigs as needed
Mint If you have time

Pick often to keep it leafy
Sage If you have time

Pick leaves as needed; best before it flowers
Chives If you have time

Snip leaves to 5 cm; the flowers are edible too
Parsley If you have time

Pick outer stems first
Coriander If you have time

Pick leaves young; let a few go to seed
Dill If you have time

Pick fronds, then seed heads as they brown

Feeding

Camellia

Azalea and camellia (acid) fertiliser after flowering
Summer vegetables If you have time

Liquid feed every 2 weeks while cropping
Cool-season vegetables If you have time

Liquid feed every 2-3 weeks while growing
Daphne If you have time

A little acid fertiliser after flowering; no heavy feeding
Rock Orchid If you have time

Weak orchid feed every few weeks while growing

Pruning and deadheading

Box Hedge

Clip in spring and early autumn to keep it dense
Viburnum, Photinia and Pittosporum If you have time

Trim to shape in spring and early autumn
Tomato If you have time

Pinch out side shoots and tie the stem to its stake
Hardenbergia If you have time

Cut back by a third after flowering
Camellia If you have time

Shape straight after flowering
Daphne If you have time

Light trim after flowering; pick flowers for a vase
Adenanthos If you have time

Light trim to keep it soft and dense
Wattle If you have time

Light trim after flowering
Correa If you have time

Light trim after winter flowering
Bay Laurel If you have time

Trim to shape
Pincushion Hakea If you have time

Light prune after flowering
Marigold and Cosmos If you have time

Deadhead to keep flowers coming
Rose If you have time

Cut spent blooms back to a leaf to keep flowers coming
Geranium If you have time

Snap off spent flower heads
Basil If you have time

Pinch out flower spikes to keep leaves coming
Hellebore If you have time

Cut spent flower stems unless you want seedlings

Watering

Natives

Established plants: only in a heatwave or after 3 weeks without rain, then a deep soak
Shrubs and perennials

Deep soak weekly in dry spells
Azaleas, camellias and other acid-lovers

Shallow roots: deep soak weekly in dry spells
Citrus

Deep soak weekly, more while fruit is setting
Fruit

Deep soak weekly in dry spells, more as fruit swells
Summer vegetables

Deep water 2-3 times a week; uneven watering splits fruit
Herbs and annual flowers

Water when the top few cm are dry
Red Flowering Gum and Red Flowering Gum (Dwarf)

Young trees: deep soak weekly in summer for the first two years
Hydrangea

Thirsty: water deeply in heat, it wilts first
Japanese Maple

Keep moist and shelter from hot wind: the leaves scorch
Cool-season vegetables If you have time

Keep evenly moist; water when the top few cm are dry

Seasol and tonics

Natives, shrubs and perennials, azaleas, camellias and other acid-lovers, citrus and fruit If you have time

Seaweed tonic (e.g. Seasol) in spring and autumn, and after a heatwave

Mulching

Natives and shrubs and perennials If you have time

Top up mulch before summer, kept clear of stems
Azaleas, camellias and other acid-lovers If you have time

Mulch to keep the shallow roots cool (pine bark suits)
Citrus and fruit If you have time

Mulch out to the drip line, kept off the trunk

Pests and diseases to watch for

Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage If you have time

Cabbage white caterpillars: check under the leaves, squash eggs and grubs, or net the crop
Apple Tree and Pear Tree If you have time

Codling moth: set traps, and pick and bin fruit with entry holes
Rose If you have time

Black spot and aphids: bin spotted leaves; hose or squash aphids
Box Hedge If you have time

Box blight: cut out brown patches, bin them and clear fallen leaves
Kangaroo Paw If you have time

Snails: check new growth at dusk after rain; pick off, or scatter pet-safe iron pellets
Azalea If you have time

Petal blight: pick off brown, mushy flowers; spray lace bug under leaves with horticultural oil
Photinia If you have time

Leaf spot: pick off and bin spotted leaves, including fallen ones
Tea Tree If you have time

Scale and sooty mould: wipe scale off, or spray horticultural oil
Clivia If you have time

Lily borer: check for chewed leaves and pick off caterpillars
Waratah If you have time

Scale: wipe off or spray horticultural oil
Lilly Pilly If you have time

Psyllids pimple new leaves: cut off affected growth

Frost and weather

Peony If you have time

Ring-stake before the buds get heavy
Strawberry If you have time

Net against birds as the fruit ripens

Tidying up

Clematis If you have time

Tie in new shoots as they grow
Banksia Birthday Candles If you have time

Snip off old cones with a short length of stem

Not listed: Cherry Tree, Blackcurrant Bush, Gooseberry Bush, Rhubarb, Blue Leschenaultia, Boronia and Common Heath, which don't suit Brisbane's climate.