Care guides › Melbourne › October
October in the Melbourne garden
Mid spring in Melbourne. Cool temperate: frosty winters and warm, dry summers. Here is what needs doing this month, with the essentials first.
- What to plant 18
- What to harvest 20
- Feeding 5
- Pruning and deadheading 13
- Watering 1
- Seasol and tonics 1
- Mulching 3
- Pests and diseases to watch for 11
- Frost and weather 2
- Tidying up 4
What to plant in October
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Cucumber and Zucchini
Sow or plant once frost has passed
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Capsicum and Eggplant
Plant out once the soil is warm
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Sunflower and Cosmos
Sow seed direct after frost
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Parsley and Silverbeet
Sow or plant seedlings
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Tomato
Plant out once frost has passed (Melbourne Cup Day is the tradition)
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Lettuce
Sow or plant every few weeks for a steady supply
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Carrot
Sow seed direct every few weeks
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Runner Bean
Sow at the base of a tall support
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Leek
Plant seedlings deep to blanch the stems
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Potato
Plant seed potatoes after the last frost
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Sweetcorn
Sow in blocks, not rows, so it pollinates
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Dahlia
Plant tubers once the soil warms
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Marigold
Plant seedlings after frost
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Bidens
Plant after frost
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Basil
Plant once nights are warm
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Dill
Sow seed direct; it dislikes being moved
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Paper Daisy
Sow seed or plant seedlings in autumn or early spring
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Warrigal Greens
Sow soaked seed or plant out in spring
What to harvest in October
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Lettuce
Pick outer leaves or whole heads
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Broad Bean
Pick pods while the beans are bright green
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Pea
Pick pods as they fill
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Spinach
Pick outer leaves
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Kale
Pick lower leaves; frost sweetens them
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Cabbage
Cut when the head feels firm
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Strawberry
Pick fully red fruit every day or two
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Rhubarb
Pull (do not cut) the stalks; never eat the leaves
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Asparagus
Cut spears at ground level (from the third year)
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Artichoke
Cut buds while the scales are tight
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Silverbeet
Pick outer leaves as needed
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Lemon Myrtle
Pick leaves as you need them; they dry well
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Sweet Pea If you have time
Pick flowers often: the more you pick, the more you get
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Rosemary If you have time
Snip sprigs as needed; it keeps it bushy
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Thyme If you have time
Snip sprigs as needed
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Mint If you have time
Pick often to keep it leafy
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Sage If you have time
Pick leaves as needed; best before it flowers
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Chives If you have time
Snip leaves to 5 cm; the flowers are edible too
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Parsley If you have time
Pick outer stems first
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Coriander If you have time
Pick leaves young; let a few go to seed
Feeding
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Summer vegetables
Dig in compost before planting
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Camellia
Azalea and camellia (acid) fertiliser after flowering
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Cool-season vegetables If you have time
Liquid feed every 2-3 weeks while growing
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Daphne If you have time
A little acid fertiliser after flowering; no heavy feeding
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Rock Orchid If you have time
Weak orchid feed every few weeks while growing
Pruning and deadheading
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Box Hedge
Clip in spring and early autumn to keep it dense
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Viburnum, Photinia and Pittosporum If you have time
Trim to shape in spring and early autumn
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Hardenbergia If you have time
Cut back by a third after flowering
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Camellia If you have time
Shape straight after flowering
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Daphne If you have time
Light trim after flowering; pick flowers for a vase
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Adenanthos If you have time
Light trim to keep it soft and dense
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Wattle If you have time
Light trim after flowering
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Correa If you have time
Light trim after winter flowering
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Bay Laurel If you have time
Trim to shape
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Pincushion Hakea If you have time
Light prune after flowering
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Rose If you have time
Cut spent blooms back to a leaf to keep flowers coming
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Geranium If you have time
Snap off spent flower heads
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Hellebore If you have time
Cut spent flower stems unless you want seedlings
Watering
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Cool-season vegetables If you have time
Keep evenly moist; water when the top few cm are dry
Seasol and tonics
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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
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Natives and shrubs and perennials If you have time
Top up mulch before summer, kept clear of stems
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Azaleas, camellias and other acid-lovers If you have time
Mulch to keep the shallow roots cool (pine bark suits)
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Citrus and fruit If you have time
Mulch out to the drip line, kept off the trunk
Pests and diseases to watch for
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Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage If you have time
Cabbage white caterpillars: check under the leaves, squash eggs and grubs, or net the crop
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Apple Tree and Pear Tree If you have time
Codling moth: set traps, and pick and bin fruit with entry holes
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Rose If you have time
Black spot and aphids: bin spotted leaves; hose or squash aphids
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Box Hedge If you have time
Box blight: cut out brown patches, bin them and clear fallen leaves
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Kangaroo Paw If you have time
Snails: check new growth at dusk after rain; pick off, or scatter pet-safe iron pellets
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Azalea If you have time
Petal blight: pick off brown, mushy flowers; spray lace bug under leaves with horticultural oil
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Photinia If you have time
Leaf spot: pick off and bin spotted leaves, including fallen ones
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Tea Tree If you have time
Scale and sooty mould: wipe scale off, or spray horticultural oil
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Clivia If you have time
Lily borer: check for chewed leaves and pick off caterpillars
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Waratah If you have time
Scale: wipe off or spray horticultural oil
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Lilly Pilly If you have time
Psyllids pimple new leaves: cut off affected growth
Frost and weather
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Cherry Tree and Strawberry If you have time
Net against birds as the fruit ripens
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Peony If you have time
Ring-stake before the buds get heavy
Tidying up
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Potato If you have time
Mound soil over the stems as they grow
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Sunflower If you have time
Stake tall stems before they flop
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Clematis If you have time
Tie in new shoots as they grow
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Banksia Birthday Candles If you have time
Snip off old cones with a short length of stem
Not listed: Lime Tree, Sturt's Desert Pea, Cooktown Orchid, Illawarra Flame Tree and Tuckeroo, which don't suit Melbourne's climate.