Care guides › Melbourne › September

September in the Melbourne garden

Early 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 in September

Broad Bean

Pick pods while the beans are bright green
Pea

Pick pods as they fill
Spinach

Pick outer leaves
Kale

Pick lower leaves; frost sweetens them
Broccoli

Cut the head while buds are tight; side shoots follow
Cauliflower

Cut while the curd is firm and white
Cabbage

Cut when the head feels firm
Orange Tree

Pick when sweet; taste one to check
Lemon Tree

Pick lemons as they colour; they hold on the tree
Cumquat

Pick when fully orange
Rhubarb

Pull (do not cut) the stalks; never eat the leaves
Asparagus

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

Cut buds while the scales are tight
Silverbeet

Pick outer leaves as needed
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
Chives If you have time

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

Pick leaves young; let a few go to seed

Natives

Slow-release native fertiliser (low phosphorus), once a year; never ordinary fertiliser
Shrubs and perennials

Slow-release fertiliser in spring and early autumn
Blueberry Bush

Azalea and camellia (acid) fertiliser
Cool-season vegetables If you have time

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

A little liquid feed in spring and midsummer
Rock Orchid If you have time

Weak orchid feed every few weeks while growing

Sage

Cut back by a third as new growth starts
Orange Tree and Mandarin If you have time

Light prune after harvest to open the canopy
Broad Bean If you have time

Pinch out the tips once pods set (deters aphids)
Banksia If you have time

Light prune after flowering; never cut into bare wood
Bougainvillea If you have time

Prune after each flush of flowers
Passionfruit If you have time

Light prune to tidy and let light in
Sasanqua Camellia If you have time

Shape or hedge after flowering
Olive Tree If you have time

Thin the canopy to let light in
Geranium If you have time

Snap off spent flower heads

Cool-season vegetables If you have time

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

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

Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cabbage If you have time

Cabbage white caterpillars: check under the leaves, squash eggs and grubs, or net the crop
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

Not listed: Lime Tree, Sturt's Desert Pea, Cooktown Orchid, Illawarra Flame Tree and Tuckeroo, which don't suit Melbourne's climate.