Autumn Home & Garden Maintenance
04 Mar 10
Autumn Home & Garden Maintenance
Leaves, leaves and more leaves. The trees turning golden may be a beautiful sight but when the leaves fall, they fill up gutters, go into stormwater pits and drains in your garage. Any external drains are at risk from leaves and other organic matter, particularly when the rains start. They can cause blockages in pipes causing water to back up and do potentially a lot of damage inside your home. When combined with recent downpours Sydney has received it will pay to remain vigilant.
Autumn is a dormant period in the garden and it’s a good time to look at re-doing the mulch on your garden beds. Putting all of that great leaf matter back into the soil makes great sense both environmentally and economically.
If you’re moving in now, it’s probably not the best time to be looking at your garden beds. The key is to make sure no water gathers or pools or puddles next to the home. This can be achieved by grading the soil away from the home. Don’t try to stockpile soil for the spring — weeds will grow in it. It’s best to buy fresh topsoil from a nursery when you’re ready to start planting.
This is the time when you should install weather seals to external doors, to keep out draughts and water during the wetter months.
Sydney is typically fortunate to enjoy a mild autumn and winter. Autumn is the time to plant the following vegetable varieties;
• Beetroot
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Asian greens
• Cress
• Leeks
• Lettuces
• Onions
• Parsley
• Peas
• Radish
• Rocket
• Shallots
• Spinach
• Swedes
• Turnips