#  Tidy vegetable beds...remove beans, sad lettuce, sweet corn and any plants that have finished producing, make room for new crops. Add generous amounts of sheep pellets and compost.

# Plant celery,  brocoli, pak choy, kale and other brassicas, keeping covered until cooler and no white butterfly about.

#   Sow Broad Bean seeds around Anzac Day. Harvest pumpkins and kumara before they are hit by frost.

#  Plant pansy, primula or polyanthus in pots nad/or hanging baskets. Refresh potting mix with slow release fertiliser or replace top half of pot with new mix.

#  Continue to remove dead heads on dahlias and roses. Autumn flowers are usually smaller but the colour is more intense. Read more about Gardening Jobs for April by Judith Halford

# In March we are busy harvesting, preserving and planting for the winter....

# Sow seeds of parsnips , carrots, swedes, turnips and broad beans . Plant seedlings of spinach, kale, silver beet, bok choy and pak choi. And also cabbage, cauli., and broccoli. Remember to plant a few different vegetables each fortnight, rather than having everything ready to eat at the same time.

#  Sow sweet pea seed for spring flowering. Soak seed overnight in water before sowing.Add sheep pellets, lime and compost to soil before sowing and then watch slugs and snails don't eat them as they germinate.

# Spring flowering bulbs are beginning to appear in garden centres. Be in early for those popular or rare varieties. Read more about Gardening Jobs for March by Judith Halford

# What a great summer....bit harsh for plants and animals though. Remember when watering to give a good soak, rather than a quick shower of water. Mulch with pea hay or compost if you can. Trees and shrubs planted, last winter or spring, need special attention, regular soaks if you can. Avery small hole in the bottom of a plastic container, beside them, can help.

# Carrot and parsnip need to be sown now for the winter. Keep picking beans so they continue to produce flowers . You could get another crop if you sow the seed now.

# Plant leek and brussel sprouts plants, adding lots of compost and sheep pellets and don't allow them to dry out.

# Lift garlic and shallots now. Allow to dry well in a sunny dry place before storing or plaiting. Read more about Gardening Jobs for February 2015 by Judith Halford

#  Protect newly planted seedlings from the wind and the hot sun, using windbreak cloth or shade cloth. Only water in the evening, then the plants has all night to absorb the moisture. Never water during the heat of the day, as you can burn the leaves and give garden a good soaking regularly, rather than a light sprinkle.

#  Keep garden free of weeds and give plants a light dressing of general fertilizer.

# Tie up tomatoes, and remember to take out the laterals if you want nice tidy plants.

# Look at zucchinis daily, so you don’t end up with marrows.

# Potatoes planted in September, or earlier, can be dug and I bet they will be delicious with a little butter and mint sauce {bring to the boil, then turn element down very low] Read more about Gardening Jobs to do in December 2014 By Judith Halford

# Spring has been kind to gardeners so far, long may it last. Continue to plant tomatoes, peppers, kumara, cucumbers and all those vegetables that like it warm.

# Mound up your potatoes. Any potato tubers on the surface will go green and then not edible.

# Sow sweet corn and bean seeds directly into the ground. Watch for slugs and snails on your beans, they love them. Sweet corn produce better if planted in a block.

# Feed tomato plants with a specific fertiliser, high in potash. Also take out laterals and tie plants up a stake, carefully.

# Cover berry fruit with bird netting, as the birds will find them, as they colour up. Keep plants watered and well fed.

# Tie or support new growth on climbing roses, dahlias and delphiniums. Read more about Gardening Jobs for November 2014 by Judith Halford

# Plant summer flowering bulbs and tubers. e.g gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias

#  Prune hydrangeas and fuchsia. Continue to apply aluminium sulphate (Blue Hydrangea Enhancer) to base of blue hydrangea to keep them blue and lime if you want pink ones.

# Plant up hanging baskets and pots with petunia and lobelia for quick summer colour.

# Continue to plant early varieties of seed potatoes and mound up as foliage appears. .Pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini seeds can be sown directly into the garden later in the month. Cover with a plastic milk bottle that has had its bottom cut off, protecting it from the elements. Read more about Gardening jobs for October by Judith Halford

# Early spring can be frustrating for us gardeners. We are keen to get planting but we have to remember how changeable the temperatures can be. Later in the month you can begin to sow seeds of tender plants such as cucumbers, pumpkins, cucumbers and tomato seeds in containers in a greenhouse or somewhere warm and protected from frosts. These can then be planted out mid October, depending on the weather. But don't forget  to harden them off before planting out into the elements. Be weary of frosts to avoid disappointment!!!!

# Top up veggie bins with compost and sheep pellets. Dig in cover crops that have been cut down and also add sheep pellets and compost. It will then be ready for planting into in October. Read more about Gardening jobs for September by Judith Halford

# Dahlia tubers, Gladioli corms and Tuberous Begonia tubers are all available from garden centres during the month of August, so keep an eye out for these.

# Purchase a few early seed potatoes e.g Rocket or Jersey Benne. Allow them to sprout [lie out in well light place, but not direct sun], then plant in a warm spot where you can cover when foliage appears.

# Continue to prune roses. Spray with spraying oil if you have noticed “scale” on the stems. This is often very white and rubs off. The oil will smother the scale insects and may have to be applied several times.

# Green tip on stone fruit is approaching and you will need to spray with Liquid Copper, often to prevent leaf curl, brown rot and bladder plum. Read more about Gardening jobs for August by Judith Halford

#  July could be considered the beginning of the gardening year as we begin to plan what we are going to grow, creating new beds and enriching the soil in existing ones.

# Purchase new roses now. Dig a good size hole, make a mound in bottom, spreading roots over it[ cut back any damaged roots]. Add good compost too hole and firm down. Water well. Make sure the budded union is at ground level and not buried. Stake standards at planting and tie well.

# Rose pruning can be started now, maybe start with climbers, standards and those in sheltered positions. Remove dead and spindly growth, opening centre of plant, leaving any that look new, usually green and maybe burgundy-like, cut back by a third. These are very basic rules so look at each bush as an individual before you start cutting[ you can't put it back on!!!] Any problems e-mail me on [email protected]

# If you need new strawberry plants they are available in garden centres now. Plants generally need replacing after 3 years or you can use the runners. Read more about Gardening jobs for July by Judith Halford

Continue raking up leaves or collect when mowing the lawn and spread under shrubs and trees. Piling these on bare areas stops weeds growing and encourages worm activity and when rotted, they can be spread around to boost soil organic matter. Read more about The June Garden with Judith Halford