Gardening how-to guides

Check maturity before lifting: bulb onions naturally soften and fall at the neck; garlic is lifted as lower leaves yellow while some green leaves remain.

Harvest & storage

Cure and store pumpkins and winter squash

Check variety maturity: the rind should be developed and firm and the stalk beginning to dry.

Harvest & storage

Decide what to do when a crop bolts or finishes

Identify what changed: a tall flower stalk may mean bolting in lettuce or spinach, while flowers are essential for tomatoes and beans.

Water & feeding

Decide whether to feed and apply fertiliser

Check moisture, drainage, roots, light and recent feeding before blaming pale or slow growth on nutrients.

Pests & plant health

Decide whether to use a pest product and read its label

Check whether damage warrants treatment.

Water

Decide whether your plant needs water

Look below the surface before reaching for the hose.

Pruning & propagation

Divide a healthy clumping perennial

Confirm the plant forms a divisible clump; a single woody trunk or taproot is not a clump to split.

Plant techniques

Divide mint and keep it contained

Grow mint in its own container where spreading roots cannot readily escape into a bed.

Planning

Do a useful weekly garden check

Walk the same route and compare new growth with last week.

Plant techniques

Establish an asparagus bed

Choose a sunny, well-drained permanent site and remove persistent weeds first.

Plant techniques

Establish and train a passionfruit vine

Choose the variety for your climate and install a support capable of carrying a mature wet vine before planting.

Pests & plant health

Fit insect mesh and wildlife-safer crop netting

Choose mesh for the actual pest.

Weather & supports

Give vulnerable plants temporary shade

Reduce harsh afternoon sun while keeping air moving.

Plant techniques

Hand-pollinate pumpkin, squash and zucchini

Check that pollination is the likely issue.

Harvest & storage

Handle and store a fresh garden harvest

Use clean hands and containers; keep produce away from soil, animals and garden chemicals.

Tools & upkeep

Handle potting mix, compost and mulch safely

Read the bag warnings before opening and work in a well-ventilated place.

Seeds & planting

Harden off seedlings before planting out

Choose mild conditions and start in sheltered light shade for a short daytime visit.

Harvest & storage

Harvest edible flowers safely

Confirm the exact species and edible part.

Harvest & storage

Harvest fruiting vegetables without damaging the plant

Check the plant guide: tomatoes colour at ripeness, while zucchini, cucumbers and many eggplants are usually picked immature and tender.

Harvest & storage

Harvest herbs and pinch basil for more growth

Identify the culinary herb and edible part.

Harvest & storage

Harvest leafy greens for repeat picking

Identify the crop and whether you want individual leaves or a whole head.

Harvest & storage

Harvest perennial crops without exhausting them

Check the age and strength of the plant before taking a harvest.

Plant techniques

Identify raspberry canes before pruning

Identify summer-fruiting floricane or autumn-fruiting primocane raspberries.

Soil & beds

Improve compacted garden soil

Compare the hard patch with nearby soil and review foot traffic.

Pests & plant health

Inspect a struggling plant before treating it

Identify the plant and photograph the whole plant, affected parts and nearby healthy plants.

Soil & beds

Keep an empty bed covered

Choose simple surface cover, or grow a suitable temporary cover crop.

Planning

Keep labels and a useful garden record

Label the plant and variety, planting date and bed or pot.

Tools & upkeep

Keep paths and bed edges accessible

Walk the usual route with watering and harvesting access in mind.

Harvest & storage

Lift root crops without snapping them

Check a sample root and the variety’s harvest guidance.

Pruning & propagation

Make a clean pruning cut and choose what to remove

Identify the plant and its flowering or fruiting wood before cutting.

Soil & beds

Make and troubleshoot garden compost

Choose a reachable, draining site.

Pests & plant health

Manage fruit fly using local advice

Check your state or territory’s current fruit-fly advice and restrictions.

Pests & plant health

Manage small infestations without routine spraying

Identify the insect and its life stage.

Seeds & planting

Move a small established plant

Check whether the plant tolerates moving.

Harvest & storage

Pick peas and beans at the right stage

Check the crop: snow peas are picked flat, shelling peas when peas fill the pod, and green beans while pods are tender before seeds bulge strongly.

Pruning & propagation

Pinch tips and remove spent flowers where useful

Identify the growing tip, leaf pairs, flower buds and spent flowers before cutting.

Planning

Plan a simple crop rotation

Write down what grew in each bed and any disease problems.

Seeds & planting

Plant a nursery perennial or bare-root fruit plant

Check the species’ depth, mature space and support needs.

Plant techniques

Plant and divide rhubarb crowns

Choose a well-drained permanent position with space for a broad leafy clump.

Plant techniques

Plant garlic cloves

Choose sound planting stock from a known source; supermarket bulbs may be unsuitable or carry disease.

Plant techniques

Plant ginger, turmeric and galangal

Use culinary species from a known source: edible ginger, common turmeric and edible galangal are not interchangeable with ornamental gingers.

Plant techniques

Plant globe-artichoke offsets

Identify a healthy rooted side shoot on a sound parent, or use nursery stock.

Plant techniques

Plant onion seedlings or sets

Confirm the variety suits your location.

Plant techniques

Plant potatoes and earth them up

Use healthy certified seed potatoes.

Plant techniques

Plant strawberries and root their runners

Use healthy stock and a draining sunny bed or container.

Plant techniques

Plant sweet-potato slips

Obtain healthy named planting material and observe plant movement restrictions.

Weather & supports

Prepare for a heatwave and help plants recover

Identify seedlings, recent transplants and small pots as priority checks.

Soil & beds

Prepare soil for planting

Find out what your bed needs before adding anything.

Plant techniques

Prepare suitable conditions for blueberries

Choose the blueberry group suited to your climate using the existing plant guide; soil acidity cannot compensate for the wrong chilling requirement.

Water

Prepare the garden before going away

Group movable pots by water and light needs in a sheltered suitable position.

Seeds & planting

Prick out and pot on seedlings

Moisten the seedlings and prepare filled pots with a hole deep enough for the roots.

Weather & supports

Protect plants from frost and assess damage

Identify frost-sensitive plants from their guides.

Pests & plant health

Protect seedlings from slugs and snails

Inspect after dusk or in damp conditions to confirm the animal causing damage.

Weather & supports

Protect young plants and prepare for storms

Check the forecast and prioritise loose pots, unsupported climbers and lightweight equipment.

Plant techniques

Prune currant and gooseberry bushes

Identify blackcurrant versus red or white currant versus gooseberry.

Plant techniques

Prune rosemary, sage and other woody herbs gently

Check how the herb grows and where green leafy shoots remain.

Seeds & planting

Read a seed packet and plan repeat sowings

Check the crop, variety, packed date and whether it is intended for direct sowing or transplanting.

Pests & plant health

Recognise and support helpful garden insects

Observe before removing insects.

Pests & plant health

Reduce disease spread and clean pots and trays

Separate healthy crop remains from suspect diseased material before moving it through the garden.

Soil & beds

Remove young weeds by hand

A small, regular job is easier than tackling a bed full of seed heads.

Containers

Repot a crowded plant or refresh a finished container

Decide whether you are retaining a perennial or clearing a finished crop.

Soil & beds

Reset a bed after a finished crop

Clear the finished crop, keep useful plants, and prepare for the next one.

Soil & beds

Rewet soil that sheds water

Check beneath the surface in several places.

Pruning & propagation

Root a low stem by layering

Choose a healthy flexible stem that reaches the soil without cracking.

Harvest & storage

Save, store and test suitable seeds

Start with a correctly identified healthy open-pollinated crop that is simple to save, such as peas or beans.

Water

Set up a simple drip-watering line

Sketch the planted root areas and water source.

Tools & upkeep

Sharpen hand secateurs safely

Check the tool type and condition.

Seeds & planting

Sow seeds directly into a bed

Prepare a weed-free patch with a fine, level surface.

Seeds & planting

Space and transplant seedlings

Check the mature spacing in the plant guide or variety label.

Soil & beds

Start a garden bed or raised bed

Choose a site for the crop’s light needs and water access.

Soil & beds

Start and look after a worm farm

Set up the bin in shade, protected from extreme heat and cold.

Seeds & planting

Start seeds in trays and care for them

Read the packet before sowing.

Plant techniques

Support and train dragon fruit

Allow for a heavy, spiny mature plant.

Plant techniques

Support tomatoes and identify side shoots

Check the label: indeterminate tomatoes are usually trained as cordons; determinate bush varieties keep their branching growth.

Pruning & propagation

Take hardwood cuttings from suitable fruit plants

Confirm the species can be propagated this way and use healthy recent woody growth.

Pruning & propagation

Take softwood herb cuttings

Choose healthy material from a correctly identified plant.

Seeds & planting

Thin crowded seedlings

Identify the crop and mark the plants to keep at the recommended final spacing.

Plant techniques

Train and prune boysenberries

Mark the canes carrying this season’s fruit.

Plant techniques

Train cucumbers and support heavy fruit

Check the variety: climbing cucumbers can use a trellis, while compact or trailing types may be managed differently.

Soil & beds

Turn fallen leaves into leaf mould

Make a soil conditioner from leaves you already have.

Weather & supports

Use cloches and covers without overheating plants

Decide what the cover must do.

Soil & beds

Use composted manure carefully

Choose a known, properly composted product.

Containers

Water and feed container plants

Feel below the surface and compare pot weight where safe.

Water

Water the roots, without wasting water

Use a slow, targeted watering to reach the soil your plant is growing in.

Seeds & planting

Work out why seeds have not germinated

Check the date and the variety’s expected germination period; some seeds are naturally slow.