Urgent jobs in the garden for December

- Check fruit fly lures for fruit flies. These are the males. If present, paint eco-naturalure bait onto branches or onto a piece of wood and place in tree. This kills both male and female fruit flies.
- Net your fruit trees with fine net, tying tightly at the base to prevent fruit fly entry and to protect from birds.
- Check lures for codling moth in apples, pears and quinces. Every 2 weeks change and burn cardboard or hessian traps that have been placed around tree trunks.
- Spray citrus to prevent gall wasp attack with Kaolin clay (also marketed as ‘Overhaul’) fortnightly, until the end of second week in December. Cover the entire tree.
- Check pear and cherry trees for pear slug and treat with ash thrown onto damp leaves.
- Harvest garlic and hang to dry with leaves attached as these form the skins on the garlic heads.
- Spray summer vegetables with seaweed solution.
- Water, weed and mulch all beds to keep maximum moisture in the soil.
- Spray eggplant fruit with Dipel to prevent caterpillar infestation.
- Prepare simple shade structures for days of very high temperatures.
- Fill wicking beds weekly, but daily in extreme heat.
Note: blossom end rot on summer vegies is caused by under watering.
Written by Robin Gale-Baker