Winter Gardening in Different Climates

 It's a cool weather, frost tolerant variety with a large and compact dark green head that's full of flavour. You can be picking your very own lettuce in eight to ten weeks, that will be perfect for salads and tasty san choy bau.

Soil wetters break down the water repellent layer on the surface of soil or potting mix and enable moisture to penetrate more effectively down into the root zone.

It's easy to help treat water repellent areas of the garden (and lawn) with Yates Waterwise® Hose-on Soil Wetter.

Spraying the foliage with Yates Waterwise DroughtShield forms a protective flexible layer over the leaves which helps reduce cold and frost damage. It also helps to move frost-tender potted plants next to a sheltered north facing wall or under the eaves.

Such as flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica), rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), crepe myrtles and ornamental pears (Pyrus spp.). They'll be ready to burst into fresh new growth when the weather warms up in spring.

Mix Yates Dynamic Lifter® Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser into garden beds and planting holes and help protect the soil surface from the elements by applying a mulch of bark chips.

Rats and mice will continue to seek shelter and warmth indoors during winter, as well as helping themselves to your pantry. You can control rodents by setting traps in the places they like to hide in and move around. Ratsak® Cleankill Mouse Traps are a no- see, no-touch solution for catching and killing mice. They're easy to bait and set using the uniquely designed bait door. Once a mouse is caught (and quickly and humanely killed), simply lift the tab to release the mouse. If your rodents are larger, Ratsak Max Strength Rat Traps are ideal. These reusable traps have a strong and powerful killing force and the trap can be baited before being set, making it quick and easy to use.

At the end of winter start sowing seeds of warm season vegies like tomatoes and capsicums in small pots or punnets of Yates Speciality Potting Mix Cuttings & Seeds and placing them on a sunny windowsill. Seedlings will be ready to plant out into the garden once the chance of frost has passed.

Buy seed potatoes in mid winter and prep them for planting through a process called 'chitting'. Place seed potatoes in an open egg carton in a dry, brightly lit spot but out of direct sunlight. Small shoots will develop over a few weeks.

Once the shoots are one to two centimetres long, the potatoes can be planted into a vegie patch or pots. The chitting process can help get your potato plants off to a quicker start. For more information on growing potatoes visit our how to grow potatoes page.

Reward their gorgeous cool season flower display by giving them a good feed. A potassium enriched fertiliser, like Yates Thrive® Natural Roses & Flowers Organic Based Pelletised Plant Food, is ideal for promoting healthy green leaf growth as well lots of lovely blooms. Spread the organic based pellets around the root zone of in-ground and potted camellias and water in well.

In shady areas or moist spots, moss and algae can develop, particularly after long periods of wet weather. Moss and algae growing on hard surfaces such as paths and driveways can make them slippery and dangerous. Based on clove oil, Yates® Nature's Way® Organic Weed Spray is a ready to use spray that's ideal for controlling moss and algae on hard surfaces, as well as in lawns and garden beds.

Prune back hydrangea stems that flowered during summer, leaving the remaining stems to flower next season (if you cut all the stems back, you won't get any summer flowers). You can make the most of the pruned stems and use them as hardwood cuttings to propagate more plants. Dip the ends of 20 cm stem pieces into Yates Clonex Red Hormone Rooting Gel, which helps promote root growth, and insert the base of the stems into a pot of moist Yates Specialty Potting Mix Cuttings and Seeds. Keep moist and in a brightly lit protected spot and roots will form over the coming months.

Plant asparagus crowns in a sunny, well-drained vegie patch that's been enriched with some Yates Dynamic Lifter® Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. Asparagus will live for many years so it's best to plant crowns in their permanent home.

Such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips with a high potassium plant food like Yates Thrive® Flower & Fruit Soluble Plant Food. It will help promote healthy growth and prepare the bulbs for a fantastic floral show next year. Continue feeding each week until the foliage has died down in late spring.

Hellebores are at their floral best during winter, so it's an ideal time to visit your local garden centre and choose a new hellebore or two for your garden. They might look delicate but they're actually hardy and easy to grow plants and are tolerant of drought and frost.

They're perfect for shady spots and also growing in pots. You can even bring potted hellebores indoors for up to six weeks at a time to show off their stunning flowers! Pictured right is Hellebore 'Charmer' from Plant Growers Australia which has masses of delicately mottled burgundy-red flowers and lush green foliage.

As the weather starts to warm up towards the end of winter, winter grass (Poa annua) seeds can begin germinating.

To help prevent winter grass infestations, spray Munns® Professional Winter Grass Killer over the lawn while the winter grass seedlings are still young.

Give potted orchids a much needed winter boost with Yates Thrive Plant Food Spikes Orchids.

They're concentrated spikes of nutrients, specially designed to promote healthy leaf growth and beautiful flowers. They're super easy to use, just insert a spike into the orchid mix midway between the stem and the pot edge. The spikes will feed the orchid for up to two months.

Start sprouting some sweet potatoes to create 'slips' for planting in late winter and early spring. Place a sweet potato tuber in a pot of moist potting or seed raising mix and position in a warm spot. Shoots (slips) will develop and when they're around 15cm long they can be cut or twisted off the main tuber and put in a jar of water on a sunny windowsill. Once roots have grown, these slips can be planted into a sunny spot in the garden.

Create a delicious space saving winter vegie patch. Sow seeds of climbing beans, like Yates Stringless Blue Lake, on a wire frame or trellis at the back of the patch, compact Yates Tomato 'Patio' in the middle of the bed and at the front low growing leafy greens like Yates Lettuce Baby Combo. For extra colour and vegie goodness tuck some quick growing Yates Baby Beets and tasty Yates Spring Onions in amongst the lettuce.