The garden family

Forego one or two radishes in your salad so beneficial insects can enjoy a feast, says Mary Lovell-Smith.

EDIBLES

• Leave some radishes in the ground to flower, which beneficial insects love.

• Now the heat of the sun is diminishing, coriander may be sown without as much fear it will bolt and go to seed before providing the gardener and cook with adequate amounts of leaf. Choose a sunny spot, preferably with a little shade from the midday sun and light, free-draining soil with plenty of compost. If you love its pungent smell, grow it near a path so the leaves can release their fragrance when brushed against.

• Silverbeet, broccoli and spring cabbages may still be planted. Give them a good mulch of compost or peastraw at planting to help retain moisture. • Nip off ends of pumpkin runners to limit the number of pumpkins. If the plant has too many, they may not reach a good size.

• Clear away old crops, such as peas, beans, sweetcorn, after harvest and add to the compost heap. Or chop up with a spade and dig into the soil. Those with no-dig gardens may prefer to leave them on top of the soil.

• Garlic, onions and shallots should all be harvested by now, and dried and stored for winter.

ORNAMENTALS

• Time to order bulbs – early birds get the best choice.

• Mulch rhododendrons, azaleas, roses and other surface-rooting plants with lawn clippings.

• Save seeds of flowers and vegetables, bearing in mind though that hybrids will not necessarily run true in seeds. Collect on a dry day when the seeds are hard and their cases dry. To avoid missing seeds, a brown paper bag may be tied around the dying flower head, into which the seeds will drop.

• Tidy up native grasses by combing through with fingers or a rake to remove loose litter. This is best done after flowering.

• For an early display, sow sweet peas in a glasshouse or cold frame for planting

LAWN

• out in early spring. Transplant single seedlings into 9cm pots once they are about 3.5cm tall. Germination can be helped along by placing seeds on a moist layer of paper towels and keeping them in an airtight container in a warm room until they begin to swell and sprout. (The latest theory is that these seeds are best not soaked.) If planning a new lawn, start now by cultivating to kill weeds.

• Patch existing lawns by sowing seed atop a light layer of river sand, and keep moist.

• Harden lawns for winter by applying a potassiumrich dressing.