Fruit Garden Diary - Winter

June, July, August
 

• Plant out new-season deciduous fruit trees. Ensure you select healthy plants with straight stems. Prepare ground well prior to planting.
   
• Stake newly planted trees.
   
• Winter is the main time to prune most deciduous fruit trees, except for peaches, plums, nectarines and almonds.

• Prune grapes and kiwifruit. Prune autumn-cropping raspberries back to ground level.

• Apply layers of well-rotted compost or manure around fruiting trees and shrubs. This warms the soil, adds nutrients and helps keep weeds away.

• Maintain vigilant weed control – weeds compete for valuable nutrients.

• Apply dormant sprays for leaf curl and bladder plum to pip and berry fruit – just at bud movement, but before blossoms open.

• Apply herbicides for weed control into the spring and summer if plants are well established.

• Ensure trees are well staked for support through bad winter weather.

• Harvest: grapefruit, lemons, mandarins, kiwifruit, tamarillos, oranges, olives, cherimoyas and early season avocados.

• Check fruit in storage.

• Fruit trees covered with mosses or lichen should be cleaned before growth starts.