August heralds the start of the Noongar season of Djilba in Boorloo / Perth. This is a transitional time of year with some cold, clear days combined with warmer rainy and windy days. During Djilba we see a wildflower extravaganza across the South West of Australia, beginning with cream and yellow flowering plants such as acacias.

There is still a small window of time for planting fruit trees and natives which will benefit from the last of the winter rains. Many vegetable, herb and flower seeds can be sown this time of year. You can even get a head start on summer crops by starting seeds indoors or in a warm outside area protected from the last days of cold, windy weather.

Check out our Perth planting guide for August and September below. Keep reading for some gardening jobs to keep on top of this time of year.

What to Plant in August and September

With rain still falling regularly and soil temperatures warming up, there’s plenty to sow in your veggie garden this time of year.

Sow the last of your cold weather crops like broccoli and cabbage in August. Hardier year-round crops like beetroot, carrot, mustard and radish can be sown directly into the ground throughout Djilba.

As soil temperatures rise in September, start sowing your summer crops like capsicum, chilli, cucumber, beans and corn. You can also start them off earlier by sowing indoors or a sheltered outdoor area.

Many varieties of WA seed potato will do well this time of year in WA. 

Now is also a great time for sowing herbs like parsley, sage, coriander, fennel and chives. Don’t forget some companion flowers. Marigold, alyssum and cornflower will all do well this time of year.

When growing from seed, we recommend heirloom or open pollinated seeds from WA suppliers because they are better adapted to our climate, of the highest quality. Heirloom seeds will grow true to type in the next generation, which means you can save your seeds to grow next season. 

Perth Planting Guide for August and September

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure what to plant? Explore our Seasonal Seed Packs – hand-picked by our team with heirloom seeds from WA that are ready to sow now.

 

Perth Garden Tasks for August and September

Grow Your Soil Life

If the weather is still a little too cold to get your spring and summer crops in the ground, it’s a great time to work on your soil in preparation. Think about adding manure and mature compost to empty garden beds so they can sit and settle before you plant your next crops.

If you grew a green manure over winter, now is a great time to mix it into the soil and top with some straw mulch. It will take some time to break down, but when it has, your garden bed will be full of nutrients and ready for planting those hungry summer crops.

It’s a good idea to check your soil pH before planting out. That way you can implement any remedies before planting new crops in the garden.

Prepare to Save Your Best Seeds

If you have any plants that performed really well over the winter months, let them go to seed so you can harvest the seeds and save them for next year. Leaving your winter crops to flower can also be a lovely way to provide a food source for beneficial insects. 

When saving seed, always choose the healthiest plants. Aim for five or so plants of the same crop to ensure a healthy range of genetic diversity. Give your chosen plants a water with liquid fertiliser (a kelp solution or Earthfood are good options) every 3-4 weeks to help boost the flowering potential and quality of the seed set.

Weeding the Permaculture Way

Many weeds pop up in the garden this time of year. While some weeds need to be dealt with so they don't compete with your veggies, others might not be such a problem. As permaculture people, we like to think positively about weeds – they're just plants growing where a human doesn't want them! Many of these fast-growing plants actually play a beneficial role in our garden ecosystems. 

We would discourage ever using herbicides to deal with weeds as these are highly toxic for your garden ecosystem. Instead, try some of the methods below.

Some ways to deal with weeds with a permaculture mindset:

• Chop and drop weeds. Some weeds can simply be given a haircut using a hand sickle. As long as they haven't gone to seed, just drop the cuttings in the garden to add nutrients back into your soil. Alternatively, add your chopped weeds to the compost (again, as long as they haven’t gone to seed).

• Add a thick layer of mulch to your garden beds. Mulch suppresses weed growth by preventing light from getting to them.

• Avoid removing weeds until you have something to plant in their place. If weeds are growing rampant in an empty patch of earth, first plan what you want to plant in their place before pulling them out. If you simply pull them out, they’ll be back again very quickly. We want to keep our soil covered, and we want roots in the ground – these help protect a living, healthy soil. 

• Plant ground covers as a living mulch. A hardy, close-knit ground cover can help suppress weeds from growing up in the future. Planting your crops more densely can also suppress weed growth.

• Make weed tea – another way to harness the nutrients. Place your weeds in a bucket, fill with water and cover. Stir every few days. It will be stinky, so keep a lid on it! After a month or so you’ll have a highly concentrated fertiliser. Dilute 1 part weed tea to 10 parts water and pour on the soil around your plants.

A hand-held sickle and the Super Slice Weeding Hoe – two great weeding tools for the veggie garden. Explore our full range of weeding tools.

 

Deter Cabbage White Butterflies

The cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) lays eggs from May to September. The caterpillars that emerge love to eat brassicas and leafy greens such as cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale and cauliflower.

• Some gardeners recommend cabbage butterfly decoys which are made to look like adult butterflies. They suggest to any cabbage butterflies passing that there are other cabbage white butterflies already in residence and this is not a good place to lay their eggs due to food competition for their young. 

• Consider using protection netting to prevent butterflies from laying their eggs on your veggies.

• If buying seedlings from a nursery, check the undersides of the leaves for any eggs that may be present.

• Leaves that are a little nibbled can still be safely eaten. If your white cabbage caterpillar problem is already far advanced, consider leaving the affected plants in your garden as ‘sacrificial plants’ to deter pests away from your healthier plants. Ensure the leaves are not touching any healthy plants, and net up your prize fruit and veg to be safe.

• Avoid using pesticides which can be harmful to your garden ecosystem (not to mention your own health). A homemade chilli spray is a safer alternative.

Longer term, think about planting sacrificial crops in your garden to lure cabbage white butterflies away from your prize crops. Nasturtium is a good companion plant for this reason. Try also creating more habitat and food for natural predators such as birds. Natural pest management is all about restoring balance. Find out more in our Beginner’s Guide to Natural Pest Management.

Cabbage White Butterfly decoys and exclusion netting – two chemical-free ways to deter cabbage white butterflies from laying eggs in your garden.

 

Manage Citrus Gall Wasp

Before July we recommended pruning out any new galls on your citrus trees. But now in August and September, it’s best to minimise pruning. Excess pruning this time of year will cause a flush of new growth – exactly the kind of wood the newly emerging adults like to lay their eggs in. Also avoid heavy feeding this time of year for the same reason.

If you do prune any galls out, be sure to dispose of them correctly by solarising, shredding or burning if permitted in your area. Check the advice from your state or territory, as it varies.

Protect new growth with a kaolin clay spray such as Vasili's Garden Citrus Gall Wasp Spray which helps to deter the Gall Wasp. This natural product acts as a repellent and disrupts egg laying in spring. Just remember to reapply after any rain.

Galls on your citrus (left) indicate a citrus gall wasp has laid eggs in the wood of your tree. Use Citrus Gall Wasp Spray (right), a natural clay spray, during late winter / spring to prevent newly hatched wasps from laying eggs.

 

Enjoy the Djilba Beauty

Make time to go for a bush walk during Djilba, and enjoy the flush of wildflowers. If you’re inspired, plant some more natives on your verge or in your backyard while the rains are still here.

If you need any advice or tips about gardening in Perth during Djilba, visit us at Urban Revolution in-store or online. We have a wide range of seeds, tools, natural pest control solutions and more.

Happy gardening in Djilba!

PS. If you’re looking for some seasonal inspiration for your home, garden and community, we’d love to recommend this Spring Issue Bundle of Pip Magazine. These uplifting magazines are full of practical ideas for anyone interested in sustainable, connected living.

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