Your seasonal calendar

Birak — first summer, December to January

Controller 90% in December, 100% in January. Nothing gets planted and nothing gets fed.

Bunuru — second summer, February to March

100% then 80%. March is the first legitimate month to feed. Watch pots, raised beds and hydrophobic patches.

Djeran — autumn, April to May

The planting window and the feeding window. Gutters, soakwells and weepholes before the first real downpour.

Makuru — winter, June to July

Sprinklers off by law. Dormant pruning, bare-rooted stock, weeds killed before they seed, retic serviced while it is not running.

Djilba — first spring, August to September

Still off until 31 August. September is the primary feeding month and the month to run the full retic audit.

Kambarang — second spring, October to November

60% then 80%. Last feed before the shutdown, mulch to full depth before Birak, and check the firebreak requirements.

The fixed dates that constrain you

Start with the Sprinkler Switch-off, 1 June to 31 August. Then your rostered watering days, any new-garden exemption and your council's firebreak notice.