Gardening in North Otago 13th November 2010

Warm spring days with none of the winds we are usually getting at this time of the year, makes it perfect gardening weather.

As we all know here in North Otago the lack of spring and summer rain can be a problem and after many years trying to grow anything regardless of the conditions preferred, thinking as long as I kept the water up I could beat nature. I finally learned that it's a waste of time and money nursing plants that need warmer conditions and more rain than we have here.
Plants like hibiscus, banana, gardenia, palms, anything that requires a tropical seasonal rain is going to struggle. Bougainvillea is growing here on the coast, mine can be fine for a couple of years but other years the frost really knocks it back. Read the labels and make sure that our conditions are right for the plants on offer at this time of the year, for example there are some lovely pelagoniums on offer right now but I have yet to have one survive the winter in my garden, although I see them growing well on the south hill where the frosts are not so harsh so I guess it's a matter of looking at what is growing well in gardens close by and knowing that the same plants will do well in your garden.

I will now sing the praises of raised gardens, Some of the advantages of raised bed gardens include:

The soil warms up faster in the spring, and doesn't cool as fast in the autumn.

You don't have to bend far to work in the garden and access the plants

The soil has better drainage, so there is less disease.

You don't walk on the soil, so it doesn't get compacted, roots need air, and therefore compacted soil is very detrimental to plant growth.

A raised garden can be a garden feature as it has a specified geometry and form.

Studies have shown that a raised bed garden may be up to two times more productive per square foot compared to normal gardening techniques.

While you may make the raised bed garden to any shape there are some guidelines to follow. the garden can be any length that you want, but it shouldn't be more than 4ft wide so you can reach it comfortably from either side. It can be as high as you want it, but keep in mind that the higher you go, the more support you will need to build. Even a railway sleeper high raised bed will give benefits.

If it's a raised vegetable garden you would like then it must be built in a spot that gets all day sun. Raised beds for shade and moisture loving plants need to be closer to the damp ground, if they are raised too high the drainage will too great for these plants.

Fill your raised bed garden with fresh soil, compost, and well aged manure

If you choose to frame your raised garden with wood make sure not to use treated timber, this has been known to leach chemicals into the soil. While untreated wood will not last as long, it is a safer alternative. Rocks are an economical option but they tend to loose soil with rain and watering.
I have seen ready made wooden raised garden surrounds on offer, these would do the trick if space was a problem.
Roses:
Time to start spraying roses for green fly and disease if you have not already started. Shield takes care of both if you follow the instructions and spray at the suggested intervals. Keep the food up as they flower, it's hungry roses that are more susceptible to disease. Slow release rose fertiliser will feed each time you water.

The for-get-me-no'ts and spring bulbs have finished flowering, tie a knot in the leaves of daffodils rather than cut them off yet as they need to take all the top green into storage. Tulips collapse quickly and can be dug up and stored in a dry place until planting out again in May next year. Blue bells need to be left to seed if you want them in mass, they increase in the bulb but also seed successfully.

Keep the water up to Lillie's, they are making rapid growth now and hate drying out, stake them now before they become too heavy.

Vegetables:
Keep mounding the potatoes to keep them producing, consistent watering is important for potatoes now during this dry spell, this goes for all root vegetables.
Leafy veg tends to run to seed during theses hot days and don't need any extra feeding to help them do this. Plant as many plants you think you would use when ready to pick and hold back other small seedling plants from the same batch to plant at two week intervals. The small plants will hold if watered only when too dry (don't over water seedlings they do not have enough root growth to absorb and will rot, keep in a semi shady place until required for planting.
Keep pumpkin and squash plants mulched, their roots are fragile until their large leaves grow to create the root shade needed.
All new small plants can be over watered to the point where their roots cannot cope and they collapse, the soil should be dry on top between watering's and good drainage is essential .
Cheers, Linda