Gardening in North Otago 7th September 2011

Mmmm, warm Spring days, the season of new beginnings and this past week has convinced me that spring has arrived in North Otago although there is very little blossom in our garden yet, but something new is happening each day, sweet peas, ranunculus, anemones and tulips are through and putting on good growth. I am watching what is pushing through the pea straw and clearing a space to let light in.
We have very wide perennial boarders which insist on growing couch, biddy- bid, and chick-weed which I try to get rid of now while still small and the plants are still low. While doing this weeding I can see what needs attention like delphiniums needing stakes to give support while growing, removing mulch from around iris rhizomes and peony rose crowns and removing self sown plants and natives before they settle in.

The weeds are off to a flying start so the spraying has begun here, there are organic weed sprays on the market that work best when weeds are new and small so now is the time.
I cut the old growth from the cat-mint this week, I leave some on over the colder months to protect the new growth, once the new leaves start showing the old growth can be removed. I do the same to erigeron daisy, (sea side daisy). I also cut back my lavenders by half this week to prevent them from going woody.
Liquid feeding now on all perennials and bedding plants and a good general fertiliser watered in for trees and shrubs to help them along.
Azaleas and tulips are the exception, azaleas like fed after flowering and tulips store enough food in the bulb for their requirements. if you load them up with more they will grow more leaf than needed and hide the blooms. (No feeding for Australian or South African shrubs such as leucodendron, protea, waratah and grevillea.)

Roses, the secret to keeping roses free from is to remove all last years' diseased leaves from the ground around them and burn. Keep the food up to the bushes, starting now while they are beginning to leaf and continue right through until the end of summer. Manure enriched compost around them now will feed and protect the roots but keep it off the graft. (where the trunk is joined to the rootstock). Blood & bone, vormacast or the liquid form a worm farm is also good right now. When the ground warms up a little sprinkle the man made balanced rose fertiliser around them, these fertilisers have been designed to promote just the right amount of leaf and flower growth, and need the warmer soil to activate. Don't waste them by using them too soon.

All plants, shrubs and trees will respond to feeding now, the sap is well up and buds are swelling and bursting open.


Lets Get serious about growing vegetables!
I have come across people trying to make vegetable gardens work with limited top soil.
Sections have been cleared of top soil to build a home and the depth of soil remaining is not adequate for a good producing vegetable patch. Good deep loam containing a generous amount of humus
( organic matter) is what is required and a slightly raised deeply dug area is best. There is still time to prepare some ground for this years growing season.
1. Frame a sunny spot the size you require with Oamaru stone blocks or old railway sleepers or even small bales of straw or hay.
2. dig the area over to loosen the soil then add some clean top soil and animal manure.
3. Water deeply, then leave for a week or two to settle.
It will find it's level and you may need to add more top soil to obtain a good depth. When planting out your first crop of veg sift some weed free top soil into a wheel barrow to use along the rows to be planted out with either plants or seed. Sifted soil is nice and fine and packs tightly around new roots giving young plants a good start before roots get down into the top soil.

If space is limited why not create a no dig garden.
1. On flat ground edge an area with stone, sleepers or hay bales. ( Full sun)
2. first layer on top of the ground spread news paper a good half centimetre thick and saturate.
3. Second layer a generous amount of horse or cow manure. (this will bring the worms up)
4. Third layer, a generous amount of moist compost with some moist soil mixed plus a sprinkle of lime.
5. Forth layer, wads of lucerne hay (not too thick) wet and sprinkle a few handfuls of blood & bone on top.
5. Fifth layer more compost with soil mixed sprinkled with a little lime.
6. Soak each layer as you build
7. Sixth layer wet news paper, Oamaru mail thickness as a weed suppressant.
8. Seventh layer, top straw cover thick enough to keep light out. (except where seeds are planted)
9. Repeat layering as many times as you like to get the bulk required
10. Leave to sink and settle, this will remove air pockets, keep watering !

To plant: make holes through the wet news paper on the top layer, into the manure/soil for each plant ( leaves should be above straw in the light and roots below covered by the wet news paper and straw. Water regularly because raised gardens are quick draining.
The bed will break down into a nutrient-rich soil, so it will need to be kept topped up with organic matter like soft clippings, hay or pea straw, compost, un-sprayed grass clippings (thin layers)
I have tried no dig gardens with no soil content but found for me they did not have enough body to retain moisture in the heat of mid summer.

Why dig a garden the conventional way when there are millions of worms willing to do the work for you.
Cheers, Linda