Gardening in North Otago 1st February 2012

February already, where did January go?
The strong winds we have been experiencing here in North Otago
are what this area usually experiences in October, or later to blow the autumn leaves off. It has taken very little time to zap the moisture from that last good rain, but we have not had to get the hoses out a lot so far this growing season....we do now.
The first of the seeds I left to fall from spring flowering plants are up, I will wait until perennials are stronger, another week or two and then transplant them into trays and then sit them in the shade to keep growing then will plant them out at the end of next winter. Have a look around plants that have dropped seed in your garden and you will find nice little seedlings of pansies, viola, marigolds, hellebore's, sweet William and aquilegias to name a few.
Seeded annuals can be planted out as soon as they are big enough,they should flower over Autumn.

Stake dahlias to protect and support blooms and keep the liquid fertiliser up to them to ensure good plant development.
Feed Daphne and azaleas with acid plant fertiliser to ensure you get good root growth and bud development for the Spring.
Take the seed heads off anything that you do not want to spread, that goes for weeds as well, make sure you whack the seed heads off until you have time to deal with them.
Keep trimming hedges as they put on soft new growth and either compost the trimmings or scatter them around the garden, they are soft enough to break down at this time of the year.
Hydrangeas are looking lovely right now, I have been taking hard wood cuttings of one or two that I need more of. Select a stem that has flowered and cut at a node just before a new shoot, this would be the flower for next year. Push the cuttings into some firm, damp shady ground where they will not be disturbed and place an up turned pot with drainage holes over the top of them. Forget about them until they start to shoot after the frosts then pot them up and get them big enough to plant out in the late spring, early summer.

Give roses a dressing of manure or blood and bone now as they will be ready for a boost after their first long flowering and keep the dead heading up to encourage flowering.

Give lavenders a hair cut now before they make seed, they will flower again, same for catnip I cut mine back twice during their flowering season.
Lawns
its grass grub time again, they are most active from February to May. There are products that can be shaken on and watered in on, both need watered in well like powdered fertiliser so when it is raining or about to rain is the best time. The grubs feed on the grass roots and leave dead patches of grass on lawns, once the dead grass patch is visible they will have moved on to another area of the lawn so concentrate on the unaffected areas
Vegetable / Fruit
February is the time to prepare for Winter crops and vegetable patches. Sow carrots, parsnips, beetroot, spinach, peas, cauliflower and cabbage. Build up the soil first with peat, compost and lime.
Continue taking laterals off your Tomatoes and harvesting ripe Tomatoes making sure to remove any fallen or diseased fruit to prevent disease spreading.
Trim back all leaders on grape vines, this will put the new growth into only the fruit which should be plumping up now.
The strong winds are hard on fruit trees and bushes, fruit is blown off before ready and needed moisture is sucked from the roots.
I have been watering in blood and bone, anything too rich in nitrogen will only encourage more leaf growth.
A lot of my leaf veg want to bolt before being used, the hens at least are happy!
Keep sowing root veg seed and peas, beans and lettuce there is heaps of growing time still ahead of us.
Gardening by the moon
Date: 04 & 05 February 2012
Flower Gemini
Waxing gibbous

Waxing gibbous

Synodic:
This is a good time to sow vegetables that produce internal seed bearing fruits. Tomatoes, beans, peas, peppers, chillis, pumpkins, courgettes.

Biodynamic:
Moon in Gemini: This is a Air sign. This is a good time to sow Flowering plants like Broccoli, but it would not be a good time to sow Rooting plants like Garlic, Horseradish, Jerusalem Artichokes, Onions, Shallots, Spring Onions,

Sidereal:
Moon in Gemini: Barren and dry, and yet good for promoting flower growth.


Cheers, Linda