Gardening in North Otago 28th February 2012

We are still wondering what the weather is going to do! it feels more like September than March. The plants are in a quandary as well along with the bumble bees who seem to be a little dopey with the lack of sun to give them energy, I have been picking many up of the ground to put in a safe place. Lets hope we get more sun and some drying winds soon.

I have been using the compost made from last winter and spring to mulch, I need the bins empty for all the leaves that will be falling soon. The compost being made from the summer cut backs have had the unseasonal rain we are getting to add the moisture needed to start the compost cooking during the hopefully hot autumn days, once the heat has built up the compost will hold the heat and go on breaking down the compost over the cold winter months, but it must start to heating up now and have the moisture needed to do that. This is the only time of the year I add hen manure, because of it's heating qualities and the long winter season ahead allows it time to break down.

From now on is said to be the best time to sow a new lawn, a lot of the annual seeds will not germinate as fast as the grass seed now with the cooler nights giving the grass seed a chance to grow quickly and smother new weeds.
Prepare the ground by raking and firming, fill any hollows. If you can not get hold of a roller use a sheet of hard board and get everyone to run over it. Once the ground is firm lightly rake it over, sow grass seed and lightly rake it into the soil then a light watering.Don't allow the ground to be too damp going into the night, dews are enough for the tiny new grass roots and if kept on the dry side they should put roots down looking for moisture.
Choose the right type of grass for the area, there is seed for high traffic and shady and sunny areas & fine grass for show lawns It is best to get fresh seed coated with bird protection. Birds will still begin to feast on this so if you have sown only a small area cover it with frost cloth. This will keep the birds off and still let the light in to allow the grass seed to germinate.
Oxalis, this has to be one of the most frustrating weeds in the garden. It spreads prolifically and is a real challenge to eradicate. The main problem is that you can pull out the weed but under the soil is a parent bulb with a number of little bulblets attached to it. If even one of these gets left behind it will soon grow into a parent bulb. Disturbing the soil only makes matters worse as the little bulblets spread and multiply in quantity. There is no quick fix solution for oxalis, in the past chooks were set to work on ground that grew it, they scratch out bulbs and ate. That could be the answer if new ground was being broken in for a veg plot but not so good for an already producing plot.
Here are a few other ideas you can try but remember, you will have to continue to keep on top of it to get a really good result. They all work on the principle that the leaves take energy from the sun so if you keep killing the foliage the bulb will eventually weaken and die.

· Pour boiling water over the leaves. Continue to do this every time new shoots come through

· Cut off the foliage, new leaves will appear and you will need to cut these immediately, before they can get energy from the sun.

· Mix up 2 tablespoons baking soda, a squirt of dishwashing liquid, 500ml water and squirt on oxalis area, preferably on a hot day. Repeat to weaken re-growth until it disappears.


Vegetables & fruit
Disappointing is how I describe what is happening above the ground, root veg are still making progress but tomatoes, corn and pumpkins need a lot more sun before the days get shorter.
If you have bunches of grapes the birds are waiting so cover them with old pantyhose until they are ripe enough to pick.
Passion fruit needs to be well watered and feed now as this helps improve the fruit.

Harvest herbs now for drying, they will soon put on another lot of fresh growth before the frosts make them dormant.

Gardening by the moon
March 3rd /4th
Flower Gemini
Waxing gibbous


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 Carrots, Chives, First Early Potatoes,Garlic, Horseradish, Jerusalem Artichokes, Leeks, Onions,Parsnips, Shallots, Spring Onions,

Cheers, Linda