Gardening in North Otago 27th March 2012

A good settled day or two this week after that wild hale storm on Sunday which sent an unseasonable chill upon plants and people, in our garden the first frost!! However in no time at all it was back to this lovely time of the year with the sun warm and low in the sky, the leaves turning and falling and busy insects getting the last of what the growing season offers.

I have the rake and wool packs on the go again collecting the bounty of leaves to turn into leaf mulch by layering lawn clippings, manure and water. I start on wet bare ground for moisture, ground warmth, microorganisms and worms to be drawn up through the heap to start decomposing.
Time to take stock of the garden and make plans for what gets trimmed, shifted, chopped out and nurtured over the soon to be here cold months. Collecting seed and taking hard wood cuttings is top of the list, seed is gathered when dry and the cuttings need to be in while the days are still warm enough for them to settle and start to make roots.
Take advantage of the warm ground and cool mornings and nights to keep planting out well grown shrubs, their roots really take off at this time of the year and settle themselves in before the frosts. I have been finding runners on some of my low growing shrubs, branches that have grown down and rooted themselves into the ground. This is the time of year to cut them from the mother plant, pot them up and nurse them over the winter. Plant them out when the pot is filled with roots, when growth starts moving again. Have a look around the bottom of climbers as well, jasmine, honey suckle, clematis there are sure to be sections rooted into the ground.
While looking around the garden see what is there for the taking in the way of seedlings, I have potted up heaps of natives and created many dentata lavender hedges from seeds which have germinated in the drive.

Lavatera's need a good cut back now if they are to look good and bushy through the winter, cut out all the old non producing wood and let it come fresh again from the cuts.
Same for geraniums, they have made a lot of growth over the summer months and need to be cleaned out in the middle where old leaves accumulate and white fly can be harboring, cut out old non productive stems and shorten back long lanky growth. Further inland leave them alone, cover when frosts arrive but take cuttings now in case you loose established plants over winter.
Sweet-peas popped up for me this week, the winter will hold them but as soon as the ground warms up a little they will take off and be there for picking in late august.
Sweet-peas are gross feeders, they do best in a different position each year. If you really want them planted in the same place dig a trench and fill with stable manure to keep them fed for their long flowering period.
Keep an eye on hellebore's ( Winter rose's) they dry out at this time of the year to the point where they die. They are one of the first plants to flower in late winter so keep the water up to them and feed them, blood & bone, manure or slow release fertiliser. The baby plants growing around mother plants can be potted up now, they take about three years from seed to flower.

Fruit & Vegetables
Codling moth caterpillars can be trapped now as they are leaving the trees, Tie strips of corrugated cardboard (Corrugation inwards) around the trunks. Once the harvest is over remove and destroy the cardboard.
Keep sowing vegetable seeds onion, radish, spinach and planting seedlings, cabbage, celery, winter lettuce here on the coast. further inland broad beans, cabbage and spinach.
I like to sow and plant butter crunch lettuce now as it keeps growing well into the winter.
Gardening by the moon
NEW MOON
Garden:
Prepare garlic beds

Plant green manure and compost crops in empty beds

Last plating of biennial flowers and herbs such as hollyhocks, sweet William, columbine and verbascum

Sow calendula, cineraria, poppies, snap dragons and pansy seed for flowers in the winter vege garden

Sow heartease for companion to garlic and onions over the winter

Plant out Autumn/Winter flowering annuals that are ready now

Orchard:
A great time to establish your orchard herbal leys while the ground is warm and moist.

Plan and organise winter plantings

Take out any trees that need removing while ground still warm and moist.


FIRST QUARTER
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Garden:
In areas where broad beans are planted in Autumn, soak overnight and plant into beds or into seed trays and transplant

In warmer aeas this is your last chance to sow directly on the surface, silverbeet, rainbow chard, endive, brassicas, peas, coriander and celery

Foliar feed three days before full moon

Finish planting any spare beds in compost crops such as lupins, mustard and wheat rye.

When transplanting winter veges, manure and lime well with dolomite and composted animal manure, fish meal and biophos, and then mulch. The worms will go crazy!

Orchard:
Continue jobs as in the New Moon phase


Cheers, Linda.