Gardening in North Otago March 12th 2013

Another dry week with Autumn really kicking in now and leaves beginning to turn, our garden is showing signs of tiredness but the odd drizzle we have been getting has given plants and grass a reprieve from the baking sun this week. With nights cooling off and days shortening I am waiting now for the major leaf drop so I can start getting the gardens ready for winter. Once most of the leaves have fallen I will remove any leaves and dry matter from around each plant where insects love to winter over then deep water and mulch each plant and tree with compost to empty my compost area in readiness for all the in coming leaves. I always save some compost to use along with grass and soft clippings between the layers of leaves wetting down as I go. My rhododendrons, azaleas and hydrangeas are really suffering during this dry period and with such a big garden I am also spotting everyday shrubs drooping that have missed being watered. Keep dead heading roses, dahlia and geraniums to keep them flowering through to winter and continue to remove spent summer annuals so ground can be worked ready for winter flowering annuals like primulas, wall flowers, pollyantha;s, pansies & viola's. Fork in some fresh compost and wet well before replanting beds. Be on the look out for useful self sown seedlings like fox glove, lupin, cineraria, hollyhock and primula melacoides, I am finding quite a few of them, they can be transplanted now to settle in before winter. Plants for spring and winter flowering can be planted out now on the coast even though there has been no decent rain, as long as the ground is well watered before they go in. These plants will keep making strong feeder roots over winter and be well ahead of any thing planted in early spring. Unfortunately colder area's will need to wait for spring. Lift gladioli now and store in a dry place, if left in the ground they may be attacked by pests. As I mentioned last week this is the best time to plant conifers, they love the cold and give fantastic winter interest planted along side winter flowering ericas and callunas. Don't be afraid to cut out conifers that have out grown their space, once removed build up the soil where they were growing and start again in the same place with new conifers. Lawns Get new lawns sown now, the cooler nights and mornings are allowing the moisture to remain longer after watering and a strike will happen pretty fast as the ground is still nice and warm. I am really wanting to de-thatch my lawns but have decided to wait until all the weddings are over. Dry weather encourages thatch to build up around the grass roots and lawns can become thick, with it killing out the good grass. Once a good portion of thatch is removed good grass gets a chance to grow strongly again, an added bonus is I end up with heaps of thatch adding bulk to the compost heaps. Vegetables Good growth is still happening as long as the water is kept up, pumpkins and corn should be ready to harvest, dry off pumpkin and squash skins before storing them in a cool dry place. Gardening by the moon New moon 12 March / 20th March At the new moon, the lunar gravity pulls water up, and causes the seeds to swell and burst. This factor, coupled with the increasing moonlight creates balanced root and leaf growth. This is the best time for planting above ground annual crops that produce their seeds outside the fruit. Examples are lettuce, spinach, celery, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and grain crops. Cheers, Linda.