Gardening in North Otago July 30 2013

What a lovely winters week we are having in North Otago as I write this, warm sun and blue sky's. Trees and shrubs have been moving around our garden this week, now that trees are bare I can see where some trees and shrubs would be better in another place. If you have shrubs or trees that you feel would do better in another part of the garden, dig them up carefully and shift them now in winter while they are dormant. Doing this will Give them time to adjust to a new home before spring growth really starts. Once dug out, dig a hole twice the size of the root ball, cut back any damaged roots. Invest in some peat moss to put in the bottom of the planting hole, add water to wet the peat and new feeder roots will grow well. Each large transplant should to be staked well against the coming winds until new roots have established well enough to hold it. Best to get all your winter pruning done before the end of the month, with the many mild day's being experience spring bud burst could be early. Once roses are all pruned they can be sprayed with a copper spray mixed with winter oil to clean up disease and seal cuts. Follow directions printed on containers. Cut back potted chrysanthemums. and plant into garden if space permits. Well cooked compost can be spread around on the soil surface to suppress weed growth and allow the worms to work it into the soil, I intend to do this soon having had the hose out this week. The sunny areas of my garden were looking very dry on top, I am sure there is moisture further down but the shallow rooted plants were very much in need of a drink. The moist compost added to the top of planted gardens will encourage new feeder roots, enabling plants to thrive and keep growing well on those warmer winter days. Watering at this time of the year should be done early in the day allowing time for the plants to dry before the cold evenings. Vegetable garden It's time to start tidying up the garden in preparation for spring planting. Clear weeds and give a dressing of manure, compost and a little lime to the soil where you have recently grown crops, this will prepare for the next round of planting. However not all crops like lime – potatoes and tomatoes don't, but peas, beans and capsicums love it as do the worms. Plant Cauliflowers and Cabbage seedlings and sow early Peas. In warmer areas you can also plant butter crunch Lettuce, Silver beet and Broccoli seedlings and Onions. Lay seed Potatoes out in a tray and get them sprouting. Asparagus crowns are now available and can be planted out in a well composted and fertilised bed. (no animal manure ) If you planted a green crop, cut down and dig in crops such as mustard, lupin and oats. These add humus and help improve soil fertility. They need to becut down before they flower and dug into the soil shallowly. It will take at least a month to six weeks for them rot down before replanting new veges. Fruit Blackcurrants and Gooseberries – Prune out the dead canes, and old growth, leaving the healthy new growth. Raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and loganberries - Complete pruning them this month, by removing dead and weak growth and the old canes that flowered and fruited last season. Leave the strong healthy canes and tie them to a support. Strawberries - Weed and fertilise. Spray with copper oxychloride to prevent fungus diseases. Citrus and tamarillo will be ripening and colouring up with the odd frosty days we have had. Prune citrus shrubs as you pick the fruit by cutting stems out to open up the bush to the sun so as to encourage new growth and flowers in spring. If your lemons are dry and pithy this winter it will be most probably due to a lack of nitrogen last summer when the fruit was developing. Give your bushes plenty of nitrogen next summer, nitrophoska blue would do the trick. I have seen tamarillo growing here in North Otago on the coast, the cheerful bright red fruit are wonderful to see in a winter garden and will withstand coastal frosts. For best flavour let them fall, rather than picking them off the tree. Cheers, Linda.