Gardening in North Otago May 27th 2014

Dark sky's and shorter day's even some snow flurries at the beginning of this week, winter is on the way. With May being the last month of autumn I guess we should not be surprised. When those winter squalls were forecast it prompted me to get my birds & hens a little more protected than they are in the warmer months and to remove all leaves that have fallen into my ponds.Cleaning a pond in autumn reduces wastes in the bottom of the pond which may turn anaerobic (living without air) if sufficient oxygen is not available, creating a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, or which may decompose, releasing ammonia and other dangerous chemicals that can be trapped under the ice should your pond freeze. As pond water becomes colder the metabolism of gold fish starts to slow way down. They do not need fed because fish do not have a stomach, just a long intestinal tract and being not able to digest food it lays in their digestive tract and rots.

I had a short reprieve from gardening this week because I felt it was time to connect again with my three little Ch Ch saplings. It is the best feeling ever for a Nana to be welcomed so warmly by little ones, and while out walking with the buggy I do some seed collecting. Continue cutting back and shifting dahlias if you think the tubers may rot, if stalks are strong and tube like cut back leaving enough to bend over, these stalks if left open will allow moisture to build up and sit on the tuber which could also cause rotting.

May is defiantly  the month to remove the old and build up soil for new plantings. Dig compost into ground that has been growing old shrubs & trees. If an old rose has been removed and another is to be planted in the same spot I would remove all of the old soil and replace with soil from another part of the garden. The new rose will not then  be affected by decease remaining in the ground from the previous old rose. Roll on the frosts now I say, to kill bugs and harden up rose wood before the big winter prune in July.

Inland it is time to put protection over plants susceptible to harsh cold like geraniums, pelargonium, daisies,bushes perennial petunias and begonias all of theses will need lifted, potted and placed in the protection of a porch or a sunny conservatory and only given water early in a day to allow time for absorption before the nights chill.

 If you're too late, and you already have frost damaged plants, here is what you do

 Initially nothing

 Leave the dead material there because it will help protect the plant if another freeze comes along.

Wait until the warm weather is here to stay and then see where any new growth is starting to emerge

When you can see new growth, and all chance of frost is gone, then prune off the dead material

Water only enough to keep the damaged plants alive, since they have lost so much foliage, their water requirements will be reduced                                                                                                                                                                              

Wait to fertilise until the plant has put on nice, new growth and is well recovered

Now that most of what needed cut back has been here in my garden and I can now see where each individual plant begins I have started putting supports in place for delphiniums, tall asters and phlox. It is such a pain when I miss doing this and they grow and flop all over the garden.

Vegetables.

Weeds are till growing but small enough to be dug or hoed in adding humus to tired soil. Keep the hoe moving the top soil around to let the warmth of the sun in around growing veg during winter months.

Fruit. 

When to prune:

Apples and pears - prune every (late) winter to ensure a good crop of fruit the following season. Note that sometimes due to seasonal fluctuations, pears become biennial fruiters, fruiting better every second season. 

Feijoas, olives, figs, Chilean guavas and citrus - prune after harvest finishes in autumn or winter. In cold areas, don’t prune citrus until after the frosts have passed. It is not necessary to prune every year.

Nectarines, peaches, almonds and plums - prune in summer or early autumn. These fruits don’t need pruning every season, and it’s important not to prune in winter as it can spread the spores of silver leaf, which these stone fruits are prone to.

Grapes and kiwifruit - prune in winter, back to 3-5 buds and tie back any long new branches or canes to train into shape.

Cherries and blueberries - do not require a lot of pruning, other than to shape and to remove dead or diseased wood. Both fruit on the same wood for years. 

Cheers, Linda