Gardening in North Otago April 1st 2020

Seed germinated 

ready to prick out at this size

Potted up into punnets

April like no other we have ever know, when Gardening will be a productive home activity for all ages. Lets get our gardens producing like never before here in North Otago..
Main ingredient is weed free dirt, added assistant, self raising mix, seeds / seedlings. That's it for raising seeds in fruit trays, ( large white type that arrive at a Supermarket ) as well as the small see through type with holes bottom and top, egg cartons, Ice cream container bottoms (hole punched) for drainage.

Method: half fill containers with dirt then a layer of seed raising mix to plant and cover seeds in. Leave in a well lit spot for germination which at this time of the year is around a fortnight. Water only lightly if dry on top until small seedlings make an appearance. Leave until leaves are fully shaped then prick out and pot up into punnets or small pots before stems stretch from the mix towards the light.Potting up, I use a mix of compost and potting mix for seedlings to make roots in. When seedlings have filled each small punnet compartment, veg and annual flowers will be ready to plant in the garden, perennials will need potted into pots to grow on. An over abundance of seedlings or produced veg are great to share.

Thank goodness Autumn is such a beautiful time, a lovely distraction which has to be good for the soul. However when those brilliant leaves fall we need to deal to them so rakes will be on the go now. Thick carpets of leaves on gardens may be more harm than good because they can create a rain shield making a garden even drier. A thin layer is fine but rake piles off and use on the compost or dispose of but keep some back to make leaf mulch, if gardens need humus leaf mulch is an answer.

Leaf mulch: fill a plastic rubbish bag inside an empty rubbish container. Fill with leaves,

( running over them with a lawn mower will speed things up), compact leaves firmly shaking from time to time to remove air from sides. Take full bag from rubbish container and tie closed leaving a hole to insert a hose, poke holes all over the bag for worms to find a way in. Soak leaves with inserted hose then leave in an open area on bare ground for 6 months before using. If it smells like the forest floor after rain it is ready to add to gardens.

Feed rhododendron, azaleas, & camellias with fertiliser mixed especially for them and water in to boost them for spring flowering

Lily bulbs will become available this month and can be planted from now until June.

Vegetables:
Time to dig up and divide Rhubarb crowns, mixing in heaps of compost before replanting and a good time for sowing of winter veg. Fill the top of a shallow pot with Spring Onions and pull them as they’re needed. Harvest Pumpkins and corn this month  remembering not to remove the stalk from the Pumpkin, this stops it from rotting.

Fruit: Still harvesting apples, quince and late peaches plus gathering walnuts during April but Easter egg group gatherings will not be as they have been in the past, still Children should be able to hunt around the garden at home so will not miss out on Easter bunny.