Gardening in North Otago June 15th 2020

Frosty morniing at Rockvale Gardens

Some hard frosts this week which is just the thing for winter gardens. I have been busy with Grandchildren over these School holidays but managed to escape from time to time into the garden to spread leaf mulch and pig manure around before the top layer of pea straw. Any store bought powdered fertilisers would be wasted if used while the garden is resting but compost and well rotted manure will work as a mulch for plant roots which will be taken down by worms to be there when needed in early spring.  Mulch works well on all bare ground and tucked around winter flowering blooms helping to keep ground warmer and smothering annual weed seeds wanting to germinate.  The clean much on offer by our local Pukeuri ( Alliance  Group)  meat works is ideal for this, dry ground will need a wetting if rain hasn't done this before applying.Contact for this mulch is Gregg 0272293215  

How special each new bloom is in a bare winter garden, winter sweet (Chimonanthus praecox) fragile, papery sweet fragrant flowers are a treat along with hellebore's, (winter rose), early camellias, snowdrops and violets. I also have Virginia stock and polyanthus flowering and while the ground is damp and workable have been using a small sharp edged hoe on weeds that frost has been hard on. Where the ground is clear of weeds I have filled gaps with perennial sections taken from clumps that needed broken up and iris rhizomes in groups. Primulas and violas should be well clumped up now after an autumn cut back and because they multiply well  these plants make good borders. First dig out a clump and pull apart, each section with roots will become a new plant to clump up. Trim ragged perennials like cat mint back to the new growth you should be able to see coming through then dig around or mulch to encourage the new roots.
 

Sowing seeds: It is too early for seeds to germinate in the soil however I have sown cottage flower seeds like poppies, cornflower and cosmos in seed trays which are sitting in a sheltered tunnel house, I protect the trays with frost cloth during the cold nights and fingers crossed I hope for a strike.

Vegetables:The earlier mild winter weather was kind to producing vegetable gardens here on the coast, soups will be brimming with the addition of silver beet, broccoli, cauliflower flower, carrots, kale, leeks and all those lovely pumpkins stored before the frosts arrived.  When areas of the veg garden become vacant  spread some compost on and let frost and worms work on soil in readiness for an early spring plant out. In cold areas where ground is frozen start garlic off in containers and plant out later when the ground begins to thaw.

Fruit: If your strawberry patch is  cleared and manured, pot up the runners you plan to keep to establish strong roots before being planted.  Remember 3 or 4 years is long enough for a mature fruiting plant and always choose the runner replacement closest to the Mother plant.

Any major pruning on older out of control fruit trees should be done now while sap is down, but as I have mentioned in previous notes new upward growing growths on apples and espaliered fruit trees should be done in summer when cuts will heal over and not send more growth up around that pruned area. However early to Late Spring is best for Peach trees if they need size reduced or centers opened. Prune off  damaged wood in the early spring, this will allow the wounds to close faster as growth begins and in early spring you should also be able to see how many flower buds have survived the cold weather. Leave young fruit trees to blossom and fruit only removing any damaged wood or crossing branches, mulch all fruit trees now as they have a lot of work ahead of them.

Cheers, Linda 

New strawberry plants bedded for winter.