Gardening in North Otago 28th September 2022

Dahlias for summer colour.

October’s a rewarding month in the garden, seeds sown will be popping up and seedlings planted making good growth. There is a lot now on offer in plant outlets and plenty to enjoy and do in the garden. During the many years I have been a Gardener gardening methods have gone through changes, digging soil and digging in compost was encouraged in the early days with ongoing weeding soil between plants. Then mulching bare soil between plants became the thing. Now Gardeners are encouraged to fill gardens with planting, allowing no gaps and keeping soil structure in tack by composting on top of soil to be taken down by hard working worms. This is the practice I have preferred for many years with good results, especially through the drying summer months. Close planting shades plant roots and mulching retains ground moisture, undisturbed soil is how nature meant it to be. Direct drilling on farm land allows soil structure to stay intact, the next step now would be to move away from mono plant crops by including mixed plant species in rows through or around cropping pastures. Predators of insect crop pests would be encouraged and chemical pest spraying reduced, then hopefully someday eliminated. Lavenders are out there for sale again, all flowering and looking good. These lavenders will have been encouraged to flower so what I do when I buy one is cut most of the flowers off to give the roots a good chance to establish. If flowers are left they want to make seed which takes a lot out of a new plant. Lavenders in the garden can be cut back if woody as new growth is pushing out now. Tip cuttings of fuchsia, hebe's, and chrysanthemum can be taken now, as long as stems snap off when bent they will be ready, if they don't then they are still too soft. Once snapped off, push into river sand to develop roots. Chrysanthemums will not flower until Autumn and most grow too tall. Chrysanthemums are not pruned, instead When a plant reaches 6 inches tall in spring, simply pinch off 1 inch of each shoot. throughout the growing season to encourage plants to branch out, become fuller and offer more blooms. Prune fuchsias back now and they will make new fresh growth, they flower on their new wood so can be taken well back. It is too early to trim box hedge, wait until spring growth has finished as you only want to trim once. It's time to think about Dahlias in the garden for summer color. If you have a sunny spot that needs a bit of brightening up, how about putting in a few dahlia tubers? They come in beautiful shades and varieties, Tall, medium and dwarf and are just starting to make a move now. If you want colour to continue in your garden when the Rhododendrons have finished, dahlias will do the trick. Tubas are on offer now in shops, choose some and plant in a sunny, free draining spot. Dahlia tubers will rot if planted in ground that stays wet. Peony roses & Hosta's are on the move, peony roses like all day sun, no overhead shading, this is the time to put in wire rings to hold stems as they grow. Hostas prefer shade and moist conditions. Slugs and snails LOVE eating hostas so while they are still not fully grown surround stems with sharp gravel or clippings of prickly plants. Still too cold to plant out most summer flowering annuals even though we are getting warmer days but they can be potted up and grown on in a sheltered place until the soil and nights are warm enough. Lawns are growing well now, keep the catcher up and have lawn fertiliser ready to apply during the next rain. Vegetable growing is on the go again as it's the perfect time to start growing food, salad greens, peas, carrots, brassicas grown in rotation will keep your supply up and save you money. I plant a few veg seedlings every second week so they will mature at different times. Potatoes are another easy to grow money saver. Prepared soil and dig straight, shallow trenches, 2 to 3 feet apart. Plant 12 inches apart, and cover with a good amount of soil. When new green leaves reach 10 to 12 inches tall, mound soil up against the leaf shoots, burying stems halfway. Mounding will help protect potatoes from the elements. To avoid blight water soil not the foliage. When watering, water the soil not the foliage to avoid blight. Be vigilant and stop unwanted insects and diseases from ruining your plants. Tunnel and glass houses should be ready to plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumber along with a scatter of marigold seed to flower and help with white fly. Cheers, Linda.

Early plantings in the glass house.