Gardening in Waitaki March 29th 2023

April now with these last days of March feeling like July, Brrrrrrrrrrrrr, what a shock to the system not only for Gardeners but for gardens as well. I could almost see the dahlias shivering, and now we wait to see if it has had an effect as dahlias will collapse with frost. Easter break is a good time to get work done around gardens, if weather allows. Autumn is known to be the ripening season as plants begin to harden as winter approaches, seeds, fruit and veg harvest time and a lot of cutting back. However the rain and cold we have experienced changes the normal. Blooms and seed heads have been damaged for seed collection but most fruit will have been harvested before the cold snap, apples and pears will hang on trees into winter. Autumn rain holds back leaf colour and drop, keeping the rake up ongoing. When leaves do change and fall we need to deal with them. Thick carpets of leaves on gardens may do more harm than good because they can create a rain shield keeping a winter garden dry. A thin leaf layer is fine and will break down but rake piles off and use in compost or bag and make leaf mulch. All gardens need humus and leaf mulch is an answer. Leaf mulch: fill a plastic rubbish bag inside an empty rubbish container. Fill with leaves that have been run over with a lawn mower, pack in shredded leaves shaking from time to time to remove air from the sides. Take the full bag from the rubbish container and tie closed leaving a hole to insert a hose, poke holes around sides and at the bottom of the bag for worms to find a way in. Soak leaves with inserted hose then leave bags 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 & camellias with fertiliser mixed especially for them and water in to boost them for spring flowering. (Azaleas are fed when finished flowering) Lily bulbs can be divided now and will be on sale this month, they 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 winter veg. Harvest Pumpkins and corn this month remembering not to remove the stalk from the Pumpkin, this stops it from rotting. Spring onion seed sown in a pot in a sheltered place can be pulled as they’re needed and will keep growing through winter. Fruit: Still harvesting apples, quince and late peaches plus gathering walnuts during April and Easter egg hunts will be on again. Cheers, Linda.