February Garden Tips
Don’t forget…. next month is our ANNUAL SALE, more news coming. We have had a busy month of harvesting potatoes, beans, peas, carrots raspberries, black currents etc. There is the usual story with Read more
GARDEN TIPS for APRIL
Autumn =
Sunshine and Rain – Warm and Cold
Get ready for work in the Garden – This is the time we roll up our sleeves and do a great effort in the whole garden from veges to flowers to trees to bulbs. Also I have made the Salsa recipe (from January Garden Tips) three times now and can highly recommend it. A great way to use large voumes of ripening tomatoes
Enjoy the work out! Plus FREE Bulbs – See below
Edible Garden
- Perfect time for planting winter veges beetroot, broccoli, brussel sprouts cabbages, cauli, silverbeet plus winter lettuces
- Dig out/bag up all of your potatoes/onion now. Harvest pumpkins store in cool dry place
- Autumn is a time to watch out for slugs/snails. Blitzem to control these pests or another option is to sprinkle rotted sawdust around slug loving plants
- Plant citrus, blueberries/raspberries also get ready to prune/tying raspberries now to encourage good fruiting season in summer.
- Sow green crops in cleared areas
Fruit Trees
- Once leaves fall spray with Champ DP Copper Fungicide” This will protect leaf scars from fungal and bacterial infection
- Flowers/Colour – SPECIAL for WEB READERS – Mention you have read the “Garden Tips for April” and you will receive a FREE bag of bulbs for every 3 bags of bulbs you have purchased
- Plant your spring bulbs e.g. daffodils, tulips, hyacinths,. Tip – Chill tulip bulbs in fridge 4 – 6 weeks prior to planting
- Plant in groupings around letterbox/under specimen trees or in the flower garden
- Tip: If planting bulbs in pots, plant bulbs a little later or plant and put pot in colder area
- Avoid using soft bulbs or watch out for old stock
- Don’t forget to feed existing bulb area with bulb food ‘Fiesta bulb plant food’ also use when planting new bulbs
- Annual Flowers: Prepare beds, compost, fertilise – Plant Polyanthus, Pansies, Poppies, Wall flowers etc. for early spring flowering
Roses
- Lightly deadhead roses
- Leave hard pruning for winter
Seeds
- Plant flower seeds now, fertilise with a slow release fertiliser
Garden Clean up
- Rake autumn leaves for compost heap Tip: Avoid using Walnut tree leaves
- Prune hedging to allow new growth to harden off before winter sets inlace fresh pea-straw to help keep garden weed free
Lawns
- Fertilise lawns to keep green – If any bare patches sprinkle a little topsoil and grass seed, water in if the autumn rains haven’t arrived after the sowing
- Autumn is the very best time to form a new lawn/revamp existing one – Ask at Evergreen Garden Centre for tips on creating a new lawn
- Check for grass grub (dead patches in lawn) Apply ‘Soil Insect Killer’ now to control
- Lawn weed problems? Apply Turfix or Versatill for flat weeds and broadleaf
Trees/shrubs
- Fertilise camellias, rhodos, azaleas, Daphne, buxus hedging with “Rhodo fertiliser”
- Hold off from pruning your Rhodos and Camellias – or you will cut off the flowers
- Any potted plants – indoor/outdoor fertilise for autumn flush of growth
- Best time for planting trees and shrubs – While soil is still warm, this encourages root establishment
- Lightly trim hedges/topiary now before the frosts set in.
- Moving plants? – Dig around them but don’t move yet – Tip: – Don’t move plants in flower
- ENJOY The Season -
Christmas in the Garden
A 1/2 wine barrel filled with plants/herbs/flowers is an excellent gift idea. A garden cook book as a gift for the keen gardener means they can transfer what they have grown into delicious dishes or even gifts they can give away too. See below for more Christmas gift ideas. When you are really stuck, a Garden Gift Voucher is a great way to go.
Sometimes weeds are not weeds and STINGING NETTLE is one of those I have discovered that can be transformed into a delicious dip/spread for the summer bar-b-ques
Stinging Nettle Pesto
6 cups of fresh stinging nettle (suggest you use gloves to harvest this) – boiled in a little water for 2 minutes – drain and hold back the liquid (I use this to make a smooth paste if needed)
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 x Garlic Cloves
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Pine nuts or Cashew Nuts
Salt/pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients into blender. This is fabulous for pasta, with crackers and cheese, as a dip. Refrigerate until ready to use or I usually make a double mixture and freeze in small containers.
Edible Garden
- For those who protected their potatoes and other vegetables from the late frosts – start digging up and eating (once flowers start to die off on the potatoes)
- Keep planting lettuce, spring onions and radish
- Pick beans every 2 – 3 days, keep watered
- Tomatoes and corn will be ready late January in a good season or warm site
- Sow sprouting broccoli and cauliflower etc. mid December for planting out in late January – Beware grey aphid and white butterfly
- Stop harvesting asparagus in mid December to allow for root reserves for next season – support with stakes and twine
Prepare Garden For Christmas
- Give flowers from your garden to friends and family
- Enjoy the fruit of your labour on Christmas day – Potatoes, peas (sown mid September), beans, lettuce, carrots, spring onions.
- Enjoy the raspberries, strawberries, black currents for desserts and juice
- Christmas Gift Ideas for the keen gardener: Gloves are a great stocking filler, Pruners, sprinklers, trowel, weeder, stainless steel spade or fork
Irrigation
- Watering systems should be installed to conserve water
- Trickle irrigation is the most economical,
- Time clocks will avoid over watering
- If you have automatic irrigation set for early morning e.g. 5am or late evening e.g. after 9pm
Holiday Care for your Garden
- If going on holiday give the garden a good soak before you take off, or make sure the irrigation system is working well and not leaking, or have sprinklers on a timer system and ask neighbours to turn the timer around if summer is particularly dry
- Mulch is great for keeping the moisture in
- Place potted plants in cool shade behind the house
- A good idea to have lawns mown by family/neighbours – makes the property look lived in.
- If you have a full vegetable/fruit garden, invite friends etc to enjoy rather than waste
Trees/shrubs
- Ensure any newly planted trees/shrubs have sufficient water to help get them established
Lawns
- Water just enough to keep green, browntop and fescue are fairly drought resistant and survive even if browned off
Roses
- Prune to 5 leaf after flowering, watering will encourage flowering
- Fertilise roses with Evergreen Rose Fertiliser to encourage new growth for second flowering
Flowers
- Plant your summer annuals now and enjoy the bright colours this brings to your garden
- Dead head/cut down and fertilise to encourage flowering
- Provide support for Dahlias and Christmas lilies
- Lavender: After flowering, cut back about 1/3, but make sure not to cut back to hard mature wood with no re growth potential.
October – Asparagus with Orange/Ginger Sauce
With spring well on it’s way, we are enjoying the warmer days and not so many shakes in the Christchurch region.
Make the most of the asparagus in your garden with this recipe or just add it raw into salads, quiche or try roasting them too. Have you planted your fruit trees yet? Mention our OCTOBER SPECIAL and get 15% off your fruit trees
Asparagus with Orange Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
- 500gm Asparagus washed and trimmed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice Read more
August – Winter Curried Vegetables
Rain, Rain, Rain….
I know we are tired of the wet miserable days – but the rain has been great for the garden, and when it dries up a little we can go out and enjoy planting for the spring, as the soil is so soft and workable. Use the pea straw to keep in the moisture and smother the weeds
Why not harvest some of the vegetables out of your garden to make this delicious warming vegetable dish. Use to accompany any other dinner dish, or even have on it’s own.
Winter Curried Vegetables
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp each of Mustard Seed, ground cumin and ground corriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
Dash of fish oil (or 1 tsp salt)
3 cups chopped vegetables e.g. carrots, pumpkin, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower
1/4 cup water
