The Star: March 16, 2017

The Star 35
Gardening
Latest Christchurch news at www.
Still time to plant winter vegetables
.kiwi
Thursday March 16 2017
PLANT: Get your autumn/winter
vegetable crops in now.
For more
gardening
inspiration,
pick up the
latest issue of
kiwigardener
AUTUMN IS a great time for
catching up on garden chores
and to plan and plant before
winter arrives.
For vegetable lovers, if you
haven’t started already then
get in quick and sow your autumn/winter
vegetable crops.
First, prepare the soil and add
in manure. Also, ensure you
keep young plants protected
from slugs and snails.
If you are not planting in
your vege garden, don’t leave
the beds empty. Sow a “green
manure or cover crop” to add
nutrients into the soil and
protect beds.
Sow green crops directly.
Once grown, dig them back
into the soil and leave to
break down for six to eight
weeks before planting. Alternatively,
“blanket cover”
beds by applying a thick layer
of mulch, autumn leaves, or
wood chip.
Summer herb gardens are
coming to an end as many
perennial herbs start flowering
and then produce seed in
autumn. This does not mean
you cannot have a winter herb
garden, however, you may
need to plant fresh specimens
VARIATIONS: Always label where bulbs are in the garden
so they are not accidently dug up.
at this time of year. Cut back
herbs like mint, sage, rosemary
and thyme to promote
new fresh growth.
Keep planting bulbs. There
are many different varieties
available to give variations
in height and colour in the
garden or containers. Always
label where the bulbs are in
the garden so they are not
damaged or accidently dug up
when dormant over winter.
When autumn rains arrive,
the renovation of existing
lawns or the laying of new
lawns can begin. When
preparing your site for a new
lawn, it is advisable to have
a slight slope to allow water
to run off, thereby avoiding
puddling.
A handy tip is to sow a
mixture of grass seed as this
provides a better all-yearround
lawn. With existing
lawns, fertiliser can be applied
and watered in well. When
irrigating your lawn, carry out
this in the cooler part of the
day to maximise water usage.
Prune peach and nectarine
trees that have finished cropping.
Remove old wood and
retain enough new seasons
growth for next season’s fruit.
It’s always a good idea to
maintain tree height at 2m to
3m to allow for easier picking,
and for netting if birds become
a problem next season.
If you are planning on adding
trees to your garden this
year, planting during autumn/
early winter is ideal so your
tree has enough time to establish
a good root system before
summer.
Firstly think about where
you want your trees to go in
the garden and what you want
them to achieve ie: provide
shelter/privacy, ornamental or
provide fruit. It is important
to select varieties that suit
your climate, especially with
fruit trees.
Container gardens are a very
simple and effective approach
to adding colour and interest
to your property throughout
the year. Containers can be
replanted at regular intervals
with flowering annuals.
In larger containers, bulbs
can be planted to emerge
through flowering annuals in
spring for maximum impact.
•More gardening, p36 & 37
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