The Star: May 31, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday May 31 2018 29
Gardening
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Keep veges growing to protect beds
ALTHOUGH THE weather has
cooled, there are still a few tasks
to be done in the garden at this
time of year.
Here are some tips to get you
started.
•Vege gardens – The winter
vege garden should be well
established by now and most of
your seedlings should already be
planted. Continue to sow broad
beans and transplant seedlings
of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli
and silverbeet for a continuous
supply over winter. Sow green
manure crops such as lupin and
mustard in the parts of the vege
garden that will be empty during
the winter months. This will add
nutrients into the soil and protect
beds over winter.
•Strawberries – It’s the
traditional time of the year for
final preparation and planting
of strawberry plants. Areas to
be planted should be mounded
80-100cm above existing ground
level. Incorporate large amounts
of compost into the strawberry
bed. New plants or offsets from
last year’s plants should be
planted 15-20cm apart.
•Fruit trees – Pip and stone
fruit will have shed their leaves
and pruning can now begin. We
do this as early possible with
CHORES: Plant broad beans now for a continuous supply. It’s also time to trim your hedges. There will be little growth over the
winter so they should stay tidy until spring.
pip and stone fruit to avoid the
infection of silver leaf. Remove
all weak and inward growing
branches and reduce the height
of trees to allow for easy picking
and maintenance. After pruning,
spray with a copper compound to
help prevent any re-infection of
fungal diseases.
•Hedges – It’s an ideal time
for a final tidy up and hedge
trims. But remember, there will
be no new growth until spring,
so final trims should not be too
vigorous so the plants don’t stay
bare looking.
•Roses – It is possibly a
little too early for pruning,
and it does depend largely on
the weather. In the meantime,
apply a copper spray to prevent
infection of fungal diseases in
spring. Remove all dead leaves
around the base of the rose
bushes and apply compost as
both a soil conditioner and
mulch.
•Lawns – Grass growth has
now ceased due to the cooler
weather. It is an excellent time
to level lawns with a roller as the
moist soil makes levelling quite
easily.
•Paths and walkways
– Paths around the house and
through the garden can become
very slippery during the winter
months; water blasting can
quickly remedy this problem. In
winter months, we mainly utilise
paths especially when there are
boggy parts in the garden or
lawn. For this reason, you may
wish to consider additional paths
to provide easier access.
•Container gardens –
Brighten up decks and entrances
with containers full of blooming
winter annuals such as cinerarias,
pansies, primulas, snapdragons
and violas.
Finally, check local garden
centres for newly arrived winter
stock of trees and shrubs as
June is a very safe time for
planting.
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