The Star: October 24, 2019

EVEN THOUGH it has been a
wet October there are plenty of
tasks to do in the garden.
All summer vegetables should
now have been planted. This
includes beans, beetroot, cabbage,
celery, corn, cucumber, lettuce,
courgettes, spring onions, peas,
pumpkin, radish, spinach,
tomatoes, silverbeet and
kumara.
Make sure your developing
vegetables are well watered – with
the recent rain be careful not to
over water.
Continue to ‘lateral’ (nip out
shoots that appear between the
junction of a leaf and the stem)
tomatoes and tie them to stakes
for support. Keep staggering
your vegetable plantings for
continuous cropping over the
season.
New season herbs should also
be planted in the next two weeks.
It’s now safe to plant herbs like
basil and coriander as the chance
of frost is minimal. Remember
herbs grow best in a fine, welldrained
soil in full sun. They
struggle in heavy clay soil and in
shady parts of the garden.
Often the best month for roses,
full, clean blooms are growing
on healthy plants. Side dress with
fertiliser every 4-6 weeks. Dead
head regularly to aid continuous
blooming.
For hedges, aim to trim them
‘a little and often’– they are best
trimmed after a flush of new
season growth. Water and fertilise
plants regularly to help achieve
a strong dense hedge. This is
especially important with newly
planted hedges.
Mulching is incredibly
important over the next few
months to keep your garden
healthy.
The best mulch is a form of
organic matter that is applied as
a layer on top of your soil in your
garden, around plants, trees, and
especially in your pots, to help
protect them against the elements
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Don’t let wet ground stop you gardening
and retain moisture.
Timing the application of
mulch is very important and
it’s better to wait until soil
temperatures have risen. In the
colder areas of New Zealand;
such as parts of the South
Island, apply mulch in mid-late
November. In warmer regions,
mulch can be applied from now
until early November.
This is the last month to sow or
patch large parts of your existing
lawn before it becomes too dry.
For a lush green lawn, fertilise
regularly with fertiliser and water
it in well.
Thursday October 24 2019 The Star
GARDENING 31
Clockwise: It’s time to fertilise your
lawn, trim hedges and apply plenty
of mulch to your garden.
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