The Star: March 16, 2023
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Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />
Thursday <strong>March</strong> <strong>16</strong> <strong>2023</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong><br />
GARDENING 49<br />
<strong>The</strong> first autumn tasks to tackle<br />
This month we<br />
harvest the last of<br />
the summer crops,<br />
prepare the garden for<br />
winter planting – and<br />
enjoy fresh apples,<br />
passionfruit, grapes and<br />
pears as they ripen<br />
Vegetables<br />
Vegetables to harvest include<br />
beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrots,<br />
celery, corn, cucumber, egg plant,<br />
kumara, lettuce, melons, onions,<br />
potatoes, parsnip, pumpkin,<br />
radish, silver beet, spinach, and<br />
tomatoes.<br />
Note down what vegetables<br />
have been particularly successful<br />
and possibles reasons why so you<br />
can replicate it next season. Also<br />
note where you planted your<br />
crops so you can rotate them next<br />
summer to help maintain levels<br />
of soil nutrition and avoid buildup<br />
of pests and diseases.<br />
Winter vegetables to be planted<br />
in <strong>March</strong> include beetroot, broccoli,<br />
cabbage, cauliflower, carrots,<br />
lettuce, onions, radish, silver beet<br />
and spinach. Before planting out,<br />
add fresh compost to existing soil<br />
and combine thoroughly. Stagger<br />
plantings to spread out the<br />
harvest, giving you a continuous<br />
supply of fresh produce over a<br />
longer period rather than all<br />
at once.<br />
Houseplant care<br />
It’s not the easiest of months<br />
for houseplants as rooms inside<br />
our homes are often very hot<br />
with little air circulation while<br />
owners are at work.<br />
Check houseplants regularly<br />
for signs of stress and/or disease.<br />
Yellowing leaves, dull-green<br />
leaves, or leaves falling are all<br />
signs of poor health. Also check<br />
the position of your houseplants<br />
– are they receiving the same<br />
light as earlier months, or<br />
significantly less – and adjust as<br />
needed.<br />
Flowers<br />
Garden centres are now advertising<br />
new stocks of spring bulbs,<br />
so buy early while the greatest<br />
variety is available.<br />
Anemones and ranunculus,<br />
both of which are available in<br />
single colours as well as mixed<br />
collections, do best in deeply<br />
dug soil enriched with decayed<br />
manure. This will hold moisture,<br />
but to prevent the corms rotting,<br />
improve drainage with a layer of<br />
river gravel about 50cm below<br />
the surface. Plant anemone<br />
corms point down. Newer strains<br />
of ranunculus include a dwarf<br />
form, useful for growing in pots,<br />
although they need to be kept<br />
cool and well-watered to prevent<br />
flower buds shrivelling and coming<br />
to nothing. <strong>The</strong> same is true<br />
of potted tulips.<br />
As perennials die down, they<br />
can be divided, using a knife or<br />
sharp spade. Perennial phlox and<br />
michaelmas daisies are easily<br />
increased in this way.<br />
Hardy annuals sown now will<br />
fill a gap in the garden once the<br />
spring show of bulbs is over.<br />
Plants that look good in the<br />
garden and as cut flowers include<br />
calendula (newer varieties have<br />
peach and cream shades), cornflower,<br />
annual chrysanthemum,<br />
godetia, larkspur, and scabious.<br />
California poppies, although<br />
unsuitable for picking, thrive in<br />
dry, sunny conditions. As well<br />
as the common orange one, seen<br />
growing wild on river gravels and<br />
on roadsides in parts of the South<br />
Island, there are pink, rose and<br />
cream single and double forms.<br />
Border plants to sow now<br />
where they are to flower next<br />
season include viscaria, alyssum,<br />
perennial german statice (Limonium<br />
tataricum) white smoke,<br />
annual pink pokers statice (L.<br />
suwarowii) and candytuft (Iberis<br />
umbellata). Sow seed on a fine<br />
day, after raking the soil surface<br />
to a fine crumb and watering it.<br />
Cover seed lightly. As seedlings<br />
appear, thin them out so each<br />
plant can develop and harden up<br />
before cold days and harsh winds<br />
settle in.<br />
Fruit<br />
Harvest the last of maturing<br />
peaches. Apples and pears, passionfruit<br />
and edible grapes are<br />
AUTUMN: <strong>March</strong> is a<br />
great time to plant winter<br />
vegetables while enjoying<br />
fresh grapes, apples and<br />
pears.<br />
also maturing and will soon be<br />
ready to eat. Leave fruit on the<br />
plant as long as possible to get<br />
full tree ripe flavour.<br />
Maintain a copper spray on<br />
citrus trees to prevent melanose<br />
and verrucosis (citrus scab), two<br />
common fungal citrus diseases.<br />
Strawberries can still be planted,<br />
although the crop produced<br />
next summer will be smaller<br />
than that from young plants set<br />
out earlier in the month.<br />
June or July is the best time to<br />
transplant fruit trees and garden<br />
shrubs, but it pays to get them<br />
ready for the shift now. This<br />
is done by wrenching, slicing<br />
through the soil with a sharp<br />
spade to cut a portion of the<br />
roots.<br />
HEARTY: It’s not too late to plant brassicas such as broccoli.<br />
To decide where to cut, go out<br />
from the main stem or trunk to<br />
about a third of the distance the<br />
branches spread, then cut about<br />
halfway around the plant and<br />
under the cut as far as the spade<br />
will reach.<br />
<strong>The</strong> uninjured roots maintain<br />
the plants food supply, while the<br />
severed roots begin to form new<br />
rootlets.<br />
When the plant is lifted in a<br />
couple of months time, enough<br />
fibrous roots will have formed<br />
after wrenching to take in water<br />
as soon as the plant is in its new<br />
position.<br />
Roses<br />
Depending on the varieties<br />
grown, <strong>March</strong> can bring mixed<br />
results in the rose garden. Maintain<br />
the health of the plants by<br />
mulching, regular deep-watering<br />
and constantly dead-heading<br />
finished flowers.<br />
Garden hygiene remains very<br />
important. Remove all fallen<br />
leaves from the rose garden, as<br />
this helps reduce the amount of<br />
reinfection with black spot and<br />
rust.<br />
Herbs<br />
This month some herbs will<br />
start flowering, so cut off young<br />
flowers to prolong growth of the<br />
plant. <strong>March</strong> is the perfect month<br />
to cut and dry herbs for use over<br />
the winter months. With very<br />
vigorous growing herbs, cut back<br />
regularly, even if you are not using<br />
them.<br />
Lawns<br />
Autumn is an important<br />
season for lawn care – warm soil<br />
and regular rainfall provides an<br />
ideal environment for new grass<br />
seed to germinate so tackle any<br />
problems such as thinning or<br />
patches or sow a new lawn.<br />
Feed existing lawns with<br />
Daltons premium lawn fertiliser<br />
this month and continue through<br />
till late April. This provides<br />
essential nutrients for healthy<br />
growth in the spring.<br />
• For more gardening<br />
advice or information on<br />
products please visit<br />
www.daltons.co.nz<br />
BIG SPECIALS<br />
ALL DISCOUNTED<br />
Please wear appropriate footwear<br />
10 <strong>March</strong><br />
to 26 <strong>March</strong><br />
<strong>2023</strong><br />
MARCH<br />
Autumn Sale<br />
913 Shands Road<br />
Just south of the Selwyn Road / Shands Road intersection<br />
T: 03 349 9240 E: info@allwood.co.nz<br />
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