The Star: October 26, 2022

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday October 26 2023 The Star
GARDENING 23
Plant pumpkins and prune poppies now
Vegetables
Given rich soil, zucchini,
marrows and pumpkin are easily
grown in the home garden.
Pumpkins need a hot, dry
summer to do well, so this year
looks promising for harvest.
Bush marrows, such as Cocozelle
di Napoli, require less room than
the trailing types but zucchini
are more popular than marrows,
so seed of the latter can be
difficult to obtain.
Sow the seeds now in pots or
seed boxes. Mini greenhouses,
a little like an old-fashioned
cold frame, are ideal for these
tender vegetables, as is a
bottomless box, with a square
of glass set over the top and
placed in the warmest part of
the garden. Plants can be put in
their permanent place from the
end of the month, or once the
likelihood of frost has passed.
When fruits form, liquid manure
will encourage good growth.
Watering is needed only when
the soil is dry in the plants’
earlier stages.
Celery can be sown in the
same way as marrows or pumpkins.
Trenches can be prepared
now for planting out early in
December. Dump plenty of manure
in the bottom of the trench
and top with soil but leave the
surface 5cm to 10cm lower than
the surrounding garden to help
retain moisture, as celery will
quickly go to seed if the ground
dries out.
Flowers
Outdoor fuchsias, Californian
tree poppy (Romneya coulteri)
and willows grown for bark
effects can be pruned now. Cut
them hard, trimming last year’s
growth close to older wood.
Young, rooted pieces can be
taken from the outside of violet
plants and the central portion of
old clumps discarded. Violets do
best in partial shade with rich,
heavy soil.
Herbaceous perennials, such as
Michaelmas daisies, can still be
increased by taking side growths
with a few roots attached.
Hardy annuals can be sown
outdoors this month. Clarkia,
Asters, nasturtiums, Calendula
and sweet peas are good options.
Dwarf sweet peas do not need
staking. Little Sweetheart is one
of the smallest, growing to 25cm,
making it suitable for bedding,
pots and hanging baskets. The soil
for sweet peas should be welllimed
and the ground worked to a
fine crumb. Phosphate worked into
the soil (30g per sq m) will give the
seedlings a good start and a sturdy
root system.
Lawns that have become
patchy because of grass grub
damage or the removal of weeds
on a large scale can be brought
back to order with a dressing
now of one part superphosphate,
three parts sulphate of ammonia
mixed and spread at the rate of
30g per sq m. Apply this mix
now and in early autumn as
growth restarts after summer.
Mossy soil can be dressed with
the same mixture, with the addition
of a half-part of sulphate
of iron to suppress moss. Some
damage to the leaves of nearby
grass will appear, but recovery is
quick.
Dwarf annuals for a rockery
or the front of garden beds
include Phacelia (blue shades),
Nemophila (blue), Linum
grandiflorum and Limnanthes
(yellow). Linaria produces
flowers resembling miniature
PREPARE:
Plants can be put
in their permanent
place from the end
of the month as
we near frost-free
mornings.
Pumpkins can
be planted, and
poppies – such as
the Californian tree
poppy – should be
pruned now.
PHOTOS: GETTY
snapdragon on slender stems,
15cm-25cm high.
Fruit
Tomatoes can be planted now
in unheated greenhouses. The
ground or container mixture
does not need to be over-rich, as
fertilisers applied when the fruits
set will provide a heavy crop to
the ripening stage.
The soil must be free from
disease, though, and growing
tomatoes in pots or bags of
new mix each season is recommended.
In autumn, put the soil
on the vegetable garden. Avoid
over-watering young tomato
plants during the first few weeks,
as this can damage their roots.
ORCHID
SALE
ONE DAY ONLY
Saturday 28th October
9am – 5pm
Sales from Local & Nationwide Growers
Eftpos
available for
plant sales
Admission $2
Cash entry
Canterbury
Mineral & Lapidary Club Hall
110 Waltham Rd
oN sAle Now!
Now only
$35.80
Plus $5 P&H per copy
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Addington, Christchurch
Phone 379 7100
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