Selwyn_Times: December 13, 2023

Selwyn Times Wednesday December 13 2023
30
GARDENING
Vegetables
Watering and weeding are the
principal tasks in the garden over
the next two months. Hoeing,
if carried out systematically,
helps retain moisture, as well as
destroying weeds and weed seeds,
reducing hours of labour later.
Water thoroughly, or not at all.
Light sprinkling will bring roots
close to the surface, where they
dry out quickly in hot conditions.
Peas and runner beans will
need support. For peas, a piece
of netting, with stakes driven
through at intervals, is durable
and will last for years. For runner
beans, which can twine around
any support given, join three or
four straight poles together in a
teepee shape, then run twine or
flax strips around at intervals to
strengthen the teepee and give the
beans something to cling to.
As onions and potatoes reach
maturity, watering should taper
off to let crops dry.
Autumn-sown onions will have
bulbs forming. To ensure they
mature properly, allow them to
swell above the ground. If necessary,
gently shift the soil to expose
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Preparing your garden for summer
Canterbury
Timber & Hardware
the bulbs to sun and air.
Radishes give best results in
rich, but manure-free, soil that
stays cool over summer. Soil
should be as fine as possible. Sow
seed thinly (50mm apart), 50mm
deep, in rows about 15cm apart.
Gently firm soil after sowing.
Flowers
Dahlias can flower from January
for months, until the frost
knocks them back. Hoe carefully
around dahlias and apply a top
dressing of compost or wellrotted
manure. Sturdy stakes can
be inserted to provide support.
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Liquid manure will improve the
size of dahlia blooms.
Wallflowers and other bedding
biennials may still be sown in rich
soil.
Delphiniums will be sending up
strong, flowering spikes and will
respond to weak liquid manure.
Make your own by putting a
small bag of animal manure in a
bucket of water. Mesh onion bags
are good for holding manure.
Cover the bucket and leave for
two weeks. To use, dilute the soup
to the colour of straw, then apply
around the base of plants every
Watering tips
• Water roots not foliage. Plants take in
water through the root zone so watering
the foliage is unnecessary and can cause
leaf burning. Water in the morning or
early evening, avoiding the heat in the
middle of the day.
• It’s best to water deeply once or twice
a week rather than a little each day. It is
wasteful to apply water faster than the
soil can soak it in.
• Check leaking hoses or taps; they can
waste a lot of water. A dripping tap can
leak up to 10 litres of water a day. Water
the garden, not the driveway, path or
paved areas.
• Use a soak hose in garden beds rather
than a sprinkler. When planting, group
plants together with similar water needs.
This will also help simplify the design of
two to three days.
Fruit
Tomatoes must be regularly
checked for disease. If narrow,
fern-like leaves develop, or plants
look stunted, they may be infected
with a virus. Pull plants out
immediately and destroy them.
Potato blight can attack
tomatoes, too. Control by using
copper oxychloride spray,
followed by regular use of tomato
spray. Avoid using any sprays in
hot sunshine. Keep whitefly at bay
in the glasshouse by spraying with
neem oil.
– ODT
PHOTO: GETTY
an automatic watering system.
• Phone a friend – if you are away
over the holiday season ask a friend or
neighbour to pop in and water your
colourful treasures.