It’s not all doom and gloom in the garden despite the wet and cold weather, and even in the South Island where our growing friends have been experiencing snow, there are some things that can be done to get your spring garden under way.
Terra Viva Home and Garden owner, Peter Worsp, based in Burnside, Christchurch, says garlic seeds are selling out with gardeners getting them in the ground and many retailers are now selling sprouted garlic punnets. These can go in the ground now and are frost-tolerant, if the ground isn’t frozen solid.
Some stores are even selling tomato seeds and seedlings already (not Terra Viva), but definitely don’t put these outside just yet. They are frost tender and will die in cold winds and frosty nights and, at the least, won’t grow. Peter suggests keeping them warm somewhere inside by a window. But definitely don’t do this in summer as the window acts like a magnifying glass and will burn the plant. But you can get them started now indoors, for sure.
Seed potatoes are already in store and should be chitted now in a darkish place like a garage or shed and will be ready to go out in late August/early September when it starts warming up and the days become longer with more sunshine hours (although, right now understandably, it feels like we’ll never see the sun again). Wait until the sprouts are about 10-20mm and remove all but the strongest two or three before planting. You probably don’t want them any longer than that as they are likely to break off at planting.
Lettuce can be planted out, but you probably won’t see much leaf growth just yet, although the roots will be developing so when it warms up they will take off. And chives and garlic chives can be started. But best practice, plant away from frosts and protect with cloches, or start indoors. Depending on where you are in the country, the warmer areas, most herbs can also be planted out, such as dill, mint and coriander. Peter says you can often be guided by what is available in garden centres, and seek their advice.
GEORGE HEARD/FAIRFAX NZ/Stuff
Terra Viva owner Peter Worsp says tomato seedlings, if available, can be kept inside beside a window, but it’s too cold to plant them outside.
It is also a good time to be planting fruit trees and most retailers will have new supplies of apples, pears, peaches and nectarines. And make sure you get your apple and pear trees pruned now.
Peter says other jobs gardeners should be doing are pruning roses by no later than mid-August and spraying them with copper and oil. And all the dahlia tubers are now in shops as well, so get planting.
Start preparing your kūmara shoots
NZ Gardener deputy editor Mei Leng Wong is already sprouting her kūmara shoots. She suggests placing a tuber in a container, such as a glass, and filling it till half the tuber is covered with water.
Stuff
Prepare kūmara slips (known as tupu in Maori) by popping half a mid-sized tuber in water (or you could also put in a bed of sand), and pinch off shoots as they sprout from the tuber. Pop the shoots in water until they develop their own roots, and you can plant them in the ground in spring.
Place the tuber by a window and keep an eye on the water level as it evaporates. In about 3-4 weeks roots will develop, followed by shoots. Once the shoots are about 12-13cm pinch them off the tuber and place in another glass of water to allow them to develop roots.
One danger of this practice is that you may end up using all the drinking glasses in the house to the dismay of thirsty family members.
The first sign of kōwhai flower is a good cue that it is time to plant out your kūmara, although one of my gardening mentors, Tevita Kaufusi, a master planter of kūmara plantations, always made me wait until November to plant shoots for a March/April harvest.
Sally Tagg/NZ Gardener/Stuff
Kūmara shoots grow in an old bath in a sheltered area of Fa’aleagaina Malo’s Māngere garden all year round.
Design that spring garden now
Whether you’re starting with a collection of potted herbs or gardening on a quarter-acre section, there’s one thing all practised gardeners will advise before you start: plan.
NZ Gardener special edition Grow More, Spend Less has whole sections on designing your garden, including length, width and height, raised beds or no-dig gardening, pet proofing, crop rotation, the use of containers, and the path the sun follows during the day. Some plants want full sun all day, while others need shade and partial shade. So do your research and watch for the signs. Remember, the sun will be higher in the sky during summer, so less shade than in winter.
And apart from the cost in dollars, there’s also a cost in time. American gardener and author Nicole Burke estimates it takes 1.5 minutes per square foot (30cm) a week to maintain a garden. So if you have a 25-square-foot garden (7.6sqm), you’ll need about 40 minutes a week to tend to it. If you decide on a much bigger garden, well, you can do the math.
Gardening by the moon
August 5-6: Sow root crops including early potatoes in frost-free areas. August 7-11: Relax, there’s nothing much to be done, save weeding.
Gardening by the maramataka
We will enjoy two full moons this month – on the nights of the 1st and of the 30th so we recognise they represent the coldest nights, possible frosts and in this case are guarding the month as sentinels. This is a sign of a cold month overall. It is also the month that we start to see the tohu (cues) that spring is imminent. Watch for signs of early flowering, lack or masses of flowering, new shoots, bird and insect behaviour to initiate our preparation for kōanga (spring). But first, we need to see out the winter. In te reo, the prefix “here” means to bind or support and this month, Hereturikōkā, is prone to winds, especially during the third week of the month. The māra therefore will need your support to ensure plants are stable and not damaged. Pruning should be complete by now (that is part of the support against the winds) and waste material taken away. In the north, establish the early tāpapa (kūmara beds) to initiate the season tipū for planting around October. Dr Nick Roskruge
