judithhalford's blog

Gardening Jobs for November 2017 by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 21:22:11 +0000

# Continue to plant tomatoes, peppers, kumara, cucumbers and all those vegetables that like it warm.

# Mound up your potatoes. Any potato tubers on the surface will go green and then not edible.

# Sow sweet corn and bean seeds directly into the ground. Watch for slugs and snails on your beans, they love them. Sweet corn produce better if planted in a block.

# Feed tomato plants with a specific fertiliser, high in potash. Also take out laterals and tie plants up a stake, carefully.

# Cover berry fruit with bird netting, as the birds will find them, as they colour up. Keep plants watered and well fed.

# Tie or support new growth on climbing roses, dahlias and delphiniums.

# Spray lawns now for prickle weed and don’t forget to do it again in the autumn.

# Trim hedges now and they will stay tidy over the summer.

Gardening Jobs for October 2018 by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 20:23:26 +0000

# Longer days are welcomed and warmer temperatures[we hope]

# October is a busy month, particularly in the vegetable garden. But be warned, some things prefer it quite warm so wait until end of month.

# Start to fertilise…as with warmer soils and moisture plants put on good growth, especially citrus, roses and fruit trees.

# Sow carrot and parsnip seed. Put a board on row of parsnip. This keeps them moist during germination. Don’t forget to take it off after 10 days. Take time to sow carrots or use seed tapes so you don’t have to thin.

# Sow pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini etc. seeds in peat pots in warm spot, too plant out at end of month, without having to disturb them.

# Still time to plant a few potatoes for Christmas dinner. Choose a variety that matures in 80 to 90days e.g Allura, Jersey Benne, Purple Passion or Rocket.

# Give garlic a feed of liquid food or worm wee every 3 weeks to ensure a bumper size clump.

# Be on bug patrol. Slugs and snails, and aphids can be quietly destroying your treasures.

# Labour weekend is the traditional time to plant tomatoes, cucumbers and kumara, and this is still the case.

# Fertilise and spray lawns. Don’t cut lawns too low. Raise lawnmower blades and mow more often.

# Enjoy this busy time….

Gardening Jobs in August 2018 by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 19:58:31 +0000

# When the soil dries out, continue to prune roses. Spray with a mix of spraying oil and Copper. This seals the cuts and smoothes scale and fungi.

# Plant new roses, trees and berries.

# Think about where you could plant some vegetables as we are approaching spring. Even if it’s only a couple of lettuce and silver beet plants. It always tastes better when you have grown it yourself.

# Fertilise roses, citrus and fruit trees. Take care to keep fertilizer away from the trunk, and water in well.

# Green tip or early bud movement, begins in stone fruits, soon. Spray with copper to protect from leaf curl and bladder plum.

# Wood ash can be sprinkle sparingly on gardens and raked in, but NOT near camellias, rhodos. and other acid loving plants.

# Summer bulbs like, dahlias, gladioli and tuberous begonias become available in August.

# Give your wild birds a treat…a seed bell, special seed cakes or sugar water for the Tui, [a cup of sugar dissolved in 1 litre of warm water], as their food supply is limited at this time of the year.Better still, plant plants that will feed them at this time, such as single flowered varieties of Camellia, Kowhai Dragons Gold, Prunus campanulata varieties, Grevilleas and Crap apple trees.

Gardening Jobs for July 2017 by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 05:55:04 +0000

# Enjoy the scents of winter, Daphne and Winter Sweet. Pick the flowers to prune, encouraging new growth and therefore flowers for next year.

# The shortest day has past but still time to plant your garlic. Push each clove into the soil, about finger length and the point facing up.

# Plant new fruit trees…plums, peaches pears etc.

# Purchase new and plant replacement roses. Remember to remove soil where old rose was and replace with rose compost. When planting a new rose bed add lots of compost and use slow release fertiliser under each plant. This will begin to work as the soil warms up in spring.

# Sharpen, clean[with hot soapy water], and oil secateurs and loppers for your rose pruning.Avoid walking on garden beds when very wet.

# Prune gooseberry, blackcurrants, grapes raspberries and rambling boysenberries.

# Pipfruit, [apples and pears] generally have a central leader with several tiers of branches. They fruit on spurs and these will fruit for many years, so cut back new upright growth to a couple of buds, that will form spurs.

# Citrus can have a black sooty mould over leaves and stems. This fungus is growing on the sugars which have come out of the plant where the scale insects have damaged the cuticle of the leaf. Spray with spraying oil, which will smoother these pests. You will have to spray several times.

# Plant flowering polyanthus in dull areas, or in containers.

Gardening Jobs for June 2017 by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Thu, 25 May 2017 21:24:53 +0000

# Rake up leaves so they don’t kill your lawn grasses. Piling these on bare soil in the garden beds. Stops weeds growing and encourages worm activity and when rotted, they help boast your soils organic matter. Can also fill plastic rubbish bags, moisten, tie the top and leave behind the garden shed until spring. Turn bag every now and then.# Move cymbidiums orchids into more sun, but out of frosts and watch flowers unfold.

# New season roses are in garden centres in early June. Be in quick for those old favourites. Don’t prune roses until July.

# Plant and transplant lily bulbs. They do well in containers as they require good drainage. Plant Christmas Lilies now.

# Sow a green manure crop of lupins or mustard in vegetable ground, that is spare over winter.

# Plant shallots, garlic, red and white onion plants for summer harvesting.

# Hurry and finish spring bulb planting. Don’t forget those tulips you put in the fridge to chill.

# Have a general tidy up and weed gardens before winter makes the soil wet and cold to work in.

# Plant strawberries on mounds with lots of compost.

# Enjoy reading gardening books on the wet cold days to inspire you when spring comes.

Gardening Jobs for May by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Mon, 01 May 2017 05:43:59 +0000

# With moist weather seedling weeds will appear, so hoe or fork out and allow to die in the sun.

# Cut down tops of asparagus and give good dressing of general fertiliser.

#Plant spring maturing cabbage, cauli, silver beet, spinach, Kale and broccoli seedlings. Continue to liquid feed leeks, they love worm wee.

# Sow lupin or mustard seed, in vacant areas, digging plants into the soil in early spring to boost fertility.

# Prepare ground for onion seedlings and garlic, digging in compost and sheep pellets.

#May is the last month to plant spring flowering bulbs, before the soil gets too cold.

#Get ready to put frost cloth over frost tender plants or move pots to a sheltered position.

#Collect fallen leaves and add to compost or use as mulch on the garden.

# Lily bulbs will be available in garden centre in May.

# Plant up empty pots and hanging baskets with pansy, viola or primula, which will flower during winter.

Gardening Jobs for March by Judith Halford

judithhalford — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 07:46:48 +0000

# Harvesting, tidying and thinking winter are the main things.

# You can still plant carrots, parsnip, turnips and broad bean seeds. Plant brassicas again now as the white butterfly are not such a problem as the temperatures cool down. But caterpillars will still be hatching and eating, so spray with pyrethrum or target. Pyrethrum is a good natural spray for caterpillars but must be applied in the evening as it breaks down with the UV rays.

# Plant leeks, lettuce[during the cold they grow OK but are a little coarse as they are growing slower but still good to plant and pick a leak or 2 as required. Mizuna and Coriander are good to grow during the winter and can spice up a winter salad. Kale, Bok Choy and Spinach are good quick growing greens for the cooler times.

# Early autumn is a good time to feed winter and spring fruit producers, especially citrus. It is a good idea to use citrus fertilizer and then mulch with a bag of organic compost.

# Feijoa and citrus trees[lemon, mandarins, oranges etc] are all available to plant now.

# Sow lupin or mustard seed in areas of your vegetable garden that you don’t wish to plant this winter. These crops can then be cut down early August and then dug in, improving the soil structure and nutrient levels.

# Spring bulbs can be planted now….Daffodils etc

# Remove seed heads from agapanthus and burn them, then they won’t become a weed.

# Feed camellias with a mulch of organic compost and a couple of handfuls of acid fertilizer. Always keep mulch away from trunks of plants.

# Plant pansies, polyanthus and primulas in pots and hanging baskets now and they will flower through the winter. Pop a few bulbs in the centre and they will be a surprise in the spring.

Gardening Jobs for February 2017

judithhalford — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 23:38:22 +0000

# Keep up the watering. Remember to water early in the morning if possible and give a good soak rather than a light sprinkle. We can help with installing a fixed irrigation system if this would make watering easier for you.

# Remove spent blooms from your flowering plants e.g. roses, petunias and geraniums. This will encourage them to continue too flower and give them more fertilizer.

# It is time too plant leeks and Brussels sprout plants for winter eating.

# Lightly trim the dead flowers from lavenders and hebes. This will help to stop them becoming leggy.

# Watch for white butterfly caterpillars on your cabbage, broccoli etc. either spray with Mavrik, dust with Derris Dust or squeeze them with fingers.

# Cut down to the ground, canes of raspberries that fruited, leaving new growth which will fruit next year.

# Sow seeds of carrots, parsnip, Swedes, turnips and beetroot.

# Pick basil and make pesto. If freezing leave out the cheese.

# Harvest shallots and onions when the tops fall over and begin to turn brown. Leave in warm, dry place for about a week to dry and then store. The same for garlic ( Don’t remove the stalks or roots )

Gardening Jobs for January 2018

judithhalford — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 23:35:37 +0000

# A typical Hawke’s Bay summer is hot and dry. Water conservation is very important.
I find the raised beds for my vegetables great, but they do dry out quickly. So every 2 days give them a good soaking, NOT a sprinkle with the hose every night, and use a good compost when replanting.

# Beans will be very plentiful from now on. Keep them well watered and continue picking every couple of days, as this will keep them flowering and cropping. If you have space, sow some more seed. Climbing beans up a ring of bamboo stakes is a good idea. Vertical cropping!

# Now, is the time to plant leeks and Brussels sprouts, for the winter and sow carrot and parsnip seed. Dibble holes for your leeks. Drop a seedling in each hole, and cover only the roots with soil, by gently running the hose in each hole. As the stem grows it fills the column made by the dibble.

# Watch out for White Cabbage Butterflies laying eggs on your brassicas. Sprinkle with Derris Dust, which the caterpillars will ingest as they chew the leaves. Anew product Insect mesh, is very good to cover vegetables, keeping out butterflies, physllid and birds.

# Bend the tops of onions over now. It causes the bulbs to swell. Harvest garlic, leaving stem and roots on, storing in dry place.

# Once potato tops begin to yellow and die back, it is time too dig up a plant and check the tubers. If they look and feel mature start too eat them, and lift the lot before it rains in the autumn. Some of the early maturing varieties don’t keep in the ground very well.

# Prune peach and nectarine trees, after the fruit has been picked.

# Deadhead roses, give them their summer feed and a good soaking, likewise with your dahlias.

# Give trees planted last winter a long soak every week and mulch.

Gardening Jobs to do in December 2017

judithhalford — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 23:31:22 +0000

# Protect newly planted seedlings from the wind and the hot sun, using windbreak cloth or shade cloth. Only water in the evening, then the plants has all night to absorb the moisture. Never water during the heat of the day, as you can burn the leaves and give garden a good soaking regularly, rather than a light sprinkle.

# Keep garden free of weeds and give plants a light dressing of general fertilizer.

# Tie up tomatoes, and remember to take out the laterals if you want nice tidy plants.

# Look at zucchinis daily, so you don’t end up with marrows.

# Potatoes planted in September, or earlier, can be dug and I bet they will be delicious with a little butter and mint sauce {bring to the boil, then turn element down very low]

# Flowering plants, such as Dahlias, Roses and daisies should have their deadheads removed and this will encourage new growth and more flowers in 6 to 7 weeks.

# Hanging baskets and pots can now be replanted with colourful annuals, beautifying your patio and outdoor living areas.

# It is very important to water any trees, roses and shrubs that you planted during the winter. It is best to leave the hose [without a nozzle] running very slowly, just out from the base of the plant for at least half an hour, then move on to the next one.

# All the very best during the Festive Season, and enjoy the fruits of your labours and don’t forget to take time to smell the Roses.