WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN THIS WEEK

No more rain now, please

Has anyone else noticed how quickly grass and leaves flourish after a long-awaited downpour? My former boss, Graeme, a turf specialist, had a theory that rain released nitrogen in the atmosphere and activated fertiliser in the soil. Obvious, I guess. For us workers, it meant mowing the same patch of grass three times a week instead of once or twice.

Unfortunately, extra nitrogen also activates weeds. But you know my philosophy on that. Keep showing weeds the door before they take control. Pull them every time you notice them or as you walk past.

I’m also hoping the wind has kept the bane of my life, codling moths, at bay. I held off hanging my pheromone traps in the apple and pear trees because of the wind and rain.

Two other surprising discoveries I made after the downpours were a mass of raspberries and the appearance of a self-seeded avocado. I found the raspberry vines scrambling wild on a Waiuku dairy farm while studying towards my horticulture diploma some years ago.

“Let them go wild amongst the weeds,” was the advice from farmer Dave at the time. So I did, and now they scramble along lazy trellis left leaning against our back fence. It’s their first significant fruiting in five years. The vines have actually managed to suppress the weeds but are going to need some netting to protect against hungry birds, which have been kept at bay by the wind and rain.

The avocado emerged from weeds growing over a former compost site, where a seed may have been thrown. Avocados are one of the easiest seeds to germinate, but the seedlings can take up to 10 years to fruit, and the resulting avocados may be poor quality.

The tropical rain presented the opportunity to sow pumpkin and beans straight into the ground. But no more rain, thanks, the soil is becoming waterlogged.

I planted pumpkin seeds about 2cm deep. If planting directly into the garden, sow two or three seeds in groups 1m apart, then thin to the strongest plant once

seeds germinate. I grow in full sun in well-drained soil that has been enriched with compost.

While not a fan of beans, my 90-year-old father is, especially broad beans, which I detest. Beans are an easy and rewarding crop. They germinate quickly, are relatively pest-free and there are multiple varieties worth growing, whether you want to eat them fresh or dry them for winter soups, stews and homemade baked beans. Plus, climbing beans have a long cropping period, with plants producing for up to three months. Climbing beans take up relatively little space as they grow vertically up trellises or teepees, or over arched supports.

If you grow the perennial scarlet runner beans, when you see the plants pop out of the ground, you’ll know it’s warm enough to start your other beans from seed. Beans require soil to be 18C or warmer for optimum germination. If nights are still noticeably cold where you are, then wait.

Direct sow beans about 2-3cm deep. Space climbing beans about 10-15cm apart at the base of a wall, trellis or wigwam. Space dwarf beans about 7-10cm apart in rows about 50cm apart.

Beans like free-draining soil in a moderately hot (but not too hot) part of the garden. In cooler places, give them a spot with full day sun, but in warmer places they may benefit from a little shade during the hottest part of the day. Choose a location that’s sheltered from the wind too, especially for tall climbing beans, as the stalks can be brittle.

Apart from keeping the irrigation up, beans don’t really need a lot of extra care and attention as they grow; but you can give them a boost with a side dressing of fertiliser or a fortnightly liquid plant food whey they start flowering.

A word from the south

Golden Bay organic gardener Sol Morgan knows about battling unfriendly garden weather, such as heavy rain and gales, and that’s why he’s prepared.

Morgan has been gardening since his mum gave him his own plot, aged 7, so he could participate in the agricultural club at school. He went on to do a bachelor in horticultural science at Lincoln majoring in soils and biological husbandry – “the closest you could get to an organic degree in the late 1980s,” he says.

So, naturally, he’s prepared. “The vege garden has been planned well to channel the flowing water that came off the field further up the valley,” he says.

“Raised beds then form a series of swales with water soaking into the paths as it spreads. And the beds are well mulched with hay from surrounding paddocks, so soil is well protected.

“And our sensitive transplanted crops, like eggplant, zucchinis and peppers, have mikroclima cloth over them to protect from heavy rain and cool nights – especially with the mountains so close.”

They’re still sowing in punnets and have just sown more salads, especially varieties of lettuce. Then there’s the kale for autumn harvest. “It’s good to get in early so it’s big and can sustain prolonged regular picking,” he says. More broccoli and dwarf beans have also been sown in punnets for the summer harvest. There’s also been a second sowing of sweetcorn, so there’s a progression of harvest. They do three plantings during the summer season, he says.

“But we’re direct sowing carrots and beetroot – the two biggies as far as direct sowing goes. And I have a great carrot cross between manchester table and berlicum.”

They’re also transplanting dwarf beans, cucumbers, more salads and herbs such as basil “sweet Genovese”.

And you’re currently eating? Broad beans (red flowered variety), conehead cabbage and broccoli belstar F1. “I know it’s a hybrid and saving seeds isn’t reliable but this is a great variety for prolonged harvest. And we’ve left the re-sprouts in, which through thinning and re-feeding are now producing broccoli flowers.”

Make a compost system

Here’s a simple idea, make a three-bin compost system with pallets. Add scraps / prunings to the left bin. When full, add to the far right bin. Transfer contents from the first bin to the middle bin every few days. You can usually get trellis from commercial market gardeners or pasture specialists.