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WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN THIS WEEK

BY WILLIAM HANSBY

It sounds silly for a gardener to say, but sometimes I forget how important it is to water the garden. I mean it’s obvious right: plants and especially vegetables and fruit need water. And usually in summer it is a difficult prospect because they need a lot of water under the hot drying sun – but thinking about the forthcoming water bill after a spendthrift Christmas, or preserving water in the tanks over a dry spell, can be a hard balance.

As NZ Gardener editor Jo McCarroll says, the most basic way to conserve water is to water less often and more deeply and to lay mulch and plant closer together, so plants form a living mulch, both to keep water in the soil and inhibit the germination and growth of weeds.

So, in some ways, what a boon it has been with all this recent rain. As such, my vegetables and fruit are luxurious and plump with growth – although I fear the tomatoes and grapes are at risk of splitting their skins.

And now we’ve had a bit of sun to help those tomatoes and grapes ripen. Although, I do take note of the birds in the trees watching that ripening.

And my potatoes, with full heads of flowers, are thankful for a bit of sun to dry out the ground and allow them to mature.

All the recent rain, and any summer rain, does have its upsides and downsides, says Yotam Kay, who runs Pakaraka Permaculture Market Garden and Education Centre with partner Niva in Thames.

“The rain’s been great for reducing the work involved with summer watering, and many plants love the relatively even moisture levels and respite from the hot summer sun,” he says.

“Our gardens are designed on contour, so even with heavy and prolonged rain, water gets slowly distributed over the landscape and garden beds.

“And this is a great time to lay mulch on the beds and paths to help prevent erosion and keep the moisture in for later in the summer when it will hopefully be sunny at some point again.”

The rain has also been great for starting new plant successions by directly sowing and transplanting, especially for growing greens, herbs and root vegetables. Kay suggests beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes for late summer and autumn produce.

On the flip side, the weather is increasing the disease load, both bacterial and fungal, which is weakening many of our summer plants. It is also causing rot and increasing weed germination,

Kay says.

“We’re turning the irrigation on as needed and trying to avoid both underwatering and overwatering.” For example, where there is heavy mulch, it is actually pretty dry inside.

Kay suggests removing older leaves and rotten fruit on summer vegetables. This reduces disease load and increases ventilation around the plants.

“So far, we haven’t had an insect problem,” he says. And that could be down to the wet, windy weather preventing flight.

What to plant now

As Kay says, don’t be put off by any rain that does fall this summer, in fact make use of it to direct sow and transplant.

Sow more basil, dwarf beans, carrots, Asian greens, fennel, beetroot, coriander, rocket, radishes, silverbeet, spring onions, lettuces, cucumbers, and zucchini. And you can plant seedlings of cherry tomatoes, corn, cucumbers in all but the coldest regions while seedlings of zucchini, basil, dwarf beans, lettuce, kale, silverbeet and leeks (for winter) can go pretty much anywhere.

And NZ Gardener suggests you start preparing for winter by planting seedlings of brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. In warmer areas sow your winter brassicas in trays to plant out next month. Trays are much easier to protect from insects.

Mahi Māra / Gardening

en-nz

2023-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282857965051284

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