Grant Douglas's Garden Diary
January
Week 1 :
Hope you are all enjoying the fruits of your garden labours. If you are a well organised and abundant gardener, you probably got for Christmas what all gardeners of that type want - some vacant ground in your garden for some more crops.
Week 2:
Tomatoes are probably the most popular Summer crop for the home gardener to grow. Even people who don't grow many veges, like to put a couple of Tomatoes in a pot. They are also probably one of the most frustrating crops, as there seems to be more things that can go wrong with them than anything else.
Week 3:
Just as for a lot of people, summer is a time of fruit, everything from Strawberries to Capsicum, and winter is a time of Brassicas - Borecole, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts etc. The biggest problem for most people is getting them through to harvest time without them being demolished by white butterfly and moth caterpillars.
Week 4:
It seems incredible that it's a year ago since I mentioned in a garden diary that the first heralder of Winter, the Grape hyacynths, are popping their heads through. Well, they are coming through again - a sure sign that you need to get on to the Winter garden.
February
Week 5:
It's a very busy time of year. Summer crops need to be maintained to get the best from them (watered, fed and free of weeds) while Winter crops need to be sown or planted and nursed through to the Winter.
Week 6:
Nothing new to report this week except that the sowing/planting list is getting shorter as we approach the cutoff dates for the sowing and planting of things, to have them ready by Winter.
Week 7:
Tomorrow is officially the start of Autumn and although the weather is still variable, night and day temperatures are dropping. (Our tap water has dropped 2.5 to 3 degrees in the last 10 days.) Probably most people could now start sowing Spinach and Chinese Greens for Autumn crops.
Week 8:
Tomorrow is officially the start of Autumn and although the weather is still variable, night and day temperatures are dropping. (Our tap water has dropped 2.5 to 3 degrees in the last 10 days.) Probably most people could now start sowing Spinach and Chinese Greens for Autumn crops.
March
Week 9:
Still warm days, so plenty of growth happening, as long as you can keep the food and water up to your plants. The soil is very dry so don't slacken off the watering, but, with the days growing shorter, you probably will not need to water quite so often.
Week 10:
Now is the peak time for harvesting fruit and veges. Harvesting is the end process of the growing cycle and just as with all other parts of the cycle, it requires care and timing. If you harvest for storage before things are completely ripe, they won't keep as well as if you had let them ripen fully.
Week 11:
Heard that there had been a frost out the valley which blackened Kumera Plants, whereas at our place we've only had a low of about 4 degrees - this shows what a huge variation we have in climate in the area and so any recommendations for planting you must take into consideration your exact location.
Week 12:
A beautiful spell of Autumn weather we are having at the moment and with the heavy dews it is easy to get fooled by the amount of moisture around. Actually, for a lot of people the soil moisture level will by quite low, so keep up the irrigation, although probably less often.
April
Week 13:
Now is the time of year when gardeners' conversations seem to focus a lot on the attributes of Green Tomato Chutney. Make the most of the last of the Summer crops by keeping their needs met. Fortunately tonight's rain will take care of the water.
Week 14:
Time to get those Pumpkins and Squash harvested before they get damaged by frosts. Tops should have died off by now so that the fruit has had its skins hardened by the sun. When harvesting, to reduce the incidence of rot, cut the plant stems either side of the fruit stalk, and store them in a dry, airy place.
Week 15:
At this time of year those few Tomatoes you have left in the garden or greenhouse become rather precious, because you know how much you'll miss them when they are finished. I spent part of today removing leaves and unwanted growth from the Tomato Plants in my greenhouse, making sure that the Tomatoes left get the maximum warmth and light to ripen them.
Week 16:
There's a good article on Motueka Online about composting which is worth reading. I agree with the writer that you can get too hung up about proportions of carbon/nitrogen in successful composting, but the principal still remains the same, that you need a combination of the two for it to work.
Week 17:
Spent smoko-time this afternoon where I was working, watching monarch butterflies gather on the giant redwood on the northern side of Memorial Park. They know Winter's just round the corner and amazingly, they were mostly gathering on the warmest part of the tree (the northeast corner) protected from the cold southerly winds.
May
Week 18:
This is the time of year where leaf-spot on a variety of vegetables seems to be prevalent. Cabbage ring-spot on brassicas, Septoria leaf-spot on celery and other forms of spot on Silverbeet, Perpetual Spinach, Beetroot and Strawberries.
Week 19:
A rather large dollop of rain over the last few days. Hope it hasn't caused damage to anyone's garden. With the grounds so wet and your daily picking needs, it is worthwhile putting down boards on the garden where you walk frequently, to avoid damaging the soil with compaction.
Week 20:
With all the rain we have had lately, those of you on heavy soils will be finding it difficult to do any work or keep your plants growing rapidly. The rain not only makes the ground wet but drops its temperature as well. There are a couple of things you can do (apart from such things as raised beds) to improve your soil structure.
Week 21:
If you have been keeping up with your planting succession of such things as Lettuce, Brassicas, Chinese Greens you should have enough in the garden to see you through the winter and early spring so now, with the weather so cold and wet, you can take an approximately 6 week break in sowing these things.
June
Week 22:
Finished the last of our Tomatoes this week but on a bright note, the first of the Earlicheer Jonquils are in flower - a promise of Spring in early Winter. With not a lot that can be done in the garden, now is a good time to look back on what grew well this season and what didn't.
Week 23:
Probably not many people doing stuff in the garden this week, but plenty of work with your fruit trees and bushes and planning for next season. Now is a good time to review what went well, and what didn't last season. If nothing in your garden thrived particularly well last season, the most likely causes are water or nutrient levels.
Week 24:
With Winter Solstice and Matariki happening, I will be sowing my first lot of Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillies and even Eggplant in the next few days. This may not suit everybody, but I will explain what I do and if you think you can do the same, or similar, then you can have tomatoes for the table by approximately mid-November.
Week 25:
Someone once told me that if your horse died, you should see it as a good opportunity to feed a new asparagus bed. Now is the time to be putting Asparagus beds in - plants should become available soon. It is worth going to the trouble of good preparation as a bed can last 20 years or more.
July
Week 26:
Lovely settled period of weather we are having at the moment, even though it is rather cold. A good opportunity to do some ground preparation for early spring planting. If you are using no-dig mulching methods in your garden, then most of the preparation wlll have been done in the Autumn.
Week 27:
In my opinion, the two crops that are commonly grown at home, that are distinctively different in flavour from those purchased in the shop, are Strawberries and Carrots. Nothing beats a freshly picked Strawberry and our grandson won't eat carrots, unless they come from his Poppa's garden.
Week 28:
Have you got a Herb Garden? Now is a good time to establish Herbs so that they will come away in the Spring, and you will be picking in the Summer. I think that you actually need more than one Herb Garden because you can divide the majority of Herbs up into four groups, all with different requirements.
Week 29:
In the last couple of weeks I have had a seedling nightmare, which I have learned something from, and by sharing it perhaps some others might too. I changed my seedling mix using sieved hop compost, sharp sand, vermiculite and blood and bone.
Week 30:
Time for those of you in the warmer areas to get the first spuds that you have been sprouting, into the ground. Forget about the books that tell you you should be pleased to have some home-grown potatoes for Xmas day.
August
Week 31:
I would highly recommend that if you are getting into growing seriously, you should get yourself a rain gauge, if you haven't already. If you keep a record of how much and when the rain fell, it will give you a good indication of soil moisture levels.
Week 32:
Those people who have well-drained raised beds are the lucky ones at the moment, but those of you with more challenging soil, can get a head start by sowing seedlings for planting out when the soil does dry out. You will know that each week we give you a list which is titled "Sowing and Planting".
Week 33:
Those weather fronts that keep crossing over us have not been dropping so much rain lately, which means that the ground is getting closer and closer to being ready to be sown or planted into, for those of you with heavier soil. Those of you with lighter soil may be already hard at it.
Week 34:
After breakfast I go to the hot water cupboard, lift off the paper and glass from the trays and see what of my perennial, bedding or vegetable seeds have germinated since I checked them yesterday. There is something magical about seeing the seedlings pushing their way through the soil.
September
Week 35:
Spring is officially here and the rain continues to fall. Have had to resow my Snow Peas, which have rotted even in our sandy soil. They are much more prone to it than ordinary peas and if you're only putting in a small amount, that is the advantage of pre-sowing into punnets where you can control the environment better and then transplant.
Week 36:
With the mild weather we have been having this week lots of vegetable crops which have over-wintered are heading up for flowering. Some things like Leeks can be used even after they have gone to flower by discarding the central stalk while others such as Carrots, Parsnip, can be slowed down by cutting the tops off.
Week 37:
No commentary so far for this week.
Week 38:
Changes to the list for this week are that you could sow sweet corn and beans in punnets for planting out in mid-October if you are in a warm area, and Zuchini and Cucumber for early Greenhouse or planting outside later.
October
Week 39:
I read an interesting article which I thought related quite nicely to the idea of 'Heirloom Seeds'. It was Brian Easton, the Economics journalist, writing in the Listener. He mentioned the Chinese forbidden city and how the only way it was able to be built was because of the surplus of rice available at the time to feed the workers.
Week 40:
Pollination is a very important process in the vege garden, especially for crops where we consume the fruit or seed. Here's a few examples where pollination is either different than the norm, or where help can be given to aid it.
Week 41:
If your Zuchini fruit start to grow and then begin rotting at the end, this is due to poor fertilisation. It is particularly apparent when you try to grow Zuchinis in the greenhouse, so hand-pollination may be necessary. Don't forget they have male and female flowers.
Week 42:
Time to go for it if you are in warm or moderate areas. For those of you who are in colder areas, you may want to hold off with the outside planting of tender plants such as Cucumbers or Tomatoes for another week or so, while everyone should probably hold off with such things as Melons, Kumeras and outside Basil a wee bit longer.
Week 43:
Despite this settled period of sunshine, there is still a real bite in the air with low night and early morning temperatures. I have heard of some people who have lost Tomato plants, so protect what you can and once again hold off with those very tender crops outside such as Basil, Melons and Kumera.
November
Week 44:
From the wettest September, we have now been through the driest October - very stressful for your plants, so keep up the watering. A moisture-stressed plant is far more prone to attack by insects such as Aphids, so avoid any stress.
Week 45:
Nothing new this week, just keep up all the plant maintenence to prolong the healthy life of your plants. Apart from that, I have this week's planing and sowing guide.
Week 46:
The secret to good plant husbandry is avoiding plant stress. This statement comes about from a question someone asked me about why their Lettuces become bitter. Avoiding plant stress means providing all the plants optimal necessities of life.
Week 47:
Same list as last week. Remember that although it feels like February, its still only late spring.
December
Week 48:
Same list as last week.
Week 49:
For anyone who hasn't put in those long term Summer crops such as Melons, Tomatoes, Peppers, Pumpkins, Egg Plant, you'll almost definitely too late for sowing to get a reasonable crop and marginal for putting in plants but there is plenty of planting and sowing still to be done.
Week 50:
Same list as last week.
Week 51:
All that rain and high humidity brings it's own problems of fungal infections and rots. Prevention is better than cure. Ensure good ventilation around plants and remove any diseased material as it occurs and, if necessary, a copper spray will act as a preventative for such things as Tomato/Potato blight.
Week 52:
No commentary this week.
