Grant Douglas's Garden Diary

Week 38: Fourth week of September

An explanation of sorts. Last Monday there was a medium sized meltdown, not as big as the Christchurch Earthquake or the Southern Snowfall, but possibly a bit bigger than some of the smaller aftershocks. It was brought about by my having hurt my back a few weeks ago, and it didn't seem to be getting any better, and this made me think that my time in gardening and plants was probably over and so I decided it was easier to go and live in a hole in the road, and give everything up.

Fortunately, living in a hole in the road has its drawbacks and I missed the plants and the dirt and so here I am back, and my back is improving slowly so the lesson from this is that I always thought the most important thing to look after in your gardening venture was the soil, but now I realise, it's actually your own body.

I was also starting to find it difficult to come up with a new "comment" each week, having done it for nearly a year and so in the future, sometimes, all that might be sent out is the "list".

Thankyou to all those people who sent the kind emails to us.

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.

Sowing or Planting this week:

Tomatoes, Peppers, Chillie's, Egg Plant (planting for Greenhouse or sowing now for outside later)
Basil (for Greenhouse or Windowsill)
Beetroot
Broad Beans (I am trying a new variety for me this year called Imperial Green, where the beans stay green, even after cooking) Standard Variety - Exhibition Longpod - Getting quite late.
Brocolli Spouting (Marathon Variety)
Cabbage (Spring or Summer varieties)
Cauliflower (Frieda - Summer variety)
Cucumber - too early for planting outside
Garlic (Getting fairly late)
Lettuce (Loose-leaf Fancy and Hearting (Webbs or Greatlakes)
Onions (for early areas)
Peas (I choose Easy-peasy variety)
Potatoes (for those in warm areas get a second succession sprouting, for those in colders area, get your first sowing sprouting)
Red Onions
Shallots
Silverbeet and Perpetual Spinach
Snow Peas (Snap Peas)
Spinach (winter varieties eg. Hybrid No.7) - outside in warm areas, in punnets in colder areas
Zuchini - too early for planting outside

Sow Direct: (In colder areas, under a cloche - protect soil surface from heavy rains)

Carrots (In warmer areas only - I find Topweight a good early variety)
Chinese Greens (Warmer areas)
Corn Salad
Corriander/Dill (Marginal)
Mescalin Mix
Rocket
Radish

Happy Gardening. This week I'll sign off the way the Country Life Team did on the radio on Saturday with "Keep the gumboots close and stay positive".

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