SEASONAL TASKS IN THE GARDEN

 Although it has been cold the last few weeks, we have had a relatively mild winter in Auckland. We have not had the severe frosts that we have had the last couple of years, which means some Roses are still flowering and have their leaves. Buds are swelling though and the daffodils are out which means it is time to start preparing for the spring blossoms of the fruit trees and the new leafy growth of roses and most other plants.

Pruning for other specialty plants is good right now too as the sap is low and most of the bugs and fungus are being held at bay with the cold weather. This especially goes for bugs like the Lemonwood Borer, which attacks a wide variety of trees and can smell a freshly sawn cut for miles. These borer start laying their eggs from the end of September to January, so it is good to get pruning done and sealed up before then. It is also good to get the pruning done before the plants start shooting away so they can focus their energy into the places that you want them to sprout from. It is amazing how giving a tree a prune and a feed before it shoots away in spring can make for a much more disease resistant plant that looks healthy and fruits prolifically.

It is a good time to prepare vegetable patches for their spring plantings by adding compost and turning over green manures that may have been planted over this winter. There are lots of vegetables that can be put in this month, such as broad beans, spinach, onions, shallots, cabbage and peas. If you had a Autumn garden put down you will be enjoying vegetables from the Brassica family such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale as well as leeks, spinach, sweeds and turnips. Strawberry plants and their runners should be divided and planted to get a nice tasty summer crop of sweet berries.