Down to earth: Beans, beans, beans
Bean there, done that.
If you haven’t sown beans yet, now is a good time, as the soil temperature must be around 13°C for good germination. Beans belong to the Leguminosae family, which includes clover, lupin and tree lucerne (tagasaste).
They prefer slightly acid, free-draining soil. Add some compost but avoid nitrogenous materials. Select a sunny, sheltered spot as wind can snap young stems.
Runner beans are the hardiest. Scarlet runner is the common variety, eaten green or as a dry soup bean. Sow seeds in spring 5cm deep, 10cm apart in rows. They form tubers and reshoot each year, so are best situated in a permanent position on a trellis (665 mesh is ideal).
Climbing or pole beans also require support. Try poles in tent formation at one-metre intervals. Set up over a bed 1.5m wide. Run stringlines to the ground every 20cm between poles and sow 4-5 seeds per string. Tepees (see the big one at Motupipi School), trellis, fences and even corn sown earlier will provide any necessary support. There are heaps of varieties (see Kings or Koanga Seeds). Beans can be eaten as green beans (eg Fardenlosa or purple pod), or shell out beans (eg Borlotti Stoppa) which can be eaten fresh, cooked or dried for winter use.
Dwarf or bush beans include the French beans (eg Slenderette), snap beans (eg Dragon’s tongue) and shell out or drying beans (eg Pepa de Zapallo, source locally from Seed Dreams at GB Organics). Sow in rows 50cm apart, 5cm deep every 7.5cm, or 4-5 seeds at 30cm spacings. It’s important to keep them weed free. Mulch once established to conserve moisture.
Beans can be planted on structures with tomatoes and cucumbers. They like to be planted with corn, celery, carrot, summer savory and strawberries. Avoid brassicas and the onion family. Harvest beans by pulling pods downwards while holding the stem to avoid breaking the plant.
Fruit care
Plant subtropicals, eg avocados into sheltered, well-mulched site.
Hang pheromone traps to prevent codlin and leafroller moth damage.
Put bands of corrugated cardboard around fruit tree trunks. Remove and burn every two weeks to limit moth caterpillars. Barrier paste on a band helps trap them (see garden shop).
Plant passionfruit in warm spots with free-draining soil.
Keep fruits well mulched.
Strawberries need fortnightly liquid fertilising with comfrey. Mulch with pine needles.
Spray fruits with liquid seaweed as a tonic.
Also spray citrus with copper oxychloride every two weeks vs dieback and verrucosis (scab), and all-purpose oil for scale insect and aphids.
Prune citrus as you harvest. Best to do heavy pruning now.
Prune grapes back to two leaves past the last fruit truss.
In sunny periods prune out water shoots low on the trunk or in centres of fruit trees, especially stonefruit.
Thin pipfruit to doubles and single fruit on ends. Limit fruit on young trees.
Herb Care
Sow basil, coriander and dill direct fortnightly for continuous supply. Plant parsley and perennial herbs.
Vegetable Care
Main planting time NOW! Plant outside peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, melons and basil.
Lightly till ground for parsnip and leeks (and other roots) to sow/plant December for winter eating.
Sow salads every two weeks for continuous summer supply.
Earth up potatoes.
Hoe and weed beds, especially around onions, carrots and beetroots.
Liquid fertilise in the morning once a week. Comfrey for fruits.
Make frames for climbing beans, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Remove tomato laterals and lower leaves as they grow.
Spray aphids on young seedlings with natural garlic and pyrethrum. Spray Bt onto brassicas vs caterpillars.
Sow and plant lots of flowers to attract beneficial insects.
Hothouse: Prick out ready seedlings into pots or trays. Plant hothouse crops like tomatoes and cucumbers.
For transplanting: All seeds 30th November. Leafy greens: leeks, celery, summer spinach, silverbeet/chard, lettuce, endive, kale, cabbages, Brussels sprouts (also 6th Dec). Broccoli, cauliflower (4th Dec). Sweetcorn, late cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes (also 8th–9th Dec). Flowers.
Sow direct: All seeds 30th November. Mesclun salad (also 6th Dec). Radish, spring onions, carrot, beetroot, parsnip (also 10th–12th Dec). French beans, climbing and runner beans (also 8th–9th Dec). Flowers, eg cosmos.
Plant: Best up to 2nd December. Salad greens, silverbeet/chard, spinach, celery, kale, cabbages, leeks, potatoes, yams (oca), kumara, sweetcorn, late cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Flowers.
General Garden Care
Collect seaweed/seagrass.
Make lots of compost. Turn heaps.
Mulch citrus and ornamentals with grass clippings.
Check irrigation system. Collect water in drums.
Sol Morgan, GroWise Consultancy
