The July garden
It’s cooling down more now that the shortest day has been. In between the rain over the past week I’ve planted my garlic and shallots. The beds got modest amounts of compost, a sprinkling of ash, vermicast from the worm farm and a good mulch of seagrass. This will get them established with few weeds and enough nutrients for good growth. The same applies for onions planted in recent months. Not much else is happening in the vegetable patch other than late sowings of broad beans.
The orchard and fruit trees have been fed with woody litter from the chicken run and paths (now replaced with new sawdust). Winter pruning of grapes, berries and other fruit trees is best completed this month, too. I’ve also been taking cuttings of perennial flowers like Paris and everlasting daisies and pineapple sage and sticking them in the garden and orchard to attract bees and other beneficials.
Many of you who have ordered fruit trees from the garden centre will be planting them this month. Ensure there’s good drainage, mix in woody compost, firm in and stake well.
Otherwise this is the month of chillaxing on the garden front. I like to spend time dreaming about what I could do differently in the coming year. Maybe I’ll build more driftwood archways for passionfruit to climb? I love structures that enable more crops and flowering plants to be layered in the garden. Perhaps the kids want more fruits? What gaps were there in the fruiting calendar last year? Look for a variety you like to fill that period. What if there wasn’t enough vegetables to feed the family? Do you need to dig up more lawn or integrate the tomatoes with the roses under the deck? Make containers for peppers? Maybe get a glasshouse or tunnelhouse to extend the season and grow warmth-loving crops for longer? Where’s the best position for that with good sun and some wind protection?
Then comes the question of varieties. If you haven’t had a chance to peruse a good seed catalogue, then now’s an appropriate time. Try Kings Seeds, Koanga Gardens, Kaiwaka Organics, Eco Seeds, or seed-saving groups (www.seedsavers.org.nz). There is an incredible variety of food crops around that are great for the home garden. And it’s interesting for kids to grow purple carrots, rainbow chard, Tigerella tomatoes or moon-and-star watermelons, eh?
I’ll definitely spend some evenings by the fire with my seed catalogues and gardening books with a good cuppa and notepad.
Fruit care
Plant fruit trees when available. Create swales or terraces on slopes.
Harvest cherry guavas, late feijoas, tamarillos, pepinos and kiwifruit. Store fruit in boxes in a cool, rodent-free place. Check for rotten fruit often.
Feed orchard with dolomite lime, rock phosphate, manure and woody compost. Especially feijoas.
Prepare strawberry beds. Plant runners to replace old plants.
Complete pruning of berryfruits and fruit trees.
Spray copper oxychloride or lime sulphur (but not together) now that leaves have fallen on fruits susceptible to black spot, brown rot, leaf curl, canker, etc. Remember to use protective clothing and shower afterward.
Spray citrus with all-purpose oil for scale insect, or neem for aphid.
Herb care
Transplant rooted cuttings, eg sage.
Plant herbs or transplant self-seeded perennials like garlic chives.
Trim, weed and mulch to keep healthy.
Vegetable care
Keep cloches on young plants, greens and spring carrots and beetroots.
Plant garlic, shallots and onions. Add lots of compost or well-rotted manure, lime, rock phosphate, wood ash.
Liquid feed weekly, especially young seedlings of spinach, brassicas and leeks, using diluted urine or manure brews.
Plant new asparagus for cropping in spring 2012. Existing asparagus: remove ferns and tend beds with lime, lots of compost and straw/seagrass.
Check for slugs and snails under rocks, pots, etc, feed to chickens or compost.
Hothouse: Tidy propagation area and organise punnets, trays and pots and seed-raising and potting mix. Planting salads.
For transplanting: All seeds 13 July. Spring onions and leafy greens (spinach, spinach beet, lettuce, endive, Japanese greens, Chinese cabbage, spring cabbages) (also 3 and 11-12 July). Flowers, eg ageratum.
Sow direct: All seeds 13 July. Mesclun salad and spring onions (also 3 and 11-12 July). Broad beans (5-6 July). Flowers, eg clarkia.
Plant: Best 14-26 July. Onions, garlic, shallots, salad greens, spinach, Chinese cabbage and cabbages. Flowers eg primula.
General garden care:
Plant perennial shrubs and trees.
Lime existing lawns.
Prune trees, hedges, roses and shrubs after flowering.
Clean and fix garden tools.
Check garden aids: stakes, string lines, cloches, labels.
Sol Morgan, GroWise Consultancy
