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| Now we’re at the business end – time for planting |
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By HEATHER BUTLER WELL, we have finally arrived at the business end of the season. Having survived a rather cold winter, including some of the biggest frosts seen for many a long year, now is the time for planting! Mind you, that will also include a lot of re-planting due to losses from the said frosts! Now is also the time for pruning back the frost-damaged plants in the garden and giving them a dose of fertiliser to put on some good strong new growth. I hope I am not jinxing us all with a late frost! The vegie patch should be warming up and finally, all those winter veg will give you some much needed greens. Fresh seedlings of caulis, cabbage, broccoli, silverbeet, lettuce, swedes, onions etc can be put in now that the soil is a bit warmer. The spuds should be in by now, but it's not too late (if you can manage to find any seed potatoes that is). Hilling them up will encourage more 'spudettes' to form and prevent them from going green and therefore poisonous, from exposure to sun. Most broad bean and pea crops are already sown and flowering by now, but be careful about sowing green beans as a late frost will kill the young shoots. Dare I mention the 't' word? That's right, don't forget to leave space for your tomato crop, still too early for them to be in the ground, but potted seedlings can be brought on inside or on a sheltered verandah during the day and inside of a night. Blossom on the fruit trees is bursting so don't forget to feed the trees once the shoots come away. Watch out for aphids, as they love all the new shoots and need to build up their numbers after winter. Don't forget to repeat spray as there are always plenty of eggs waiting to hatch! In the flower garden, make sure you give your bulbs a dose of food to help them produce a great display for next spring. They don't mind what food you use, but bulb food is a good place to start if you are unsure. After you have done all that, don't forget to take the time to stop and enjoy the view. There is no point going to all of this trouble if you don't give yourself the time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.
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