NZ Gardeners Tips – October brings a flurry of activity as new growth and flowers bloom in abundance. Deciduous trees are in various stages of blooming and fruit set, while spring annuals and perennials put on their show. This is often the busiest time of the year for most gardeners! Daylight saving has started, meaning you can do a bit of gardening in the evenings to keep up with what needs to be done. Keep an eye on the weather, as we can often experience four seasons in a day, with a lingering risk of late frosts in many areas.
Tasks For This Month
General
Your plans for this growing season should be finalised by now, and it’s time for implementation. Work out which parts of your plans you can tackle yourself and which parts you may need a professional landscaper for. If you’re going to employ a professional and want the job finished before Christmas, it’s best to get started soon to beat the pre-Christmas rush.
- Slugs and snails: Populations tend to build up over winter with the wet weather that suits them. Now is a good time to clean them up with baits and/or traps. Remember that some baits are poisonous to birds and animals, so they need to be located safely, such as under a cover. Pet- and bird-friendly baits are available as a safer alternative.
- Ants: These can be a problem, especially in northern districts. Consider placing baits under the house and/or in places sheltered from the rain near ground level, to catch them before they move into your walls and building cavities.
- Planting Perennials: Finish planting your trees, shrubs, and other perennials as soon as possible. This gives them time to make the most of the growing season and establish their roots before the dry summer weather starts to stress them.
Food Gardening
Vegetables
Get rid of all weeds before they go to seed, otherwise you’ll have years of weeding to get rid of the germinating seeds. Remove any vegetable plants that are going to seed unless you specifically want to keep them for seed collecting. Keep in mind that cross-pollination can happen between similar varieties. For example, if curly leaf and Italian flat-leaf parsley self-seed nearby, you might end up with an inferior narrow flat-leaf hybrid. Most renowned cooks prefer the Italian flat-leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum), in preference to the curly leaf parsley that I think has an unpleasant tongue texture.
Soil Preparation: If you want to test your soil pH, do it now. Any necessary lime can then be applied before main planting times. Prepare your vege beds by spreading compost and fertiliser over the surface (organic animal manures are a great option). If you prefer digging, work the compost into the main root zone. If you have nearby trees, their roots may try to take over the garden—chopping through them with your spade while they’re small is best.
Planting & Frost Protection: If you are in a frost-prone area, consider using a plant cover such as a cloche, or a clear plastic drink bottle with the bottom cut off and top removed for ventilation. This will protect frost-sensitive plants and can be removed once the danger has passed. Starting the season with punnets of small seedlings gives you a two-to-three-week head start over sowing seeds. Later in the season, make successive sowings to replace harvested crops for a continuous supply. Direct sown seeds often yield the strongest plants as there’s no transplant shock. Just be careful not to sow them too close together allowing sufficient space for their mature size. Because thinning them out requires additional work, time and wastes seed.
Veges to plant or sow: Beans (both climbing and dwarf), beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cape gooseberry, capsicum, carrots, celery, chicory, Chinese cabbage, choko, cress, cucumber, eggplant, endive, kohl rabi, kumara, leeks, lettuce, marrows, okra, peas, melon, mustard, spring onions, parsnip, peppers, potato tubers, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb (seed or crowns), salsify, silverbeet, squash, spinach, sweet corn, tomatoes, swedes, and turnips.
Note: Beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and melons require a minimum germination temperature of 15°C (24°C is optimal), so be patient and wait until the soil has warmed up.
Herbs
Frost-resistant herbs can be planted out, and in warmer districts, you can plant chives, chervil, dill, parsley, rocket, and sweet basil.
Fruit Trees
- Pip and Stone Fruit: If you want to graft your trees, you should have taken dormant scion wood (small twigs up to pencil thickness), wrapped them in plastic, and store them in the fridge until late September to early October when they can be grafted onto rootstocks.
- Citrus: Most citrus have reached maturity and are ready for harvesting when little or no green is visible on the skin (though tangelos increase in sweetness if left a bit longer). Don’t leave fruit on the tree too long, as the tree will draw moisture back out, leaving the fruit dry. Leaving fruit on too long also reduces flowering for next season’s crop.
- Berry fruits: Time to fertilise raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and loganberries. Provide support for new growth using a trellis or wire mesh. Avoid plastic mesh as it becomes brittle in the sun and can disintegrate.
- Gooseberries and Blackcurrants: Pruning should be finished by now.
- Strawberries: Plant these now, keeping in mind they will need protection from birds, snails, and slugs. Bird netting can be held in place by a sturdy frame work. Galvanised chicken mesh can be self supporting when bent over the strawberries.
Greenhouses & Glasshouses
Remove any dead matter and weeds. Apply compost and dig it in if needed. Plant your greenhouse tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, marrows, and melons.
Pot and Container Grown Plants
Remove dead leaves and wipe foliage with a damp cloth. Root prune and repot into a larger pot with fresh potting mix if they appear root-bound. Apply a slow-release fertiliser and treat for any insects.
Ornamental Garden
- Roses: Spray with a combination of copper oxychloride and spraying oil. Mulch with compost around the root zone, making sure to keep the mulch away from the crown of the plant.
- Trees and Shrubs: Plant any new trees and shrubs now before the growing season fully takes off.
- Lawns: Mow regularly (at least fortnightly) if you want that manicured look to keep a dense swath of grass. Don’t cut too low—the grass should be between 20 to 25 mm after cutting. Now is a great time to eradicate weeds and sow new grass seed to fill any empty patches.
- Compost: Heaps that consist of predominantly unrecognisable matter are ready to be spread around planted areas as mulch, or dug in when the soil is dry enough. Start new heaps by incorporating grass clippings, dead leaves, and vegetable scraps with a sprinkling of lime and animal manure. Turn and mix any existing heaps that haven’t decomposed sufficiently yet.
Flowers to Sow and Plant
Apply snail and slug control measures to reduce winter population build-up before planting.
- Sow seeds of: Ageratum, alyssum, amaranthus, aster, balsam, bedding begonia, Californian poppy, carnation, celosia, chrysanthemum, cockscomb, coleus, cleome, cosmos, dahlia (seed), delphinium, dianthus, everlasting daisy, gaillardia, gazania, geranium, gerbera, gloxinia, gypsophila, honesty, impatiens, kochia, marigold, mignonette, nasturtium, nemesia, ornamental chilli, petunia, phlox, portulaca, rudbeckia, salvia, snapdragon, spider flower, statice, strawflower, sunflower, Swan River daisy, verbena, viscaria, and zinnia.
- Plant seedlings of: Alyssum, aquilegia, Canterbury bells, carnations, cornflower, cosmos, cineraria, delphinium, pansies, polyanthus, poppy, gypsophila, hollyhock, stock, and viola.
- Bulbs & Perennials: Lift, divide, and replant clumps of perennials. Plant dahlia and begonia tubers.
Clivia are a great option for that shady spot in the garden.