Autumn is a wonderful time for planting for many gardeners in New Zealand. The cool breeze, warm sun & good bit of rain are enjoyable conditions for gardeners and of course, plants. It's a great opportunity to work on the garden while allowing plants to establish their roots before winter arrives.
Self-sufficiency
Gardening isn’t just a hobby — it’s one of the most empowering ways to stay prepared. In challenging times, growing your own food brings more than just harvests. It brings resilience, connection, and a sense of calm knowing you can provide for yourself and your family.
Garden Maintenance
Let’s look into more things to do in the garden in April.
Edible Garden Click here to see all available vegetable seedlings
Beetroot, spinach, lettuces, silverbeet, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc) and celery are good to plant at this time of the year. You may also want to try growing nutritious broad beans and sugar snap peas.
To keep the harvest flowing all winter long, savvy gardeners use the staggered planting technique. By planting new vegetable seedlings every 10-14 days, they can ensure a continuous crop with different fruits maturing at various times.
With a little bit of planning, gardeners can make the most of their precious garden real estate by planting fast-growing lettuces in free garden spaces next to slow-growing vegetables like Red Cabbage. Pick lettuce leaves as they grow.
Autumn is the good time to thin out those carrot patches and make way for some sweet, crunchy, nutritious goodness! By carefully plucking out the little ones that are growing too close to the other carrots, gardeners can make sure that each carrot has room to stretch out and thrive. Baby carrots are perfect for roasting or snacking on raw. Remember to give the soil a good pat down around the remaining carrots to keep them healthy and happy. Additionally, keep those pesky carrot flies at bay by planting some spring onions or garlic chives nearby.
Flower Garden Click here to see all available flower seedlings
Let more flowers grace your garden this autumn. It’s a good time to plant antirrhinum, hollyhock, pansy, viola, stock, polyanthus, dianthus and sweet peas. Mix and match perennials and annuals to encourage more pollinators to visit your garden.
Ideas for flower tubs, pots:
Pots of different sizes with mixed pansies and violas
Large pots - place taller plants like stock or carnation in the middle and surround it with shorter plants like pansies
Idea for hanging flower baskets: Lobelias (mixed and cascading)
Herb Garden
If you have a herb garden, consider moving the basil indoors or inside the greenhouse to protect them from cold snaps. April is the time to plant rocket, thyme, fennel, coriander and oregano; and, to prune your sage and rosemary. You may let some of your herbs flower too, bees love them!
Click here to see all available herb seedlings
Autumn is known to many as the natives & forestry season. It’s time to plant trees and hedges in order for their roots to settle in and get established before winter kicks in. Native favourites like Akeake and Pittosporum (also Griselinia for warmer regions) are often used to create hedges because they are fast-growing. In choosing the right plant variety for your hedge, consider the primary purpose of the hedge: shelter, privacy, fencing, decorative border, peace and quiet, etc.
Autumn also presents one of the most reliable establishment windows for trees and shelter planting. Our eucalyptus and forestry seedling packs are ready for planting, selected for performance across larger blocks and open land.
Early autumn is a good time to trim established hedges. We have recently added towering native tree varieties: Lancewood (Horoeka), Black Maire and Golden Totara. These are now available on our website.
Happy gardening!
