December is a favourite gardening time. There are a lot of new varieties to plant and more produce to harvest.
Time and again, gardening has taught us many ways to be positive, to be resilient and adjust with the circumstances. It's a great skill to pass on to the future generation.
We have prepared some tips for you this summer and hope these suggestions will help you reap more harvest and get more savings.
Garden Maintenance
Start trimming your hedges, small trees, shrubs and lawn hedges.
Deadhead your flowers frequently for more blooms and a tidier appearance.
Mulch around your plants.
Keep on top of watering during the very hot days.
Get your checklist of varieties to try this season.
Popular Edibles
December is a great time to plant favourites like cucumbers, tomatoes, chillies, watermelons, rock melons, sweet corn and passion fruit. In summer, you may want to try planting asparagus and artichoke. Leeks are coming around the 2nd week of December.
Tomato Support
Stake your tomatoes early, ideally within a month after planting them or before they reach a height of 12 inches. Tomatoes are easy to grow but their growing stems are quite soft and sensitive to damage. Plus, they yield heavy crops so it’s good to give them early support.
What is blossom end rot and how to prevent it?
Do you sometimes see a brownish, leathery rot developing at the bottom part of your tomatoes? Many gardeners get disheartened when they see this brownish section start forming. Bloom end rot can happen in tomatoes, eggplants, melons, etc. Let’s look at the possible reasons:
1. One of the main causes of blossom end rot is calcium deficiency. During the growth stage of a fruit, it requires a lot of calcium in order to form. Calcium is a vital nutrient in vegetable plants because it strengthens the cellular structure in the developing fruit.
2. Another possible cause of blossom end rot is over fertilisation (nitrogen). With too much nitrogen, the plant tends to not absorb its required levels of calcium.
3. Inconsistency of watering - during summer months, plants need to have regular water supply. Water your tomatoes from the base of the plant.
In order to give your plants the best chances against blossom end rot, give your plant calcium-rich fertilisers. Keep your plants well-watered. Add mulch to keep the soil moist.
Garlic Harvesting
We’re excited to see your garlic harvest. Awapuni Nurseries usually sell garlic seedlings in the colder months. This recent winter, we noticed that many gardeners all over New Zealand invested in planting garlic. Summer is the best time to harvest garlic (end of December to early January). When the lower, outer leaves turn yellow or brown, it’s time to harvest the garlic. Loosen the soil around the plant and carefully pull them out. Timing is quite important. When garlic is harvested prematurely, it may not store well. Once harvested, you may eat the garlic right away although some people leave them on the ground for a few days to dry it up. If you intend to store it for a few days, tie the bundles together and keep them in a cool, dark, dry place with good air circulation.
Summer is Basil Season
Fresh salads and desserts would be a highlight this season. Adding basil is a great way to add flavour to your meals! Awapuni nurseries stock 8 varieties of basil: lemon, bush, Thai, sweet, red Rubin, cinnamon, greek mini and mixed. We particularly recommend the basil lemon for a burst of unique, citrusy flavour. We definitely love the smell of fresh basil in the garden.
Summer is the best time to plant lemongrass and rosemary. These are fragrant plants that are great for pest control and can be used for cooking delicious meals. We now have chives and garlic chives as well.
Flower gardens are in bloom all over New Zealand!
Summer is a wonderful season in New Zealand - flower gardens are blooming. Fill up your gardens with larkspur (cut flowers), lavender, impatiens, petunias, gazanias, gardenias, statice, zinnias, cosmos and marigolds. If you wish to try something different, take a look at some lupins, delphiniums or celosia kimono mix. Taller flowering plants like sunflowers add height and create a layered garden look.
Trees
We now have Leyland Cypress and Manuka Red Flowering. You may want to consider these options if you're looking to build a hedge.
We also have bulk seedling combos for radiata pine. They come in 10, 50, 100 and 1000 seedling packages.
Let's grow and save more!
Happy gardening!
