OUT IN THE GARDEN

Climbers in the vege garden – snow peas, sugar snaps, climbing beans –grow them vertically to save valuable space and we have a good range of metal obelisks in stock. Or use tall bamboo stakes, put them into the ground on an angle and bind the tops together to form a ‘teepee’.

Suggestion: plant Sweet Peas now on obelisks or teepees, either from seeds or plants –so easy to grow and you’ll enjoy sweetly scented flowers all summer; all they need is deep well-composted soil that has been well prepared with blood & bone and sheep pellets.

Regular feeding with Novatec (our premium slow-release plant food) will give them the potash levels they need to produce good amounts of flower. The key is to keep picking the flowers to stop forming seed pods which will stop the flowering.

Haven’t seen a white butterfly but they’ll be here any day now so be ready with either the white bug netting which lets the sun and water in but keeps all insects out, leaving the plants undamaged.  Yates Success is a totally safe spray for edibles and will keep the white butterfly caterpillars under control.   Success is also brilliant for the caterpillars that get into raspberries.

Still time to plant potatoes so don’t delay, the range is dwindling as the suppliers run out of some varieties. After planting use iCan Potato Food which is also good for peonies and dahlias as they are root/tuber plants and need good levels of phosphate.                                                                                                               

Short of space but still want the flavour of homegrown spuds? They grow really well in a container and we can show you how.

 

 Pumpkins are one of the most delicious and useful veges in winter but if you’re limited for space try on of the smaller varieties like Butternuts, or if you want the regular size Pumpkin then find a spot right in the corner of the garden in No Man’s Land and fill that up, or grow the plant in a circle (use short bamboo stakes to ‘train’ it) to save space.

Tomato Time!

Tomatoes will be growing at pace as the weather warms so keep them watered, feed regularly either with the easy-to-use Tom-a-Rite or Yates Granular Tomato Food (slow release so fine for containers).

Both have good levels of calcium for plant health.

Use Tui Seaweed now and again as a plant health boost.                                       

De-Bug Dust to control insects like whitefly, and FreeFlo Copper (safe for edibles) for disease like blight etc.  If you’re growing the taller varieties they should be staked at planting time or tied to a trellis to prevent ‘tomato disaster’ in strong winds.                                                                                                              Right now we’re probably at the peak of our Tomato range so don’t miss out because the suppliers will be running out of some of the varieties soon. 

We also have some good plastic tubs for tomato growing and at a great price.  

And our range of vegetables in general is at its peak with all the courgettes, pumpkins, cucumbers, eggplants, gherkins, chillis, and capsicums you could want.

 

Seed Sowing Time!

Seed of the Week – Radish Olympus with a great slightly spicy taste and lots of crunch for salads. Try roasting them, they’re extra delicious like that. Radishes are also a good way to get children into gardening as they’re really fast and easy to grow.

Mavrik and Success are both superb insecticides and suitable for edibles. If you’re having a problem with aphids, thrips, whitefly, caterpillars etc then apply Mavrik; the big bonus is that this spray has been developed to be totally bee-friendly.  As per normal practice all insecticide/fungus spraying should be done in the cool morning or evening periods, not under hot sun.

 

 

Maximise the new growth that takes place at this time of year by using the correct fertiliser. Best applied in smaller doses regularly rather than in one big dollop that can be ‘too much at once’. We can advise you as to which plant food to use – eg acid plant food for rhodos, camellias, daphne, azaleas etc.

With the entertaining season/daylight saving winding up, now’s the time to look at getting full colour into focal points like pots on terraces etc and not only do we have good options in our ‘instant colour’ range but in the Seedling Dept we have all the summer varieties including alyssum, heaps of petunias and lobelias, marigolds, sweet peas, antirrhinums, zinnias, cosmos etc.

 

Tree of the Week:

Maple (Acer) Crimson Queen. Well-known and well-loved this claret-coloured beauty loves a sheltered semi-shaded woodland type spot in the garden with damp but well-drained soil, growing to 1m x 1m, happy in a large’ish pot. Brilliant red Autumn colouring.