Weekend gardener: bring on the ladybirds
Ladybirds
Ladybirds are fantastic insects to have in the garden as they eat ‘‘bad’’ insects such as aphids, mites thrips, whitefly, and scale. They can be bought online (bioforce.co.nz) or encourage them, and other beneficial insects, such as hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps, by your choice of plantings. The nectar of achillea, alyssum, bergamot, bishops flower, borage, calendula, chives, cosmos, dill, marigold, and especially phacelia provides a great food source for them.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes may be planted outside now. Plant in a sunny spot in rich soil about 60cm apart. Plant deeply, burying about 3-4cm of stem. Tiny roots will form off the stem and help anchor the plant.
Most tomatoes need staking (bush tomatoes don’t). Place stake in while planting as staking later may damage the roots. Water in well. One secret to good tomato production is constancy of water. Try not to ever let them dry out.
Edibles
Courgettes, eggplants, peppers, pumpkins may be planted outside. If cold weather is forecast, cover them with a simple cloche of plastic bags and sticks, or the bottom of soft drink bottles.
Don’t be tempted to plant too close together as the plants will compete for nutrients, water, light and air, and be smaller and less healthy than ones planted a decent distance apart. See seed packet and tray labels for spacings. Crops grown from seed can be thinned and most thinnings can be eaten as baby vegetables.
Sow corn, beetroot, lettuce and other salad greens, radishes, spring onions and spinach.
Ornamentals
Annuals that may be sown now – and which don’t mind poor soil – include cornflower, larkspur, nasturtium and nigella. Autumnflowering perennials, such as helianthus, michaelmas daisies and rudbeckia, may still be divided. Plant these in good soil and water in well.
Should plain green shoots appear on variegated evergreen plants, remove them, else you risk the whole plant reverting.
For more blooms, tie climbing and rambling roses to as near horizontal as possible. This restricts sap flow causing more side-shoots to grow along the stem.
Incorporate well-rotted compost and bone dust to the flower garden.