Time to get on the spring bulb bandwagon

ORDER YOUR SPRINGFLOWERING BULBS

If I could only choose one plant group to take to a desert island, it would be some kind of springflowering bulb, maybe a freesia, so poring over the catalogues from NZ Bulbs, Bulbs Direct and Garden Post makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. Unless you live in cooler areas it’s best to wait until April to plant your spring-flowering bulbs (and May for tulips if you live in Auckland), so take advantage of the next few weeks to make your selection.

When choosing bulbs, think about where you’re going to plant them. Smaller bulbs such as crocuses look best planted in clumps, so you’ll need to order quite a few of them if you want a display with impact, or plant them in a small container instead. For an ongoing display of spring colour, choose bulbs that flower at different times. You could start with muscari or crocuses that flower early spring, follow this with mid-spring-flowering daffodils, freesias and hyacinths and finish the season with tulips and alliums. And don’t spend all your spare pennies on bulbs only to have your soil fail you. Choose a good-quality bulb mix, such as the one made by Daltons.

GROW SORREL

I’m trying to expand my arsenal of herbs and the next herb/vege on my list is sorrel. I had a delicious breakfast bagel with sorrel and salmon and cre`me fraiche at F. G. Smith Eatery in Napier recently and was won over by its zingy, citrus flavour. It’s also delicious with eggs, fish, potatoes and in soup.

The name sorrel derives from the French word for ‘‘sour’’ because, like rhubarb, it has a high level of oxalic acid, which is not recommended in high quantities for people with kidney stones or arthritis.

Like spinach, this hardy perennial thrives in full sun to part shade and likes rich, moist, acidic-tending soil. Direct sow (Kings Seeds) from early spring to autumn, thin the seedlings when 10cm tall, and plant about 45cm apart. It’s ready two-and-a-half months after sowing or you can pick the young leaves as they have a milder flavour. Over summer it needs constant watering to keep the sour, bitter quotient down, and regular harvesting to stop it from going to seed. It’s also a great choice for pots because you can move it out of the sun when it gets too hot, plus its rhizomes spread quickly so it can be contained in this way.

SOW A COVER CROP TO PLEASE YOUR SOIL

We demand a lot from from our vege gardens over summer and they can become rather depleted about now. Replenish lost nutrients by filling your empty garden beds with cover crops during autumn and winter. These are left to grow and then get dug back into the soil before the end of winter so they have enough time to break down, improve soil structure and return their nutrients to the garden. They provide a habitat for beneficial insects as well as suppressing weeds by crowding them out and reducing the amount of available light for them to grow. Cover crops are sown quite thickly, so it’s cheapest to use seed bought in bulk rather than multiple small packets. Order online from Kings Seeds, or buy 1kg bags in garden centres or rural supply stores.

Cover crop guide:

• Broad beans. Sow dwarf broad bean during autumn to fix nitrogen and inhibit fusarium wilt. Dig in prior to flowering and before stems become too tough and fibrous. • Lucerne is great for replenishing lost nutrients in soil and also has a vigorous root system that can help break up soil pans. Lucerne can be dug in or cut and used as mulch. • Phacelia is a fast-growing crop which is a haven for predator insects. Sow from now and dig in at any point. • Burnet’s Green Crop Mix contains mustard, oats and lupin for fixing nitrogen, adding organic matter and breaking up clay pans. • Mustard helps to clear soil fungi and grows fast. Dig in after 4–6 weeks. • Blue lupins are one of the most commonly sown types of cover crop and break down quickly in soil. Sow now and dig in before they flower. • Mixed grain carbon crop. A blend of wheat, barley and oats to provide

GET GROWING

This column is adapted from the weekly e-zine, get growing, from New Zealand Gardener magazine. For gardening advice delivered to your inbox every Friday, sign up for Get Growing at: getgrowing.co.nz stubble and seed for wildlife and prevent soil erosion. Dig this cover crop into soil at any time. • Buckwheat is another cover crop that beneficial insects adore. Dig in before winter as it is frost tender. • Marigolds. If you have issues with nematodes, sowing marigolds can help. The roots of marigolds exude ozone which hinders the nematodes ability to reproduce. Sow now and dig in before they flower.