More than tomatoes to plant now

Labour Weekend wasn’t established for gardeners but luckily for us the long weekend is perfectly timed for getting summer crops in the ground.

Tomatoes may be at the top of our to-do list but there are many more seeds to sow and seedlings to transplant now.

In the rush of spring enthusiasm to get growing, it’s tempting to fill every corner with seeds and seedlings but do remember to leave room for successive planting.

Beetroot, carrots, coriander, peas, lettuces, spring and main crop onions, spinach, dwarf and climbing beans, silverbeet, sweet corn and pumpkins can all be sown direct in all but the very coldest places.

If in doubt, sow in punnets for transplanting later.

If you plant or sow any brassicas – Asian greens, broccoli, cabbages and so on – net them immediately as cabbage white butterflies are on the wing already. The voracious caterpillars will shred seedlings in just a few days.

Transplant capsicums, courgettes, cucumber, chillies, eggplants and kumara now and put in some more potatoes too.

GROW BIGGER, BETTER TULIPS NEXT YEAR

Tulip time is over for this year but these tips from NZ Bulbs will set your bulbs up for an even better display next spring.

Remove the spent flower heads but leave the foliage alone. This stops seed development and allows the bulb to concentrate on growing as much as possible for next season.

Fertilise once flowering has finished to boost bulb growth and keep watering until the leaves die back of their own accord.

The longer you can keep the leaves green (end of November or later) the bigger the bulb will grow and the better it will flower next season.

If you live in a warm area (with less than five frosts a winter) or your bulbs are planted in pots you’ll need to take these extra steps.

Lift the bulbs (only after the leaves have died right back) so you can chill them prior to re-planting in April.

Store in a warm, airy place until starting to chill them in early March.

Watch them carefully in storage so they don’t become infested with aphids. If you do find aphids, give them a squirt with fly spray.

Tulips need a cold period for the bulb to complete the development of the flower bud deep inside.

Insufficient time spent in the cold results in either no flowers or flowers on short stems.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN HOW TO HARVEST HERBS

Experienced gardeners and cooks will find this tip rather basic but there’s a right way to harvest herbs and many not so useful techniques.

It’s worth training your family to find the right herb and pick it correctly so they can go on foraging expeditions when you’re busy in the kitchen.

When you cut straight across the top of a fast-growing herb such as parsley or coriander, you cut off both the older outer leaves and the young stalks emerging from the centre of the plant. This crew-cut approach means that, instead of getting a constant supply of herbs for picking, you get one chop – followed by a long wait.

Twisting and pulling whole stalks (slide your fingers down to the base of the stalk) means you’re not left with lots of amputated ends of stalks through which disease and rot can set in.

When basil is big enough to harvest, (left) nip out the top leaves at the point where the next buds are forming further down the stems.

New leaves will sprout from this point. Nipping out the tops is the best way to encourage basil to branch and become bushier, giving you more leaves to pick.

Rosemary needs regular cutting to stop the plants getting too leggy, tall and woody. It’s tempting to always snip off the fresh foliage at the tops of the stalks (because it’s easier to get at), but it’s much better to cut the whole stalk, which prompts the plant to regenerate from lower down

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 on the bush.

Thyme gets a bit straggly so give it a good going over with hedge shears early in spring.

There’s no need to be gentle with mint (right). Just yank it out.

There’s always more to come from its spreading roots. However, if you start to notice rust spots on your mint, give it a brutal haircut down to the ground. It’ll bounce back.