It’s the time to mulch again
avoid inviting fungal disease which thrives in warm damp conditions. For a DIY approach, bury a drink bottle upside down with its base cut off and fill it with water every few days which will then slowly seep into the soil. If you don’t have time to water or you’re going away, set up a watering system that runs on a timer.
COLLECT A HERB
I’ve decided that I’m going to grow as many types of thyme as I can: lemon, woolly, wild, golden variegated and so on. I’ll sing ‘Thyme After Thyme’ in my best Cyndi Lauper voice as I water them all. Check out the wide selection of different herb varieties available at your local garden centre or from Kings
Seeds or swap cuttings with friends. To take softwood cuttings, cut off 5–8cm stems (if the new growth is too fresh it will wilt instantly, so snip the tops off if that happens), strip off the lowest leaves and poke the stems into containers of fine potting mix to grow on. Large clumps of thyme can also be divided now. Dig up your plant, work your fingers into the root ball and gently pull apart. Replant straight away.
SOW & GROW WATERMELONS
Melons aren’t the easiest summer crop to grow and can require a bit of space, but when my five-yearold, eagerly ran up to me with a seedling at the garden centre, I agreed to give up some precious space. In regions with reliably hot, long summers, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to watermelons. Sow Yates ‘Country Sweet’ or Kings Seeds snakeskinned ‘Georgia Rattlesnake’. In smaller gardens, or in regions where summers can be short, plant smaller-fruiting varieties, as these are much more likely to ripen before the heat retreats. We’re growing the baseball-sized, dark-skinned ‘Sugar Baby’ (any fruit or vegetable with ‘sugar’ in the name immediately has kid appeal). Melons love hot spot and lots of water while the fruit is developing. In cooler areas, sow the seeds along the base of a north-facing wall or fence so they can soak up the reflected heat. Feed with the same liquid fertiliser you’re using for tomatoes.
IT’S ACTUALLY ROSE-VEMBER
November belongs to roses so give them some TLC this month. Lay summer mulch – a thin layer of grass clippings is fine. Gently hoe the soil around them first if it has become dry and compacted. An application of Dalton’s Rose & Flower Fertiliser in the soil at a rate of 200g per m2 will promote healthy growth. Banish aphids by squashing them between your fingers or blasting them with a hose, then spray the foliage at three-weekly intervals with liquid fertiliser – fish or seaweed – which aphids loathe! NZ Gardener’s rosarian Barbara Lea
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 Taylor recommends mixing your spray with half skim milk/half water to help discourage fungal disease. Morning or evening is the best time to spray. Never spray in hot sunlight to avoid scorching the foliage. Don’t forget to gather your rosebuds while ye may and cut them for vase. The best place is just above a growth bud as this stimulates the plant to produce more growth.