SOW & GROW

Jo McCarroll suggests jobs to do in the edible garden.

Wrap up warm this month and plant what you can

Which is not a lot in the coldest parts of New Zealand, probably just garlic and shallots will cope with a June start inland in the deep south. Elsewhere, plant silverbeet and spinach seedlings, and sow broad beans direct and in warmer regions sow Asian greens, peas, spinach, silverbeet and lettuce direct or in trays and plant seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflowers and kale. Oh and an edible allium update: last month I advised you to get garlic in early to beat rust. But since then I’ve heard a theory from vege grower Doug Van Belle. A few years back he moved to Levin from Kāpiti. In Kāpiti, he planted garlic in May or June, with no problems. In Levin, it’s been less successful and last year he lost his Mayplanted garlic to rust, yet a few cloves he planted in August did well. His theory is that’s because their last month in the ground (February rather than December) was dry. The old shortest/longest day rule, he suggests, works in wine growing regions which have a dry spring. If you live in an area that has a wet spring, you may want to try a late planting of garlic. If you do, let me know how it goes.

Soil temperature: and why it matters

One of the key factors that determines what you can and can’t plant each month is soil temperature as seeds require a certain temperature in order to germinate, and different seeds have a different range within which germination will occur. Now soil temperature is different from air temperature, and right now in early winter it can be higher than the air as the earth loses heat quite slowly. There are a few ways you can raise soil temperature too, covering the ground with a layer of mulch is an obvious one; if you use plastic in your garden, a layer of plastic is particularly effective at allowing the sun to heat the soil during the day and then helping keep that heat in at night. You can do the same trick on a small scale using cloches: just position them two or three weeks before sowing. Integrating more organic matter helps raise soil temperature a little: organic matter tends to be darker than soil itself so it absorbs more heat, releasing this as it breaks down. And in really cold places, confine your winter growing to pots and/or raised beds, as the soil in them runs a few degrees warmer.

The term Pipiri is also used as a precursor for the cold season and represents the stars we will see following the current new moon or Whiro and an indication of the true new lunar year for the maramataka. This year, we will formally celebrate Matariki (June 24) for a phase that begins from June 21-24. For those on the west coast of the North Island, the focus is on Puanga, traditionally around three days later than Matariki, and understood to be June 28 for this year. Matariki and Puanga are a time to celebrate the success of the previous cropping cycles whilst thinking and planning for the next season. The longest night (Hikumutu) falls ahead of both Matariki and Puanga, and this indicates a period of rest. The sowing of winter crops is continuous and the Matariki period is the best time to plant the seedlings for late winter consumption – therefore the sowing date will be approximately six weeks earlier than this. Following the solstice, plant onions, shallots or peas. Dr Nick Roskruge