Beat the WET
Lots of garden jobs while the weather window is still open
Days are now shorter and nights longer, temperatures are dropping, all signs that winter is very near. Lots of tasks in the garden to be carried out before it becomes too cold and wet.
Vegetable garden
Continue planting traditional winter vegetables, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflower, onions, peas, silverbeet and spinach.
May is also the preferred month for sowing broad beans. To do this, enrich the soil thoroughly, add a ‘dressing’ of lime along with fresh Daltons Garden Time Compost. Sow the seed 10-15mm deep and 100-150mm apart. Single or double rows can be sown.
Garlic can also be planted in May; they prefer well-drained soil with generous amounts of compost. Plant the cloves 30-40mm deep and 50-60mm between each clove.
Perennials
While many perennials prefer to grow undisturbed for many years, they eventually become overcrowded, producing poor growth and flowering. May is an ideal month for safely dividing and replanting numerous perennials.
Prepare new sites thoroughly prior to division and then swiftly replant newly divided plants into the selected sites in the garden. Any old
/ diseased plant mater should be disposed of.
Strawberries
The planting of next season strawberries should be completed in May. Even though there are cold winter months ahead, the earlier strawberries are planted the better the spring growth. Always plant some new varieties as well as the runners from your old strawberry plants. You can also extend the harvesting season, by planting a mixture of both early, late and day neutral varieties.
Fruit Trees
The pruning of pip and stone fruit trees can begin towards the end of May. Aim to reduce the height of fruit trees to manageable levels for picking and maintenance work. Remove all inward growing branches and any ‘crisscrossing’ branches. Always
observe during the summer months, where the fruit are on the tree, ie, the age of the branches that produce the fruit. After pruning is completed follow up with a copper spray. Be prepared to protect young citrus trees from winter frosts with frost cloth.
Rose care
The flowering season is now finished, apart from iceberg that will continue blooming indefinitely it seems.
It is still too early to start pruning as a warm spell will encourage immediate new growth after pruning, even in early winter.
Continue to collect all the fallen leaves and apply fresh compost around the existing rose bushes.
For more gardening advice or information on the wide range of Daltons products, visit www.daltons.co.nz.