Summer In The Garden - February

Being one of the hottest months of the year, February is one of the main harvest periods for fruit and veges.

It’s all about reaping the rewards of what you have sown and planted, and of course planting your autumn crops! Don't forget to add some last summery blooms for a pop of colour.

Keep feeding your plants to encourage plentiful harvests. It's also important to keep an eye on watering at this time and keep the soil moist, to prevent plants from wilting. When plants get water-stressed, they become susceptible to pests and diseases, which can be very quick to move in. A healthy plant is much more likely to stay that way if it's well watered.

Maintenance of your late summer garden is high on the to-do list. With plenty to harvest from your kitchen garden, it’s time to freeze and preserve all the fruits of your labour ready for the cooler months.

 

VEGETABLE GARDEN

PLANT

Basil, beetroot, beans, broccoli, Brussel sprout, carrot, coriander, leek, lettuce, mesclun, onions, parsley, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, spring onions, blueberry, strawberry.

HARVEST

Basil, beetroot, beans, broccoli, capsicum, carrot, celery, chilli, coriander, courgette, cucumber, eggplant, leek, lettuce, mesclun, parsley, parsnip, potatoes, pumpkin and squash, radish, silverbeet, spring onion, sweetcorn, tomatoes, passionfruit, strawberries, loganberries, raspberries, apricots, peaches, plums, apples.

 

MAINTENANCE

• Continue harvesting mid season pip and stone fruit tree crops, berries and citrus. Picking fruits every day will encourage late fruiting.
• Keep planting last summer crops of new lettuce and herbs. If you have a greenhouse you can still plant tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers and peppers.
• It’s time to harvest your rockmelons when the stem begins to break away from the fruit.
• Pick vegetables every day to encourage late growth (especially peas, beans, eggplant, cucumbers and courgettes).
• Sow seeds of winter vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, beetroot, winter lettuce, brussel sprouts, spinach, carrots, leeks, and silverbeet.
• Got an excess tomato harvest? Make your own sweet tomato sauce without the supermarket additives.
• To set your fruit trees up for winter (especially citrus); use Tui Citrus Food for best results.

Watering restrictions in your area? Try these tips:

• Soak your garden every four days, instead of short shallow watering
• Water early or late to ensure the water gets to where it needs to
• Water the roots not the leaves for maximum plant benefit
• Use a sprinkler with a timer to deliver just the right amount of water

 

FLOWER GARDEN

PLANT

Fuchsia, petunia, impatiens, dahlias, echinacea, verbascum (for spring flowering), verbena, alyssum, cosmos, gaillardia, arctotis, gazania, marigold, nemesia, wallflower, chrysanthemum, daffodil, tulip, hyacinth, forget-me-not, pansy and viola, daisy, delphinium, dianthus, gerbera, lavender.

PICK

Roses, cornflower, hydrangeas, carnations, delphiniums, strawflowers, lilies, gladiolus, sweet peas, cosmos, gypsophila, sunflowers, geraniums, marguerite daisy.

• Early summer bulbs such as anemone, ranunculus, tulips and daffodils arrive in store this month and can be planted in flower beds and pots. Bulbs can be planted now through to late autumn. By planting continuously through this period, you will be rewarded with a continuous floral display come spring.
• In Hawke’s Bay place your bulbs in the fridge for 4-6 weeks before planting.
• Got a dry area that needs colour? Plant arctotis, calendula, gazania, osteospermum, portulaca, sedum and all types of succulents.
• Sow seeds of winter flowers like pansy, viola, primula, polyanthus, calendula, cineraria, poppies, lobelia, alyssum and snapdragon. Use Yates Black Magic Seed Raising Mix for best results when sowing seeds.
• Continue to pick your flowering roses, dead head old flowers and spray to combat pests and diseases.
• Applying Tui Mulch & Feed around the base of your plants can conserve up to 70% moisture in the soil and also suppresses weed growth.
• Water regularly and deeply during this month to keep your garden healthy and vibrant if conditions are still dry.

 

LAWNS

Summer can be brutal on lawns, so keep the weeds under control with Yates Weed & Feed for broadleaf weed control plus nutrients to give the lawn a quick green up.

Weeds are opportunistic and will invade a lawn when it’s down! Weeds often creep into lawns during summer if the lawn has been under heat or drought stress (or both).

Broadleaf weeds like dandelions, capeweed, plantain and thistles will start to pop up, particularly in any bare spots which are an open invitation to weeds.

Get the weeds under control before they have a chance to flower and set seed, as this will create multiple future generations of weeds.

Yates Weed n Feed Double Action Concentrate is a quick and easy hose-on solution for broadleaf weed control.

Yates Weed’n’Feed has added surfactant to aid spray coverage and weed penetration and contains nutrients to give the lawn a quick green up. Just what the lawn needs at the end of a long hot summer!

 

That Greenwaste bin is going to be full. Give the team at Bay Enviro Bins a call  for collection or to talk you through the best option for you!

 

Sources: Tui Garden + Palmers Garden Centre