Soil prep important for success

GET A WRIGGLE ON: It's time to overhaul the garden and plant winter vegetables. PICTURE / SUPPLIED

Autumn is traditionally the best time of the year to be planting new gardens and lawns. Plantings made now have three seasons ahead to establish good strong root systems before we hit summer again.
While this year summer has been a relatively wet and cool one, if we remember back to the previous few summers, they were good examples of the stress that can be put upon plants by the natural elements. In contrast if we wait until spring to make new plantings, particularly of trees and shrubs, we are pretty much straight into summer and these plantings will need a lot more nurturing to survive a hot, dry summer.
It is also time to overhaul the vegetable garden. The remnants of summer crops that have finished should be removed and composted. If you have not done so already get those winter vegetables planted. If it is left much later they may not get enough growth on before the weather gets really cold in June and the crops will sit in the garden all winter and not come ready until the spring. One week's growth during March and April is equivalent to one month's growth in winter - so don't delay.
The Yates NZ website nicely groups vegetables to their growing season.
Cool Season Vegetables: Grow best when temperatures are between 10-20 degrees C or even lower. They include: broad beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, onions, peas, spinach and turnips.
Intermediate Season Vegetables: These are best between temperatures of 15-25 degrees. Include: beetroot, carrot, parsnip, celery, leek, lettuce, radish, silver beet.
Warm Season vegetables: Are grown best when temperatures are above 20 degrees C. Include: Beans, capsicum, eggplant, potato, sweet corn, sweet potato, tomato and cucurbits (including cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins etc.)
In Whanganui's temperate climate we can grow both cool season vegetables and intermediate season vegetables through the winter months.
To ensure a good crop of winter vegetables thoroughly prepare the soil which, in conjunction with the weather will be the biggest determining factor in the success of our gardening endeavours.
Autumn is also the time to be replacing finished summer flowers. Petunias, impatiens, marigolds etc that are looking tatty should be removed and replanted with cool season varieties. There is a good selection available including heaps of pansies, dianthus, viscaria, cineraria, lobelia (in sheltered areas), poppies, sweet william and violas.
While planting out flowers for winter display it is also time to think about spring flowering bulbs. These too need to be planted out during autumn. Planting bulbs is thinking ahead, looking at the pictures on the packets and imagining how they would look in your garden. Now is the time to buy bulbs - daffodils, jonquils, anemones, freesias, ranunculus, crocus, dutch iris and others can all be planted straight away. Tulips and hyacinths should be kept somewhere cool and dry and later need to be put into the fridge to be chilled for planting in May.
Freesias Freesias are one of the darlings of the spring garden, prized as much for fragrance as for cut flowers. The cultivated species are from South Africa and are suitable for planting in clumps in the foreground of borders, and in gardens around the house so their delightful fragrance can be appreciated. Freesias also do well in pots on the patio, either on their own or over-planted with pansies, violas or polyanthus.
Freesias grow well in the garden for many years without lifting and dividing. They prefer well drained, light, fertile soil in a warm sunny position. Apply Tui Bulb Fertiliser to the soil monthly to maintain healthy green foliage and promote strong and plentiful flowers. If planting freesias in pots, use Tui Bulb Potting Mix and liquid feed with Ican Fast Food or similar liquid fertiliser.
They are available in many colours and in double and single flowers.
Hyacinths Hyacinths, with their fragrant spikes of starry flowers, come from the cold mountainous regions of southern Europe. They are often called Dutch hyacinths because much of the breeding work to develop modern varieties has been carried out in Holland. Placing hyacinth bulbs in the fridge replicates the cold winter temperatures they experience in their native habitat and helps them to perform better in our warmer, temperate climate.
Hyacinths also give better results if the plants are gradually introduced to more heat and light once they have started to grow. This again is easy to understand because spring comes timidly in their cold, native habitat. Often it is easier to grow hyacinths in pots filled with a bulb growing potting mix. Refrigerate the bulbs first, then after planting, cover the pot with another of similar size to exclude the light. Next, put it into a cool, shaded spot (preferably sinking the base down into the soil). After the hyacinth shoot has emerged, take off the cover and gradually move the pot into more light. The more slowly the hyacinth is exposed to increased heat and light the better it will perform. If the flowers emerge from down near the base, or leaves and stems are floppy, it usually means that the hyacinth growth has developed far too quickly.
Hyacinth cultivars are ideal for pot cultivation and can be moved around the garden or brought indoors as a cheerful signal of the coming of spring. If growing hyacinths in a special glass or flask, place the bulb so that it just touches the water with a little charcoal to keep the water from souring and add fresh water as required. Put in a cool, dark position until roots form. When the flower buds begin to show colour, move the rooted hyacinth into a warm bright room. The flowering shoots will then develop and produce blooms. After flowering discard the exhausted bulb since it is unlikely to provide a good display the following year.
New release 'Daffodil Full House' What a stunner! Limited numbers available of this outstanding new daffodil that you won't want to miss out on. Daffodil Full House is unique in that it is a large double flower that almost looks as though it is exploding, with interlaced stigmas of white - it is quite different to anything we have seen before. Be sure to add some to your collection!
Like all daffodils they multiply and increase in numbers year after year creating a bigger and better display. How good is that!
Bulbs are such a welcome sight when they appear at the end of winter - not a lot else is flowering and you know once the daffodils start to emerge spring is about to arrive. They are also a great investment, as once you have bulbs in your garden they will multiply and produce bigger and better displays in the years to come.
So there's plenty to do in the garden and with all the rain in the past month it is ripe for planting!
Have a good week,
Gareth Carter is General Manager of Springvale Garden Centre