Summer Blog
Well folks, we are now well into the early part of summer and it is a dry one! In New Zealand, summer really starts in January and goes till approximately the end of March. That said, I planted my tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes early in October this year because it was so warm. As a result, they are all just about at the end of their productive season.
I usually put any old hay I have left around the plants to act as a mulch but because we have had such a dry 24 months, I had not had any extra hay this year… so, no mulch.
For those of you with tomatoes, cucumbers and other summer veggies still growing, your two best friends at the moment should be, 1) your shower water and 2) milk. I will explain further later in this article.
For most people, space is a problem so therefore, growing your veggies in pots is the ideal solution. You will see from the photos below that this year, I have grown my strawberries, cucumbers, courgettes and scallopini in pots. I am on tank water so water is at a premium. My solution is to put a bucket in the shower and when it is full, which is everyday, I use that water on the plants, an added bonus is that things like aphids, mites and mealy bugs don’t like it. This not only saves on water but is a pest control - 2 jobs in one!!
My other “best friend” is full cream milk. I mix this to a 50/50 milk and water solution and spray my plants once a week. If you have children, they can do the spraying for you or if you don’t, it is a pleasant job while you are having that glass of vino. The reason I use milk is that fungus and mildew don’t like calcium or fat and milk is full of this. For more spray ideas, feel free to contact me and I can give you an advance copy of a small book I am in the process of putting together.
You will see this year’s plants in the photos attached. They are now almost finished and I will be pulling them out, feeding the soil and getting the pots ready for replanting this weekend. I will be doing the same with the garden. The only veggies there that are still going are my sweetcorn.
It is a full moon on Friday so for the next few days after that, harvesting is a must. I then leave the garden to rest until about 25 February. This is when I start to prepare the soil for the next lot of crops.
A good general guide for this is that when we are going from a new moon to a full moon, the earth is breathing in and the sap is rising so that is a good time to feed and plant. When it is going down to a new moon, the earth is breathing out and the sap is going down so that is time for harvesting and weeding.
So, for the next 6 weeks or so, you can relax and enjoy the summer. Just remember to water and spray with milk regularly. Come late February, we will all need to get stuck in again…
Enjoy your Anniversary weekend and stay safe!
