Set up a seedling exchange, what to plant this month for a good harvest, shade-loving edibles and cool water tanks
Sow and swap
October means one thing to New Zealand’s edible gardeners – tomatoes. Their seeds may be sown under cover now. For variety, and to extend production, why not get together with like-minded friends, each sowing a different variety of tomato, or particular crop, and exchanging them as seedlings? So often one packet has the potential for far more plants than most gardeners want, and seed viability is usually reduced no matter how carefully the seed is saved for the next season. The same can be done with flowers. Or rather than exchanging the seedlings, pot them up prettily and give them as Christmas presents.
If you’re not into seeds, then buying tomato plants early and nursing them indoors at home in a sunny, sheltered spot, such as a glasshouse, window sill or veranda, until the soil and air temperatures rise enough, can give you a head start.
Those in warmer, frost-free climes may plant out their tomato seedlings towards the end of the month but for most of the country, holding off until November is best advised as cold snaps will set back the growth.
The same goes for cucurbits, peppers, eggplant, corn and basil. Just remember cold, wet soil is the enemy of many spring plantings. As is drought, so keep plants well-watered. Staggering planting out also increases your odds of successful growth and extends the harvest season.
It’s best not to plant dahlias and gladioli before the end of the month. Plant about 6cm deep, 50cm apart
in a sunny spot in rich, well-drained soil.
Most vegetables prefer sunny well-drained soils, but those that will cope with some shade include lettuce, silver beet, spinach, rocket, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, beetroot and radish. Shady herbs include coriander, mint and parsley.
Landscaping 101
We’ve had a wet winter and who knows what the summer will bring. If there’s a drought, you can ward off its worst effects on your garden with a rain barrel or rainwater tank to collect and store any rain landing on your roof – or that of your garage, shed and even glasshouse. The size of the tank is over to you, and every litre of saved water is one less litre from our stretched supplies. In regions where residents are charged for excess water, it’s also your money saved. The size of your garden will affect your decision and whether you have space for it – luckily, streamlined ones are available, which are great for slipping in somewhere tight. Different councils have different rules regarding the installation of tanks, but generally consents are not needed. It would pay to check if you are planning on a large tank and/or mounting it on a stand to aid gravity flow. Water is heavy. Overflow also needs to be considered. Usually, it is fed back into the same stormwater system from which it has been diverted.
Barrica rainwater barrel 420L, $720, from Designer Tanks.
Practicalities over, when it comes to aesthetics there is not a huge range of tanks in New Zealand, and most are plastic. Several slimline brands are on the market, some designed to look like and function, if need be, as fences. Designer Tanks’ are made from recycled food-grade polyethylene plastic and come shaped as amphoras, wooden barrels and sleek modern urns – in appropriate colours and finishes. Very cool. Some even have planters built into the top. Auckland company Tanksalot makes corrugated steel ones in several shapes, including that iconic Kiwi round water tank.
Antique Amphora rainwater tank 600L in terracotta, $1180, from Designer Tanks
Consider this
Strong, extremely light, durable and with a history dating back more than 500 years, trugs have long been a gardener’s friend, constant companion even. We love them also for their simple, pared-back beauty and usefulness, carrying anything from tools to plants, produce, picnics and more. A variety of these wooden baskets is available in hardware, garden and gift stores, but we prefer the sturdy ones handmade in Oamaru and Golden Bay. Made from coppiced wood by craftspeople using traditional methods, the wood has been grown locally, sustainably and specifically. The frame and handles are made of hazel or willow with the bark intact, and the slats from poplar, with the untreated wood developing a fabulous patina over time. Treat them right and they’ll last you a lifetime, and then some. Check out Coppice Crafts, Oamaru, phone 03 439 5781, or trugmaker.co.nz
Trug, $75, from The Trug Maker
How to: cut flowers for the vase
When selecting flowers in the garden to cut for the vase, choose ones that are on the verge of opening, rather than fully opened. They will last longer in the vase, for once inside the warmth will encourage them to open. They are still beautiful in bud stage. As well, it is fascinating being able to watch the buds swell and the petals unfold close up. Dutch irises, for example, can be picked as soon as a centimetre of bud colour is showing. More and more colour will be revealed over the next few days – the speed very much depends on the indoor temperature – until the bloom has reached glorious peak perfection. Once a particular bloom has faded, cut it off and watch less developed ones on the stem shine.
Steal this look
Three water tanks, fashioned in weathered steel designed to turn a rich rusty brown, are set in an apparent wilderness in this design by top British landscaper James Alexander-Sinclair. Their strong lines and colour contrast superbly with the carelessly carefree appearance of the plantings. The plants chosen are all light, a little messy even, and tumble happily into one another. Consider geum, lady’s mantle, linum (flax), monarda, saxifrage, quaking grass or tiny, creeping ferns. Think plants that are unfussy as to site, don’t grow too big or too dominant and have small flowers. Green and airiness is the key. Big, bold flowers will not be welcome. Once established, this look is not difficult to maintain as the density of planting will tend to crowd out weeds. And those unwanted visitors that persevere can be easily removed. Plain grey square pavers allow access and reinforce the straight lines of the tanks. While still water has a beautiful calming effect, a small pump to recycle the water through the tap at the end will bring that incomparable sound of running water into the garden.
Words by: Mary Lovell-Smith
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