Scrambling to get everything in the ground at this busy time of the year, but I’ve more or less managed it.
The key is to get the cucurbits – pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers and melons – in as the weather warms. Also the warm-loving solanums – eggplants, capsicums and chillis.
I have got our pumpkins and zucchini in. Cucumbers went in the same bed, but I didn’t cover it and the birds have destroyed just the cucumber plants (the smallest), so I’m having to start over with them. The bed is now netted! I have the eggplants in this bed too. I don’t grow chillis as we don’t use them in our cooking and I didn’t have room for the capsicums (and because they’re small enough plants, they can wait).
After making our leek pie today (featured in our newsletter) there will be space for them where the leeks were. The rock melons and watermelons are just too delicate to plant out yet, but there’s no major rush with them. They’re a delight to enjoy in late summer/autumn.
So here’s how we planted out pumpkins, zucchini, cucumber and eggplants. Totally similar to the tomatoes in our last post… aerate the soil with your fork.
I trenched in vermicast from our Hungry Bin, but that’s an optional extra.
Layer on chicken manure or sheep pellets. Compost goes on next. And using your fork, work it all in together lightly.
I put a handful of gypsum and a few Neem Tree granules in the hole of the eggplants (do the same for capsicums and chillis) as they can get blossom end rot and possibly psyllids. After planting, apply a handful of a multi-mineral fertiliser round each plant. Water in well (and net!).
The next job was the potatoes. I had hilled up the Jersey Bennes which went in in September. The Rocket and Swift went in in October and need hilling. Our comfrey plants are now at their peak, so ready to use in the potato patch. Comfrey is full of potassium and assists with fruiting vegetables.
In the troughs created from the hilling up of the planted potatoes, I laid comfrey leaves. And as I’ve used up the soil and don’t want to disturb the growing potatoes any more, I’m laying in barley straw – this is to keep the developing new potatoes covered and give support to the leaves of the plant above ground.
And then it’s time to put main season potatoes in. These are Agria, getting a soak in liquid seaweed before planting out.
Make the troughs and this time, because we have the comfrey leaves on hand, they’re going in the troughs before planting. A few handfuls of Neem Tree granules go in next as potatoes are from the solanum family too. Then sit your seed potatoes in with the chits upwards.
Cover over lightly. Add a handful of a multi-mineral fertiliser along the rows, a good water, and I will net them too for now. We have a large bird population, busy pollinating the feijoas as well as looking for food for their young.
Now, very kindly, Rob has gifted me some of his kumara plants. It’s fun growing the slips from an organic kumara in a mix of sand and potting mix. Be careful as you pull the slips off the mother kumara to ensure you get good roots.
Previously I’ve just planted the slips directly, but Rob has potted these guys up for us, so now I have a little bit of space to plant them out and look at the great root system.
They’ll be off in no time. I’m hoping to harvest them a little earlier than I have in the past as yet again, I didn’t have great success storing last year’s crop, and I’m putting it down to maybe having left them in the ground too long and possibly not enough watering during the summer.
This bed just has some compost worked through it and in go the plants. Then a good handful of our multi-mineral fertiliser Morganics round each plant, water and net!
Just no room for our beans, so I’ve made a little teepee in among the last few brassicas. It would have been better to have it at the end of the bed, but I’m not sacrificing any more brassicas. Tie a string round and round for the beans to climb up. Beans are not overly hungry plants, and I know the soil in this bed is not depleted, so after planting I just add a few handfuls of Morganics round each plant and water them in well.
And finally, if you’ve got long-term crops in like silverbeet, they can always do with a generous application of nitrogen (chicken manure/sheep pellets) at this time of the year to give them a boost. These guys were looking a bit peaky and now, they’re flourishing after several handfuls of chicken manure.
And small correction: enjoy the last weeks of Spring!
From Jan and Rob
6 Responses
Thanks for this blog of bumper business.
Just out of interest which part of NZ are you growing in. I am in the far north and had my main crop spuds planted 4 weeks ago, hoping that wasn’t too soon
Hi Richard We’re in Auckland. Rob says that’s fine to have put your main season potatoes in 4 weeks ago, particularly as you’re in the Far North. There’s a window of opportunity and that’s in it. All the best 😊
Morena OEG, can you help?
My rhubarb shot out a healthy cauli-looking flower about a week ago … what to do? I’d love to let one grow to maturity and harvest the seeds, but wondering if the flowering will make my rhubarb stalks bitter?
Lots of organic love, Confused of Tamahere.
Hi there Best to remove the flower head for the sake of the plant. It won’t make the rhubarb bitter by leaving it on, but it will weaken the plant as a lot of its energy goes into the flower. As far as saving seed from the flower head, you most likely won’t get a true-to-type replica. Rhubarb grown from the seed of a plant randomly will more than likely be green and not tasty. Saving seed is a real art. Hope that helps 😊
Any chance you can post the clip of Rob making newspaper pots?
Here we go… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJRgmcvZj9U 😊