Garden Care for June with Living Earth

GARDEN CARE FOR JUNE

From Living Earth

Edible Gardening

This winter, make a trip to Auckland’s Botanic Gardens, where their brick-walled edible garden is outstanding in its display of winter food crops. Warmer than usual temperatures have assisted– there’s plenty of inspiration and take-home tips for growing food as we finally head into winter -

Cold hardy vegetables – Giant Mustard, silver beet, fennel, red and green cabbages, kale and mibuna are all good to grow as we head into winter. Iceberg-type lettuce varieties tend to be the strongest in the winter months.

Garlic – great time to put a crop of garlic in. Gently separate out healthy cloves from a head of garlic and plant 10 – 15 cm apart with the ‘pointy end’ facing upward.

The many uses of rosemary – subtle favouring for winter cooking and beautiful blue flowers in winter are two of the benefits of growing rosemary. But check out the Botanic Gardens’ stunning rosemary hedges around their vegetables beds.

Fruit tree clean-up – ahead of pruning, pick up fallen leaves and rotting fruit, to eradicate risk of leaving diseased spores in the soil. Spray after leaf fall with copper and oil to further clean-up for spring growth.

Dig in lupin green manure crops – when they get to knee-high and ahead of flowering, cut down the plants and dig through the soil.

Liquid Frost Cloth – if you tend to get frost in winter, now’s the time to protect citrus and other vulnerable bushes by spraying over liquid frost cloth, a heavy oil-based cover that helps lessen frost damage on leaves.

The rest of the garden

Hardwood cuttings – Perfect time to take cuttings of roses, hydrangeas, viburnums etc. Cut 15-20cm pieces of up to 1cm thick and remove leaves. Make sure the top is cut on a slant just above a leaf node. Place cuttings in propagating sand and water regularly until the cuttings have taken root when you transfer to their own pot. (Hydrangea cuttings can go straight into the garden).

Drainage in Lawns - If your lawn doesn’t drain well in winter, apply a layer of gypsum ahead of rain. Repeat in a fortnight’s time.

Inside – Reduce water to house plants, letting them dry out between watering. Tidy up old leaves and wipe dusty foliage with a damp cloth.