Spring is finally here! I don’t know about you, but it feels like spring set in earlier than normal this year. Here are some ideas on what to do around your garden this month:

 

General garden tidy up

• Weed your garden and flower beds
• Mulch – in spring your garden will be growing like crazy. Mulch around your plants to retain water and suppresses weed growth
• Take care of any mossy areas – apply iron of sulphate to areas that contain moss. This will kill moss and allow for grass to come through
• Tidy up flowering beds
• Clean up hanging baskets
• Feed your strawberry patch
• Divide and transplant
• Start prepping your tomato beds
• Dig in organic matter throughout your soil 
• Turn over your compost, try doing it monthly to speed it up. You’ll know it’s ready when it looks like potting mix. Add a sprinkling of blood and bone to also help speed it up.

 

Edible Garden

September is a great time to plant vege. As the warmer months tick on, we’ll have some exciting varieties becoming available. For now, focus on prepping your tomato beds – Our tomatoes won’t be far away.

The nursery stocks a wide selection of tomato seedlings,acid-free, beefsteak, cherry red and more. If you're located in an area that's still experiencing frost, plant your tomatoes undercover or hold off planting until the weather warms ups.

When thinking about the best place to plant your seedlings, look for somewhere that's sunny, but sheltered from strong winds. And here's a tip: if you've grown tomatoes before, plant them somewhere different this time. You'll reduce the chances of your tomatoes developing nasty diseases like blight.

Once your prep work is complete, dig a hole, approximately 3cms deep and space your tomato seedlings about one foot apart. Fill in the holes with soil.

Once planted, spray your tomatoes with liquid copper to prevent fungal diseases. And add a general fertiliser, like nitrophoska blue or use Tui Organic seaweed, to the soil surrounding the tomatoes to encourage large, juicy fruit.

Start thinking about salad planting, stagger your lettuce, silverbeet and spring onions so that you have a continuous supply over spring. The nursery has quite a selection of lettuce seedlings such as red, buttercrunch and cos or grab a mixed lettuce bundle. 

It’s not too late to get your strawberry plants in too– in time for Christmas day lunch. Try some in hanging baskets, if you’re short on space.  

Plant herbs such as coriander, rocket and sage. Sage is a great bug repellent too. So get them in before summer so that they’re well established by the time mosquitoes and sand flies make an appearance.

Spring is also the time that we encourage anyone to give gardening a try. With so many options available to plant, this is the season to have fun and play in your garden. Read our beginners guide here (link)

Flower planting

Who doesn’t love spring flowers? It’s the perfect time to get your swan plants in so that they’re established by the time summer rolls around. Plant flowers such as cornflower, gazanias and sweet peas. Sweet peas are the perfect climbing plant, not only do they smell delicious - they add a great pop of colour to your garden. 

 Sweet peas grow well in pots - particularly the dwarf variety which don't require staking and will cascade over the edge nicely. The other two varieties will also grow well in large pots. You'll just need to tie four or five bamboo stakes into a tee-pee shape to support the plants as they grow. And make sure you plant them in some good quality potting mix to really help them along their way. 

If you're growing in the garden, all you need is a sunny, well-drained spot next to a wall or some sort of support structure. Simply add some netting, wire or light wooded frame for the flowers to climb up. 

Plant the seedlings about 20cm apart from each other. And don't hold back! The more you plant, the more colour you'll add to your garden and the more flowers you'll have for brightening up and creating fragrance in your home. You can expect your sweet peas to flower in around 10 to 12 weeks from planting. 

Love your lawn

Spring is the best time to “love your lawn”. To start, spray any weeds and grass that you want to clear away; once this has died off, clear the area. Apply a layer of compost to any areas that you want to fill in.

Before scattering any lawn seed make sure you’ve watered the area well. Apply a fast-growing lawn seed, once applied rake it in and keep it well watered. Don’t forget to nourish your lawn while it’s growing.

 Happy spring gardening!