Monthly Tips & Tasks – March

Monthly Tips & Tasks – March

Fruit & Vegetables, Garden Life, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Summer Gardening, The Flower Garden

We are now in Summer with plenty of hot weather and the usual periods of wind and little rain, all of which puts stress on plants and gives us the problem of keeping them growing and healthy.

Most of the berry fruits are finishing and the stone fruits are reaching their main production now, then to follow is the pip fruit.

The fruit crops that we are harvesting now are the results of the cultivation that we gave them over the last Winter and Spring so if the results are not up to expectations then review what was done to identify what needs to be done to improve the next crop.

Although winter is still a long way off we do need to be prepared. Spring bulbs will soon be in the garden centres but it is still too soon to plant most of them so choose the best quality bulbs and keep them until the time is right in the Autumn.

Most of the tasks around the garden at this time of the year is what I call maintenance gardening; weeding, watering, pest and disease control and of course, harvesting.

Monthly Tips & Tasks – February

Monthly Tips & Tasks – February

Fruit & Vegetables, Lawns, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Summer Gardening, The Flower Garden

We are now in Summer with plenty of hot weather and the usual periods of wind and little rain, all of which puts stress on plants and gives us the problem of keeping them growing and healthy.

Most of the berry fruits are finishing and the stone fruits are reaching their main production now, then to follow is the pip fruit.

The fruit crops that we are harvesting now are the results of the cultivation that we gave them over the last Winter and Spring so if the results are not up to expectations then review what was done to identify what needs to be done to improve the next crop.

Although winter is still a long way off we do need to be prepared. Spring bulbs will soon be in the garden centres but it is still too soon to plant most of them so choose the best quality bulbs and keep them until the time is right in the Autumn.

Most of the tasks around the garden at this time of the year is what I call maintenance gardening; weeding, watering, pest and disease control and of course, harvesting.

Monthly Tips & Tasks – December

Monthly Tips & Tasks – December

Fruit & Vegetables, Landscape Design Tips, Lawns, Monthly Tips & Tasks, Summer Gardening, The Flower Garden

December is the real start of Summer and after a very changeable Spring we look forward to a more settled and warmer time. Overall Spring has been a good growing season and as a result there has been a good set of both stone and pip. Because of this there is a need to thin out the developing fruit so that the size and quality of the crop is achieved.

The planting of Summer annuals needs to be completed and with the possibility of water restrictions mulching in as much of the garden areas as possible should be done to help retain soil moisture.

Monthly Tips & Tasks – May

Monthly Tips & Tasks – May

Autumn Gardening, Fruit & Vegetables, Lawns, Monthly Tips & Tasks, New Zealand Natives, Plant Forum, The Flower Garden

In May we are well into Autumn and Winter is about to start. This means that we will slow down on what we need to do around the garden.

Most of the work involves general maintenance and cleaning up, in and around the garden by removing weeds, crop residues, lifting Summer perennials and bulbs and preparing ground for new plantings later in the Spring.

Monthly Tips & Tasks – July

Monthly Tips & Tasks – July

Fruit & Vegetables, The Flower Garden, This Month in the Garden, Winter Gardening

Winter has arrived and the weather is its usual mixture of wet, cold and windy. The sunshine hours are below the average for this time of the year too, making it feel much colder and wetter than it really is. Strong winds have caused damage to the trees and other plants in the garden. Its important to repair this damage as soon as possible, do this by pruning out the broken branches to healthy wood.