I am about an hour from Hamilton and Auckland.

I am currently planning my next seed purchase. I am hitting up the usual brasiccas and radishes.

I am looking for lettuces and beans to plant.

Currently mulling which fruit trees to plant- it is best to plant over winter yes?

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Hi Lilibeth

We are just North of Christchurch and this weekend will be planting Cabbages, Broccoli, Spinach, Lettuce, Beetroot and Onions.

The cabbage, lettuce and beetroot will be in the greenhouse, the rest will be outdoors.



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You mention beans; I assume you mean broad beans, which thrive over the winter. I grow Sutton dwarf (a broad bean's idea of a dwarf, around 5 ft.)
I plant garlic in April and throw rocket and coriander seed around all winter. Sugar snap peas now.
Now's a good time to direct-seed poppies, calendula, aquilegia and sweet peas, which will grow slowly over winter and take off in spring.
I'm putting in bearded iris rhizomes and shuffling strawberries around.
I generally plant fruit trees just before they bud, generally August. I do recommend getting them from a real nursery: I wouldn't trust the big places to look after them.
I recommend Edible Garden's trees, but check they're suited to your climate.[www.ediblegarden.co.nz]

For lettuce, I would go for cos as that grows over winter. Also rocket with grows all the time (it's a weed around here). Personally, I plant peas rather than broad beans because broad beans aren't popular in our household. Shame really, as they grow so well at a slow time of the year.

I'm terrible at getting my winter veg in (until late autumn, which is too late for many veg) and fail every time apart from the ones that self-seed. I don't suppose this year will be any exception.

I am, however, hoping to get some spring bulbs to plant along the driveway. I've even written it on my shopping list, which is a good start.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2012 11:41PM by FarmAway.

Don't do a winter garden here in Auckland. Plants mostly drown in the endless rain and are cheaper to buy by the time mine grow to full size. I do, however, spend the winter feeding my soil with compost, seaweed and other assorted potions.

I don't have much luck with autumn-sown broad beans so will try planting them in spring instead. I have some brassica seedlings ready to plant - cabbage, red cabbage, Chinese cabbage, brocoli, cauli, Brussel sprouts, collard, rocket, kohlrabi, pak choi, turnip and some leeks, lettuce, salsify (first time this year), chicory, endive, Miner's lettuce. I also have some self-sown parsnips, kale, mizuna, snow peas and red silverbeet already in the garden.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2012 08:51PM by PennyG.

Stephanie D - I'm like you for winter, plus the hours I work I would never get out to check on anything in daylight. What do you do to control weeds in an empty patch or do you grow something else?? I'm thinking of trying sowing ground cover such as lupin or alfalfa until I'm ready to use again; has anyone tried this in Auckland?

I just leave the garden to grow - weeds and all. In our climate we have such a long growing season, the rest time is actually quite short and I think "good luck" to anything that doesn't drown in the horrible wetness of our winter.Plus the fertilizing and mulching does keep things slightly under control.I have the feeling that lupins etc may take over in our supposedly warm climate.

We've been out of our house for most of this term and my vege garden is a disaster zone. Only thing thriving in it are the caterpillars, slugs and aphids.
But now I'm back and I'm cheating and buying punnets to plant out this week. Picked up silverbeet, chives (they won't last long), leeks, lettuces, spinach. Some things will go in the glasshouse and I'll plant some seeds for bok choy in there too. Will try another round of radishes and coriander and hope for the best. Left it a bit late really but hoping the glasshouse might help protect a few things from the frosts. Cross fingers!

Glad you are back in your house, you will feel so much better. Strange but true, the kowhai in my garden(Auckland) has flowers.

pippimac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You mention beans; I assume you mean broad beans,
> which thrive over the winter. I grow Sutton dwarf
> (a broad bean's idea of a dwarf, around 5 ft.)
> I plant garlic in April and throw rocket and
> coriander seed around all winter. Sugar snap peas
> now.
> Now's a good time to direct-seed poppies,
> calendula, aquilegia and sweet peas, which will
> grow slowly over winter and take off in spring.
> I'm putting in bearded iris rhizomes and shuffling
> strawberries around.
> I generally plant fruit trees just before they
> bud, generally August. I do recommend getting them
> from a real nursery: I wouldn't trust the big
> places to look after them.
> I recommend Edible Garden's trees, but check
> they're suited to your climate.

Can I enquire as to where you source seed for the Sutton Dwarf Broad Bean? Have you grown it for a few years?

Hmm, well I thought I had Sutton from Kings seeds, but it appears I was making it up and I've got dwarf early green, which has tasty, tender beans on short plants.