Actual Temperature
18 degrees Celsius
Humidity : 77%
Rainfall : 0.00mm
Wind : Lighty Wind
Temperature begin to rise throughout the country, although the occasional hard frost with strike, especially in southern and central areas. Spring is nevertheless here at last and the vegetable garden is beginning to show it. Despite the good news, frost can blight any tender seedlings and these are best held back from planting out until the days are more settled.
Getting Ready
Spring is ideal for sowing, and no time should be lost in raising seeds in trays for planting out later. Many herbs sown now will grow quickly from seed. It is better to sow thinly and get 20 or so seedlings rather than have so many that they choke themselves and pricking them out becomes a major task. When planting out seedlings, it is important to ensure the soil is not only warm and well drained but that it is also fertile and friable. Watering in new seedlings before firming the soil around them with a dilute-solution liquid fertiliser will be give them the best possible start. It will help to boost them while they get established in still-cool soils. As soon as the soil begins to warm and dry out, small and increasing amount of fertiliser can be added to the root zone of many plants.
Herbs seeds and cutting planted now will be useful once summer arrives "Trieste Sugar" is a sweeter type of chicory that hearts up well and although the outside leaves will shrivel and wilt in hard frosts, inner heart will remain quite useable. At the end of the summer, the large outer leaves eventually die off, allowing the plant to develop a second leaf crop.
Frost-prone Areas
In Frost-prone areas, it is still best to sow in pots or seed trays and plant only when the weather is warmer. Aubergine, capsicum, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin and melons are best sown in the protection of the greenhouse and planted out only when the days are warm and the weather settled. All seedlings that are being grown on for planting out later will benefit from a spray with a liquid fertiliser every fortnight or so. This will help the plants to flourish. Copper or a general fungicide added to the mix can also help protect young seedlings from fungal attack.
Frost-free Areas
In frost-free condition, there is not much that cant either be sown, or planted although aubergine, capsicum, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin and melons are most likely to succeed if sown in trays in a sheltered area and planting out is left until after Labour Weekend in late October. Kumara can be started in warm sheltered gardens and spinach can be sown directly where you want it to grow. Seeds of globe beetroot, bok choy, broad beans, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, celery, lettuce, leek, marrow, onion, orach, parsley, peas, radish, spinach, silver beet, swede, tomato, and zucchini, can be sown, directly where they are to grow. All of the above, can be planted out.
Frost-free Areas
In frost-free condition, there is not much that cant either be sown, or planted although aubergine, capsicum, cucumber, tomato, pumpkin and melons are most likely to succeed if sown in trays in a sheltered area and planting out is left until after Labour Weekend in late October. Kumara can be started in warm sheltered gardens and spinach can be sown directly where you want it to grow. Seeds of globe beetroot, bok choy, broad beans, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, celery, lettuce, leek, marrow, onion, orach, parsley, peas, radish, spinach, silver beet, swede, tomato, and zucchini, can be sown, directly where they are to grow. All of the above, can be planted out.
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