11/07/2013 - Research for the Month of April

Actual Temperature
11 degrees Celsius
Humidity : 75%
Rainfall : 0.00mm
Wind :  Heavy Wind

Herb Garden

Now is the time to cut back and sort out the herb garden. Many herbs, such as sage, sorrel, lovage, winter savory and thyme, can be divided up, cut back and placed either in pots as gifts to friends or in new areas of the garden to become established before winter begins. Sow herb seeds such as sage and rosemary now for planting out in the spring. In cool areas use trays, but in warm, sheltered parts of the country sow directly into the soil and thin the seedlings later. You can dry healthy foliage by hanging bunches in paper bags in a cool, airy place and then storing the leaves in sealed jars for winter use.  

Disease Alert

Powdery Mildew is a problem in the autumn garden, especially if the crop is a heavy one, the weather is humid and the soil dry. It will affect vegetables such as pumpkin. The infected leaves become discoloured, distorted and covered with a whitish powder. Use a suitable fungicide spray at the first sign of the problem. Remove and carefully dispose of all infected parts.

Getting Ready

Applying mulch is still important in the autumn and winter. It helps to keep root zones moist when the garden is dry and keeps them sheltered and warm when the weather is cold.

Clean-up copper sprays are good for the autumn garden. They are relatively safe to use and help to control the fungal diseases that abound at the time of the year.

Allow a few beans, some rocket, coriander, dill and florence fennel to set seed. Save the seeds from the biggest and best of the crop for dying and planting out next season.

Frost-prone Areas

If you are enough to have a warm, free draining soil then a lot can still be sown. Broad beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, silver beet and spinach will all sprout into growth as long as they are provided with plenty of moisture. Sow in containers and then prick out young seedlings before planting them out into the garden so that watering is easy and insert pests that might have designs upon tender young plants can be monitored.

Frost-free Areas

Sow broad beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, silver beet and spinach. Harvest kumara as soon  as possible. A green manure crop such as mustard, blue lupin or oats can be sown now in ground that is to be left vacant through the winter. Dig this crop in at the end  of winter and it will loosen and improve soil and provide valuable humus. Dig the crop in while it is still soft.