Dare we dream that the worst of the winter is over? The days are getting longer, the sun is starting to actually warm the skin and it’s the kind of weather that draws one back out into the garden.
If you’d like to reap some edible goodies from your garden in the coming months, now is the time to get planting! Here are a few vegetables to get started with right now, and in the months to come, you’ll get to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables!) of your labours.
Potatoes are easy to grow at home and can even be grown in pots. Ideally, use seed potatoes rather than supermarket potatoes. Seed potatoes are certified as virus free, haven’t been sprayed with sprouting inhibitors and are available for planting during winter.
Potatoes prefer a deep, slightly acidic soil with good moisture levels. If you aren’t certain about the quality of your soil, you may like to enrich if first with an organic plant food.
Plant the seed potatoes around 15cm deep and then cover with a layer of mulch around 15cm deep. As green shoots emerge through, continue to cover them in additional layers of mulch. The mulch protects the potatoes from sunlight (which turns potatoes green and inedible).
It will take about four months for your potatoes to fully mature, however impatient gardeners (or lovers of tiny taties) can harvest some tender baby potatoes a little earlier.
As the weather warms up across New Zealand, you can get a head start on growing tomatoes by starting the seeds off now – by the time spring arrives properly, your own tomato seedlings will be ready to plant in the garden or in pots.
A good quality seed-raising mix is a good idea to encourage growth – plant tomato seeds about 6mm deep and keep the mix moist and in plenty of sunlight – a windowsill is perfect. Here are some tomato varieties from Yates that you may like to try:
‘Roma’ – deep red, pear shaped fruit ideal for salads, bottling, soups, sun-drying and sauces. Great for pots and garden beds.
‘Small Fry’ – produces masses of sweet, bite-sized fruit. Perfect for garden beds, pots and kids!
‘Mortgage Lifter’ – a popular heirloom type variety that produces large, pinkish fruit.
‘Tomato Patio’ – plants produce lots of delicious round fruit and don’t require staking. Great for growing in pots.
As your seedlings grow, nurture the ground into which they will be planted. Use organic plant food in the soil (or potting mix for potted tomatoes). This will help improve the moisture holding ability of the soil and also provide food for hard working earthworms and beneficial soil micro-organisms.
Transplant seedlings when they’re around 5 – 7 cm tall. It is fine to plant tomato seedlings a little deeper than other vegie seedlings, as they will develop roots up the stem. These additional roots will help to stabilise the plant and also provide access to extra water and nutrients. Water seedlings well.
Gardens need bees to pollinate vegetables like pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini. To encourage bees into your garden you may like to include borage, which will attract our buzzing friends.
Borage flowers are also edible and make a pretty addition to salads, but remember not to eat the leaves. Borage is a warm season annual, so plant it once the risk of frost has passed and trim back spent flowers regularly to promote new growth.
Eve - 8 years ago
Both Borage flowers AND leaves are edible – the leaves taste best before the flowers appear. Borage leaves can add a slight cucumber flavour to cold drinks, and the flowers look pretty in a jug of chilled water. Leaves can be cooked too but I’ve never tried that. Must check that out on Mr. Google!